I WON the Horny Toad "What's in Your Bag" sweepstakes!!

WOW! I just won this week's Horny Toad "What's in Your Bag?" sweepstakes! 

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Here's my Pinboard that won: http://pinterest.com/fettbot/horny-toad-what-s-in-your-bag-sweepstakes/ I get to pick 5 Horny Toad clothing items that I want most in my travel bag! My first pick is the Chaka Skirt. Remember the girl in college who could dance all night and ace her finals the next morning? Maybe she was you. Either way, here's the skirt equivalent.

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My second pick is the Rosalinda dress. With clothes there's no such thing as unconditional love. We want great fit, form and function or why bother? 

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All the colors are so great, I can't decide which Double Helix tank top I like the most!

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Mr. F likes this brand too, so I picked out the Weldon Shirt for him, as my fourth choice!

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My last choice was between two dresses, the Chaka and the Overjoy. My cousin Colleen has the Chaka dress in blue and it looks phenomenal on her! (Ever been late to work because your closet was seemingly hijacked and filled with mundane clothing? Keep the Chaka dress on hand and you'll get out the door without incident every time.)

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The Overjoy dress has such a cute plaid pattern though! There's something irresistible about the tomboy femininity of a good plaid. Blend it with nicely constructed summer dress and your joy will be impossible to contain.

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I ended up choosing the Overjoy because of the neat Alloy material, an organic cotton that doesn't need to ironed!


I plan on wearing these fun skirts and dresses around Chicago this summer, as well as our family trip to Kodiak, Alaska and to a family wedding in Boulder, Colorado. I love that I'll be able to go for a spontaneous hike to cocktail hour in these dresses!

I really hope I win the grand prize.....a trip for two to Santa Barbara! Mr. F and I would love that soooo much. I've never been to Santa Barbara. I'd love to go paddleboarding there. 

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By the way, do you know Horny Toad's great motto?

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Live Toadally!

When you have an irritating day....

...watch Aisha Tyler's stand up! Disclaimer: you will like this if you're a fan of Archer. My mom might not understand this comedian, or her humor.

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I will try to remember these quotes all week!

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When people are unwilling to change, I will also remember this one.

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And this one too!

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Food photos for Friday

Who's hungry? On Wednesday, Mr. F made a spectacular Spanish dinner with roasted peppers, manchego cheese, scallops and a pepper sauce. He's really become an amazing chef! This dish was so creative and delicious!

Here are some fun food ideas for this weekend:

guacamole grilled cheese

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Toasted corn tortillas toasted with mashed avocado, lime and sea salt.

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Mr. F is not a big fan of breakfast (he always gets lunch when we go out for brunch) but it's one of my favorite things about the weekend. How great does this honey cloud pancake look?

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What's your favorite weekend food?

Celebrating the first day of Spring!

It's the first day of Spring, so I decided to dress the part.

I was inspired by one of my favorite television characters to wear bright blue and green. Who's that girl?

Yes, I copied Jess from the New Girl! I love how she always wears dresses and fun clothes! 

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 I adore Anthropologie's Grass Court dress, especially since I got it on sale and Jess wears it in tonight's episode of New Girl. It's comfortable, work appropriate with a cardigan, and a wonderful summer dress. It's also got pockets!All the cherry trees and magnolias were blossoming on my lunch walk today!

My coworker insisted I get a few shots with me in them too!

Happy Spring!

Pictures from last week

We had a blast at the Founder's Beer Dinner last Wednesday with our Chicago buddies! It was 80 degrees and the All Day IPA was incredibly refreshing. It wasn't too hoppy either! Beau, the representative from Founder's, was charming and entertaining as he guided us through our courses. The first course was a foie gras crepe, citrus duck sausage, with a pan fried quail egg, maple and blueberry, paired with Double Trouble. It was delectable, to say the least.The next course of beer cheddar, parsnip soup with carrots, fennel oil and a crab croquette was my favorite. It was so creamy and delicious that I barely had room for the next two courses.The beer went perfectly with it too. The main dish was over the top! It was an amazing crusted lamb with coffee and hazelnuts. There was bourbon-vanilla bacon, English peas and Boursin gratin, and a black truffle, sweet potato ravioli too!  I didn't get a chance to get a picture of the dessert, but the last beer pairing was pretty awesome.It went extremely well with the grilled pretzel ice cream! Overall, we loved all the beer and can't wait to find it in grocery stores!

On Thursday, it was super humid. There was also threat of thunder and lightning but not rain! I can't believe it but the 80 degree summer-like weather continued throughout the weekend. We had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day and even braved the crowds in the Loop! This weather is absolutely beautiful and unreal. We even saw inverted skylines in wine glasses this weekend!  After so much sun on Saturday, we chilled out for the rest of weekend. We read on our balcony. I finished the Hunger Games trilogy (in less than a week) and Mr. F almost did.

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It's suppose to be in the 70s and 80s for another week. I've stocked up on sunscreen, but what shall I read next?

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Chicago Style!

We had a Pot(O'Gold)luck at work on Friday, with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots from a local deli and many green desserts! Someone even made Irish Soda Bread and brought Irish Butter!We also had Green River punch! 

 On St. Patrick's Day, we meet our cousins for a hearty breakfast and the parade down Columbus Street.It was a hot, 80 degree day, which is so bizzare. Apparently it was in the 30s last year. It seemed like, everyone came out for the parade fully decked out in green! There could have easily been half a million people in the Loop at the same time as us.  The ice skating rink was still set up in Millennium Park, melting away in the bright sun!We had to see the Chicago River dyed green so we waded through the crowds to Wabash Ave. Apparently, orange vegetable dye is used to make the river so neon green. It was fascinating but gross at the same time. Our lepre-cats even dressed up for St. Patrick's Day!Obviously, Lily and Lulu loved being lepre-cats. :)