Tuckered Out

I captured this picture of Ethan after running several errands Sunday afternoon. Do you think he was a little tired? Either that or quite bored since I had dragged (or is it drug) him all over the city in the freezing cold. I am currently on a mission to complete Ethan's nursery....geez, it has only been 5 months....so, I spent most of the weekend at Target, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Pottery Barn Kids gathering the last of what I need to complete his room/our guest room. Everything is almost hung and decorated so be on the lookout for pictures soon! Since Matt was at the Bears game on Sunday, Ethan had to be my companion, much to his dismay. I am sure he would have rather spent the afternoon curled up with his dad on the couch!

Holy News

No, we are not going to see the pope. I am talking about "the hole." If you recall, one year ago, I was ripping out a 3 foot by 8 foot hole in our ceiling when water was pouring down on top of our tv. Yes, it has been one full year. And yes, we still have a hole. And yes, water still comes through during rain storms, at least as of last week. We have spent almost $3000 as an association trying to fix said leak, but it just keeps coming. The upstairs neighbor, Eoin, spotted a couple of leak possibilities on Saturday and we tested his theory by pouring a couple of buckets of water on two areas. We went down to our unit and water was pouring through the hole. Eoin then caulked the trouble areas on Sunday. We took a hose to the deck last night and after approximately 30 minutes of spraying, I am proud to report no water!

We will now wait for a couple more rain storms, just to make sure we have solved the problem. After that - we can get our ceiling fixed!

Meet Me In St. Louis

Matt and I had a very busy, but fun weekend! We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed south to St. Louis for Matt Carlson and Curtis Sittenfeld's wedding. If you are thinking that Curtis' name sounds familiar, you are right...she is the author of 2 best sellers; Prep and Man of My Dreams (sorry, just had to throw that in because it is pretty cool). We had full intentions of spending some time exploring St. Louis, but ended up not having a lot of time to do so. We did have a chance to catch up with Matt's friend from college, Sean, at a great Irish Bar, the Dubliner. It was located in a pretty cool area with lots of cute shops and restaurants. If only we would have had more time to shop, but I wanted to get to the Arch since I had never been. I was really looking forward to taking a trip up the Arch, but because of time constraints, we only had the chance to walk around the park area. We forgot our camera, but were able to snap a quick, but not so great picture, on Matt's phone. From the Arch, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Curtis and Matt were married on the campus of St. Louis University in what had to be 2 of the most unique and beautiful rooms we have ever been in. The ceremony took place in the Pere Marquette Gallery, SLU's original school library. The room was filled with gorgeous stained glass, intricate pieces of art dating back to the 1800's, and this neat spiral staircase that lead to each floor of the library. After the ceremony, the guests headed upstairs for dinner in yet another stunning room. The wedding and reception were just lovely. I have to give props to Curtis' mom for creating the most beautiful flower arrangements, filled will the most stunning hydrangea. Thanks for a great weekend Curtis and Matt.....we hope to make it back to St. Louis sometime soon to explore the city a little bit more.

Sunday, we were up bright and early to head back to Chicago and make a quick stop in Carlinville to visit with my grandparents and Aunt Kate and Uncle Bob. Although, we arrived later than anticipated and made them miss church, it was so good to catch up with them since we don't get to see the Konneker's as often as we would like. All in all, a great weekend!!!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Decorating the Christmas trees is one of my most favorite holiday traditions. I love to turn on the Christmas music, light a candle and decorate away. We always unwrap all our ornaments and lay them on the floor so we know what we have and make sure each ornament finds a perfect spot on the tree. I enjoy unwrapping each ornament one by one because each one tells a story of a place we have been or an event that has occurred at some point in our lives. Matt and I are pretty good about buying an ornament each place we visit so it is fun to reminisce as we decorate the tree. As you can see, we are missing a key decoration...the star!! Unfortunately, our star was not cooperating last night and kept falling off. You can't have a Christmas tree without a tree topper so I am hoping to have a replacement today.

