Well ladies and gents,
I apologize for not writing in so long but I've been quite busy and stressed with no time to do anything! Not with wedding stuff either. We have gotten lots of bad news over the past week or so and it's stressful trying to figure out what to do about it all.
First we found out that J. starts UH-60's on Dec. 10th, so he's quite busy trying to get all of his information for the bird learned (which is a lot trust me) because they have no mercy on you if you don't know your information. So he's going to have quite a few weeks so pray for him to have patience.
Then on my way home on Tuesday my car broke down when I got 20 miles down the road. It's so dead that I have to actually buy a new car! It was going to be $5000-6000 to fix it, so we're just going to get a new car. This didn't happen at a good time obviously with having to pay for the rest of our wedding which is no small feat. So pray for me that we find a car that is reliable and a good deal.
I hope everyone has had a great thanksgiving holiday!
I'll be back Monday!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
4 weeks baby 4 weeks!
This is exactly how I feel (only watch the first minute or so)
4 weeks from today we are getting married & not only does this signify we are exactly 1 month away from our wedding but J. is officially done with his first part of flight school! It's been a long hard 20 weeks but we made it now it's on to hawks (whenever that may be) and BOLCIIIBravo then we are going home baby! I cannot wait!
After the wedding that will be my countdown I cannot wait to go home!
I just cant believe it! Only 4 short weeks left to go! Holy Moly there is still so much left to do!
We (well I) need to:
-Finalize the ceremony
-Make programs
-Finalize centerpieces
-Order flowers
-Do one last thing to my dress (more on that later)
-Figure out what to do about my shoes
-Create a day of timeline
-Pack for the honeymoon
-Finalize reception menu
-Finalize & Download music for the ceremony
-Create playlist & download music for reception
-Pick songs for our entrances and special dances
-Pick dinner music
-Pick prelude music for the ceremony
-Make plans for our after party & make invitations
-Make plans for the girls after the rehersal dinner and make invitations
-Make a final "Aisle File" to send the girls with all the final details
-Find jewlery for me & the bridesmaids
-Make rehersal dinner invitations
-Make my veil
-Order my fur wrap
& there are probably things I am just not thinking about right now!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Baby it's cold outside
Well, I've been told it's has been snowing in Kentucky already, and even down here in Alabama it's very cold (especially in the mornings.) I love to be warm, being cold is just so uncomfortable and I hate trying really hard to get warm.
So, in my quest for staying warm I thought I'd put together an outfit for just lounging around the house that still looks nice enough that you wouldn't be embarassed to answer the door but still keep you warm and cozy.
So, in my quest for staying warm I thought I'd put together an outfit for just lounging around the house that still looks nice enough that you wouldn't be embarassed to answer the door but still keep you warm and cozy.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Happy Birthday To Me!
Well here I am officially 22 years old. My Mom when she called me earlier asked "well do you feel any older?" and I said no not really after 20 it's just not that different. Except for last year when I turned 21 I could have a drink and no one gave me flack about it.
So I promised a look back at the year of 21 for me so we'll start with that.
November: On this exact day one year ago was the day that J. first told me he loved me. We had been dating for over a year at that point but him waiting made it that much more special.
December: My best friend from North Carolina came and visited us and we had our own Thanksgiving/Christmas at our house, and also a going away party for J. as he was leaving for Flight School that weekend also. Christmas came and went, nothing especially memorable about it.
January: J. left after New Years and I had to get used to not seeing him or even being able to talk to him again. Nothing especially memorable about this month either.
February: J. graduated from WOC school and I got my first taste of Alabama, I rode the 580 miles with his mom (which I was really nervous about). This is also when me & J. started seriously talking about getting married. He was home for Valentines Day and that is when he bought my ring, but told me I couldn't have it yet.
March:March brought spring break and I decided after fighting with my parents over it (they still hadn't figured out that I was a grown up) I was going to travel the 580 miles to Alabama to see J. for the week. Boy was it worth it because this is when he proposed, and I couldn't have imagined it any better. We also decided toward the end of March that we would get married in December so I got to work on wedding planning.
April: We decided in April that I was going to move down to Alabama with J. for at least the summer and we'd see where it went from there. I had also booked everything for our wedding at this point (by the first week of April) photographer, church, reception hall, catering and bought my dress.
May: I had finals the first week of May then I headed to Missouri to visit my family. The next week I moved down to AL. It was nice getting to be with J. every day and night again!
June-August:In June me & J. made the trip to North Carolina to see my best friend get married and it was so great I'm so glad we got to be apart of their special day, and I can't wait for them to be a part of ours! Most of the rest of the time through August I spent my time honing my domestic skills taking care of the guys, cooking cleaning. And making new friends.
September:The very last week of September I made the long trip back home for my first bridal shower, my mom and matron of honor (best friend) put it together for me and it was so great to see her and everyone else from back home.
October: Before I came back to AL, I had boudoir pictures taken for J. as his wedding present. It was a very empowering experience! One I'll never forget!
November:And here we are a year later. Alot has changed since last year. I've gone from a girlfriend to a bride-to-be, and from a girl who clinged to home to a semi-independent woman. It's hard to believe in a little over a month I will be a wife! I cannot be more excited to start my life with J. though!
The years just keep getting better and better! Even though they go by faster too!
Now for a little wish list:
Friends Seasons 3 & 8 (the only seasons J. doesn't have)
This dress from Old Navy in electric blue
These two bikinis from Victoria Secrets for our honeymoon.
These slipper boots from Old Navy
And finally, the skirt I raved about in a previous post! (It's gone on sale, glad I waited!)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Getting Older
Well tomorrow marks my 22 years of being here on this Earth. I have found that through the years birthdays have taken on a different feeling from year to year. I find myself at a loss because never more will I have one of those "milestone birthdays". I'm way past a year old, even way past thirteen for that matter. I'm a few years past 18 and no longer a teenager once I turned 20. I've had my feel of being able to "legally drink" at age 21. Now here I am at 22 and I'm sitting here thinking "well what do I have to look forward to now? I can do what I want now so what is left, well besides getting older?"
When I was yonger I always knew what I wanted to do for my birthday, and now in the last few years I've found myself at a loss for as to how to celebrate my birth. I mean really you can't have a sleepover (too old for that) Going out to a nice restaurant is nice, just spending time with friends and family is a great thing too. But since I am away from my close friends and family this my 22nd birthday, J. has taken over the responsibility of making sure that I have a nice birthday since it will once again be my parents turn next year since he'll be deployed. He has asked me what I wanted to do, and honestly I don't even know what to tell him.
At first I wanted to go to the nearest "city" (if you can call it that) to us and go to a fancy restuarant and get all dressed up and go have anice dinner with our friends down here. But as luck would have it, we have a meeting to attend tomorrow night at 7PM (prime dinner time in my opinion)so we considered dinner to be out of the question, but J. has decided we just wont eat at our meeting and go out to eat afterwards where ever I want because the restuarant our meeting is at is definately not great.
So finally I chose to go to a Japanese grill here in AL and then to a drive in movie (I havent been to one in ages)and I figured it would be nice to go and snuggle up and watch a movie. Then maybe after we'll go to a respective friends house and play some games (which is how we spend a typical friday night) but that is just fine with me because I enjoy getting to spend time with my fabulous friends that we have made down here. And lucky for me I get to take most of them home with me! As they are all the wives of the men in J's unit back home in Kentucky! So lucky me!
Ok so anyway, tomorrow I'll write about my birthday wishlist, and a look back on my year as a 21 year old.
When I was yonger I always knew what I wanted to do for my birthday, and now in the last few years I've found myself at a loss for as to how to celebrate my birth. I mean really you can't have a sleepover (too old for that) Going out to a nice restaurant is nice, just spending time with friends and family is a great thing too. But since I am away from my close friends and family this my 22nd birthday, J. has taken over the responsibility of making sure that I have a nice birthday since it will once again be my parents turn next year since he'll be deployed. He has asked me what I wanted to do, and honestly I don't even know what to tell him.
At first I wanted to go to the nearest "city" (if you can call it that) to us and go to a fancy restuarant and get all dressed up and go have anice dinner with our friends down here. But as luck would have it, we have a meeting to attend tomorrow night at 7PM (prime dinner time in my opinion)so we considered dinner to be out of the question, but J. has decided we just wont eat at our meeting and go out to eat afterwards where ever I want because the restuarant our meeting is at is definately not great.
So finally I chose to go to a Japanese grill here in AL and then to a drive in movie (I havent been to one in ages)and I figured it would be nice to go and snuggle up and watch a movie. Then maybe after we'll go to a respective friends house and play some games (which is how we spend a typical friday night) but that is just fine with me because I enjoy getting to spend time with my fabulous friends that we have made down here. And lucky for me I get to take most of them home with me! As they are all the wives of the men in J's unit back home in Kentucky! So lucky me!
