Posts

Showing posts from 2009

Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Image
The oak hardwood floor in our house was old and looked dirty, with many scratches that showed the traffic pattern of the people before us. There were places where the protective coating had worn out and the wood turned gray and black, which didn't look nice. We wanted to resurface the floor before we move in to make it look new again. Since sanding the floor will create tons of dust, we wanted to do it before we move things in. We began on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11 and rented a floor sander from The Home Depot. These sanders are very heavy and uses a very large sheet of sand paper. The base moves in a small circular motion to sand the floor and we started with 24 grit to remove the old finish, followed by 60 grit and 100 grit. I pushed the sander around for 10 hours that day and returned the sander the next morning. It didn't come out perfect because there are some deep swirl marks that we couldn't get rid of. For the most part, the floor is a lot better than when we start

New House

Image
We bought our first house and closed the deal on Nov. 2, 2009. The search process seemed long because we were going out to open houses almost every Sunday and we saw many houses in the area we wanted to live. The general requirement was that it should be within 20 minutes driving to work. Then there are other requirements such as 3 bedrooms or more, 2 bathrooms or more, 2 attached garages, among other things. We looked for houses in the $200k to $300k range, as well as some that are in the 400k range. Each time we see a house, we would rank it from 1 to 10, where 10 being the ideal house. Each time Jenn and I will be pretty close; 5, 6, or 7 are common, and a few that gets the 8 rating. We began to realize that price does not necessarily correlate to quality, and the 430k house is not ranked higher than some that are $280k. By September, we were not seeing many new listings, so we felt we should make a decision at that point. What we did was making a trade-off matrix in Excel, with e

House Hunting

Jenn and I are thinking of buying a house these days. In fact, it constantly occupies my mind. Jenn had been looking at houses ever since she moved to the Capital Region, and we have been looking together since summer of 2008. Jenn was looking to buy a house because of the notion that renting is like throwing money into the toilet. I don't completely agree with that concept, but in the long run, paying a mortgage and end up owning a house is better than paying rent and still don't own anything in the end. Jenn didn't buy because of many reasons, such as having to take care of maintenance by herself, under-utilization, snow removal, yard work, etc. Last year we were looking because Jenn was deciding whether to renew the apartment lease or buy a house. She ended up moving to a different apartment. Now that we are married, there's even more reason to buy a house. Our population has doubled, our stuff is doubled, we want to do things that living in an apartment cannot offer

June 14th 2009 Honeymoon Day 7 (last day)

Sunday was the last day of our honeymoon. We booked a flight back to New Bedford in the afternoon, but we still have many things that we wanted to do. In the morning we went on a Van Tour by Gail. She said her mother started the tour business on a buggy in the 1920's, and she took over the business many years ago. She drives the van around the island and tells stories about the buildings, landmark, the people who lives around there, and where are the things worth seeing later. One interesting thing we learned was that Nantucket has a cranberry industry. The way they harvest them is to flood the growing area with water so the berrys float on the surface and that makes picking them much easier. Gail also explained that the island is constantly being eroded away and many houses on the edge of the shore either get washed away or had to be relocated. Those houses are very expensive, and sometimes they will pay another owner to move their house so they can move the house from shore to th

June 13th 2009 Honeymoon Day 6

In the morning we went downstairs to get breakfast served by the inn. They actually have a menu for breakfast, so we get to pick from among a few different choices such as sausage or pancake or fruit platters. I forgot what we ordered but it was delicious. I asked if we could stay one more night there, but the inn was all full. The innkeeper helped us find three other bed and breakfast places and we picked Centerboard Guest House as our next lodging. Because we cannot check-in at the Centerboard until 3 pm, we put our stuff in the Union Inn lobby and went out to tour the town. We got a map from the Union Inn and the innkeeper had told us about a walking route that will take us to see different parts of the Nantucket town. We followed that route and went towards a historic light house on the beach. People were waiting in line to go up the tower. We also waited in line and got up there to see the view from the higher vantage point. For lunch, we walked to a sandwich place that the

