Randi with an i

RumChata French toast

July 10, 2015 Randi6 comments

I’m a sweet breakfast kind of person.

It’s a habit I’m trying to break — because consuming mass amounts of sugar before noon (or at all) is probably not the best habit — but if I sit down for brunch, dammit, I’m getting that red velvet French toast with cream cheese frosting. Just the description on the menu is making me drool.

And you know what else I’m getting with my brunch?

Booze.

One of my faaaavorite boss chicks ever, Chrissy Teigen, posted a photo on her Instagram the other day captioned “making adult French toast.”

Booze literally IN your brunch? Count me in.

I wasn’t willing to wait for Chrissy’s cookbook to give me her recipe (seriously though, how is she using those Frosted Flakes in there?), so I googled “alcoholic French Toast” and found this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Simple enough. And since my college friend Emily was visiting this past weekend, I figured this would be a great chance to try out the recipe. It’s made the night before, so it was super easy to wake up and pop it into the oven with minimal work required.

Short of pouring mimosas on the side.

DIY: Apartment guest packet for visitors

July 8, 2015 Randi10 comments

I have learned a lot about hosting guests since I moved to a tourist destination a few months ago.

It’s really fun that my move to a new city has prompted several long-lost friends to visit me. I genuinely enjoy entertaining and putting on parties, so it’s awesome that my new location gives me a chance to do that.

Since I’ve started AirBNB-ing my apartment out for free to my friends every weekend since I moved (no exaggeration: every. single. weekend.), I’ve been reading more on how to brush up on houseguest skills, both from a visitor and host perspective.

While I was Pinteresting ideas, I stumbled upon this this interesting idea for creating an apartment guest packet for visiting friends.

Weekly Sundown Rundown

July 5, 2015 Randi5 comments

Hello hello!

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Links:

I love these smartwatch stickers. I could not stop laughing when I saw the link.

Refinery29 has some great tips on how to move past common work screw-ups. A lot of these are totally avoidable (never fake a sick day, never snark about coworkers through your work email) but aside from that, these are good tips.

I love these tips from The Kitchn on maximizing your countertop space. Living in a city means countertop space is a precious, precious thing. TL;DR: Use your walls.

I love Liz’s tips to being happier. Know what’s crazy? Short of one quick 10-second Snapchat video, I didn’t take ANY photos of Chicago’s fireworks displays. I was too busy living in the moment. And it made me happy.

I love this idea for making a kite aerial photography kit. I’m hoping to spend more time on Chicago’s beautiful beaches now that it’s finally summer. This would be so fun!

The U.S. Women’s team won a game or something.

This woman has the perfect butt. Which is kind of annoying because most of us don’t… so how are we supposed to get jeans that fit?

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And my week highlights?

A trip to Cheesie’s Pub and Grub in Lakeview with my coworker for mac and cheese grilled cheese and PBR.
Italian for dinner at Club Lucky in Wicker Park with a friend.
Pizza and Oberon at Homeslice in Lincoln Park! I had the Miller White and it was delicious.
Sangria, tapas and paella de mariscos with my college friend Emily at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba in Lincoln Park! Emily studied abroad in Spain and had been dying for some close-to-authentic cuisine. I’m not sure how authentic it was, but it was pretty damn good!
Consignment shopping in Lincoln Park.
Shopping shopping on Mag Mile. H&M had some amazing sales going, so I was able to grab these pants, this shirt in a candy-colored tribal print, these rings and several of my favorite basic tees.
Doughnut ice cream sandwiches with a coworker from Firecakes Donuts in River North.
Homemade guacamole! (Recipe here.)
Nitro coffee from Beatrix in River North. It’s kegged and on tap, so it’s foamy and frothy and has three times the caffeine of regular coffee. It was so good.
Fireworks against the Chicago skyline! One of my friends has an incredible view from the roof of his place in Wicker Park, so Emily, Mickey and I went to a party to catch 360-degrees of fireworks and paper lanterns with a ~~glass~~ bottle of wine in hand.
Homemade RumChata French toast! (Mimosas on the side, of course.) Recipe post coming soon.
The arrival of my new pouf from Etsy! I spent forever searching for an ottoman that I liked, and the tall gray burlap one I picked out from Hello Homebody could not be more perfect!

You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or on Snapchat @RandiMShaffer.

It was such a great Fourth weekend. I had several friends in town, and most of those several friends consented to tequila shots and Cards Against Humanity at an impromptu mini apartment party.

How was your Fourth? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

The best guacamole recipe

June 30, 2015 Randi13 comments

I love guacamole.

