Sore. Sore sore sore.

So, I'm fitting into the stereotypical bride role of "losing weight before the wedding." Sigh. But, in my defense, I have been this size before. About 1.5 years ago, to be precise. So it's not like I"m trying to obtain something that was never before recognized.

I'm losing at a healthy rate. Not doing anything crazy. Watching calories, etc. Trying to exercise, but finding myself not because of stupid invitations and other commitments.

But what I have realized is that if I do work out or work outside or something, my legs are UNBEARABLY sore the next 3-4 days. My body loses weight in places, and it's always the same order. Right now it's on my legs, so perhaps that's the cause. Maybe it's that the legs are losing fat AND then working out together causes them to be sore? I don't know... but I do know that generally speaking, I would not be this sore. I worked in the garden this weekend, and from Monday through Wednesday, yeowch! Legs hurt. Like really hurt. But, arms were fine.

Crazy.

But, the dress fits, I feel healthy and am getting fitter, and I feel good.

Why I love B

HE FOUND AN APARTMENT DOWN SOUTH!!!!! He will be happy-- his own space, not infringing on anyone else's privacy. And, he can walk to work. I am so proud and happy for him!

I am currently putting together a bunch of things to bring to him tomorrow night. We don't want to spend too much $$$ on extra supplies, but luckily we have a ton of stuff up here so we can likely split it up between us. My list right now looks like:

* Table
* 2 chairs
* Small side table
* Small side lamp
* B's hung shirts
* B's tubs of folded shirts
* blankets
* pillows
* towels
* Pots, pans & utensils
* Canned food/supplies from our kitchen

Yikes, what a lot of stuff. And the list is sure to grow. But so worth it! He already found a futon, so let's hope he gets it and we can pick it up on Saturday. I know futon sounds college-y, but it's a studio, so really, it makes the most sense.

I wonder if I can add a few "monster cats" to this list without B realizing... Hmm...

Not the first 50 invites.

Yes, thought I would, but I didn't. Had a spray paint mishap which resulted in my hands all painty red and it looking like I murdered someone outside. Sigh.

But tonight should be fairly simple.
* Outline 50 invites
* Cut out announcement
* Glue on announcement
* Glue on exterior envelope address
* Stuff envelopes
* Lick envelopes
* Glue on return address on back flap.

Knock on wood.

The first 50!

The first 50 invites should be ready to send tomorrow! I realized that from 51 onwards, various things for the invites were in varying amounts of completion, so it was better to divide our list and send the invites sooner to those whom are farther away (thus needing more time to make arrangements if they come).

Wow. SO much going on. And (professiona) work is booming, so I often wonder if things will ever get done....

50. Tomorrow. Thank goodness.

Apartment? Fingers Crossed!

B may have found an apartment down south. Yay! Now I can go visit him. SO excited. Let's hope! And, it's in the same town as the wedding, so yay wedding storage. Poor B....

We find out in the next day or so. HOPING!

Why I love B

He is helping. I had a bad week last week, as the invitations are taking longer than I want and so I am stressed. So, B steps in and helps out. He is trying to find an apartment, trying to sort out hotels, and soon will begin working on music.

The stress of jobs and marriage classes and wedding and families and not enough time has really weighed heavily on our minds these past few weeks. Too much to do, we're not where we want to be geographically (ie: in the same city as each other), and we are so frustrated.

But this weekend, it felt like the tides had turned. We both know what has caused our frustration, and it's not each other. This weekend, there wasn't any grumpiness. We let our frustration take second tier to each other, and we had so much fun. :)

Photo of garden

Ok, it's not my office "garden", as promised, but here are the rows and mounds of dirt from yesterday. And the reason why my legs are a little sore. It's our friends' garden, and one we'll hopefully get a few veggies from. :) Come on! A whole row of saucer squash! You have to share, T!

Gardening Delights

I don't have a yard, but my friend does! We made 8 lovely high rows, each about 20 feet long! And there's a corn patch and a green bean area. I am so excited. Granted, I'll only get probably a few of the veggies (it is her garden), but still, yay for fresh vegetables.

BUT, I also have my own little teeny garden (photos coming soon). My office gets good afternoon sun, so I have 5 pots right now:

Pot 1: Curly oregano
Pot 2: Butter lettuce
Pot 3: Rosemary and chives
Pot 4: Butter lettuce
Pot 5: Spinach

This is in addition to my jade and curly willow that I rescued. There is actually room for 3 or so more pots, so this must be pondered.... Hmmm. I'd love more spinach and lettuce, actually. It has to be small. I'll keep the plants a manageable size by snipping.

