Work in Progress

Just popping in to share what our front yard is looking like as of late:

Yep...it's a work in progress! I think this may take a while...And there are several more feet left to go! Don't enjoy my yard being dug up very much, but the end result will hopefully be worth it! 

More progress to come in the next weeks!

Front Porch Pots

Yesterday we were able to get some more yard work done! It was a gorgeous day, and we went into town and got some more materials for the walkway. I also picked up a few new pots and some plants. Dusty Miller, to be exact. My new love. :)

I just bought some seeds online (which I haven't gotten yet), and I found these plants at Menards on Saturday, and decided to plant them in my pots. I got these adorable chalkboard pots, also from Menards. I love them!

I'm hoping to use some of the Dusty miller for our wedding in August. I just love this plant. It's a great accent with colorful flowers, but it has a certain simplicity by itself, too I think. I just love the unique texture and color. 

These pots were so cute, that I had to grab a couple. I honestly didn't even look at the price. It was that kind of love at first sight. They have chalkboards on the front and even come with a little piece of chalk, so you can write whatever you want on them. I think they would work well for herbs or veggies - you could write "Basil" and "Thyme", etc. 

I chose to plant my Dusty miller in them though, and since I'm putting them right by the front door, I wrote "Welcome" on one...

And just for fun, "Grow" is on the other. I just thought it was cute. And it's also putting that energy out there and saying, "grow, little guys!" Haha.

I still had a couple of little pots hanging around so I planted the rest of the Dusty Miller in those. For my bigger pots, I'm planning on getting some more Celosia, Salvia, and Coleus. Those three plants did really well in my big planters last year - They were the perfect pops of color, and were basically all growing out of the pots! The salvia were the red kind (kind of tropical looking), and might even be perennials, I'm not sure. We'll have to get those pots out again and see.

In the mean time, though, I love the new greenery the front porch is sporting. :) 

It's finally starting to look like spring around here. This weekend is definitely getting me in the mood to work on the yard, and we've already gotten a little more done on the walkway, which I'll post about soon.

My mini Zinnias are starting to sprout, too! Very exciting to watch them grow more each day. 

Some of them got knocked over on the really windy day that we had a week or so ago. Since then I've been keeping a close eye on them, though they've only needed watering a couple of times a week, and we've been keeping them on the front porch all the time because it's been so nice out. It's looking like there won't be much chance of frost any longer, so pretty soon it will be time to actually plant the garden.

Trent's already tilled the garden out back, and people around town are even planting already. I think we'll be planting some flowers pretty soon!

Wedding Planning Update: The Accessories

So, this past Easter weekend was full of lots of good things, including shopping, family, and nice weather! Friday, Trent and I spent some time in Galesburg, and Saturday, my mom and I had a day full of wedding shopping. One of the fun things about planning a wedding is that you get to shop for pretty accessories, and get pampered a little bit.

I had my hair and makeup trial bright and early Saturday morning, at 8:00 am. I went to Pure Hair Studio in Davenport, and they were awesome. It wasn't too busy on a Saturday morning, and it was such a nice day. I had my hair trial first, and it was styled just the way it will be for the wedding, which was kind of exciting.

I don't want to give too much away - we got photos of everything when it was all done, the front, the sides, etc. but I'll just show you the back view for now:

I'll have a veil on the day of, along with my earrings, and I'm also planning on wearing a flower in my hair. I'll probably get a faux one, and I've been looking around on Etsy a lot for the perfect one. I'm not sure yet which one I'll choose, but here are just a few that I like:

After Ashley at Pure did my hair, I then got my make up done! Once we tweaked it a little, I really liked the end result. I got the airbrushing, which was quite a bit thicker than I was used to, but it may be worth it because it does stay on a long time. I didn't want to take it off that night, because it was still so perfect! When I tried everything on - the earrings, the veil, along with the hair and makeup, I definitely felt like a bride. I won't spoil it all and reveal the entire "look," but here's a little preview of the makeup, too:

My mom and I went to Chili's for lunch and then shopped afterwards for some of my accessories. I needed shoes and a clutch. I also looked a little for a garter set, but didn't see much, and I think I'm going to purchase them online.

These were my favorite shoes of those I looked at online, so we searched several stores for them (and any similar wedding shoes) including Dillard's, Younkers, David's Bridal, DSW, and Von Maur. I didn't find them in any of the stores, and I wanted flats, which I discovered are not the easiest wedding shoes to find! These are the Cake Flats from the Blue by Betsey Johnson line.

I loved these because they're feminine and pretty, and the bottoms are blue! It would be perfect for my Something blue.

