Nerd Love

Weekend Update

2009-09-28T19:24:00.003-05:00

Had a great weekend! On Saturday, I crossed off one the items on my fall to-do list by going apple picking with my sister-in-law, her husband, and my adorable niece Ava (the hubby was away visiting some college friends). Apple picking was fun! Muddy, but fun. And eating apples right off the tree - divine.

What was odd (for me, at least) was all the families there. OK, this shouldn't be a surprise, because what did I think families with small kids did on the weekends? Head up to Vegas? Go clubbing? But I had this moment of thinking to myself, wow, so this is what you do when you have kids. You take the kids to kid-friendly places. And you have fun too. It's one of those moments when you realize that you are getting older, and that taking your kids and hanging out at the apple orchard sounds like a fantastic weekend. The kind of thoughts that would scare my 21-year-old self, but that my 28-year-old self finds oddly comforting.

On Sunday, we both went to my goddaughter's 5th birthday party (dear God, I AM getting old! Wasn't she an infant, like, yesterday?). Lots of fun, burgers, cake and more fun with toddlers. Madelyn (my goddaughter) is really into Hannah Montana already, and poses like she's a rock star. Gotta love attitude in a 5 year old.

And all of the chores that I swore I would complete this weekend? So didn't happen.

Survey!

2009-09-26T19:54:00.002-05:00

Stole this survey from Longbrake Living - enjoy!

Do you snack while you read?
Usually, since I tend to read a lot during breakfast and lunch.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Grad school forced me to write in all of my book, underlining, circling, writing in the margins. I do NOT like the way the hubby writes in his books - my way is much neater. This has caused spats in the past.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
As a librarian, you'd think that I wouldn't do this, but I do. I dog-ear and leave books open all the time. This also drives the hubby crazy. It's my secret shame.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but let's face it, fiction is more fun.

Hard copy or audiobooks? All hard copies.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I try to come to a good point, but I often fall asleep with a book open, and then I can't remember where I left off.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I have never done this...maybe when reading Hegel.

What are you currently reading?
"The Omnivore's Dilemma" and (drum-roll please) my husband's second book! Yes, my husband has written not one, but two PUBLISHED books. He's wicked smart.

What is the last book you bought?
Ummm....I can't tell you that, but let's just say that I needed it.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
Usually can do multiple books at a time

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Love to read myself to sleep

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Usually stand-alones

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Hmmm...that's a tough one. Honestly, I could recommend anything that I've read.

How do you organize your books?
Ha!!! You need to read the rest of this blog.

Creating Bookcase Labels

2009-09-25T20:28:00.004-05:00

My last post talked about how to organize your book collection; now, in true nerd fashion, I will share with you my crafty, diy shelf labels.

Originally, at our old place, I used my handy label maker to make shelf labels - simply type them up, and stick 'em on. Not pretty, but functional.

This time around, I decided to make something with a little more style. Originally, I wanted to use these labels that I had left over from our wedding...

But there were way too wide to stick on the ends of the shelves. So, I decided to make my own. I first grabbed a similar template online (forgive me if this is design plagiarism), and make a bunch of them in Microsoft Word.

Then, I threw the document through my scrapbooking label maker for some diy stickers.

And painstakingly cut each one out by hand.

And added each one the beginning of each of my sections.

And there you have it! Easy-peasy bookcase shelf labels - for a fraction of the price.

If you do want to spend more money, see this post on Apartment Therapy Chicago.

How To Organize Your Massive Book Collection

2009-09-12T08:14:00.005-05:00

The other day, my friend Jenn called me and asked a question only a librarian could answer: how do I organize a book collection? Since my husband and I own a massive amount of books, she came to the right person.

Every time we move, the hardest part is the books. They are heavy, hard to carry, and we have way too many. We don't actually own too many other things, but we can't seem to let go of the book collection. (According to the book "Freakonomics," research has shown that a child's intelligence grows more NOT by being read to - although also very important - but if they grow up around books and around adults who read. By this logic, our future children will be baby geniuses).

Of course, there are many ways that you can organize books, and there's small part of me that wants to give our books a Dewey Decimal system (in which case, my husband will truly think I am insane). But what I recommended to my friend was to follow the simplicity of the "bookstore model" - i.e. divide the books by subjects and then alphabetize by author's last name within each subject.

I work in a small, one-room college library, and this is actually the model we use (organize by subject, and then by Library of Congress call numbers within that subject). It's not perfect, but it allows our students to BROWSE the sections (and hopefully, feel more comfortable in the library).

So, I told my friend that she needs to create a system that allows for her own browsing. The key here is to organize by subjects that make sense to you. Don't make a French cooking section if you have one Julia Child book.

On the other hand, if you have really large subject (like my husband does), then it makes sense to create smaller subjects within that section. For instance, my hubby is studying Political Science. So, we have sections for:

Media Studies

American Government
Middle East Studies
International Relations
Economics
Environmental Policy

As for me, my fiction collection is quite substantial, and I used to divide up novels, poetry, & drama, but after this last move, I combined everything together, but kept a separate section for literary theory and Classics (I was a Latin minor).

Yes, our inner nerd is showing. Haven't you seen the title of this blog?

Does anyone else organize their books in this way? How do you keep track of your collections? Please share!

Fall Goals

2009-09-02T18:40:00.003-05:00

Thank God it's almost fall! I love fall! Scratch that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE fall. The crispness of cool fall air, leaves crunching beneath your feet, fall colors, Halloween (free candy! an excuse to dress up!), apples and pumpkins, back to school clothes...what is there not to love?

In order to fully enjoy this fall, I've given myself a list of things to-do this fall:

1) Decorate the house with fall colors & decor

2) Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks (this may happen several times...)

3) Go apple picking

4) Pick out pumpkins at a pumpkin patch

5) Carve said pumpkins

6) Eat pumpkin pie!

