For our last day in Chicago, we wanted to learn more about architecture and focused on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. We visited his house, studio, and the Robie House. I was in love with all the intricate details that went into the creation of his home and studio. You can see slight influences from the Victorian period, but he also breaks from that mold and creates his signature prairie style. His home and studio was such a masterpiece. I’m very far from being an architecture expert, but I really enjoy learning about it, and I appreciate the art of it. I think the girls did too because they wanted some of the architecture books for kids at the gift shop.

We got in an accident on our way to the Robie House, so we missed our tour time. Someone rear ended us, and thankfully, we were all okay and our car suffered minimal damage. I was a little bummed to miss out on the Robie House tour, but we rolled with it, and made our way to the Art Institute.

We studied Van Gogh for art earlier in the school year, so the girls were super excited to see his work in person. They ooh-ed and ahh-ed at each painting. They wanted a picture with his self-portrait, and they tried their best to interpret and imitate his emotion. It was exciting for me as their mom/educator to see their eyes light up when making a connection with something we studied out of book and to see it in real life.

This is how we ended our Chicago visit, and then we all piled in the car to keep our road trip going. Next up, our Laura Ingalls Wilder road trip through 3 different states.

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This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

The girls went on vacation with my parents this week and Ben and I were able to have some alone time. It was a blessing to have a little bit more quiet and calm together, but we missed the girls a lot.

Thankful for new friends! We went on a double date with our neighbors this week.

I’m eyeing these pants.

This funky coat is awesome. How can I make one?

Someone get this vintage sisal bag!

I admire the ceramic artwork of Gaby of Oohclay. Her clay experiments are so whimsical. I adore the egg cups.

The concept of the OnMoments shop is real sweet. They are time capsules in a bottle and you can have them mail it on a specific day sometime in the future (within a year).

We have one week of summer vacation left. Excited to get back in routine, but we will miss the carefree days of summer a whole lot.

Happy weekending friends!

I love photo boothin’ with my peeps. We will continue to try to keep squeezing into one for as long as we can (even if it’s only an ear or forehead that’s makes it in the photo). This was taken at our trip to the OC Fair this year.

I’ve never been a mushy, super attached, sentimental mom, at least not for these first 10 years. But after True hit that 10 mark, I’ve become much more mushy and emotional about parenting. Suddenly, I get it. The days really are long, but the years feel short, and that it’s going to end soon. I’ve known that. People tell me that often, but now I really feel it. I want to rewind and do all the years all over again, even all the hard parts.

Ben and I feel the time crunch to redeem our time with them wisely, and to keep impressing upon them grace and the gospel. First though, it starts with us. We need to be savoring Jesus and worshiping God in our own lives. If it’s not evident to them that Jesus is our all, it certainly won’t want them to make Jesus their all.

I love my peeps. I treasure them and I thank God for giving me an opportunity to love and mother them (and have Ben as my teammate). I’m a not a perfect mother, and my list of shortcomings is miles long, but I’m thankful that my failures point me to Jesus, and through them I can talk to my kids about Jesus and what He’s done for me (and for them).

Looking at these pictures, I see my 4 little loves who are image bearers of God. I praise God for the gifts they are, even if they drive me nuts sometimes (I drive them nuts sometimes too), but these 4 girls teach me to savor and love Jesus more.

Maiz, Kanin, at Gatas (corn, rice, and milk)
a filipino spin on an american classic

Ingredients:
Canned corn
Rice cereal
Milk
Condensed milk, optional

Directions:
In a bowl, pour cereal, scoop in desired amount of corn (we did equal ratio of rice cereal and corn), then completely cover with milk. For a tiny bit of sweetness, just add a light drizzle of condensed milk.

If you like the cereal crunchy, eat it right away. I prefer to let it sit for a bit, to allow the cereal to turn soft, so it’s a bit more porridge-like. Two of my girls liked it crunchy, the other two liked it soft. Though we all had fun hearing how the milk makes the rice cereal crackle and pop!

This is an American spin on a Filipino dish. The original dish is a dessert called maiz con hielo (corn with ice), which is shaved ice, corn, and condensed milk. Filipino desserts often use corn and rice, so we thought it would be interesting to give cereal and milk a little Filipino spin. If you’re feeling adventurous, throw in some avocado too. There’s a Filipino drink that mixes avocado and milk, and it’s the best!

The girls were all about it and they enjoyed putting this little concoction together. True wanted to brainstorm other interesting cereal and milk combos, They poured a little bit of this, then scooped in a little bit of that, and then drowned it with milk, and we had ourselves our nighttime cereal. My girls always love it when we have breakfast type things for dinner.

This post is sponsored by Got Milk? Food loves milk. Thank you for the time you take to support this space and the brands I choose to partner with!

Black probably isn’t a summer color, but this dress does make a nice summer dress (just don’t sit in the sun for too long). I picked it up from Everlane a month or so ago, and it has the comfort of a t-shirt, but feels a little bit more put together. Ben didn’t like it (he said it looks like a big t-shirt), but the girls said, “Oh mommy, I like that one.” So four votes over one… girls win. And I like it, so that’s all that matters. Plus, it’s has pockets, so it’s definitely a keeper!

Ben does like the bamboo bag I picked up at the thrift store, and I was so excited when I found it. I thought it looked familiar, then my friend reminded me it was just like the ark bag made by Cult Gaia, but vintage (and IMO, vintage always wins).

Lately though, my trip to the thrift stores has been a bust. When we went to the desert for a D-Day, I came home with a vintage plant basket and bag, but other than that, there hasn’t been much at the ones near me. I’m hoping to make some time to visit a couple more this week, but with how things have been going lately, I don’t expect to come across much, but you never know.

on me: dress, everlane. bamboo bag, vintage (new one here). nude clogs, lotta from stockholm.

Of course we had to stop by Cloud Gate (aka the bean) and take a million pictures. It’s such a unique way to view the reflection of the city (and ourselves). We were a little scared to touch it because you can see all the dirty hand prints, though it doesn’t show up in pictures. Nevertheless, it’s such a great spot to people watch, dance (there was music playing from an event nearby), and take lots of pictures. We walked all around and under, and the girls loved seeing how the distortion changed throughout the sculpture.

read more of our #bratchersixmidwestfix.