stressing.

Sometime last week I noticed that instead of feeling like this balanced warrior:

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I was feeling more like these gals:

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So this weekend, I tried this:

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And I learned:

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On a serious note, acupuncture feels great. Sure, there is a brief sting with each needle, but the deep relaxation that follows is heaven for a girl who gets blurry-vision-headaches.
Entirely worth a little prick.

bonjour, little cookie.

We have found that it's always helpful to know a few basic words or phrases in a handful of different languages. Aside from hello, goodbye, yes, no, thank you, where is the bathroom, how much does this cost, and do you have a girlfriend, we'd like to add one more to the French list: macaron. It remains to be seen if these little cookies will catch on in the same way that cupcakes and frozen yogurt have, but given the trend's migration from Paris to New York, it seems as though a mini merengue sandwich storm may be headed our way.
So before the midwestern masses begin forming lines á la Sprinkles and Pinkberry..

..we highly recommend that you get your tush on over to Pierrot Gourmet. In addition to having fab food for a normal meal, this extension of the Peninsula Hotel is also quite dependable when it comes to macarons. On this past misty Saturday, we took advantage of the fact that PG is located in our 'hood and grabbed one of each flavor -- lemon, pistachio, dulce de leche, strawberry, coconut, chocolate mint, nutella, and chocolate. Since we couldn't be seated immediately, we took our 11am snack to Starbucks for a caffeine accompaniment, and while awkwardly sitting at the large communal table with a few other patrons who shot us judgy looks, we played food critics. We can't say one bad thing about the technique or texture, but a few of the cookies went a little too far into what we could only describe as "American." The dulce de leche and chocolate mint were like glorified candy bars with unnecessary ingredients stuffed in. A macaron is supposed to be light and airy, and that was muddled by the blob (technical term) of caramel in one and the taste of toothpaste in another. All of that aside, the lemon and pistachio were by far the best and most authentic, and we will most certainly be back for more.

We took K's canines for a stroll afterwards, and here's Chloe, strutting her tiny little waistline,
easily maintained due to the fact that we did not include her in the taste-testing.

going green [tea].

Let me preface this by saying that I've spent a significant amount of time trying to convince people that I am not Japanese. It's an amazing culture, but it's not mine. My ancestors came from the lands of borscht, pierogi, rugelach, potatoes, bratwurst, and baguettes.
Yes, I think that more or less encapsulates my mutt pedigree from a culinary standpoint.
However, moving forward with this post, I'm about to completely diminish my credibility.

I shall make the sacrifice for the sake of my beloved green tea.

It's delicious, smells good, looks good, and is good for you. Harvard even says so. Okay, so maybe the green tea macarons and cupcakes don't contain enough antioxidants to make a difference, but we can pretend. For the real thing, I recommend a hot or iced green tea latte, which uses matcha powder and is laden with some seriously potent EGCG stuff. Don't let the color fool you, it's wonderful. And you'll love the silly looks that people give you if you're drinking it iced, i.e. in a clear cup. Have I hooked you yet? Tough crowd. Alright, there's a restaurant in Chicago appropriately called Waffles that apparently serves up a green tea version of - you guessed it - waffles! Everyone loves waffles. That will be happening some Sunday in my future, you can count on it. And outside of the edible, Bulgari makes a green tea perfume that has a fresh and slightly citrusy scent to it. Bottom line, it's about time that you embrace this versatile little leaf.

all images via pinterest

27 dresses.

Behind all of the musings, wishlists, weekend adventures, and pretty puppy pictures that we post, we have a genuine desire to see good fortune and happiness amongst our fellow (wo)man. Cheesy? Maybe. But true nonetheless.

On that note, I wanted to take a timeout today to share a great non-profit organization with you.

The Glass Slipper Project collects formal dresses and accessories and provides them to high school juniors and seniors in Chicago who would otherwise be unable to afford them. The dresses are distributed at the Glass Slipper "boutiques" each prom season, and each of the girls are guided by volunteer personal shoppers to help them find the prom dress of their dreams.

 

via The Glass Slipper Project 

This weekend Old Orchard is hosting a pre-prom party in the space between Helzberg Diamonds and Ann Taylor. If you're heading out there to shop, take a glance through your closet and see what you may be able to donate to The Glass Slipper Project. Aside from getting a head start on your spring cleaning,  as a bonus you'll get a $10 gift cert to Old Orchard stores.

B and I have both donated, and you should too. 

There are so many amazing organizations like this one, for everyday needs and for special occasions of all varieties, including weddings. My sister-in-law recently donated her beautiful wedding gown to The Brides Project, another tremendous organization in Michigan. The Brides Project sells gowns donated by brides or bridal shops and all the profits go directly to the Cancer Support Community for programs and services for people touched by cancer.

If you have beautiful things, count yourself lucky, and when you're done with them, pass them along to someone who can feel lucky to have them, too.

And, if you have 27 dresses hiding in your front closet from all your friend's weddings, stop pretending you're ever going to wear them again, and donate to a girl who will.

a few of our (new) favorite things.

