Junior Circle QCA

My endeavor to begin a Junior Circle of Alpha Gam alumnae is off and running. I started gathering names and information from International Headquarters months ago, and we finally had our first event today. I wanted to host an informal meeting to gage interest, so I invited local alums to my house for Sunday brunch.

The simple menu consisted of egg wontons, an assortment of breads courtesy of Lindsay Hanger, fruit with dip, cream puffs, brownies and mimosas. I wanted to keep it easy, especially because I always go overboard and Jord continually proves this point. These wontons are a dream – they’re delicious and always a hit at parties, plus you can fill them with anything. We’ve tried them with varieties of meat, potatoes and egg and I haven’t run into a combination I didn’t enjoy.

There were 10 women in total, the group primarily consisting of Iowa Staters. We also welcomed several graduates from two other universities and hopefully they will spread the word to their respective chapters. The discussion covered various items, but the chief topic was our future as a group and what kind of events we’d like to provide. Since we have women interested in this venture from as far as Iowa City and in all directions, we’ll have to interchange locations. We’ll also alternate the type of events, from social to philanthropy. I’d say this was a success and I look forward to the potential opportunities for our group.

Weekend in Galena

I spent the weekend in Galena with my Alpha Gam pledge class. We get together every year in March for a reunion. The first gathering was St. Patrick’s Day 2007 in Chicago, and we alternate a Midwest locale with a destination. We’ve been to Las Vegas, Wisconsin Dells, and last year was in Colorado, although I wasn’t able to attend. It’s great to just be with the girls – no husbands or kids and no agenda.

Galena, less than 2 hours from Davenport, is a beautiful little town with various shops and restaurants. We rented a house, appropriately named Harmony House. After arriving on Friday night, we stayed in and chatted the night away while eating and drinking copious amounts. Saturday was spent wandering through town, stopping in a variety of stores, and enjoying a long, glorious lunch. After some much needed downtime back at the house in the late afternoon, we donned our hats and had a wonderful night out. Dinner was followed by a stop at the local brewery and an impromptu karaoke session. Sunday we parted ways after a quick breakfast. I didn’t take a single photo through it all, as Sarah Dougherty had that covered for us all.

These weekends with the girls are, although too short, always therapeutic. As we grow older the conversations have matured to include children and jobs, but we also relive the old college days and recount the best parties and Alpha Gam happenings. I look forward to the annual gatherings to come. Now we get to start selecting the destination for 2012!

No More Projects

We hurried and hurried to get so much done before last weekend, and now we’re left with no home projects to fill our time. What are we to do? Jord even gave me the perfect opportunity to make a list for him – I’m going out of town this weekend and leaving him all on his lonesome, and he asked me what needs to get done. I couldn’t think of a single thing! Until the weather is warmer, we can’t start doing yard work. And all of our other projects are waiting until our funds recoup a bit. So I guess that means we’ll have to start trying to find fun things to do in the Quad Cities. It also means that I’ll be posting less often – I’m afraid our life just won’t have many stories to be told. Now it’s time to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

90% Complete Kitchen

The kitchen is officially done for the time being. This project has spanned the time since we purchased the house roughly six months ago. Here’s a breakdown of the miscellaneous tasks that have been finished.

Kitchen: Before

First, we tore out the laminate flooring and opted for wood, keeping consistent with the rest of the house. The cabinets were then painted, switching from a pale green to navy. We replaced the appliances and donated the old ones to Habitat Restore. That was a fiasco in and of itself, with both the stove and refrigerator coming damaged the first time around. We’ve swapped the lighting for a variety of old, found at Habitat Restore, and new, purchased online at West Elm. Several cabinet doors had to be made, as the space under the sink only had a curtain. Spacers were added to hide gaps that were created when the appliances changed, and a shelf was installed for our spices. The formica countertops were traded for corian, and the sink and faucet were upgraded at the same time. Finally, the backsplash was put in over the last two weeks.

Kitchen: After

We love our updated kitchen!