June 12th 2009 Honeymoon Day 5

The flight to Nantucket was in the early morning, so we got up at around 8 AM, grabbed a quick breakfast, and rolled our luggage towards the bus station, which was a short 5 minutes walk. We got on the bus, paid $2 each person, and took a nice ride to the airport, which is located in the middle of the island. The airport is as simple as can be. There was no security check, no bag check, because everything is carry-on. The Cape Air counter agent told us that the fog is forcing the airport to be closed and no plane can fly until the visibility picks up. There are people who waited since 6 in the morning to fly to Nantucket. We waited for about an hour before they told us to board. The plane is a 7 passenger 1-engine turboprop. The luggage gets put in the wings and in front of the cockpit. I was sitting in the front row, right behind the pilot, and looking at the pilot working with the flight controls was interesting. The small plane and the fog made me nervous, even though I

June 11th 2009, Honeymoon Day 4

After another night with calming ocean sound, we got up on Thursday morning and had breakfast again on the Balcony. That morning was slightly colder, but we still finished the breakfast looking out to the beach. We walked on the beach a bit but not many people were there. The water was too cold to go in for a swim. We took the bus to Edgartown, got our bike and continued our journey south towards the south shore. Just before reaching the beach on the south side, we saw the resort Winnetu, which is kind of out in the middle of nowhere but has nice access the the vast shoreline and beach on the south side of the island. We stopped the bike and went lie down on the beach for a while, just relaxing. It was a perfect day to bike. Afterwards we took a different way back towards Vineyard Haven, which is another town slightly north of Oak Bluffs. This bike path passes by the airport. On the way we eat a lobster roll in a diner next to an airfield that usually takes people on a biplan

June 10th 2009, Honeymoon Day 3

In the morning, I got up and got breakfast from the dining area down stairs and brought it to our room to eat on the balcony while looking out to the beach. I thought that would be a nice thing to do to have our private breakfast together. The meal included orange juice, muffins, bagel with cream cheese, cheerios with milk, and waffle with syrup. It's not as fancy but we had enough food. We took a nap before heading out of the inn. We walked to the town center of Oak Bluffs and checked out the several bike rental places to see what they offer. We decided to rent from King Rentals mostly because they are cheaper and the bike looked newer. We got the tandem bike which was bright red and looked like brand new. They gave us a chain and lock and off we went. Jenn was sitting in the back and she couldn't see where we were going because my back was blocking her view. It was scary for her in the beginning, but she got used to it after a while. We biked to Edgartown, which was

June 9th 2009, Honeymoon Day 2

Like I wrote last time, the bed at the Melville House was very comfortable. We had a good night's sleep. Breakfast was served at 10 am by the innkeeper Stan. We had muffins, banana bread, cereal & milk, orange juice, strawberries, and scrambled eggs. Everything was fresh and tastes organic. Stan says they try to be as organic as possible, which suits our style. Stan also gave us a tour of the house, which has a couple rooms used for their massaging service called the Bradley Technique. The house has more bedrooms on the second floor, which look out across the street to see other magnificent houses that were built in the 1800's. After we packed up our luggage, put them in the car, we drove to the ferry service to see what time they have ferry to Martha's Vineyard. The ferry leaves at 6:30 pm, so we decided to walk around downtown and visit the whaling museum, one of the main attractions in New Bedford. The Whaling museum tells the history of the town, showing i

Yay! We are married!

Please check out our website: http://www.pcjz.info We will also be posting pictures from the wedding and honeymoon! Thank you to all who helped out!

June 8th 2009, Honeymoon Day 1

We drove on I-90 East towards Massachusettes, passing by many little towns along the way. Paul drove the whole way, and Jenn couldn't help but fall asleep. Paul took pictures of Jenn falling asleep; she wakes up occasionally and wonders where she was. We arrived in New Bedford, MA in the evening. The bed and breakfast place is nestled within a historic residential neighborhood. We took our luggage inside, then went out to look for dinner. Few restaurants were still open at 9, but we found Freestone Grill and dined there. We ordered salmon and scallops and fish chowder and beer. The chowder was very good. They also had live music playing in the background very loudly; we couldn't really hear each other, plus Jenn had a sore throat and couldn't really talk. We used gestures and noise to communicate. The room we stayed at is called the Garden Room, at the Melville House, which was a wedding gift from a whaling merchant to his daughter in the 19th century. Herman Melvi

Favorite Bridal Hairstyles

Image
The Half Up-Do From wedding-hairstyles.net , see full article on this half up-do here. Customize your own half up-do from these fabulous accessories: Elegant and Simple Up-Do Love the elegant simplicity. Try these clips to create your own look:

30 days to go!