Online, I also found similar shoes from the same Betsey Johnson line that I liked as well - The Encrusted Bow flat, and The Joy flats.

In the end, I ended up buying the Cake flats online from Zappos.com. They're supposed to get here soon, so I'm anxious to see what they look like in person, and on my feet. :) Hoping they work out and are officially my wedding shoes!

I also ended up getting this pretty pearl clutch from DSW:

I had seen this one while looking online, and ended up getting it Saturday in the store. I love it, and think it will be perfect for the big day!

I already have what I think will be my earrings, and I'm not planning to wear a necklace. My mom has a small bracelet that I might wear for my Something Borrowed. So that takes care of my jewelry. My next step is to buy the flower for my hair, and my garters. Then pretty much all of my accessories (and my whole "look") will be taken care of. One step closer!

Downtown Galesburg, Illinois

Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter weekend. We had a pretty busy (but good) one. Friday I had a nice, relaxing day off for Good Friday. Trent had to work, but after he got home, we went to Galesburg to run some errands and get groceries. We ended up eating downtown at a pizza place we'd never had before, called baked. It's on Seminary Street, and it was amazing! The pizza was probably the best pizza we've had in a long time. You can customize them however you want them. We got a 14 inch pizza with green olives, red peppers, mushrooms, and garlic oil. It's a really small place - just a few tables. And it got a little crowded as more people started ordering (It's also a takeout place), but the atmosphere is also pretty cool. All vintage looking inside, with mix and match tables. You can choose a record to play on the record player...you drink from mason jars and the water comes in a wine bottle. I think we'll definitely be back again!

Seminary street is one of my favorites downtown. It's really quaint and historic, still brick, and the lights are pretty cool, too. This area is home to the best Antique Mall in town, and lots of little shops that I'd still like to explore. The Landmark Cafe is also on this street, which we've had once before - they have some yummy crepes. And there's another nice restaurant called Chez Willy's that we still have yet to try - next on our list, for sure.

Cherry Street also has some great little shops and restaurants, and Cherry Street Pub is one of our favorites. It was a really nice night on Friday, and when we were headed to the other side of town, we got stopped at the train tracks. There was this mural, which I had never paid much attention to before but thought it was pretty cool:

Carl Sandburg was a famous poet from Galesburg. I liked this quote - "Nothing happens unless first a dream.." I like how the mural incorporates a lot of Galesburg history. Blick Art Supplies was founded in Galesburg, and that's where their headquarters still is today. The train and the amtrak is also a big part of the history of this city.

I snapped these two shots while we were stopped at the train tracks, too. Galesburg has a "Railroad Days" festival every summer, which is like a carnival in the streets downtown. Kids can climb inside a train, and learn about the history of the train station and how it was so important in making the city what it is today. Trent and I have been one or two times, and we've ridden the Amtrak up to Chicago and back. 

Speaking of nice restaurants, another one right by the train station called The Packinghouse, used to be an old meat packing place. We've been a few times, though it's been a while. It's always really good, though, and it's probably about time we go back soon!

There's a lot of history in this city, and it's crazy how much you can get from just driving a few blocks downtown. Everytime we come I think we discover something new, even if it's not downtown - a few weeks ago we found a new Mexican place by the bowling alley that had $1.99 margarita Thursdays! I guess it was pretty lucky we just happened to be there on a Thursday...

Until next time! :)

eBay Selling Update: Two Months In

Hello all and Happy Good Friday! I have the day off work today, so I will be headed to town this afternoon to run a couple of errands. For now, though, I'm back with another monthly update about selling things online (See my first one here). Warning - It's about to get a little technical and financial up in here, 'cause I'm sharing all the juicy details.

I started at the beginning of February, so have been selling my old, unwanted stuff online for about 2 whole months now. I posted my old, gently used clothes, wallets, shoes, etc. on both Threadflip and eBay. To date, I have not sold a single thing on Threadflip. On the other end of the spectrum, I am selling things almost daily on eBay, and it's been really successful for me so far.

During the months of February and March, I've netted about $360.00, but that doesn't mean I profited that much. There are also Selling fees that eBay charges and invoices you once a month - this could be .40 or so every time you list an item for sale. Then there are shipping fees and supply costs to factor in, too. I've paid about $30 in seller fees, and about $200 to ship my packages out. So with those expenses, I've estimated that in the past two months, I've profited about $120.00. Not too bad, right?