Ok so anyway, tomorrow I'll write about my birthday wishlist, and a look back on my year as a 21 year old.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Day 5 & 6 of the Fall Cleaning Challenge
Ok for yesterday we had to clean up our main living area which was hard for me because the boys have a 4 day weekend and all they wanted to do was watch movies and drink their beer and relax & I kept getting in their way and making noise. But it is done. Once again no pictures because it's not pretty and it's already messed up again.
Here is the list from day 5:
Living Areas:
-Wash inside of windows
-Change HVAC filter (don't have one)
-Flip sofa and chair cushions (I just vaccummed them well as they only have one "side)
-Clean and scrub down baseboards and moulding.
-Wax floors if needed (not necessary)
-Shampoo wall to wall carpeting and air-out area rugs(I don't have a shampooer so I just vaccumed really well)
Here is day 6:
Outside
-Wash outside of windows with water and vinegar solution
-Clean screens
-Power wash porch areas
-Clean out grill
-Clean and store outdoor furniture and accessories
It's a good thing I don't have most of this stuff since I got a rush job to do on a map book (it has to be ready to go by Tuesday) and I'll tell you guys more about this later but it is $200 to pad my pockets!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Spotless Bathroom
Here is our latest challenge from Katie over at Hyper Homemaker for her Fall Cleaning Challenge
Finishing up the bathroom
-Throw that shower curtain in the laundry (plastic curtains come out perfectly clean when laundered, just don't put it in the dryer!! Hang it dry)
-Shine and degunk the sink (you know how to do this from the kitchen)
-Scrub all the tile grout (YES you can do this! Magic Eraser, I hear, is a big help)
**If your tile hasn't been sealed in a while, it's worth doing to help you clean it easier.**
-Mop the floor
-Wipe switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs
-Empty and disinfect wastebasket
All done, but no picture because even clean once again it's too hideous for pictures!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Medicine Cabinet Revival
Our challenge for yesterday from Katie for the Fall Cleaning Challenge was to clean out the medicine cabinet & organize it.
Well I don't exactly have a medicine cabinet but we use the area under the sink to keep all of our toiletries and personal hygine products and medicines so I cleaned it out and boy did it need it!
Here is the before:
Yikes!
This is during & after organizing it into "his side" "her side" and "our side"
After all of this I still wasnt happy with the results so I ran to the dollar tree and picked up 3 white buckets to put stuff in and keep it from being so all over the place.
So this is the final product:
Not as pretty as some people's but it does it's job!
Well I don't exactly have a medicine cabinet but we use the area under the sink to keep all of our toiletries and personal hygine products and medicines so I cleaned it out and boy did it need it!
Here is the before:
Yikes!
This is during & after organizing it into "his side" "her side" and "our side"
After all of this I still wasnt happy with the results so I ran to the dollar tree and picked up 3 white buckets to put stuff in and keep it from being so all over the place.
So this is the final product:
Not as pretty as some people's but it does it's job!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Mini Penne with Italian Sausage, tomatoes & green peppers
I originally found this recipe at Taste of Home Cooking I thought it looked easy enough and was yummy and something I could use the left over sausage I had before it went bad.
Also, I used mini penne because that's what I had laying around and I didn't have any red pepper so I used some green bell pepper instead. Also, J put some leftover tomato sauce on his and he said it was good so I may try that next time also.
Ingredients:
3 Hot Italian Sausages
2 Cups of shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 medium tomato diced
1 red (or green) bell pepper diced
2 Cups of Mini Penne (or orzo or pasta of choice)
Directions:
1. Boil pasta of choice until tender
2. Broil sausages until cooked through (this is the easiest way)
3. Dice tomato and bell pepper
4. Cut sausage up into slices
5. Lay down a bed of pasta layer on your veggies and sausage
6. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese
7. Enjoy!
Nice Clean Kitchen
OK well as you know I have been following Katie's Fall Cleaning Challenge over at her blog Hyper Homemaker and we finished giving our kitchens a good scrub down yesterday so I finally decided I guess it is OK that I can post a few pictures of the finished product.
Now I promise you it isn't pretty but this place is a rental and for what we are paying (and putting in the bank) each month is worth it since we were only going to be here for a little over a year anyways.
OK so are you ready? Sure ya are!
See that little brown cabinet over there, that my friends is my pantry! (Katie & Bryn I win for having the smallest pantry EVER!) Oh and PS: all of this furniture is included in the rental so it's not ours and we had no choice what got put in here but I do have to admit that some of it is nicer than what we have at home!
This is the sink area, like my little checked and watermelon curtain? My mother-in-law made that for us so I just had to hang it.
There is the refrigerator. I worked my butt off cleaning that thing on Saturday (more pictures of that further down!)
And here is the microwave and all my cookbooks (I love them all!)
Finally here is the inside of the refrigerator.
See the boys have a habit of putting a beer in there to get nice and frosty and sometimes (well not all the time) forget about them and they freeze and explode leaving our freezer full of frozen beer and glass shards. Nice huh? So Friday night it happened (again) and I had just had enough! On Saturday morning after they had woken up (both of them) I said no more beers in the freezer and if I catch one in there again and it explodes they will clean it out! So hopefully they will enjoy having a nice clean freezer and refrigerator for their food. Hopefully being the keyword there.
I swear this thing probably hadn't been thoroughly cleaned since way before we moved in. It was disgusting! So as you can see I live in boy town where the fridge is constantly full of beer and pizza. Oh and BTW that amount of beer has since shrank by about 2 six packs!
So I hope you enjoyed this tour of my "loner" kitchen!
Now it's on to the medicine cabinet today!
Now I promise you it isn't pretty but this place is a rental and for what we are paying (and putting in the bank) each month is worth it since we were only going to be here for a little over a year anyways.
OK so are you ready? Sure ya are!
See that little brown cabinet over there, that my friends is my pantry! (Katie & Bryn I win for having the smallest pantry EVER!) Oh and PS: all of this furniture is included in the rental so it's not ours and we had no choice what got put in here but I do have to admit that some of it is nicer than what we have at home!
This is the sink area, like my little checked and watermelon curtain? My mother-in-law made that for us so I just had to hang it.
There is the refrigerator. I worked my butt off cleaning that thing on Saturday (more pictures of that further down!)
And here is the microwave and all my cookbooks (I love them all!)
Finally here is the inside of the refrigerator.
See the boys have a habit of putting a beer in there to get nice and frosty and sometimes (well not all the time) forget about them and they freeze and explode leaving our freezer full of frozen beer and glass shards. Nice huh? So Friday night it happened (again) and I had just had enough! On Saturday morning after they had woken up (both of them) I said no more beers in the freezer and if I catch one in there again and it explodes they will clean it out! So hopefully they will enjoy having a nice clean freezer and refrigerator for their food. Hopefully being the keyword there.
I swear this thing probably hadn't been thoroughly cleaned since way before we moved in. It was disgusting! So as you can see I live in boy town where the fridge is constantly full of beer and pizza. Oh and BTW that amount of beer has since shrank by about 2 six packs!
So I hope you enjoyed this tour of my "loner" kitchen!
Now it's on to the medicine cabinet today!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Let the cleaning begin!
Ok I mentioned yesterday that I was going to start a cleaning challenge with Katie over at Hyper Homemaker. So I got on today to pick up the list and see what I had to do today.
Here it is:
Pantry
- Take everything out of the pantry.
- Wipe down shelves.
- Toss old items and donate unused good items.
- Repackage all messy items into nice containers.
- Place all items back into the pantry in an organized fashion.
Fridge
- Take everything out of the fridge and freezer (placing items in a cooler with all the remaining ice.
- Scrub down the inside and outside of the fridge, shelves, doors, ice maker and freezer.
- Replace water filter if you have one.
- Clean fridge condenser coil.
- Toss old or useless food.
- Place everything back into fridge in an organized fashion.
Cabinets
- Take ALLL your items out of all your cabinets and drawers. Yes... ALL!
- Wipe down the inside of all cabinets and drawers.
- Wipe down the inside of all containers such as utensil holders.
- Store items not used in over 6 months, or summer seasonal items.
- Thinking logically (ie - potholders next to stove, towels next to sink), try to put everything back in a more useful and purposeful place, and in an organized fashion.
- Scrub down the cupboard exteriors, from to of the kitchen to bottom.
Now I'll admit that seemed like a lot to me at first but I did get it all done and I felt a sense of accomplishment. J & our roomate thought I was crazy and kept asking me "what are you doing that for?" obviously men do not understand the importantce of a clean house!
They'll thank me later!
Sad to say but I didn't take any pictures I still haven't worked up enough guts to be proud of this place (it's a trailer for crying out loud its not pretty in the least little bit) *sigh* I'll try and take some tomorrow after I stock the fridge because I got yelled at for taking all the beer out (it's quite full of beer and pizza boxes right now but it's all clean underneath!) It looks quite bare with out all of that in there but it's not pretty! LOL
So how did you do today?
Here it is:
Pantry
- Take everything out of the pantry.
- Wipe down shelves.
- Toss old items and donate unused good items.
- Repackage all messy items into nice containers.
- Place all items back into the pantry in an organized fashion.
Fridge
- Take everything out of the fridge and freezer (placing items in a cooler with all the remaining ice.
