Appetite for Service

Although I was MIA from the blog for a few months, I have to highlight an event I was part of this past spring. While in Cedar Falls, I was a Board Member for the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, and had the honor of being the co-chair to plan the organization's annual fundraiser, Appetite for Service.

Our committee collaborated for months to pull together enticing auction items and recruit table sponsors to culminate in this terrific evening at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo.  I was fortunate to have the support of my supervisor and co-workers at SCHEELS to purchase a table and join me to support the volunteer center. Each table is encouraged to design their table (and dress!) around a theme.  We decided on Scrabble for ours. I made over-sized letters for each of us to wear around our necks with wood, ribbon and vinyl letters. Double-sided, the letters spelled out 'VOLUNTEER' and 'CF SCHEELS.'

Working in the event world, I've attended and have helped organize many fundraisers, but Appetite for Service is by far the most unique one I've encountered yet. Sure, there is a nice dinner and an auction, but this event has a twist.  Each business who sponsors a table is asked to provide someone (usually a CEO or manager) to "serve" the table of guests in hopes to take home the coveted "Silver Tray of Service Award." The winner is whoever collects the most 'funny money' tips.  Upon arrival, guests have the opportunity to purchase 'funny money' (much like monopoly money) to tip the servers. Servers can earn their tips the traditional way, or by getting a little creative - its common for a server to steal another table's silverware and demand tips for its return.

It was a wonderful experience and an awesome way to serve my community.  In total, we raised over $30,000. 

A few photos of some of my other favorite tables...

How To: Make An Ottoman Slip Cover

My parents generously handed-down the couch from their basement to help us fill our family room. I remember helping my mother pick out the fabric for this couch when I was in middle school to match our newly finished basement.  It saw its share of sleepovers and movie nights, but held up well and made the journey to Iowa ten years later.

Hoping to make the couch my own, I switched out the throw pillows for a pop of color and made plans to re-purpose the ottoman. I've partnered with my sewing machine on a few projects throughout the years, so I decided to put my skills to the test by making a slip cover to match my new pillows. I figured I was off to a good start when I found the perfect color fabric (I have found that there are many versions of rustic orange).

A few hours later, the ottoman was like new! Whether you are like me and want to bring new life to an old piece, or if you're just looking to add a splash of color or texture to a room, this is a small way to make a big impact. I was able to complete this project for only $15!

What you'll need:

• Fabric (I recommend upholstery or a heavy cotton so it can take some wear and tear)
• Thread
• Scissors
• Measuring Tape
• Straight Pins
• Decorative Trim (optional)
• Sewing Machine (tip: if you don't own one you can 'rent' a seat at a local sewing shop!)

What you'll do:

Step 1: Purchase your fabric. My ottoman is a 20" by 20" cube and needed 1.5 yards.

Step 2: Cut 5 pieces of fabric. These will be the sides and top to your slip cover.  Measure each side and add an additional inch so you have room for your hem. For example, the side of my ottoman was 16" high by 20" wide, so I cut 4 pieces at 17" by 21".

Step 3: Sew your sides together with a 0.5" hem (remember that you made each piece 1" bigger than you needed, to allow for a 0.5" hem on each side). Be sure to sew inside out so your hem will be concealed in the inside of the slip cover.

Step 4: Slide your cover over the ottoman and correct any hems that are too tight or too loose.

Step 5: Fit your top piece to the sides.  With your 4 sides inside-out and snug around the ottoman, lay your top piece face down.  Secure to the 4 sides with straight pins.  Then, pull the cover off of the ottoman and sew it together on the sewing machine with a 0.5 inch hem.

Step 6: Turn the cover right-side out and slide over the ottoman.  Again, make note of any hems that need to be pulled tighter or loosened and make those corrections.

Step 7: Most likely, you will have small holes in the top corners that the sewing machine couldn't reach. Simply turn your cover inside out again and hand-stitch the corner together.

Step 8: You are almost done! Finish the bottom of the slip cover with a small hem around the base.