It’s probably in my top 10 foods. And, as any Chipotle regular knows, it can be expensive.

So, I like to make it myself.

Guac was always a favorite of Apt. B back when I lived in Mount Pleasant. I think Elise made it at least three times a week, and the two of us had no qualms about buying the four-per-bag avocado special at Meijer to split every few days. But I mean, can you really blame us? Avocados are not only super delicious, but also super healthy. On more than one occasion, I actually just grabbed an avocado and a spoon before I left for work and called it lunch. My old coworkers probably judged me. I don’t blame them.

Since I moved to Chicago, I’ve been making guacamole every other week, if not every single week. Why? Who knows. Maybe it’s my body’s way of telling me it needs the vitamins? Maybe it’s because Trader Joe’s keeps the avocados right in my line of sight as soon as I walk into the Ontario Street store? Maybe it’s because mashing a bunch of stuff together in my tiny city apartment makes me feel like I’m actually cooking? Who. Knows. But at least it’s a delicious habit!

I like to eat my guac plain with blue corn tortilla chips, but hey! It’s Taco Tuesday so feel free to throw some dip on top of your dinner tonight.

Maybe have a margarita on the side?

Definitely have a margarita on the side.

Weekly Sundown Rundown

June 28, 2015 Randi4 comments

Happy Sunday/ Pride Parade day here in Chicago! I’m so bummed that I had to miss the event due to work, but I had a hand in curating our livestream of the event over here at the Trib, so it was like I was basically there, right?

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Links:

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT GAY MARRIAGE IS NOW JUST MARRIAGE MARRIAGE AND I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT IT. Equality, guys.

Thrillist ranked Michigan as the No. 1 state in the country, thus making me miss my home even more. Mitten love.

This man spent two weeks eating food marketed toward women and detailed the experience.

My friend Angela has super useful meal planning tips. As someone who forgets to grocery shop, runs out of time to pack lunch and ends up eating Chipotle four times a week and vending machine food the other three… yes.

The Chicago Tribune has a list of ice cream places to check out. This has turned into a personal to do list. God bless my employer you guys.

Cat posted a photo of this blueberry pie with an amaretto crust on Instagram and I almost licked my phone screen.

Cat also has advice on making new friends as an adult, when things like blind roommates and student organizations don’t exist anymore.

If you’re getting underpaid, it’s probably costing you in more ways than just your paycheck.

This has been out there on the Internet for a while, but Lifehacker has tips on being a gracious houseguest. (Yes, this is a not so subtle hint to anyone who plans on crashing at my Chicago apartment.)

The Everygirl has a list of ways to style a headboard. I’ve always made my bed the focal point of my bedroom (after advice from my parents), and my gorgeous DIY headboard is one of the most commented-on items in my home.

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And my week’s highlights included…

A visit to the Dagne Dover popup shop at theWit Chicago! I love my Dagne (you can read an earlier review of it here) and was so excited to check out some of the other products in person for the first time ever.
Vegetarian enchiladas and guacamole with a friend at XOCO in Wicker Park, and then a visit to a rooftop to take in the most amazing view of my city ever. Photos really don’t do it justice.
Homemade guac! (Suck it, overpriced Chipotle.)
A letter in the mail from my Mount Pleasant roommate Elise, who I love and miss way, way too much.
Dinner at Nha Hang Viet Nam in Uptown with a coworker. (I had Hu Tieu Tom – rice noodle soup with shrimp and vegetables.)
A tour of the Chicago Pedway. I figured out how to get from the red line Lake station to Trib Tower and back almost entirely sheltered from the rain, snow and cold. January Randi is already thanking June Randi for her forward thinking.
Dinner and beer at Handlebar in Humboldt Park with my friend Mickey after helping her move (aka mostly just gossiping and talking about boys and drama).
A new Illinois driver’s license! So bittersweet.
An attempted trip to the balcony of Trib Tower to take in the view of the lake… but construction has delayed the opening another few weeks. Bummer.

(You can see all this as it happens and more if you follow me on Instagram or on Snapchat: @RandiMShaffer)

And this coming week? I might try breaking onto Trib Tower’s balcony to see that view! (Totally kidding.) In reality, I’m so incredibly excited for this coming weekend. My college friend Emily is coming to visit for the Fourth of July, and we have an awesome weekend full of fireworks, pizza, beach days and mimosas scheduled. Absolutely cannot wait! What’s on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!

Weekly Sundown Rundown

June 21, 2015 Randi12 comments

Happy Sunday and first day of summer! I’m still getting used to my Sunday through Thursday paper here at the Trib, so my Sundays always feel like relaxed Mondays. I don’t hate it though, since it makes the rest of the week go by super quickly.