Advent Calendars

Advent calendars were a tradition in my family for so many years. I remember my mom buying one for my sister and I each year around Thanksgiving or shortly there after. We would anxiously await December 1st so we could open that little door to reveal a small piece of candy or piece of a bigger picture. We would do this on our way to school each day. This ritual in the morning always seemed to make the days brighter.

Since I left for college, (well, maybe after my freshman year or so because I am pretty sure my mom sent me and advent calendar in the dorms) I haven't thought much about advent calendars until I saw this cute idea on Ali Edwards. What I love most about idea is you can personalize it in so many ways. You can fill each box with something creative and unique to your family. Whether it be candy, small goodies, or favorite activities, the possibilities are endless. In her blog post, Ali included a list of ideas in case your creative juices are not flowing. I absolutely love this idea and will add it to my list of holiday to-do's for next year.
Here is Ali's finished product. I am not sure I would tack each box to my wall because of all the little holes, but I am thinking you could use a large cork board or something similar instead. Regardless, the finished product is adorable.

For other advent calendar ideas, check out Design Crush.

More Than Just Paper

Earlier in the week, I was browsing through the most recent Paper Source catalog, looking for fun invitation and card ideas, when I came across these adorable aprons. Now, I know that Paper Source has more than just paper, but this is really pushing the envelope!! I think they are extremely cute and would make great gifts for all my friends and family that love to cook. The fabrics are so pretty; they would make anyone feel beautiful in the kitchen.

There are 5 different aprons in equally cute fabrics; Lulu, Belinda, Frilly, Chloe, and Katie. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.

Language Arts

Along with the beautiful scenery, wonderful lake, and peace and quiet, Green Lake and the surrounding towns also offer great shopping. The downtown areas of Green Lake, Princeton, and Ripon are home to some lovely boutiques and unique shops. Last time we were at the lake, my mom and I headed out to do a little shopping because once the weather starts to cool down, there is not much to do at the lake and the boys were out golfing. We got a late start that morning and knew we had to hustle if we wanted to hit all our favorites before they closed.

Our first stop, Once In A Blue Moon, in downtown Princeton. Not only does Once In A Blue Moon carry great hostess gifts and things for your home, but it is also a great cafe. We were seated for lunch by a wall that was filled with photographs that had been take to form various words. My mom and I instantly decided that we were each going to purchase one to hang in our homes. The challenge would be which one to choose. I eventually ended up with "Faith," which is pictured above because I loved the pictures that were taken for each letter, especially the "I" and "T." My mom decided on "Family." As we were paying for our respective wall hangings, we started chatting with the owner about the pieces and come to find out you can custom order a word or phrase. I think a last name would be a neat addition to your home or perfect for a gift.

I have been trying to find a website for the artist that took the photographs, but no luck. The only information I do have is the name of the company, Language Arts and that it was made in Middlebury, Indiana. The pieces are just unique and something I have not seen before. If you would like one of these for your home, I know you can contact Once In A Blue Moon for more information.

Object Of My Affection

I spotted this settee in the Pottery Barn catalog this week and I can't stop thinking about it! I absolutely love it, but since we live in 1200 square feet, it is just something I am going to have to admire until we buy a house. Regardless, I love the way you can change the look of the sette just buy changing the pillows and accessories. If I ever have the opportunity to purchase this lovely piece of furniture, I think I would put it in either a bedroom or living room to use as a nice reading area.

House Beautiful

I recently began subscribing to House Beautiful and I love it! I used to subscribe to Domino, but cancelled my subscription because the style was a lot more contemporary and funky than my taste. House Beautiful provides a modern fresh twist on traditional ideas. The magazine is filled with great fabric, furniture, and decorating ideas. Even the ads are eye catching because they show some of the most gorgeous rooms.

One of the things I like best about the magazine is their ability to take a paint color that is slightly off the wall and use it as a neutral in the room by combining it with great art work, fabric, and accessories. The magazine always provides the name and brand of the paint color, which is helpful if you like the color they have chosen and are brave enough to use the color in your house someday.

If you are looking for a new magazine subscription, I highly recommend House Beautiful. Especially, if you are looking to do any decorating in the near future.