BLOOMS, PROJECTS, A PARTY & MY SINGLE GIRL WEEKEND!

Hi everyone!  I hope all of you had a great weekend.  We had gorgeous weather here in Chicago and this week is going to be in the 70's, which is really weird for us at this time of year.  I'm definitely not complaining!  I picked up these pretty white tulips at the grocery store Saturday...couldn't resist, just $5.00 for the bunch.  I think I'm going to add some white to the garden bed along the fence that I showed you last week (and thanks for all the compliments!).  I smile every time I look out my windows.

The Husband packed it up and headed to the lake Saturday afternoon.  He told me he was going on a sabbatical, he told Emily he was going on a retreat and told Abby he was going there to get some sleep! lol!  I personally know that he has been nurturing his love affair with his new fishing boat.  I think I mentioned to you that the old boat he bought last spring was too small for our rough lake.  So he found another bigger used boat on Craig's List and he is happily toying with it up there right now.  He'll get home tonight, exhausted I'm sure.  

I, on the other hand, had what I called my single girl weekend!  Saturday I cleaned, grocery shopped and made a terrific jalapeno popper dip for the Bachelorette party #2 that night.  I'm going to give you the link to this dip next time...it was SO good!  While I was mixing and humming and dancing a little to some 90's music all alone in my house Saturday afternoon, I felt like I was twenty again!  I think we all need a little time alone once in awhile.  Outside my kitchen window I could see people walking dogs and kids playing ball in the street and I just couldn't help but think how good life can be!

And look!  I am tying up all my personal loose ends for the wedding.  Emily and I took a trip to the mall Friday and I found my shoes.  My dress has a silver broach at the waist so I thought silver shoes would compliment it.  And these are kitten heels so I won't break my neck.  I also found silver/crystal drop earrings and a purse. 

This picture came out sideways and I couldn't fix it, but I also found these jeans in a little shop and fell in love with them.  I am loving all of the bright colored jeans that I've been seeing this spring but I never thought I'd wear floral.  These were just subdued enough and I wore them to the party with a gray cardigan and black flats. 

The party was at Megan's house (the matron of honor), and it had a Mexican theme.  See the little sombreros hanging in the door?  We had salad, fajitas and rice, along with pitchers of margaritas.  We played some really hilarious games, too.  One was like Jeopardy, which pitted Mother In Law against Bride on who knew Mike the best.  I could feel a few feathers getting ruffled when we were playing that.  Another was how well we know Emily, I lost by one point to her best friend.  I couldn't guess her favorite cocktail.  I could tell you her favorite Gerber baby food when she was a baby but this stumped me!  We had a ball and she got even more gifts, these of a more personal nature...pretty nighties, soaps and lotions and candles.  She really has such a great group of family and friends.

Here's me and my girl at the party.  She's having problems with her contact lenses, but oh, this is just one thing in a long line of jinxes that have been happening to the poor thing.  A few weeks ago we were driving and we were rear ended by another car...just a slight tap and we were okay but she was so shook up.  Then, when we had the huge rains 2 weeks ago, they had some muck come up in the basement of their new house and though it was just a little bit and caused no damage, she was down there sanitizing everything for two days.  A few days later she walked outside to go to work and found she had a flat tire.  And then a few days ago, the real icing on the cake, the big diamond from her engagement ring fell out.  Luckily she found it under her desk, but her jeweler won't have it ready for her until two days before the wedding.  That's really pushing it.  She seems to be taking it all in stride, she has more energy than anyone I know.

My projects have dwindled down to almost nothing.  I had a few really eye popping pictures of our totally unorganized office that I tried to upload but they kept coming in upside down.  This is actually the cleanest corner.  The desk is stacked with Abby's school books and there is all sorts of craft stuff and odds and ends from Emily's interior design school days.  All mixed in with The Husband's work.  So this is what I'm working on today.  This is a really small room, in fact, it used to be a kitchen!  Our home was built in the 1930's and a few years later an addition was made that they called a "Mother In Laws Quarters".  It had/has 2 bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen and a living room with a small porch off one of the bedrooms.  The living room is our family room and of course, we didn't need another kitchen, so first that was a nursery, then play room and now an office.  It's a crazy little house we live in but sort of charming, too.

