Sweet Chicago

Whew.. barely made the cut this Sunday for my Sweet Sunday Post… This Sweet Sunday is centered around one of the "sweetest" places I like to visit: Chicago :) I don't know what it is about the little, big city, but it makes me feel like I am on top of the world. My mom and I just recently made a visit to Chicago making this a no-brainer to post about this week.  Like always, we spent WAY too much money visiting the Water Tower Mall and shopping all along Michigan Ave. Whenever we go to Chicago, there are a few normal ordinary things we have to do to make our trip complete, and if you haven't done any of these things, I highly recommend them (even though most of them are very simple little things).

1. The Corner Bakery for Breakfast

The corner bakery has a few locations around Chicago, but they by far, are our favorite place to go for breakfast. They have stuff for on-the-go to please their regulars, hold a lot of brunches, and also create a perfect atmosphere to people watch around the city.

2. The Bridge and Walking along Lakeshore

My mom and I are big walkers in general, so we enjoy our walks along Lakeshore the most. You get to see a lot of different parks, the Harbor, a lot more of the "local life" which we day dream about the whole stretch we walk past residents, and you get a really good look around the Navy Pier (also one of the coolest places to go).  Our normal ordinary is to take this walk more than once while we are visiting just because we get to see new things every time. 

3. The Crate&Barrel along Michigan Ave. 

I can't go to Chicago and make it out of the Crate&Barrel Store empty handed. It's four floors worth of every home and garden accessory you could imagine. If you are as obsessed with home design as I am, it is a must-do when visiting Chicago! This year,  I couldn't resist this cute yellow watering can which I am going to use as a flowing pot instead and place in the center of my porch table. 

4. Wrigley-ville

Personally, I am a Cincinnati Reds Fan, but more times than not, my mom and I try and go to a Cubbies game for the heck of it because Wrigley field and the surrounding area is so cool and full of great baseball history. We are spots junkies in general, so we both feel totally in our element hanging out on this side of town.  Plus, who could turn down peanuts and cracker jacks? ;)

5. Peet's Coffee

This used to be a Caribou Coffee across from Millennium Park, but Peet's replaced Caribou. I must admit, I really really loved what they had done. Peet's had a very serene atmosphere, a whole wall made of plats that they watered and grew, but overall, it is pretty standard. Their lattes were to die for, and I will definitely continue going back. I realize this is a chain, but I had never been and it made this Chicago trip even better. 

6. Millenium Park

I think this goes without saying that- Millennium Park is a must do when going to Chicago. Whether you are going for the gardens, a concert, the bean, whatever, it is just a really fun place to be all the time. There is always something going on, it is right around the old library and seems to be a central hub for University of Chicago, Northwestern, and other schools located in the city, it is just across the street from the Art Institute, and just a few streets over from catching Lakeshore where you can even walk to the Navy Pier. I just love all the gardens and seeing what they are growing every season, seeing what new exhibits are out there, and of course stopping by the bean. Chicago is full of the coolest art, and this area in particular highlights a ton of artistic strength. 

Summer 2013

Summer 2013

7. The Water Tower Mall + Giordano's Pizza

These two places are caddy corner from each other, so I mean really, it is necessary. I am definitely a Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza girl over Gino's: All day, every day. The Water Tower Mall is also one of my favorite places to shop because of the dancing waters in the front, the crazy amounts of stores (including the Lego Store which is just the coolest) and the insane amounts of products and brands available that are definitely not in Indianapolis.  Some of my purchases were bareMinerals Makeup which I will be posting about here hopefully this week, a watch, and a few other products here and there. It is my favorite place to shop aside from the Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx. 

8. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory

I am almost embarrassed that I didn't take a picture of this when my mom and I went this last time, but we have made it a tradition to stop here for ice cream if we go on a night walk in the city. We once went for breakfast just because we could, and ever since that time, we just feel like we have to go back. It is a place full of chocolaty goodness and bliss, so GO if you get the chance. It is right in the heart of Michigan Ave. and it is the perfect place to take a break and soak in the city at any time of day. 

Of course there are plenty of other things we like to do like go and see shows, go to Blackhawks games, Bears games, we love the Blue Man Group, concerts, and all that good stuff. There are also other breakfast places like "The Yolk" that we like to go to, sometimes we get Chicago Dogs for dinner instead of pizza, but it all just depends… Everyone makes their own traditions, or in my words, their own normal ordinary, when visiting their favorite cities, and we enjoy trying and finding new things just as much as visiting our old favorites. These 8 things are what really make my Chicago trip complete though, even when I go just for a quick visit. I'm already am anticipating my next trip back!