7) Rack leaves and then jump into the pile

8) Take a walk in a forest preserve once the leaves change colors

9) Throw a football around with my hubby

10) Host a football party

11) Go to a haunted house

12) Go on a hayride

Let's see if I can actually complete all these now!!!

Garage Sale Success!

2009-09-02T09:55:00.004-05:00

What's the best thing to do when you move to a new place and find that, despite the hugeness of the new place, that you have a whole lot of stuff that you no longer need? Have a kick-a** garage sale!

The subdivision where we now live hosted a neighborhood garage sale a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to join in the fun. Here's a few helpful tips for hosting your own garage sale:

Step 1: Haul all of the stuff you no longer want to the garage. We put little colored stickers on everything, which took some prep the night before; in the future, I may just do a "$1 table" or "$.50 corner" to save time.

We continued my mom's tradition of having a "free box" of the stuff that you really have no use for, but feel guilty about charging money for, say, half used detergent. Highly popular.

Step 2: Move the larger items towards the end of the garage to *lure* in potential buyers.

Step 3: Convince a couple of extra nice guys to sit in your hot garage and entice the ladies to buy more.

(In this case, Tony and brother-in-law Marty played the role of sexy, sweaty salesmen).

Step 4: Sit back and watch that moola pour in!

Actually, people didn't buy nearly as much stuff as I thought they would, and buyers were definitely looking for rock-bottom deals - as in, I will buy that bookcase that you paid $80 for less than a year ago for $3. I blame the economy.

But in the end, we made quite a bit of cash! Since we joined forces with my boss lady/landlord and Tony's family, we had to keep track of who-sold-what. By the end of the weekend, sister-in-law Sam made $45, boss lady made $75, and we made a whooping $170. And we got rid of a ton of excess clutter. Woo-hoo!

Making money AND decluttering? Be still my heart.

Savvy: Green products for smarter living

2009-08-19T07:48:00.003-05:00

Last week was my sister-in-law's birthday, and while waiting for the rest of the family to show up and enjoy delicious Chicago deep dish pizza, I stepped into this little shop next door and fell in love. Savvy is a new shop in downtown Naperville that provides "green products for smarter living." Absolutely adorable shop, with really helpful and friendly owners and great products.

It's no secret that I care about the environment, and I'm always looking to 1) buy more enviro-friendly products, and 2) support local shops (as opposed to giant corporate big box stores). Not that I don't shop at Target, like, 5 times a week, but it's nice to find a store that isn't a big box and is really trying to make a difference.

I was most excited to see all-in-one cloth diapers in person. I really want to use (mostly) cloth diapers when we have kids, and I've done some investigating online about them, but it was really nice to see them in person and realize how soft they are, how easy they are to use, and how freakin' adorable.

I had to buy something, so I bought this little recycling truck made of recycled materials (yes, you read that right) for my nephew's birthday.

Savvy has a website, but for those of you who don't live in the Chicago suburbs, I really encourage you to look around and see if you have any local green shops to support. If not, I would also recommend Greenfeet for buying green products online.

Why I Love Renting

2009-06-15T21:03:00.006-05:00

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Renting!

1) Someone else gets to fix your appliances, at their expense.

2) When your neighbor complains that your tree is too far over on their lot, and should be cut back, I get to reply, “I’ll let the landlord know.” (This happened yesterday, and I was so glad that I didn’t have to be the one making the decision!)

3) No long-term commitment. We can change our minds easily and without regret.

4) When you’re low on money for house repairs, renting often takes care of that problem. You’d LIKE to replace the tiles in the kitchen, but you can’t, because it ain’t yours to replace – plus, you really don’t have the money. Problem solved.

5) Saves you money on housing. (Well, sometimes. It does in our case).

6) Rather than settling for a starter home, we can save our money up for our dream place and (hopefully) never have to move again.

7) We really want to buy a house here, but we’re both new to this specific town. Renting allows us to explore the neighborhoods and get to know the area (and what areas we like best) before buying.

8) No worries about inflation, variable rates, property tax, etc.

9) Let’s face it; we don’t have the money right now to buy. Yes, it’s a buyer’s market, but we have a lot of student loan debt and right now we need to focus on our debt and starting our family. I’m not ashamed to admit that we just don’t have the money. I think that honesty is what this country needs right now – rather than trying to keep up with the Joneses, people need to start admitting that they can’t afford everything. Period.

10) Renting makes you appreciate what you have. My husband and I both desperately want our own little house to call our own, but it’s just not in the cards right now. Not being able to get what you want all the time is humbling, and makes you realize what is really important – family, friends, and being thankful that you at least have a roof over your head and food on the table (which many, many in this world do not).

Check out oh Amanda for more bloggy list fun.

Our new place!

2009-06-15T19:49:00.006-05:00

I'm so excited to FINALLY share with all of you pictures of our new place! Yes, it's a rental, but it's OUR rental, and darn it if I will let that stand in the way of me indulging in my home decor passions.

Mind you, I took these pictures before we moved in, so you could see the blank slate. We've been working hard at putting all of our stuff away, and I can't wait to start decorating the heck out of this place.

Here's our place from the outside. I would love to paint the shutters and front door red to add some pop (which our landlord might let us do), but for now, it's clean and simple.

Living Room & Dining Room

Other side of the living room

(What do you guys think of the accent wall? Any ideas for accent colors in the room? I'm thinking oranges and reds, but I'm not sure....)

Downstairs Half-Bath (this wall is just crying for something...)

Other view of the half bath - again, nice neutral colors, but we need to add some color. Yes, those are my feet.

Kitchen (that table is NOT mine, and will go out with the garage sale)

Closer view of the kitchen - almost everything is brand new! You have no idea how great it is to finally have a brand new kitchen to cook in. I actually WANT to cook now.