In Progress: Send email form invitations for ceremony only guests Make programs Put together lavender baggies for favors Order 4x6 prints and insert into photo album favors for reception guests Get or make gift card box - Thanks Maggie! Choose playlist for reception music Make flow and responsibility list for Friday-Saturday Plan games for reception Not Started:  Finalize ceremony procedures Plan seating chart Print out names for photo albums and insert Finalize father-daughter dance song  Buy gift for Jenn Pick out Bible verses Make slide show DONE: Design and make centerpieces Decide on decorations for church and reception hall, how to incorporate Chinese traditions Assemble and send invitations Plan church reception food and drinks Buy gifts for groomsmen Buy unity candle Get ring boy and attire and accessories Buy gifts for parents Buy gift for Paul Make guest book from engagement pictures Buy wedding bands Plan girls night/day out with bridesmaids

Lavender Sachets for Favors

For cost effective and useful favors, we bought bulk lavender from Glenbrook Farm and little sheer mesh baggies ($10 for 50) . We had them in two large baskets at the entrance of the church so that guests could grab one or a few as they walked in. During the send-off, our wedding coordinator organized the guests into two rows and tossed the lavender blossoms at us as we exited the church. A bunch ended up in my hair and my dress, but it was lots of fun and smelled really nice too. Guests could also take the sachets with them and use them at home to scent their closets.

Bouquets

Image
Here are some bouquets ideas I loved.

Updated Checklist

Get engagement pictures - round 1:  3/7/09, round 2: 4/11/09, round 3: 4/25/09 Make guest book from engagement pictures - in progress Assemble and send invitations - in progress Finalize ceremony procedures Make programs Get ring boy and attire and accessories Get or make gift card box or bird cage Reserve or design and make centerpieces Decide on decorations for church and reception hall, how to incorporate Chinese traditions Choose playlist for reception music Buy wedding bands - in progress Buy gifts for attendants, parents, and each other Plan church reception food and drinks Buy unity candle Pick out Bible verses Make slide show Plan games for wedding DONE: Book hair and makeup  DONE: Buy/make veil and tiara DONE: Decide on location for getting ready, Stockade Inn DONE: Buy dress for first dance and reception DONE: Buy ballroom dance shoes DONE: Get flower girl and attire and accessories DONE: Buy QiPao DONE: Choose song for first dance, start rehearsing - At Last, Etta James DONE

Tree Favors

Image
The thought that our guests would plant a tree after they go home from our wedding was inspiring. Not only would we make an impact on reducing greenhouse gases, as the tree grows, our guests would also remember our special day. We didn't end up using this favor for a few reasons: 1. We had guests from abroad and wasn't sure if they would be allowed to bring botanicals home. 2. Lastly, what if they lived in an apartment, then the tree would go to waste? I still love the idea though, maybe for a future baby shower when all guests will be local and have houses. These are only $1.99 each when ordering 100 or more.

Bulk Flowers for Center Pieces

Ordering bulk flowers is the way to go if you want to save money on center pieces. We had our wedding coordinator arrange the Calla lily center pieces while we and the guests were at the ceremony. They came out beautiful and no one could tell that they were not ordered from a florist. Here are a few great sites for getting Calla lilies and other flowers bulk. Peach colored Callas from pacificcallas.com, plus free shipping on all orders. Standard White Calla Lilies, 35 inches long from Fifty Flowers Mini-Callas in different colors from JRroses If I was more brave, I would get bulk flowers and make our own bouquets, but I didn't want the added stress and I'm really not that crafty. I'm glad we could at least same some money with bulk flowers for center pieces, thanks to our talented wedding coordinator's flower arrangement skills!

