Little Sicily Shares All...





Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Stop the Sodomy!!!

I’m in the process of looking for new car insurance. My dad has finally handed the bill over to me…he lied; he said he’d pay till I was 25. I’m still only 24, but they have cut me off. I know that I should not be complaining about this because my dad was very generous to pay for it up till now. I was just shocked when I saw the bill…close to $800.00 (for 6 months). F me. So Sal and I are in the process of finding insurance together. I have gotten one quote already that is less then half of the amount that I will be paying. It is not like I am thinking about going with a sub standard carrier either. (Sub Standard Carriers are the worst insurance companies ever…I wish that they would be outlawed!!!) Sorry Allstate looks like you are losing a customer…

Thursday, August 16, 2007

A new look

I'm so excited about the new look of my blog...thanks my computer genius. He helped me with it in hopes of cheering me up because I got into a little tiff with my parents about not getting married in a church. Grrr I do not understand why people hold on to a man made creation like it is something so important.

Please answer me this...why it is ok for a priest to hold a mass in a basement of a house, but yet a taboo to be married outside?

Funny that I am currently reading a book called god is not Great by Christopher Hitchens. This is just what I need right now, to feed the angry ego...

Monday, August 13, 2007

Morton Arboretum

I went to the Morton Arboretum on Saturday for a work Party, and Steve was able to come along. I have been to the Arboretum a few times before, so I was very excited about going again. Not to mention that Steve and I were thinking that it's be a good place to have our wedding (we're pretty much decided on it now). We love the facilities available for the ceremony and reception. I'm so excited about it. Now, we just have to save a lot of money.


This is the area where the ceremony would take place. It is in the Hedge Garden. There are steps that lead down to it, it is very elegantly designed.


This is the Ginkgo Room, where the reception would be held. 250 people can fit in that room. We are hoping to limit it to about 200-225 guests. There is a glass wall that looks out to a little lake surrounded by pretty flowers and trees.


Here is a better look at what you'd see looking out the window. There is a whole side of the room that is a picture glass window. It is amazing.

Wasting Money

I read an article today about the top ten money wasters for most people, and it got me thinking about my biggest money wasters are. I was a little disgusted to see exactly how much of a consumer I am…

My # 1 is scrapbook supplies. I spend about an average of $50-$75 per month on paper, stickers, cutting tools, and embellishments. Depends on my mood and how many times I enter into a scrapbook store. Each month, it may not seem like all that much (some people will disagree- namely Steve) but when you add it up that is about $2600-3900.00 per year. That is a hella lot of cash.

I know that I will not stop making scrapbooks, but what I will do, is try to use up all that I have (which is a closet full), I will not randomly go into a scrapbook store, and I will check the web for deals before buying in the store. If I need to go in a store to buy something, I will stick to the specifics that I need. I think that I can reduce my year amount spent in about half, if not more.

My # 2 eating dinner out; whether it is with Sal or my girlfriends, or family. I spend about $50.00 a month going to restaurants for dinner. That is about $2600.00 a year. Birthdays and special occasions will not go away, but I’m going to make sure that Steve and I don’t eat out because we don’t feel like cooking.

My # 3 Lunch out during the workweek. I used to eat out every day…before I bought a condo. Since then I’ve limited it to about 2-3 times a week. Spending an average of $9.00 each lunch, that is about $936-1092 per year. I will start packing a lunch everyday from now on. It is not that difficult and it will save a ton of money.

My # 4: Starbucks…oh how I love my Starbucks. I’d say that in any given week I will give between $12-14 to them. $624-728 to Starbucks a year. I won’t lie and say that I won’t go there anymore, because I love that place. I’m just going to limit my intake to about $6 a week, which would be only $312 a year.

On the high, I spend about $8,320 a year on scrapbooking, eating out and drinking coffee. That is huge. If I could cut that in half, I would save $4160.00 in a year alone. I’m on a mission to save money, since our wedding is going to cost a fortune.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Random Flashback

Yesterday I started thinking about how I would like to buy school supplies, yes I know random. That was my favorite going back to school ritual- I would buy them in Mid July, because I would be so excited about fun folders. Cute things motivate me…yes, I know, I am a consumer whore. I’m not too sure what got me thinking about them, but from that thought, thoughts of my childhood stemmed from that.

