St. Patrick's Day 2014, and Some Randoms

Happy St. Patty's Day, and Top O' the Morning to ya! As you may know, every year Trent and I celebrate St. Patrick's Day downtown Davenport and Saturday we did just that. Here's last year's, a recap of years past, and a fun little eCard St. Patty's Day dump if you're interested. We usually watch the parade, but this year we were a little late, so we just decided to eat a St. Patty's Day lunch downtown and have a couple of drinks. 

We ate at Me & Billy, a fairly new restaurant downtown. We had eaten there last year, and thought it was ok, so we decided to try it again, since they had a special St. Patrick's Day menu. I got the pretzel bread with Guinness cheese dip. It was ok, but I didn't think it was as good as the beer cheese dip from Applebee's!

Trent got Corn Beef and Cabbage, and he wasn't impressed...We also both got Bloody Mary's and I thought it was ok, but really different. Trent didn't like it at all and ended up getting a beer instead. So needless to say, this was probably the last time we'll be going here!

Despite our less than average meal at Me & Billy's, we headed over to Brady Street Pub, our usual hangout, and, like the rest of downtown, it was a bit busier than usual due to the St. Patrick's Day festivities. It was just the two of us, but it was fun to take a break for a while and just hang out.

I'd say compared to years past, this year's St. Patty's Day was much more low-key. I kind of wished we had made it on time to see the parade, but then I wasn't too sad to miss all of the crowds and braving the cold weather for an hour.

Other than the holiday fun, this weekend has been pretty laid back, full of watching movies, including the latest Rachel McAdams movie, About Time, which I had been wanting to see for a while.

We ended up renting it, and I LOVED it! Trent really liked it too. I highly recommend it!

In other random news, I recently captured this photo of Saleen cheesing for the camera and thought it was too cute not to share:

She was in a very happy mood that day. As soon as she sees Trent getting ready and putting on his shoes, she thinks she's getting to go for a walk and starts going crazy with excitement. Then he has to grab the leash and walk her around the house for a couple of minutes. Ha. Her hair has grown back pretty much all the way, and her allergies have been a lot better since summer. She's back to her happy furball self, so we're hoping she stays this way for a while!

Finally, I'll end this post with the cutest note ever, which I came home from work to Friday night:

I love his notes. They always put me in a good mood. :)

Target Shopping and a Rug Story

Oh my, I really need to start posting more. This past week was much nicer weather-wise. It actually felt like spring this week, and all the snow melted. But now today, there's another fresh new blanket on the ground. Story of this winter, completely.

On to more exciting things, though. I went shopping at Target twice this week. The first time I got some cute shirts and some new earrings. No photos of those, unfortunately. But I got some good deals on them. The second time I decided to check out the home decor selection, since there were so many sales going on this week. I snapped a few photos of my favorites!

The baskets below were super cute, and on sale. I actually spotted these the first time I was in Target this week, then went back the second time and there was only one left. I was completely thinking about buying one, but I just don't think I have a place for one right now. A shame! Can't remember how much they were on sale for, but they were a good deal.

I don't usually go in the kitchen aisle, but I do every once in a while just because Target has the cutest kitchen stuff. And the selection of cookie jars (of all things) was super cute this time around. And they were also on sale.

Too bad I don't really need another cookie jar. And I already have something similar to this one on top of my fridge:



I also thought this print was adorable but don't have a place for it:

It would look really sweet in a nursery or kid's room though, and there was only one left of this particular print in the store. The framing and matting is even cute.

I didn't end up picking up any of those items, although it was fun to browse a little. It seemed like they were clearing out all of the old decor and getting ready for the new spring stuff! They also had all the new patio furniture out - totally wish we could get some new ones this year. I have a feeling we'll be busy on other projects, though - of the structural and kitchen-renovation types.

So what did I end up getting? This rug, which was on sale for $11:

The old one was looking a bit tired, and I thought the green in it would match the kitchen perfectly.

These aren't the best photos, but I'm glad I did take photos. Because about 10 minutes after I set the rug down, it looked like this:

I had taken Saleen outside, and apparently it was quite muddy out there! She hadn't been inside more than two minutes and had already destroyed my brand new rug.

I know it's just dirt, but I say "destroyed" because I mistakenly tried to get the stain out with some multi-purpose cleaner that happened to have bleach in it. So a stain that I could have gotten out by throwing my machine-washable rug into the wash, I made 1000 times worse with bleach. I did end up putting it into the wash, and it's drying now. It doesn't look horrible, but there is a bleach stain or two now. SO, it's still usable, but needless to say, my beautiful  new rug ended up lasting about 10 minutes before it was ruined! Live and learn....

I'll have another post up tomorrow about our weekend fun - St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow! Don't forget to wear your green!

