mid-winter visit to chicago

i was in chicago last month and had the fun opportunity to go out with paige, tina and andy. we had grand plans to get a nice dinner somewhere, but when it came down to it, the cozy, neighborhood Brownstone couldn't be beat! it was freezing out and we didn't want to venture too far! as usual we had a great time and accidentally overindulged thanks to the huge plastic mugs the beer came in.... notice how excited we are about the mugs in each photo?!

only one month ago...

i forgot to post these amazing pics of all the snow we got last month in Feb. one blizzard buried us in 17 inches in less than 48 hours! i think it looks so pretty!

brrrrrr - global warming, yeah right!

we got 6 inches of snow in a few hours yesterday, winter has finally arrived!

indy NYE 2007

tim and i celebrated our first nye in our new town. we had a wonderful dinner at famous st elmos steakhouse downtown. we were slightly annoyed that we were ushered out around 11:40PM b/c peyton & ashley manning were coming in for a private party and had the whole place rented out. luckily we snagged the last table in a cool hotel lounge nearby, the conrad, where we rang in the new year with some champagne and live jazz. i think we are officially 30 now... i doubt i would have thought this was a fun time 10 years ago!!!! we also stayed at a hotel downtown so we could party and not have to drive back up to the burbs.

more "before"/"after"

here are "before" move-in and "after" some tlc in our guest room. we are open for visitors here in the town of the world champion football team - the COLTS!!!!


"before"

"after"

another diy project, when i couldn't find square white lampshades trimmed in navy, i bought plain white shades, navy grosgrain ribbon & a glue gun and made it the way i wanted! cheap and custom! (trix, this one's for you)

guest bath "after"

the corner by the shower was a challenge (left), but it turned out perfect after some hard work! little did i know, for this seemingly small project i would learn how to use a nail set, a caulk gun & caulk, liquid nails, wood putty, a level tool and a studfinder (not to find tim)! whew, i'm ready to hire professionals for everything from here on out!

first DIY project

guest bath "before"


so i have wanted white beadboard/wainscoting in our guest bathroom since i laid eyes on it, ssooo bland. i was inspired to do it myself after finding a kit at lowe's that "seemed" straightforward, plus the wall was long and flat with no cutouts. i thought i'd whip it up before a colts football game one sunday, well........ three weekends later, i finally put the finishing touches on it. VERY happy with how it turned out though. i think it looks fresh and crisp!