Calling All High School Seniors: Scholarship Opportunity!

Hi Y'all! My Junior League offers a few $1000 scholarships each year for High School Seniors in Kane & DuPage Counties in Illinois.If you know of anyone who would be interested and qualifies, please have them check out the opportunity at:

WWW. JLKD.ORG

JLKD is an organization of over 160 women from throughout DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties which focuses on improving the quality of life for children at risk in the community by providing critical resources and programs through our trained volunteers.

For more information, visit www.jlkd.org, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/JLKDServes and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JLKDServes.

Weekend Recap - Volunteerism & Porkchops

This past weekend was one of my most relaxing in a really long time.

Friday, BF was super kind to come over and collect my new chair for delivery!  That evening we went out to dinner and decided to try a restaurant long recommend to me by a former co-worker and good friend: Yu's Mandarine.

BF was especially excited because he's been talking non-stop about how they make noodles ever since we saw and episode of Chef vs.City: Atlanta where they had to make noodles with a long piece of dough basically hitting hit and pulling it like taffy till it took shape. We got way too much food, and the 'Noodle Show' was kind of a let down, but overall it was nice to get out on a 'date'.

Saturday my Junior League hosted an event at the Naperville Barnes and Noble. We had crafts and reading to kids, and handed out fliers so that a portion of the purchases went towards our Book fund. We collect donations of funds and books to disperse books within the community to increase literacy.

While I was participating in this event, BF spent the afternoon watching PURDUE KICK OSU BUTT! YES! And make homemade Giardiniera.... Ok, for those of you who don't know what this is (everyone not  from Chicago or of an Italian heritage), it's basically a spicy oil based relish of peppers that people put on everything from hot dogs to Italian beefs and salads. BF wants to make it to hand out this Holiday season. He got the bug from me last year with my spiced tea and Olive tapenade (recipe per Testa's which they were kind enough to give me over the phone and has become a staple in my holiday cooking and hosting.)

After the event, I made my way to BF's parents (where he and his dad were cutting up the ingredients to the giardiniera) for an afternoon/evening of football and laziness. 

Sunday was spent relaxing and watching a Muppet's Christmas carol & football, but also being a cleaning machine (much needed). I also made a Sunday Supper for the two of us which included:

Mustard Marinated Porkchops

Mashed Potatoes

Fresh Green Beans (sauteed with green onions and garlic)

Apple & Vidalia onion relish for the chops

I got the Porkchop recipe from the cookbook we received at the wedding last weekend! Who knew that chops were so cheap! (seriously they're so much cheaper than beef or chicken).

Sadly, I was unaware that partially due to his college nickname and partially due to how fraternity houses typically over-cook food, BF is not a huge fan of porkchops. He said mine were pretty good though, although he says that doesn't mean he wants them every night. 

And even though the Blackhawks and the Bears won, I think BF and I can agree the biggest win was the Ohio State game. Overall a great weekend!

What'd you do this weekend? Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?

Stationary!

If you were 'raised right', your mother taught you that there is nothing for important than writing 'thank-yous', unless it's having nice stationary. I recently planned a surprise Baby shower/dinner for some of the girls in my AMAZING Junior League Provisional. The girls all wanted to pitch in on the gifts. One of the donations I received was in such a cute card I had to look it up!

It was by Pluff Mudd. They make prints as well, but I'm contemplating getting the cards for 2 reasons:

1.) so I can have some cute new stationary

2.) so I can frame them as gifts!

Check out some of the prints I'm interested in:

This is the one that caught my attention.

I also liked this one when it comes to 'Southern' things :)

There were two that caught my eye for my grandma:

She's originally from Indianapolis.

And now she lives in Marietta, Ga!

I loved this for my parents!

Overall, there just so cute! Do you have any favorite places you typically get your note cards? I typically order from Giftsin24 in a cream Classic Frame Monogram.

Two Brother's Brewery - Follow Up

I meant to post these the other day.... I took some pics of our food for dinner at Two Brother's Brewery during our Junior League Brainstorming:

Their mac'n cheese looked TO DIE FOR!

I had the fish tacos and they were by far the best I've had in a REALLY REALLY LONG TIME! AMAZING

Ya'll should really check out this hidden treasure. The building is a little off putting because it basically looks like an industrial plant and is hidden in an industrial park.... but it's AMAZING! Plus, if you're a micro-brewer yourself, they have all the equipment to sell you as well!

