Wedding Update

I'm not sure this can even be considered an update.  That's how little we have gotten done for this shindig...

Here's what we DO have:
Date: December 31, 2014. Yes, we realize this is New Year's Eve.  And that it is on a Wednesday.
Party Location: Let's face it, everyone comes for the party, especially on NYE!  Downtown may never be the same...
Wedding Party: We haven't asked everyone yet though, so I guess I can't say too much here.
Dress: I have a dress.  I'm the girl who buys a wedding dress before she's engaged.  Quit judging.
Colors: Neutrals.  What does that mean?  I don't know.  Ask my wedding planner.  Aka: MS
Band: Kind of.  He's making calls to make sure everyone is in...
Two bouquets are done.  Thanks to CJ, aka Lil Poo Dog.
Oh, and we have an officiant!

I think that about sums it up.  Not bad for being over 25% of the way there--I think this year is going faster than normal ones!

To Do:
Photographer.
Caterer.
Drinks.
Ceremony location.
Attire for everyone else.
Party favors.
Decorations.
Hair.
Shoes.
Cake.
Invites.
Save the dates.
Engagement pictures.

The list keeps growing instead of shrinking... And with that, I'm off to do something completely not related to this wedding!

As I Stuff My Face...

HELLO!! 

We had a makeover last night.  Just to celebrate my 100th post!  (Okay, maybe the truth sounds something more like, I finally found a tutorial I could follow and while I was doing that I discovered this would be the 100th...)  Aren't I talented!?  I was impressed with myself!  Pa actually took the picture of the windmill, so I must thank him, but the "editing" I totally did on my own!!  Impressive, right?!  But on to day 22 of me being thankful!  (where did this month go?!)

DJ once told me he liked me the way I was.  Not too skinny.  Although, I'm pretty sure he failed to mention I wasn't too fat...  But anywho, as I sit here and stuff my face with a healthy salad the largest salad I've ever seen in my life, I'm so thankful that he doesn't pressure me to stay skinny.  He once told me that OS was too skinny.  He didn't want me to get that skinny.  So I asked what about MS?  He said she was just about perfect.  (I guess that makes me the fat sister?!)  It's nice to know that I can participate in one of my favorite hobbies without having to worry about what he'll think if I put on a few more pounds.  I think we're a match made in Heaven!! 

A Blogger?

I used to think my life was too boring to have a blog.  I mean, what would I write about??

Clearly I was right.

It seems the stories come in waves.  One day I'll have ten things to write about (but only write about one, because I'll remember) and then the next my memory has failed and I'm stuck writing about how I have nothing to write about! 

I thought the iPhone was going to help with that?!  Fail. 

I did finally get some stuff out of my weed patch garden.  We had a lettuce salad last night that came from it, although neither of us liked it.  Way too bitter for us.  I also made some guacamole with avacados that came from the grocery store, and then onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos that came from my garden.  It most definitely beat the salad.  I'll have to update you with all my flowers.  Some have decided to bloom.  Others decided to die.  So goes my green thumb...

Hopefully I'll have some good stories come up here soon.  For your sake.

I Suck-You-Lent

It's only been a day or two since I last wrote, right?!  Right.  I tried something new this year with my black green thumb.  Succulents.  My neighbor gave me a couple jars this spring and I knew I wanted to try an atrium.  And when I told her what I was thinking, she said she had some succulents I could use.  And then we went to the greenhouse and I couldn't help but buy a few more, which I don't have pictures of yet.  It has nothing to do with the fact that they are still in the pots I bought them in...

Here was one of my original jars with not the plants I had planned on putting inside!  Turns out that hole is much smaller than I thought.  I couldn't fit the plant and my hand both in the hole.  It got stuck with the small leftovers.  They may or may not have died already, leaving the jar sitting on the deck with just dirt in it.  You'll never know!



Little baby jar

I sent my neighbor a picture of the first one I did, which I think I put a picture on here, but really it's hard telling at this point. She said she had a bowl I could use for another.  I picked it up and instantly thought of a few of my friends that I thought would love the bowl.  So I put something together in it.  I can't tell for sure if the little evergreen tree is going to make it or not-- it definitely wasn't that green when I gave her the bowl...



OS's birfday present

Garden Tour Two Point Oh!

Long time no see!  I've been busy.  You'll see!!

Hope you're ready to tour more of my yard!! :)

A couple weeks ago, before the boys started planting, the neighbor and I went and picked up some rocks out of the fields.  Here's what we came up with:

DJ wasn't impressed with our pil

We thought we did pretty good (I have no idea why this is typing underlined, but it won't stop so I'm going with it so MS will get off my back about posting).  We took three trips, each one getting smaller rocks!  We got a couple big ones  (not including the big one on the right of the picture).  We planned on getting more, but now all the crops are in the ground so we might have to wait on that.

Take THAT DJ!

DJ was not impressed with our little baby rocks, but I used them last night!  I used them as a border for my poppy bed!  Hopefully they come up and the dogs don't decide this is their new hang out...