I hope you all have had a wonderful Sunday, and thank you for reading!

T. Hall

Thankful Thursday: Birthday Traditions of the Spring

This is my first ever Thankful Thursday link up with my friends,  Maddie and Addie however neither of them decided to participate today… but I still wanted to post my Thankful Thursday anyway!  I am so thankful for both of these women, and I love that they have started this link up on their blogs.  Any other Thursday, feel free to link up with them and share what you are thankful for.  

This Thursday, I want to express how thankful I am to have a family that stands so firmly on togetherness and tradition. As I mentioned back in March, we celebrate birthdays from March 6-April 20 as all five of us have birthdays within these six weeks. So naturally, as of Monday, all 5 of our birthdays will have passed, all desserts will have been had, and our world will go back to normal..ish. Over the years, we have developed a lot of our own normal, ordinary traditions celebrating, and that is what I am thankful for the most this Thursday!

Before I list out the traditions I am thankful for, I want to express how thankful I am for my stepmom whose actual birthday is today! Without her, the birthday celebrations and all the life put in them would not exist as it has for the last 15 years.  She has become such a great role model for me demonstrating how to keep everything organized, how to plan, stay healthy, and how to bake/cook anything under the sun while also working and socializing like a normal human.  She really does an amazing job keeping my family in one piece, and I am very thankful that she came into my life at such an early age! A lot of what she has taught me is what makes up my normal, ordinary life, and I will be forever grateful for her.

Now- The Birthday Traditions!

1. We all get to pick our own dessert

Lexi: Lemon Bars, Tiffany: Vintage Cake, Me: Banana Cream Pie

2. We almost always have to get creative with the candles

Last year was the last year that I was forced to blow out as many candles as I was old, so we didn't run out of candles like we normally do between my sister and I this year.  My stepmom somehow always bypasses the act of blowing out candles on her own cake, but we still make her stay next to us when the family sings happy birthday even though she tries to hide. All three of us would much rather avoid all that attention, but tradition is tradition I guess...

We sang to each other out of awkwardness

And why do people think this is a great photo to take EVERY year? We are blowing out candles for goodness sake..  Not the cutest moments of life, you know?

I only had 4 candles to blow out this year, so my wish will come true :)

Lexi finally blew all hers out after 3 attempts…

3. Watching the Masters with my dad and grandparents

You know, I am not really a big golf fan especially when we are watching it on TV, but the Masters has always been something that we have to share with our birthday. It has ultimately become a tradition to have it on the TV and watch it all together (and usually bet against each other trying to predict the winner) when we have our big family party. It's definitely not the worst thing to share our birthdays with, and I have grown quite fond of it… especially this year.  

Need I say more? source

4. My grandma's "themed" gifts

This year, my gift theme was glasses, my stepmom's was dishes, and my sister's was hair products… We were having a little too much fun with my theme since they were all some sort of crazy figurine wearing glasses…. Naturally, we all had to try on this pretty pair of specs, which are now displayed on my bedside table at home for decoration. 

5. The stories

For some reason, we always tell the same stories over and over again about when my sister was born and the crazy things that happened on that day, especially with my grandparents, same with Tiffany and myself. We never bring the stories up on purpose, but they are told every year and I swear we laugh harder each year at how funny they are. In my family, everything is always an adventure, so for a big event like a child being brought into the world, I am sure you can only imagine the "adventures" we seem to have. Trust me, they are ridiculous. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world though. 

Well friends, thanks for reading my Thankful Thursday! 

See you Sunday ;)

T. Hall 

Sweet Sunday: Sister Addition

My Sweet Sunday #2 is a shot-out to my sweet sister who turns 13 today!!!!!!! The teenage world is a scary place, but I think she can handle it…. she is sure ready. I'm pretty sure she is 13 going on 25 because she is so mature… more mature than I ever was at her age. She ceases to amaze me in all that she does, and I am so excited to see the impact she makes on this world.  There is no one I would rather attempt to cook with (and usually burn something in the process with), play sequence with, FaceTime with, or tell stories with. I am so thankful to have a sister as incredible as her. Age is just a number when it comes to the two of us, and our larger age gap doesn't seem to make a difference in closeness.  

