Nellie & Phoeb's: September 2013

Travel: The Windy City

Weekend Getaway to Chicago

Troy had to travel to Chicago for some work training, so we extended his stay through the weekend for a much needed mini vacay with no kids! I flew on Friday afternoon, met him at the Hotel Palomar, where we had sat on the patio & had a cocktails, appetizers, & watched people walk by.

I give Hotel Palomar FIVE STARS! It's located downtown & there is so much to do within walking distance, plus the restaurant & bar were both phenomenal, the menu & the aesthetics!

We ended the evening having Thai food at a little place right across the street, the food was excellent & the menu prices ranged from $4-$10, can't beat that!

We got up Saturday morning, made coffee at the hotel & started our tourist adventure. We started at the infamous Bean, it really is stunning.

The temperature dropped quite a bit from Friday to Saturday, good thing I packed a pair of skinnies! We walked through the sculptures in the park & made our way over to The Art Institute, where we waited in line for about 20 minutes while listening to a street musician.

I am so excited that I got to see work from some of the most influential & famous artists in history, including Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, & Pollack. To top it off, there were some 5th Century BC sculptures, the oldest artifacts I've ever seen in person.

The museum encourages people to take no flash photography, so here are some of the pieces we got to see:

Of course we had to squeeze in one Ferris Buller re-enactment:

After many suggestions & much debate, we selected Lou Malnati's for our first REAL Chicago pizza! Troy insisted on ordering sausage, because it was the most authentic, I don't like sausage... so I was not that impressed. I am really a NY pizza kind of girl! But, Troy loved it, we can't all win all the time:)

On our way out of town on Sunday, our college buddy Jim, gave us a tour of the city, we went by The Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, & Wrigley Field. We stopped at Wrigley, ran into a t-shirt shop & got the girls souvenir shirts, & snapped a pic in front of the game day crowd.

And, we couldn't leave without stuffing our faces one last time! Jim took us to Burger Bar where I had the Smokehouse stacker, a burger topped with house-smoked brisket, white cheddar, fried pickles, & country coleslaw, it was INSANE. Then, Troy & I shared the banana & Nutella shake, I'm not really a shake person, but I could have drank the whole thing! Two thumbs up Burger Bar!

We both really liked Chicago, it would have been a great place to live pre-kids! There is so much hustle & bustle, so many people, & so much energy. The city is covered in patio's, sidewalk landscaping, & really tall people!

Chicago, until we meet again, adios!

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Five on Friday: Almost Fall Y'all

Linking in for 5 on Friday!

5 things that made me happy this week:

1. #2 Started Preschool

#2 started preschool at our church & she loves it! She is only going two days a week, but she thinks she is SUCH a BIG KID. We have to pack her lunch, & she loves to tell me what she wants in it. She had a few homework items to do this weekend & while we were working on them, she told her big sis she couldn't play because she was getting her work stuff done, SO CUTE!

2. BLACK BEAN SOUP

I found this recipe on the back of my Market Pantry can of black beans & it was so tasty & so easy, it was too good not to share! (I made a couple of minor changes.)

RECIPE:

Black Bean Soup

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained

1/2 cup salsa

1 lime

Optional: cilantro, avocado, sour cream

Combine broth, beans, juice of 1 lime, & salsa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 5 minutes. While cooking, mash some of the beans with a spoon or fork.

Top with cilantro, sour cream, & avocado for additional flavor.

The more beans you mash & the longer you let it simmer, the thicker it will get.

(I didn't photograph my soup, so I found an image on flickr.)

3. Advocare 10 Day Cleanse

My friends Jenny & Court sell Advocare, they got into it because they wanted the product discount, but have recently decided they want to take advantage of the business opportunity as well. So, we have been talking about the products quite a bit.

My husband did the 24 day challenge last year & had great success, but I don't feel like I can commit to 24 days right now. I thought the 10 day cleanse was doable, a way to get me back on track & to loose the 6 pounds I gained this summer. I am on day 8 & have lost 3.5 pounds. I have not been working out, I am planning on getting in some exercise over the next couple of day to try & loose the other 2.5 pounds!

The Cleanse is only $35, so it's not a huge monetary commitment. But, I HIGHLY recommend buying some SPARK if you are a coffee drinker. You can't drink coffee & I was totally dragging the first couple of days, until Jenny brought me over some Watermelon Spark, which is quite tasty. It is Mommy Happy Juice for SURE!

For more info on the Cleanse click here.

4. FALL = S'MORES

Well, it's not quite Fall, but the anticipation has taken over! We lit a fire on Monday night & let the girls roast over sized marshmallows. I couldn't eat one because I am doing the cleanse, but I did get to enjoy the beauty of the fire & the smiles on my girls faces.

5. REDEFINE Lip Renewing Serum

I have added this to my nightly skin care routine & I am loving it! I have very thin lips as it is, & I can NOT afford for them to loose color & flatten out as I age.

"The smooth, naturally full, defined lips that nature gives us will, over time, become thinner, flatter, less rosy and more lined. Reclaim or maintain the lips of youth with REDEFINE Lip Renewing Serum. Each peptide and antioxidant-rich capsule helps lips retain natural moisturizing factors, smoothes lip texture and reduces the appearance of lip wrinkles."

There are 60 capsules in the tub, but one capsule has been lasting me several uses.

Let's Party: Westfall's Tie the Knot

Picture Perfect Wedding

The ceremony backdrop, complete with the couples custom gold monogram.

The cake was TO DIE FOR, period. A lady that lives in our neighborhood made it, she works out of her home in Jenks, you can follow her on Faceboook under FrOSTEN's.

I LOVED throwing sequins on the bride & groom, so sparkly & pretty.

Sparkles in her hair.

The dinner tables were dressed beautifully. Each place setting was topped with a coaster that had a thank you note on the back. A local Italian restaurant, Andolini's catered the event, it was fabulous.

The Menu:

Italian Salad

Meatballs with Marinara

Baked Ziti

Steamed Green Beans

Garlic Knots