Crepe paper supplies

Castle on the air

Ballroom dancing

Eileen's Dance Studio in Schenenctady

Bridal Beauty

Bridal beauty tips from theKnot.com

Shoes

Image
DanceShoes4U.com  $99.95 free shipping

Wedding Favors

Image
Custom Labels from Beau-Coup.com Green wedding favors , personalized seed packets, bulbs, tree seedlings Beau-Coup has fine favors, also bag of lavender seed Cherry blossom fans also from Beau-Coup Wrap with us

Engagement Guest Book

Image
We were fortunate to have terrific photographer friends who took our engagement pictures around the Capital Region. We designed and oryered our book from Blurb.com which offers free book creation software. The hardcover book was beautiful and professionally made and the software is also easy to use. You can also use code (NEWBLURB) for 20% off your entire order. Some other options for engagment guest books: Apple Photobook, $29.95 for hardcover book, have to buy the iPhoto software first Shutterfly leather $39.95, suede or cloth $29.95 Snapfish

Remaining Items to do

Book Florist - in progress Book hair and makeup - in progress Buy/make veil and tiara Decide on location for getting ready - need to know from hair/makeup Get engagement pictures - round 1 tentatively 3/7/09 Make guest book from engagement pictures Assemble and send invitations - in progress Finalize ceremony procedures Make programs Get flower girl and attire and accessories Get ring boy and attire and accessories Get or make gift card box or bird cage Book videographer Make or get favors - Reserve or design and make centerpieces Create website - Paul in progress Identify ceremony coordinator - Joy Chen, Nuo Sheng Decide on decorations for church and reception hall, how to incorporate Chinese traditions Buy QiPao Choose song for first dance, start rehearsing - At Last, Etta James Choose playlist for reception music Buy dress for first dance and reception Buy ballroom dance shoes Have engagement party Buy wedding bands Get marriage certificate Buy gifts for attendants, parents, and e

Photography

We've signed the contract with our photographer! They are a husband and wife team, located in Clifton Park, NY. Check out their website: Imagine Portrait Studio . We chose them because they were fun to talk to which helped us relax. We also finalized the invitations. We'll keep them a surprise for now, but thanks to Grace and Maggie for making bows!

Calendar of Events

To keep track of what we are up to, visit our Google calendar called "PCJZ wedding planning". If you don't have access, please let us know and we will add you!

Veils

WeddingVeils.com How to make a veil

Tiaras

Image
WeddingVeil.com Tiar as

Invitation Wording

Here are a few wording choices for our wedding invitation, including the one we picked:  Choice 1: Together with their parents Jennifer Zhao and Paul Chen request the honour of your presence at their marriage on Saturday, the sixth of June Two thousand and nine at three o'clock in the afternoon First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street Schenectady, New York Choice 2: How beautiful is the day that is touched by love... Together with our parents, we Jennifer Zhao and Paul Chen invite you to share with us a celebration of our love The ceremony will be held at three o'clock in the afternoon  Saturday, the sixth of June Two thousand and nine at three o'clock in the afternoon First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street Schenectady, New York Choice 3: Some things are meant to be.. The honor of your presence is requested as Jennifer Zhao and Paul Chen are joined in marriage Saturday, June sixth  two thousand and nine at three o'clock in the afternoon

Chinese Touch

Image
Transparent self adhesive seals with "double happiness" More Chinese wedding items at China Bridal Invitation wording in Chinese 謹訂於西曆 _________ 年 農曆 _______ 年 ____ 月 _____ 日 ( 星期 ____) 為 ( 長 ) 男 ________( 二 ) 女 _________ 在 ________________ 行結婚典禮並於是日下午 _______ 時假座 ___________ 市 __________________ 酒樓敬備喜筵 恭候 ____________ 時恭候 ____________ 時入席   __________________( 出喜帖人姓名 ) __________________( 出喜帖人姓名 ) 敬

Bridesmaids dresses

J Crew Sydney in Tea Rose Except in stores, cost was $128 + tax This version has pockets and has slightly thinner material.

Bridal Shows

Sun, Jan 25, 2009 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at: Vapor Night Club at Saratoga Gaming & Raceway - 342 Jefferson St., Saratoga, NY 12866 Cost: FREE ADMISSION Sun Jan 25, 2009 11-3pm Hall of Springs Saratoga Springs, NY Cost: $5 http://www.dailygazette.com/events/2009/jan/25/4/

Invitation Inspirations

Image
Dandelion Dream Forget me not wedding Some more ideas from Erickson Designs

Make my own invitations

Know-how on how to make invitations and cards http://www.do-it-yourself-invitations.com/ Website that sells papers for scrap-booking http://store.scrapbook.com/patternpaper.html Wedding paper divas http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/ Green wedding DIY http://www.greatgreenwedding.com/invitations.php

Date and Location Set!