Looking into the family room/den from the kitchen - the bookcase against the accent wall must stay, as it's attached to the wall. This is probably the most awkward room, since it's so long. But I have some ideas for making it work.

Upstairs, here we have the master bedroom. Beautiful, isn't it.

This is one of the two bedrooms that we can paint, since my landlord never did. Thank god, because I seriously can't sleep in that color any more. It reminds me of what a care bear would vomit.

When you paint your bedroom light yellow, WHY NOT paint the master bathroom purple? Who are these people? Why did anyone at Home Depot let them pick these colors?

If you thought the master bedroom had bad colors, check out one of the bedrooms. My landlord told me that the entire house was in primary colors like this. Because, you know, when you paint three walls turquoise....

The fourth wall should be bright red. How sophisticated.

This room will definitely get painted soon, and maybe turn into a baby room? Fingers crossed!

This is the other upstairs bathroom, which I've taken over. We can't paint this one, and it already has a nautical-ish theme going on. I normally wouldn't have picked navy blue like this (I typically like lighter colors), but hey, I'm a renter, so I'm just going with it. I'm already picturing a nice white framed print, some white coral, maybe something with twine....

Guest bedroom, with more of the navy blue / nautical theme. This will probably stay the guest room, but I want to dress it up a bit more.

So there you have it - our new place! Not bad for a rental, huh? I keep walking around and telling my husband that the place is HUGE! I mean, three bathrooms? Who needs that many? But we really like it, and it's starting to feel more like a home.

Keep reading for updates on what I do to the place....

Part 5 - Grandpa's House!

2009-06-10T08:10:00.002-05:00

8) Grandpa's House

I bet when you first read that I was going to go through all of the places I've lived, you thought, oh, how cute and charming. What a lovely trip down memory lane. Little did you realize that I have lived in so many different places, and that this series would never end. Yeah, well, neither did I....

On to the last place I lived, where I just moved from...Grandpa's House! You see, while Tony and I were living it up ~~scared to death of the gang next door~~ in style, my wonderful and loving Grandpa Frank (whom I adore) had a series of bad falls (as one does in their eighties) and needed a lot of extra help. Since Grandpa wasn't too bad off, and just needed someone to help with the cooking, cleaning, etc., my parents came up with the great idea that Tony and I move in with Grandpa Frank, which happens to be down the street from them, and help take care of him in exchange for rent.

We took my parents up on the offer, for a number of reasons - we were broke and desperately trying to save up for our wedding; we wanted to get out of the city; and, of course, we loved Grandpa Frank. So we did and took care of Grandpa for about a year.

When we first moved in, I spent several months just clearing out junk and trash and clutter from 70's on. Here's what I learned about grandparents: they save everything. Rubber bands, paper clips, receipts...must be a leftover from the Depression. Let me put it this way: my grandmother had the property tax from her & her parent's house going back to 1920. Yeah. So I spent a great deal of time organizing, tossing, and archiving (of photographs, etc.). Don't worry, I kept the taxes.

Now, although everyone warned me that caring for the elderly would be difficult, I didn't quite prepare myself. And although I loved caring for G.F., it was very hard, especially as he physically had a lot of problems. So, sadly, we as a family had to move Grandpa Frank into an assisted living facility about a year ago. But in the end, it was the best decision for him: he gets around the clock care, gets to meet people and make friends, and hey, he's even got computer classes now! (Grandpa Frank, if you're reading this, Hi!).

Anyways, I loved that little ranch house, and wished we could have stayed, but alas, our jobs require us to move (still in Chicagoland, but closer to our commutes). Here's a few shots of Grandpa's house (post my organizing, of course!).

You've already seen the library....

Here's our bedroom - which is what our next new bedroom will most likely look like....

The big backyard with our red fox visitors....

I will miss that house! But, on the next project...

Part 4 - Living it up in the city...

2009-06-09T07:42:00.009-05:00

6) Grad school in Obama's backyard

After I graduated as an undergrad, I decided that I hadn't had enough of theory and literature and other urbane topics, so I applied to grad school. I got into my dream of dream schools, the University of Chicago, to earn a MA in Humanities. I still think there was some mistake, and that my name got mistakenly placed on the "accept" list rather than the "throw out" list.

But in any case, I packed up and moved to our current President's neighborhood of Hyde Park on the southside of Chicago (for all of my Chicago peeps, SOUTHSIDE!!!). I rented a grad student studio, on the fourth floor of a walkup, complete with radiators and squeeky wood floors that made my downstairs neighbor hate me.

Unfortunately, the only pictures that I could find of my little studio are of my cat, so I swear, I'm not just blogging more about my cat. Oh, this is also the apartment in which I first had Eddie.

Here, Eddie is sitting before one of the windows, which overlooked a beautiful park. Hyde Park has a colony of feral parrots living in its trees (yes, you heard right, feral parrots). You'd look out at northern Illinois tree varieties and see little green and yellow parrots flying around.

Here you can see a glimpse of 1) the beautiful wood floors, 2) the brown armchair that I got for free (FREE!) that Tony now hates and wants me to get rid of but I refuse because I've had it since grad school, and 3) the pale look of one overtired/underfed grad student.

Here, a visiting Tony (we were long distance at the time) sits at my desk, which is where I lived for that entire year. Again, for my Chicago peeps, notice the Marshall Field's shopping bag behind him. We miss you Marshall Fields!

The navy blue theme continued unabated...

7) ~~Living in Sin~~ Moving in Together

Well, years of Catholic schooling and upbringing failed, and Tony and I decided to move in together. (We got engaged right after though, so I predict only a minor sentence in Purgatory as our punishment). I spent the last few weeks of grad school traveling all over Chi-town, looking for cheap rent, and finally found a three bedroom (3!) in the neighborhood of Logan Square.

