Morning, Schmorning

As far back as I can remember, I have always loathed morning time.  It seems, no matter how many hours of glorious sleep I get each night, it's never enough.  I can remember back when my parents were married and we lived in our 2-flat in Edgebrook, my dad (King Morning Person Extraordinaire) would come barging into me and my deeder's room at crack ass and rouse us from sleep.  When this method was sure to fail (with me anyway), he would snatch the covers off my sleeping body to startle me into wakefulness.  I am convinced, because of this barbaric treatment, I now must be coaxed into wakefulness each and every day.  Additionally, once I am up and at 'em, no one (including the loving husband) is allowed to talk to me for AT LEAST 30 minutes after I get out of bed. 

Lately, however, I have been finding it difficult to schedule in my gym time each day.  Not only must I make this a priority so I'm not reminiscent of the good year blimp, I also look forward to relieving stress from my workday by sweating it out on the elliptical.  The health club where we're members is conveniently located across the street from our house, in addition to the free membership I am offered with my employment in the building where I work.  It can not get more convenient than that, I tell you.  While the membership I am offered through work is free for me, I also would have to work out on lunch, which...no thanks.  When I work out, I like to really go full steam for an hour or more.  This would require a post-workout shower prior to returning to the j.o.b. and while long lunches are nice, they're not an everyday kinda thing, you know what I mean?  So, this has left me with my only other option of working out at the Club after I get home from work.  The problem I find here, however, is that by the time I finish up, get home and take a quick rinse, it's pushing 8pm and dinner hasn't even been considered.  And if I should have an errand or two to run after I get home, push that to 9pm.

So this leaves me no choice but to consider a morning workout before the day begins.  Even typing this is giving me a sense of dread.  Have I mentioned, I hate mornings?  Oh okay, just wanted to be clear.  Not only would switching to a pre-dawn workout free up my evenings, the Club also has classes that are much better starting at 5:40 am (gasp!) that would not be available to me in the evenings.  I need to do this.  I must do this. 

How the hell will I do this?

So, for those of you with full time careers, how do you manage your workout routine?  If you do an early morning session, how on earth do you do it?  I for serial need all the help I can get!

Have You Been Pinned?

By suggestion (via comments in my last post) my deeder suggested I use pinterest to organize all my lovely ideas.  Where has this been all my life and why, pray tell, have I not heard of this amaze website until recently?

If you've not heard of/used pinterest before, I highly recommend dabbling on the google and getting acquainted immedes. 

Happy hump day pretty people!

Oh, The Possibilities...

So, folks, remember yesterday when I mentioned the loving husband & I would be redecorating the 2nd bedroom?  While we've yet to actually purchase any new pieces for this room, the possibilities are endless.  Currently, the 2nd bedroom is used as a guest room, and it in we have a full bedroom set, complete with a 4 poster bed, an armoire and mirrored dresser.  This set was gifted to us by my great aunt, who received it from her parents.  It's a beautiful heirloom set from Belgium and is in fabulous condition.  I love it, and if I had a 2,000 sq ft home with several bedrooms, you better believe it would be showcased in one of the rooms.  But, I don't.  In fact, I have a 1,100 square foot condo, with this massive set housed in a bedroom with dimensions measuring exactly 11x10.  It's a tight fit in there, to say the least.  Not only that, it's a major waste of space in a home that's not exactly overflowing with extra square footage.  Don't get me wrong, we defs don't feel cramped in our little home and have enough space to meet our needs, but when even a small amount of that space feels like wasted space, something's gotta give.  The loving husband and I spend the majority of our time in the living room, which opens up into a separate dining room.  It's an open floor plan and really does meet the needs of our lil' family of 2 (3 counting Rae, of course).  But in that living room, we not only watch T.V., we also entertain, work (laptop typically stays in this room), read and just plain ol' hang out.  What if we had another space that was specifically designed for a work space, while also serving as a guest room when needed?  Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Since the bedroom set is so beautiful, we wanted to keep it in the family.  Ideally, when Mike and I buy a home, we will use this set in one of the bedrooms.  In the meantime, my mother-in-law will be using the dressers and my mother will take possession of the double bed for her spare room.  My MIL has already received the dressers, so it's just the bed that's left.  Mike has been steadily going through his clothes (that were being stored in BOTH dressers as well as the closet) and is donating (fingers crossed) at least half of the loot within.  This is a HUGE undertaking as there is AT LEAST 10 years worth of clothes to go through.  Good luck honey!

