A SECRET SANTA QUILT.

merry christmas! i'm your secret santa!

i hope you like your quilt! i am not really great at sewing. i don't cut fabric in straight lines and i don't sew straight either. i've named your quilt a "hodge podge" quilt. i don't know if you saw online or not, but i've started an etsy shop. i wanted to keep myself busy with crafting- well, anything really. i've realized that it's something i need to do to stay content. i need to make. so i've made christmas cards and a print.

for december, i decided that i would make this quilt my monthly project. it is the "season of giving", so i'm not listing anything (this quilt) in my shop. now that you know a little bit about the background, i'll let you in on the story of the quilt.

when rorie was just 5 months old in the winter of 2012 i drove to the lincoln square area and picked up two garbage bags full of fabric scraps. i used freecycle and thought i could make something for rorie. well, i didn't. but i held onto the fabric and moved it with us to NH.

some of the fabric i used was from my old kitchen curtains in chicago.

some are scraps from jacobs crib sheets (stars) and my current kitchen curtains (newspaper).

there's a red sweatshirt material from a "camp squanto" sweatshirt whose original owner was my dad (it was falling apart).

other fabric is leftover from the pillowcases i sewed while pregnant with jake. i was nesting (little red flowers & green).

and lastly, there's fabric from the scraps of a dress my mom sewed for rorie when we were waiting for jacob to make his arrival.

the back of the quilt is an old fleece blanket i impulse bought at old navy when i was in high school in VA. both of my kids have spit-up on it (don't worry, i washed it!).

so there you have it...the story behind this epic "hodge podge" quilt that i made specifically for you,

my "secret santa 2014: out-of-towners-edition" (town=chicago-birth place of the burgh babes)

so merry christmas, again!

i love + miss you!

chelsea

p.s. i had my friend britta... if you were wondering who this was sent to.

OUT MY BACK WINDOW.

i'd like to take a small minute to look out my back window. the first picture was our view from our third floor apartment in chicago. the second is our current view in nh.

there's so much i love about the bottom picture. i love that it's light that early in the morning. i love the colors of the trees. the way the houses look so old and worn. and the power lines are just perfection. mmm... i don't miss our chicago view at all.

have a great weekend everyone!

PACKING TIPS.

1) start early. a few boxes each day starting a month or two before leaving helped me to not feel too overwhelmed. plus, packing and organizing is my thing. i don't consider it a chore. i mean, i even love to unpack the grocery bags and fold laundry (no, really...ask my mom)...so packing is sort of my "happy" place.

2) never buy boxes. we got our boxes from a grocery store. they have too many anyways and are happy to give them away for free. and a lot of them are really, really sturdy... it's great!

3) enlist the help of friends. we've got a good group of solid friends on both ends. i'm really thankful for that.

4) starbucks. i'm just saying... i've been giving them a lot of business because i'm 30 weeks pregnant and i'll miss my local java.

5) you can do it. a simple saying to keep me going. as well as talking to people about my feelings, fears, & worries. i'm a firm believer in community and know how healing it can be to spill your guts. i'm thankful for family & friends who care so much.

today we pack up. we prepare last minute details for our trip tomorrow out of our sleeping city we have called home for the past 8 years...

MOVING, RUBY, & THE BURGH BABES.

this whole moving experience is really making me feel all sorts of crazy. i'm up. i'm down. i'm healthy. i'm stuffing my face with pizza. it's really ugly guys.

my biggest concern is that this is my first time doing this alone. as in, without my family. i've moved about 6 times in my life and then 5 times in/after college. that's 11 times that i've packed up my stuff and moved. the only difference this time... is that it's just me and aaron packing up our stuff. not me and the other 5 people in my family. not me and 15 of my burgh babes. just us.

and things keep happening that are out of my control- per usual, but right now they are really hitting me hard. troubles with getting our rental application approved, utility troubles, new house owner issues, our wii is broken, my internet keeps going out, aaron sprained his ankle, my toddler is running out of things to do because i keep packing her toys, my maternity pants don't fit, liquid laundry detergent spilled in the trunk of my car... i mean, a lot of these things are just ridiculous.