The built-in dining room hutch had me at hello...

So did the original hardwood floors and trim...

Well, the kitchen left something to be desired. Check out the awesome heating system we had. My allergies were not happy. And who puts an oven next to the fridge and away from any countertops? Seriously....

Other problems: The porch was broken and we had to sign a waiver saying that we would never allow more than 5 people on it at a time. (Scary) The next door neighbors were obviously selling drugs on the street (Logan Square is a neighborhood that's still in transition from gangland to yuppieville). The landlord won't fix the electricity, and using more than two appliances at once caused a shortage. (Frustrating) It's one of those places that we laugh about now, but it was a disaster at the time. But it was our first place together, and it's where the boy proposed to me.

This is the first time we combined all of our books and made a book room. That's love.

Me and my best friend on my birthday in possibly the hotest apartment ever. I hung red curtains to try and bring some color into the space. This is the first time that 1) my decorating didn't revolve around navy blue (what?!? crazy), and 2) I started to read blogs and realize that I could be doing so much more with my living space. It was the start of something big, people.....

Part 3 - Oh the places Mary has lived...

2009-06-05T10:43:00.008-05:00

4) Another college apartment
After I transfered to Illinois State University, I shared an apartment with 3 other girls, and we spent a lot of time decorating and making it look as cute as possible on a college budget. This is also the apartment I lived in when I met a certain handsome college student named Tony who stole my heart talking about politics, Noam Chomsky, and Simpson episodes.

In this picture, you can see a young couple (we'd been dating about 4 months here) standing in my apartment kitchen. Notice that we decorated with our margarita and wine glasses? Aren't we clever and thrifty?

Here was our living room, with the girly white sheer curtains. That's me on the far left with one of my roommates. In this apartment, I realized that there are girls more OCD than I am, and that must have a stack of coffee table books neatly placed on the coffee table at all time WITH NOTHING ELSE ON THE TABLE OR THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Let's just say that we didn't always get along, but I had a lot of fun in that little apartment, especially since for the first time ever, I was known as the messy one. By the way, I have no idea who the other two guys on the couch are...

5) My first single apartment!

After living with girls for three years, I decided that I needed to branch out on my own, and rent my own single apartment. This is was the first time that I felt I had some say in decorating, and I starting cleaning/cooking/decorating for the first time. Of course, that's not to say that I was good at it. On the contrary, as the pictures here will show, I somehow decided that my bathroom, kitchen, and other rooms should have navy blue everything. And that naked women flying with bicycles is art.

Here's me and the boy sitting in my lovely rented furniture - nothing says comfort like decades of other college students living in your couches.

This kitchen was actually quite large! My mom bought me that crock pot while I was in college, and I actually used it to feed myself. I was so grown up...

What is going on with this bathroom? Don't worry, my taste did get better...

I'm back - with a new name!

2009-06-05T10:34:00.002-05:00

So, the move came and went (we survived!), and we FINALLY got internet working at our new place (which explains the long stall in postings).

And, you may notice that I've given my little blog a new name: Nerd Love. Newlywed Days seemed too...generic? Boring? Dull? Cliched? But Nerd Love seems to fit us much better. I actually got the term from my brother-in-law, who, during his best man speech, said that our relationship could be summed up in two words: nerd love. Because we're both nerdy academic bookworms, and we happen to be in love. I think the name fits, and it better sums up our lives - let's face it, while I may not be a newlywed forever, I will always be a nerd. And married to one.

So I changed the name, and I hope everyone out there who reads my blog (all 2 of you) are not disappointed.

In short, now that I finally have internet access, I can start posting again and I hope to dedicate far more time to my little project here.

Part 2

2009-05-19T21:14:00.004-05:00

Welcome back to part 2 of where-in-the-world-has-Mary-lived....

2) My dorm!

Here I am in all of my nerdy glory in my dorm. Note the various music posters behind me and the large white desktop. And lack of any style. This was my first home away from my parents, and my roommate Ashley and I made the most of it. Actually, she was mostly gone rock climbing, so I had a quasi-single. What a great roommate!

Here, my friend Jill and I sit in my "dorm fort," which latest at least over a week before the RA told us it was a potential fire hazard. Ah, college days. How I miss them. Except for the food. And lack of air conditioning. And lack of privacy and a clean shower. Wait, never mind, I don't miss my dorm.

3) My first apartment

This is the only photograph I could find of my first apartment that I shared with 3 other girls (including Megan, the taller one - I'm the one in the college-stereotype plaid pajamas bottoms). The day we moved in, my mother cried, thinking that I was going to be living in such filth. We moved into a place with dilapidated furniture, holes in the walls, and dirt and dust everywhere. Ah, college. It was the second and third floors of a house off campus, and although it was small and crowded and the landlord was a jerk, it was the first time I felt truly on my own (despite the financial support from my folks - thanks, Mom and Dad, for the pseudo-independence!).

We're Moving! (again....)

2009-05-17T08:01:00.003-05:00

My big news for the day is that at the end of this week, we're moving! Yes, I have been holding out on you all, but frankly, packing has kept me quite busy these last few weeks (not that much is really packed...)

It's somewhat of a bittersweet move, since the house that hubby and I have been living in for the last two years is my grandparent's house, meaning that I have to start to come to terms with the fact that Grandpa is in assisted living, and probably has to remain there. And that (when my parents sell the house) someone else will be cooking in my grandma's kitchen. And I won't live as close to my parents. :( Not that we'll be far (about 45 minutes away), but still, like I said, I'm a little bittersweet.

But the good news is that both hubby and I will be closer to our jobs, and I always welcome change. Both Tony and I have moved a lot during our adult years. A LOT. I realized the other day that I have moved 7 times in the past 8 years. Scary, huh? You'd think that I would be a pro by now and that everything would be packed and ready. You'd think, wouldn't you?

