Menu Planning

We met with the caterer this week. My plan for the party was a potato bar. Since it’s a Friday during lent, I thought it would be appropriate with the added bonus that it’s a traditional Irish food. I envisioned an assortment of potato dishes, from mashed to fried. Not everyone agreed with me, so we’re compromising with a variety of Irish fare. Of course there will be potatoes – it wouldn’t be a Collins gathering without them!

Here is a taste of the modified plan – I don’t want to give it all away yet. There is sure to be a vat of cheese and Guinness fondue, along with potato pancakes topped with an assortment of seafood, from smoked salmon to shrimp. And for dessert, chocolate cups filled with Bailey’s. If this doesn’t get you in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day, I don’t know what will!

First encounter with a Fat Frog!

As for cocktails, we’re keeping it simple: Green beer and Smithwicks, wine and Fat Frogs. The latter originated from visiting a pub in Dublin on spring break 2005, when some local ladies saw our green beads and wanted to know where to get them. We ended up giving them a few strands, and to show their gratitude they told us to head to a certain bar (I’ve since forgotten the name but would be able to find my way back should I have the opportunity) and order a Fat Frog. We did so immediately and I’ll be forever grateful to those Irish lasses! We all agreed that the drink was scrumptious, and despite the steep price for a group of college girls, we ordered another round to watch the bartender mix the drink to see what it was made out of. And although I can never find the exact ingredients to recreate the drink, I make my own version of this green concoction every year on St. Patrick’s Day. Sure and b’geezus, we’ll all have a grand time!

Progress Report - Kitchen

The countertop installation was delayed one day, so it was completed today rather than yesterday. It was about a five hour process, from tearing out the old formica and sink to installing the new corian, sink and faucet with some plumbing mixed in. They look glorious! Granted the project is far from complete, but it already feels so much brighter and new and fresh. Hopefully we’ll have the backsplash tiling done and the light switched out before my Chicago visitors arrive on March 4th.

Before: Countertops

Before: Sink

Installation in progress

After: Countertops

After: Sink

Parade Float - Just the Beginning

The winner of the CSN Stores giveaway is Hillary.  Thanks to all the participants!

Parade float - BEFORE. It's hard to tell, but there's potential!

Our sights are on the trophy for the Best Irish Float. It took a few weeks to nail down the arrangements, but everything is lined up – we're borrowing the American Legion's float – and now we have some major decorating to do! I knew that all those cousin crafting events would lead to something great! We’ve realized that this will take more than one outing to accomplish an award-worthy float. This weekend I got a look at the float and started measuring and brainstorming. We plan to have it all – balloons, custom banner, gigantic poufs, glitter shamrocks, giveaways, rockin' Irish tunes. There's a lot of preparations to finish this week and next, then we’ll get together to actually festoon the float.

Giveaway

Once again, I’m having a giveaway through CSN Stores! You have the opportunity to win a $20 gift code, to purchase anything from lighting to adjustable bar stools. Please comment on this post by noon on Sunday, February 20th to be eligible for this freebie.

Jord chiseling away the kitchen backsplash tile

The mess in the kitchen has commenced. Jord started tearing out the backsplash tile last night. It’s going to be a war zone in our house for the short term between tile removal and the countertop and tile installation. Hopefully everything goes according to plan so the clutter isn’t prolonged any further. Potentially we could be all done with the kitchen renovation by the end of next week!

The Davenport Club

We got invited to a soiree at The Davenport Club, located in the newly renovated Hotel Blackhawk on Saturday night. At first I wasn’t sure if we should attend, but my hesitation soon relented. I was dying to see the hotel, recently brought back to its former glory. We took the opportunity to get all dressed up, and even met my parents for drinks beforehand at the hotel’s restaurant, Bix Bistro, to celebrate their 28th anniversary.

Today we stayed home and worked on projects. Most notably, my parents and I addressed all the postcards for our St. Patrick's Day party. Also, the painting continues whether we like it or not. Jord did some touch-ups on the trim in the den and I'm only a few coats away from completing the bistro table and chairs. I updated the Before & After tab with a couple new finished projects.