.....

but yesterday was wonderful. i got to meet sweet ruby for the first time. she's the daughter of my friend, christine. the only one in our group to have a baby as of now. my large group of college girlfriends is called the burgh babes- after our IM basketball team- now we're working on our second team... the burgh babies. so far we have two with a third in the works.

we all gathered together in a wrigleyville apartment to have dinner together and pass around the sweet one month old. it was really great to get together again with my chicago family. and it's fun to see how our group is growing and changing with significant others, spouses, and babies. we've shared a lot of fun memories together and it really does keep getting better. i like that we are all in different places in life, too. it really makes me appreciate our differing experiences and perspectives. it's a beautiful thing i think.

A TRIP DOWNTOWN: LOBSTER & CUPCAKES.

i'm not sure if this post is about our last trip downtown or not. i'm typing in the early moments of this chilly morning. no one has stirred yet, but me. and i heard plans of trying to get ourselves downtown for the st. patty's day festivities this grand city is famous for. no idea if that will happen or not, so this post may or may not be about our last trip downtown.

our friday started off pretty normal. my sweet girl playing quietly in her room while the rest of my hooligans try and get themselves together. she's started to really play pretend. she sits and makes up situations, usually involving babies and needing to take care of them. little high voices accompany her and her plush playmates. it's very darling.

my brother and sister have been staying with me. my brother, for the past week, because it's his rowdy first college spring break. he's really going crazy with babysitting and watching breaking bad with me (haha... i secretly love it). and my sister is here because she's decided to stay in the city for the time being. her new lease starts right when ours ends- perfect. i think god placed them with me for this part of my life because i need my people. i'm very thankful for that.

so we ventured downtown yesterday, groupon in hand, to a place aaron and i found on a whim. Da Lobsta.

if you're a new englander (or one at heart) this is definitely a chicago spot to try out. our other chicago lobster joint is The New England Seafood Company. they are both worth trying out and i wouldn't say one is better than the other. they both offer different menu items, are located in different areas of the city, and generate a different feel when dining. 

on this particular day, we settled ourselves in for an afternoon of traditional lobster rolls, cape cod chips, mustardy coleslaw, fountain drinks, and a cup of clam chowder. it was really- my perfect meal. 

rorie had a great time running around the restaurant. it wasn't very big and it was full of business peeps having lunch, so we felt they needed some entertainment and just let her roam the place like she owned it. which she did. she only tried to get behind the counter once- win.

if you're looking for the best lobster roll in the city. i'd have to say- da lobsta. if you're looking for the best clam chowder- new england seafood company. if you're looking for the best lobsters to buy and make at home- new england seafood company. if you're looking for lobster rolls and then cupcakes for dessert- da lobsta. which is exactly what we did...

sprinkles cupcakes is literally a two block walk from da lobsta. and it's really hard to pass up... so we didn't. and you shouldn't either! take our word for it.

we drove home on lake shore drive while little miss fell asleep- high on lobster and cupcakes. one of the happiest combinations if you ask me. the water was SO BLUE. it was beautiful.

i keep trying to spill some of my secrets and tips for living in the city with my brother and sister every time we do something. one thing i've been talking about is how wonderful the city is during spring and summer. it's even more vibrant than the blue trip home on lsd. if you can even picture that. and they will.

this was definitely one of my favorite trips downtown. my maybe or maybe not last trip while living in the city.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR US.

there's something you should know. within the month we will be packing up our little apartment. all the mess will head into a box. all the paintings and coloring pages will be filed away. we will travel and search for a new rental. we will come home for the last time and put everything into a big truck and drive away from the city we have called home for seven to eight years.

aaron got a job in lebanon, nh. he's been applying for jobs since he graduated from nursing school. we have never had a better hiring experience than the one we just had. it was a positive experience from the get-go, which made the whole process almost dream like. aaron is so excited to work for this hospital. he says it sounds like a dream. and that is a first for all the jobs he's had.

