How To Get Ready For Fall - Carly Style

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I like to be prepared. This applies to the changing of the seasons, too.

Summer is by far my favorite (see why?), so I have to really coax myself into accepting fall. Once I convince myself I'm ready, though, it's full steam ahead.

So, here is my somewhat satirical but also admittedly accurate strategy this year. It involves everything from retail therapy to some good old fashioned orchard time. 

Note: These pics come from my insta - FOLLOW ME and let's be friends!

1. Bust out the Lululemon jackets. 

I live in athletic wear during the colder seasons, and I have a feeling that being self-employed is only going to further encourage this habit. In fact, based on Friday's insta, I've already fallen back into it. It was 80 degrees outside, but I was headed to the gym and Costco (which is freezing inside), so I felt justified.

Whether it's Lululemon another of your favorite brands, fall is a great season for being comfy. I'm a big fan of wearing things that can stretch (<--punny) from an outside fall jog to a grocery store run for canned pumpkin!



2. Make reservations for a winery tour weekend. 

We're doing the Harvest Stompede in about two weeks to ring in the new season. Basically, we will be touring around the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail on foot and seeing about 25 wineries, where we will taste wines and sample foods (basically my dream weekend). The first day kicks off with a 5k run, which we are opting to skip - after all, it's not vacation if you have to get up at the butt crack of dawn.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to find something similar nearby (check out this Wineries By State website). You may not be able to find so many in one place like we have here in NoMi, but there are various wineries and distilleries in most of the United States.

3. Bust out the fall boots (and maybe by some more).

Last year, my Frye boots purchase was my initiation into appreciating fall. I am not going to lie, retail therapy works wonders, especially when it comes to easing into a new season. Next up? I need a pair in black...

But, seriously. Why are boots so amazing? I am pretty sure they define fall for most women my age.



4. Go apple picking.

Apple picking is really not that far away - last year, this picture was taken on September 2nd. As in one week from now. This lead to some pretty amazing flourless apple pie.

Why is this awesome for Fall? Because the weather is still nice enough (albeit quite crisp!) to allow for some outside fun, and the end result of amazing fall smells in your kitchen unbeatable!



WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What's your favorite season?
• What are your tips and tricks for transitioning excitedly?

Naked Apartment Tour

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You know, like the apartment is naked. Get it? Geez. I wonder how many bizarre search hits I'm going to get with this post title. Bring it on, Google.

So, I moved this weekend. We were "good little workers," as my mom would say, and have the place pretty much set up. There are still a few projects we're looking to do over the next few months, but for now, at least all the furniture and art is in place.

But how can you appreciate something beautiful without seeing how barren and empty it once was? Answer: You cannot. [Okay, not always true, but here it's quite important!]

Let's start at the front of the apartment. I've highlighted in yellow where you enter the apartment.

This is how the entry looked on Thursday evening, when we first showed up to move things. The front door opens onto a tiled platform.

From the platform, you step down onto the wood floor. I'm not sure how recently these were done, but they're beautiful. So beautiful :)

On that beautiful wood floor, immediately accessible from the entry way, is the living room. 

This is the Living Room wall after stepping down from the entryway. We're planning to keep this corner couch laden (as you can see in the floor plan above). You know, so people actually have a place to sit down when they hang out (instead of the last place, where you practically had to stand around).



Okay, so we just turned around and are now looking back at the front window. On the first day we were there, literally while I was snapping these pictures, the couch I bought last weekend was delivered. Here's your first snap shot of the space with real live (or not live) furniture. Hopefully the couch gives you a bit of a sense of scale.



"Look at me! I'm a sexy looking couch!" (And now the combination of this post title with the word sexy in that couch quote will lead even more people to show up on this page and find out it's just some crazy lady talking about her apartment. Sue me.)

Next, in the same general space as the Living Room, we have a second space.

Past the Living Room is what I'm pretty sure was meant to be a Dining Room. But we're not doing it that way.  Instead, we're trying to keep a lot of this space open. Imagine a cute little desk in that corner, diagonally facing the rest of the room (so you can see the TV from your desk, what a treat).