So, while husband has been working feverishly to organize and get the room in order, I have been shopping around.  I know without a doubt, a dresser of some sort will need to be purchased for whatever clothes will not be stored in the closet.  I defs want something functional, yet decorative since this piece will double as both storage as well as decoration since it will be the 2nd largest piece of furniture in the room (save the daybed).  I have had my eye on this beauty from Pier 1 for some time now and paid a visit to the nearby store to check it out.  It's an even bigger beaut in person:

You can't exactly tell from the pic, but it has an entirely mirrored finish.  Since the room looks like an exact square, with the windows being on the wall directly across from when you walk in the room and the closet being along the same wall as the door.  This then leaves the walls to your left and right for major furniture, television, etc.  The plan is to put this to the left wall and mount the flat screen directly above it.  The daybed will go on the wall opposite and perhaps the desk directly underneath the windows.  The walls are painted a very light green, much like the color seen here.  The style I am aiming for is something between farmhouse/vintage and shabby chic, with the main objective to keep the room light, airy and minimal.  Since re-doing our floors 2 years ago and going with these beautiful Armstrong floors, it's certainly become somewhat of a task to keep the house from looking too dark and foreboding.  So, having said that, we will be keeping the look fresh and the best way to do that, in my opinion, is through the furniture style.

After the dresser, the next major piece will be the workstation.  While I have yet to find "the perfect desk" I definitely know what I'm looking for.  It doesn't need to be very large, as it's going to house an iMac desktop computer that is quite compact (no tower, only a screen) and a photo printer.  The desk itself will mostly house paper and craft items (I am an obsessive crafter), as well as crafting tools.  Ideally, I would find a wooden desk that I could refinish my brother in law Joey can sand and refinish to look antiquated white and/or robins egg blue.  Something along these lines:

I'm also planning to add storage elements like these from etsy to the side of the desk for additional storage.  While I have found a bunch of desks, storage elements, dressers I really like, I'm not 100% sold on any of them (well, maybe with the exception of the Pier 1 dresser, but the hefty price tag gives me pause and I can't help but wonder I'm able to find something I love just as well, with a more manageable price point).  Since the style I am going for is shabby chic/vintage, that gives me much more room to think outside the box.  I'm thinking resale shops and estate sales may be my best bet.  Any suggestions on places, websites, etc that you think I should check out would be most appreciated!

The only absolute purchase I will be making is this chair, which will double as a reading chair and a desk chair:

The daybed is already in my possession, which is a pretty enough wood, but I want it white (vintage chic) so my adorable brother in law will be sanding, painting and re-sanding it for me for the desired "weathered" effect.  It sure does help having a contractor/construction/jack of all trades in the fam!  Thanks Joey!

So, as you can plainly see, we have our work cut out for us.  But, like any true stylist, I must have a deadline to stick to.  After much consideration, I have decided that this room must be completed, it its entirety, by the Halloween gala, which is taking place on Saturday, October 29th, therefore the Monday prior (October 24th) this room will be complete.  I realize the enormity of what I am committing to, and like any girl with a mission, I am determined not only to meet my deadline, but to also have, at the end of it all, one fabulous spare room/office/tv room/reading room/crafting room.  I know there are many details (such as fabrics and accents) that I haven't even touched on, but feel that until I decide upon and purchase the furniture, can' even consider that.

So, loyal readers (you know, all 12 of you out there), help a sister out!  I promise to also post pics of the progress for those of you who won't be around throughout the process to see it in person!  xoxo

Out with the Old & In with the New

Whew...I am legit tardy on my blog updates, and have 0.0 excuse (other than the fact I've been tre busy).  Last week flew by, busy as ever at work and before I knew it, Labor Day Weekend was upon us.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was yip yapping about good ol' Mem Day Weekend?  Huh.

So, allow me to re-cap for those of you that care to hear about my adventures (because, as you're well aware, there's never a dull moment at Casa Batch).  Friday I jet setted out of work early to start off my amaze weekend.  My Birchwood bestie Megan and I met at my fav watering hole Market to do what we do best...analyze everything whilst drinking bubbly.  2 1/2 bottles plus, mind you.  This was captured just before bottle #2

Best.Night.Ever.  Coasting into Saturday, I was rested and ready to move my in-laws.  Saturday was also, quite possibly, the hottest, most humid day of the century.  But, I put my big girl pants on and got it done.  Moving 16 years of love and life from one home to another was not without its challenges (or emotions, as this was my husband's family home and where he lived when the magic began 13+ years ago).  But, it was time to move on and the new home is more fab in all the best ways <3

Saturday night was another ridic fun time with my bestie Rena in Wicker Park at Prasino's for our friend Natasha's 30th birthday party.  This included sushi, Prosecco and even a decadent cake all in honor of our girl Tash.