In other exciting garden news, I bought a bunch of gladiola bulbs earlier this spring.  Sixteen to be exact.  I didn't know what I was going to do with them so I went ahead and just put them in cheap little pots to get them going.  One day, DJ was gone and he asked what I was going to put around the propane tank.  I said I didn't know, but that maybe I'd do my glads there.  So out I went with my little spade and started digging.  I decided that was way too much work.  So then I thought... and this is what I came up with:

Tractor tire rim

I remembered seeing a rim in the trees when I was mowing.  I told myself if I could get it out of there, it was mine!  And so I got it out.  My next problem was figuring out where to put it that I wouldn't get in too much trouble by DJ for killing grass. So I put it where there is no grass.  Which also happens to be where he is planning on pouring concrete, because we can't grow grass there...  I filled it up with my glads then put two lupines in the middle and sprinkled some poppy seeds in there.  And then the storm came: 



Hail + Wind = My Sad Little Rim

This was the aftermath.  I'm hoping they'll still be alright.  I'm telling myself they will be anyway...

Cigar Flowers

This was a project that I started long ago.  My original plan was to put succulents in this jar.  Turns out its more difficult to get my hand and a plant and dirt in there than I expected.  And then I found my cigar flowers again so I stuck them in instead!  I love it.  it's just so cute.  Speaking of cute, look at the little puppies in the top of that picture.  Too cute!

DJ and I both love bleeding hearts.  I found a really cool one back home at the greenhouse.  It's got bright green leaves, it's on the left of the wheel.  If you look really closely, you can see the plain jane one on the right too. 

Bleeding Hearts

 

Of course I put those in before the big storm and they didn't fair so well.  I didn't take a picture, not that you would be able to see anything.  Maybe a dirt spot where they were...  At least they don't really bleed... that could have been messy.

 

My garden got beat up pretty good too, as well as our trees.  And siding.  But no buildings and no lives were lost so I'm not complaining!  God is good!

 

There will be more garden pictures coming soon!  :) 

Quilt #2

I went to one of my high school friend's baby shower this weekend and gave her the quilt so I can finally post pictures.  I can't lie, I'm pretty proud of this one!  There was a TON of improvements made since Superman's!  (Don't worry-- I'm already working on another one for "him")

The Front

Close Up

"Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two...-Winnie the Pooh"

The Back

The Label

Apparently MS, my friend and I are the only ones who can read my terrible sloppy handwriting!  I sewed my "tag" right into the quilt-- that baby is NOT coming off!!  I put 2013 for the year and 2 because it was my second quilt I've done.

What do you think!?!  It's a far cry from perfect, but the binding alone on this one looks like someone else made it!  It was pretty funny, my friend didn't realize I made it until someone else said something!  I hope the baby gets lots of use out of it!!

Planning Ahead

I got an e-mail from Shutterfly the other day.  It had a promo code for a free photobook, kind of like a yearbook.  I thought that was a good deal (one normally runs ~$30).  I decided I'd see if I could whip something up.  I started looking through my photos, and JT's photos on Facebook, and thought I could do a concert one.  I did go to a bunch of those last year.  And then nothing happened.

I went to bed or went and did something else and I was thinking Valentine's Day is coming.  I could whip one up about DJ and me and give to him.  (Yeah, I know, just what every dude wants!)  So I started looking into it and playing around the other night before we went out to eat.  So I knew he would go to bed early one night, so I stayed up and whipped it together. 

I get it all done and go to preview it and order it or whatever.  And then I realize it was supposed to be twenty pages.  Not ten, like I had done...

So I push off my bedtime some more (I was already at least an hour past it) and was able to finish it in time to use the code!  With a couple hours to spare!!  It is supposed to be in before Valentine's Day even!  Bonus!  I just have to order the other part of his gift and I'll be done shopping for (hopefully) a long time!!

Hope he likes it!  I'm sure he'll carry it with him and show all of his friends what an awesome gift he got!!  Baha!!

Who'm I kidding?!

Best Present Ever

I told you about the quilt I gave to MS for Christmas.  I had her take some pictures of it so I could show you.  As I've said before, it is far from perfect.  It was definitely a learning experience and I think the one I'm working on now will be better.  This is the size of a baby blanket.

The Back

The Front, Binding, and Back

Close up of the Front

I used this awesome tutorial to teach myself as I go.  It told me everything I needed to know!  I rushed my work, but I will be able to use what I learned on my next quilts.  I'm sure I'll have to go back and read it again as I get further into it!

I hope this year is starting out on a good note for everyone!

Years in the Making

I finally got around to taking pictures of my "big" project!  I lost the charger to one camera and the other one was dead so I took them with my iPhone.  They're not the best, and maybe sometime when I remember to plug the camera in I can get better ones!  With help from JT, PB, SH, and DJ I was able to get it done relatively quickly!  It was really simple to do as well.  The door came from the rental.  I can't remember which door it was... maybe the bedroom.  I don't know if it was an original door or not, but the rental was built in the 1800's and with as many layers of paint that JT and I had to scrape off, I'd be willing to bet it was original!!  That was definitely the hardest part of the project!! I was probably going to put another coat of paint on in the end, but when I spilled the paint everywhere and broke the can, that changed my mind quickly!!  Whoops. 

Here's the finished product.  Okay, almost finished... I have to put the door knob back on yet! 

Here's a closer look at each shelf.