Date: June 6th, 2009 Ceremony: ~3pm Church Reception: ~4pm Location: First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street Schenectady, NY 12305 http://1streformed.com/ Dinner Reception: 5-10pm Location: The Stockade Inn 1 North Church Street Schenectady, NY 12305 http://www.stockadeinn.com/

Likely wedding venue candidate

The First Reformed Church of Schenectady for ceremony - 518 377 2201 $1000 for facility rental. Can do reception for extra cost. Can throw birdseed on the way out. The Stockade Inn for reception Renaissance package (most basic) 5 Hr open bar w/ call brand liquors, house wines, & imported beer 1 Hr cold hors d'oeuvres Butler passed hors d'oeuvres Champaign toast Salad Entree 3 choices Ivory chair covers and floor length linen $88.84 per person Saturday Brunch 5 Hr open bar 1 Hr cold hors d'oeuvres Champaign toast Salad, Pasta, Meat, Potatos and Veggies buffet 11 to 4 pm $67.25 per person Open bar means: Coors Light, Michelob Ultra, Sam Adams, Heineken, Amstel Light (choose 3) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio & White Zinfandel Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Ginger Ale, Club Soda & Tonic House Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Triple Sec, Bourbon, Scotch, Whiskey, Absolute Vodka, Dewars Scotch, Bacaradi Rum, Captain Morgan Rum, Tangueray Gin, Jack Da

wedding gown alteration

Amore Clothing - downtown Albany 123 State St. (some good reviews) Appt made for Sat. Jan 24th at 1pm Hong Kong Custom Tailors - 1531 Central Ave. Futia's Formal Wear and Custom Tailors - 251 Central Ave. Angela's Bridal - 1811 Western Ave. Westmere Plaza (it's got some pretty bad reviews) Caruso's Custom Clothier - 1823 Western Ave. Westmere Plaza Khymanyo Studio - 265 Broad St. Schuylerville and 6 Franklin square Saratoga Springs

Hair salon

Latham: Rumors - 595 New Loudon Rd, $100 and up for bride JCPenny - Latham Circle Mall, Crossgates Mall, Clifton Park Center Salon Vatora - 211 Old Loudon Rd, $55 and up SuperCuts - 231 Wade Rd Ext Ste 104, Mohawk Commons Namia Dasa Hair Salon - 960 Rt 7 Changes Salson - Rt. 9, 3 miles north of Latham Circle. $75 for bridal styling. There is a bridal suite, wow. Valerie Hair Studio 751 - 751 Rt. 7. $45 and up. Schenectady: Studio Orlo - 1475 Balltown Rd. Ecco Salon - 133 Wall St. Schenectady. $70 and up. Hair Razors - 1728 Union St. Schenectady. $65 and up. Other cities: Shelley Salon and Day Spa - 2 Greenbush Ave. East Greenbush, has thermal ionic straightening. They do nails and facial. Bridal updo $75. Platinum Hair & Nail Studio - Town Center Plaza in Halfmoon. Jean Paul - Stuyvesant Plaza, bridal updo starting at $95. A&Co Salon - 1321 Central Ave. need to call for consultation. Studio I Hair Designers - 3 Forrest Dr. East Greenbush. $65 and up. Bellezza - 1

Tux rental shops

Tuxego - Peter Harris Plaza - going for wedding consultation on Thursday 8th 7:30 pm Tux Connection - 681 New Loudon Rd next to Meat Market Men's Wearhouse - 18 Wolf Road Futias Formal Wear and Custom Tailors - 251 Central Ave., Italian immagrant tailor Mark Thomas Men's Apparel - Wolf Road Park, not sure if they do rentals The Waldorf Tuxedo - Lark and Lancaster st. More expensive, "oldest shop in town" Ferri Formals and Bridals - 1608 Union st. Schenectady Choppa & Son Formal Wear - 1020 Central Ave. Hong Kong Custom Tailors - 1531 Central Ave. The Tuxedo consists of shirt, tie, cufflinks, vest, jacket, trouser, and shoes. Tuxedo rentals appear to run from $50-$130