Argentinian Steak - So Yummy!

We went to an Argentinian steak house with our neighbors a few weeks ago. It was AMAZING! The place is called Tango Sur and if you look at yelp you can read all sorts of fantastic reviews of it. They do not take reservations, so if you are the impatient type you probably want to go in the middle of the week at like 3:00 PM. Otherwise, prepare for a wait. We waited three hours to get in on a Friday night. It was 11:00 PM before they even sat us. When we left it was almost 1:00 AM and the place was still hopping. Gotta love Chicago!

Tom and I both agree that we would wait again for it - yes, it is that good. In addition to delicious empanadas and melt in your mouth steak, it is also BYOB. Ahh... BYOB, something we haven't explained on here yet. Many restaurants in Chicago are BYOB! Save some money by bringing your own adult beverages of choice. It's awesome!

We like to play a "Who would we take here?" game when we try new restaurants. This was a tough one. It would be a sure bet for any of our meat loving friends. However, I think Logan and Megan would especially enjoy it, and my dad if we didn't have to wait to get in.

St. Patty's Month

Tom and I knew that St. Patrick's Day is a huge holiday in Chicago. What we didn't know is that it's like a month long drunk fest for Chicagoans. We made a error by scheduling our housewarming party the same day as the St. Patty's Day parade. Even the green liqueur and Guinness cupcakes (which were amazing BTW!) didn't entice many people to come. That being said, we had a wonderful time with the people that did make it.

Prior to our party, we headed downtown to see the dyeing of the river. I was really excited about this. It did not disappoint; it was pretty darn cool. They say that the dye, which is a secret formula, is completely safe for the environment. I have to wonder if their "secret formula" is a lot like the "special ingredient" in Coca Cola. They didn't think that was harmful either. Anyway, we took some great pictures and learned some valuable lessons, which I have been nice enough to summarize for you below.

The Coloradans Guide to Surviving St. Patty's Day in Chicago:

1. St. Patty's Day celebrations (a.k.a. drinking and wearing emerald green beads and headgear) start around March 1st and end... well I'm not sure when they end. We are running in the Shamrock Shuffle on April 10th, so maybe after that?
2. Even though Chicago is not a morning town apparently people will get up as early as 6:00 AM to start drinking green beer.
3. People drinking green beer all day = green puke.... watch your step.
4. I'm sure you've heard that the traffic is really bad in Chicago... well, this goes for the sidewalks as well.
5. If you want to see the parade, instead of the back of people's heads and the occasional tip of a bagpipe, you must claim your parade spot early.
6. It turns out that pushing your baby in his or her stroller through a crowd of drunk people isn't the best parenting decision you've ever made.
7. Don't be fooled by pictures of people in Chicago without their winter clothes on for St. Patty's Day. It is NOT warm here, they are simply too intoxicated to notice the real reason they can't feel their legs.
8. Side affects of green beer at 6:00 AM include, but are not limited to the following: having trouble controlling the volume of your voice, dancing around like a moron, slurring your speech to the point that no one can understand you, and the inability to realize that no one else cares how much you've had to drink. If you are exhibiting these behaviors - stop F#%@ing drinking!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!

We've Come A Long Way!

The rest of our furniture came in while I was in Colorado last week. I came home to dinning room chairs, kitchen stools, a new washer and dryer, and our murphy bed installed in Tom's office. Everything has finally come together! As I was flipping through photos today I realized just how far our home has come in the last few months.

It seems like only yesterday I was standing in a disaster zone taking these pictures. I was tired from a long drive, amazed by the home that Tom had picked for us, overwhelmed by the idea of designing the space for us to live in, and excited about my future in a new city. The movers had just dropped all of our belongings in a huge pile in the main living area. I remember wondering how this mess was ever going to get put away.

It has been a long process but, little by little, things have come together. Don't get me wrong, there are still little pockets of that original mess stuffed into corners (mostly in my office!) However, for the most part we are living in a finished space.

The spot where all of our stuff was originally dropped is the great room. It includes the back entryway, the living room, and dinning room. The kitchen also opens up to this space. Three months later, after lots of hard work and new furniture, it looks like this...

Master Bathroom

This color was the first one I picked and the last one I painted. Meaning... yes, I'm all finished painting! (Still behind on posting pictures though.)

I picked the light green/blue color for the walls because I loved the way it looked with our orange accessories. This bathroom does not have any natural light so I also wanted a color that would brighten it up.

A few weeks ago Tom went to Miami for a dairy conference. FYI - the dairy conference is always held somewhere warm and after living the midwest for a winter you realize why. So, anyway, while Tom was enjoying the warmth I was stuck here with the dogs and the cold weather. As a consolation prize he brought be back a little piece of the ocean, complete with an orange starfish that goes with our orange towels. Look at him go! They are the perfect accent for the bathroom.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

The Heart of Our Home

Our kitchen was originally painted a warm buttery yellow color which I really liked. However, the paint was beat up in places so it had to be redone. They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home and I couldn't agree more. It's a place where I spend a lot of my time and I wanted it to be perfect.

I have never debated so much about what color to paint a room. Although the granite looks black in these pictures it is actually a very dark green with teal and gold accents. After lots of time and staring at samples we finally picked a teal blue color.

When the teal blue color went on the wall the teal was clearly missing and all we had was blue. It was dark and dreary. I hated it. It literally made me want to be anywhere but the kitchen. I'm not sure if we picked the wrong shade or if they mixed the color wrong at the store... but it was ALL wrong.

After more debating, and painting a bunch of sample colors on the wall, we went with a light and bright green. Problem solved. I love the color; it's very light and inviting. I like being in the kitchen again... so no more eating out for us. Well, okay, less eating out for us.

Bedroom Bliss

It's Valentine's Day and I happen to be to the bedroom... coincidence? I think not. I really think that the master bedroom should feel like a retreat. I love the way ours turned out. It's beautiful and cozy.

The bedroom, and master bathroom which hasn't been painted yet, are Moab inspired. It was Tom's idea and I had found a bedspread a while ago that I loved that was "Moab" colored. Eventually, we will have some of the photographs that we've taken there on the walls.

Before After

We upgraded from a queen bed to a king. It pretty much fills the room but we love it. No more fighting the dogs for space while we sleep! There is plenty of room of all of us.

Happy Valentine's Day! Love to all :)

Hair and Chicago Climate

Since I arrived in Chicago my hair has been crazy frizzy and isn't curling like it use to. As a result I've been straightening it a lot. Which, as time goes by, seems to be adding to my unruly mane. Today I had enough. I researched a salon that I walk by and found out they had a stylist that specialized in Ouidad cuts. I decided to give it a shot.

Since I'm getting so good at before and after shots here are a few of my hair :)

This Morning - Before:

This Afternoon - After:

It looks like she took two or three inches off the length but she just trimmed it. The cut and style made it spring to back life.

I highly recommend Fox Hair if you are looking for a salon on the North Side, especially if you have curly locks. Everyone there was great. Jenny is the one that specializes in the Ouidad cut and she was fantastic!