we have always known that the city of chicago was not where we were supposed to be. it has been a fantastic place to go to school, to begin dating each other, to move into our first apartment, and to be newlyweds. it's really been a fine place to live with a baby, too. we fit well in our tiny space, but it has a lot of hassles. it's not great for a family. it's actually become harder with each day of this pregnancy. so we know, in that way, we are making the right decision.

we are nature people. we are family people. we are summers at lake swanzey people. we are adventure people. so we looked for a place that would be all that and more for us. we think we've found it in nh. we surely hope so. because we are diving in head first and not looking back.

i'm actually really nostalgic now that we have the official news. i'm really, really excited about the move (don't get me wrong), but i've finally found my groove here. i've memorized streets and found my favorite places to eat. i have old friends and new friends. a gym and yoga membership. finally feel like i own the place... and now we're going to start over.

it's a little heartbreaking to know that rorie will be our only child who grew up in the city. my friend, briana, just went through a similar move last year before she had her son. it's extremely sad to know that my friends who helped me when rorie was a newborn will probably never be able to interact that way with jacob. my friends who brought me starbucks and held rorie while to tried to put myself together. my friends who went out to eat with me when i needed a break. my friends who would text me encouragement when i was down. my friends who showered us with gifts and love when our baby wasn't gaining weight. my friends who still try to invite me to things when 99% of the time i can't go. my friends who will come over to my apartment just to see us. i'm sad to be leaving them. to be leaving my small chicago support system. i'm already sorry that jacob, and whoever comes after him, will only get a little portion of the love we have here in chicago.

it's all bittersweet. but i'm glad it's that.   it could be way worse.

wish us luck on our new adventure!

WHAT TO DO IN CHICAGO W/ A ONE YEAR OLD.

rorie and i are a busy pair. i try to schedule our days together so that we are busy, but in the best possible sense of the word. we have a lot of fun at home, we visit our friends all over the city, and generally have a blast just exploring the city of chicago.

all one year olds are different. and all are interested in different things. sometimes it's hard to find things to do that are geared for rorie's age. why? because most things are for kids just a little older than her. but don't worry, we have found a lot of fun things to do to keep us happy and busy here in chicago.

home. we hang out a lot at home. she's got loads of fun toys: a box full of handmade stuffed friends, a new her-size kitchen, handmade cars, tons of books, and thrift store box of big legos to name a few.

we also have our bath tub, which doubles as a swimming pool when i'm running out of ideas and it's hot out. then there's our wonderful netflix. she's at a really fun age where she's recognizing so much. we were at a grocery store with my mom and she spotted and elmo loofa more than 100 feet away (i mean, we couldn't figure out why she was saying elmo- that's how far away he was)... from then on elmo was a pretty cool dude and sesame street was now something she will watch. she also loves baby einstein. tv and babies is a touchy subject sometimes. i'm totally fine with her watching tv. i myself love to watch tv, so that's what works for us.

parks. chicago has so many parks! from our apartment we can walk to at least 4-5 different parks. all with different playgrounds. and all the playgrounds tend to have a smaller section for the littles. it's perfect! most of the parks have fences around them, so i tend to go to a corner and let rorie roam free. her feet touch the ground and she's off exploring: picking up leaves and sticks, touching tree bark, looking at flowers... i love to watch her take in her world. and she loves it too. it's almost like being in the wilderness of a forest. we'll take what we can get.

some parks have tennis courts. if there are no players on the court, by all means... take your baby there and shut the door. then sit down by the fence and let them explore! i just happened to do this and now i think i'll always do it when we go to the park. it's a great breather for mama and a great exploration area for baby girl.

another great thing about the parks in chicago is that a lot of them have sprinklers or splash pads. these are just like mini-water parks for kids. it's especially awesome on those hot summer days. a few parks also have pools. and they're free! i'm all for free.

lake michigan. speaking of pools and swimming... hello! there's a lake! beautiful sandy beaches with views of the skyline? count me in. and the dog beaches- rorie could seriously spend hours watching the dogs. you can easily take a baby to the beach by yourself, but i suggest bringing someone to tag team with. rorie's a big fan of eating the sand and sprinting away from me. it's just easier with some help, in my opinion... trying to catch her in the sand is much harder than you think. another great thing about the beach in the vendors that tend to pop up. you can get a cup of fresh fruit (and cucumber???) for a good price. perfect snack for a one year old.