I am just saying...

I read this today (it was a comment on a blog), and I love the sentiment.

Listen,
You are one of the best writers ever

and

if you were my neighbor

I would weed your gardenfor free

just because you understand

what is important in the world

and

how to illustrate it nicely.
I am just saying…

Random things in life

This week has been a whirlwind.

***

In a nutshell....:
Work: A new job title and trying to wade the waters of figuring stuff out without ticking people off. It's something I've been working towards my whole life, and to finally be here is great and terrifying and fantastic.

Wedding: Trying to get invitations done but being so exhausted from work that this is taking a long time.

B: Went down to visit B on Wednesday. Bliss, but lost an evening of work.

***

I traced everything out, and there are three commitless weekends until the wedding. How did this happen?!
4/25: We have a wedding to go to and then down to help friends on Sunday
5/2: FREE!!!
5/9: A party down south of here, so we're going down there for it.
5/16: I fly out to my sister's graduation in Philadelphia
5/23: My parents are in town for a professional ceremony of mine... it involves swearing. :)
5/30: FREE!
6/6: FREE!
6/13: We're trading cities with friends because they have a wedding near us, so we're headed south.
6/20: I'm free (sorta), but B has a week-long conference so he's busy.
6/27: THE WEDDING!

***

Freaking out...

***

I should also add that the new position at work means I will have MANY more responsibilities and commitments. So my weekend and evening hours may get cut back. No, not "may"... WILL get cut back. So I'm a tad worried.

***

Goals, overall right now:

Invites: Get sent out by Tuesday, at the LATEST. That way, our goal of getting RSVPs by 5/30 is reasonable.

B apartment: He needs to find one by next week, so that our visits down south won't mean so much lost time for us. This will be a LOAD off my worrisome shoulders. Plus, then next weekend we can move him in, including the mini freezer so I can cook and have the food DOWN THERE.

Finish up projects: There are a lot of worked-on but incomplete projects right now. Invitations. Centerpieces. Lanterns. Placemats. I want to spend next week tying up loose ends, that way at least I know where I stand on each of these projects.

Name Change & News!!

I've decided on my name change. I never thought I'd want to take someone else's name, but now that I'm here, I want to. It's a unity thing. And I want to have the same name as my kids someday. And I don't want to do hyphens (it does NOT work with our last names-- it sounds like a German curse word if you say it fast).

I had planned to get this all done in June or soon thereafter the wedding....

BUT

So news news news, I just passed a MASSIVE, crazy-hard, important professional exam (insert the woooos!)! Now I get new business cards, etc etc. I'm not long out of school either, so my current last name doesn't have much of a reputation yet. So what do I do?

I want to change now... but I've found out that it's infinitely more difficult because I don't have a marriage license. But if I go by the new name now, I could face ethical issues. But, there is so much that will happen this next month: new people to meet, new professional ties, oaths, etc...

New name. New job position. SO much change!

Invites. Yikes.

Without giving up too much... right now we're doing 80 invites (there will likely be 10 more to do, but we have 80 going right now). Each invite= 20-40 leaves. Times 80= 1600-3800 leaves. CRAZINESS.

Each night it's a battle between lay stuff out /let things dry and where to put stuff so the monster cats don't attack.

Necklace

I found my necklace for the wedding and ordered it. Isn't it pretty? Now I just need to find earrings. I prefer dangling earrings with leverback clasps... something graceful.

Invitations...

We are trying. As soon as they're mailed and likely received, I will send pictures. Between wedding class this weekend and Bob visiting and the house a mess, invitations got worked on, but not finished.

Sigh.

Tales of a pale Oregonian

This pale Oregonian's skin felt sun this weekend. And it was wonderful!

***

This is where I live.

***

Yes, I live at the foot of a volcano. Actually, several volcanoes. Ok, maybe not at the feet of volcanoes, but maybe like a neighbor down the block who can run fast in case of problems.

***

(That's Mt. St. Helens, by the by)

Invitations, the continuing saga...

Last night I worked on the RSVP cards. We're making the cards, that way they go with the overall invite theme, and so our colors and theme of the wedding will be reflected well.

But I do have a gripe: Why is it so hard to find envelopes? Regular small envelopes. I realized last night that the only small envelopes I have ever used were old ones from a stationery set where I had lost the original stationery and thus could use my own stationery with the lonely envelope.