My Birthday Weekend

So Thursday was my actual 26th Birthday! I didn't do too much this weekend, Trent and I just went to Applebee's for dinner Thursday night, which was really yummy. My strawberry mojito was amazing, and we got pretzel bread with beer cheese dip for an appetizer.

It also happened to be "Trivia Night", so Trent and I decided we would join in just for kicks. This was my first time doing a trivia night, and it was pretty fun. Although, we didn't do too well compared to the other teams there, who were actually pretty serious about it. People go all out at these things, and there were teams of like 10 people. Taking into account that it was only Trent and I, I'm pretty happy at how our team, TDubbs did.

Even though we were so full with our appetizers, drinks, and main entrees, I also got a free dessert for my birthday, which I didn't eat until the end of the night so I could make some space for it. So we kind of ended the night with food comas, and the trivia night lasted quite a while, until 10:30 maybe..So since it was a week night we were both pretty tired the next day.

I still had to work Friday and even yesterday, so I was happy to relax today. I got a lot of laundry and dishes washed this weekend...and, I won't lie...even the occasional Hallmark movie watched. :)

It's also starting to kind of feel like spring! Finally! Today was Daylight Savings Time, and tomorrow I think it's supposed to get into the 50's. Super excited, and hope it stays that way. I have a few ideas for blog posts so when I have some time I'm hoping to get some fun ones written this month. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Update: I forgot to post what Trent got me for my birthday:

1) Cupcake wine, 2) Safe Haven on blu-ray, 3) an owl necklace, 4) a Target gift card, 5) A cookie cake (yum!), and 6) Vanilla bean ice cream. He did good. :)

Early Birthday Celebration

What a crazy weekend! First the Mallards game Friday, then Saturday night I celebrated my birthday a little early with the family. Of course, we got another snow storm Saturday night into Sunday. I'm going to say again that this is probably the worst winter weather-wise in history! I'm so over it. It's supposed to be March! Today the low was -12 degrees here, which broke the all-time record low set in 1884! It's actually supposed to be around 40 degrees by now. Will it ever warm up?

Back to this weekend though. Saturday night I decided to go to Azteca, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants to celebrate my 26th birthday (which actually isn't until Thursday) with my family. It was a really fun time. Margaritas..burritos..even cake! How can you go wrong?

Mom and Dad were both there, although I accidentally forgot to get any pictures of Mom! Oh well!

Haley and Dan also both go to join us. And they brought a yummy cake....

It was as delicious as it looked (we actually still have some here leftover - better get on that!)

But the highlight of the night was perhaps when I got to sport this lovely sombrero...

Totally should have knew it was coming, but I was hoping they would just skip it all. Haha. The waiters sang in Spanish and I could feel everyone looking at me. Really embarrassing! But then they brought me a tequila shot and that seemed to make everything a little better.. ;) Ha!

Anyway I'm looking forward to my actual birthday this week. Hoping it's not as cold and miserable as the weather has been lately, and hopefully Trent and I can go out somewhere nice!

Watercolor Fun with Waterlogue

Have you heard of the Waterlogue app? I've been seeing things about it everywhere lately, and I finally got the app last week. It is so cool! I'm kind of obsessed.

If you haven't heard of it, Waterlogue is an app that takes your photos and transforms them into a watercolor painting right before your eyes. It was $2.99, but I thought it would be worth it in the long run, since you can transform your photos with the app, and then get them printed and hang them for some awesome art.

I've been playing around with it a lot and have been pretty impressed. This photo of Trent and Saleen is one of my favorites so far:

I think these turned out pretty cool too:

I know I can never paint a watercolor painting like this, so the fact that you can now "fake" one so easily is pretty darn cool. And I love how they even kind of have the texture of the canvas.

I've found that photos of people tend to look a little weird, but scenic and outdoor photos turn out really nicely transformed into watercolor. Here are some of my favorites from our East Coast vacation:

How cool would these be printed? I'm definitely going to have to get prints of some of these and hang them up in the house!

Catching Up

It's been a while...again! I know I've been bad about posting this year so I wanted to pop in and share a little update about what we've been up to. I can't believe it's March already! I'm getting excited for my birthday next week! Not much has been going on with the house in the past couple of weeks, besides the back gutter falling off from all the ice and snow that piled up on the roof! And the roof leaking in the back room from the snow melting off. Fun times. We had a short couple of days where it warmed up to the thirties, but now it's back to being cold and it's even supposed to snow another 4+ inches this weekend. I'm hoping this is the last time!! I want SPRING! :)

My grandpa passed away last Friday night, and the visitation and funeral were this past week. It was all kind of a blur - lots of people, family..it was sad but nice that everyone got to come together and celebrate the long life that he lived. 