Sunday brought us back to the in-laws to help some more & then Monday was spent cleaning our house and me starting the planning of this year's Halloween costume gala.  Yes, you read that right, gala.  Not to be confused with party.  I have already hand crafted the invites, which are just begging to be mailed.  All the while planning the redec of our 2nd bedroom.  So much to be done, purchased, refurbed etc.  As this blog is appropriately entitled...out with the old & in with the new.  In more ways than one.

This past Labor Day weekend we had nothing ridic planned, but it turned out to be one of the best weekends I have had in a long time...and the fact that it was spent in the company of some of the best gals a girl could hope for, is not lost on me.  Grant it, we all have our "stuff", and the last few months have certainly been a roller coaster...however, at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade places with anyone.  Not for all the money in the world.

The Verdict Is In...

Howdy ya'll!  I know it's been over a week since my last post, but I've been a busy little bee cooking and baking my way to a more wholesome lifestyle.  Last weekend was dedicated to trying new recipes, some with new ingredients never before used in the Batch household, others with old standby's.  While I would love to say that each recipe tried was a smashing hit, I would be less than honest.  Many were great, some not-so-great, and others just plain terrible.  But, I refuse to throw in the towel and for those not-so-great and terrible recipes, I am determined to find ones (through trial and error, of course) that work.  I will not accept defeat!

The very first recipe I tackled was for granola, found on the 100 Days of Real Food blog.  This recipe was one of the "greats" and I am steadily gobbling it up.  It makes a ton, which is nice, because it bakes for just under an hour and a half, so defs not a quick whip-it-up kind of snack:

Moving on...I quickly then whipped up a jar of basil pesto (which is really a no-brainer and while I plan to have this for dinner tonight, I can guarantee the deliciousness of it, as I have made homemade pesto countless times and love it)

While the food processor was out (or shall I say my La Machine), I also whipped up some homemade PB (which, BTW if you have never done this, you are missing out and have to try it), sweetened with a bit of raw honey:

These here Cheesy Crackers were next, and while I had high hopes for these little gems, disgusting does not even begin to describe these.  Nast.  Do not attempt unless you have a hankering for gross things.  They were easy enough to make, so I am on a mission to find a recipe that doesn't produce a terrible product.  After the cracker debacle, I stored away the processor and moved on to baking.  While I didn't snap a picture of the brownies I made, I can tell you that they're not-so-great, in my opinion.  Mike, however, said he liked them and since I'm not much of a sweet eater at all, maybe he's the expert.  Said brownies included homemade chocolate chunks as well as chocolate fudge frosting, all made from Sucanat.  For those of you who've never heard of sucanat (also known as rapadura) it's a brand name for a variety of whole cane sugar. Unlike refined and processed white cane sugar and brown cane sugar, Sucanat retains its molassas content. It is essentially pure dried sugar cane juice.  It takes some getting used to, let's put it that way.  While it's not necessarily bad, it is different.  So that's that.

I also made tzatziki, which is great with raw veggies:

Saturday morning I got up bright and early and whipped up these delicious pancakes for my bestie and Godbabies before heading out to the EP Fest parade (which was later cancelled due to the rain ).  While the pancakes themselves had no sweetner, the bananas lended a delicious sweetness to them, and when coupled with 100% pure maple syrup, they were right on the mark.  All of Sunday was then spent making homemade chicken stock, and then with the leftover chicken, I made chicken salad for sandwiches later this week.  Mmm mmm good!

While I defs did my fair share of cooking, I wish I had been able to tackle more.  Next on the list is homemade tortillas for my tortilla loving hubby, though I had to wait until my press arrived from sur la table, which lucky for Mike, just came in yesterday!  More to come soon from your very own Suzie Homemaker (ba-dum-bum).  Stay tuned!

Finding A Balance

There are so many things I love about living in an urban city, even more to love about living in the Chi. Surely, you’ve heard me talk about my fav restaurants, the culture, not to mention the watering holes I have to choose from. While my city has so much to offer, there are some trade offs to living in such a large city. I will, however, be so bold as to say that for a price, you can get just about anything your little heart desires. While I firmly believe the good outweighs the bad, I will say one thing I wish I had better access to (without having to pay an arm and a leg to have at my fingertips) is local, fresh produce, dairy and meat. Not only would I much prefer to directly support a local business (i.e. local farmer) vs. through a corporate grocer (i.e. Whole Foods), but likely it would be somewhat more affordable, and even if it’s only by a slight margin, at least 100% of my purchase would go directly to said local farmer.

