life (layhf) | christmas tree

We do small amounts of Christmas decorating at best.  Right after Turkey Day we typically hang our stockings and random decorations.  That's usually the extent of decorating for the holidays because I'm a minimalist when it comes to home decor.  I hate entertaining and the cleaning required in order to do so which is why I hardly keep my place looking like a page out of Architecture's Digest.  My idea of making a place "homey" is to decorate it with bare necessities (ie: pictures of family and friends, black & white photography, a lot of un-used wall space and no furniture that would allow me to store "clutter").  

Needless to say, I don't really like to do much that requires a routine up-keep, which is why we never really bought a tree before.  Although the idea of having it is so great, what's worse is the thought of cleaning up the mess after the holidays.  However, this is the year that it all changes.  We got...(drum roll please) a REAL Christmas tree.  Talk about messy!

I finally put my big girl shoes on and sucked up the fact that I have a big (HUGE) mess to deal with after the holidays, but for now I'm going to enjoy this moment.  Something about having a fully decorated and well scented tree makes me want to Irish Coffee all season long.

|If you celebrate Christmas, what are your thoughts on decorating? Do you think it's too much effort for such a small amount of time?|

fash•ion (fash-uh n) | southwestern prints

Ever since I laid eyes on this Pendleton Jacket at Eddie Bauer and tried it on, I've been obsessing over southwestern and Navajo printed outerwear.  So you can only imagine my joy when I dug this poncho out of a bin at Urban Outfitters.  It's simply perfect and the only thing I wish is that the weather would stay a consistent mid to high 50s so I could wear this all Winter long.

outfit details | poncho - urban outfitters | shirt - keep me | jeans - victoria beckham c/o nordstrom rack | socks - target | boots - f21| necklace & belt - thrifted |

|What is your take on southwestern prints? Are you coveting it as much as I am?|

beau•ty (byoo-ty) | laura from the blog of worldly delights

Every week, I introduce you to a blogger who has been kind enough to share their story about a feature they love now that once brought insecurities and how they learned to love it. Together, these women will help re-define beauty in their own words and will hopefully help others feel more comfortable in their own skin because each of you are beautiful - you should feel that way everyday!

Meet today's beauty Laura from The Blog of Worldly Delights. 

1. What is your favorite feature that you didn't always love, but have learned to appreciate?  

It took me a long time, and sometimes I still struggle, but I've come to really appreciate my curves. I've never been a skinny girl, even though all my life I've always pined for a waifish figure. I was always jealous of my sisters who are sizes 0-2 because clothing seems to just drape off of them just as I imagine them when I see them on the rack. Growing up in Asia having my build/shape was hard. I was constantly teased because I was already 5 ft. tall when I was 8 and had already obviously hit puberty. That plus not being stick-thin fueled a lot of insults that stayed with me even though I'm pretty thick-skinned. I was also raised in a very conservative household/culture, and showing off one's figure is really frowned upon. So I wore a lot of baggy clothes to hide my shape. Now, I am more comfortable wearing clothing that shows it off and flatters it. 

2. What made you learn to love it? 

My husband actually made me learn how to love my curves. This is gonna sound cheesy/ borderline-NSFW, but he calls me his Venus Naturalis. As opposed to the Venus Caelestis, who is more ethereal, the Venus Naturalis figure is earthy, sensual, and very curvy. Think of a figure perfect for child-bearing (though I'm not thinking about kids right now!)-- full, rounded, and soft. My husband has really helped me realize that my shape is perfect just the way it is. I can try to mold it as much as I want to, but if I don't love myself now, when else will I ever do?

3. Any advice for other beautiful women out there who struggle with being comfortable in their own skin?  

I really believe that whatever insecurities women have with their bodies are purely mental. That said, it should be easy to change one's view on their bodies because all one has to do is change your mindset on it! I've been using this strategy shared by Bella (from One Sister's Rant), and it's really helped a lot! Every single day-- and especially at times when you don't feel so hot-- look at the mirror. Don't just glance. Don't just take a peek. Really LOOK at a mirror and tell yourself, "You are a beautiful woman." Do it as many times as you need until you feel the message has really sunk in. Once you know you're beautiful, you'll start acting more confident!  

life (lahyf) | chicago blogger crawl

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the very first Chicago Blogger Crawl (#chibloggercrawl) hosted by Nikia of Chitown Fashionista.  Much like a bar crawl, we went from one Marshalls and TJ Maxx stores to another scoping out the variety of goods that each was carrying. 

The day started off at 9am, where we all re-grouped before our first store to catch up and get the layout of the day.  Nikia is so super organized that she put together this fabulous agenda full of attendee names, our blog sites, details for a fun scavenger hunt activity at each store and info on how we can share our adventures with our Twitter followers through a giveaway that was taking place while we went from store to store.