I started to think of 7th and 8th grade, I was a riot back in the day. My girlfriends and I would hang out together 24-7. I am happy to say that I am still best friends with 3 girls that I went to grade school with. Seeing how catty most girls can be- I’d say that we have accomplished something great. I love my St. Mary girls.

Back to 7th and 8th grade, we would hang out for hours in my basement. We thought that Hey Jude was the theme song to our lives. I just read through the lyrics, and I don’t really understand what we as 11 and 12 years olds thought that we shared with Hey Jude. It makes me laugh to think that I was so dramatic and that I felt so oppressed. I was really into writing and reading poetry. I remember thinking that Emily Dickinson and I had so much in common. I would write all types of poems, but mostly of unrequited love. I just wonder now, what I was really thinking then.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

John Adams is a horrible man...

Sal and I have officially started our wedding planning...the fun has only begun. I was a little surprised when we found out that all the places we looked at charge $125 and up per plate...good thing that we are getting married in 2 years...plenty of time to save!!!

We only went to two places today, The Bolingbrook Golf Club and Montefiori. I liked the outside area, where the ceremony would take place at the Bolingbrook Golf Club:

There is a very nice fountain to the side, and i think that it would be really nice to have the sound of water in the backdrop during the ceremony. The inside, where the reception would take place, is ok. A little cheesy for me though. There is a beautiful balcony off of the room, that was very nice though.

I love Montefiori. It was beautiful. It is what I pictured my wedding to be like...it is outside...literally in a tent...hehe. The landscape around it is so nice. Lots of water, waterfalls, trees, and flowers. I think that is my top pick so far.
I don't think that this picture really does this place justice.

In other news...I was appalled when I read an article about an abortion bill that Ohio State Legislator John Adams is attempting to pass. He would like to make it a law for women to have signed consent from the father of the baby in order to allow an abortion...WTF? I believe in reproductive freedom, and this bill is taking that freedom away. Note that if you are raped or molested, in order for an abortion, you would need a police report. I believe that this is just a republican's crazy way of making his own morals into a law. Luckily, if this is passed, it would be ruled as unconstitutional...

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Pigeons on the Pill?

Sal and I decided when we are getting married…June 2009. Originally we thought September 2008, but the Maid of Honor- Mary will not be able to get vacation time during campaign season, and it would be hard for Sal too, since he works in politics. We have to get married in the summer, because we want to get married outside.

I’ve already gotten into a little tiff about getting married outside with my mom. She of course wants me to get married inside of a church. Catholic priest will not marry you unless you are inside of a church. Since neither of us, (Sal or I) are avid church goers, we are not too upset about that. We can hire a Minster to perform the ceremony. I’m excited that we are going to start going to check out potential places soon. So far on our list is: Meson Sabika in Naperville,, The Bolingbrook Golf Club, and Montefiori in Lemont.

I also figured out who my bridesmaids will be…there will be 8 of them. I’m going send them all a cookie from www.weddingish.com that is in the shape of a dress. There is writing all over the cookie that asks “Will you be a bridesmaid” so cute. I’m very excited about that.

Other then wedding stuff, Steve’s friend Amy is coming to Chicago today and she is staying with us. I’m very excited to meet her!!!

In other news, Pigeons in Hollywood are to be placed on the “pill.” What has our world come to? Placing OvoControl P, a birth control pill approved by The Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will be placed in bird feeders all around Hollywood. On article that I read commented on how this was a humane way of reducing the pigeon population. I am not a scientist, but this does not seem to be natural/humane to me. How do they know it will not effect future generations of pigeons. I honestly think it is one of the most ridicules things that I have heard today.

So I shall move onto good news…Lucknow India has set the record for the most trees planted in one day. 10 Million to be exact. The previous record was 850,000 in another Indian state in 2006.
This is grand news!!! We need to give back to our earth. I just wish that more places and people would plant trees, instead of tearing them down.
 
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