Anyways, after I realized how many moves I've taken, I decided to share with all you out there the various places I have lived.

1) Mom and Dad's House

Ah, good old 740 Mohave Street. This was the home that my parents' took me home to from the hospital, and where I stayed until I left for college. To me, this house means everything: family parties, childhood memories, even the tumultuous teenage years.

Ironically, I couldn't seem to find many pictures of just the house itself, but here's one of me getting ready for my wedding day. I spent the night there before the wedding, just so I could say that I spent one last night as a single woman under my parent's roof. I love the hardwood floors and the simple, homey feel of the house and furniture. I'm quite sentimental about that house - it was the only home I ever knew for 20 years!

Nature channel in my backyard....

2009-05-14T21:47:00.005-05:00

So, this morning, I was quietly getting ready in the bathroom for work, when Tony yells out from the kitchen, "Come here quick!" I ran in there and saw that there were 4 red foxes playing in our backyard. As if it was the most natural setting for a herd of foxes, and NOT in the middle of the freakin' suburbs! We watched them play and wrestle for at least 20 minutes until they left, and while Tony was convinced that they could hear me snap photographs of them, they didn't seem to mind a bit.

You know, there are times when I complain about living in the suburbs - the lack of non-chain restaurants, the people who drive obnoxiously in gas-guzzlers, the seemingly endless amount of plastic - but every now and then, I am reminded of the reason why I moved back out here. Yes, the suburbs may have been built upon these beautiful foxes land, but damn it, I like having a backyard, especially for these occasions. And let's face it, the suburbs smell a whole lot better than the city.

Here are the pictures I took of our little visitors:

Meet Eddie

2009-05-08T08:18:00.003-05:00

There's a member of our little newlywed family that you all haven't met yet - and that's Eddie, our beloved kitty. Well, he's not a kitty any more, being about 5 years old this year, but he'll always be a kitty to me.

Tony and I adopted Eddie when I started grad school at the University of Chicago. Living alone in Hyde Park (while Tony was living a few hours away in central Illinois teaching) was sad, and we decided to adopt a poor, homeless kitty to help keep me company. Tony, my mom, and I went to a local shelter, and while my mom and I were looking at all the cats, Tony kept saying, "Hey, this guy is following me around. You should take this one." It was Eddie. While the other cats were fighting over food and territory, Eddie followed us around, eventually falling head first into the garbage can and getting stuck behind a microwave. What can I say, it was love.

So I took Eddie home, and even though he has cried and whined every morning at about 5 am since, we love him dearly.

**Note: part of this sentimental-pet post may be because I just watched "Marley and Me." Great movie, but be prepared to sob violently, followed by smothering your cat/dog, who's probably thinking, what's with her?

Family Photos

2009-05-01T09:19:00.003-05:00

So I mentioned that Mary-Carolyn over at Longbrake Living posts family photographs on her blog, and that I wanted to do the same...so, no time better than the present to start!

This is a picture of my dad (the young man in the suit) with his parents (my grandparents, Bernice and William) and his little sister Kathy. Missing is my Uncle Billy, who recently passed away. I love wedding pictures, because everyone always seems so happy and dressed up and excited.

Check out the ringlets on Aunt Kathy! My dad's side has great, dark brown/black curly hair. Yet, somehow, the super curly ringlets of my dad's side meshed with the beautiful, sleek straightness of my mom's side, and left me with an annoying head of hair that refuses to go either straight or curly without a ton of heat. Sigh. He did give me thickness, which I am told is a blessing. Drives me crazy, though...

Blog Love: And the rest....

2009-05-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

To finish up my list of blogs that I read regularly (and love!), here we go:

Money Blogs:
These are blogs that encourage you to save, find ways to pinch pennies, and (my favorite) ways to rip off Target and Walgreen's and get free stuff by stacking coupons. Gotta love that! Here are some of my favorites:

Money Saving Mom - lots of great coupons. Go here to rip off the corporate man.

The Simple Dollar - explains financial conundrums like stocks and bonds and other things that go over my pretty little head.

Laid-off Ladies - Two best friends try to make ends meet in Chicago after being laid off. Great ideas, but I especially love it for the local freebies.

Misc. Blogs:
These are blogs that aren't really about fashion, or houses, or money, but rather a little bit of everything in a person's life (sort of like my little blog here!).

Making This Home - An American in...Berlin! Sometimes, this blog makes me long for living in Europe, where everyone else has tiny kitchens and walks everywhere without thinking you're a freak for doing so.

Dooce - This woman is hilarious. Not sure how to explain Dooce, you just need to read it. I hope I have as much humor and swear words in my life when I enter the motherhood.

Longbrake Living - Cute blog about marriage and life and "Lost" (which I've never seen, but looks delightfully confusing). Mary-Carolyn also posts old family photos every Friday, which I LOVE and plan on stealing shortly....

So there you have it! All the reasons why I ignore my own blog and spend far too much time glimpsing into the lives of others....

Blog Love: Fashion Blogs

2009-04-22T21:21:00.002-05:00

There aren't too many fashion-y blogs that I read on a regular basis, but there are two that I definitely look forward to on a regular basis.

Feather. Feather is awesome! Here's the author's own description: "If you’ve ever checked the forecast and wished the weatherman would just tell you what to wear, Feather is your place. Each night, to prepare you for the work week, Feather breaks down the next day’s forecast into style inspiration that actually makes sense." Lots of cute outfits, but at way-out-of-my-league prices. Save only the ones that you can re-create either in your own closet or at Target.

Frugal Fashionista. Whereas Feather is for my dream budget, Frugal Fashionista creates daily outfits (based on what the celebrities are wearing), but using cheap-o stores like Delia's, Target, and Forever 21. Also alerts you to upcoming sales.