I roamed the backyard with the dogs and my coffee early this morning and discovered this lone tulip...I think it's called a stargazer (?).  Just all alone.

And the last of my daffodills which bloomed during the rain and I never got to cut and bring in.  I hope to get out this week and pick up some pansies for a big pot on my front porch...it's still too early to plant annuals here (even if I had the time).  

SO, I'm going to get on with my day and find out when The Husband is going to tear himself away from the lake.  I'm ready to make a nice big dinner, after my weekend as a single girl I found I really don't like cooking too much for myself so it was cereal for dinner last night!

Have a great week everyone! :)

XO,

Jane

WHAT'S BLOOMING AND HAPPENING

In spite of the rain and gloomy weather, my tulips decided to make an appearance this year.  This made me really happy because last year we had such a mild winter that I thought I had lost all of them.  What a pretty sight!

Further down from the tulips is my forsythia bush.  It's a monster.  I call this my Woodland Garden because of all the trees that shade it like a big canopy.  I have day lily's, astilbe, columbine and bleeding hearts in here...there's always something blooming from spring to fall.  Ignore my neighbor's garage, that tree on the right will block the view soon.

The forsythia branches have to come inside!  They last about 2 weeks.  Unfortunately you can't dry them, they just shed their petals, but they are so pretty while they last.  

As you know I had the kitchen painted along with the living room last month.  I had a very flowery wallpaper above these cabinets and everything up there just sort of disappeared in all the busyness.  I used to  keep my cake plates here because they're so hard to store anyway, but this time around I did a little different arrangement...some baskets, vintage bowls, a bee skep (this is the left side)...

...and a bit more on the right side. 

A couple of ladies asked me about the stove hood that they spotted when I posted pictures of the cookbook shelves, so this is a shot of it.  We had a carpenter do our whole kitchen, the cabinetry, trim, counters, electrical.  He even did the fireplace in the living room as well as the wainscoting.  So, he surprised us with this, I think the design on it is called a breadbasket.  It's also continued on the spice rack and trim around the kitchen window.  He really was a talented guy.

Once again I have odds and ends accumulating in the living room, ready to be pieced together.  Everything is here but for the area rug (it's on it's way!!), I just need The Husband to hang the floating shelves (same deal, just different shelves).  And I'm working slowly on the den and office, packing and purging.  I know I could get both rooms done in a day, but I have been having the worst allergies and asthma over the past two weeks.  There isn't a antihistamine I haven't tried.  I used Claritin on Sunday and I thought I would just lie down on my bed for an hour and I woke up 5 hours later and was still groggy.  If you have something good that you take for allergies, let me know.  With the asthma, I just get very winded and have to stop and sit for a few minutes when I'm doing something strenuous (like making a bed or carrying a box, I'm serious, it's a terrible thing to have).  I think it's from everything budding outside but I've never had a spring this bad before.  Sheet.

Rumor has it that The Husband is going to the lake to play with his new fishing boat.  I wish I had a diversion like that right now!  He really needs a break right now and after this wedding I'm going to lock up the house, grab the dogs and head to the lake where I'm not going to do anything but float on a raft and sip spiked lemonade!  But for now, I have to get out and find new shoes, a bra and a clutch purse.  I have a fitting appointment after I get the carpets cleaned tomorrow and then there is another party for Emily Saturday night, sort of a bachelorette party for all the ladies invited.  The stripper party last weekend was just for the bridesmaids! lol!  Sunday is going to be my day of rest.  I mean that. :)

Linking to Feathered Nest Friday at Courtney's

XO,

Jane

CANDICE OLSON VISITS & MORE DECORATING NEWS

It's so good to be back!  Little did you all know, our internet crashed Wednesday night.  It was apparently due to our friendly little squirrels nibbling away at the cables outside.  We thought it was from the horrendous thunderstorms we had been having...flooding and water damage everywhere.  We definitely got our share of rain.  After a week of doom and gloom, it's sunny and beautiful out.  And I'm in a much better frame of mind since I last posted.  Thank you ladies, for all of your support.  Decorating should be fun and we have moved on to Plan B.  More on that later.

