Picnic Date

Max, 16 weeks old. Palmer Square Park, Chicago, IL.

Today we went out for a picnic in a park near our apartment. Chicago was mighty hot today, so it was a short outing. Max just loves looking up at the trees in the park. We made sandwiches and bought fresh strawberries and lemon water. We had a nice, relaxing time chatting together while Max hung out, quietly staring at the trees above. Oh, and he's pretty proud of his new trick - sticking his tongue out. Once he figured out he could make us laugh by doing it, he hasn't stopped! Haha! It's really cute that he loves making us laugh already.

A Bit of Summer on Film

It's been a while since I've updated! Tim and I moved from Philadelphia back to Chicago last month. We're getting into the swing of our new life in the city. I've started back up full time at Columbia, so I've been quite busy this last week. But I thought I'd share a few shots my sister and I took a few weeks ago. I'll be back soon with an update on Chicago life!

Alley Cat

Top: Nastygal | Pants: Urban Outfitters | Sunnies: ModCloth | Headband: Handmade

What a beautiful summer day!! Tim and I have been discovering some new places around Philly, and it's been so much fun. Today we're going to a massive vintage warehouse with some friends from work. Hopefully we'll score some sweet new items there! It's one of those places that has massive piles of clothing that you have to dig through. I feel like that kind of environment just adds to the fun of finding treasures. Everything isn't beautifully curated; you have to dig to find the good stuff! I'm excited to check out a new place for thrifting. We've discovered a couple around the city...I'll be doing a post soon with my favorite spots! Hope you're all having a nice weekend. Hooray for Saturdays!!

Some Sunshine

Kimono: Cotton On | Jeans(similar): Forever 21 | Boots: Guess

These are some photos from last week when I went to visit my sister and her family in Tampa. It's always so amazing to see them and catch up and play with my little 2-year-old nephew. One of my favorite moments was when I got to put him to bed one night. He was super cuddly and I held him and rocked him to sleep and he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder....gahhh..just about melted my heart. He is such a darling little boy. I'm so lucky to have him in my life.

Well, I'm up bright and early this morning because it's the first day of my internship at Free People! URBN hosted a little Welcome BBQ yesterday, which was so much fun. Tim and I went together and met so many sweet interns and had a chance to walk around the Navy Yard again. I'm so excited for today...and definitely a bit nervous as well ;) Wish me luck!

A Bright Summer!

I don't think there's such a thing as too much color in my life.
After recently dyeing my hair red, I find myself wanting to wear color even more!
You'd think it would have the opposite effect. Like my hair brings enough vibrancy to my clothes.
But no. I've been drawn to bright colors this summer, regardless of my bright new hair.





Dress & bunny ring: c/o ModCloth, Shoes: Kohls, Jacket: Cotton On, Hair bow: Hunter Gatherer

The next two days are unfortunately the last two I'll get to spend with my sister before she and her family leave for New Zealand.
Tim and I will be joining them mid-October. But it's gonna be a long 2 months.
Kylie and I have never been this far apart!

Anyway....awkward/funny story from last night:
I went out with some friends for a little farewell dinner for Ky.
I got to the restaurant first (alone...Tim was working)
and as I'm standing there a guy walks by and goes, "If I was him, I wouldn't stand you up."
To which I replied with an awkward giggle and "Thaaaanks..." Awkward, right?!
He just assumed that my date stood me up because I was standing there alone!
I quickly fumbled for my phone and pretended to get a text before he started talking to me.
People are so silly sometimes.
But it made for a good laugh/story once my friends got there.

Happy weekend!
Hopefully nothing awkward happens to you ;)

Summer Drink : Lemon, Lime and Bitters

I've got a special treat for you today!
It's been so darn hot this summer. Record highs of 104F (that's 40 degrees Celsius!)
It hasn't been this hot here since 1921. Ridiculous, right?!
I guess this is the trade-off for that mild winter we just had. So I can't complain ;)

I decided to share one of my favorite summer drinks...lemon, lime and bitters.
I first tasted this delicious beverage a few years ago in New Zealand.
It's super popular over there. And for good reason: it's delicious!

