Bridal Expo

My friend Lindsay and I went to the annual Jaycees Bridal Expo at the River Center on Saturday. I had intended to go in the past, but always had a conflict. I wanted to scope out the vendors and try to find some preferred companies to work with in the future, as well as check out my competition for event planning. Nothing too interesting to report, but I'm glad I went. It worked out well that I had a bride to go with!

We had quite a few visitors this weekend, both from Jord's family and mine. I left the Valentine's decor up until everyone left, then today I began the process of preparing the house for St. Patrick's Day. We'll be hosting a big party in honor of my dad, so I want to have plenty of time to tweak things so it looks perfect. St. Patrick's Day and all of the events that go with it have become all-consuming, so that will be my major focus for the next six weeks. I'll have to make time for my other commitments, but this is such a big deal for my family that I really want to make it special for everyone.

Almost There

My lighting project is nearly complete. The two new matching pendants are up in the kitchen. They are definitely an upgrade, in both their visual appeal and the amount of light they provide. Now, I just need to find one more light for the center of the kitchen as well as a hall light. Then the first floor illumination will be done!

Carpenter has packed up and left his key. He finished all the projects that we initially needed done, minus the kitchen bench which has been put on hold. All the doors have been replaced, and Jord continues to paint them – maybe that will be done someday. Carpenter will come back once the sliding glass door is replaced to finish up the quarter rounds. We might also be calling him to tile the backsplash if we decide to replace the counters, which is a great possibility.

The next project is yet to be decided. We’d like to tackle the two bathrooms, but I don’t have a vision yet. We’re both dying to have the basement redone, and although we have a pretty good idea of what we want, the funding is questionable. And then there’s the neglected backyard – we need a fence and some landscaping, not to mention building a deck. My mom keeps reminding me that we’re in no rush, but I feel like we can’t sit back and enjoy the house until everything is complete.

St. Patrick Society

I attended my first St. Patrick Society meeting last night. My dad, Jord and I went together, and of course my dad knew just about everyone in the room. We walked into the Knights of Columbus and found our way to the basement where a handful of members had already congregated along with the board of directors. The meeting was called to order and the new members were asked to introduce themselves, meaning Jord and me. We were the youngest people in the room by about 20 years. The next order of business was to announce the grand marshal. The board had voted just minutes before we arrived and unanimously selected my dad! Yes, my dad will be the grand marshal of the Quad Cities St. Patrick’s Day Grand Parade 2011, just as my Papa was in 1992. This is the first time that the second generation of a past grand marshal has been chosen. What an honor for the Collins clan! Of course as they announced this I proceeded to cry uncontrollably, overcome with emotions. I tried to get a grip, and be attentive to the remainder of the agenda items, but my mind was racing. We have to get him a green tweed jacket, we need to plan a party, we have to tell Mamie before someone else has the chance! The next seven weeks leading up to the parade and other festivities are going to be exciting and hectic, but I couldn’t be happier for my dad. Needless to say, it was a memorable first meeting. Let the preparations begin and mark your calendar for parade day, March 12th!

Baby Baby Baby

The baby shower went off without a hitch! Despite the bitter cold, we had 16 guests so it made for a full house. The food was amazing, my personal favorites being my dad’s chicken curry dip and sausage cheddar wontons, a new staple at all of my parties. Of course my mom was there to assist me before, during and after the event, and was immensely helpful, as always. Between the music, festive décor and plentiful food and drink, I think it was a success. Not to mention that Meagan and Brendan got the last of their baby necessities. Here's a look:

The adorable handmade banner by Sarah Ree

One and only floral arrangement

Dessert table

Just enough room for the lunch spread

Meagan, 2nd from left, with some college friends

Kathy, Meagan and Tootsie

Drapes

Things are looking up! The living/dining room finally has drapes. I found some curtain rods at Lowe’s – who knew it was so difficult to track down a 128” long rod? So last night, Jord and I tried to remain calm while we worked together to put up the drapes. The last time we did this, hanging the curtains in the den, it didn’t go so well. This time around was a little easier since they were being hung at the crown molding, meaning no mishaps with leveling. It turned out to be a three hour ordeal, but we got through it successfully. They look amazing, if I do say so myself. I think they’re more in the drape category rather than curtains. There’s probably not much of a difference, they just seem more formal or something. Jord commented that the neighbors would be mad that they can no longer see right into our house – we have so many passersby that are not shy about staring. Hey, I would be curious too! Anyways, what an improvement! The pewter color complements the navy walls beautifully. Granted, they are a little long – they are meant to have the rod through the top, called a “pole pocket”, however I prefer the look of using clips so they hang nicely. The clips bring the drapes down a few extra inches, so they puddle at the floor. We’ll live with them as-is for now, but may have to get them altered at some point.