I busied myself with what I could accomplish in the meantime.  Remember those dried hydrangeas I found on eBay?  They came all the way from Seattle so I thought they deserved something nicer than a simple vase.  I dug through my baskets and containers and found this guy...I think it's from Wisteria, it came in a set of three.  I filled it with moss from Michael's and poked the dried flowers in it.    I think these are the prettiest hydrangeas I've ever found on eBay and you can't beat $7.50 for a nice sized bunch!

I found this basket, too, and put it to use holding pop and bottled water that doesn't fit in the fridge.  Very handy.

Emily was so excited to learn that Candice Olson was going to be visiting the furniture shop she designs/sells in.  They carry a line of furniture by Candice and she stopped in for a meeting and to talk to the designers.  It was the thrill of Emily's life to meet one of the icons in the design world (and how great so early in her career!). Em said that she ran into Candice in the ladies room and was terribly nervous as they washed their hands side by side.  But Candice was super friendly and they struck up a long conversation.  

Things You Might Like To Know About Candice Olson

She is as sweet as she is beautiful.

She is super tall.

She played professional volleyball in Canada

She will not be coming here to give me decorating tips.

I'm sorry if this is turning into Emily's Journal.  I'm trying to talk her into starting a blog once the wedding is over with.  She continues to work on making her new house a home and look at this dresser that she found through Facebook.  Two girls that live in the Chicago burbs find furniture and fix it up.  I wish I had posted the before picture...a very ugly, beat up brown thing.  She has it in the room that will be the future nursery.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I only had my phone to take this picture, I wish you could see the detail better.  I love it!

I went over there Thursday evening and we had some wine and worked on the table seating and the place cards.  She is just so organized even though she has a zillion balls up in the air.  May 10th is fast approaching...I just hope spring arrives in full bloom before then!

And then I just have to share this quick side dish that I threw together last night.  I'm always trying to find innovative ways to use potatoes that don't involve boiling and mashing.  Sorry this picture isn't too appetizing, I like taking pictures of desserts so much more.  Anyway, I just sliced potatoes somewhat thinly so they would bake fast, tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper, added a handful of crumbled bleu cheese  (you can use Feta as well), poured about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the top and baked uncovered about 40 minutes.  Give them a toss halfway through.  So, so good!

Back on the redecorating/organizing front here, I dragged the big area rug from LL Bean to the post office to return it.  Never believe it when a company says, "easy returns".  The post office really frowned on me using 10 rolls of masking and electrical tape to wrap it so I had to stand in the vestibule and redo it with packing tape.  Then I had to run back home because I forgot the address where I was sending it.  And it cost $30.00 to return it.  But I kept my chin up and spent a crazy amount of time this week organizing rooms and tossing junk.  All I have left is the den (our catch all room) and the office (another catch all room).  We will probably just close Abby's door as we always do when we have company.  

Well, The Husband and I are off to Homegoods to return the floating ledges.   They are impossible to hang so I bit the bullet and ordered two from Pottery Barn.  I also ordered and received (in 4 days!!) two framed prints from Art.com.  I will share them after I have the monster, pain in the neck wall in my living room finished.   Where's Candice when I need her?

Joining Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House.  See you there!

XO,

Jane

TABLE REDO, NEW CHAIRS & A FRUSTRATING WEEKEND!

Okay, the week is not starting out good.  Lots of rain and out of Dunkin Donuts coffee.  And Diet Pepsi.  The morning was ruined before it started.  But I put my best foot forward, cleaned out a few closets and cabinets and decided to share with you what I did get accomplished over the weekend.

Back to last Thursday, Emily and I went to the bridal shop for yet another fitting.  Sorry I can't reveal much more of the dress but you know how that goes.  If the process of lacing the dress up looks time consuming, you should see how the bustle is done!  Thank goodness she has a Maid Of Honor to do that!  The gown looks gorgeous, but she has to have more hemmed.  My dress...the neckline and bust is too big and I have to go back with the bra I'm going to wear as well as the shoes so it can be hemmed.  I suppose I should also bring along the clutch I'll carry, I'm sure they will find a way to alter that, too.  I despise dressing rooms.  The mirrors confirmed my suspicion that I have no waist to speak of.  And the dress looks more purple than plum.  Sheet.  We did hit Homegoods afterward, so the day wasn't lost.

