Kelly's Korner Wedding Party and Flowers

I'm participating in Kelly's Korner again this Friday. It is all about flowers and wedding parties! I loved both of those portions of my wedding...our friends are fantastic, and the flowers were deliciously fragrant and colorful :) We were married June 21st, last summer, 2008. It is all still very fresh in my mind, so here we go!


This was my bouquet--I actually had it flash frozen and preserved after the wedding and a company mounted it in a wall box that I can keep displayed forever. I loved it, so pretty and perfect, and the pearls aren't so bad either.

These were my bridesmaid's bouquets...green buttons and blue hydrangea



This was our prayer circle with the minister right before the wedding. Both our moms and my girls all huddled up and prayed 5 minutes before leaving for the ceremony...very emotional time!
Oh how I PRAYED!! I PROMISE!! I think I remember praying that I wouldn't loose my cookies at the alter!



NOTICE: You will see drinks in most pictures after this one...we were drink happy. Mojitos and sangria were our "signature" drink during the cocktail hour (that most of the wedding party missed). Therefore, we all still partook in the "cocktail hour" while we took pictures. Looking back, I may have had them place their drinks aside, but hey, we were 22, and NOT worried about that! Plus, they matched the flowers and dresses! :)

This is me with Danny's groomsmen...




Danny with the bridesmaids...





I love this picture, my favorite girls and I before the ceremony...




And this is HILARIOUS! I needed to get bustled after pictures and before our first dance so Danny's groomsmen bustled me ALL UP! I distinctly remember hearing "I've got #1, ME TOO! Ok, let's get them together...I've got #2...etc. etc." Probably the most hilarious thing I have ever listened to. Did I have perfectly smart bridesmaids that could help? Of course! But, this was way too much fun...



All of us giving the "Gator chomp"--we have this framed in our house :)



And a very formal shot...



Thanks for stopping by! It was a great day and now I get to share it with all of you too!

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Sleepless Nights

Alright, I need your help. Have any of you had to make difficult decisions about your home and worry that they weren't going to turn out right?? I am literally losing sleep over our choices of wood/tile/paint/accessories. I tried to pick them all out at the same time (like the decorators say), but the decorators leave out the part in which you have to just TRUST yourself, which I do NOT do well! I mean, ya'll, my hubs is sleeping soundly without a care other than, "I hope my wife doesn't drain our savings account" while I type randomly about my nervousness over home renovations! AGH! Sometimes I wish he could be part woman and just really sit down with me and hash it all out, but he won't. And, that's OK, just difficult.

Now, all this home stuff comes with finishing up our financing this week (which has been a nightmare for no reason other than very annoying bank personnel), a huge painting party next weekend, pre-planning for school starting August 11th, SCHOOL starting August 17th, and the renovations starting August 11th! Honestly, WHAT WAS I THINKING??

We so want to be in that house, but I just know that all we are having done isn't going happen according to our schedule. Part of me wants to take a xanax, but come on, I AM WOMAN! I can do this! HELP ME DEAL!

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Our Baby

This is my baby. Her name is Lola and she just turned a year old. I have always been a cat person and wanted my own kitty so that the hubs and I could start our family :) HA! We picked this cutie up the DAY we came home from our honeymoon. I had picked her out before we left, and Danny's mom kept her while we were away. This picture is from the first week we had her home.

Her hobbies are: chasing anything that moves, cat treats, watching mommy scoop my litter and then get right in, sleeping next to mom (not dad...I wouldn't dare!), killing bugs and bringing them to mom to show her my good deed, talking...loudly.

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Beach Trip

We are home from our family beach trip! It was a lot of fun and very relaxing! My favorite part of the trip was lobster night. One of the local restaurants flies in lobster from Maine and every Friday, they do lobster pots. It is 2 and 1/2 pounds of delicious lobster!! So delicious! I hadn't had any in a very very long time, and I certainly enjoyed my dinner.

Here is the hubs and I on the balcony--beautiful sunsets every night.

We had a great time--only 2 weeks left until school starts back (pre-planning) and two weeks until we close on our house! Ahh..I am currently nailing down times for contractors to come in and put down tile, wood, and do some repairs. We are so excited and will definitely post pictures once we are moved in!

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My First Blog Award!

Katie at Sneaker Teacher gave me my first ever blog award! YAY!

The rules to receiving this award are to: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are the blogs I chose to award. I didn't choose 15, because I tend to follow many blogs where thousands of people follow them, and didn't think it necessary to award them when they have already received tons! So, here we go...check out these ladies!

1. The Perfect Pair

2. Open Hand Living

3. Harrington House

4. Lamberts Lately

5. Just Call Me Crazy

6. The Buzz

7. Dumptrucks, Babies, and Everything Else

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Show us your Wedding Dress!