Now we’re onto the final preparations for the party. Ironing table cloths, steaming drapes, cleaning every inch of the house. Tomorrow night we’ll get the last of the essentials and begin food prep: cutting veggies, making dips, preparing cake balls. Luckily I have delegated some of the menu items, so there isn’t too much to do in that department. And I get to pick out and arrange flowers, one of my very favorite things to do!

It's Always Something

The West Elm order arrived, or so I thought. The cords for the two lights weren’t included, so those can’t be installed yet. Then, come to find out, one of the rods is bent. Plus, the longer rod for the picture window isn’t even big enough. So I guess we’ll be out searching for rods this week – you know, in our abundant free time. On the bright side, the last door arrived at Lowe’s today, so we’ll pick that up and get it hung and painted. Cross your fingers that no other road bumps occur this week!

Test Run

This weekend was spent preparing for the baby shower next Saturday. Most importantly, we did a test run for one of the dips - warm curry chicken. Very tasty! I always do a taste test for any new recipes prior to a party. The menu has been finalized so there won't be any last minute guessing.

Test run of warm curry chicken dip

A whole slew of items on the checklist have been done. The kitchen cabinets under the sink are finally complete. All the doors but one are on and Jord is in the painful process of painting. The missing door somehow got overlooked at the store so we have to wait a few weeks until it comes in. Very annoying! All the Valentine's decorations are up and we even hung a handful of pictures and knick knacks. I did some Martha Stewart crafts to add to the festivity. The new lighting and curtains arrived today, so we'll have to hustle to get those up this week. It'll be a busy few days to finish everything up in time for our guests!

One of the Martha Stewart crafts - so cute!

Groupon

Over the last few days I've become absolutely obsessed with getting Groupon to the Quad Cities. I really miss all the great deals. The closest one is for Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, which just won't due. It introduced us to so many things we wouldn't have otherwise done in Chicago. I think my favorite was a beer and bacon tasting. I've already signed up for the Boston deals in preparation for our upcoming trip. Today I emailed Groupon with my suggestion, and got a generic response prompting me to vote for my location. So, help me with my campaign! Go to www.groupon.com/city_suggestions/new and enter your email address and zip code 52803. Maybe they'll choose me to help launch the QCA Groupon. One can hope...

West Elm

West Elm image of silk dupioni curtain panels in pewter

I was so excited when I checked the mail yesterday and there was a West Elm coupon for 20% off my next order. What a coincidence! I had been adding and deleting items from my cart on their website for the last few days. Their store in Oak Brook was always on our route when we’d be out browsing, but I often forget to check them out online. I pared my cart down to the essentials, but it was still a big purchase. The big ticket item was curtains for the living room. The panels, silk dupioni in pewter, are only 48” wide so they’ll have to be altered to fit the large picture window, but they’ll be just right for the two smaller windows in the dining room. They are 96” long, so they’ll hang close to the ceiling for a dramatic effect. I also ordered corresponding curtain rods, but I’m going to try something to make them more unique. Sarah found a box of these things at an estate sale – I don’t know the correct term for them, but we like the look they create. This is definitely inspired by the show Sarah’s House! To round out the order are two yellow pendant lights for the kitchen – one above the sink and the other for the hallway above the pantry. I had to pass on some other lighting, curtains for the sun porch, a side table and a cocktail ottoman. Maybe next time!

Box of architectural thingamabobs

Seasonal Decorating

Today was dedicated to housework. I finally removed our Christmas decorations, a chore I had been avoiding since last weekend. I need to get the house ready for the baby shower that's only two weeks away. Usually we go straight into the St. Patrick's season, so I don't have a large stock of red and pink items. My mom and I did some shopping this weekend and I found a few additional pieces. Plus she loaned me some of her seasonal adornments. After I got out all my Valentine’s décor, I realized that I have more than enough to work with! It's a whole process for me to decorate for each holiday. My typical fashion: display everything on a table and wait for inspiration to strike. The second part hasn't happened yet, so it looks like this will drag out all week.