From the Dining-turned-desk-room, there's a cute cut out to the kitchen. Again, you could be cutting onions in the kitchens and watching Revenge at the same time! Life is good, folks. Or... it will be.

To the left of the cut out to the kitchen, the hallway begins (dun dun dunnn!). Let's walk down it, shall we? Come on!

This hallway stretches from the bedroom door (behind me as I took this pic) to the kitchen (up ahead to the right). Straight ahead is the door to the washer and dryer (in unit, people. Don't be jealous). To the left is a smaller hallway to more storage and a bathroom. To the immediate right, however, is some wonderful display space.

I thought you wanted a closer look. There's no lighting inside the display shelving, but I'm excited to spice it up in there. We have so many random nick nacks (is that how you spell it?) that I'm sure it'll be obnoxiously cluttered like your grandma's piano in no time.

Next, turn right to the kitchen...

After walking down the hallway, this kitchen is to the right. Tons of storage. We'll be putting a table and chairs to the left, inside a little corner nook that's hidden in this pic.

Here we are from another direction. See the cut out that lets you see out the front window? I love it. Because, yet again, it means I can watch Revenge while cooking. Or any other show. Like Nikita. Alias reruns. Modern Family. You know the drill.

Here's a shot going back down the hallway. There's a tiny little glimpse on the right into the bathroom. We'll go there later :)

Here's the bedroom...

Here's a view from the back corner of the bedroom toward the door. You'll notice on the left that they installed a white ledge that extends a few inches from the ground and floor. Might pose a problem, as we're planning to line all the furniture up on that wall to avoid cluttering things up near the door.

Here's a shot of the closet (which spans the whole width of the room, amen).

And last but not least, the wonderful bathroom...

And back in the bathroom, her I am! Proof that I really did take these pictures. And proof that, in true style, I moved into an apartment without taking off my suit jacket. 

Stay tuned for pics this week. Get excited - they will include... drumroll please... furniture!

Self-Guided, Half-Assed Gangster Tour of [The North Side of] Chicago

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This weekend was my birthday. Perhaps you recall my ridiculous dancing at work video... well, here's what transpired the rest of the night! No, there is no recipe in this post... just a healthy dose of humor, alcohol, and speakeasy gangster bars. Pretty much all you need... right?

Wrong. Because I forgot to mention my lovely birthday guests... my parents and aunt and uncle. Yes, I'm from one of those families where we can go out for drinks with our parents. Yes, it is wonderful!

The original plan for the evening had been to go on The Untouchables Gangster Tour of Chicago. Because, ever since I began watching Boardwalk Empire, I've been obsessed with Prohibition (Can I have a Great Gatsby themed wedding some day? Please?)... but, as it turns out, some of us (you will not be named) had already been on the tour... and it sounds like a lot of sitting around, anyway, which I can assure you I am quite bad at (I fail at just about anything involving silence and/or sitting). And so, with a bit of research and a whole lot of gangster ambition, we embarked on the "Self-Guided, Half-Assed Gangster Tour of [The North Side Of] Chicago."

Stop One: "The Apartment"
We started the night with cheese and drinks (or, as I like to call them, dranks). No, my friends, that is not a glass of rose wine with ice in it (that would be wrong on so many levels... unless you, yourself are a fan of watered down rose wine, in which case it is perfectly normal!)... we made Old Fashions. And beer and tequila. Yeah, we may have been doomed to a painful Saturday morning from the start.

Why is this part of a Self-Guided, Half-Assed Gangster Tour of [The North Side Of] Chicago? Because we drank Old Fashions. And because you gotta have some place to start!




We devoured said cheese and drinks at Justin's apartment in Wicker Park... which has changed quite a bit since the makeover we gave it a few months ago. Notice the beautiful faux-leather futon? Yep, it's fancy. Yep, it's from Wal-Mart. Yep, I'm proud of it.