With all that fun information, a great playlist (c/o of Melvin) and eager shoppers - we were all prepared for our day to find some great items.  As you can tell from this group shot - we obviously were a fun bunch to be around the entire day.

attendees (l to r) | andrea | gabriel | nikia | rai-jean | dee dee | hallie | patrice | yours truly | jen | elise | mariposa | lisa

From store to store we wandered with intentions of finding the best deals and that we did.  Everything from Elise's Rebecca Minkoff bag and Hallie's Cynthia Rowley purse to Mariposa's throw pillows for her daughter's room- everyone walked away happy with their purchases, but more importantly their great deals and money saved.

By the end of the day, we not only picked out some of the best things from all three store locations, but knew so much more about each other.  We spent our time in the van talking about life, blogging, shopping and food, that by the end of our trip I almost didn't want it to end.  Thanks to our wonderful hostess and her hubby (also driver of the day) Melvin, I spent a good portion of my Saturday bonding with some other fabulous bloggers who I can proudly say are real life friends.

*A HUGE thank you goes out to Nikia and Melvin for planning the day.  In addition, thanks to all the folks at each TJ Maxx and Marshalls for letting us take over the stores, and last, but not least, Kellogg's Special K for providing us with gift bags full of food to fuel us throughout our trip.

food (food) | turkey sausage, potato & kale soup

I love kale and turkey sausage, so combining those two ingredients together, you can guarantee it's a dish I always go back for seconds.  Inspired by Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, I came up with my own modified (and healthier) version that doesn't require heavy cream.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 package of turkey kielbasa sliced (Chicken andouille sausge is also a good substitute)
• 1 bag or bundle of chopped kale (I sometimes like having bigger chunks of kale so I'll break the leaves by hand vs. knife)
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 2 boxes of chicken broth
• 1 peeled and thinly sliced potato
• 1 tbsp worschester sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
2. Add onion and saute for about 2 minutes before they start to become translucent.
3. Add potato to onion and 1/2 tbsp of salt and pepper.  Saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Add sliced turkey sausage and kale to mixture in the pot.*  Stir until all ingredients have been evenly mixed together.
5. Add both boxes of chicken broth and worschester sauce.  Mix and lower heat to medium-low.  
6. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes and serve.

*If you enjoy a little bit of spice add 1 tbsp of red pepper chili flakes to this step.

beau•ty (byoo-ty) | butter london

Ever since I decided to paint my own nails I've found a sense of peace doing it. It requires concentration, a steady hand and deep breaths, but I'm getting the hang of it. In fact I'm finding it to be very therapeutic and actually get really excited about painting my nails, especially when I get to test out some new colors.

For awhile I've been admiring and gawking at the various colors available at Butter London.  Since I used to never paint my own nails I would only rely on the colors available at the nail salon and they never carried the brand.  Now that I've promised myself to paint my own nails more often, I'm so excited to finally try the polishes that I've heard so many great things about.

I have to say that I'm truly a sucker for packaging, so I was ecstatic that the bottles are just as cute as the Butter London site.  I was even more excited when I pulled off the top cap and found that each brush handle has a different little icon that represents their brand. 

Painting your own nails is truly an art and requires a lot of practice, but I appreciate that Butter London has a wide brush to help ease the difficulty in the process.  I can't wait to try the other colors and I'll definitely be checking out their site often to keep me up to date on the hottest colors of the season.

And just in case you're like me, still trying to perfect painting your own nails, here's something that might help you "stay within the lines".  Just remember to allow at least 2 minutes between each coat to help your nails dry quicker.

via pinterest

|How did you perfect the art of painting nails? Any specific brands you love?|

fash•ion (fash-uh n) | transitional pieces

When you're able to transition an article of clothing from one season to another, doesn't it feel like you're really get beyond your money's worth?  Ultimately, all pieces would follow your suit as the season change, but realistically it doesn't happen as often as we'd like it to.  I personally think that Spring or Summer dresses are the best transitional pieces because it's so easy to layer in the winter.  The simplest way of changing a Summer dress into Fall?  Just add tights, a sweater or blazer, weather appropriate accessories and voila!  Your dress is now part of a Fall ensemble.

outfit details | dress - h&m | belt - boutique store in l.a. | scarf - gifted | headband - f21 | tights - hue | shoes - jeffrey campbell | jacket c/o eddie bauer |

|What articles of clothing do you think transition best from season to season?|

life (lahyf) | cram for kids

It seems like these days more and more of my friends are having babies.  If you're in the same life stage as I am, you know that feeling where some aren't just on their first baby anymore...they're onto their second (gulp!).  Needless to say it seems like I've been shopping for babies just as much as I've been shopping for adults.  Since I sometimes don't fully understand the need for a mobile or what a Bumbo really  is, I choose to come in like the cool aunt that would feed you candy before dinner and buy a gift that may not be a necessity, but is pretty dang cool.