So this posed a problem: we had the RSVP cards ready, but how to figure out the envelopes?

Simple: We're making them. It really is easy! Create a template, cut, fold, glue. The only problem is how to seal the back... We may just ask our guests to tape it. It's easier than hassling with a sticker. Or maybe we could half put a sticker on. Hm.

But, what's also nice is the envelope is in our colors.

One note though: You have to check the US postal service for envelope dimensions. Square= more postage, and the length x width cannot be bigger/smaller than certain dimensions.

Day off

Last night I took the night off. B came home (!!!), and we went for a walk. Gosh, it was so nice to have him home mid-week. I miss him so much! Once he gets his own place (and is no longer staying with friends), we'll do this every week, I hope, and we'll be able to take turns.

My dad is worried about the cake. I appreciate and understand the worry... but I really do think it will be easier than he makes it out to be. Since B will have his own apartment, EVERYTHING will be down there by the week before the wedding. EVERYTHING. I have the goal of being done with everythign by 2 weeks before the wedding, but at the very latest, 1 week before the wedding. I think the cake will work, but some convincing may need to take place. I had planned on making a 2-tier mock-up, but a larger mockup may be necessary to convince him (and me on my construction abilities....).

Hmm...

Invites, continued...and why I love B

Last night continued the saga of invites. I have decided that the back office will not get cleaned out until after invites are sent. We NEED to get invites sent SOON, so it seems kinda stupid to spend time clearing out a room. Granted, the room clearing needs to occur, but the invites need to occur first, so.... no cleaning for now.

Got 12 invites worked on, did another step on 5 more. It's work! At least it's work I can watch TV to, but still.

Tonight: Same old same old. But...

(Why I love B)
...B MAY come home tonight for a mid-week visit! I feel bad... he drives 2.5 hours each way. And of course, it makes me worried to have him drive so far when he's tired, you know? He claims he isn't, but I still fret.

Cat massage

I fell into bed last night. Usually, within 30 seconds of me doing this, Rumpole has jumped up and made himself at home someplace next to me (settling down after demanding obligatory head scratches). Last night he crawled up on my pillow and began cat kneading (we call it "makin' bread, makin' bread)... ON MY NECK AND BACK! It felt SOOO GOOD!

So neener neener, I have a cat who is a masseuse. Boo ya.

(the masseuse is the drama cat at top, not the tubby tan sleepy one at bottom)

Dinner Menu

We have decided to have a very family traditional meal, one that is special to us. So, here's the manu:

ROULADIN: pounded beef, with spices, rolled around a pickle, onion, and piece of bacon. It's delicious, I swear. And the good thing is, if you hate pickles or onions or bacon, you can remove them easily (see cross-cut picture, below). Served with gravy.

SPATZLE: I'm not putting the umlaut in the name right now, but there is one over the A. It's hand-made egg noodles. I have a press that makes them. They don't taste like eggs, but they don't taste heavy like pasta noodles either. Fluffier, and they hold flavor of whatever you're serving well. You serve this with the same gravy as the rouladin.

MACARONI AND CHEESE: B's favorite. And he's responsible for making it. It's the only food that has to be cooked soon before serving (the other baked items can be frozen ahead of time), so he's in charge of making this while I work on flowers on Friday (day before wedding)

SPINACH SALAD: B's family recipe. This will have to be tossed together, but the assistants can do that.

REGULAR SALAD: We may have sort of a salad-bar situation with fixings available, as well as various dressings.

DINNER ROLLS: Finally, dinner rolls.

We will also have wine, water, and punch. After dinner, there will be tea, and regular and decaf coffee also. And of course, cake will follow a bit after dinner. All in all, I think it works.

Info on appetizers later....

Invitations, RSVPs, and Food

So far, so good. B did all of the first few steps down south over the past few weeks. Now I'm on to the finishing steps. It's a multi-step process (cut, let things dry, etc etc), but I really like the way they're turning out.

Last night I did 17 invites (goal was 10, so woo!). However, I did NOT feel up to the reorganization task, so that got postponed. Something like rearranging a room you have to feel up for, you know? So instead, I went overboard on the invites and cut out 3 different other things for the invitation (front side of RSVP card, inside of RSVP card, and website postcard insert).

I keep wanting to work on other projects (because they need to get done too-- eg: centerpieces!), but the invites have to come first. Because we're the ones doing all this, additional people don't pose much of a cost increase, but they are cause for additional planning. So the sooner we get these invites out, the sooner we'll know how many (precisely!) to plan for.