I was also sick with a cold all last week but am finally feeling back to normal. Last Saturday was the first day that I was really not feeling well, and I got to go out for lunch and dress shopping with my mom and sister for a short time but then had to head home. Sunday I spent literally all day in bed, watching Friends dvds. Still watching all the episodes from first to last...I'm on Season 6 now. It looked a little like this:

I had to take a picture of one of my favorite Friends scenes....PIVOT! (You can watch it here by the way.) That picture also reminds me that we have to caulk and paint the cord-hider for the tv. Ha. It will look much nicer and blend in when it's painted the wall color...

Anyway, I'm feeling much better now. Trent and I both got new drivers licenses and I didn't even have to take a test! I was so afraid I was going to have to. Last night we went to another Mallards hockey game with some friends. They lost this one, but the end was pretty exciting! Tonight we are planning on going out with Mom & Dad and Haley & Dan to celebrate my birthday a little early, so I'm hoping it isn't snowing too bad so we can still go! Fingers crossed!

I'm going to start working on some projects and doing a little shopping soon I hope, to get some more stuff done with the house and get some blog posts going! It's getting too stagnant around here. :)

The Water Sign: Pisces Inspired Decor

It's that time again! Last month I started a monthly post series on astrological inspired decor. It's been really fun scouring the internet for decor inspired by each sign of the Zodiac. Last month's post was Aquarius inspired, but this time it's all about Pisces! I'm excited about this one, because this is my sign! 

Since I'm a March birthday girl, I already know all about this sign, but to write this post I did do a little more research just to get my facts straight! According to Astrology.com, Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20) is a Water sign whose symbol is two fishes. Pisces is known as the dreamer of the Zodiac, and like water, people born under this sign are said to "go with the flow." They are intuitive, sensitive, and artistic.

When it comes to decor - fishes, watery blues and aquas, curvy lines and a dreamy, calm feel is what comes to mind with this sign. Furniture with curvy lines like waves in the ocean also seem fitting, as it is of course, a water sign. Style at Home says that a Pisces prefers blue and green hues with lots of natural light, open windows, and art to fulfill her creative side. Here are some of my Pisces inspired decor picks:

From top to bottom: 1) Fish art from Joss and Main 2) Ceramic wall art from Etsy 3) Gurgle pot from Amazon 4) Kyoto pillow from Serena and Lily 5) Nestor table lamp from Joss and Main 6) Goldfish decor from Zgallerie 7) Waterway art from Serena and Lily 8) Tufted club chair from Wayfair.

And here is a room that I think fits the Pisces style - a bright and sunny sunroom with sea blues and beachy accents:

Image from here

I have to say I love this look and have several beachy and tuquoise-y accents in my house! Must be the Pisces in me? :)

Snow Dump Before the Big Warm Up?

Ok, so I didn't plan on doing a weather-related post today, but it's quite frankly the only thing on my mind, and I don't have much else to do, so here's my weather/rant post of the week! 

So I, like probably all Americans living in the Midwest or the Eastern U.S., am SO tired of the snow. Today we probably got at least 4 more inches added on to the already several inches we've had on the ground for the past two months! Here was the forecast this morning...

 (Photo from the KWQC News Facebook page)

I actually attempted to go to work today. I started on my way down the interstate, until I just decided to turn around and head back home! I couldn't see anything, the roads were being covered more and more as I was driving..then on my way back home, it felt like I was in a snow tornado! Snow was flying at me, then it started sleeting. Thunder began soon after. Needless to say, I stayed home the rest of the day and don't plan on leaving the house anytime soon.

On a lighter note, I saw this photo on Facebook today - I can't remember what page it was from, but I thought it was funny, and very appropriate -

I can't even count the number of snowfalls we've had this winter, or the number of days it's been below zero. But our weather channel predicts that we'll be starting the warm up this week, with temperatures reaching around 40. I've never been more excited to see 40 degree temperatures in the forecast before.

Trent actually made it in to work today, and this was his truck as he was clearing snow off to leave:



For a summer loving girl, this kind of stuff is hard to take. I can see many Americans packing up and leaving Illinois to move to a warmer climate as we speak.

Here's hoping the weather warms up soon like the forecast says....THINK SPRING everyone!

Update: They are now saying this is the snowiest winter on record, and we're expected to get rain soon when the weather warms up. Looks like the snow will be turning to slush! :/

Painting Switcheroo

My little living room gallery wall sees a lot of changes. And now, it's changed again...

Not only did Trent surprise me with roses and cook me dinner this Valentine's Day, but I also came home to see my Dave Matthews-inspired painting hung up in the living room.

I loved my pink painting hanging there, but I have to give props to Trent for being thoughtful enough to hang my new painting up there. And I have to say I like this one here just as much!

Who knows, next month this frame arrangement might change again. But for now, I think it looks pretty cute.

Nothing like homemade art to make a home feel special.