- Scrub down the inside and outside of the fridge, shelves, doors, ice maker and freezer.
- Replace water filter if you have one.
- Clean fridge condenser coil.
- Toss old or useless food.
- Place everything back into fridge in an organized fashion.
Cabinets
- Take ALLL your items out of all your cabinets and drawers. Yes... ALL!
- Wipe down the inside of all cabinets and drawers.
- Wipe down the inside of all containers such as utensil holders.
- Store items not used in over 6 months, or summer seasonal items.
- Thinking logically (ie - potholders next to stove, towels next to sink), try to put everything back in a more useful and purposeful place, and in an organized fashion.
- Scrub down the cupboard exteriors, from to of the kitchen to bottom.
Now I'll admit that seemed like a lot to me at first but I did get it all done and I felt a sense of accomplishment. J & our roomate thought I was crazy and kept asking me "what are you doing that for?" obviously men do not understand the importantce of a clean house!
They'll thank me later!
Sad to say but I didn't take any pictures I still haven't worked up enough guts to be proud of this place (it's a trailer for crying out loud its not pretty in the least little bit) *sigh* I'll try and take some tomorrow after I stock the fridge because I got yelled at for taking all the beer out (it's quite full of beer and pizza boxes right now but it's all clean underneath!) It looks quite bare with out all of that in there but it's not pretty! LOL
So how did you do today?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you have a great night of trick-or-treating or partying or what ever you do with your halloween!
Me, well I suppose I'm going to get all gussied up and go out with J. (who doesnt have a costume grrr!) so it's gonna look funny! But maybe we'll go out with a couple of friends or hang out somewhere who knows! It's all up in the air right now!
I'm gonna be a pirate yarg! How about you?
PS: I might be starting a cleaning challenge with Katie over at Hyper Homemaker doing her Fall Cleaning List tomorrow. She encourages us to post pictures of our houses all clean but I'm not so sure I could do that This place is ugly even clean! It would be quite an embarassment to show. Maybe I'll just post about what I complete each day...
Anyone wanna join us?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
1 Skirt = 2 Outfits
I found a skirt at Old Navy today that I absolutely love, but am going to wait to see if it goes on sale before I buy it and boy if it does I will definately buy it. I have so many intentions of buying it that I am already putting outfits together for it. The thing I like about it so much is that it is so versatile it could be dressed up or dressed down and it still looks just as awesome. Plus its made out of sweater material so it's warm!
So here is what I came up with:
Dressy:
This entire outfit including the skirt is $76.09
Casual:
This outfit including the skirt is just $80.60
So here is what I came up with:
Dressy:
This entire outfit including the skirt is $76.09
Casual:
This outfit including the skirt is just $80.60
Jewelry For the Maids
I have been back and fourth on jewelry for my 4 bridesmaids. I originally thought way back when I first started planning (before we even picked out dresses) that I would want them to wear pearl necklaces. But then once we picked out their dress I knew pearls were not the way to go as the dress has a rhinstone brooche on the side.
So I've been searching hi & low for a cheap alternative and something they could definately wear again. Then yesterday I came across a tutorial on a toggle clasp necklace on Vintage Glam Blog & if you are a member of the knot you know about Vintageglam and her GORGEOUS wedding so I was like I think I could do this! So today I'm going to pick up the materials and see how it goes and it is really so simple that I believe I could make these for myself and friends as Christmas and birthday gifts. Plus, I've always wanted to try my hand at jewelry making and this is just simple enough for a first project.
So tell me what you think, will this necklace go with their dresses? Or is it too simple or should they just not wear any jewelry at all (except earrings of course)?
Here is their dresses:
& here is the necklace:
Image Courtesy of VintageGlamBlog
Now all that's left is earrings
So I've been searching hi & low for a cheap alternative and something they could definately wear again. Then yesterday I came across a tutorial on a toggle clasp necklace on Vintage Glam Blog & if you are a member of the knot you know about Vintageglam and her GORGEOUS wedding so I was like I think I could do this! So today I'm going to pick up the materials and see how it goes and it is really so simple that I believe I could make these for myself and friends as Christmas and birthday gifts. Plus, I've always wanted to try my hand at jewelry making and this is just simple enough for a first project.
So tell me what you think, will this necklace go with their dresses? Or is it too simple or should they just not wear any jewelry at all (except earrings of course)?
Here is their dresses:
& here is the necklace:
Image Courtesy of VintageGlamBlog
Now all that's left is earrings
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
My Sassy Girl
OK here is something interesting for you. My roommate and fiance both have a huge crush on Elisha Cuthbert ever since they saw her in Girl Next Door I thought Girl Next Door was OK but not something I would watch numerous times as they have. So in their quest for their Elisha Cuthbert fix they found My Sassy Girl.
At first we were all like what in the hell because it's pretty random and weird, but as we (well I) continued to watch it got better and better. It is definitely a very sweet movie and shows that if it really is meant to be that person will find their way back to you. It is a quirky love story and a bit of a chick flick (which is probably why the guys didn't enjoy it much as I.)
So in my movie rating scale of 1-10: I give My Sassy Girl an 8 and that is just because of it's slow beginning.
Here is the trailer (it is out on DVD now) check it out for yourself!
PS: Don't tell the boys but I have a bit of a girl crush on Elisha! But that will just be our little secret! shh..
At first we were all like what in the hell because it's pretty random and weird, but as we (well I) continued to watch it got better and better. It is definitely a very sweet movie and shows that if it really is meant to be that person will find their way back to you. It is a quirky love story and a bit of a chick flick (which is probably why the guys didn't enjoy it much as I.)
So in my movie rating scale of 1-10: I give My Sassy Girl an 8 and that is just because of it's slow beginning.
Here is the trailer (it is out on DVD now) check it out for yourself!
PS: Don't tell the boys but I have a bit of a girl crush on Elisha! But that will just be our little secret! shh..
Monday, October 27, 2008
I have a confession
I wear children's shoes, yup you read that right folks. My feet are so small they don't even fit into the smallest women's size 5 (unless they are made really really small or are boots or flip flops).
So you ask how do you find shoes that don't look too baby-ish. Well I tell ya it is hard! But sometimes I luck out at places like Payless and find things that are almost identical to the adult versions. But it is really hard I really love these loafers at Old Navy but guess what smallest size they come in is a 6 (which is typical) so most of the time I just do without.
Most of the time when I go shopping for shoes it is almost if not if as bad as when i go shopping for pants (that's a whole nother story for a whole nother day!) I just buy the basics that go with everything.
1. One pair of nice athletic shoes (this is the area I don't have a problem with)
2. One pair of black dress shoes
3. One pair of brow dress shoes
4. One pair of black flats
5. One pair of black boots
6. One pair of brown boots
7. One pair of red flats
This is literaly about the extent of my shoe collection. It really is sad because I see so many shoes that I love and that I wish I could make my feet fit into but no such luck. The one thing I do love about having such small feet is it is cheaper for the most part to buy kids shoes (especially athletic shoes).
This whole shoe thing really became a problem when I started hunting for wedding shoes. It really is an atrocity. The shoes that I thought would fit (Marisa from Davids Bridal * I pink puffy heart those shoes*) in fact do not.....by a long shot. So I have one of two choices.
1. I can try and make them fit with some sort of insole
or
2. Wear no shoes at all because guess what they don't make wedding shoes in kids sizes.
What a quandary....
But I have lately decided that I want more cute shoes. Most of the time when I hunt for shoes it's more about whether they will actually fit not whether they are cute or stylish (if I find cute, stylish shoes that fit I definitely feel I have hit the jackpot)So, on my hunt for cute stylish shoes that fit I have found a few websites that offer kids shoes that don't look too "kiddish"
www.zappos.com Great stuff but a little expensive but it might be OK if you could catch a good sale. Plus they have free returns and free shipping
www.journeys.com/kids Some cute stuff and great prices just gotta be selective.
So does anyone else have my problem? What should I do about wedding shoes I mean after all it is going to be December when we get married!?
PS: My boudoir pictures are done I'm just waiting for her to email me the password so I can look at them YAY!
So you ask how do you find shoes that don't look too baby-ish. Well I tell ya it is hard! But sometimes I luck out at places like Payless and find things that are almost identical to the adult versions. But it is really hard I really love these loafers at Old Navy but guess what smallest size they come in is a 6 (which is typical) so most of the time I just do without.
Most of the time when I go shopping for shoes it is almost if not if as bad as when i go shopping for pants (that's a whole nother story for a whole nother day!) I just buy the basics that go with everything.
1. One pair of nice athletic shoes (this is the area I don't have a problem with)
2. One pair of black dress shoes
3. One pair of brow dress shoes
4. One pair of black flats
5. One pair of black boots
6. One pair of brown boots
7. One pair of red flats
This is literaly about the extent of my shoe collection. It really is sad because I see so many shoes that I love and that I wish I could make my feet fit into but no such luck. The one thing I do love about having such small feet is it is cheaper for the most part to buy kids shoes (especially athletic shoes).