It's Show Us Your Wedding Dress at Kelly's Korner this week, so here are my pictures of my big day :) We were married on June 21st, 2008 in Orlando, FL at the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando and the Country Club of Orlando. It was the BEST day of my life and I loved my dress. It was indeed the first I tried on, I know (how cliche is that??), but what can you do? I knew I wasn't the poofy type, nor the enchanted princess type, but I wanted something extremely elegant and feminine. I got my dress at The Collection in Winter Park, FL where I grew up.

Oh the alterations I went through the week before! Thinking about that makes me cringe, it was a nightmare! I loved that it stuck to my hips and was fitted, but I couldn't STAND that it bubbled when it wasn't perfectly fitted, hence the many trips to the alteration lady.

All photos are courtesy of Jeff Hawkins Photography.

Here is my favorite pic of me and my main man:

The back of the dress:

Before I put it on at the church:

I was very happy...here is a good front shot of the top of the dress:

Here is the back--not a very big train, that wasn't me, but I loved it nonetheless. The tail of the train had the same lace from the top of the dress.

My veil was simple, long, with pearls woven through it. I wore pearl earrings and a diamond bracelet to match. My shoes also had pearls and "diamonds" on them--loved it! The broach in my hair also matched that same motif. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you popped over from Kelly's Korner :).

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Girl's Weekend and Closing

Hey everyone! Lots to update you on. I had a fantastic weekend with college friends in Siesta Key, FL. We all totally did it up for 3 days and were left exhausted and dehydrated, but it was worth having to sleep 13 hours straight the first day home to catch up.

Here are all 10 of us after dinner Saturday night...

And then all 10 of us again around 1AM--hence why we all look a little sleepy and sweaty.

It was so much fun catching up with all of them and getting to hear all about the changes going on in their lives. They are such beautiful women inside and out and I am very lucky to have them as friends. We can't wait to reunite for Mubby's wedding in October :)

I am now at the beach on Ana Maria Island with my parents, brother, and husband. The hubs has to work today in Sarasota which was a treat for him! He got to wake up late and he will get home early for a little time in the sun before the day ends. We have a truly beautiful condo with 3 beds and 3 baths so that we all have our own space--THANKS mom and dad! The ocean is very calming and the wind is just right--although it tricked me yesterday and I am somewhat rede because of it.

Finally, BIG NEWS !! We are 100% closing on our new home August 7th! The inspection went great and we are so happy that we will get to put the money we had put away for fixing problems towards renovations! We hope to lay wood and tile before we move in (carpet is brand new)--it will be like a brand new house! We will be keeping you updated on those projects, of course :).

For now, have a relaxing week and I will continue to post while looking at the ocean waves.

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Toffee To Die For!

Hi Friends,

I'm linking up this week to the McLinky Blog Hop! My favorite recipe is this delicious toffee. It is hard and crisp on the bottom and soft and "chocolatey" on the top...YUM! One of my best friends gave me this recipe for my "kitchen shower" and I have loved it since.

Here goes:

In a LARGE (nonstick is your friend) skillet combine:

2 sticks butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

1 & 3/4 cups finely chopped pecans

and 1/2 cup of water.

STIR CONSTANTLY (very important!) over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to stir for at least 35-45 minutes until mixture MOVES AS ONE around the pan. Immediately pour mixture into a 9x12 pan. Then, place 6 Hershey bars over the top and let melt (this will happen very quickly). Finally, sprinkle with more finely chopped pecans. Place directly into the freezer to set for about 2-3 hours.

The most important step is to break out your tools :) Use a screwdriver and a hammer. Screwdriver is placed on the toffee (metal part down) and use the hammer to bang on the top of the screwdriver. Pieces should be uneven and "interesting." Enjoy!! I like to keep it in the freezer so that it is always crisp. Here is a pic of the final product.

Here is the finished product:

This is the finished top:

Here is a side view. The toffee separates from the chocolate to make a beautiful finish!

I hope you all try it, it isn't as daunting as it sounds. It is a lot of manual labor, but totally worth the final product. I'm hoping to make lots of batches for Christmas. Enjoy :)

...STOP

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China Cabinet Re-do

I feel like I have somewhat fallen off the blogging lately, but we are getting ready to take a week-long trip so I am hustling around like a mad woman! It is a good thing, rest and relaxation will be much appreciated!

I am going to be spending the weekend with my best girl friends in Sarasota on Siesta Key. Then, I will continue my beach trip with the hubby and my family on Ana Maria Island (right down the road). I am thrilled to be able to get away for a little bit. Things are quite hectic with school about to start back and closing on our house in a few weeks. By the way, if you think of it, please pray that our home inspection comes back pretty clean tomorrow. It is at 9AM and I am nervous!! It is a 1960s ranch, so I am sure there will be SOME problems, hopefully just nothing huge.