Right now I think we can handle up to 168 on tables (that won't/can't happen!) and 135 chair-wise. Additional chairs can be ordered, table coordination was more difficult, so that's what we overprepared for. Our guest count right now is tentatively at 103, but that's being optimistic in some places and pessimistic in others. And yes, we're hoping Joe Blo doesn't bring his newbie girlfriend of 1 week, but sometimes there's no stopping people and their +1s. B and I have the mentality that it's lovely to have our friends there, regardless, and that is what we should focus on: being blessed by their friendship. Though, I must admit, not having catering costs (well, per capita) is rather lovely.

Speaking of catering/food, that's another battle to be planned. I'd rather not cook too far in advance because a) I don't want the mini-freezer running longer than I can help, and b) I'd rather not have food frozen for TOO long. There is the possibility that B may be getting his own apartment down where the wedding is, so that would GREATLY lessen the food woes. B would take the mini freezer, and each week, food would be shuttled down (we'd have to get an ice chest for the car). Oh, to have food already down there... what a stress off our backs that would be.

So yes, there is a lot up in the air. One task at a time, right? Invitations now.... hopefully to be mailed out on 4/20.

Goal tonight: Work on invites. UNLESS: feeling up to the task of cleaning out the back office/wedding room.

It's a big week.

There are a lot of things happening this week. One big work-related professional thing which I'm not going to talk about because this is a job-free blog (mostly)! But, needless to say, it's on my mind.

There also are invitations. They are turning out super-cute and I love them! But... it's been a challenge. Sort of a trial and error. We haven't screwed up on any, but it's amusing that with each one you learn something new. When to do what and that sort of thing. Our goal is to have them done by next weekend (ha!)... We'll see. But if we were to mail them on the 20th, that would be 2 months and 1 week before the wedding. That's a good time frame. So, goal identified, but let's see if it's reached.

The goal isn't going to be made any easier by the fact that we're busy Friday night and a good chunk of next Saturday with a marriage course. Ahh, hoop to jump through for a Catholic wedding. I was thinking about it, and I think we've talked EVERYTHING to death, so I can't really imagine having my world rocked or being on rocky ground about my thoughts about B (or vice versa). But, it's a requirement. It's not that I think it's bad... it's just a requirement.

This past weekend we: worked on invitations and did some roses. I made 10 more paper mache balloons. Then my paste ran out and I used that as an excuse to stop (even though I could have easily made more).

TONIGHT:
I'm going to clean out the back room. Right now we have office supplies and tools and wedding stuff and goodwill stuff in the same room, and that needs to stop. I'm going to clear out everything non-wedding. Ambitious, but I will be so much happier. And I will do 10 invites.

Centerpiece Construction

First of all, the cats have been no help. They just laze and get into things (thus why all my laundry on the bed has been pushed onto the floor). Those nutbrains.

So, the centerpiece construction begins with balloons. They're all about the same size (thus the centerpieces will be about the same size. I tape them onto cups so they're easier to dry after they're paper mached.

Note: Drying place must be away from cats. On top of the fridge= good because much more air circulation than say, the bathroom. Plus, if they fall, it's not onto carpet. I use phone book pages! VERY easy to work with, and you don't get that newspaper gray all over your fingers.

More on the construction in a later post, but I also wanted to show off my roses today. I have been working on them for so long! I cannot wait to actually put them on the structures and see how many centerpieces I have. Here are a few loose roses (each about 1"-1.5" in diameter).

And here is my pride and joy box!! It's a 2' high box and 2' wide, and a little over 1' deep. There are HUNDREDS in here, definitely well over a thousand. Believe you me, this box is staying far away from the furball terrible threesome.

Next steps:

* Paper mache more balloons.

* Then flip them over and paper mache the bottom part (where they are in the cups).

* Let all that dry.

* Then paint the paper mache red.

* Let that dry.

* Stick done paper mache balloon into ceramic pot,draw line around balloon where pot hits balloon (that's your stop line-- don't put any roses past that point because they'd be hidden in the pot).

* THEN, I can glue on the roses. HOPEFULLY SOON!!!!!

I'd like to get all the paper mache done at once, because it's really a PAIN to have to do again and again. Get the mess done and over with, you know? I'm finding that most things with this wedding are better done in mass quantity. It lets me judge better how much is done and how long it took me to do a bigger chunk. Plus, it is more time efficient (no time lost between lots of small tasks).