The St. Patrick's Day debauchery in Chicago, complete with 2 parades and a river dyed green, was particularly tolerable this weekend, dare we say enjoyable, due to the beautiful, unusually warm weather. We traded in our usual snow/sleet/rain/cold for 75 degree sunshine. We navigated the crowds of drunken leprechauns and slow-as-molasses tourists and popped into Nordstrom to cash in some notes for a fab Kate Spade watch and gold iPhone handset, Zara to score an amazing pair of pleated puppy-print shorts, and Anthropologie for a few knob options to (hopefully) complete the never-ending bedside table project. All in all, by far our most productive and sober St. Patty's to date.

 

a dose of dose.

This probably isn't breaking news to any of you Chicagoans, but there is now a great way to inject some variety into your weekend on one Sunday each month, and they call themselves Dose. It's a marketplace with various sellers hawking (not to be confused with 'hocking') their merchandise, be it housewares, fashion, food, or miscellaneous, and it's difficult to walk out empty-handed (yesterday's damage: jasmine tea and French macarons, on the tame side because we were so overwhelmed by the amount of goodness). The line-up changes every month, meaning you can justify going every month. Works for us, since there aren't many things we love more than a good justification!

Vendors of note include Babushka Bakery, Mineralogy Jewelry, Dinner Party Shop, Zora Jewelry, and Industrial Evolution. There was also complimentary beer on hand, but it was 10:45 in the morning and we are no longer those carefree and perpetually tipsy girls in Boulder, Colorado. Cue sad face :( We concluded the morning by taking a short stroll along the river (it was 65! and sunny! in March!), and upon B's arrival home Penny insisted she get some relaxing outdoor time as well, so the little princess claimed a deck chair. And ate a small spider.

And so begins another week.

off to the races.

It's a lucky thing for Big Joe's that I'm not a member of PETA, otherwise they would've been shut down about five minutes ago. Some of you may have not heard of this joint.. allow me to fill you in. It's your standard dive, but with a twist. Horses race, greyhounds race, but turtles? Sure, turtles definitely race now. I like to envision them lounging in cashmere robes, enjoying the comforts of a  spacious penthouse terrarium in the back room when not being expected to scoot their little shells two feet to the finish line, so let's pretend that I'm right. As part of my pal's birthday shindig, everyone's names were entered into the races. When I was called up to participate (and by participate, I mean have your name associated with a turtle that you have zero control over), the emcee said that I may have been the least enthusiastic looking person to ever be a part of a race. This was my fault, as I should have known that two beers would not be neeearly enough to make me comfortable with the evening's events. In other words, I should've had that vodka pineapple cocktail much sooner. Anyhoo, the turtle whose name I drew was Jolanda, who is also dubbed "the slowest f-cking turtle in the world," and obviously doesn't take shit from anyone. I was less than thrilled in knowing I'd never have a shot at winning the free t-shirt, but I have to say that I do recommend trying this out for yourself. Obviously Jolanda didn't win. Instead, she just sat there and stared at me while I debated snatching her up and running for the nearest available taxi, saving her from a life of empty competition, only to return home to realize that I had a new pet turtle. That didn't happen either. However, I did do something new and semi-exciting (again, drink more and you'll be better for it) in the dead of a Chicago winter and that, my friends, is the ultimate fete.

fido friday: the bull gets a bath.

After a holiday season spent ripping up wrapping paper, pulling apart bows, and running through our ever-so-dirty Chicago sludge, this bull was ready for a bath. I hate turning over my sweet boy to a groomer, he just doesn’t feel like the type of dog that should be “groomed” –  he’s a bulldog, shouldn't he be washed in a yard with a hose? Alas, we live in a condo in the city, and we’ve raised a privileged bulldog with a rebellious personality, so our options are slim: clog the bath tub in our guest bathroom with tufts of white quills OR take Sebastian over to my new favorite spot, Soggy Paws, for a self-wash!

I got Sebas into a bathtub, and after his very professional facial, we lathered, rinsed, and dried him, and left the mess behind (bonus: my tiny pug fits into Soggy Paws’ small-dog-bucket and only runs an extra $10!). 

 All done! I love Sebastian's brilliant, shiny, white fur and the fact that he no longer smells like a garbage truck - he on the other hand cannot wait to get a grass stain or some dirt onto his clean coat, and get his swagger back. 

Happy Friday! Sebastian and Chloe will spend their weekend very busy with walks, naps and lots of snacks.

eat up: chicago restaurant week.

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I toggle between considering myself quite the foodie, and eating cereal and a string cheese for dinner when J is not around. But every year, Restaurant Week presents the perfect opportunity to awaken the iron chef judge in all of us, and give those new or slightly out-of-reach places a whirl. Not to mention, anything to avoid doing dishes!

My line up includes:

A birthday lunch at David Burke's Primehouse:

A lady brunch at bistronomic:

A dinner date at iNG:

And, a finale at Perennial Virant:

Are there places you wish were participating this year, but aren't? Which are you looking most forward to?