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Links:

Reading can make you happier. You heard it.

Stylecaster has a guide to wearing neon. I’m absolutely drooling over that green midi skirt.

Everyone knows you have to protect your shoes from water, salt, dirt and cold in the winter. But did you know you should protect them in the summer as well, from sand and sweat?

Here’s a useful guide for building outfits with monochromatic elements.

Here’s a neat quiz that will let you know which presidential candidates you side with on important issues.

Your breakup will be good for you. I promise. These are all lessons I’ve learned over the past many, many years, and are applicable time and time again. I’m coaching a great friend through a rough break up right now and these are so good to remember. (And if you ever need anyone to talk to about breakups, dear reader, please shoot me an email.)

As someone who obsessively hoards books, I love the idea of decorating with them.

Considering I now live out of a purse (yay city life!) I love these ideas for travel snacks from The Kitchn.

I’ve always read warnings about Toxic Shock Syndrome on tampon boxes, but this is the first real life account of it I’ve read.

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And me this week? It was fairly productive and included a trip back to Michigan, which was great! Highlights include:

Breakfast with my college roommate Kendall at Tweet in Uptown before her Monday afternoon departure.
Time with my parents! My mom is a vendor at a Thursday farmers’ market, so a Friday visit meant I got to lay claim to her leftovers. Hello cheddar onion rye bread!
A finished kitchen/ dining room table. I had to make some modifications to my Ikea Norberg wall-mounted table, since it was built to Swedish design configurations and my apartment is, yunno, American. It took a while (turns out drilling through metal is not easy) but I managed to get the thing installed.
A visit to Ann Arbor to hit up both Arbor Brewing Company and HopCat (crack fries) with a friend.
Sangria and tapas at Wicker Park’s Black Bull with a friend.
TOUCHING THE STANLEY CUP. As part of my job doing social media over at the Chicago Tribune, I had to chase the Stanley Cup around town on two different occasions to Periscope the atmosphere for our followers.
Grabbing a front row seat at the Chicago Blackhawks Championship Rally! Disclaimer: This would have been 6,000 times cooler if it was my amazing Detroit Red Wings that were hoisting this glorious trophy, but it was still such a cool experience to stand front row with the media at Thursday’s event!

(You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat: @RandiMShaffer.)

How was your week? Let me know in the comments!

DIY outline canvas painting

June 20, 2015 Randi2 comments

Home is where the hand is, and hello from my home state of Michigan!

I took the train back to my parents’ house late last night after an amazing day at work covering the Blackhawks championship parade and rally — more on that later — and am enjoying a calm weekend with family and friends away from the hustle of the city.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Chicago so, so much, but after a non-stop month of moving, figuring out transit, unpacking, decorating, shopping, working, pizza eating, socializing, hosting weekend visitors, sangria consumption, running after L trains, sleepless nights, street festivals and endless amounts of just flat out fun, I really needed a weekend to ~~nurse my sunburn and persistent hangover~~ relax out in the country.

Plus, as much as I looooove falling asleep to the soothing sound of the Red Line L train right outside my window, falling asleep to the sound of rustling leaves and crickets is much, much better.

I posted a photo of this project on my Instagram a few months ago, and meant to share a tutorial on it after I was asked about it. But then life got pretty insane when I accepted a new job and moved to a different time zone, so I didn’t have time to put a post together.

Now that I’m visiting my Michigan home, I figured it was a great time to share!

Apartment decor pieces

June 17, 2015 Randi4 comments

Hey guys! Just checking in with an apartment update.

I posted a little bit of my design inspiration when I first moved into my new space. It’s slowly coming together, but I’m not going to lie — it’s hard to focus on boring things like unpacking when there are just so many other things to do and people to see in a city like Chicago!

I will eventually do a full tour of my new apartment, like I did with my Mount Pleasant loft, but in the mean time, I’m sharing some of my decor inspiration — and some of the items I’ve snagged — as another sort of teaser post.

My decorating tastes are… interesting. I have two very distinct and separate styles I love. I love all things white, gold, textured, plushy and vintage glam girly, but I also love all things earthy, rustic, industrial and Pinterest-perfect shabby chic. Sometimes it’s hard to find things that are a combination of both of those styles, so my apartment gets a little hodge podge-y at times, but it’s still very much me, and I love it.

(You can totally catch sneak peeks of my space on both Instagram and Snapchat: @RandiMShaffer)

Weekly Sundown Rundown

June 14, 2015 Randi14 comments

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Links:

This teen started an anonymous Instagram account to post nice things about all of his classmates. See, high schoolers aren’t all evil.