Remember Hazel? She's pretty much the Supermodel of dogs (although her eyes look quite wonky in this picture...). And my Aunt Betsy is pretty much the Supermodel of aunts. Am I right?



Did I mention Hazel likes to rest her head in odd places? Like right under my dad's feet. Weird kid...

It wouldn't be a Birthday Party without the obligatory group pictures... would it?! Of course, having 3 is better than one... and candid is better than staged...

The next one is my favorite. Everyone looks so happy... and here I am, distracted by the dog, smiling down at her as she spins in circles to make sure my dad doesn't stop petting her. I totally understand you, Hazel. I would be doing the same thing.

And with a group picture, we were off to the second stop of our "Self-Guided, Half-Assed Gangster Tour of [The North Side of] Chicago" (can I get that name trademarked already?).

Stop Two: Lottie's Pub. 

Back in 1934, Walter "Lottie" Zagorski ran the pub. "Lottie" was a "flamboyant transvestite, and possible hermaphrodite, who stood six feet tall and could personally 'escort' unruly patrons out the door single-handedly." 

There was a gambling ring in the basement, which could be accessed via a secret door, and was run by a syndicate gambling and loan shark boss. 

According to the Lottie's website, "A simple knock on Lottie's private basement door opens a world of escape and debauchery -- lively parties, strip tease dancers, horse betting, and all-night poker games to those deemed worthy." (History from this site)

Did I mention the wings at Lottie's were amazing?

Stop Three: The Green Mill
After having dinner at Lottie's, we squeezed 6 of us into a cab, stopped at Jewel for some 5 hour energy, and were whisked back in time to The Green Mill.

During the 1920s, The Green Mill was mobster territory. Al Capone's henchman, Jack "Machinegun" McGurn, was given partial ownership of the club in exchange for "persuading" a comedian and singer from moving his act to a rival club (McGurn managed to convince Lewis by slitting his throat and cutting off his tongue. Miraculously, Lewis recovered, but his songs never regained their lush sound). (History from here)

The whole place has now been restored to its speakeasy, mobster splendor. Just check out the decor... and the old fashioned cash register!


Oh, and did I mention Sinatra used to visit during the mid to late 50s?  I suppose we shouldn't be surprised, then, that the Green Mill stage is now home to phenomenal jazz music and delicious cocktails...

Stop Four: The Red Line Tap


Okay, I should admit... this wasn't originally part of the Self-Guided, Half-Assed Gangster Tour. We were standing around at the Green Mill (that place is CROWDED!) when my mom and aunt suggested that we ace the place in favor of another venue... in fact, this "other venue" was The Red Line Tap, where their friends from college were playing with their band.

But you know what? Real gangsters roll with it. And real gangsters know the band. So, somehow, I feel like this fits.

Also, as it turns out, the bar has been around since the 1900s... so it, at very least, survived Prohibition... which is gangster, in itself.

And so is partying with your parents (see below).

Midnight rolled around and there was a chorus of "Happy Birthday"s (we were out the night before my official day, so midnight marked my true birthday).

Oh, and somebody gave my uncle 3D glasses. Obviously a good idea.

Step Five: The Next Day...

Breakfast in bed...

Beautifully wrapped presents (Justin wrapped that all by himself!).

...and a new lens! Get excited for some even-more-delicious-looking food!

...leftover beer... and 3D glasses...

And "A Book of Luminous Things," a whimsical book of poetry my Aunt and Uncle had given me the day before...

...which turned into my very own poetry reading, done by none other than my very own handsome man :) 

I have to say, as weird as it may sound, this was a wonderful moment. Here I was, looking at the sweetest man through the lens he had just given me... and he was reading me poetry. The light was coming in perfectly. It was so dreamy. I mean... he is dreamy :)

And then there was... food!

And Sweet Potatoes! And Asparagus! And Filet Mignon! Oh, My!

And semi-healthy German Chocolate Cake! (Using this recipe for the base and a homemade pecan/coconut frosting!)

And at the end of the weekend, I had a bouquet of flowers :)