Table number holders

SERIOUSLY? The cheapest I could find these for is $3.95. NO JOKE. EACH. I think B would faint if I told him our number holders for the tables were going to cost $68, plus shipping. I think we may just hang the numbers from the ceiling by ribbon or something.

Which napkin style?

We're planning on having our menus (square) on top of our plates (also square). But how to have the napkins? I like both of these styles... Thoughts?

Roses and paper mache and stupid cat

Last night, I finished up the rest of the roses I had cutouts for, and I paper mache'd 2 balloons. I kept the paste sealed in the fridge, so if the consistency was good for them, then I'll use that again tonight. I suspect I may need to add more flour though...

I just realized I left the balloons taped on cups on the coffee table. they're not paper mache'd yet. I think there are 5 balloons on cups out there (they're on cups for stability reasons while I paper mache). The cats could have fun with them.... though I suspect they'd FREAK the heck out if a balloon popped. If Frankie is stuck in the ceiling, I'll know what happened.

Speaking of that furball, I woke up this morning to him ON TOP of a 7-box tall stack of boxes. What!? How'd he get up there and WHY did he want up? Probably chasing a piece of dust or something. Regardless, the once-stable box stack (FULL OF BOOKS, may I add) was leaning precariously. The vacuum was the only thing keeping it up. I yelled at that dustbag of a cat, he scampered off happily, and I amended the box situation. TROUBLEMAKER!

Guest list

One thing about doing the catering yourself is that you don't freak out as much over cost when you hear of another person/pair coming. A friend of mine is getting married soon... and that's all she can think about. Each person = an additional, what, like $33 (for dinner alone).

B and I talked about this when we first started planning, and we didn't want to cringe at our friends and family RSVPing yes. That is one of the reasons we're catering.

I re-did the guest count this morning. Though we haven't sent out invites, more people are contacting and/or we're hearing somehow that they will/won't make it. So, our guest list is getting a bit more accurate.

We're up to 101.

My plan to plan for 100 is now bunk... so I will now plan for 110. If we end up with 115, FINE-- but then I will only have 5 additional to worry about, rather than 15 additional.

So happy! We have so many great friends!

Dowels and cake

Ok, so I am not goign to be one of those people who thinks a tiered cake can support itself and not lean or tip. There WILL be an interior support system. I've done the research and heard of using everything from unbaked spaghetti noodles (ew! wouldn't they sog?) to straws (um... don't they bend?). All the "experts" though, use wooden dowels.

I get most of the dowel system. What I don't get is how they manage to poke those dowels through the cardboard/foam bottoms of layers beneath, but somehow they do. That I am still figuring out. I know I know, you can sharpen them, but I don't want super pointy because then they won't be as stable, and I'm sorry, I can't even punch a pencil through cardboard easily. Won't it mess up the cake with all that pressure??

What also worries me though, is figuring out the size of the dowels. We're constructing the cake (hopefully) in the reception hall the day prior. I suppose I could always bring along my hand-held jigsaw... but that seems a bit much. Shouldn't the dowels be able to be pre-made?

But pre-making the dowels requires that you KNOW how thick each layer will be. I believe the solution to this is the layer cake cutter, which will make each layer the same thickness, and thus, you can have each tier be approximately the same size too. I am going to pre-make the cake tiers and put them in the freezer. I think I will also cover each tier with a fruit glaze. These are all efforts to eliminate crumbs.

So, if I make the layers on Monday and Tuesday, I can construct the tiers on Wednesday and glaze, then freeze overnight before transport on Thursday evening? Hm. I'm not that worried, honestly about crumbs, so if they thaw a bit I"m ok (MORE ICING!). I've iced lots of cakes. I suppose I could cut dowels on Wednesday too... but I'm worried about adding ANOTHER thing to my busy plate, you know?

I may just cut the dowels after I make my 2-tier test run. Then, I will know how big each tier is,right?

As far as dowels go... the cardboard/foam board poking through still has me concerned. I WANT sturdy board so the cake will be sturdy. I'm thinking of cutting the middle out of each board and sticking dowels through that. That way, there will be a center "column" of support throughout the whole cake, and then the individual dowels for each layer will be supported by the layer beneath. I think that could work...

I think what I may do is make a tiered sample, but just not have the cake. So, I'd be able to see the skeleton so to speak, of the cake support system. I REALLY don't want to try this for the first time the day before the wedding. That said, if the cake is a flop, big whoop. I still get to marry B.

