Red Striped Shirt {similar graphic one here} // Hudson Jeans {from Marshall’s!} // Mark and Graham Purse // Gold Flats {similar here and here} // Tassel Necklace

Oh heyyyyy there Monday – I can’t believe you’re already back here again. I swear the warmer it is outside the quicker the weekends fly by, and I’m already wishing I could soak in an extra day of weekend fun rather than waking up early to get back to the grind again. Why don’t we have three day weekends again?! I definitely think we deserve a day in-between Saturday and Sunday.

This weekend was one of the rare weekends where I didn’t have too many plans, so I was able to spend most of the time exploring around the city and enjoying Summertime Chi. I’ve been spending the weekends entertaining family or friends, or going back home to Madison – so it was nice to feel like I had the whole weekend to myself to enjoy my favorite things in the city.

I spent Saturday morning exploring around the neighborhood farmer’s market and picked up some fresh veggies and flowers for the week ahead – including these gorgeous hydrangeas. After years of killing all the hydrangeas I ever bought at the grocery store or farmer’s market, I finally learned the secret to keeping them alive: lukewarm water, and cutting the stems up 1 inch before putting them in water. Honestly, I don’t know why no one told me this before, but now my flowers last the entire week vs. 12 hours. Just a little tangent for the next time you’re trying to keep your hydrangeas alive 😉

Okay, anyways – back to this past weekend. Besides hitting up the farmer’s market I also got a chance to stop at my favorite coffee shop, enjoy some time with friends over dinner and drinks, and I even caught up on my epic to-do list which made me feel like a million bucks. There’s nothing more satisfying than feeling like you’ve caught up on life after a whirlwind week, and I definitely needed a few days to unwind and give myself permission to slow down – that’s what the weekends are for after all, right?    My new go-to outfit for weekend exploring Chicago is a striped shirt, metallic flats and these super comfy Hudson jeans I scored for a steal at Marshall’s a few weeks back {they’re SO comfy and I wish I could wear them everyday. Why have I never tried Hudson jeans sooner?!}. Since I’m constantly on the go during the weekend – running from the grocery store to lunch to drinks and more, I try to find a purse that’s stylish but also fits everything I need. I had a satchel that I loved, but needed something that was better for farmer’s markets and running errands, and this Mark and Graham bag is giant and perfect for everything I need to carry during the weekend. I had long been coveting everyone’s gorgeous leather totes, but I’m happy I waited to find this bad boy – it’s the best shade of brown and oh-so subtly monogrammed, which is always an added bonus in my book!   Do you happen to have a weekend uniform you constantly find yourself wearing too? I feel like at this point I don’t even think when I get up on a Saturday morning about what I’m going to wear because I always end up in some sort of variation of this look – whoops! Maybe it’s not very creative, but it’s comfy and perfect for a day of exploring around Chicago so I’m going to keep the weekend streak alive! xx