Zoe Saldana’s husband took her last name. Awesome.

My amazing employer put together this cohesive list of the best outdoor breakfast and brunch locations in the city and I will be taking full advantage of it. Cause mimosas.

What it’s like to get fitted for a bra at six different stores. I’m a bravangelist and will preach about proper fit for forever. This was an interesting read.

This is what the rest of the world thinks about Americans.

I spent five days trying to find an ottoman/ a pouf for an empty corner in my apartment, and right on cue, the Everygirl comes out with a list of fab low profile seating options. I ended up with a taller version of this Etsy find, but the Everygirl picks are still super useful.

Super useful tips for great skin.

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And my highlights this week?

Lunch at Soho House Chicago with my college friend Perry.
Receiving several shipments of junk and making some serious progress on my apartment. Hello new rug, pillows and master’s degree frame!
A visit from my college roommate Kendall!
A trip to Midsommar Fest in Andersonville for day drinking and street festivals filled with churros, rainbows and cover bands.
Celebrating my college friend Matt’s birthday with watermelon Jell-O shots and Absolut raspberry consumed through fabulous pink flamingo straws.
Dim Sum from Pingpong Restaurant – thanks Kendall!
(Killer) margaritas from Cesars in Lakeview… with a side of free tequila shots.
Brunch at Kanela Breakfast Club in Lakeview.
The installation of my gallery wall. I finally got around to finding some new prints and hanging up my frames. I’m not sure if I want to keep my wall how it is, or add to it. Suggestions?
A new house coffee blend I picked up from Chicago-based Intellegentsia. Can’t wait to try it!

You can keep up with all this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or on Snapchat at @RandiMShaffer.

This coming week I’m going to get some new original content up on the blog… promise. I feel like I’ve been doing a ton, but not really updating the Internet with my adventures. I’ve got some serious downtime ahead of me on my train ride back to Michigan for next weekend, though, so hopefully I’ll be able to buckle down and #GSD!

What have you been up to lately? Let me know in the comments!

Weekly Sundown Rundown

June 7, 2015 Randi10 comments

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Links:

Pinterest now lets you buy things right from the app. RIP bank account.

Caitlyn Jenner is gorgeous and I hope I look half as amazing as she does when I hit 65.

If you have to buy coffee at Trader Joe’s for whatever reason — ie: you’re 100 percent out of coffee and all your local roasters are closed — here’s a list of the best coffees to get.

High performance heels sound intriguing.

Caitlin over at And Possibly Dinosaurs has this super easy tutorial for coasters that I’ll have to try, since I don’t have coasters yet.

One of my favorite bloggers is moving (back) to Chicago which makes me super excited, because I’ve been dying to try SoulCycle and – what do you know – she’s an instructor.

Four clear signs you’re never going to hear from him again. I personally haaaaate being “ghosted.” I was on the receiving end of this right before I left Michigan, and it sucks. Just man up and tell me straight forward that you’re no longer interested in talking so I can stop wasting both my time and yours.

Take a day off. It’s good for you.

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And my week highlights include…

Protein Bar for lunch on the gorgeous new riverwalk trail with a friend.
Assembling some new shelves for my kitchen!
Finally ordering a diploma frame for my master’s degree. It’s been floating around and I’m kicking myself for letting it get bent during my recent move, so soon it will have a new home and a place on my wall.
A full work week at the Tribune. #lovemyjob
Dinner and craft beer at Wicker Park-based Piece with a friend to watch the Tigers/ White Sox game, and then finally watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. (Apparently now that I live in Chicago, viewing was mandatory. It also happened to coincide with the actual date Ferris took off 30 years ago, so watching the flick was non-negotiable.)
Picking up this new lipstick (in Chatterbox) and this delicious smelling bath bomb for a whopping total of $2.89 — thank you Macy’s Money!
A wonderful piece of welcome mail from the aforementioned Caitlin.
The most productive weekend ever. I’ve only been here for three weeks, but this weekend was the first that I didn’t have out-of-town visitors, so I was finally able to put some work in on my apartment. I installed new chrome shelving in my kitchen, ordered some throw pillows (this, this, this and this), hung up my gallery wall frames, took multiple trips to Target and West Elm, stocked and styled my bar cart and cleaned my entire apartment top-to-bottom.

And this coming week? I’m super excited to have my college roommate Kendall visiting next weekend! I’m also excited to get some more organizing and decorating done, and of course, another week of work at the Trib. It honestly doesn’t feel like work at all though. Loving your job is such a great feeling.

What are you up to lately? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.