Junior League April General Membership Meeting- LEADERSHIP

One of my favorite quotes is by Mr. Mark Twain:

“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

 

It shows that the key behind any leader is community. During last night's April General Meeting for my Junior League we were given the option to choose between two seminars for the second half of our meeting:

1. “WORDS AND ACTIONS: YOUR POWER TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP” – In this workshop you will learn communication strategies that will help you to avoid a communication breakdown when you lead others; leadership strategies that will help you to embrace and execute your leadership potential for greater results; and teamwork principles that will aid you in having consistent communication with those that you lead.

2. “BUTTERFLIES FLY AWAY: A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING AND NETWORKING” - In this interactive workshop, participants will begin to feel comfortable with speaking in public situations. You will learn how to break the ice; organize your speech; and get to the point. You will also learn networking techniques that will help you spread the message of your organization and create new partnerships along the way. This session is recommended for incoming Board members or those members stepping into a Leadership role.

I chose #1, because I felt I'm already pretty extroverted.

In this session one main thing stuck out; the speaker outlined L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P as 4 Strategies and 6 Techniques:
"L" - Listening: Strategy #1
        1. Ask questions of clarification
        2. Give good eye contact
        3. Eliminate any distractions

"E" - Energy: Strategy #2
        Build in breaks every 90 mins to rejuvenate your energy

"A" - Appreciation: Strategy #3
        1. Recognition and praise will motivate others to help you.
        2. Catch them doing something right
        3. Provide public praise (criticise in private)

"D" - Delegation: Strategy #4
         1. Give clear directions
         2. Give power and authority
         3. Provide with proper resources

"E" - Enthusiasm: Technique #1
        You as the leader must know what your passions are in regards to your group and make sure to connect with them.

"R" - Respect (show a high regard): Technique #2
        1. Time
        2. Opinions
        3. Contributions

"S" - Stability: Technique #3
        1. Control your emotions
        2. Maintain a healthy work/life balance
        3. Maintain your composure and rationality

"H" - Honesty: Technique #4
        People work well with people they can trust

"I" - Influence: Technique #5
        1. Use words
        2. Use actions
        3. Use incentives

"P" - Positive Attitude: Technique #6
        1. A positive attitude commands respect
        2. Helps you get connected to others
        3. It promotes your energy to a higher level

I really like this outline and plan to try to implement it in my personal and professional life. What do you do to continue personal development?

Weekend Recap: 4/10

This weekend was obviously engrossed with Junior League Kids in the Kitchen, however I did manage to do a little more. I had every intention of staying in the burbs after such a long day on Saturday, however I was swayed by the promise of an 80's cover-band at Joe's on Weed. After hanging out with BF, I as the party pooper that passed out at 8:30pm, only to wake up this morning. I feel bad for keeping BF in, but I was wiped. This morning, to make up for it, I took us to the Twisted Spoke. BF Loves this place as it's a biker bar with killer bloody mary's; which of course we pare-took in :)

Massive bar, with lots of draft options!

Check out their Bourbon Collection!

BF's  - YES that's BACON & Cheese in BACON infused vodka!

My Queen Mary - mine had lime flavored gin in stead of vodka

My Elvis French Toast with Peanut Butter & Banana. BF had chequiles, but I didn't think it was picture worthy. BF said these looked like drunk-food heaven!

Then BF decided he wanted to try another:

Later on this afternoon, a friend from work helped me look for a new apartment. My current place is trying to increase my rent $50/month; RIDICULOUS! So I'm looking more around the Schaumburg/Arlington Heights area so that I'm closer to Dan's place in the city and it's only 3-4 miles further to work than I am now. I'm an ubber dork that created an excel spreadsheet that took into account costs for mileage (gas/mile/month), gym membership (if they don't have one available), storage (in-case i have to continue to pay for an extra storage unit), extra cost of moving, and move in fees. However, when it's all said and done, you HAVE to see places. I just wish I had done this much research when I had first moved up here. I have a clear front runner in my decision, but I still need to negotiate pricing and availability. I'm determined to not be on a first floor again; I don't think it's weird that I feel less secure on the first floor.
Any who, have you been to any fun places in the city (or the burbs) lately that you think I should try? Do you know of any good apartments in the areas I've mentioned? Please let me know! Have a great week!

Junior League's Kids in the Kitchen

I forgot whether I mentioned it, but this past Saturday was our Annual Kids in the Kitchen event. This was the second year we've held it at Mooseheart Child City & School.
PurposeThe goal of the Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen initiative, which is supported by The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. and its member Leagues, is to empower youth to make healthy lifestyle choices and help reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues.

The event really allowed us to interact with the kids and experience our mission. It was a wonderful event. My schedule was as follows:

Some of our AMAZING volunteers!