It was probably about a year and a half ago when I started to change how I ate. Not necessarily what I ate, but I started to became more aware of where the food I was eating came from.  Responsible consumerism, if you will.  It was sometime after I was gifted this amazing cookbook by Jamie Oliver titled "jamie's dinners: the essential family cookbook" where in the forward he writes about the importance of knowing where your food comes from, and making a priority to feed yourself well.  Since that time, he has made it his mission to raise public awareness about your food and where it comes from through his Foundation and his television Food Revolution.  Since then, I have slowly made changes in how I shop and what I eat and have made it a priority to make as many positive changes as I possibly can.

I would like to add a disclaimer before going any further, however.  My change in eating has been, and will continue to be, a gradual process.  I do not always by USDA certified organic, I do not always buy grass fed, hormone & antibiotic free meat & poultry.  I don't always purchase foods that are preservative, sugar or even sugar substitute free.  I still buy prepackaged things and have an occasional Diet Coke every now and again, all the while enjoying meself a cocktail.  I can say, however, I have become much more mindful of what I do eat, and as a result of acquiring the knowledge over the course of the last year and half, of how whole, natural foods free of artificial sugars, sugar substitutes, etc are always a better bet that those that aren't.  Personally, making the transition this way, is the only way I can do something that will become a permanent fixture.  As such, I have begun to actually make mindful decisions about what I buy and eat because I believe in the choices I am making vs. simply making them because that's what others (society, health care providers, etc) tell me is best.  Some small changes I have already implemented is primarily only buying organic produce (whether it's actually USDA Certified Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, or from a local co-op or farmer who maintains these standards without paying the hefty price for the certifications).  While I have never had a huge sweet tooth, I still partake in the occasional refined sugar sweet, but have begun to purchase Sucanet to use in place of regular ol' white sugar when I can.  While this is not always feasible, and I do definitely still consume sugar here & there, I will make the swap whenever I can.  Organic milk and free range eggs are constant staples in our home, as is flavored, unsweetened water (i.e. La Croix), but the bottom line is, I still eat out, I still consume things that are not always organic or free range, etc but what I do believe is that any step, however small, to better my food choices, is a step in the right direction.

I have become a regular follower of this amazing blog, Heavenly Homemakers.  I aspire to someday be as thoughtful and planned about the food I eat as Laura is, and while I defs enjoy reading her recipes and how I can be a better consumer, cook and eater, I am also a realist.  I know that having a full time career, whilst living in an urban city in a 1,100 sq. foot condo, preparing nearly ALL my food from scratch (this one-woman-wonder even grinds her own flour from wheat), researching the different sources for said local, organic, free range products without filing for Chapter 11 all the while making room to store said homemade delicacies is just not on the menu here in the Batch household.  If, like Laura, I was a stay at home wife, living in rural Nebraska, I may be able to do such things.  But, alas, I am not and so while I can't be as dedicated as she, I can make a difference by doing what I can. 

Which leads me to the real crux of this post.  Switching out to grass fed, hormone and organic free meat, poultry and dairy where and when I can.  I did my research to find a local farmer that serves the Chicagoland area (not an easy task peeps), who could provide me such things, without a) breaking the bank and b) doing my share to support local family businesses.  After days of research, I think I finally found my gem.  Family Farms Cooperative consists of 3 family owned farms, working together to provide products to the Illinois, Michigan and Indiana areas.  All of their beef cattle, lambs & dairy cows are grass fed. All farmers' raise the products with the same integrity-pasture raised in the fresh air & sunshine, no antibiotics & no hormones.  For a yearly membership fee of $25, I can get all the products I want, delivered to my home, all the while, reasonably price.  This is a huge step for us to make, which will not only require a bit more planning on our parts, but will also likely cost us a bit more than we're used to spending per month.   Like Jamie Oliver said his cookbook, most wouldn't go into a store and look for the cheapest shoes or clothes, so why should you do that with your food?  That doesn't mean you have to overspend on it either, hence the choice to put in my due diligence and find my local farmer.  Yes, buying this way is more expensive that looking for a sale on meat at my local grocery, I also never batted an eye at dropping over $50 per week on purchased lunches downtown.  If I instead used that $200 per month toward more healthful food purchases for my household, and prepared wholesome lunches to bring each day, I would certainly come out ahead.  For me, it's all about priorities and what takes precedence as prioroty is shifting.

So, what are your priorities peeps?  Have you jumped on the organic, free rage bandwagon?  If so, how do you manage (regardless of where you live) and to what lengths do you go to find your best options?  I would love to hear what (if anything)  you do!

Happy Thursday loves!

Without Further Ado...

Sincere apologies for the delay, as I know ye all have been waiting with bated breath!  As you can see, we had a fab spread and had a ridic fun time.  Can't wait to go again, though next time, defs taking the whole day off or making it a strictly Saturday affair.  Here's  to summer ;)