Kitchen Accessories

We’ve ordered the countertops and the installation is scheduled in just over a week. After sifting through the options, we decided on the corian in “rain cloud". I much prefer the look of marble to granite, and this was the closest option without paying an exorbitant amount of money for the real thing. Plus, according to our research, this is more durable and practical for daily living. The funny thing is that my parents are getting the same exact style. Their kitchen is primarily white, so I think the end result will look completely different in each of our homes.


A preview of our new countertops - corian in "rain cloud"

With this decision come many smaller decisions. We have to pick out a sink, faucet and backsplash. As for the sink, we had looked at all the big box stores and only found one option that would work. The dimensions of our cabinets are smaller than most newer homes, so that limited our options. And to complicate things, we both want a two bowl, stainless steel sink, thus decreasing the selection again. So Jord went online to expand our search and found one that fit the bill on Overstock.com, of all places. Now this weekend is dedicated to locating a faucet and backsplash tile. I’ve always liked the look of subway tile, so that’s what we’ll be hunting for. The trick is to find the right shade of white to match the corian.

Doors

Before & After

The doors are finally complete! This has been a long, drawn out process. I disliked the interior doors – as you can see in the before picture, they had a smooth surface and were devoid of character. They would have had to be painted and the hardware replaced, so we thought we might as well just replace them altogether with something we like. We ordered 15 interior doors in mid-September and had to wait about four weeks for them to come in. Finding a new style of door was relatively easy, but the door knobs presented another challenge, as there isn’t a lot of variety in the local hardware stores. We ended up using a combination of the old knobs from the doors we replaced and some new that were ordered online. Carpenter hung each door, then Jord had the time-consuming task of painting – two coats per each side of every door. Most of the doors are white, with the exception of our bedroom closet doors, which are "raindrop" to match the trim. We’re very happy with the results, and I think Jord is quite relieved to be done painting for the time being. I never thought this process would span five months!

Day Trip to Chicago

Jord and I took a quick day trip up to the Chicago area on Saturday. It stemmed from a couple online purchases that needed to be returned, and a growing list of household items that we wanted. We started at the Crate & Barrel outlet in Naperville, then met up with Sarah in Oak Brook for lunch at Labriola and some shopping. Of course we had to hit up several Irish stores in the area, and I found a few items that will come in handy for the parade. We parted ways with Sarah, although we’ll be seeing her back home in a couple weeks for some St. Patrick's Day crafting, and headed to IKEA in Bolingbrook. By the time the day was done, we put in exactly 12 hours of driving, eating and shopping. 

Today my family stopped over for a junk food party to celebrate Tricia's birthday. Of course the conversation turned toward St. Patrick's festivities, and we discussed the furniture arrangement for the party. With the possibility of 200 or more people in this house, we're going to have to move things around to accomodate the crowd. We also decided on a photo of my Dad for the parade float banner and ordered some parade giveaways. Things are really coming together! 

Snowed In

Jord's snow day

It’s no surprise that we were snowed in yesterday, since much of the Midwest had the same problem. Jord spent two hours shoveling the walk in the morning. He got some assistance from a neighbor with two snow blowers who took pity on him, so that was a tremendous help with the driveway. He came in to a delicious meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup, cooked by yours truly. Then he was back at it for another few hours, this time digging out my car. I spent a decadent day indoors, alternating between decorating and being incredibly lazy. My parents stopped by in the evening, and we finalized the postcards for the parade weekend festivities, the guest list, and some other details regarding the St. Patrick’s Day extravaganza. I’m feeling a little caught up now, and after this weekend I think things will calm down a bit and I can get back to the normal hustle and bustle.

My snow day

Party Projects

When it comes to a theme party, I tend to go a little overboard. I’m fortunate that I started my St. Patrick’s Day collection at an early age, and have accumulated an impressive array of décor. But it just doesn’t seem to do this upcoming party justice. I suspect that this will be the biggest party that we’ll ever have at our house, and the St. Patrick’s Day that we’ll always look back on with fond memories. To satisfy my craving to coat everything in green, I have just the project. I’m improving this wrought iron table and chairs, purchased months ago at an estate sale, into a magnificent bistro set. Supplies: kelly green spray paint, funky fabric, and a new piece of glass. It’ll look like new in no time!