8:30-10am: Kitchen: Set up for cooking events

There were 5 prep tables, one per stations which each contained ingredients/utensils for 5 separate recipes/meals

Each group got their own oven/sink area

all the Asparagus we had to cook for both sessions

I was group #3 leader, we had an Asian Chicken with a Soy sauce and spicy asparagus

Each station had laminated copies of each recipe

10-11am: Kitchen: Boys- Cooking events

Each group received introductions to fresh herbs and how to chop ingredients properly from our own Chef Brandy

Some of the boys with Chef Brandy

11-11:30am: Cafeteria: Boys- Lunch

11:30-12:30pm: Kitchen: Girls- Cooking events

My girls with their Chicken

My other girls with their asparagus

12:30-1pm: Cafeteria: Girls- Lunch

1-1:30pm: Cafeteria: Clean up 

What you can't see, is that the kids got presentations by a nutritionist. They also got instruction on introductory Karate.  We had everything clean and ready by 2pm. Also, we had our local Jimmy John's donate 2 trays of sandwiches for our volunteers. We had plenty left over, and were able to share with some of the kids taking their ACT's in another building.

Our total committee did such an amazing job with fundraising, that we were able to use a large portion of our designated budget for new pots/pans/cooking-utensils for each of the cooking stations in the school's home-ec room we had utilized for the event. It truly was a wonderful experience.

Smathers & Branson

During the Junior League's Ride into Spring Fundraiser that I've previously mentioned (Here and Here) I won the gift certificate donated by Smathers & Branson! So yesterday I decided to use it...

In the hopes that the people receiving these as gifts don't actually read my blog.... I'll still try not to mention who these are for; although it's pretty obvious if you know me.
The gift certificate was for a generous $165, which would buy one of there beautiful hand needle point belts, however I always like to stretch a dollar when I can help it, so I tried to get a few different things:

Something for a Special Sorority Girl

For my future set of beach keys ;)

For someone I just can't convert to a GOOD school :)

For the first recipient, and her next football season

Overall, they look like beautiful products and I can't wait to gift them! Check out Smathers & Branson when you get a chance. They have a ton of different schools as well as fun other designs! Belts, Headbands, Flasks, Wallets, and Key fobs galore!

Additionally, they have free shipping on all orders over $175!

Junior League- Ride Into Spring

I believe I've mentioned it before, but I am a member of my local Junior League. For those of you who don't know what this is:

The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and building their members' civic leadership skills through training. According to its mission, "The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable."

My 'chapter' has it's annual fundraiser on Friday. The function is a silent and live auction, with live auction items of:

Shih-tzu Puppy
Black and white female puppy. Nine weeks old, ten weeks by the event.
Provided by Dr. Buishas from The Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital.
Picture to come soon.
Value Priceless
Details and Picture of Puppy

Hyatt Regency Paris Madeleine
5-Night Stay with Airfare for Two
Value $11,904
Details of Paris Trip

Sports Fan Getaway
Choose Your Favorite MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, PGA,
or Non-BCS College Bowl Game*
with 2-Night Weekend Stay and Airfare for Two
Value Priceless
Details of Sports Fan Getaway

Sonoma VIP Wine Experience
Features Chauffer, Wine Tours, and 4-Night Stay with Airfare for Two
Value Priceless
Details of Sonoma Trip

Choose Your Own Destination
Pick a city and fly with two domestic round trip tickets from AirTran Airways.
Throw your clothes into the large Ralph Lauren carry-on bag and
capture wonderful memories with the Cannon Power Shot digital camera.
See document for complete details and restrictions.
Value $1,550
Details of Choose Your Own Destination

Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island
2-Night Getaway for Two
Value $1,455
Details of Mackinac Island Getaway

Hot Air Balloon Ride for Four
Choose from 200 Locations Nationwide
Value $800
Details of Balloon Ride

HD TV and Blu Ray Disc Player
Vizio 32” 1080P LCD HD TV Model E322VL
with Panasonic Networking Blu Ray Disc Player Model BD655
Value $760

iPad - 32 GB with Wi-Fi and AccessoriesSee attachment for details.Value $705Details of iPad and Accessories

 I am particularly excited because my mom and Nana are coming up from Atlanta for the event. I am also very excited because I received donations from the following wonderful and generous organizations/people:

LINK 

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

LINK

I will take lots of pictures of the event and items as a follow up... but I can not be more grateful to these people for their help. The funds raised go to support our league and it's efforts within the community to promote literacy and healthy development to children in need.

January 2011 JLKD

Check out the lastest activities from my Junior League!