Changing the cake...

So, I talked it over with B last night, and I think we're changing the cake style. I love that we can do this, and we only have to consult each other.

While the plumeria are pretty, B was worried that the white on white icing wouldn't show up well. Plus, with the exception of the yellow on the inside of the flowers, they don't really pull out our colors very well. Plus, the BRIGHT green leaf next to the white on white was really popping... good, but in a distracting way too.

So I think we're going to paint (food coloring) the flowers one of our bright colors (orange or red) and then have their centers be the opposite color (orange or red). So, we'll end up with orange flowers with red centers or red flowers with orange centers. We'll put a few yellow stamens in a few flowers just to tie it all together, or we'll have yellow ribbon dividing the layers. It will be a BRIGHT cake, but it will match us a LOT better. We'll still have some green leaves, but they won't pop quite so much because they will be under loads of flowers. And, we will still have the vanilla beans, but they will be sprinkled throughout, and in nest-like piles on the bottom and in a next on the top for the birdie cake-toppers.

We're going to play around with it this weekend, but I like the idea. Oh, and our flowers will be similar, but all different. I got some new flower molds so it won't just be plumeria-shaped flowers. We'll have big and small and in-between. I love it. I think B does too, because he seemed very excited. He was the one who brought some of the problems to my attention, and I appreciate that SO much. It's a joint effort, right? He told me what he liked and disliked, we realized I felt the same about some of them, and we worked together.

Photos will be posted when I have them!

Roses...

Dang these roses take a long time. I guess I actually only had the box a little less than half full, and then with my work last night, it's about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Yikes. I really did chug away on them. I'm almost done with the TON of cut-outs I did last weekend. I'm really hoping that when I put these all together they end up being like 7+ centerpieces. If it's only 4 or so, I will be a bit depressed.

So, I didn't even get to the balloons. I may do them tonight, I may work on roses. One or the other or both, definitely!

Oh, and just as a reminder--- here is what I am working on. Each rose is individually made. I think there are close to 200 on this one, but I will count when I make the next one.

Why I love B

That wonderful man of mine is interviewing wedding assistants. Meeting with them at a coffee house and interviewing.

So awesome.

Pretty cake.

I still like our cake idea, but I thought this one I saw today was gorgeous.

NOT a fan of all the pastels (our theme is SO bright), but i love how the flowers change colors. Thing is, the base of this cake is only 15"! That's a little narrow for SO many layers on top. Gotta have a good platform system built in there.

Daily goals...

I'm going to see how this goes... Starting today, I'd like to start posting daily goals. Sometimes my list of things to do gets very overwhelming, and I think posting a goal early in the day for what to accomplish in the evening is a good thing. Baby steps-- one goal at a time!

Tonight, 4/7:
* Finish entire box of roses (I'm about 2/3 of the way there!)
* Paper mache balloons.

I have to allow the balloons time to dry, and then I have to paper mache the bottom part, and then I have to paint them when they are all dry, so I hope to get part 1 (the most time) done tonight.

Last night I was tired... went to the grocery store, came home, ate dinner, and wasn't very productive. I have to get better!!!

Work

This week, B's taking on the tasks of:
1) hotel reservations (he needs to find more rooms)
2) wedding assistant interview(s)
3) ordering groomsmen shirts & ties.

I don't envy him the interview things... but I think he'll handle it with ease. I think 4 interviews and we'll know whom we're hiring. And these aren't formal interviews; just quick coffeehouse type meet-ups.

I am working on roses. I HAVE to finish the centerpieces this week, or I feel I will go mad. HAVE to. Last week had some break-down moments and lack of productivity as I had to deal with some people situations, and I was not nearly as productive as I needed to be.

I've found that if I cut out a TON of patterns and then glue them (rather than doing, say 20 at a time), I'm a lot more productive. Here's hoping.

We bought cups yesterday so I can do the paper mache. I wanted them all to be uniform, but I didn't want to go to a ton of expense buying balls or something for each one. So, I bought a bag of balloons, I'm blowing each one to the same approximate size, and I'm paper mache-ing each one. I could glue directly onto the balloon, but I"m too scared it will pop and roses will go EVERYWHERE. The paper mache, once it hardens, is solid and the balloon is no longer needed.

I'm not sure how many roses I have right now. A good centerpiece requires around 200. I have more than that right now. But, I'd rather fill up the box I have right now and then start gluing, that way I'm not demoralized when I find out I only have roses for only x number of centerpieces.