I love the mix of old and new, with the original aluminum cabinets from 1950 and unique chandelier blended with updated stainless steel appliances and fixtures. It’s more colorful and and feels much more welcoming. Although I don’t claim to be a cook, I think this will inspire me to dust off the cookbooks and try my hand at some new recipes.

Inspriation for a kitchen bench from the latest issue of Lonny

The remaining section that is incomplete is my beloved idea of building a corner bench to create an eat-in nook. We have the perfect space for it, but there are several constraints. For now, we’re very happy with the results!

Grand Parade XXVI Weekend

What a weekend! It would be incredibly difficult to describe all the events of the last 72 hours in detail, but suffice it to say that we made the absolute most of it. What an honor for my dad to be the Grand Marshal, and the Collins family took the opportunity to celebrate. From the Gathering of the Clan luncheon, Collins Coisir at our house, mass, parade, Post Parade Bash, dinner, bar hopping and a junk food buffet at Mamie's, the weekend was one that we won't soon forget. We all agree that it was a huge success, and the seven weeks of preparation were well worth it!

Last minute float preparations

Host and Hostess for the Collins Coisir

Grand Parade XXVI begins!

Here comes the Collins Clan!

The wind presented a challenge to our "Irish Mysticism", but we made it through!

Calm Before the Storm

What an immensely fun, full weekend! First, I had two Chicago friends come visit on Friday night, one of whom had never been to Iowa. I didn’t have to think too hard about where to take them. Azteca it was for dinner, with lots of margaritas. Then we met up with Jord and my parents at 11th Street Precinct for a few drinks. These are my go-to places for out of town guests!

Saturday morning I took them over to my parents to enjoy Happy Joe’s breakfast pizza and give them a chance to meet Luke. I also let them steal a look at the float since they won’t be around to see the parade. As they left town midday, the Strangs arrived on their heels as we had more float preparations to attend to. We got as much done as possible before we had to get ready for the St. Patrick Society's ‘Sweet Molley Trolley’ party bus. This was the society’s second year to do this in order to drum up some memberships and excitement for the Grand Parade festivities.

Luke helping "The Fun Girls" with float decorations

After the Strangs left Davenport on Sunday morning, after a few hours of crafting for the float, I had just enough time to tidy up before some cousins from my mom’s side of the family arrived. They were in town to visit Grandma and see our new house. We ate a delicious lunch from Harris Pizza and visited for awhile. Off they went, and my parents, Tricia and I spent the afternoon finishing up the float. We concluded the weekend with a delicious enchilada dinner at Jord’s mom’s house.

Whew! You’d think I would have laid low this weekend to rest up for the coming hectic week. We have lots of last minute preparations before the big weekend – making playlists, buying booze, cleaning. And of course the kitchen tiling is yet to be complete. This week will be interesting, that’s for sure!

Behind Schedule

The kitchen is yet to be finished. My timeline must have been too aggressive, or I was just too optimistic. Either way, I’m really disappointed that it’s not going to be done for my Chicago visitors. I guess the important thing is that it’s done before the party, so they better get a move on!

Kitchen tiling isn't even close to being finished

Float Decorating

Luke helping with the float

Our life has been centered around the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day festivities for the past five weeks. But our primary concern has been the parade float. Yes, of course I’ve obsessed over the party, but I know that will work itself out and we’ll have lots of craic (Irish for fun)! But with the float, there are so many variables to consider – weather, number of participants, logistics, music, décor. This weekend we got the décor under control. Between Mamie, my mom and I, we had worked out a plan and bought supplies. Sarah came in town to lend her artistic flare, and Kelly and Meagan Strang lent their crafting abilities. Of course, we had to make another trip to Hobby Lobby before we commenced, and didn’t get out to the garage to start working until after 5:00pm on Saturday. But with so much help, we were able to complete the bulk of the work, although we have some finishing touches to add this weekend and there will be some last minute additions once we get it pulled out of the garage. I’d love to share pictures, as it looks amazing, but this is a highly guarded family secret. We’re tentatively planning to park the float in our driveway or front yard for the party, depending on the weather, so that will be the first chance for outsiders to get a peek.