I highly recommend this drink for a summer cool-down.







Ingredients:
3 drops Angostura Aromatic Bitters (can be found at most grocery/liquor stores)
15 ml lime juice
Sprite or 7up
Fresh lemon
Ice

Fill glass with ice. Add 3 drops of bitters. Measure out 15 ml of lime juice & pour into glass. 
Fill the rest up with Sprite or 7up. Slice up some lemons and add one or two slice into the glass. 
Add one on the rim for ultimate fanciness! Drink up and enjoy your hot summer day.


Give it a try. I promise you won't be disappointed.
What are some of your favorite summer drinks?
I want to feature some more recipes on here!

Love Is Like A Silhouette In Dreams!

These past few days have been super duper hot!
My solution this summer? Maxi skirts.
I've never really been one to wear long skirts but lemme tell ya...they are a lifesaver in this kind of heat!
Today was all about staying nice and cool.
So I threw on my trusty skirt & an equally-breezy shirt and seized the day!

(This Kimbra song is becoming a non-stop summer tune for me.)






And how beautiful is this bag?!
My sister Kylie was kind enough to let me borrow it.
She found it at an antique store the other day.
I love it and plan on stealing it as many times as possible ;)






Ok. Here's some nephew cuteness for you for today:
Tim & I were babysitting Seth tonight while Kylie & Matt celebrated their anniversary.
Our pup Casey was not excited about this.
He kind of has only child syndrome, I think.

What a jerk, right?! Geez. If looks could kill...

I hope you're all having an amazing week!
I'm currently getting into the new Master Chef season.
Anybody else diggin' it this season?
It seems pretty great so far!

Bike Love

Yesterday we had the most perfect bike ride at sunset.
I thought it would be fun to make a little video from our ride!

Bicycling has become one of our favorite summer activities.
Our bikes definitely have their little quirks (lots of squeaks and gears that won't change!), but we love them anyway.
And maybe we get more of a work-out because we have to pedal more. That's how it works, right? ;)


What's your favorite spring/summer activity?
We're always looking for fun things to fill our sunny days with.

Feels Like Summer.

Hello, friends!
I've had such a grand weekend.
Between cuddle sessions with my new nephew Seth, I've been riding bikes and enjoying the fresh breeze of an early summer.
Can a girl ask for much more? I don't think so!

I've also been working on our website for our clothing line, Midnight and Dawn.
Kylie & I decided to name it Midnight & Dawn after a quote from a Francesca Lia Block book.
It has always reminded us of our relationship..
"We were two wild ponies, Dawn and Midnight, the wind electrifying our manes and our hooves quaking the city; we were photo negatives of each other, together making the perfect image of a girl.”

I can't wait to show you everything we've been working on!

Wildfox

i wore this outfit the other day.
i found this amazing sweater at a boutique in St. Louis.
it's from Wildfox Couture.

i went to the grocery store in this outfit, and had a funny moment.
i'm sure most of you have experienced "outfit comment" moments (especially if you live in a small-ish town like i do)
i was walking past the bread aisle when a lady stopped me and exclaimed, "the 80s are back in style!!"
my response was, "haha...well, at least in my world...for sure!"
it was kind of funny.

do any of you have silly/awkward/funny "outfit comment" stories?
i sure hope so. i'd love to have some laughs over them!



















outfit details"
sweater - Wildfox
skirt - borrowed
tights - Target
shoes - Aldo

i loved wearing this. it's so comfy.
and the weather has been so hot/cold lately...it's nice to have a cozy sweater handy for chilly evening bonfires.

now i'm off to shoot the breeze for the rest of the day.
i worked this morning (actually, still sitting at work with my friend Alayna!),
so i'm ready for a relaxing evening off.

i hope everyone is having a perfect tuesday.
mine has been pretty fantastic so far.

xo,
christen

ps. you look lovely today, i'm sure.
pps. i was featured on The 18th Edition of 'Hello, Blogosphere'. Pretty fun. Check it out ;)