I wasn't gifted with siblings until I was 9, but my goodness, Lexi was sure worth the wait. I was so excited to be a big sister, and I could not have imagined Lexi was born at 1:17pm on Friday, April 12, 2002, and at the time I think I was more excited that I was missing a spelling test at school than anything else. We celebrated our two birthdays, and my stepmom's birthday as well (all our birthdays are within 8 days of each other).  The whole family told stories for hours about this little one and all of us old people can't believe that she is a teenager.  As she enters her crazy hormonal changes, learning how to drive, her first dates, maybe her first love, all the high school sports, drama, competition, and fun, I can't help but get more and more excited for her and to watch her grow through this stage of life. I feel like it was just yesterday I was in her shoes, but as of a week from Monday, that will be 9 years ago. 

The "sweetest" things that I think I am looking forward to Lexi experiencing the most (and hearing stories about) are:

:: Her first dance ::

:: Her first REAL date ::

:: Where her and her friends go or hangout after football games ::

:: What her favorite classes will be ::

:: What her most embarrassing moments are ::

:: What will she be involved in, if anything, besides swimming ::

:: Her learning how to drive ::

:: How tall she's going to be :: 

(she's already 3 inches taller and two shoe sizes bigger than me)

:: What her favorite things to do will be ::

:: her growing into an even cooler and more confident human than she is now ::

As of yesterday, she wants to pursue optometry like me, her favorite color is blue, she would love to swim and college, and she unfortunately wants to go to IU..  in about 5 years, I will have to report back and see how all those things change.  Here are some pictures to show how she has changed thus far:

2009

2012

2014

2015

                                       


OUR DESSERT CHOICES, including the lemon bars featured above :)
My Choice: Fluffy Banana Cream Pie           Tiffany's Choice: Vintage Cake         Lexi's Choice: Lemon Bars 








Happy Sweet Sunday and Happy Birthday to my Sweet Baby Sister!

Thanks for reading,
T. Hall

Sweet Sunday

So, I think I am going to start a weekly tradition for my blog called Sweet Sunday, one, to keep me blogging every week, and two, simply because Sunday is my favorite day (and when I have to most time, usually) to do what I want.

I like this theme mostly because baking and blogging seem to be my release, especially after weeks like this past one. When I need to unwind, I love to bake, and I love to share whatever I am making with the people I love most; for food is the key to everyones' heart, right? :) As I have mentioned before in previous posts,  "gifts" are my love language; both in showing my love for others and to receive from others.  Not in a way where I need material things constantly, but the gift of time or thought. Those are the kinds of gifts I love most.  So knowing all of that, Sweet Sunday posts seemed like a tradition I needed to incorporate in my Normal Ordinary.  I also think having a themed post like this will keep me accountable in serving people, as we should never forget the power of love.  That brings me to the reason why I picked this week to start "Sweet Sunday".  This weekend is Easter weekend; the symbolic weekend of when we were all given the greatest gift, the "sweetest" gift for my blog purpose; Eternal Life.  Sometimes, I feel like the love I give to others is my doing, and vise versa. I get lost looking for love and trying to capture the hearts of people on earth when really it is God's heart that I should be seeking and reflecting to those around me because His love is always greater. Jesus paid it all, and I know I am here to pay it forward and show others the love He has for us: enough love that He sent his son to conquer death and save us ALL from sin.  For that reason, this Sunday is the sweetest Sunday of all the Sundays in 2015 for it signifies Jesus paid in full when He died and rose from the grave to provide us with life beyond what we experience on earth.

His love is much more everlasting than my baked goods will be or whatever else I get to write about for these weekly posts, so don't miss that. He is Alive, and He loves you more than you could ever imagine.  I can only hope that these posts will help show a small portion of His love to those around me and will encourage all of you in the same way.








Of course I can't resist posting at least one dessert recipe for my first Sweet Sunday. So I have two of them :)  I made this Mouth-watering Four Berry Pie (except I didn't include the raspberries) and also Mix and Match Mama's Marshmallow Peeps S'mores for this divine Easter weekend.  Check out the links for the recipes in full- I definitely recommend both.  If I were to make the pie again, I would only use 3-4 cups of berries instead of 6, and I would use a different recipe for the pie crust. This one was good, and I think I would have liked it more had I made more of a sugary-type topping, but regardless, this was a very delicious cobbler-type pie with all the berries. It went perfectly with the Vanilla Bean ice cream, and keeps well in the fridge after baking.







The Peeps S'mores haven't technically been served yet, but each component is delicious by itself so far. I am serving them later today at my family's Easter dinner.  I will be icing them with the homemade chocolate frosting (also in link above) which I am beyond excited for. I think we will have plenty of sweetness to share for everyone :)

The Frosting is the best part!

Thanks for reading, and Happy Easter everyone!


T. Hall