Next weekend: invites.

Organization

Ok, it still need some more work (especially the office), but there it is so far. 

Office (wedding storage). All the boxes are nicely labeled. And we will have more boxes soon. It should be all clean and cleared, but we need to get the boxes from my office... so until then, there's a little clutter.

Bedroom. We're constantly facing the problem of "we will be moving in the next year... we want a house in the next year or so... so what do we buy?" We don't want to buy any more furniture, but we also NEEDED more clothing storage. So, forgive that it doesn't MATCH. But this set-up makes me so happy. B too. I will label the bins today. But everything is so nicely sorted, and there is so much more counter space. The expedit bookshelves from Ikea are SOO perfect for flexibility.

New basket from Ikea. PERFECT for make up. I had a make-up bag, but you paw around in there so much that you get your makeup everywhere. Stuff falls on the ground, shatters, crumbles, and you make a mess. And the man whose beard hair gets everywhere comments that makeup is everywhere. Seriously? How can the beard hair go everywhere but makeup containers bother him? 

Anyway. here's the new organization. And i love it! 

The new linen closet. Very organized. Some of those glass jars will end up goign in the kitchen. SUCH a good deal at Ikea-- $4 for the tall ones, $3 for the small ones. Seriously! Amazing. We didn't want to tackle the kitchen organization TOO this weekend, so for now, the jars are stored in here. 
Now on to weekend crafting...

Something bad went down...

I need an animal camera for while I'm at work. 

Not sure what went down. I suspect it involved much wrestling. But usually, wrestling results in just a few tufts of fur, and that is spread everywhere (because cat wrestling, as you may or may not know, usually gets spread over several rooms.

But I came home Friday to this. The photo does not do it justice. There was about a cat of fur on the bed blanket. HOW they got this much fur on the bedspread, and how one of them is not NAKED and FURLESS is beyond me. 

It looks like Paddington fur... but he's asleep and doesn't seem too emotionally scarred. Rumpole is acting like Rumpole. "head scratches? please? Oh, ignore the fur." Frankie was asleep in the other room.

Something bad went down. And it took me a long time to clean up that fur. 

How to not get a job...

We've gotten a number of great responses for our assistants posting...we've also gotten a few less great responses. Here are a couple of notes:

* When responding to an ad, do not mis-type your email address. 

* Don't respond with only one sentence

* Do not mis-type your phone number

* Do not be rude.  "Hey you" = not super rude, but not super appealing either.

* Do not type in all lower caps.

* If your email is more than 5 lines long, consider using some punctuation.

It's been funny.

Chair Cover Dilemma, Continued...

POSSIBLE SOLUTION!!

I checked craigslist today and found a couple, getting married, in the same dilemma B and I are in with chair covers. I emailed...

... and they responded! They are interested in B and I purchasing the covers, and then they would rent the covers from us for their August wedding. We're still sorting out details, but this seems a win-win situation... We'd both save money AND have nice covers.

Fingers crossed.

Wedding assistants...

Eeeek. I just put a posting on craigslist for wedding assistants (set up food, keep food warm and replenished, clear plates, etc). I think I'll either get a FLOOD of responses or NO responses.

We already have one person hired-- someone we know and someone dependable. That makes us a lot more relieved. But we need a couple more...

This could be interesting.

Why I love B

He whispered in my ear last week "end of the year, 2009"... as to when we'd get a dog. Personally, I think he has a tad lofty of expectations (we said we'd get a dog when we get a house...), but I love that he can be a dreamer. We both cannot wait to get a dog. A big, burly, sheddy, fantastic golden retriever, probably.

I have been thinking about that comment ALL week long. I knew he wanted one (we've talked about it a LOT), but to have him indicate a goal was just so sweet.

If it's a girl, I think the name "Sunny" is cute. :) Especially ironic in Oregon!

PS: The dog on the blog at the top is our friends' dog, Sadie. She was very excited about a WALK and snow, as you may be able to tell. B lavished attention on her, but also taught her to sit at before crossing a street with him. And, in the process, won over our friends ("love me, love my dog" should be their motto.

Chair cover dilemma II

So, a wise friend of mine (thanks eireann!) suggested I look into renting chair covers. As much as I thought "no! I have the material!", I realized it was a possibly good solution to the problem of time management to make versus the cost of buying.

Uh huh. Not so.

Would you believe that to RENT chair covers it's $4-$5 a piece? No joke! So really BUYING them online is cheaper. OMG. What a ripoff! I thought for sure that the rental woudl be cheaper.

