Engagement Party for the Future Weber's

Call me the matchmaker...

A few years ago I decided I wanted to set up one of Brent's best friends, Jeremy. And I don't want to give anything away, but by the title of this post, I think you have a pretty good guess how this ends.

I knew the right girl for him would have to exhibit certain unique qualities. She needed to be active, up for anything, easygoing and kind. She needed to be a loyal friend, understanding and compassionate. She had to be as beautiful inside as she was out. Most of all she had to have a passion for life and a contagious laugh.

I found that girl in my friend Tara's sister, Alise. I knew right off the bat that Jeremy would find her attractive---I mean come on. She's got big blue eyes, long thick blonde hair and an athletic petite body.

Fast forward a few years later and they're engaged! I couldn't be more excited for them. They seem to make one another so extremely happy. They build one another up and lift each other's spirits.

So this all called for a party!

Address and phone number blurred out on the image--I promise I didn't send out invitations with smudges on them :)

We sent out invitations---real paper invitations. I wanted it to feel special for all the guests that Alise and Jeremy chose.

For appetizers I made simple caprese skewers, prosciutto wrapped melon and these little bites...

 

 

 

I was inspired by some apple onion jam my friend Shelley gave me for Christmas. So I added a bit of goat cheese and a sliver of pear atop a simple cracker.



 



As always, my philosophy is that simple food is usually the most appealing and delicious. Caprese skewers could not be any easier to assemble.

The tables were set simply as well, with a mix of cloth napkins, our white plates and silver utensils. Because of the number of guests, I squeezed two dining tables into the room...with seating for 15. It was cozy but I think it worked fine.

 

We decided on one signature drink for the evening---sangria! Since the theme of the food was Italian, I wanted something that sort of went along. It was a HUGE hit and I plan to make it more often. We probably could have used two of these! 

 

 

Brent and our friend Tom enjoyed a few glasses in the backyard as the guys played cornhole. The girls stayed inside and shared funny stories around the dining table.

For dinner I made two different kinds of lasagna, salad and breadsticks. We were so busy having fun that I didn't take pics. Same story for dessert which included two different kinds of Salted Caramel Gelato Pie (one was coffee and one was vanilla).

 

Look at this sweet couple! They bless us with their friendship and kind hearts. This was the very least we could do for them.

But secretly I do love that I can say I set them up on a blind date :)

Love and blessings,
Karli

Knocking out a wall

In all of my DIY and decorating and renovating our house, I've never gotten to take out a wall. But I want to.

So Brent and I are thinking about starting small. And by small, I mean a four foot long half wall. It's a silly little thing in between our kitchen and family room. Why it was ever there to begin with, I don't know. All the houses in our model had it.

Here are some pictures showing said wall...

During kitchen reno before we moved in

From the opposite angle looking into the family room

Last night at our HOA meeting (yes, we're both on the board. That's another story...), the house we met at was our model. They'd just taken their half wall out and it made a huge difference.

So the wheels in my mind start turning...and Brent started seeing the dollars fly.

But the good news is that the cost of this project is minimal...the bulk comes from having to move an air return that is housed in that half wall.

Now I just have to figure out what we'll do with the flooring at the transition. One thing always leads to another!

Stay busy,
Karli

An Estate Sale Dining Chair Journey

In my excitement to secure more items for the market, I've been hitting up estate and garage sales when I can. As I was laying in bed the other night, I checked out the sales for the upcoming weekend. One really caught my eye. It was in a nice part of town (meaning people usually had quality things) and a few of the items looked great in the preview pictures.

I could barely contain myself as I was driving to the sale. I'd missed out on some cool chairs at my last sale, so I was itching for the set I saw in the pictures.

I made a beeline to the chairs in the house, checked that they were solid and that I could easily get the seats off to reupholster. Check, Check. Immediately I told the sales people I wanted them. Lesson learned from last time.

I felt like I won.

Weird side note: Then I went into the garage to scope out the smalls. I found a box full of items from my old job... I'm not kidding. There were items in this box that only one of my co-workers would have had. I know the woman that hired me passed away within the last year and her husband loved golf (there was lots of golf stuff there too). I asked around and no one knew the name of the people who were selling all their stuff, so I'm going to assume that I now own the chairs of my late co-worker. It makes them more special. She was a lovely woman.


But they still need recovered. I have no blue in my house.

So the journey began, to find the right upholstery fabric.

As I began my hunt for the right fabric, mom was also working on my new "old" dining table---also in white. What a perfect match these would be!!!


Or so we thought. Stay tuned to see how they turned out...

Karli