Step 9 (Optional): Hand-stitch a decorative trim on the top, bottom, or sides of your cover.

Step 10: Admire your work!

HOME

Rob and I are approaching our one year wedding anniversary and topped the year off with new jobs, a return to our favorite town, and the purchase of our first home.

It feels so good to say home.

Our search for a home started mid-April when a promotion for Rob and new position for me revealed themselves in Iowa City. We were thrilled for the opportunity to return to the city where we met and the place we always had plans to return to. Things moved very quickly and before we knew it, we were packed. With very mixed emotions, we put Cedar Falls in our rear view mirror.

We were so fortunate to be able to stay with Rob's parents in Cedar Rapids while adjusting to our new positions and searching for a place to call ours.  We found it in a quiet neighborhood in North Liberty, just north of Iowa City.  It was the place we walked in and said, "wow" as we entered the great room. Since then, it was pretty smooth sailing. Our offer was accepted and we began plans to move just a few weeks later.

We're starting to make this house our home.  We've painted rooms and added pictures of our families; the washer and dryer have seen our clothes and the furniture is making its print in the carpet.  We've heard incredibly strong winds and rain hit our windows in the middle of the night, and have even fallen asleep in the basement waiting for a storm to pass.  In the future, I hope the floors of our home echo the little footsteps of our children, and that the walls bare scuffs from being lived in for many years.  

As we covered a lime green wall with monkeys with our own fresh coat of paint, I looked over at Rob and said, "this is the room of the previous owners' little girl, and we are erasing it."  We took a moment to realize that we are not the only people who have called this home, there was one family here before us. They called our house their home for ten years, raised their babies and mowed the yard.  Now it is our turn, but I will always make note, that this is our first home and will not always be mine.  The memories I make here I will take with me when I go, to make room for a new young family to call their own.

I'm grateful to the seller who I've never met.  They left us a beautiful (and impeccably clean!) home, I'm sure a process that doesn't occur without some tears shed. I can tell that the man here before us was a handyman and his wife detailed.  There are a few marks on the carpet from their son's spilled juice, and a nook in the corner of the basement for princess dresses and pretend-play.  They made their mark on this place and I'm excited to do the same. Some time down the line I'll close the door to this home for the last time, and I hope that I will have rubbed off on it as well.

But today and for the next many years, it is our home. It will hold our traditions, our family, gatherings with our friends, and chats with neighbors on the driveway. For the first time since I was 18, every box can be unpacked and I won't have a new place every 12 months. I'm finally home.

Special thanks to my fabulous sister-in-law, Katie, for spending an evening with us to capture photos before the moving truck arrived.  I will treasure pictures of this day we put down roots in Iowa for years to come. 

Cheers!

The past few months...

Life has kept us busy lately! A brief overview of what's new:


New Jobs

Rob was promoted within his company, Learfield Sports, to work at the Hawkeye Sports Properties office.  He had a wonderful experience working in the Panther Sports Properties office with UNI, and was flattered that the Hawkeyes wanted him on their team.

I also found my way back to the Hawkeyes. I am an advisor for UI Dance Marathon at the University of Iowa. Over the past 20 years, the student organization has raised over $14.5 million for pediatric cancer patients at University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Philanthropy is in my blood and I'm thrilled to be able to advise such a passionate group of students making such an impact.







New Town / New Home
Our new positions came along with a relocation back to the Iowa City area.  Although we were sad to leave Cedar Falls, we knew we wanted to be back at our alma mater and near so many of our friends in the area.

We purchased our first home last month!  It is proving to be the perfect space for us and we are enjoying putting our touches on it. North Liberty has been great to us so far and we love being a quick trip to Iowa City or Cedar Rapids.








New Neighbor
My sister graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison this past spring and is heading to Iowa City to earn her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Iowa.  I wasn't sure if we would ever live in the same town again and am thrilled to be able to share the same zip code for the next two years!










New Miller
Everyone who knows me, knows I am a cat lover. When I learned that there was a kitten at the Cedar Valley Humane Society in need of a good home, I jumped at the chance.