This whole shoe thing really became a problem when I started hunting for wedding shoes. It really is an atrocity. The shoes that I thought would fit (Marisa from Davids Bridal * I pink puffy heart those shoes*) in fact do not.....by a long shot. So I have one of two choices.
1. I can try and make them fit with some sort of insole
or
2. Wear no shoes at all because guess what they don't make wedding shoes in kids sizes.
What a quandary....
But I have lately decided that I want more cute shoes. Most of the time when I hunt for shoes it's more about whether they will actually fit not whether they are cute or stylish (if I find cute, stylish shoes that fit I definitely feel I have hit the jackpot)So, on my hunt for cute stylish shoes that fit I have found a few websites that offer kids shoes that don't look too "kiddish"
www.zappos.com Great stuff but a little expensive but it might be OK if you could catch a good sale. Plus they have free returns and free shipping
www.journeys.com/kids Some cute stuff and great prices just gotta be selective.
So does anyone else have my problem? What should I do about wedding shoes I mean after all it is going to be December when we get married!?
PS: My boudoir pictures are done I'm just waiting for her to email me the password so I can look at them YAY!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Meal Planning part Deux
In my pursuit to plan perfect meals for 2-4 people (myself included) every week I work hard on my meal plan every Sunday morning, while trying to at least make one new recipe per week to "broaden my horizons".
Usually I write it down on some little random piece of notebook paper that I find somewhere or a piece of printer paper that I messed up the print on just to "conserve" (like my green effort there?) Most of the time I write both my meal plan and my grocery list down on one piece of paper (once again going with the conserving method) but by the end of my shopping trip the list is all bent torn and marked all over and not something pretty that I want to display on my refridgerator!
So, thanks to Kimberly Michelle I have found the ultimate meal planning/grocery shopping sheet! How awesome is this handy dandy little piece of paper?
Courtesy of Russell & Hazel
Not only does it have a slot for every day of the week, but a slot for every meal of every day! Very nice! Also, my favorite part is the "detachable" grocery list that is seperated into categories. Oh my organizational mind is going bananas over this little beauty!
Usually I write it down on some little random piece of notebook paper that I find somewhere or a piece of printer paper that I messed up the print on just to "conserve" (like my green effort there?) Most of the time I write both my meal plan and my grocery list down on one piece of paper (once again going with the conserving method) but by the end of my shopping trip the list is all bent torn and marked all over and not something pretty that I want to display on my refridgerator!
So, thanks to Kimberly Michelle I have found the ultimate meal planning/grocery shopping sheet! How awesome is this handy dandy little piece of paper?
Not only does it have a slot for every day of the week, but a slot for every meal of every day! Very nice! Also, my favorite part is the "detachable" grocery list that is seperated into categories. Oh my organizational mind is going bananas over this little beauty!
Friday, October 17, 2008
A German Feast (the easy & quick way)
Now as I've said before I am a novice cook but I'm learning. Meaning I do not make everything from scratch if hardly at all. I use what I like to call "shortcuts" that being things like frozen veggies and some pre-made things like pasta sauce.
Anyways J. loves German food and now I will admit to me this isn't authentically German but he likes it and says its good so I guess I should be happy he likes it.
Ingrediants:
1-2 Polska keilbasa sausages
1-2 cans of saurkraut
2 teaspoons of oil
1-2 bags of stir-fry veggies
2 small cans of mushrooms
4 baby potatos
Directions:
1. Slice potatoes into thin rounds (wash them first silly!)and begin to fry them
2. Slice keilbasa into 1 inch thick pieces
3. Once the potatos are done put them somewhere to keep them warm and toss in the veggies and fry them up
4. After the veggies are done throw in the mushrooms and heat them up until warm
5. Take a sauce pan and put the saurkraut in and heat it up because the sausage doesnt take long to cook.
6. Toss the sausage pieces into the frying pan and fry until golden brown.
Serving:
I like to eat it all seperately but the boys love to take it and mix it all together so I'll put how they do it (since it's probably the correct way anyway)
1. Put down a nice "bed" of saurkraut down on your plate
2. Add veggies (stirfry, mushrooms and potatos)
3. Add a generous amount of sausage (I always have to get my plate first so I have some sausage for myself because they take it all!)
4. Add seasonings to your taste
5. Enjoy!
I hope you try this it's pretty good, easy and quick; which I like since I dont like to spend a lot of time cooking.
Anyways J. loves German food and now I will admit to me this isn't authentically German but he likes it and says its good so I guess I should be happy he likes it.
Ingrediants:
1-2 Polska keilbasa sausages
1-2 cans of saurkraut
2 teaspoons of oil
1-2 bags of stir-fry veggies
2 small cans of mushrooms
4 baby potatos
Directions:
1. Slice potatoes into thin rounds (wash them first silly!)and begin to fry them
2. Slice keilbasa into 1 inch thick pieces
3. Once the potatos are done put them somewhere to keep them warm and toss in the veggies and fry them up
4. After the veggies are done throw in the mushrooms and heat them up until warm
5. Take a sauce pan and put the saurkraut in and heat it up because the sausage doesnt take long to cook.
6. Toss the sausage pieces into the frying pan and fry until golden brown.
Serving:
I like to eat it all seperately but the boys love to take it and mix it all together so I'll put how they do it (since it's probably the correct way anyway)
1. Put down a nice "bed" of saurkraut down on your plate
2. Add veggies (stirfry, mushrooms and potatos)
3. Add a generous amount of sausage (I always have to get my plate first so I have some sausage for myself because they take it all!)
4. Add seasonings to your taste
5. Enjoy!
I hope you try this it's pretty good, easy and quick; which I like since I dont like to spend a lot of time cooking.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Because everything is coming up roses
While I was home a couple of weeks ago I attempted to make my trial bouquet to see if I could do it. I wanted to make sure it was fairly simple and quick since I was pretty sure I wanted to do the flowers myself for the wedding.
Well I'm here to tell ya ladies. If I can make something that looks this pretty outta walmart flowers then a monkey could do it!
I followed the directions from this site.
What you will need is
25-30 long stemmed roses in the color of your choice (you can use more depending on the size of bouquet you are going for)
Some gardening gloves
Floral Wire
Floral Tape (I used both to give it extra hold)
3-4 yards of pretty ribbon of your choice
And maybe a pretty pin or brooch?
I just grabbed a couple of dozen roses from walmart and stripped them of all their leaves and thorns cut the stems and grabbed a rose and started putting them together. All in all it was easy and I think that even if you are already married this is something nice to know because you can create regular floral arrangements for your home in this manner also. It's easy to find ideas and tutorials on floral arranging on the web. Just Google it.
So here is what I came up with....
Not bad for a first time armature huh?
There are a couple of things that will be different. I will have all white roses and a much wider white satin ribbon for the wrap (I used what I had on hand) and I am in the works of trying to find a pretty brooch to put on it to give it some "bling"
My mother still insists on me having a florist do it for me but I'm not willing to pay $500-$600 to have someone do something that I can do myself. She said she's worried about the time constraints but you know what it took me less than 30 minutes to do that, and the part that took the longest was stripping all 24 roses. Plus, I'll have all 4 of my bridesmaids and my mom there to help me! We should have all the floral arrangements done in less than 3 hours! We'll do it while pigging out on junk food and watching sappy wedding movies!
After the wedding I plan to give you guys a full budget break down of our wedding costs. So then you can see how much it would save you by doing it DIY.
Well I'm here to tell ya ladies. If I can make something that looks this pretty outta walmart flowers then a monkey could do it!
I followed the directions from this site.
What you will need is
25-30 long stemmed roses in the color of your choice (you can use more depending on the size of bouquet you are going for)
Some gardening gloves
Floral Wire
Floral Tape (I used both to give it extra hold)
3-4 yards of pretty ribbon of your choice
And maybe a pretty pin or brooch?
I just grabbed a couple of dozen roses from walmart and stripped them of all their leaves and thorns cut the stems and grabbed a rose and started putting them together. All in all it was easy and I think that even if you are already married this is something nice to know because you can create regular floral arrangements for your home in this manner also. It's easy to find ideas and tutorials on floral arranging on the web. Just Google it.
So here is what I came up with....
Not bad for a first time armature huh?
There are a couple of things that will be different. I will have all white roses and a much wider white satin ribbon for the wrap (I used what I had on hand) and I am in the works of trying to find a pretty brooch to put on it to give it some "bling"
My mother still insists on me having a florist do it for me but I'm not willing to pay $500-$600 to have someone do something that I can do myself. She said she's worried about the time constraints but you know what it took me less than 30 minutes to do that, and the part that took the longest was stripping all 24 roses. Plus, I'll have all 4 of my bridesmaids and my mom there to help me! We should have all the floral arrangements done in less than 3 hours! We'll do it while pigging out on junk food and watching sappy wedding movies!
After the wedding I plan to give you guys a full budget break down of our wedding costs. So then you can see how much it would save you by doing it DIY.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
All for under $25
Me & my friend Christena went "bargin hunting" today. I had never been truly shopping at a thrift store or a goodwill or salvation army before until today. Now I dont know how I ever did not go shopping at any of these places.
