THIS & THAT

I promise after this post, there will be no more talk of weddings for awhile!  I wanted to say Happy Anniversary to my son Kevin and his bride, Mary Clare.  They celebrated one year on Sunday!  It's hard to believe that one year ago I was running around like mad getting ready for the big day.  In the end, it all flowed magically and I have beautiful memories. 

This little girl continues with preparing for her wedding (shown here with The Husband).  I so appreciate all the sweet comments on her wedding dress.  She is going to look stunning.  As with any couple on a budget, their plans move along slow and steady.  They had their engagement pictures done a few weeks ago and Emily made an album with them.  I look at them and want to cry!  They are such a happy couple and so meant for each other!  Sigh!

The dog days of summer are winding down and I am trying to buckle up and get busy around here.  I've been spending a lot of time in the cool air conditioning, devouring book after book.  Did you know Target has one of the best selections of soft cover books?  It never fails that I find one or two when I'm there.  I alternate reading books and using my Nook...both are fine for me.  I'm in the middle of a good one now and I race to get the dinner dishes done so I can get back to it in the evenings!

We had a terrible weekend with first the heat and humidity and then rain.  We were cooped up in the house reading and watching movies.  I'm looking forward to the end of the heat, when I can throw open my windows and have some fresh air.  The Husband has had such a sweet tooth lately and has been binging on Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes and ice cream.  Pure poison!  I want to bake for him but I'm avoiding using the oven.  That has me looking forward to fall, fresh baked sweets, slow cooked soups and the smell of woodsmoke in the air.  I think I may even decorate for fall early!  And I have some ideas for some tablescapes as well as a simple bedroom updo that I worked on last week.  But after I finish this book!  See all of you soon! :)

THE DRESS!

Although it's a bit hard to see, Emily gave me a picture of her wedding gown from the magazine it was featured in.  It's an ivory strapless dress that laces up the back with a full taffeta bottom done in layers.  We all just fell in love with this dress when she walked out of the dressing room!

We spent the weekend downtown while The Husband had some testing done at a hospital just off beautiful Michigan Avenue and just 3 blocks from the lake.  The Annual Air and Water Show was going on so that was exciting to see.  We ate at some nice restaurants and enjoyed the great weather.  I ran out of camera batteries so I have nothing to share!  But believe me, Chicago in the summer time is just gorgeous!

This has been a slow week but it's a nice reprieve from all the busyness that has been going on.  There is a stillness in the air that seems to signal that summer is coming to an end.  Not that I want it to!  After 2 weekends away from the lake, I am happy to be getting up there again on Friday.  

Now I have to run...I have grocery shopping and tons of laundry as usual.   I hope you are all having a great week! :)

SHOPPING FOR WEDDING DRESSES

Saturday we were on a mission to look at bridal gowns for Emily's upcoming wedding.  The morning started here with fresh coffee and bagels from Dunkin Donuts.  Then we were off to the suburbs to a shop in Oak Lawn (I forget the name!).  This is our little posse pictured above:  Maureen, Mother of the Groom; Megan, Matron of Honor; Emily, Bride; Me, Mother of the Bride and Mary Clare, Bridesmaid.  Abby couldn't come as she was at a wedding up in Lake Geneva, she is the Maid of Honor.  Emily has 16 in her wedding party, what a procession this is going to be!

At the first shop she tried on about 8 dresses and fell in love with one particularly.  But we had another appointment in Lemont so off we went.  This is the shop pictured above.  It was well worth the trip because after trying on another 8 or so dresses, she fell in love with the last one.  She is being very secretive about it so I can't share a picture, not that I blame her.  After we picked out the veil and headpiece, we ran across the street to Nick's Tavern for a Nickburger.  Wow...delicious!

After a whole day of shopping we decided to end the day at Durbin's, which is a few blocks from our house.  We sat outside and talked over the traffic whizzing by. 

Have you ever had a Summer Shandy?  It's made by Leinenkugel's and it is a delicious beer with lemonade in it.  I wish I had discovered this earlier in the summer!  It's only made seasonally.  We had a nice time talking and recounting the events of the day.

Emily is going to make such a beautiful bride.  She was so worried she couldn't pull off a wedding dress because she is so short, we were so happy to see that everyone can be a vision in white!  While at the bridal shop I perused the formal gowns, looking for something for myself and I saw a lot that I liked.  So as not to infringe on Emily's day, I am going back to try some dresses on in a few weeks.  I saw a beautiful one made of satin in a deep jewel tone plum and I really have it on my mind.  

So that's it for my weekend for the most part.  Sunday was a lazy day just finishing up my book, watching a movie with The Husband and ordering Chinese food.  I hope you had a good one, too.  See you soon! :)  

A LITTLE BATHROOM MAGIC

It's been a gloomy day and Emily was off from work so we decided to take a little trip to Target.  Well, you know how that goes!   I always seem to gravitate to the bath section and I wasn't disappointed, they really had some great shower curtains and coordinating towels.  It's not hard to stand there and visualize how your bath will look with a few small changes.  But little changes can make a big impact in a small room and I love playing around with my bathrooms!  So this is the before (above).  The colors are two shades of blush pink separated by the chair rail.  Sorry for the reality shot of the toilet paper and washcloth!

The shower curtain was a simple floral by Rachel Ashwell at Target stores.  I have so many of her bath and bedroom linens, I just love her.  So...below is the after.

My bathroom is very small, it is just off a hallway from the living room so it is the one used most by guests.  We found this cute shower curtain for $19.99 and the rug, $24.99.