Blog Love: House Blogs

2009-04-18T09:09:00.002-05:00

My favorite all-time blogs are those that focus on houses and home decorating. It all started with Apartment Therapy, a fantastic blog (and book!) that highlights decor and organizing mainly for the small house/apartment crowd, with a definite modern feeling. My friend Sarah from grad school writes for AT - look for her in AT: Chicago under sarahc (she has, in my opinion, the best posts).

From there, I got hooked on various other blogs suggested by AT, and blogs suggested by those blogs, and so on. The list keeps growing, but here is my list of favorite house blogs:

Winner!
This Young House. The adventures of John and Sherry as they redo their ranch into something fabulous. This is my number one favorite blog to grab inspiration and ideas. Down-to-earth, green-friendly, and with DIY fever, This Young House has a huge following and, in my mind, simply rocks.

Runners-up:
Making It Lovely. Nicole's transformation of her Oak Park bungalow makes me drool, and dream of the day when my hard-earned money can go towards my house rather than my student loans.

The Hyper Homemaker. Katie is amazing, simply amazing. Her cleaning routine makes me long for more time at home so my house could be just as clean (note: it's no where near as clean).

There are many more, but these three are the ones that inspire me the most, as I attempt to set up our own little newlywed nest. Stay tuned for more blog love!

Blog Love

2009-04-16T10:09:00.003-05:00

A main reason that I am so bad about posting on my own blog is that I'm too busy reading other people's blogs! So, in the spirit of sharing some love, I will devote the next few days to sharing some of my favorite blogs.

But today, I must give credit to the number one reason why I spend so much time reading other blogs - Google Reader. It has become an obsession. For those of you who aren't familiar, Google Reader allows you to "subscribe" to blogs, and you receive updates daily whenever a new blog post is made. So, throughout the day, I can constantly see what is happening in my happy blog world.

Of course, the downside is that I often stay within Google Reader rather than go to the original blog post, which means I miss out on all the cool graphics and designs out there. But it is awfully convenient (and concealing for when I'm at work!).

Library Pics

2009-04-10T15:50:00.011-05:00

A while ago, we decided to take over one of the bedrooms as a our "book room" or "library." Yes, we own a lot of books. Marry an English grad student with a Poli Sci grad student and you get a whole of lots books (and two people who refuse to give up any books!). Anyways, we decided to embark on a rather large project: paint the larger bedroom walls and trim, and move all our books into the room, along with purchasing more bookcases and bookcase extensions from IKEA.
We don't have a lot of images of the complete before, but you can see the awful Pepto-pink color on the walls in these "during" pictures.

After several weekends of hard labor and few trips to IKEA, here's the result:

This room also houses our mini-guest bed (foam couch/mattress cheap from IKEA) and our exercise bike. I know it's cheaper and more convenient to have exercise equipment at home, but honestly, does anyone have a good place to put these (besides a basement)? It remains a major eyesore, in my mind, but, I digress.

Around the same time, we invested in a new laptop, which we both love. Tony's old desktop was full of nasty viruses and took up a lot of space; and my old laptop had been through several years of school, constant trips to libraries, airports, and houses, AND had been through a burglery (in which we got the laptop back). Seriously, it was time to give the old girl a retirement and get a new, faster, and sleeker laptop. We condensed from two computers to one, which hasn't been an issue (yet), and it's saves a ton of space.

Another eyesore in the room as the side closet. The sliding door to the closet is stuck in the doorframe, and no one has been able to get that darn door unstuck. So, anyone in the room stares straight into our storage, which, although organized, still unslightly.

Solution? A simple curtain, again from IKEA, hung the doorway that matches the window curtains. Simply disguises the boxes, and keep things looking nice and neat.

So there you have it! The library is complete, and we can proudly display our lovely book collection (without digging through piles on the floor). In the future, I would love to add things like a great wing chair in bright colors like this one, and a floor lamp for reading. But until then, our books are safe and sound. (Astrid Chair, Anthropologie)

Missing in action

2009-04-10T15:10:00.002-05:00

Well, I started this blog, and then I abandoned it for a while. My tag line is "One couple's attempt at marriage, careers, and the 'burbs," and let me tell you, the careers and 'burbs part has been kicking our butts. Both of our jobs (librarian at a two-year start-up college for me, adjunct teaching all over the place for Tony) have been taking up most of our time, and, between commuting and working, blogging has been the last thing on my mind.

But it was never far from my mind, and I want to make an effort to keep this little project of mine going. So, in other words, I will do my best to keep posting.

We've been completing a lot of house projects around these parts, so stay tuned for updates and pictures!

Flowers

2009-02-16T09:17:00.002-06:00

I am starting to get spring fever. All I think about is spring and warmer weather and being able to take walks and such. We had a couple of warmer days recently, and it just made me crazy for warmer weather. Unfortunately, it is still winter, and it is currently snowing buckets outside. Enjoying the great outdoors will just have to wait.

However, this lovely flowers that I recently picked up are tiding me over until spring officially arrives...

Post-Valentine's...

2009-02-16T08:54:00.004-06:00

The weekend is finally over, and I have to admit that I am a little sad to be going back to work. Not that I mind my job, but every Monday I feel a little blue and wish weekends lastest longer.

We had quite a busy weekend - my brother-in-law's birthday party, I (finally!) got a haircut, took Eddie (our cat) to the vet (clean bill of health!), went out to dinner and a movie for Valentine's, visited Grandpa, laundry, cleaning, cooking, groceries, and tackling the Great Re-organization Project of 2009. We did a lot, but we had fun!

For Valentine's, Tony gave me a box of chocolate turtles (which are almost gone!) and a little stuffed Valentine's dog. I put him by my makeshift Valentine's display in the dining room:

And I gave Tony some really good hot chocolate (his favorite) and these matching mugs with our initials. I think they look really cute together on display in the kitchen.