Rob is technically allergic to cats, but because he loves me, he decided to take a chance on her. I'm happy to report that he is just as in love with Ashlynn "Ash" Miller as I am, and has had no reaction to her!








New Car
Home-less and car-less, that's how my husband described himself for a few weeks. Luckily, now he has both again.  Rob had the opportunity to sell his car for a few bucks a little sooner than we anticipated, and was able to purchase his next ride after closing on our house a few weeks later.  He is now the proud owner of a 2007 Lexus RX 350.










Hoping to get back into the swing of things with this blog now that life has slowed down a bit. Lots of projects to share!

KEEP CALM AND LEPRE CHAUN

Rob and my luck this St. Paddy's Day came in the form of visiting two of our most cherished friends, John and Danielle Eby, in Lincoln, Nebraska. We welcomed the brief escape from what seems to be a never-ending winter in Iowa.  Our skin actually felt 70 degrees in Lincoln - I still can't believe just a few hours makes such a difference!

On Saturday, we sported our 'KEEP CALM AND LEPRE CHAUN' shirts that I made after seeing the saying online.  I opted to make ours for only $6/shirt rather than the $24.99 Amazon was selling them for.  The four of us grilled out for lunch, tried out a new brewery - Blue Blood Brewery - and followed the rainbow to several downtown Lincoln bars.

Here is to wishing everyone some luck today and hoping you have your hands wrapped around a green beer!

Fun Ways To Tie Your Scarf

  

I own 49 scarves. I'm serious.  I just counted as I sat down to write this post and I have 49 scarves hanging on the inside of my closet door. It doesn't matter if it is fall, winter or spring - I'm wearing them. With skirts, sweaters, tank tops, or jeans. They are my favorite accessory and easily multiply the ensembles I can put together from my wardrobe. 

 

So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite ways to sport a scarf.  The picture above has a scarf tied in a bow.  I don't wear this one too often, but isn't it just adorable?! To create this look, drape the scarf over the back of your neck slightly off center.  Fold the shorter side into thirds towards your neck, and loop the other side over it from underneath. Pull down to create the center of the bow.

 

Some of my other favorites: 

 

I call this "The Twist" - Fold the scarf in half and then drape over the back of your neck. Pull one of the loose ends through the loop. Then, twist the loop and pull the other loose end through the smaller loop you just made.

Pair with a belt!

Create drama! Center a large scarf around the front of your neck, cross in the back, tie in the front, and tuck underneath.



For a square-shaped scarf: Fold into a triangle, center at the front of your neck, and cross behind. OR you can keep in a triangle, drape over the back of your neck and loosely tie in the front. 



Use a thin scarf as a fun belt!

 

Switch up the way you wear your infinity scarf! Drape loosely OR twist the two layers around one another for a tighter look.

 

Pair two scarves together! My husband works in the University of Northern Iowa Athletics office.  Instead of purchasing a purple and gold scarf to cheer on the Panthers, I just use a yellow infinity scarf and weave one of my purple scarves through it.

 

 

Keep it simple and just tie both ends into a knot.

 

Just a few more of my other favorites. Notice that I am wearing the same shirt in all of these pictures, but have put together so many different looks - makes it easy to justify having so many scarves! (or so I tell my husband)

The Millers / Downtown Cedar Falls / With Laughter

 

The hubby and I had a fun date night downtown this weekend.  We started the night at Soho for drinks and dinner, attended the play Clue at Oster Regent Community Theatre, and met up with some friends for a nightcap.

I've seen a few shows at Oster Regent now and continue to be impressed by the local talent our little town holds.  Clue, one of my favorite movies and board games growing up, was no exception.  The cast took us on a hilarious two hour adventure of whodunit and encouraged everyone in the audience to cast our vote for who/in what room/with what weapon.  In the end, we were shown three different possibilities for how the night in the mysterious mansion could have gone down.

Every time the curtain falls on a show like this I have a itch to audition for an upcoming production. Community theatre may be in my future!