spring break in Arizona

I'm back! 

And I can't believe we're already a week into April! I know for sure that this spring is going to fly by.

Last week was Ben's spring break (perks of teaching=free vacation!) and we spent it in warm and sunny Sun City, Arizona. It was a fun trip but the purpose was kind of emotional and sad. We met up with Ben's mom, sister, and her boyfriend to clear out his grandparents' house since his grandmother has passed away and his 96 year old grandpa recently moved into assisted living. I'm really glad I got a chance to see their house, because Ben spent most of his childhood spring breaks there and it's full of memories.

Hello, palm trees!

Sun City is a retirement community, so we all (including my mother in law) felt conspicuously young everywhere we went. There are serious golf cart crossing signs and people drive their golf carts on the main roads and to the shopping centers. It's kind of hilarious but you really have to watch out for them!

We spent most of the trip going through cupboards and sorting out family heirlooms, but made sure to take a break everyday to hit the pool or go for a hike. The majority of my pictures are of flowers in the desert from our short hike into the nearby White Tank Mountains because my camera battery died soon afterwards! 

 I was sooo happy to see some mountains again!

 Spring in the desert is gorgeous, even in a drought.

 Flowers are rare, but extra bright to compensate!

 Ancient petroglyphs

 Gorgeous spring!

 This is a "waterfall" we ended up at which of course the boys had to climb. The white granite rocks form canyons and hold water when it rains, give the White Tank Mountains their name.

 Group shot!

 It was so nice to see some GREEN after this endless winter we've been having in the Midwest!

After several days of dry, sunny 85 degree weather, it's pretty difficult and disorienting to try and settle back into the normal routine here. Even though we had tough work to accomplish I think we all had a good trip, and I feel like I know that side of Ben's family a lot better now after spending more time with his grandpa and sorting through all their old photos and family artifacts! His grandparents traveled all over the world and we ended up inheriting some pretty awesome things, including silver serving utensils, cookbooks, some furniture, tons of sewing thread (exciting for me) and a granite cheese slicer (exciting for Ben). Now it's back to school for him and back to field trips at the Arboretum this week for me.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

lately

Happy Friday!!

And Happy Easter weekend! It looks like we might break 50 DEGREES in Chicago ahhhh so excited. Ben's spring break starts tonight, and next week we're off to Arizona to soak up some much needed sun and also to start clearing out his grandparents' house now that his 96 year old grandpa is in an assisted living center. I'm not certain about the internet situation so this blog might be quiet all next week, but I'll try to sneak in an Easter post before we leave. 

This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. The gloomy weather, spending every day at home by myself, plus major job insecurities were really getting me down, but I started taking Vitamin D, the sun has returned, and I got some amazing news that I had given up hope of ever hearing (more details to come) so everything is on the up and up! Oh, and I also got a new shipment of gorgeous lace appliques, and who wouldn't be happy after unpacking that. Can't wait to add them to new scarves!

Here's what I've been up to lately: 

 

Mailing: Tons of pretty packages, to everywhere in the US, Canada, and even one to Singapore! I think the shop is finally starting to take off!

Listening to: OneRepublic's new album Native, addictive give-me-energy music that I've definitely been needing lately.

Eating: Lots of delicious recipes! Caramelized banana bread, gingerbread granola, rotini with tuna, olives, and capers, orange balsamic glazed chicken with lemon risotto.

Sewing: Pretty new lace infinity scarves in fun patterns and colors for spring (and summer!).

Working out: With my current fave YouTube fitness channels, Fitness Blender and LionsGate BeFit. I really need to get outside and run more though...

Reading: Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, a documentary-style crime thriller about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the serial killer who stalked young women there. It's very interesting to read more about the history of Chicago and the architects who made the city what it is today.

Watching: White Collar (Ben and I have been working through all the seasons on Netflix and we only have one episode left!!! What should we watch next?), and Mad Men Season 5 which is now on Netflix too! It took me a couple seasons to get into Mad Men but I'm a huge fan. It's a great portrayal of the social, class, and gender issues of the 60's, and the sets and even film quality feels so authentic, like they found a way to time travel and film in the actual past. I've loved watching the clothes and interior decor change styles through the "years". I'm definitely glad to be a woman in this day and age!

What have you been up to this week?

my trader joe's staples

Since I grew up in what Chicagoans refer to as the boondocks of "downstate" Illinois, I was deprived for most of my life of the staple amenities that my suburb-raised friends always took for granted. This includes outlet malls, Caribou Coffee, IKEA, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. How did I survive? I don't even know.

Luckily I now live in Chicago and am consumeristically saved. I do love Caribou, IKEA, and Trader Joe's. Whole Foods is tempting, but a bit too Lululemony for me, especially after living in Oregon where they have genuine health food stores and co-ops that are lower middle class accessible.

Trader Joe's actually reminds me of a cross between a co-op and a small European grocery store, and it's definitely a fun place to buy specialty food items for decent prices. I'll go to TJ's every two or three weeks to supplement our regular grocery haul. Here are some of the things I buy every single time!

 

• Chocolate yogurt. SO GOOD. They also have mocha, which is also good. It feels like eating dessert but is healthy(er)!

•  European Style Plain Yogurt. I am phasing out of my Greek yogurt obsession and am loving this thinner and smoother textured kind. There aren't any weird additives like gelatin and it tastes delicious, even without the added sugar!
• Any kind of hummus. They have awesome flavors, but I usually stick with the basic garlic.
• Multigrain Pita Bite Crackers. These are crunchy and delicious with hummus or goat cheese!
• (Not pictured) Goat Cheese...the spreadable kind is extremely inexpensive here, and the one with honey is delicious.
• Bread of any kind. I love the "take and bake" mini ciabatta rolls, and will keep them in the freezer and bake them one at a time to go with a salad for lunch. I also love the Golden Hearth Healthy Multi-Grain bread for sandwich bread. It's baked in Chicago so it might be a regional item.

•  Wine, of course! I think TJ's wine and beer selection is the best part of the store (and I am SO sorry if you live in PA or other states with weird alcohol laws). "3 buck Chuck" aka Charles Shaw is legendary, but obviously not the best quality. The only varieties I really like are the Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz (pictured above). Other good wines I've tried and liked for around $6 or less are Black Mountain Pinot Noir, La Ferme Julien White Blend, and Archeo Nero D'Avola. AVOID the Blue Fin Pinot Noir, the price really is too good to be true. The tricky thing about wine is that price does not always indicate quality, so you just have to drink around to see for yourself!

• Inexpensive flowers are another great thing about Trader Joe's! These are alstroemerias, and they are the best cheap flower to buy anywhere because they will last for at least two weeks. The ones in this picture look kind of smashed and sad, but once they sucked up some water the blooms opened up and this bouquet lasted for 3 weeks before falling apart! (Yeah, I've been meaning to write this post for a while).

NOT PICTURED:

• Mandarin Orange Chicken (frozen)
• Chili Lime Chicken Burgers (frozen)
• Mini Stroopwafels (cookies)
• Goddess Dressing (same as Annie's but cheaper)
• Chocolate. Any kind.
• Nuts/Trail Mix
• Alcohol-Free Vanilla
• Orange Blossom Honey French Liquid Soap (Ben is obsessed and so am I)

Is there anything you love from Trader Joe's that I should try?