Anywhoo...this isn't a huge redo, but I bought this china cabinet at an antique store for $150 last summer. I love it--it has glass doors that bow out and lots of storage :) A girls best friend...and, since we won't have a formal dining room (and didn't in our apartment) it works great as a display cabinet, liquor cabinet, and store-all for linens and napkins, etc.

Here is the before...notice the brass handles, yuck-o in my opinion...you may like them though.

A closer look...

And here is the close-up transformation..I like it much better and boy was it frustrating!! Because modern pulls and handles are a little wider than the antique type, I had to re-drill new holes on one side, which was not fun, nor as easy as it sounds. Lowes certainly knew my name in the hardware department by the time I was finished!

I love it!! What do you think?

.

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Antique Store Find!

I am going to share my thrifty find for Rhoda's "Todays Thrifty Treasures." Check out her blog if you can--lots of fun finds there! http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/2009/07/more-estate-sales.html

So I was in Orlando celebrating the 4th with my family this past weekend. My mom and I love to shop for antiques, so that was obviously part of our weekend "to do's". We walked into one of our favorite shops and low and behold there it was...the find of all finds!! I bought it for $15 and it is real antique pottery, made in France (as the stamp on the bottom notes).

Now, not all of you will like this find, or think it is all that great, but you have to first understand that my husband and I's bedroom is aqua toile...pictured below. That was actually a pic from our first place (we are moving as you can tell). That is why the walls are white (yuck) and there isn't much up on the walls (we had just moved in at time of picture). So, this antique will match and be OH so CUTE! I am just wondering what I will put in it...any ideas?? Thinking it could go on the dresser and hold __________? Enjoy!

Oooo...it is so pretty--I just can't take my eyes off of it! Those handles that are stems EEEK!!! Needless to say, we saw this and I practically jumped up and down squealing for joy!

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Blog Hop-Wedding Portrait

***Hey everyone! I am going to take part in the Blog Hop and post my favorite picture of all time. My husband and I got married a year ago, June 21st, 2008. This is my favorite picture of us from the wedding. ***

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Impulsive and Potential House :)

Wow, I am so glad that I have time before we move in to decide how I want to decorate. I am such an impulsive person. I like to have everything planned, all the time. God laughs at me, often! Anyways, I have already decided that the rug I had chosen is going to be too dark. We are planning on painting the walls in our living area green and our couch is a dark ivory color. I wanted a large patterned rug with ivory, green, red, etc. in it. Well, this one just went on sale at Pottery Barn...

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p12777/index.cfm?pkey=crug%2Dsale

I love it. I am thinking some tan and green pillows on the couch and then my red throw across the chair that matches our couch.

I normally don't buy Pottery Barn, just because you can always find something similar for cheaper, elsewhere. But, this rug is on sale and beaaaauuuttiful!

On another note, I've also decided that headboard is just way too exciting for me. I'm certainly not that modern and I just started thin

king about all the little dust bunnies that would get caught in the grooves. YUCK! So, I am on the hunt again. My grandmother wants to contribute that item to us, so sweet of her.

OK, I am going to post some pictures of the home we have a contract on. I'm feeling like this is might be bad luck, but like I said earlier...impulsive I am!

This first picture is of the guest bath. I think we will change out the vanity (same as master bath) and those cute little butterflies on the top of the toilet must go too! Sad, I know...but we think we will leave the gray tile...it isn't too crazy right? What color scheme would you put with a gray tiled bath??

Here is the Master...nice and large with two long windows just begging for plantation shutters. The other two rooms look identical to this one and have HUGE closets, which is hard to find in this area of time/time period of the home. The master bath is to the right of that window you can't see much of.

Eventually we will totally redo the kitchen and that ugly blue master bath!! Sadly, the blue tile is a good match to our aqua bedding HA!

We are thinking (someday) of adding cabinets on the right side of the room, some to house the fridge and there is a window there, so some underneath that. Could actually put a range over there and take out the stove and built in oven to have more cabinets/counter space. OHH...and the best part, is that door leads to a laundry room...and it is HUGE! We want to make a built in pantry in there as well. It will be an all-purpose mudroom/laundry area/pantry.

The large room with the big window is the front room (the half towards the window will be the living area and the half in front of the kitchen (not shown) will be the dining area. Just need to hang a chandelier in there and we are ready to go.

That's it!! Like I said, small but spacious. In this picture, you can see the doorway on the left of the room. That is the hallway that leads to the 2 extra bedrooms and that gray bath. You can't see it, but there is also a doorway on the right of the room that leads to the Master and master bath. In this pic, I am standing in the kitchen. The carpet is all brand new...YAY, but we will be putting down hardwood in the main living/dining area and hallway.

There you have it, any ideas that come to mind, let me have it!!

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