Before & After

I’ve added more photos to the Before & After tab. We’ve worked on a lot of small projects and I like to see what a difference a little paint, knobs and fabric can do. There are even more in progress down in the basement! I haven’t determined how to show progress on the bigger before and after projects, like each room. The day we closed on the house, Jord went through and took a video of every room, so we have the before part covered. Uploading each video may be a bit tricky because of the size, but since all the rooms still need something or other done, I can worry about that later.

My favorite of all the little projects thus far has to be the small footstool for the office. I found this fabric as a remnant at Joann’s months ago, and bought it knowing it would come in handy. When I purchased the stool for next to nothing at the Holy Family bazaar, I knew I’d found the perfect item to use the fabric. After getting it home I considered changing my mind and leaving the wood dark and just adding blue and white fabric leftover from a chair, mainly because I was so sick of painting. I’m glad I stuck to it, because it turned out just as I hoped. And it’s very handy when either Jord or I get banished to the office to watch TV because the other is watching something awful in the den. At least we can put our feet up and relax. Oh how we can’t wait for the basement family room to be done!

Boston is Booked

Jord and I are going to Boston in the spring! We always said that if the Cubs were going to play in Boston then we would be there to watch them. I guess the Cubs haven’t played at Fenway since 1918, so it’s a pretty big deal. Flights and hotel are arranged, so no backing out now. I’m so excited to go to Boston, yet I don’t really have a list of places to visit yet. Although I imagine we’ll visit many pubs while we’re there!

Cubs game in San Francisco

This will be the fifth away city that we’ll visit to see the Cubs. Our list includes St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and San Francisco. If we would have planned better we would also have Denver checked off. I’m sure we’ll make our way around to all the stadiums at some point, at least those that are within the National league. That means approximately 11 more cities to go. Jord benefits by seeing the Cubs, I benefit by traveling and seeing new places. It works well for both of us!

2011 Resolutions

Before getting into my plan for the new year, I'll give a quick overview of the last few days of my glorious week away from work. My mom and I continued the theme of procrastination. We had some great meals and did lots of unnecessary shopping. I got some good finds at Wallace's in their clearance holiday section. Although we never got around to cleaning out closets or taking down our Christmas decor, I did complete the ironing that I've been promising to get done at my parents' house since I was staying there in August.

Some countertop samples

We also went out and looked at some options for countertops. We both love the look of marble, so we got a couple quotes and are considering the options. There is a lot to consider: natural stone or solid surface (like corian), durability, availability, price. If my mom and I choose the same thing, which is likely, we might get a break in the cost.

On Thursday I came home to some disappointing news: Jord told me there was water in the basement. I freaked out and ran downstairs to make sure all our stuff was safe from getting wet. I guess the combination of frozen gutters and the foundation separating from the driveway let some water through. Fortunately it was confined to one small area and away from all the storage. So my dad brought over the shop-vac and some fans and Jord got everything under control. In the spring we'll have to do some work to try and prevent this in the future.

Church pew from QC Times listing

Early on Friday we followed a lead from the QC Times for a church pew. It sounded promising, but as you can see from the picture, the modern style isn't exactly to our taste. We'll just keep looking! Since the weather was nice, Jord got outside and took down the Christmas lights and cleaned the new picture window. Our New Years Eve was similar to years past. Greasy appetizers, alcohol and movies. This might sound pretty depressing to others, but this is just one holiday that neither of us get too excited about. At least I was able to stay awake until the ball dropped this year!


Jord cleaning windows - what a nice husband!

I'm absolutely dreading going back to work tomorrow, but I'm determined to be more positive this year. My other resolutions are typical: get healthy, go to church more often, save money, cook dinner. I'd also love to find a job that is fulfilling and interesting. I attempt the same list, plus or minus, each year and always fail. I guess I'm the eternal optimist at the beginning, and somewhere along the way I start a downward spiral. Maybe this year will be different: I always said that I was just waiting for my life to start, that my life was always temporary while we were in Chicago. Now that we're home in Davenport, hopefully I can accomplish my goals once and for all.

Insulation

Blocked from my office during
the insulation install

Insulation was installed in the attic on Thursday morning. An energy audit determined that this would help efficiency for both heating and cooling the house. It took a few hours, so once again I was forced to stay home and bundle up as they worked. This time I was in the den, as the access to the attic blocks the door to the office, so I had to choose one way or the other and I didn't want to be barricaded in the office for hours on end. Thus, I didn't get anything accomplished. But now that is one more thing checked off the list, and we should start noticing a difference in our heating bill. Jord also put some insulation in both fireplaces to block any draft as well as insulation around the pipes. So we're all set for the cold weather, better late than never.