This weekend I visited my friend Richard's amazing kids store in Lakeview called Cram For Kids.  He helped me find the perfect gift for a friend of mine back home who recently had her baby shower.  His store is so inviting and welcoming, that it isn't intimidating to the baby dummies (present company included) that need to learn a thing or two about kids stuff.  With a collection of adorable organic toys and clothes cute enough an adult would want to wear them, I spent my time in the store with a difficult task of picking just a few perfect somethings for my friend.  Luckily with Richard's suggestions I was able to find some great organic items that I think my friend will love.

I don't spend a ton of time in baby stores, but I do know boutique shops like Cram For Kids, is a great way to get hand-picked, quality items that are great for a child's development.  Like I said, I have a lot to learn about kids - heck I just learned what swaddling was earlier this year thanks to my friend Abby, but I do know shopping and this place has got the goods...well baby goods at least.  If you're ever in the neighborhood or need to cover off on some baby shopping, definitely stop by his store.  If anything peek your head in and play with the cute animal faced mittens like I did, it made me feel like a kid again, but also made me realize that shopping for kids can be just as much fun as shopping for myself.

|Are you going through a phase where your shopping for kids as much I am? What are some of your go to stores?|

life (lahy) | unexpected expense

Well I'm so glad that last week I decided to save a few pennies here and there outlined in this post because over the weekend the unexpected happened...Stevie the TV decided to stop working. (Can anyone name what show that's from?)

Yup our TV in the living room just decided to stop working. So on Saturday, our routine date night (which I was really looking forward to) was derailed thanks to good ol' Stevie. Instead of trying a new restaurant and seeing Like Crazy, we ended up sitting at at our neighborhood joint Flo and Santos sipping on Birra Moretti and noshing on waffle fries prepping for a night at Best Buy.

There was once a time that electronics were so appealing to Matt that we would frequent Best Buy like it was a church holding mass every Sunday. Because I didn't have the same interest in computer chips, surround sounds and other gadgets that Matt loves, I learned to pass the time in the video game display section of the store. As you can guess, while Matt was debating between plasma, LCD, LED, 1080p, 600hz, etc - I spent the time at the Xbox Kinect demo dancing like a fool and also testing out 3D TVs.

Two hours and one few rounds of Dance Central later, Stevie was replaced with Phoebe the TV. Sadly, with Phoebe's unexpected arrival both Matt and I agreed that Christmas presents to each other weren't a priority this year.  This isn't the Cambridge Satchel I was wishing for, but it's something that needed to be replaced.

|How do you deal with unexpected expenses? Do you find that sometimes you have to sacrifice something in order to make up for it?|

fash•ion (fash-uh n) | sorel boots

Living in Chicago any local will tell you that it's mandatory to have some good Winter boots - and no Uggs don't qualify for many reason.  I'm talking about boots that not only keep your mootsie tootsies warm, but can also stand the harsh weather conditions and are stylish.  Those are the only things that need to be checked off your list when shopping for a pair and thankfully Sorel boots pass that test with flying colors.

Last week I was lucky enough to join my friends Andrea, Lisa, Emily, Merl and Grace to check out Sorel's new collection at the Step Into Style event hosted by Daily Candy.  Timed perfectly with the first snowfall of the season, Winter boots were on my mind that day and who better to look for new boots with than my fashionable blogger buddies?

With Voga Italia wine and Sprinkles cupcakes in hand, we gallivanted around the store to scope out the latest collection.  Over the last few years I was obsessed with Sorel's Caribou boots, but this season I'm totally crushing on the Tofino's.  These boots are stylish enough to throw on when commuting to work in a massive snow storm, but are also perfect to wear on a cool, crisp and laid back Winter day.

By the end of the night we not only overstayed our time at the on-site photo booth, but we each found a pair that we loved just in time for us to be prepared for the "worst" Winter we're expected to have.  Overall it was a great night to hang with my lady friends who not only let me act like a fool, but tolerate it.  Have I mentioned how much I love these ladies?

|Do you have a criteria when choosing a pair of Winter boots?|

*Thanks to Trisha at Daily Candy for hosting us ladies and Voga Italia for the wine, as well as a pair of Sorel boots. Lastly thanks to Andrea for taking all these wonderful pic!