All in all, a good weekend - but now I have to get back to reality and back to work...

Thrifty Green Thursday!

2009-02-12T14:39:00.005-06:00

OK, so I know that I said I would post more - and then I didn't. Sigh. My job has been taking up most of time, and it's been so hard to get the time to sit down and blog. But I am trying - and I do often think about how I want to be out there chatting in the blog-o-sphere!

Here's my tip this week for Thrifty Green Thursday: cut down on your paper waste by doing your bills online! My bank has a great feature that allows you to pay your bills online for free. I've been doing this for at least two years now, and it makes life oh so easy.

Also, sign up for the electronic statements that most companies offer, so that you receive you monthly statements through your email address, rather than wasting paper - not to mention all the pollution caused by transporting the mail back and forth. I am in the process of signing up for electronic billing for all of our statements - and let me tell you, we get plenty. This will also free up a lot of our filing; rather than saving our older statements in a filing system, now I will be able to drop the statements into a folder in my email account. Ain't technology grand?

So there you go - pay and receive bills online to reduce paper and reduce emissions - and make life a little simpler.

Thrifty Green Thursday!

2009-01-22T09:04:00.003-06:00

This is my first attempt at joining a "blog carnival," so here it goes! As a part of my New Year's Resolution to live a greener lifestyle (and save moola at the same time), I decided to join Green Baby Guide's Thrifty Green Thursday. I've already learned so many great tips from other bloggers!

As I said in my last post, last week I went to Whole Foods to try and find some greener and less toxic alternatives to cosmetics and toiletries. I'm only replacing items as we run out, because I just can't stand the thought of throwing things away. One of the items we were out of was shower soap. Usually, I buy Aveeno's liquid body wash for the shower, but at Whole Foods, most of the liquid body washes were quite expensive! I was really looking for something with no fragrance, and no extra chemicals, but most of these liquid soaps were over $10 for a tiny bottle - over $10 for a gigantic bottle, and I wasn't ready to spend that much on a new product.

Then I found their store brand bar soaps, which were only $1.50! I quickly realized that I would not only save money, but also cut down on extra packaging and plastics. I bought the unscented version, just because I have extra-sensitive skin, but there are a lots and lots of other fragrances and options out there, at almost every store. Bar soap can be a little drying, but since I lather myself up with lotion after every shower, I haven't noticed a difference at all.

So, my green tip of the week is: buy bar soap! It has less packaging, AND saves you money!

For more Thrifty Green Thursday tips, visit the Green Baby Guide here.

I'm back!

2009-01-20T19:47:00.002-06:00

OK, so one of my New Year's Resolutions was to post to my blog more often. Which I haven't done. But I HAVE been busy with my other resolutions and trying to complete a lot on my to-do list, so I haven't completely given up on my resolutions. :) Oh well, what are resolutions except promises we make to ourselves only to break them a month later?

Hubby and I had a fantastic weekend. On Friday night, Tony helped babysit our niece Ava (and her father, who's on crutches after a bad fall) while I went with his mom (Iris) and sister (Sammy) to a Lia Sophia jewelry party. I have never heard of this company, but I went along as long as there were other people taking me there. The jewelry was nice, but not really my style - more costumy than I like. I did find a nice blue beaded necklace that Iris insisted on purchasing for me - I have such a nice mother-in-law. She buys me sparkly things. :)

On Saturday, Tony and I went shopping for various items that we probably don't need, but bought anyways - a new side table for the living room, a mirror to hang on the former mirrored wall (the irony of it all!) and the final shelf from IKEA to complete our Room-o-books (pictures coming soon!) We then went to church with my dad, and stopped by to visit my mom, who's been sick with a sinus infection for a while. Poor mommy. :( Then we met up with one of Tony's friends from high school and his girlfriend for pizza. Our friend Dan stopped by later that night too, and we all stayed up late watching movies and drinking decaf tea. I love just staying in with friends. It feeds both my social and my frugal sides.

Sunday we spent at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, stocking up on organic/vegan/healthy items that are probably overpriced but make me feel good about myself. We're really trying to make our lives more toxic-free and green, and I feel like we're moving in the right direction. More to come on that topic....

So, all in all, this weekend was fun, and it's hard to come back to work. I realized how much I missed spending time together as a couple, even if it is just running errands. I guess it's the little things that really matter....

2009 To-Do List

2008-12-31T19:56:00.002-06:00

1) Finish painting the inside of the house, including the living room, guest room, kitchen and guest bathroom

2) Get (more) organized! Starting with that box of random stuff I never really unpacked since moving over a year and a half ago...

3) Work out at least three times a week, even if its only for 10-15 minutes (hey, it's a start)

4) Post to my blog more often

5) Live a greener life

6) Start our family! (we hope!)

Stay tuned to see me attempt this list - and Happy New Year!

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

2008-12-17T08:25:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, we have conducting a little project entitled Grandpa's house. Tony and I have been living/renting my Grandpa's house in Hoffman Estates, right by Schaumburg, IL, home of Woodfield Mall and lots of other chain stores and corporate headquarters. Let's just say we lack slightly in culture. But we like the house, and we live right by my parents, who are always ready with pizza nights and helping us shovel. :)

However, the house needs work. Unfortunately, my grandparents bought the house from decorating morons, who used contact paper for wallpaper, believed in shag carpeting, and covered an entire wall of the living room with mirrored squares. Yeah, I know. And since my grandparents never did anything different to the decor of the house, I have been spending the last year trying to bring the house back to life. (My parents also have been a great help, especially with the larger projects - wallpaper removal, a new roof, and new carpeting). As we progress along, I'll post updates on the blog.

But over the weekend, we made a big improvement: the mirrored wall is gone! Unfortunately, now we have a strange grid wall that's crying for spackle.