I'm definitely going to continue selling things on eBay as long as I have things I want to get rid of. It feels good to clean out my closet and get rid of clutter that's just sitting around taking up space. That $120.00 was just sitting in my closet! Here are just a few items I've been able to sell and make some cash on so far:

What's really helped is that I've been keeping a spreadsheet to keep track of expenses, and eBay also keeps track of sales for you, too. Here's what it says I've sold over the last 30 days:

I know it's only been a couple of months, and it was hard to get going at first just learning all this stuff, but during the month of March I really got into the swing of things. By now, I pretty much feel like a professional. ;) In February, just starting out, I sold about 10 items. In March, I sold 30 items. My goal is to continue selling this spring, then in early summer, have a yard sale with what's left. After that, we'll probably take most of it to Goodwill.

Selling my unwanted stuff not only clears up space, but it gives us a little extra cash for the honeymoon, and to do extra things, which is always nice. I've profited about $3 per item, where I would have made maybe .25-.50 per item at a yard sale. Plus...I got a gold star. :) Check it out:

That's due to my customer feedback ratings, which are 100% positive. And, I couldn't have done it without Trent, who's been taking every package to the post office to be shipped, since I'm not able to because of work. I'm trying to figure out a method where I can do it all online, but since I don't have my own scale, it would be almost impossible to figure out accurate shipping costs. I may have to invest in a scale if I want to do it longterm! I'm hoping I'll only be selling seriously for another month or so, though.

On the bright side, I'm helping out the local town post office, which I know the post master appreciates. I met her at the gas station the other day, and she thanked me for my business! Always good to support the local post office. :)

I'm sure I'll be back with another eBay update sooner or later....Have a great Friday everyone!

Summer Porch Inspiration: 2015 Edition

I know it's not summer yet, and barely even spring. But it's never too early to start thinking about your summer porch, right? The amazing weather we had yesterday for the first day of April has already put me into the summer mood!

Since my April 2013 Summer Porch Inspiration post was such a big hit (it's my #1 visited post and probably my most re-pinned pin on Pinterest), I'm back to share a few more inspiring front porch ideas - 2015 Edition. Get excited.

So here are a few for your viewing pleasure. Sources are below each photo.

From here

 From here

From here

From here

I love all of the inspiration out there on Pinterest and all over the web and blogland. So inspiring! Hope you all are getting a chance to enjoy some nice weather, wherever you are! 

Trip to the Habitat ReStore

As you may know, this past weekend, we did a little shopping. But it wasn't just at Target. We also made a little trip to the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

We've been going here for the last few years. Not too often, just every once in a while when we want to check out the new stuff, or when we get a crazy project idea. We've picked up some bifold doors, and some flooring. Both of which we have yet to install! But they were really good deals, and we'll get to those projects eventually...

This weekend we were in search for a ceremony backdrop for the wedding. We were thinking about making an arch or an arbor, out of some rustic, solid wood doors. We want to DIY something that we can maybe use again in the backyard. Since the wedding is outside, we also thought it would be cool to have a doorway with a couple of matching doors on both sides, at the beginning of the aisle, not just at the end. Kind of like this. It's like bringing a piece of the inside, out. These doors would have worked well I think:

They were $60 each though, and before we purchased anything out of the blue, I wanted to be sure that we were for sure going to use them and that we had a clear idea for them. I wasn't sure about these. So we continued looking...

We found this archway which, if painted, would definitely be a statement piece at the end of the aisle. It might be too "grand" though, for what we're looking for.

A lot of doors I saw would work if there was a matching set. There were several single doors that I liked, hard to tell what we could do with them though...

This one was just $40. Not too bad, if we could think of a good use for it!

We thought we could also put together a ceremony backdrop with old windows. So we browsed the window section...but they were mostly newer windows. Nothing too old or vintage looking.

Then there was this. I loved this window. We could have made an awesome backdrop with it. But it was $210! Too bad. Probably because it would have been snatched up right away if it was under $100. The detail in the glass is pretty awesome.

After searching the ReStore, we still didn't end up finding anything for the backdrop. So the search continues. There were some pretty chandeliers, though. All priced around $200. Luckily we already picked up a couple at a flea market last year for a good price. These were very glamorous, though, and would all look amazing.

After our trip to the ReStore, it was clear we needed a drink. So we got these amazing and yummy margaritas at Texas Roadhouse. Oh yea, and we ate there too.

But the margaritas were definitely the highlight of the day. Even if they were bigger than my head.

In other news, I can't believe how many episodes of House Hunters have been taking place in the QC lately. Last month it was Bettendorf, and just the other day they came to Davenport! Quad Cities, represent! It doesn't happen every day, so when it does it's always quite exciting.

Props again to Haley for letting me know. I don't know how she always finds these things...

Happy April Fools Day by the way..did anyone get fooled yet today?!