The Randomness of Me

So since my last post was about the bachelor I will start this off by saying that I wasn't happy with Jake's final pick and I wasn't happy about the next Bachelorette. I would have been happy if he had sent both of them packing! And Ali as the next Bachelorette....well we all know how I feel about her.

Moving on....This past weekend was soooo good! Saturday I got a chance to meet up with an old childhood friend and her three boys. Well actually it was quite a few more people than that. The original plan included Cohen and myself with Michaela and her boys, but then quickly turned into a circus. The park play date included Cohen, myself, Michaela, her boyfriend, her three boys, my brother, his girlfriend, her son my niece, my nephew and my mother. Like I said circus! I loved the day and it ended up turning out great, but I was constantly thinking that I had lost a child somewhere in all of the madness and was continuously counting heads. There is a reason God has blessed me with only one child and didn't feel I should be a preschool teacher or work at a daycare! Ha I love kids and I think I'm pretty good with them, I'm just to paranoid to have a ton of them. Anyway it was so good to see Michaela and I didn't realize how much I had missed our friendship! This is a girl that practically lived with me and my family for 2 to 3 years, so she's definitely a big part of my past and will hopefully continue to be a big part of my future.

As you get older you start to realize who your true friends are and what is most important in life. I feel extremely lucky to be able to say that I have quite a few close friends and a handful of BEST friends. There are certain women in my life that I wouldn't trade for the world and couldn't imagine life without them. They have all played very specific roles in my life and have all helped me become the person I am today in one way or another. The funny thing is that they all are so vastly different, and I love them all for very different reasons.....I'm rambling though so I'll get back to talking about my weekend.

After the park and a trip to McDonald's for all of the kids I went home for a few hours and got Cohen ready for bed. My parents are awesome and kept an eye on Cohen for me so I could go out to meet Michaela again for some real mommy time. It was so nice to sit with her and laugh about the past and the stupid things we did as children. Then to discuss how different our lives were now that we were mommy's. After a long night of reminiscing, I finally decided to call it a night so I could get some sleep before Brittany's big day of engagement pictures!

I helped her get ready and acted as assistant for her during the shoot. I think the pictures turned out great and can't wait to see the rest. Here are a few so you can see what I'm talking about...







Freaking ADORABLE right?!? Good job Maria at RiaLin Photography!

Oh and just an update on my New Year's resolutions...I finally got my 30 Day Shred DVD in the mail and started it last night. My body hurts today...but no pain no gain so I will push through this. Also I've started the dating process...we'll see where this goes.

First Night Of DIY

Saturday night Brittany and I had our first night of wedding DIY!



I loaded Cohen and I up with benadryl (we are ridiculously allergic to Brittany and Chase's children...Scout the schnauzer and Sophie the shih tzu) and headed over for Cohen's dinner of choice....CHEESE DIP! Ha I know not the healthiest dinner but it was a request. After dinner Brittany and I started putting together the bouquets for the wedding. We created one of the bridesmaid bouquets first to really get a feel for everything. Once we realized we loved it,(see below!)




we started on her bouquet.




And while the bride and maid of honor work, the groom and ring bearer will play....Exhibit A



Yes, that's right that's the groom and ring bearer sword fighting with left over cut stems from the flowers. And yes that's my son Spider Man!

OH how things change...

Since I was a little girl, I have planned my "wedding" multiple times. I have dreamt of what colors, themes, bridesmaids and decorations I wanted. Every last detail was thought of. Sadly this same thought process has gone for my friends weddings too :) Back before Chase placed the beautiful engagement ring on Brittany's tiny little finger, wedding ideas had already taken place in my head. (haha don't judge...it's called a best friend being prepared) Originally, way before Chase came into the picture Brittany had always talked about how nice it would be to have a beach wedding. So I of course had multiple ideas and locations planned out. Since then the theme of Brittany's wedding has changed to Rustic (side note...I'm in love with this idea more so than the beach wedding). Although the theme has stayed the same since this beauty came into the picture....



the location has not! There has probably been talk of about 3 to 4 different locations. Annoying as this is, it's very typical during the wedding planning process. Now that we are officially in 2010, the location is for sure set and will not be changing again. Brittany and I have truly jumped on board the wedding planning process and have started finalizing all details. So for those of you that read my blog (all two of you ha) get ready because it's all wedding from here on out!

Finger Print Wedding Band

While reading one of the many wedding blogs that I follow and of course always doing research for Brittany's wedding, I stumbled across the sweetest and most creative idea for a wedding band. It's a wedding band with your personal finger print engraved in the band. Just think about that....your husband or wife wearing a one of a kind wedding band. No one in the world will have that same band because they will be wearing your finger print on it!

You can have the finger print engraved on the outside

Or if you don't like the look of that then go for the inside

I love love love this idea! Should I ever get married it will definitely be one to consider.

Wondering where you can purchase them? Go to one of the greatest places ever...etsy.com. Fabuluster sells not only wedding bands but other great jewelry pieces as well. Such as the pendant necklace you can have engraved with your child's finger print and their name on the back.