Back in Blondieville, Abby, Megan and Mary Clare were preparing for the bachelorette party weekend.  They bought wine glasses from the Dollar Store and jazzed them up with glass paint for the girls attending the party.  I forgot to take pictures of them!   It was fun though, we ordered pizzas and talked and laughed.

As I mentioned before, the party was up at the lakehouse and a tour of some vineyards and wineries was planned.  Here is Mary Clare, Megan, Emily and Abby on the bus that took them along with 15 other girls.  They had a great time and brought me back a couple of bottles of local wine.  Back at the house that evening they texted me pictures and as the night went on, they were harder and harder to decipher!  I will say that they moved the furniture against the walls and created a dance floor.  It's rumored a gentleman arrived and entertained them.  In one picture that I couldn't post, there was a questionable object that appeared to be blown up...and it wasn't a balloon.  And the cake was in the shape of something that would make us all blush.  Oh, to be young and crazy!  They arrived home Sunday and assured me that they cleaned the house spotless (that saves me the spring cleaning...yahoo!) and then Abby went straight to bed with a head and stomachache.  Good times!

Sunday I got to work on that table I showed you in my last post.  I used two coats of Sherwin Williams Dover White.  I changed out the knob for a glass one.  I haven't distressed it, I was already worried that The Husband would freak out over a piece of painted furniture in the living room.  You'll remember he either didn't notice it the few days it sat there nekked, or pretended not to.  When it was finished, he said I did a good job.  I guess I get to keep it.

If you remember, this is the "before".

And here it is next to one of the new chairs.  I have the same lamp from Target but I added a new shade that I fell in love with.  I really love the chairs.  I'd love them even more if The Husband would stop throwing blankets over them to protect them from the dogs!

Now this is the part where it gets ugly.  We laid the area rug down that I ordered online from L.L. Bean.  It was too small.  It's a 5 X 8 and I needed an 8 X 10.  The Husband thought it was fine but I was mumbling some very bad words.  I  wrapped it back up with bubble wrap and a ton of electrical tape and ran to the post office with it.  Just in time for it to close.  So I carted it back home and it's sitting here like a big mummy.  The Husband wants to wait until we get our credit back before we order the new size.  Grrrrrr...

Moving on the the floating wall ledges I found at Homegoods.  A no go.  The hardware was crazy, even after a trip to Home Depot.  We tried for 2 solid hours and all we did was scratch the new paint on the wall.  Another no go.  And then I spent most of Saturday evening looking at art online until I thought I'd go blind.  I finally found 2 framed prints that I like a lot.  Sigh...something went right.  Oh, I digress.  I hung my newly cleaned curtains back on the windows and they are hanging sort of funky.  I'm just ready to throw in the towel.

So, I guess it's back to cleaning closets.  I hope to have something more cheerful to post about later in the week.  :)

Linking up to The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch

XO,

Jane

CURTAIN SEARCH, A LITTLE COOKING AND SOME PAINTING

We all know how projects snowball, it happens to the best of us.  But it's a good thing in a way, we look at things with a fresh eye and think, it's time for a change.  So while we work and wait, and work and wait on the living room, I've tweaked the kitchen, done a little bit in one of our bathrooms and then got it in my head that I needed something different in cafe curtains for this bay window in the dining area.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but the curtains are a brown ticking strip on a creamy heavy linen fabric.  Very nice but I needed a change.

I love Country Curtains and have done so many rooms in my house over the past 20 years with their quality curtains and nice selection.  As I perused their website a few weeks ago, I thought, maybe I'll go with something light and airy for summer.  So I ordered these, they came, I washed them and hung them up wet as my mother always did.  Well...envision Aunt Bea's kitchen in Mayberry.  Noooooo!  I took them down before I even thought to take a picture.  Problem is, I washed them so I can't return them.  Maybe I can reincarnate them in a bedroom or something.