I learned that if you dig well enough you can find some really cool stuff for a great price. I didn't go looking for anything in particular but got some really cute stuff for under $30. So I'll show you what I got.
I wish I had a picture of the chair Christena got for like $12 it was so cool and would definately make a great office chair! Pink leather and chrome = awesome!
First for the random house "junk"
I typically do not like stuff but I found this brass star and thought it would be cool to decorate for some holidays such as fourth of july and christmas. I may spray paint it a different color or just leave it the way it is. But a candle on it maybe?
Next I really needed something to put my ring in when I take a shower or wash the dishes because J. was tired of me leaving it on the counter and has threatend many times that he would take it and hide it from me to teach me a lesson and I only paid 3 cents for it who could argue with that?!
I found these really cute candle holders for a $1 each plus I like white so they go with practically any decor.
and finally this small apothacary jar I thought it could hold jewlery or cotton balls maybe? or something else like candy. It will probably be moved around our house a zillion times. It was only a dollar and I can think of about 10 uses for it so I'd say it was worth it!
Now onto the clothing/accessories
I dont have a picture of them but I found a great pair of black dress pants which to me are so comfortable I'd wear them anywhere even if it wasnt a dressy occassion but everyone knows what regular black dress pants look like! Plus they were $4 normally probably about $30 and they fit! Which is a big thing for me!
I also hardly ever find shoes that fit! But these were so cute I knew that if I put them on they wouldnt fit but to my suprise they did & plus gold is so "in" this season and the little flower gives it a little something special.
I really have a thing for dark purple this fall too (I hope it carries on into a few other seasons and next year also) and found this purple clutch that was just too cute and was only $3.50 what a steal!
This is for my mom who has been complaining for the last two winters that I really needed a new scarf so I found this one and its cute and a double layer of knit so its great just a little febreeze maybe a hand washing in the sink with some woolite and we're good to go & only for 1 smackeroo!
So were we keeping a tab here? Lets see total comes up to...
Star plate: $3.00
Ring holder: $0.03
Candle holders: $1.00 each x 2=$2.00
Apathacary jar: $1.00
Black pants: $4.00
Shoes: $9.00
Purple clutch: $3.50
Ivory scarf: $1.00
Grand Total: $23.53
I plan to sometime in the near future (maybe tomorrow) make some outfits for you guys out of this stuff to show how a few small peices can go a long way!
So what is your favorite piece of clothing or home item that you have that you are really proud of that you got from a place like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a thrift/flea market? Tell me about it I'd love to hear!
I learned that if you dig well enough you can find some really cool stuff for a great price. I didn't go looking for anything in particular but got some really cute stuff for under $30. So I'll show you what I got.
I wish I had a picture of the chair Christena got for like $12 it was so cool and would definately make a great office chair! Pink leather and chrome = awesome!
First for the random house "junk"
I typically do not like stuff but I found this brass star and thought it would be cool to decorate for some holidays such as fourth of july and christmas. I may spray paint it a different color or just leave it the way it is. But a candle on it maybe?
Next I really needed something to put my ring in when I take a shower or wash the dishes because J. was tired of me leaving it on the counter and has threatend many times that he would take it and hide it from me to teach me a lesson and I only paid 3 cents for it who could argue with that?!
I found these really cute candle holders for a $1 each plus I like white so they go with practically any decor.
and finally this small apothacary jar I thought it could hold jewlery or cotton balls maybe? or something else like candy. It will probably be moved around our house a zillion times. It was only a dollar and I can think of about 10 uses for it so I'd say it was worth it!
Now onto the clothing/accessories
I dont have a picture of them but I found a great pair of black dress pants which to me are so comfortable I'd wear them anywhere even if it wasnt a dressy occassion but everyone knows what regular black dress pants look like! Plus they were $4 normally probably about $30 and they fit! Which is a big thing for me!
I also hardly ever find shoes that fit! But these were so cute I knew that if I put them on they wouldnt fit but to my suprise they did & plus gold is so "in" this season and the little flower gives it a little something special.
I really have a thing for dark purple this fall too (I hope it carries on into a few other seasons and next year also) and found this purple clutch that was just too cute and was only $3.50 what a steal!
This is for my mom who has been complaining for the last two winters that I really needed a new scarf so I found this one and its cute and a double layer of knit so its great just a little febreeze maybe a hand washing in the sink with some woolite and we're good to go & only for 1 smackeroo!
So were we keeping a tab here? Lets see total comes up to...
Star plate: $3.00
Ring holder: $0.03
Candle holders: $1.00 each x 2=$2.00
Apathacary jar: $1.00
Black pants: $4.00
Shoes: $9.00
Purple clutch: $3.50
Ivory scarf: $1.00
Grand Total: $23.53
I plan to sometime in the near future (maybe tomorrow) make some outfits for you guys out of this stuff to show how a few small peices can go a long way!
So what is your favorite piece of clothing or home item that you have that you are really proud of that you got from a place like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a thrift/flea market? Tell me about it I'd love to hear!
Monday, October 13, 2008
I think I found it!
In my post below I asked for everyone's opinions on 3 necklace's for the wedding and I was pretty sure I'd go with one of them, but being true to myself I kept digging around looking for something just perfect.
Well I really liked this one
but then I found this one...
They are both fairly similar and the 2nd one may solve my problem of worrying that it might get stuck down in my dress or be too long. The only thing is that the 2nd one is alot more expensive than the first one. The first necklace was a set and costs $28 for the set. The second necklace is just the necklace and is $54.
Does any one want to help convince me that it is ok to spend that much money on a necklace that I will only wear one time?
If I did go with this necklace I would go with simpile diamond (cubic zirconia) earrings that I already own. Opinions? Anyone?
Oh PS: J. got approved to leave the 19th so we'll be in the clear YAY!
Well I really liked this one
but then I found this one...
They are both fairly similar and the 2nd one may solve my problem of worrying that it might get stuck down in my dress or be too long. The only thing is that the 2nd one is alot more expensive than the first one. The first necklace was a set and costs $28 for the set. The second necklace is just the necklace and is $54.
Does any one want to help convince me that it is ok to spend that much money on a necklace that I will only wear one time?
If I did go with this necklace I would go with simpile diamond (cubic zirconia) earrings that I already own. Opinions? Anyone?
Oh PS: J. got approved to leave the 19th so we'll be in the clear YAY!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I need help/opinions
OK I haven't asked for very many people's opinions when it has come to our wedding except my mom, matron of honor, and of course J (even though he doesn't give 2 shakes of a stick about what happens as long as I'm happy), but now I am truly stumped I don't know what to do. I'm having a hard time picking out jewlery to wear with my dress.
Here is a link to my dress.
Now I want you to imagine it in all white and without the stupid looking bow on the front all of that is gone.
At first I thought I wouldn't wear a necklace and that I wanted to wear chandelier earrings but the more I look at myself with them on the more ridiculous I think I look so I think I'll most likely go with a slightly dangly earring or studs but really I am truly stumped on the necklace.
The look I am going for is vintage. I have a cathedral length viel and my hair will be in an updo so my ears will be showing. I'll have my grandmother's brooch in my hair and my flowers will be white roses. One of my worries with a couple of these necklaces is that if it dangles it may be too long and get stuffed down into my dress. I'm not real sure I'd probably just have to try it on to see how long it is.
Anyway I'd love your opinions on which one you think would look best with my dress. All of these are sets so the earrings do come with the necklace but I'm considering the earrings below also. The sets are all the same price so that is not a deciding factor. So please help! I really really need it!
Click To Enlarge
Number 1:
Number 2:
Number 3:
Earrings:
Here is a link to my dress.
Now I want you to imagine it in all white and without the stupid looking bow on the front all of that is gone.
At first I thought I wouldn't wear a necklace and that I wanted to wear chandelier earrings but the more I look at myself with them on the more ridiculous I think I look so I think I'll most likely go with a slightly dangly earring or studs but really I am truly stumped on the necklace.
The look I am going for is vintage. I have a cathedral length viel and my hair will be in an updo so my ears will be showing. I'll have my grandmother's brooch in my hair and my flowers will be white roses. One of my worries with a couple of these necklaces is that if it dangles it may be too long and get stuffed down into my dress. I'm not real sure I'd probably just have to try it on to see how long it is.
Anyway I'd love your opinions on which one you think would look best with my dress. All of these are sets so the earrings do come with the necklace but I'm considering the earrings below also. The sets are all the same price so that is not a deciding factor. So please help! I really really need it!
Click To Enlarge
Number 1:
Number 2:
Number 3:
Earrings:
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Confidence = Beauty
OK, let me first explain to you that all my life even though I am skinny as a rail and all that I've been made fun of for it, just the same as any overweight girl would have been. They had obnoxious nicknames for me (even my family). Anyways I'm not trying to make any one pitty me here so I'm gonna get to my point here. I have never been confident in my looks or felt very pretty.
During high school I was so vain I would never walk out of the house in the morning without putting makeup on and being fixed just so. I tried wearing the latest trends in clothes and still just felt ridiculous. I'm still slightly guilty of this to this day. Only I've gotten lazy. I'll leave the house without makeup and just have my hair thrown up in a pony tail and in a pair of running shorts and a tshirt. I tell you what though this doesn't make me feel any better about myself.
I've always ever since I can remember wanted someone to tell me what I should wear to accentuate the parts of my body that I like and have someone tell me how I should do my makeup to look nice, and show me how to do something with my hair besides wear it down and flat just hanging there or even worse in a bun or pony tail.
Well, like I have mentioned before in a previous post I had a consultation with a Mary Kay lady & man I tell you what I recommend having one done to any of you. She color matched foundation to my skin (no more ring around the jaw=mask) and showed me how to hide my dark cirlces and accentuate my blue eyes (my favorite feature). I loved what she did for me so much that I wanted her to do my makeup for my wedding and we did the trial and she did an awesome job. She even did my makeup for my boudior shoot and I felt just glamourous.
She also showed me how to properly take care of my skin. I have always had a bad habit of not washing my face before going to bed or even in the morning. That's gross I know, I told ya I was lazy. Now, since getting these new products and actually seeing what they can do for my skin and how much better I look even without makeup on I have been washing my face morning and night. She said it could take up to 2 weeks for everything to work its self out so after two weeks I should see a dramatic difference. I plan to take an after shot at about 3 weeks from now (i've been using it for a week now) to show everyone the difference.
Even J. notices a difference in my skin. He'll come in after work and say "are you wearing makeup?" and I'll tell him no and he'll say "well you look like you are your skin is looking really nice" which helps.
Poor J. though he always makes a concious effort to tell me that I look nice and my brain just cannot seem to wrap it self around the concept that I can actually look nice. I wish that I could but I can't; maybe one day.....
Maybe one day I can finally fully (I'm getting there slowly) accept myself and my body and skin for what I have.
So anyways. what do you do to make yourself feel more confident or what is your number one confidence booster? When did you finally accept the skin you are in? I'd love to know and even try some of your tips out!
During high school I was so vain I would never walk out of the house in the morning without putting makeup on and being fixed just so. I tried wearing the latest trends in clothes and still just felt ridiculous. I'm still slightly guilty of this to this day. Only I've gotten lazy. I'll leave the house without makeup and just have my hair thrown up in a pony tail and in a pair of running shorts and a tshirt. I tell you what though this doesn't make me feel any better about myself.
I've always ever since I can remember wanted someone to tell me what I should wear to accentuate the parts of my body that I like and have someone tell me how I should do my makeup to look nice, and show me how to do something with my hair besides wear it down and flat just hanging there or even worse in a bun or pony tail.
Well, like I have mentioned before in a previous post I had a consultation with a Mary Kay lady & man I tell you what I recommend having one done to any of you. She color matched foundation to my skin (no more ring around the jaw=mask) and showed me how to hide my dark cirlces and accentuate my blue eyes (my favorite feature). I loved what she did for me so much that I wanted her to do my makeup for my wedding and we did the trial and she did an awesome job. She even did my makeup for my boudior shoot and I felt just glamourous.
She also showed me how to properly take care of my skin. I have always had a bad habit of not washing my face before going to bed or even in the morning. That's gross I know, I told ya I was lazy. Now, since getting these new products and actually seeing what they can do for my skin and how much better I look even without makeup on I have been washing my face morning and night. She said it could take up to 2 weeks for everything to work its self out so after two weeks I should see a dramatic difference. I plan to take an after shot at about 3 weeks from now (i've been using it for a week now) to show everyone the difference.
Even J. notices a difference in my skin. He'll come in after work and say "are you wearing makeup?" and I'll tell him no and he'll say "well you look like you are your skin is looking really nice" which helps.
Poor J. though he always makes a concious effort to tell me that I look nice and my brain just cannot seem to wrap it self around the concept that I can actually look nice. I wish that I could but I can't; maybe one day.....
Maybe one day I can finally fully (I'm getting there slowly) accept myself and my body and skin for what I have.
So anyways. what do you do to make yourself feel more confident or what is your number one confidence booster? When did you finally accept the skin you are in? I'd love to know and even try some of your tips out!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Life, Death & The Whole Crazy Thing
Well I am officially back from my "vacation" in Kentucky.
I had a wonderful time at my shower and getting to see everyone in my family. I also had a lot of fun getting made up with two of my bridesmaids after my shower and learning how to apply makeup the correct way. I had 2 bridal makeup consultations with my fab Mary Kay lady Hilary this past week and it was just so much fun. She also did my makeup for my boudoir pictures and it was so fun I felt like a 50's movie star! I can't wait to see the pictures in about 3 weeks YAY!
Sadly after returning back to Alabama me & J. seemed to receive one thing of bad news after another. Saturday we found out that his dad's father passed away Friday night. It came as quite a shock because no one was expecting it, it just happened. Even worse, is since the funeral is during the week J. will not be able to attend the funeral which really tears him apart, but his family understands the circumstances. With him being deployed in less than a year we cannot have him washed back to another class because of time constraints he just wouldn't be done in time to deploy with his unit.
Then yesterday night I received a phone call from my roommate and bridesmaid Amy telling me that a husband & wife couple that were friends of ours were in a car accident and the wife passed away from her injuries on impact. It was just utterly shocking I just did not know what to say. I couldn't even speak. The husband is barely scathed so he'll be fine, but I'm sure his heart is in a million pieces after his wife's death.
So please pray for the families of these two wonderful people, also pray that they are no longer hurting or suffering and for God to ease the hurt and grief of their family members.
Until tomorrow....
I promise to have something happier
I had a wonderful time at my shower and getting to see everyone in my family. I also had a lot of fun getting made up with two of my bridesmaids after my shower and learning how to apply makeup the correct way. I had 2 bridal makeup consultations with my fab Mary Kay lady Hilary this past week and it was just so much fun. She also did my makeup for my boudoir pictures and it was so fun I felt like a 50's movie star! I can't wait to see the pictures in about 3 weeks YAY!
Sadly after returning back to Alabama me & J. seemed to receive one thing of bad news after another. Saturday we found out that his dad's father passed away Friday night. It came as quite a shock because no one was expecting it, it just happened. Even worse, is since the funeral is during the week J. will not be able to attend the funeral which really tears him apart, but his family understands the circumstances. With him being deployed in less than a year we cannot have him washed back to another class because of time constraints he just wouldn't be done in time to deploy with his unit.
Then yesterday night I received a phone call from my roommate and bridesmaid Amy telling me that a husband & wife couple that were friends of ours were in a car accident and the wife passed away from her injuries on impact. It was just utterly shocking I just did not know what to say. I couldn't even speak. The husband is barely scathed so he'll be fine, but I'm sure his heart is in a million pieces after his wife's death.
So please pray for the families of these two wonderful people, also pray that they are no longer hurting or suffering and for God to ease the hurt and grief of their family members.
Until tomorrow....
I promise to have something happier
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A vacation.....sort of
Well folks I'm heading home to KY for a little bit. I cant really call it a vacation because I'm going to be super super busy the entire time I'm there but I am going to try to keep updating as much as I can while I'm there. I have so many activities to do while I'm there I just hope I can get it all done!
Here is my schedule:
Friday: 10 hour drive (pshew) and going shopping with my mom for food
Saturday: My bridal shower (YAY!) and makeup trials for 2 of my bridesmaids
Sunday: My first makeup trial
Monday: Homework and maybe a hair trial
Tuesday: Doctors appointment and more homework
Wednesday: Another makeup trial and a hair cut maybe
Thursday: My boudior photo shoot (oober excited about this one) so that means a full day of hair and makeup and taking pictures whoo hoo!
Friday: Driving back home! (boo!)
So as I said I'll try and take as many pictures as possible and keep updating as much as I can! If I dont have time I'll up date on Saturday (probably Monday)after I get home!
Have a great weekend/week everyone! And pray for me as I travel this long distance back and fourth!
Here is my schedule:
Friday: 10 hour drive (pshew) and going shopping with my mom for food
Saturday: My bridal shower (YAY!) and makeup trials for 2 of my bridesmaids
Sunday: My first makeup trial
Monday: Homework and maybe a hair trial
Tuesday: Doctors appointment and more homework
Wednesday: Another makeup trial and a hair cut maybe
Thursday: My boudior photo shoot (oober excited about this one) so that means a full day of hair and makeup and taking pictures whoo hoo!
Friday: Driving back home! (boo!)
So as I said I'll try and take as many pictures as possible and keep updating as much as I can! If I dont have time I'll up date on Saturday (probably Monday)after I get home!
Have a great weekend/week everyone! And pray for me as I travel this long distance back and fourth!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Betty Crocker I am not...
But a beginners cook I am!
I have never cooked a fancy-fied meal in my life! I have just recently began to learn how to do things from semi-scratch. I have gone from a pizza out of the box into the oven girl to a take something out of the box mix it together with something and it becomes a meal. One of these days I really do look forward to being able to make things from scratch like my STB Mother-in-law and my grandmothers have both done.
So I give you my first recipe! Insanely easy Quesadillas!
Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas
Ingrediants:
8-10 large burrito sized soft flour tortillas
1-2 cans of canned chicken (shredded)
1 tomato diced
1 bag of mexican style cheese mix (I perfer Kraft)
Dippings (if perfered):
Sour Cream ( I perfer this)
or
Salsa (the boys perfer this)
Instructions:
1. Heat up a large skillet to about medium high heat
2. Lay out one tortilla at a time and sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortilla along with chicken and some tomatos.
3. Fold over the other half of the tortilla to make a sandwich like effect
4. Toss into heated skillet
5. Leave in until golden brown
6. Flip to other side
7. Repeat number 5
8. Do directions 1-7 again until you have your dresired amount of quesadillas
9. With a chefs knife cut into quarters
10. Serve and enjoy!
Now see how easy that was!
A word about the pictures: You will never (most likely) see my own pictures displayed with my recipes because well the one time I did take a picture of something I made my FI laughed at me and still makes fun of me for it to this day so the only way I'll ever get pictures of my own food is 1. If he'll stop making fun of me or 2. I can do it in secret which right now is't possible!
I have never cooked a fancy-fied meal in my life! I have just recently began to learn how to do things from semi-scratch. I have gone from a pizza out of the box into the oven girl to a take something out of the box mix it together with something and it becomes a meal. One of these days I really do look forward to being able to make things from scratch like my STB Mother-in-law and my grandmothers have both done.
So I give you my first recipe! Insanely easy Quesadillas!
Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas
Ingrediants:
8-10 large burrito sized soft flour tortillas
1-2 cans of canned chicken (shredded)
1 tomato diced
1 bag of mexican style cheese mix (I perfer Kraft)
Dippings (if perfered):
Sour Cream ( I perfer this)
or
Salsa (the boys perfer this)
Instructions:
1. Heat up a large skillet to about medium high heat
2. Lay out one tortilla at a time and sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortilla along with chicken and some tomatos.
3. Fold over the other half of the tortilla to make a sandwich like effect
4. Toss into heated skillet
5. Leave in until golden brown
6. Flip to other side
7. Repeat number 5
8. Do directions 1-7 again until you have your dresired amount of quesadillas
9. With a chefs knife cut into quarters
10. Serve and enjoy!
Now see how easy that was!
A word about the pictures: You will never (most likely) see my own pictures displayed with my recipes because well the one time I did take a picture of something I made my FI laughed at me and still makes fun of me for it to this day so the only way I'll ever get pictures of my own food is 1. If he'll stop making fun of me or 2. I can do it in secret which right now is't possible!
Friday, September 19, 2008
I'm bringin sexy back.....
OK now I have to admit that 1. that is not me in the photo and 2. I have never considered myself to be "sexy" and 3. I really wish I was sexy.
You know that you wish you could look as good as those Victoria secret models do in the catalogs and you think you could never have the guts to take pictures like that. Well let me tell ya I HAVE always wanted to look like that and I am a BIG FAT CHICKEN but I thought there was no better time to get over that then for my wedding and my future husband who I know will enjoy these pictures immensely. So I thought I would give you a rundown of what I'm going to wear.
Outfit #1: I wanted to go for something classic and timeless and I've always loved black lingerie and pearls so I got a black lace garter belt, black lace thigh highs, a simple black lace bra that I already had and black pumps for accessories a long pearl necklace and diamond stud earrings (the earrings will be in all the pictures)
Outfit #2: I wanted to go with something more bridal so I bought an ivory lace bra and pantie set at VS, and I'm in the process of looking for a gold necklace. I probably wont wear shoes for the rest of the pictures.
Outfit #3: I wanted something playful so I got a pair of light blue ruffle butt panties which I may also wear under my wedding dress the day of (even though I already have my something blue which is my garter which I LOVE ♥ ) I haven't decided what to do for a top yet I may just go with a white tank top
Outfit #4: I found boy short undies with your new last name "Mrs. New last Name Est. Wedding date" in crystals and thought I could make them myself which I am in the process of doing! I'll probably wear his dog tags with this one.
The rest of the pictures will be done in a jacuzzi full of bubbles :) I'm very excited about those! Also probably the most nervous about them too!
I hope to have fun with it and get some confidence in myself from doing these!
How about you did any of you engaged/married ladies do these for your fiance'/husband as a gift for the wedding or what not? What was your experience?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Lesson Learned
***Warning: this post may contain R rated language, a long drawn out vent and is not suitable for children.***
Ok let me start off by saying "I should have known better". Why and what in the heck am I rambling about you ask? Well we MAY have hit a major pot hole in the wedding planning and it is a GINORMOUS one.
Our wedding date.
Here is the back story. Back in March after J proposed I started trying to find a good date for us to get married. I had always wanted to get married in the early spring/summer but knew with him in school and deployment imminent it was not possible to be able to pick a date that we knew he'd be home. So I continued to think and one day while driving home from work Christmas just popped into my head and I started imagining all the pretty christmas tree with white lights and candles everywhere and my girls dress in beautiful red dresses. So I called J when I got home and said "how about we get married while you are home for Christmas?" he said "specific date?" and I said "well how about the 20th of December" and he said "yeah that sounds good I will be home in plenty of time for that!" so I ran off like a bolt of lighting and booked everything within a week and I do mean everything (photographer, ceremony and reception site and catering).
I come down to Alabama expecting to get some dates in writing or atleast from someone who knew what they were talking about as far as when Christmas Exodus actually started. In the beginning no one knew anything. Then we started hearing rumor that it was actually starting on December the 20th (you see where this is going dont you?)
So now we're hearing more and more that it actually does start on December 20th. The rules are that you cannot leave until 5AM on the day that exodus begins. It is a 10 hour drive from Alabama to Kentucky. So if he left at 5AM he would get there at about 3PM (4PM KY time) our pictures start at 3PM and the ceremony starts at 6PM. This also means we could not have a rehersal and if we did it would be without the groom.
J. has been telling me from the very beginning not to worry that they WILL let him take Friday off so he can get home in time. But really folks I dont see that happening. You see, the Army has a tendency to be really BIG assholes. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Right now it seems they are the enemy until they proove me otherwise.
I also dont believe they will let him have the 19th off because he "should" be starting his primary aircraft at the beginning of December so he'll be in a class at that point. So he might miss something or lose flight hours, they couldnt fail him I dont believe but from what we've heard it is a pretty intense class.
So here I am left to wonder if I'm even going to have a groom on our wedding day. I mean I can't do this by myself! And I don't want a billion pictures of just me I want him in the pictures too!
Thinking about what could possibly happen that day makes me want to both laugh and sob at the same time. And knowing J. the way I do he will not ask what to do until the very last minute. And I can't do anything or find out anything because well I'm just a fiance' I have no power in the Army world as of yet.
So I wait....
Ok let me start off by saying "I should have known better". Why and what in the heck am I rambling about you ask? Well we MAY have hit a major pot hole in the wedding planning and it is a GINORMOUS one.
Our wedding date.
Here is the back story. Back in March after J proposed I started trying to find a good date for us to get married. I had always wanted to get married in the early spring/summer but knew with him in school and deployment imminent it was not possible to be able to pick a date that we knew he'd be home. So I continued to think and one day while driving home from work Christmas just popped into my head and I started imagining all the pretty christmas tree with white lights and candles everywhere and my girls dress in beautiful red dresses. So I called J when I got home and said "how about we get married while you are home for Christmas?" he said "specific date?" and I said "well how about the 20th of December" and he said "yeah that sounds good I will be home in plenty of time for that!" so I ran off like a bolt of lighting and booked everything within a week and I do mean everything (photographer, ceremony and reception site and catering).
I come down to Alabama expecting to get some dates in writing or atleast from someone who knew what they were talking about as far as when Christmas Exodus actually started. In the beginning no one knew anything. Then we started hearing rumor that it was actually starting on December the 20th (you see where this is going dont you?)
So now we're hearing more and more that it actually does start on December 20th. The rules are that you cannot leave until 5AM on the day that exodus begins. It is a 10 hour drive from Alabama to Kentucky. So if he left at 5AM he would get there at about 3PM (4PM KY time) our pictures start at 3PM and the ceremony starts at 6PM. This also means we could not have a rehersal and if we did it would be without the groom.
J. has been telling me from the very beginning not to worry that they WILL let him take Friday off so he can get home in time. But really folks I dont see that happening. You see, the Army has a tendency to be really BIG assholes. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Right now it seems they are the enemy until they proove me otherwise.
I also dont believe they will let him have the 19th off because he "should" be starting his primary aircraft at the beginning of December so he'll be in a class at that point. So he might miss something or lose flight hours, they couldnt fail him I dont believe but from what we've heard it is a pretty intense class.
So here I am left to wonder if I'm even going to have a groom on our wedding day. I mean I can't do this by myself! And I don't want a billion pictures of just me I want him in the pictures too!
Thinking about what could possibly happen that day makes me want to both laugh and sob at the same time. And knowing J. the way I do he will not ask what to do until the very last minute. And I can't do anything or find out anything because well I'm just a fiance' I have no power in the Army world as of yet.
So I wait....
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I love....
to procrastinate so if I find something more interesting to do than oh say math homework or reading a chapter of webdesign (even though i actually enjoy this class) I'll take it!
I found this one Newlywedisms by Bryn and thought I'd share my answers.
PS: You should also check out her blog because well she's just fabulous!
Your hair? boring
Your mother? confidant
Your father? enthusiastic
Your favorite thing? home
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your dream/goal? motherhood
Your favorite drink? soda
The room you're in? bedroom
Your ex? loser
Your hobby? lots
Your fear? death
Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
Where were you last night? home
What you're not? cool
Muffins? yummy
One of your wish list items? Camera
Time? afternoon
Where you grew up? kentucky
The last thing you did? homework
Favorite weather? fall
What are you wearing? shorts
Your favorite book? girly
Your TV? nonexisistant
Your pet? Jake
Your computer? dell
Your mood? unmotivated
Missing someone? everyone
Your car? old
Something you're not wearing? earrings
Favorite store? many
Love someone? engaged
Your favorite color/shade? white
Last thing you ate? sandwich
Your life? blessed
Your friends? greatest
What are you thinking right now? wedding
What are you doing at this moment? breathing
Your summer: hot
Your relationship status: engaged
What do you do when you can't sleep? think
When is the last time you laughed? morning
Last time you cried? recently
now you do it!
I found this one Newlywedisms by Bryn and thought I'd share my answers.
PS: You should also check out her blog because well she's just fabulous!
Your hair? boring
Your mother? confidant
Your father? enthusiastic
Your favorite thing? home
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your dream/goal? motherhood
Your favorite drink? soda
The room you're in? bedroom
Your ex? loser
Your hobby? lots
Your fear? death
Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
Where were you last night? home
What you're not? cool
Muffins? yummy
One of your wish list items? Camera
Time? afternoon
Where you grew up? kentucky
The last thing you did? homework
Favorite weather? fall
What are you wearing? shorts
Your favorite book? girly
Your TV? nonexisistant
Your pet? Jake
Your computer? dell
Your mood? unmotivated
Missing someone? everyone
Your car? old
Something you're not wearing? earrings
Favorite store? many
Love someone? engaged
Your favorite color/shade? white
Last thing you ate? sandwich
Your life? blessed
Your friends? greatest
What are you thinking right now? wedding
What are you doing at this moment? breathing
Your summer: hot
Your relationship status: engaged
What do you do when you can't sleep? think
When is the last time you laughed? morning
Last time you cried? recently
now you do it!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Coolest Wedding Video EVER!
I saw this on another blog it is Mrs.Milkshake (from Weddingbee.com) wedding video. It is the coolest videography I've ever seen and I am jealous of not being able to have something like this. But pictures are more important to me....check it out you wont regret it.
Cheryl + Andrew's SDE - Vancouver from StillMotion on Vimeo.
Cheryl + Andrew's SDE - Vancouver from StillMotion on Vimeo.
Morning Pick-me-up
I used to hate coffee (loved the smell hated the taste) until I was a freshman in college and we had Starbucks on every stinking corner of the campus. So I thought to myself if there are this many of these places on ONE college campus then it must be good, so I walked in one day after a VERY cold walk to the classroom building and bought a white chocolate mocha cappucino. It was the first time I actually drank an entire cup of coffee (it could have had to deal with the fact that it was below 30 degrees outside also and the thing cost me $3).
After I moved on from the big university campus to the community college campus (which did not have Starbucks) and moved into my own house (well fiance's house) I decided I needed to find a cheaper alternative than stopping at the starbucks on the way to school every Tuesday and Thursday mornings. So on my quest for some good cappucino that didn't cost an arm and a leg I found several good options. The first I tried was something from walmart in a french vanilla flavored. It started out good but as we kept on buying the stuff it began to take on a funny taste so we had to move on to something new...
That's when I found this...
Folgers cappuccino mix in french vanilla. I thought well it is from Folgers and from what I know they make pretty good coffee so I gave it a try. It is the best I've had yet and I suggest it to anyone who likes cappuccino. You can have it in the morning or at night, you can have it hot or cold (it has a recipe for both hot and cold drinks on the back). It has a light flavor that isn't too sweet and at $2 a can it can't be beat!
Well ok I lied the only thing that could beat that is if someone bought me a cappuccino machine and all the flavorings for a white chocolate mocha....but this will do.
I give it a Yumminess Factor Rating of 4 (5 being the best)
After I moved on from the big university campus to the community college campus (which did not have Starbucks) and moved into my own house (well fiance's house) I decided I needed to find a cheaper alternative than stopping at the starbucks on the way to school every Tuesday and Thursday mornings. So on my quest for some good cappucino that didn't cost an arm and a leg I found several good options. The first I tried was something from walmart in a french vanilla flavored. It started out good but as we kept on buying the stuff it began to take on a funny taste so we had to move on to something new...
That's when I found this...
Folgers cappuccino mix in french vanilla. I thought well it is from Folgers and from what I know they make pretty good coffee so I gave it a try. It is the best I've had yet and I suggest it to anyone who likes cappuccino. You can have it in the morning or at night, you can have it hot or cold (it has a recipe for both hot and cold drinks on the back). It has a light flavor that isn't too sweet and at $2 a can it can't be beat!
Well ok I lied the only thing that could beat that is if someone bought me a cappuccino machine and all the flavorings for a white chocolate mocha....but this will do.
I give it a Yumminess Factor Rating of 4 (5 being the best)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Meal Planning
I've recently been trying out meal planning after reading that it will help you stick to a budget and a list while grocery shopping because I will be the first to admit that I am not one that likes to go to the grocery store and buy whats on the list I see things I pick them up and put them in the cart which ultimately leads me to spending way more than I should have. So I've been giving this a try, it seems to help me stick to the list but it's still not cheap.
You see we get $192 per month in BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistance aka Food) so we add $8 to make it an even $200 for the month so we break that down by 4 weeks because we shop on Sundays every week and it comes to $50 per week. But most of the time our bill comes out to $70-80 per week which is frusterating. Plus our commissary on base has a surcharge which you never know how much it is going to be we've had it anywhere between $3-$6 it just varies which is frusterating because 1. it's higher than taxes and 2. it always makes our bill higher and makes it worse when we go over and 3. you can't tell how much it is going to be there is no way to tell.
But anyway...here is my menu for the week
Sunday- Tuna Casserole with veggie
Monday- Salmon with pesto and veggies
Tuesday- Fried Steaks with baby potatos and veggie
Wednesday- Chicken and cheese quesedillas with beef rice and corn
Thursday- Baked chicken wild rice and veggie
Friday- Eat out or order in Pizza
Saturday- German keilbasa with stir fry veggies and saurkraut
It's probably because of all the meat we eat that we go over....
You see we get $192 per month in BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistance aka Food) so we add $8 to make it an even $200 for the month so we break that down by 4 weeks because we shop on Sundays every week and it comes to $50 per week. But most of the time our bill comes out to $70-80 per week which is frusterating. Plus our commissary on base has a surcharge which you never know how much it is going to be we've had it anywhere between $3-$6 it just varies which is frusterating because 1. it's higher than taxes and 2. it always makes our bill higher and makes it worse when we go over and 3. you can't tell how much it is going to be there is no way to tell.
But anyway...here is my menu for the week
Sunday- Tuna Casserole with veggie
Monday- Salmon with pesto and veggies
Tuesday- Fried Steaks with baby potatos and veggie
Wednesday- Chicken and cheese quesedillas with beef rice and corn
Thursday- Baked chicken wild rice and veggie
Friday- Eat out or order in Pizza
Saturday- German keilbasa with stir fry veggies and saurkraut
It's probably because of all the meat we eat that we go over....
Friday, September 12, 2008
Beautiful & Clean Rooms
So today while I was taking a break (procrastinating) finishing school work I made two things. I've been thinking a lot about what to do with our extra bedroom at our home after my roommate moves out in May of next year. I've been talking with J. about it and he said we should just turn it into a guest room/office so I made up an ever so popular mood board for the room today.
I wanted to go for a cozy and comfortable space using neutral colors and greens and browns. So here is what I came up with...
Then I also made a cleaning schedule to help me keep the house always looking presentable because I have someone over nearly every day and I dont want to have to work so hard to get the house clean after I invite someone so here it is....click to enlarge.
I hope everyone has a good weekend! I'm off to have some German food! Yumm!
I wanted to go for a cozy and comfortable space using neutral colors and greens and browns. So here is what I came up with...
Then I also made a cleaning schedule to help me keep the house always looking presentable because I have someone over nearly every day and I dont want to have to work so hard to get the house clean after I invite someone so here it is....click to enlarge.
I hope everyone has a good weekend! I'm off to have some German food! Yumm!
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