toy stores. i've found a few toy stores that aren't too far from us that i love to take rorie to. it's free and they have lots of toys to try out. i love that she gets so excited about the trains and there's always another "friend" for her to play with. usually an older "friend" so we practice our sharing skills.

book stores. another fun place to take a one year old. first of all- they're just learning to walk, so all those aisles are like the best thing ever. rorie would pace the aisles all day if i let her. well, the barnes and noble near us also has a train set- score! and a whole shelf full of elmo dolls which she proceeds to grab every time and walk around the children's section proclaiming "eL-mO. eL-mO." over and over. it's quite cute. and then there's the crying when he goes back on the shelf at the end of the trip, but that's another story.

museums + the zoo. almost all of the museums here in chicago have free-days for IL residents (and the lincoln park zoo is always free!). it's the most fantastic thing. most recently, i took rorie to the peggy notebaert nature museum. it wasn't by any means geared towards a one year old- but that didn't even matter. she was so content walking around by herself, touching the bottoms of most of the exhibits, looking at a snake in a box, playing in the tunnels of the play area, and saying "wow" when she saw a taxidermy polar bear. i had packed us a lunch and we ate in the lobby of the museum. it was wonderful. then we strolled around the lincoln park zoo before heading home. a perfect day with my lady. we have also gone to the shedd aquarium on free-days and plan to go to the children's museum at navy pier tomorrow.

malls. we love going to the mall. mostly because rorie g loves to shop. sometimes i'll just take her to the jewelry section and let her hold and play with the chunky necklaces, peer into the watch and ring displays, or just look around at the purses and wallets. malls are great because most of them have play spaces for kids. old orchard mall has a fantastic new play space located between l.l. bean and epic burger. we have taken rorie there twice and i'm sure we'll be back again. old orchard is a fantastic mall. they've got a train for kids! we've yet to ride it, but real trains don't go through malls... so we will definitely be trying it. they also have a fountain that loads of fun for a one year old and a kiosk with a bubble machine. need i say more? we also found out that if a store has balloons in their display you can totally ask to have one. my daughter happens to love balloons more than me at this point in her life. so a free balloon is a wonderful thing.

kids eat free: my girl can eat. we have already been taking advantage of the restaurants where kids eat free. why not, right?! one of our favorites is the bad dog tavern in lincoln square. since rorie and i are dairy-free the only thing on the menu she can get is the kids burger, but that's totally fine since we tend to go on half-off burger night! burgers all around! another one of our favorite spots to eat is noodles & co. now they don't have a kids eat free deal, but little miss can make an entire small plate of pasta fresca disappear. she's incredible.

street festivals. these happen almost every weekend in chicago! and they are so fun! especially for those music loving one year olds out there! this year we went to ribfest and koreanfest. you could go to one of these fests and make it a totally free activity, but we like to splurge on food we only get at our fests. there's so much going on at every fest chicago hosts. i just love them. rorie loves to listen to the music, watch the people, get a balloon, and collect free stuff. and it's great because they happen all over the city all the time.

farmers markets. i cannot tell you how much i love going to the farmers markets around here. my favorite is the one on saturday mornings in evanston. i know it's not chicago, but it might as well be. it's just one of the best i've been to. the colors, the smells, the people, the handmade goods, the musicians. rorie loves to just take it all in- and so do i. there's so much to look at. we had a running conversation about apples today. the farmers were so wonderful and helped me to educate my little babe by letting her sample what she thought were "apples". turns out she loves peaches, but tomatoes not so much. and neither are apples. we finally found some apples. and we can't wait for apple season. i also let her help me pick our the peppers, cucumber, and apple or pumpkin butter (she picked pumpkin and had it for snack). i highly suggest taking your one year old to the farmers markets.

aaron and i dream of living in the country someday, but for now we are making the best of living in the city. the city doesn't make it very hard when we've got such amazing things to fill our days with. life with a one year old in chicago is pretty spectacular.