Pretty, isn't it? The good news is that now we have no choice but to start painting the living room. The bad news is we have guests coming over for New Year's Eve, and we HAVE to start painting the living room. For now, we live with the grid, but I'm hoping to start fixing it this weekend.

Oh, and by the way, with the snow that hit Chicagoland last night, it took me over 3 and 1/2 hours to get home. Not that I want to complain too much - my brother and sister-in-law in New Hampshire have been without power since last Thursday. :(

Holiday Fun Begins!

2008-12-13T15:34:00.005-06:00

Last weekend, I went to our first holiday party of the season (with plenty more to come!). Tony couldn't make it, due to his finals (given Friday night, due Monday morning), so I tagged along with my mom, dad, and Grandpa to the annual Schulze family party, hosted by my Grandpa's older brother, Uncle Bill. This is my second year going, and every time I have so much fun! I love watching my Grandpa and his siblings (he's one of 9!) get together and see all the spouses, cousins, and kids. The best part is the grab bag, in which we get to steal from one another. In the true Irish Christmas spirit, the Bailey's and other booze-related presents are always passed around the most.

Here are some pictures from the party - enjoy!

My mom, her cousin-in-law Denise, and me - our annual spots in front of the fireplace (note my slightly buzzed smile)

Grandpa mingling and enjoying his family

Grandpa is always the most popular

Aunt Lorrie and Aunt Pat

The Schulze Siblings: (standing) Uncle Jack, Grandpa (Francis), Aunt Lorrie, Aunt Binnie
(sitting) Our host, Uncle Bill

Busy Busy Busy!

2008-12-07T10:07:00.002-06:00

So, if you've been following my little attempt at blogging here, you may have noticed that I've been quite absent. My sister-in-law Allison attempted (and fufilled!) daily blogging last month (visit her at http://daybydaywithme.blogspot.com), and I must say, I am in awe. I'm not quite up to the challenge of daily blogging, but it could perhaps be a good New Year's resolution?

We've been quite busy around here. Thanksgiving came and went, and the entire weekend following Turkey Day, Tony and I were sick. Sick as dogs. I spent most of the weekend on the couch, which, every now and then, is a wonderful thing to do.

As for the past week, Tony has been stuck doing nothing but finals prep for both himself and his students, and I have been working between 9 and 11 hour long days, trying to catch up on work and save my students from freaking out about their final papers. December may be the holiday season for the rest of the world, but for academics, it is finals time.

I have managed to put up most of our Christmas decorations, and will post pictures soon - although Wednesday night, I came home to a Christmas tree on the floor in the living room. Apparently, cats and trees don't mix.

Soon-to-be-bestseller

2008-11-20T22:19:00.005-06:00

Maybe some of you know that Tony wrote a book this year. It's entitled "Mass Media, Mass Propaganda: Examining American News in the War on Terror," and it's based on his Master's thesis. It will be coming out in paperback soon, which will bring down the price (academic books are quite expensive these days). Needless to say, I'm so proud.

We just saw that Google Books has added his book! When Google recognizes your book, you know you've made it. :)

http://books.google.com/books?id=JqF5nq58tA8C&pg=PP1&dq=anthony+dimaggio#PPA7,M1

Home Cookin'

2008-11-17T09:40:00.003-06:00

Last night, I was a good Italian wife and I made my husband homemade lasagna. I got the recipe from Tony's sister Sam, so I was pretty sure that it would work out ok - although I was a little concerned. My cooking skills are not that great, and, when it comes to Italian cooking, I know that I will never be able to reproduce the fabulous cooking of Tony's Sicilian grandmother (or so I've heard).

But the meal turned out great! Tony loved it and went back for seconds. We have both have leftovers for two more days. I consider it a success. Although, my kitchen was a bit of a disaster...

Sense of humor

2008-11-15T22:45:00.002-06:00

When we were in Pre-Cana (the Catholic version of marriage prep), our counselor/deacon asked us why we wanted to marry each other. We had a litany of answers, ranging from common interests, common goals (kids, family, academic careers, etc.), love and respect for each other, etc., and the deacon told us that we had very thoughtful answers compared to other couples. For instance, he told us, a lot of couples will simple say, "he makes me laugh" and stop at that. And we all agreed that, yeah, perhaps there should be more of an answer there.

Yet, there are days such as right now when I realize that "he makes me laugh" certainly can help. I spent the day cleaning and decluttering our increasingly messy house (it's clean now!) and getting rather cranky, and all of a sudden, Tony turned to me and said (completely deadpan), "Didn't you want to see Transporter 3 in the theater? Cause I think you said so in your sleep." Which is the last movie I would ever, ever want to see. So I laughed and immediately felt less stressed. And, partly, I did marry him for that weird, sarcastic, dead-pan sense of humor of his.

Ok, this is a sentimental posting, but hey, I'm a newlywed. I still get mushy.

New blog!

2008-11-08T08:52:00.000-06:00

I've been a fan of other people's blogs for some time now, and love reading them, from family member's blogs to home decor blogs, and the other day I finally broke down and said, "Hey, I could do that!" So I am.

I decided to focus on my life as a newlywed, with my lovely new husband Tony. Time has been going by so fast, and I feel that: 1) this oh-so-happy time in our lives will be gone before we know it; and 2) I am losing touch with so many friends and family because of work, school, and life in general. The older you get, the faster time goes by, right? So I hope to chronicle our new married life together, keep in touch with our family and friends all over the country, and, as a side note, feed my inner narcissism. :)

However, Tony is not much of a blogger. So I will be the main writer, and I hope you enjoy reading about our little lives here. We have a lot of things going on right now, so you will be reading in the future about: our home renovations (of Grandpa Frank's house), our new careers, Tony's published articles, our activities with family and friends, and in general things and issues that we care about. And, we hope that you (family, old friends, and new friends) will comment and help us along! Enjoy!