Now, granted, I'm limiting my search to this area; I don't want to have my friends go to TONS of hassle to return various things to various places that we've rented from. But still, I don't live on a desert island. There were a few places! And no success.

So, we're back to buying versus making. I think I'll wait a couple of weeks for somethign to get sorted out at work, and THEN make the decision. :) We could always use the material to instead make the walls in the ugly knotty pine section look better... or/and put swaths over the windows... hmmm...

Church

So finally, here are church photos!

St. Mary's from the outside, front view. LOVE the red doors, huh?
St. Mary's inside view. You can sort of see the wood beams, but not well. They have these fabulous heavy wood beams on the ceiling that just gives it this wonderful feel.

Side view, not as good...

Ha, ignore the dress shot (I stole this photo from a wedding photographer website). But I love the steeple shot. I hope bells get rung!

Inside of reception hall

So, here's the inside of the hall. The tables and chairs we will set up-- they were only up and about because there was an event the night before.The eating area is a big U-shape around the dance floor. Lower ceilings in the eating area, and then the dance floor has high ceilings. The walls are all white... except for one stupid section that has knotty pine walls (yuck). The dance floor actually has the pine too, but that actually works there b/c of the fireplace. We may do something with that, but we have to see about time...

So here's the dance floor looking towards one portion of the eating area. You can't tell, but the ceiling above the photographer here is tall. That's why we can get away hanging the BIG lanterns here (there's space).

The fireplace in the dance floor area. No, we won't use it, but it looks rustic. I like. Everywhere in the eating area has carpet, but on the dance floor it's wood. I like that too. Oh, and theyjust replaced the carpet to a red color-- wonderful. Now we don't have to worry about spilling red wine as much!

Outside photos of hall

Last weekend, we visited the reception hall. Things aren't quite in bloom yet, so you'll have to imagine this all in fine summer form. Trees green, etc.

Here's the outside, as you approach from the parking lot:

There's a bit of a bridge (I love it) to get inside. We may put poles on this and string lanterns over the walkway, but that's sort of an "if things get done" project!

Here's the view to the east:

And here's the view to the south/westish. You can see Spencer's Butte, which makes me happy.

So, yes, it's a golf course, But it's not a snooty golfcourse, and there is a lot of forested area around it, so it's not like it's all grass and only fake, purposely-put-there trees. Both would be pretty, but I'm happy with our choice.

Good tea

I usually am more of a fan of loose-leaf tea (less gross stuff in it), but I recently bought this tea just for kicks. It is delicious. I am a sucker for coconut, and I usually only feel like tea in the afternoons. I have been trying to cut back on the caffeine intake. This is yummy. Not too "in your face" chai, and very sweet smelling due to the coconut. Seriously-- I could smell this all day. Just remember to take the teabag out (I waited a bit too long), otherwise the chai taste overwhelms the coconut.

But yum!

Why I love B

When I personify the cats, he loves it. And he does the same thing when he's home.

Expectations

This wedding is really a massive test in expectations. What to expect, who to expect it from, whom to have no expectations of, squashing previous notions of how people should behave, etc.

I was never the girl to dream about the perfect wedding. For me, it was (and is) all about WHOM I'm marrying, not about the party. Even now, as B and I find ourselves knee-deep in work... it's STILL all about each other and the vows and the commitment and the love, NOT about the party.

But, I did have expectations on how certain people should act. This has really been a lesson in moving past what you thought would happen and accepting the situation.

People are naturally very stubborn, I think. And if someone's decided they will behave that way, well, then that's what you have to accept. What you want or hoped for doesn't matter. Sure, you can get upset and say "but... it's a wedding", but that doesn't mean they'll change their minds.

I'm normally pretty good at accepting reality. Something bad happens and I can accept it, tackle it head on, and move on. But I have been having a struggle accepting how some people are behaving and how they are treating me. Hurtful, negative, and unsupportive. They have said mean things.

But what I realize now is I just need to treat this situation the same as any other. The fact that it is a person doesn't matter-- it's reality and I need to accept it. I also need to learn to keep an open mind. I need to not have pre-set in stone beliefs of how people will act. Believe me, so far mine have been dashed and it's taught me to not have pre-set beliefs of how people will act.

So I'm letting go. I can't control people (obviously), and letting go really does make me feel released. Load off my back. If people promise to help or do something, I will have their created expectations... but not mine.

I feel free.