Kristen's Bridal Shower

I drove out to Chicago this weekend for Kristen's Bridal Shower. Her Aunt-In Law's to be hosted and it was a really fun time. The decorations were super cute too (all fun Kitchen gadgets that Kristen could take home). So anyways, despite the "pastey, puffy, tired" look that I have in all of these pics I decided to post a few so that this event was documented. My mom, sister and I also threw a California shower but I haven't loaded the pics yet so there are more to come....

The favors were a collection of recipes along with these cute little heart shaped measuring spoons.

A table.....obvi.

A bunch of Kristens chicago/college/work friends

Kristen opening a bunch of her beautiful gifts

That "pasty, puffy, tired" picture that I was referring to.

Another one.... with the bride and my Glam-a

Here is my college roommate Katie...who also happens to be my sister's soon-to-be sister in-law. Weird huh?

A few other "Fun Facts:"

• My sister is marrying Jim. Jim introduced Pat and I at Notre Dame.
• Kristen and I both started dating our "husbands" the first week of college.
• Jim has 2 sisters and Kristen has two sisters...Katie and Lauren Dowd and Katie and Lauren O'Connor ( they both actually have one brother too, but they have different names-Marty and Danny so it isn't as cool) :)
• Kristen and Jim have been dating for 9 Years!!!
• Ummmm i am sure there are more, but that was all I could think of for now.

Breakfast Dinner

I love breakfast for dinner and this is one of my favorite things to make.

Quiche

Recipe From: Judy O’Connor

You can add many different fillings to the basic recipe. Bacon and spinach was always our favorite at the O’C’s. You can add mushrooms or green onion if you like it.


2 Deep Dish pie shells—frozen or refrigerated
1 pkg. bacon, regular or turkey, cut into pieces and fried
3 cups cheddar or Colby jack cheese
2 pkgs. frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly in paper toweling
6 jumbo or 8 large, beaten eggs
2 C. heavy cream
!/4 tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

1. Bake empty pie shells according to package directions—remember to poke a few holes with a fork.
2. Arrange cheese and most of the bacon in the cooked shells.
3. Spread drained spinach on top of cheese and bacon.
4. Mix eggs, cream, and seasonings together. Pour into pie shells. Top with remaining bacon and chopped parsley if you have it.
5. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly brown and bubbly—about 45 minutes. Freezes well.

Yesterday

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Yesterday I spent almost 7 hours driving through corn fields listening to Britney Spears. Seriously. That is how i spent my Wednesday. 2 meetings. Lots of b-spears... and even more corn. I felt very "Crossroads" only I know who my mom is and I was alone.

Sometimes my life is very funny. Yesterday was one of those days.

Baby Blogs are Better

I am definitely sort of baby crazy these days, but even if i wasn't I would still say that the blogs where people have cute little kids or really adorable baby bumps seem to be the most entertaining. I struggle to think of funny things to say or to find "cute" pictures of myself and Pat that people might enjoy...and every time I do, i always think "jeez if only i had a baby there would definietly be something cute and funny to post- mid 20's Pat and Katie just aren't cutting it." So anyways, since baby time is a ways away for the O'B's, I am going to post a sneek preview of how cool my blog will be in the years to come ( this is a joke please dont be too freaked out).

I will write about all of the days I spend just "hanging out" in evening gowns laughing and chillin' with my baby in my perfectly decorated home

I will also, write about the creative name I came up with for my baby that none of the other moms thought of ....little "Orangej ello O'Brien"

And then i would talk about how my little kids are the smartest little kids ever!! SO smart in fact that they have their own reality shows about science and math.

ANd then i would follow up with stories about how I spent the day at the playground and the paparazzi ( in suburban Ohio) just WOULD NOT leave me or "the baby" alone!

Aaaaand pretty much it is just going to be awesome. Until then though, you will have to listen to me talk about "me" and all of the cool, cute, smart stuff that I do while staying busy.

Hope you guys aren't too bored....sorry :)

10 things that I would rather be doing....

Mondays often make me think of what I would rather be doing with my time. As awesome as my day of conference calls and media buying has been I would rather be doing any one of these 10 things:

1. Sitting in a little Cabana on a beach someplace with Pat

2. Getting a pedicure and having lunch with my girlfriends

3. Shopping for Fall clothes with an unlimited budget

4. Working out for Biggest Loser - "Pat and Katie edition" (trying to get skinny for my sister's wedding in December)

5. Doing something creative and constructive like putting together all of the photo albums i have been meaning to create.

6. Going for a hike on one of the gorgeous trails by my house. The fall leaves are tdf right now

7. Enjoying a glass of wine while watching project runway re-runs

8. Getting my car washed (it has been forever and I am genuinely looking forward to it being clean again)

9. Planning my sister's Bachelorette Party that we are doing in Florida November 7-9

10. taking a nap in a hammock while periodically reading either a good book or an US weekly filled with celebrity gossip that I don't already know about :)

Be nice to your Grandma

My grandma recently purchased an older condo on the same little island that my parents live on. It is in a beautiful area but it needed a little bit of fixing up. Lucky for my Grandma my sister Lauren and her super nice boyfriend Josh offered to do the complete re-design. They have been in Florida for weeks working on this remodel. As you can see from the pics - My Grandma loves it!!! She is beyond excited to move in -- which is such a relief knowing that it will be really hard for her to leave the house she lived in with my Grandpa for 35 years. Just thought i would post some pics as a "kudos" for Lauren and Josh (i think this counts as their good deed for the year)!!!

They made cookies so that it would smell "home-y" whe she came to see it.


gotta love the polished wood - pass thru


Have you ever seen someone so excited about a sink in your life? I love this one!


My mom made this adorable shell mirror (so Florida....so cute)!


Lauren, My Grandma, and Josh after the big reveal.

Good Morning Fall!!

I woke up this morning and I swear it turned into fall over night. All of the trees outside my bedroom window were bright orange and yellow and the streets were covered in leaves. It was seriously gorgeous! For some reason it made me think of that movie "Hocus Pocus" that Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler were in. Pretty sure that is like hands-down my favorite Halloween movie of all time. If you haven't seen it - It is a must rent. love it....and i love the fall.