This is the fabric from the curtains I really want...cafe curtains in a weaver's cloth.  I like the texture, I hope you can see it well enough in this picture.  The problem is, the size they come in is about 5 inches too long for my window and though I can hem them by hand, I'm not confident with this fabric.  So...my dilemma is, should I order the curtains and spend additional money on a tailor or should I stop fussing over this window in the first place?  And why are curtains and drapes so frustrating for so many of us in the first place?  My choices are so slim because I don't sew.  Anyway, this keeps me up at night.  Seriously.  Do you go crazy choosing curtains?

So the window remains curtainless and it's only a matter of days (or weeks) before The Husband notices.  He's observant like that. 

I have spent a little time in the kitchen the past few days, my slow week hasn't been as slow as I thought.  Abby's birthday was Sunday.  The Husband wasn't feeling well so we didn't go out to dinner or celebrate big, but I did make her favorite dinner...chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus.  And I made a cake.  She couldn't decide on vanilla or chocolate frosting so this is what I did.  I'm not the best cake decorator in the world so this is as good as it gets!

The Husband and I took a trip to a little local grocery store on Monday for some things we had run out of.  This store has a really impressive produce department and when we saw these green bell peppers we had to grab some.  They looked like they were on steroids!

So, I made stuffed peppers and they were delicious.  My mother used to make these a lot and they were really good.  I remember while growing up we had a little terrier she called Poopsie.  Well, Poopsie had an irritable stomach and my Mom would cook up ground beef and rice for her and said it was the best remedy for Poopsie's tummy problems.  Anyway, I always think of that when I make stuffed peppers.  If you'd like my very own recipe (not Mom's), send me an email.

And finally, while I was rummaging around in the basement looking for a paintbrush to do the shelves for my bathroom, I came across this old end table.  My living room has gone through so many changes and different pieces of furniture, I just don't remember where or when this fit in my decor or even where it's from.  But it's heavy and sturdy and it's nice that it's a drop leaf.  So I am going to sand it down and paint it.  The Husband is not a fan of painted furniture but I think he'll like the transformation.  He hasn't noticed this sitting smack dab in the middle of the living room, but as with the naked window, he can be oblivious to a lot of things.

Good news...my new chairs are being delivered Saturday, my area rug was shipped, so we should be hanging curtains and putting the living room together over the weekend.  Other than the gallery wall, I still have a lot of decisions to make for that big open wall.  I think it will come to me once I see the furniture in place.  Now, I'm off to paint!

Joining Courtney for Feathered Nest Friday!  See you there!

XO,

Jane

WEEKEND ORGANIZING

Happy Saturday everyone!  We have no plans for the weekend.  None.  Zip.  Not sure how I feel about that, I have nothing planned for next week either!  It seems the flurry of activities ebbs and flows.  Well, I'm sure I'll find something that needs fixing, organizing, fluffing or tweeking.  I'm sharing my Easter flowers with you, they actually look better now that they have opened.  It's so nice to have something LIVING in my house because there sure isn't anything outside.  Well, I did spot some tulip and daffodil shoots sprouting up the other day when I had a little adventure in the backyard.  Layla found a bunny nest and left two tiny bald babies on the back steps.  They didn't even have their eyes open.  I cuddled them to keep them warm while I searched for the nest.  My backyard is pretty big and it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.  I had pretty much decided to just cover them up in some leaves and leave nature to do it's thing when Abby suggested we let Layla out and have her lead us to the nest.  And she sure did!  I tucked those little babies back in the hole with their siblings and let out a sigh of relief.  Thankfully she hadn't harmed them but believe me, some that she's found have not fared so well. 

Here are my new and improved cookbook shelves.  Yes, I can finally say I organized them after giving away half the books and then shopping the house for some little extras to put up there.  I think the arrangement looks so much better on the creamy wall than when it was green.  As below...

Not that you can see much of the wall!  This area had become command central with the overload of books, the calendar, the dog leashes.  Now do you see why I need to simplify my life?!  So, do you like the new look?

Once again I'm on eBay, bidding and wrangling on dried flowers.  This is what you have to lower yourself to when you live in the city.  And even at the lake, the only thing we have in abundance are cattails.  I also won a box full of dried hydrangeas and the colors are beautiful.  I think I spend less on these dried flowers then I would if I bought the faux ones at Michael's.