Personally I think this is something I would love to have in the future. I already have a ring I wear that says "Cohen's Mommy Always", but I would totally love a pendant with his finger print and name :)

The Count Down Has Begun...Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock

AHHHHHHHHHHH! As of last Friday it was officially the one year mark until Brittany's wedding next October! This means Wedding Planner/Maid of Honor me needs to get my butt in gear! There was a location decided upon and we thought it was set in stone, but we are now back to square one with no location. No worries though people, I collected a large list of places for Brittany's review and she's set up appointments for us to meet with some different locations this Sunday. Pray Brittany and Chase like the locations and that they like what they hear from the venues! As wedding planner I know I would feel a lot better knowing there is a location set. I mean with no location set, there is only so much planning you can do. I can tell you that we do definitely have some things in order. Such as: Photographer, Wedding Party, Colors, Date, Basic look/theme of the wedding and wedding attire. Things will definitely be kicked into high gear soon and I will be turned into a wedding planning fool! I'm truly excited about getting things in order and being able to get the over all look of things completed. But just so you can get a glimpse/idea about the wedding, I'm going to leave you with an inspiration board I created for Brittany and some pictures I've saved. Enjoy!

Seriously LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture! *Swoon*

And the picture above is a look I'm considering for the big day....thoughts?

There is a line people...

There is a fine line between unique/fun and tacky. Let me just give examples of the lines that should not be crossed when planning your wedding:

*Please keep in mind that this is my opinion on the matter, and if I insult you by something I'm about to post then I'm sorry. Again this is just my opinion*

1. Tacky Cake Toppers

Really, this is not funny. It's TACKY! Your wedding is supposed to be a symbol of your love and show the personalities of you as a couple, not an image of the things you will later be doing in the honeymoon suite! Please if you find this funny....rethink it. I mean really, do you really want your parents or grandparents seeing such a thing?

2. Balloons

There is a right way and a wrong way to do balloons at a wedding
Right way:

I'm not a fan of balloons at a wedding, but if you must have them then use them in an appropriate manner. Do a balloon release at the end of your ceremony! This can be actually pretty.

The wrong way:

People please, your wedding is not the Prom. Please DO NOT decorate in such a manner. And before anyone asks, yes this is a wedding and not a picture of a child's birthday party.

3. Tulle

I'm not real big on tulle, but a little here and there at a wedding is perfectly acceptable. Decorating every standing object at your ceremony/reception however, IS NOT! Do not allow your ceremony/reception to look like you hit a massive tulle sale at Hobby Lobby or the Tulle Fairy has come along and thrown up on everything!

This one is a double Tacky shot! Tulle AND Balloons!

And lastly, don't let the last image someone has of your wedding day be an image like this:

Let's keep it classy ladies!

Proof that a wedding can be anything you want...

This bride wore a wool dress... yes you read that right, a wool dress! Surprisingly I will admit that it turned out very pretty in my opinion.

And since I have no words to do this story justice...click the link below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1205007/Shepherdess-bride-marries-stunning-dress-wool-flock.html

I LOVE unique and unexpected things at weddings! This takes the cake ;)
P.S. Brittany if you are reading this don't expect this at the wedding :)
Best Wedding Toast Ever!!!! (Amy's Song) - The most amazing videos are a click away

All I can say is wow...

First off let me just say that this is not my style, but I'm fascinated by it none the less. Check out this tutorial on how to make a wedding dress for only $10! Seriously...I'm not kidding...go check this out.
http://homespunwed.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-make-10-wedding-dress.html

The Decison Has Been Made...

B has officially decided that she wants to use C has her ring bearer! If her wedding was this year I would be sweating it because I think he's too young, but I don't think we will have any issues for next year. So picture this with me...

This Handsome Little Devil

In a Tux.....

Seriously...would there be anything cuter?!? I say no! ha but then again I am mommy :)

Obsessed much…to say the least

I do not hide that fact that I am wedding/DIY obsessed. Anyone who really knows me knows that I could spend days on the internet looking up different projects. But within the last 6 months I have let these amazing little projects consume my every thought! Weddings and DIY are always on my mind but I have allowed myself to be taken over by every wedding blog, magazine, pictures, bakers, photographers and anything wedding I can get my hands on. Why has my obsession intensified just in these last six months you might ask…well my best friend B got engaged on June 6th this year and I have known the engagement was coming before she did. So I have thrown myself into research for her to help her create her absolute dream wedding! Which kicked my obsession into a new alarming level and I have ended up saving 34 different DIY projects, not just for her wedding but for other people I know as well (I love to help my friends with their wedding planning when they need me). Below are some of my favorites thus far…

Accordian Style Invitation

Aisle Runner

Aisle Stepping Stones

BBQ Cutlery Packets

Bouquet Charms of Passed Loved Ones

Brownie Wedding Cakes for Showers

Labels for Favors

Pearl Necklace-I’ve actually started making this one and B is considering wearing it for her
wedding :)

Save the Date Cards and Envelopes

Story Books for Table Décor

And yet another Invitation

These are just a FEW of my favs…