I found a soap dish and toothbrush holder that looks like mercury glass.  I had the wire basket that holds magazines and TP.

I love the lattice pattern on the rug, I think this would be pretty in front of a kitchen sink, too. 

The hand towel matches the curtain and I just set some fancy soaps on it.  

Whew!  This was fun!  A whole new look and minutes to put it together.  That's gratifying!  Let me know if you like the changes.  And check out your Target...they moved the entire home section all around and I could swear there was a bigger inventory in the bath department.  Did you know my Target has underground parking?  Ahhh...city life!

Tomorrow is an exciting day.  We have two appointments at bridal shops to start looking for Emily's wedding gown.  You might remember the big day is May 10, 2013.  It's fast approaching!  I can't wait to see my baby girl in a bridal gown!  I know I am going to cry!  I'm not sure what else we have on the agenda for the weekend, our first at home in 2 months.  But you know me, I'll be telling you all about it next week!  Have a great weekend! :)

HOME AGAIN

I have to admit, the last week of vacation was quite lazy.  Naps everyday, visits from neighbors, finishing another book.  Pure down time.  The heat was high again, so was the humidity, so I spent a lot more time indoors than I cared to.  The Husband didn't seem to mind.  he went fishing in The Beast almost every evening.  Didn't have a whole lot of luck catching anything, the kids fishing off docks in our bay seemed to have more success!  But fishing in his new boat was the highlight of his trip and although I passed on many an excursion, he was a happy guy!

Isn't this a cute arrangement?!  We had an old, ugly bistro table with these heart shaped chairs that we managed to salvage.  We took the seats off and The Husband put his potted plants in them.  Then he added them to our new bistro table.  If I wasn't in my lazy mode, I would have made a little tablescape!

Our good friends, the Miller's were staying on a nearby lake and came to visit a few times.  It was always fun, snacking, cooking out and having a few drinks by the fire.  Their son, Luke, cooked chicken on the grill for us one night.  This is his innovative way to avoid the heat and smoke! lol!

Speaking of smoke, I showed you our fire pit in my last post.  This is the new and improved fire pit completely put together piece by piece by The Husband.  It took him almost all day  Since the temperatures were so high, we just gave it a trial run.  It's so nice to sit by it and not get smoke in your eyes.  Hopefully cool temps are on the way and we can really put it to use!

Packing up was not easy in more ways than one.  We had a ton of leftover food, fruit and veggies.  Neighbors were always so nice in sharing goodies from their gardens.  Susie next door had tons of zucchini and green beans that she shared with us.  Yum!

We got home about 6:00 p.m. last night and it's a little of a relief!  Vacations can be a time to renew and they can also exhaust you!  Bot moreover, they add balance to your life and I sure needed that!  Now it's back to a routine and enjoying the second half of the summer.  

If I have missed commenting on your blog, I am so sorry.  I did very little blogging while I was gone, but I promise to catch up this week.  I hope I didn't miss anything juicy!  See you all soon! :)

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

Well, it's Thursday already and I can't believe my vacation is winding down.  Even though we didn't take that little trip to the island on Lake Erie that we were talking about, and though I missed the county fair this year, I feel like time has flown!  One of the best things we did was throw the cocktail party last night for our long time friends on the lake.  Would you believe thatthe above picture is the only one I took?!  This was our mini bar next to the outdoor frige which was filled with cold beverages.  Our guests arrived between 6:00 and 6:30, each bringing a hot or cold dish.  My huge harvest table was filled with delicious salads and appetizers.  It didn't take long before people were making themselves plates and I was busy greeting and mingling!  You know how that goes.  We get so busy here on the weekends, and even our friends that live here year round are involved with chores and family time, so we don't see one another much.  It was a wonderful time!

The last time I posted I wrote that I would share pictures of our big family weekend that went from Friday to Sunday night.  There was a whole lot of fun on the water with the wave runners, kayaks, boat, paddle boat and even The Beast...The Husband's fishing boat!  We made trips to the sandbar, dropping people off to play in the knee deep waters along the shore line.  Others, like me, sat and enjoyed the 85 degree temperatures and a light breeze. I did take Mary Clare's mother, Peggy, out on the wave runner for a scenic tour of the homes along the lake.  She enjoyed her first ride and I was careful not to speed! :)

There was tons of food (and cold water), and plenty of snacks. 

Here is son Kevin relaxing on one of his rare days off from work.

It looks like someone has a secret!

But they're not telling!

Someone must have set out a new appetizer to try!

Oh, don't you miss the days when playing on the beach was so much fun?

This is Papa posing with his granddaughters (mine are missing).  Still recovering from recent surgery, Papa had a ball!

The captain of the boat took a much needed break.  I have to thank The Husband for all of his hard work keeping everyone busy and happy.  A BIG smooch to you! :)

This is the buffet that was set out in the kitchen Sunday night.  Everyone brought a side dish to go with the hamburgers, chicken and brats.  Look at that delicious strawberry salad!

And this is who made it, my pretty sister in law, Karen.

The kids never seemed to wear themselves out.  Everyone has permanent smiles on their faces.  Look at these cute freckles!

It was another memory making weekend at the lake with the family that I love so much.  It was so good to see Papa relax and have fun, the kids run and jump off the dock, Milo running around with them, chasing after the boats and toys as they left the dock.  I wish all of you could have been there...well you sort of have with all these pictures.  Thanks so much for following along! :)

I'm joining Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday