Throwback Thursday.

I love this picture. It reminds me of how wonderful my Aunt Susan was to us growing up. When she passed away in 2012 after a very long and painful illness we were all heartbroken. It's so nice to look back on pictures and memories we have of her.

I don't have any idea why I'm eating my witches broom and not the jack-o-lantern sugar cookie. 

I love my aunt's bright orange Chuck Taylors peeking through. She was so festive for Halloween. 

I know there are so many hurting in this world for the last several days. My heart aches for Boston and Texas as well.

Wedding Wednesday- Honoring Those Who Where There In Spirit

There is a part of me that was very sad on the morning of our wedding. Knowing that some ot the people I loved most and loved me could not be with us. Although I know they were looking down on us and celebrating along with us it was hard knowing they wouldn't be with us physically.

I wanted to honor the ones I wished could have been there. I carried both of my grandparent's wedding pictures in a charm on my bouquet.

To honor my grandparents and my aunt we included this beautiful poem in our program. 

While I'm on the topic of WEDDINGS; our anniversary is very FAST approaching. I'm drawing a blank on what we should do. We both took 2 days off so I'm toying around with an overnight trip somewhere instead of giving gifts. I'm also toying around with the idea of skipping the gifts or trips and doing a household project. Lame?!?! 

I need some ideas. HELP! 

 

Faith in Humanity

Being out sick yesterday I felt like I had a front row seat to the horror that unfolded in Boston. I originally heard via Anderson Cooper tweeting "Investigating incident at the Boston Marathon". I flipped on the closest news channel and I sat in horror. What I saw was beyond what the brain should ever witness. The horrific pain of our fellow human beings is beyond measure. My heart aches. But the one thing that caught my eye are the volunteers, runners, spectators and police who ran towards the explosions to help those gravely injured. In our darkest day there will always be a glimmer of hope and some, although slight, faith in humanity.

Today my heavy heart sits with Boston and everyone who was affected by the senseless act of violence.

This Weekend I

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This weekend I did a lot of sleeping, coughing, vaporizing and humidifying.

Yep, I am sick. I haven't felt this bad in a long time. I hate being sick. I hate feeling lazy and week. On Saturday I attempted to clean some of the houses. I got through a few rooms and I was wiped out. On Saturday night I couldn't sleep or breathe. I felt like it was a asthma attack although I don't have asthma. Finally Sunday morning I made Brian take me to urgent care. After a check up and a breathing treatment I was diagnosed with nasty bronchitis. I was sent home with cough syrup, antibiotics, prednisone, and an inhaler. I'm out of work till at least Wednesday. I'm run down and I'm wiped out.

The one productive thing I did wall weekend was help my mom find a dress for my brother's wedding this coming winter. It was so weird being back in a bridal store. I haven't been in one since last April. It was so weird being stress free. I had no stress involved with this visit. It was perfect. I'm not in the wedding party so I have no stress about bridesmaid gowns, fitting into anything or wearing something some one else picks for you. Instead, the stress was all on my mom. We did find some of the most beautiful dresses for her to try on.

We found this adorable bridal shop, Chrissy O. Here were her favorites.









I loved them all. She was torn between the second and the last. Mom ended up going with the last dress. She went with a forest green. She is going to look beautiful in it.

HAPPIES and CRAPPIES

HAPPIES:

-Boot camp is kicking butt. I more than halfway through the April classes. My instructor approached me after class and told me how awesome she thinks I'm doing. She said she sees a huge improvement since the beginning of March. Now if I can only drop some weight, lol. More importantly I absolutely LOVE IT and I love how strong I feel.

- It's finally feeling like spring around here. Flowers are in bloom and its semi warm but I'll take it. 

- I took today off. I need a break. Mom and I are in need of some retail therapy. 

- Waiting on news that could potentially be incredible for our family. We just need some really good thoughts!

CRAPPIES:

- I am sick. I have a terrible chest cold. I really feel miserable. My chest hurts and coughing is killing me. Brian is sick too. We are both cranky and miserable. 

- A few members of my family needs a lot of support these days. Positive thoughts would be appreciated. 

- Work has really been insane lately. I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water at work. It's such a stressful time. There are days I find myself so tired and so stressed I could cry. 

Throwback Thursday....

I was recently cleaning up my Mac last week when I found this gem.

Apparently my best friend and I were out one night and thought it would be fun to take pictures with some one's old Volkswagen. That seems innocent enough, right?!?! I don't know if I'll share with you what Jac did after she realized the doors were open. Turns out the VW belonged to a friend of ours from high school who was in town visiting.

I believe this is going back about 10 years ago. We used to have such a blast. Our friend used to bartend in the town where we grew up. It was pretty much our very our "Cheers". It's crazy that Jaclyn is now very pregnant and our big adventures on the weekend usually include a trip to Trader Joes and Home Goods at the dismay of our budget loving husbands. It's time for us to embark on new adventures but we used to be a blast!


Linking up with Ady...

Wedding Wednesday- Getting Hitched on a Budget

Welcome to my second week of Wedding Wednesday. Last week I began sharing the posts I never got to post last year after our wedding.

I pride myself on being a budget savvy gal and honestly my wedding was no exception. We didn't want to go crazy and put ourselves in the poor house when planning our wedding. I was pleasantly surprised when after all was said in done we actually went under our original budget.

The best bit of advice I got when planning a wedding was pay a little bit at a time. My advice is have a long enough engagement where you don't have to jump on the first vendor you speak with. Take your time, realize what you want, what you are comfortable paying and not settle for anything you are unsure of. Also, put your money in the places you will remember and your guests will remember. I'm relatively crafty so we also saved money on our centerpieces.

We chose to have our wedding on a Sunday afternoon in April which saved us 70% off the regular price at the country club. Base price on a weekend during high season starts at $100. That was before any alcohol package was added. The venue was absolutely beautiful and what I always wanted.

I didn't skimp on the important things but we were very lucky with the choices we made. I was able to shop around for 15 months before all of the decisions were made. We were lucky to find an up and coming photographer and her husband who took pictures for 8 hours and we got a disk of 800 photos for under $1,200. As a way to save on our photographer we didn't get prints or an album. Instead we used the dvd and printed out photos via Snapfish and Shutterfuly or whichever had a sale. We also used both sites to make our wedding album for under $50. We chose our DJ after I saw them perform at a bridal show. I thought they were pretty fun and I was happy to see them live before I had to make a decision. We received a discount after visiting them at the show too. Our friend, Marie was happy to make our cake for under $300.

My splurge item was my gown and altering my gown. Having a large chest it was hard to find a dress I looked beautiful in. I found the St. Patrick's gown at RK Bridal in NYC. I can't say enough things about this place. I went on a Monday morning. No one was there besides me. I had the help of several attendants. I spent 6 hours trying on gowns. Because I can't make decisions I was so glad when a girl who was there for a friend's dress fitting walked over to complement me on my gown and how she thought I looked in it. The dress needed a bit of work to work with my body but it was worth the splurge. I felt amazing in my dress. It was everything I had ever wanted in a dress. I felt so pretty. At the end of the night I didn't want to take it off. I used my usual regular hair stylist. She was incredible. She charged my $75 for my hair and $50 for all of the girls and moms. Jewelry was found on Etsy and also a small local shop. Both bracelet and earrings cost under $75.

Flowers were not a place I felt I wanted to spend to much. I love flowers and think they are all pretty. A friend told me she had gotten her wedding flowers at a Price Chopper. I took her advice and was able to stay way under my budget. I chose to go with seasonal flowers and use a bunch of local wild flowers  as fillers.

I was a very lucky girl and won a lot of wedding essentials. Thanks to Project Wedding I won my fiancés amazing Bonobos Italian wool suit, priced at about $700; a hair piece from Bella Bleu Sara Gabriel Hairpiece, a garter from Bleu Garters, a wedding tree from True Woodcuts. I also won my bridesmaid's tote bags from American Bridal and some other small accessories.

I wasn't sure if we should post exactly what we spent on our wedding so lets just say I spent between $14,000 and $16,000. If anyone wants to know how we were able to do it and exact amounts please feel free to message me. In a world where the average wedding is between $19,000 and $32,000. I say my budgeting was pretty successful. Staying half under the typical wedding budget I still had everything I wanted and dreamed of for our day.

Showers of Happiness

This weekend we celebrated the very soon arrival of my best friend's little one. Baby D will be here before we know it. Due date is scheduled for May 30th. I'm betting she goes a bit early. I'm guessing a boy born on May 28th. The mommy to be and Oma to be set up a beautiful gender neutral shower. 

Instead of a wishing well the momma asked for all the guests to bring a baby book for the baby's library. They made adorable diaper cakes for the tables and added spring flowers that made the room smell so pretty. She got tons of great stuff. 

Can't wait to meet you Baby D.

Happy Birthday

The day we picked up Bogart. His very first picture

It's hard to believe this little 4 pound puppy is 10 years old today. My Bogart has been a staple in my life for almost as long as my bestest friends. I got him the day before my college graduation. Can't you tell? I had not wrinkles in my forehead. Bogart has been with me through so many good times and bad times. He has cuddled me when I'm sick or sad and made me laugh like nothing else could. It makes me sad when I see him acting like a "senior"dog, as the vet calls him. I hate that term. He still hikes like a champion and plays like a puppy. He has brought me so much happiness and unconditional love. He's my baby boy. He will always be!

Last weekend we took a trip to the local Dog Shop, Scarlett's Way. The owner is a sweetheart. We talked for almost an hour and she was in love with how silly Bogart was.He ended up getting just about everything in the store; special "I Love You" cookies, a new sweater, eco friendly stuffed bone, hallowed bone for peanut butter, hiking canteen and travel water dish. Yep, he is spoiled!

Happy 10th Birthday, Bogart, Bog, Wubbie, Woogles, Woolies!

Wedding Wednesday....

I can't believe in just a few weeks we will celebrate our first wedding anniversary! NUTS! I can't believe how fast time flies. 

It's crazy how I didn't post all of my favorite things from my wedding last April. Not shortly after our wedding life got a little crazy and all of these posts from our wedding sat in my draft folder. I'm so glad I'm able to finally share. Better late then never! 

I wanted to share with you all some of our wedding decor. I did just about everything myself with a little help from my mom and mother in law. I never felt so crafty. 

I used an old picnic basket that used to belong to Brian's grandparents. I love the fact that they took this very same picnic basket when they were dating. They have been happily married for over 50 years. I made the flower with jewels and silk flower petals to dress it up a bit. We now use the basket in our living room to store extra blankets and small pillows. 

Our centerpieces were by far one of my favorite parts of our wedding. Since Brian and I had our first date and got engaged in an apple orchard we really wanted to incorporate that into our spring wedding. Good thing we chose green as our main color. 

We purchased wildflowers from our local supermarket as an addition. 

Brian's mother is a potter and made the cake plates. The morning before the wedding my mom, mother in law and myself stood in the basement of the country club for over 2 hours building these. They were a huge success and everyone wanted one. Our guests who did take them home have made mention every time they have a nice cake or pie they think of us and our wedding.  Makes them even more special for us. 

The green fabric has now been turned into some bedroom pillows for us and couch pillows for my best friend. 

Like our table numbers? I printed them out for FREE thanks to The Wedding Chicks

Nothing fancy here. We skipped the usual favors and donated money to our local humane societies. We placed a little note on everyone's place setting. 

Our window pane seating chart. This was one of the very first things I saw when I began planning my wedding and it was the first thing I was positive I wanted to add. We were on the hunt for old windows. Brian's mom crossed over a busy road to pick these up. They did need about 10 washings before they were pretty enough to use but still looked rustic.

We had 13 tables with one pane left. I added "Our Love Story" to the very last one. Not everyone knows all the special days in our relationship and we loved sharing them. 

Have I mentioned our connection to the orchard? Yep, thought so! Well our "guest book" was another way for us to include it in our wedding day. 

We love it! Its a beautiful piece of art and it now hangs over our bed. 

If you'd like one you can find them here

My Bride and Groom chair hangs were finished on the morning of our wedding. I'm so glad I finished them although my bridesmaids giggled at me for doing them instead of relaxing. I sat on the floor of my living room hot glueing away. So many people commented that they loved seeing them through the large reception window as they mingled during cocktail hour on the boardwalk.  The picture above shows just what our guests saw. A small sneak peek into reception room

I hope to continue to share so much more from our wedding this month. 

What were some of your favorite wedding details?

Planning your wedding? What details would you like to see?

We Are Juicing!

Recently I found this awesome Facebook page where residents of my county buy and sell their unneeded items. I love this idea! I hate throwing things away. Originally I was only going to sell, and sell I did. I sold, all of my costume jewelry I was over wearing, 2 over the top dresses, softball cleats and wall hangs. Last week I did see a Jack Lalane juicer on sale for $50. I read the reviews, original price being $100 I jumped on it. I offered $40 and we are now the proud owners of a juicer. The elderly woman who purchased the juicer hated it. She told me she preferred milk shakes.


This juicer is pretty rocking. I know it isn't the $500 Vita-mix everyone seems to love but lets get real. I had no idea if I would like this thing or like the way the juice even tasted so $40 was enough for me. The juice tastes fresh and I really enjoy it. The negatives are the cleanup. This is by no means an easy or quick clean up. There are 5 separate parts of the juicer that need cleaning afterwards. It also takes a lot of fruit to make the juice. It is a pricey adventure.



Here are my 2 favorite juices.

Each of these made 2 glasses of juice

First Attempt- I have no cute names for them

1 cucumber
1 apple
1 orange
1 handful of blueberries



Second Attempt

2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 orange
1 mango
2 strawberries
(The strawberries were on their way out so I threw them in)
I also added a little coconut water

I really loved both of these. I add a lot of ice because I really like ice cold juice.We also started saving the pulp left over and freezing it for smoothies. No use in wasting it.



BTW, what is up with Pinterest (or me?) and the embed button. I've tried to days to embed things into blog posts and it is just NOT working. Grrrr!

April...

Holy cow! March is really over?!?! It just seems like it flew by. I think it is because most nights I was out cold by 8:30! I guess boot camp will do that to you. I'm a sucker for pain or a glutton for punishment because I'm doing boot camp again this month. In case you missed it in Friday's post I felt pretty successful after the last class in March. I didn't lose any weight which was a bit of a bummer BUT I did lose 3.5 inches. I'm hoping for the same thing if not better this month. My first April class started this morning and I'm feeling great. Especially after eating all the goodies yesterday during Easter brunch.

We had such a beautiful Easter. We skipped the fancy Easter dinner and pretty clothes for a simple Easter brunch at my in-laws and a long family hike. It was perfect. Food was delicious. We indulged on some quiche (I made it), ham, chicken, mac and cheese, vegetables, pulled pork, cole slaw and a ton of other goodies. We got to enjoy a beautiful day out in nature with our family and all our dogs. For me it was the best kind of way to celebrate family and the beginning of Spring. 

Bogart interacting for the first time with our nephew Ryan. 

Seconds after this he pulled a clump of hair out of poor Bogart's ear. 

Poor doggie.

Chubby baby cheeks! 

Paul and Bogart are best buddies. 

Paul wanted to hold my hand to protect his "Aunt Asqueena"from wild animals on our hike.

He protected me from all the bears, tigers and kangaroos out there.

I love the imagination of 3 year olds. 

Hope everyone enjoyed their Easter as much as we did. 

Happy April Fools day! 

Happy Baseball Opening Day. 

GO YANKEES!!!! 

Happies and Crappies...

HAPPIES:

- I completed boot camp! I DID IT!!! I did not miss one class! I think I may have been the only one! 

- I lost a total of 3.5 inches. 
Arms- Down .5 inch
Chest- Down 1 inch
Waist- Down .5 inch
Hips- Down 1 inch
Leg- Down .5 inch

- My birthday weekend was great. I will probably post about it when life gets a bit less hectic. I took a zumba class. Went shopping for some new work out clothes, dinner and breakfast at my favorite place the next day. 

- My parents got me a Home Depot gift card so we can do some home renovations. I also got some great earrings. Brian got me another month of boot camp! I'm so excited. 

- We got a juicer! I'm loving juicing but hating the clean up!!!

CRAPPIES:

- My phone broke. BOO! Verizon did replace it but I lost all of my photos.

- Work is just INSANE! Plus, I'm kind of jealous that it seems like everyone has a 3 or 4 day weekend. Not me! 

- Between work and the 4:45 wake up call I am so tired all the time. I haven't stayed up passed 8:30 this entire week. 

What are your happies and crappies this week?

Happy Easter! Enjoy your weekend.