Los Porchs

Of Science & Industry. Though we have lived in Chicago for quite some time, today was the first visit to the Museum of Science and Industry for Porch.  I've only been there on field trips with the tiny humans from school.  So to have an entire day to roam and explore was pretty fantastic.  And I must admit, being an adult has serious perks.  We ate at the cafe in the museum for lunch and I got to order anything I wanted.  Huzzah!  (It really is the little things in life.) Los Porchs Amazing Christmas Adventure 2011: Ready to head out! With our arrival, we were excited to note that I got in for free because I'm a teacher and Porch was able to get the Chicago resident rate though he didn't have proper documentation of this.  We got our tickets (including admission to the Dr. Seuss exhibit) and boarded the magical escalator to the 2nd floor. I'm a sucker for the lights! This is the only Seuss picture I think I have since no photos were allowed in th

Because we typically spend most of Christmas weekend crossing the entire state of Wisconsin, we tend to be homebodies in the weekends before the big road trip. This is our time together to celebrate the holiday and relax.  So we prepared the way any normal couple would:  we headed to the grocery store to stock up on beer, breakfast, and meats for the grill.  Our weekend looks pretty amazing so I'm excited. The one thing I'm not excited about?  We're exchanging gifts this weekend (don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about this exchanging of goods).... but not until Saturday evening when we're home from our day's adventure.  :-/  I'm ready right now.  I'm always ready right now.  In fact, I tend to struggle to wait this long.  I love the excitement of giving people gifts and I honestly think this is the reason I procrastinate sometimes. While I can't really spill the beans here, I can tell you I'm pretty sure I win. Porch?  Brought my

Mrs. Porch will put up the Christmas lights she ever so sweetly asked Mr. Porch to put up two weeks ago. I'm personally relieved that Porch is coming home tonight; though he should be advised that there is a new task on his Honey Do list to replace the hack job I just did on this relatively easy job.  That'll learn him!  Happy Holidays from Los Porchs !

I hate crowds at the mall.  In fact, even during the non-holidays, I typically refuse to visit the mall.  The groups of people walking 5-deep down the hall, women pushing double-wide strollers and treating the stroller as a cart while the child either is carried/walked or is not even present.  Indeed. Amazon , I love thee. For real, there's little I love more than clicking and having boxes arrive at my doorstep a few days later.  Hello!  I live in Chicago, home of the 10.5% sales tax and I'll be honest, I don't really get why people come to Chicago to shop.  Especially when they frequent places that are available in their hometowns.  I get the high-end stores like Tiffanys & I will go to that kind of place in person.  Other stores?  Brush up those websites. Don't get me wrong, I love to shop.  I just prefer to do it from my couch, in my pj's, possibly while eating a snack. Until I have a stroller/child (apparently they can be separate), then I'll tak

Wanting to celebrate the birth of a very special baby girl, I was ready to test out a project I had seen on Pinterest.  Those who know me know that I am addicted.  My house is now full of crafty-ness.  It's true.  Back to the Onesies. Baby P arrived & I was ready to give this Onesie Cupcake project a go. Step 1 Go to the store and grab (4) Onesies and (4) matching/ish receiving blankets. Step 2 Find a cute box or cupcake container; I scored mine at Dominick's in the bakery department.  It was a little more snug that I had hoped, but in the end, it worked just fine.  A box might be cuter.  Guess we'll have to wait for another birth before we try again! Step 3 Now the fun begins.  Fold each receiving blanket into a 2-in strip.  Bunch up a corresponding Onesie in your hand and push your finger into it to puff it up.  Wrap the blanket around the blanket; holding it securely the entire time.  I then used a coffee filter as the base & wrapped a ribbon around

Listen.  I love to craft, I'm obsessed with Pinterest, but yet I was honestly terrified to open the sewing machine I had received as a birthday gift -- in September.  While Porch was up north hunting, I spent the weekend with my mom who has always inspired me to be creative.  She's what I like to call a self-taught expert and was willing to walk me through the process of learning how to master the Singer.  Thank goodness she's so patient. We spent pretty much all of Saturday out and about at the local craft stores (JoAnn Fabrics and Ben Franklin) which were a little disappointing in terms of prices & selection.  We also hit up two different Wal-Marts, Good Will, and a new thrift store in my hometown.  Didn't get home until after 8pm so we were pretty exhausted -- but determined!  After our quick Taco Bell dinner (I love to think outside the bun), we opened the pattern and began to dig into the lessons. Mom jumps in with the bright idea of reading the instr

It's true.  I love to cook, but I also have those days when the mere thought of putting something together makes me curl up into fetal position.  I had read several recipes on Pinterest (yes, I'm fully aware of my addiction) and it dawned on me that precooking meals and freezing them was the most AMAZING idea ever. I've been doing it for a while but the sight of fresh ingredients in my fridge and the smell of delicious pesto shrimp in my kitchen has left me wanting to share! Tonight I put together two dishes:  Mac & Cheese and Creamy Pesto Shrimp The secret is to line your 8x8 dish with foil (I've also tried plastic wrap but always come back to foil) so you can freeze the meal in the dish & pop it out to put into a storage bag.  Stay with me. Marvelous Shells & Cheese (yeah, I just used elbow mac since that's what I had in my cabinet) 16 oz pasta 8 oz Velveeta 1/3 C milk 2 C cottage cheese (2%) 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of onion soup, undilu

After searching Chicago stores for almost a month, Mom told me that her Piggly Wiggly had pumpkin... so Porch and I stropped by on our way home.  I certainly did grab 4 cans because it's better to have lots than to run out.  =)  And I've been on a baking run lately! Hot out of the oven So I found this adorable {no-brainer} recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try!  Long story short?  Use a pie crust (homemade is fine if you're looking for bonus points, but I went w/ the store bought) and cut it into 4" circles -- use a cookie cutter or a cup if you're smooth like me.  Put the circles into the mini muffin pan and then pour your pumpkin pie mix into the cups.  Fill it all the way to the top, don't be stingy.  I had to make my own pie filling since they didn't have that at Piggly Wiggly but the recipe was easy peasy.  Throw those bad boys into the oven and fall in love with the scents that fill your home!  Easiest thing I've baked in a whi

Today I did something unexpected for my birthday:  I took a lunch break!  I actually left the center!!  I stopped in the local Dollar Tree to see if they had the wreath I would need for a project I saw online.  Picked up 1 large and 2 small simple wreaths to explore with... This project involved the cheapest craft supply ever.  Coffee filters.  Seems so cheap and when I started I was a little nervous that it was in turn going to look cheap.  Never the less, I persevered and it turned out pretty okay!  I'm working on a ribbon to add before I display it this winter.  First step was to bunch up the coffee filters {one. at. a. time} and then "fluff" them a bit to open them. Next step was to hot glue each filter to the wreath.  Fun fact? I think I burned myself more than 10 times in the process.  I recommend putting newspaper or something protective on your workspace to make sure you don't damage anything in the process. Continue around the wreath; I atte