Last week I made a trip to Homegoods and I found two white washed wall ledges for my gallery wall.  I think this is a better way to go then trying to figure out how to hang the pictures and putting a zillion holes in the wall.  And they were half the price of the ones I saw at Pottery Barn.  So the next step is to choose some frames and I'd like to paint some myself, and then of course, go through my photo files to find pictures.  I also paid a visit to good old Tarjay and walked out with a lampshade and a loaf of bread!  That is a first for me! lol!

Not much else is new.  On the wedding front, Emily's bachelorette party is being held up at the lakehouse.  They have booked a bus and are spending the day touring vineyards and wineries.  What a great time they're going to have.  And it's nice for me, too, because Emily, Abby and a few of the girls are going up early to open windows and do a little spring cleaning.  Yes!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Is the sun shining for you?  We are already 54 degrees and I'm loving it! :)

I'm joining Maria Elena's Tuesdays At Our Home.  Stop by and join the party!

XO,

Jane

A TRIFLE LATE ON EASTER

Hello!  It looks like we are back to our regular routine again...wishing and waiting for spring.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  All that preparation and it's over in a blink of the eye.  First off, did you notice my new blog design?  I had been toying with the idea for awhile and Friday night I decided to bite the bullet.  So here it is, courtesy of Sara at Sadie Olive.  I told her what I wanted in great detail and she had it up and running for me yesterday.  She did an excellent job!  If you ever need any design work, you have to contact her.

An update on Emily/Mike news.  They moved into their new home on Friday and worked all weekend unpacking, painting and getting rooms in order.  Emily wasted no time in getting their bedroom outfitted and cozy.  The bathroom across the hall is just gorgeous and her kitchen is well stocked with all the great gifts she received from her shower.  The Husband and I went out on Saturday morning and did a grocery shopping for them as a little present.  They are so thrilled. She told me, "Mom, it was so awesome to get up Monday morning for work, take a shower, make a cup of coffee and get ready in my own bathroom!".  It really is those little things that matter.  She asked me if I was happy or sad that she was gone now...how could she even question that?  I guess she hasn't read my last post where I was sobbing on all of your shoulders over losing my girl!  But she is SO happy and I am, too.  I'm going over there tonight to look at some of the recent changes.

Our Easter went really well.  Okay, there were a few snags, of course.  I made some desserts the night before and The Husband and I did a little over~sampling of them.  So I was up at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning making cupcakes and a trifle.  Then the appetizers, potatoes, salad, ham and a much involved recipe for puff pastry wrapped asparagus.  The snafu, I forgot to defrost the puff pastry.  I ended up doing it in the microwave and it came out a globby mess.  Not to be intimidated, I used a lot of flour and managed to roll it out.  But...I forgot to take a picture.  Next time.

I liked the way my table turned out.  I can't for the life of me remember where I got the salad plates from but the glasses are from Pier 1 and I used my every day flatware.  The kids took a stand against my antique silver plate until I shine it up.  They don't share that awe we have in wondering who used it way back when!

A close up.  As usual, I thought I was organized and prepared and there I was ironing the tablecloth ten minutes before we ate.  I had bought the flowers earlier and I ran around the house looking for anything that screamed "Spring"!!

These are the appetizers, Buffalo Chicken Cups.  They were a big hit.  They are made in won ton wrappers and very simple to throw together.

And finally, my trifle.  I received the dish as a gift over 15 years ago and I did nothing more than display fruit in it.  This trifle consists of layers of angel food cake, strawberries, vanilla pudding and whipped cream.  It was so delicious and simple, I will definitely make it again. 

I totally vegged out on Monday and then yesterday I met Melanie from Comfy House at the Cheesecake Factory out in the burbs.  In spite of my getting lost and ending up 15 miles past the restaurant near O'Hare airport, Melanie was very forgiving and we had a nice long lunch and never stopped talking!  She is incredibly nice and bubbly and since we have been emailing back and forth for months, we were like old friends.  I can't wait to get together again.

The next few days are going to be slow and relaxing.  I am going to hang some new curtains in the kitchen and paint some shelves for the bathroom.  And no, I haven't arranged those darn cookbooks yet, but at least I'll have something to share in my next post.  So off I go.  I hope all of you are having a great week, we have had so much sun lately, it actually looks like spring weather is on the way.  Yay!

XO,

Jane