Goodbye August....Hello September!

August where did you go??? It really flew by! Not much happened this month. I started getting wedding projects done. I have made up the table numbers. I am now starting to work on the favors. I also sent out the wedding invitations about a week ago.

I had my bridal shower and lingerie shower. I was most excited to just see my mom and Jen. :o) We did get some good stuff! My kitchen has appliances....too many for the counter space. :-P

Now we are ending the month with Erin's mom having some health problems and stressing out. However we are doing our best to stay positive.

I even get two packages to end out the month today! :o) Paper from Envelope Mall to use for my favor boxes. Also, a little something from Von Maur! :-P

Hello September....

This month you bring me the 'one month left' until my wedding day countdown. You bring Erin's birthday on the 8th; my mom on the 12th; fall TV in the middle of the month. Final appointments with wedding vendors. Possibly a big change for Erin and I..... :-P You also bring FALL!!!

Hope everyone had a great August and will have a great September.

Update....And September brings us Jen's 2 year anniversary on the 29th. :o)

Rearranging Part 2

The new sitting area in the living room.

His and Her chairs. Lol. :o)

My picture arrangement....Plus I have room for more pictures.

Maybe wedding ones. :o)

Rearranging day is over. I only moved the TV in our room. Erin is going to be surprised when he gets home tomorrow. :o)

SOOOO sore! No more moving furniture alone. I have learned my lesson.

Rearranging Part 1

So, I am rearranging things in the office and living room. The main reason is to provide more sitting area in the living room. We are going to have visitors the next 2 months and I want to have more than 3 places to sit in the living room. What does this mean??

It means, the bookshelves from downstairs are being moved into the office and the chairs from upstairs are going to the living room. In all this, I may rearrange the bedroom too. We will see....

Here are some pics of the office. Don't ask how I moved the furniture myself, I do not know what possessed me to do this alone!

Bookshelves are now on either side of the office window

the blanket chest is a temporary wedding table....

My computer/office stuff

Lexi helping me.

She has been in this spot since I started putting things onto the bookshelves.

More to come.....

little update

Let's just say the past few days have been overwhelming and very stressful. I may have come home late last night and been woken up WAY too early by Lexi, but I feel a lot calmer. I will say that Nancy is doing very well for just having a quadruple bypass. Erin stayed for a few more days and will be back here in OH with me sometime Monday. :o)

Our wedding invitations were mailed out last week. YAY! I can't believe we are to that point. I have had one returned invite so far...no postage. oops. Also my dress is at the tailors being bustled. :o)

Big project for the next day or two - re arrange the office/living room again. Nothing major. We are going to move the 2 big bookshelves upstairs to the office and the recliner and Ikea chair downstairs. This way we have more seating downstairs. I came up with the idea driving home and Erin liked it. Also, make some rehearsal invites. That ordeal -- I'm over it! But Nancy wants invites so I said I'd handle it. Got to get some ideas.....

Well, I'm off. Store for some food and then I think I'll start rearranging things. I even have a picture idea....Pictures to come. :o)

hair

So, I've decided on this hair for my wedding. I found some cute bobby pins for it.

But I recently saw something on tv and the bride had her hair up similar to this with a headband and I thought it was really cute. I just went to Etsy and I like these bands...

Pearls

Crystals

So I don't know....

mini update

Haven't blogged in a bit....but that's because I'm not allowed to write anything about what's happening here! :o( I understand though. Erin is being cautious.....who knows who reads my thoughts. Plus I don't want to jinx anything. If I get too excited and tell the world, it won't actually happen.

In other news...I have finished wedding invites and we are going to mail them tomorrow. I addressed, stamped, and sealed 163 invites. I also, addressed and stamped 163 RSVP cards. I also made all the table numbers. 15 of them. There better only be 15 tables. Paper is ordered for the favor boxes, while the tags are all cut out, stamped, and hole punched. Bells are ordered, I already have 60 thanks to Jen! I can't do seating cards(bells) until I get RSVP's. We have to finalize the program and then I can make those. I also need to get ribbon. I did make our card box for those that bring cards to the wedding. So I'm in a good place! I checked my to-do list and basically what can be done is done. :o) (I'm preparing in case I get a job....I better get a job before then!)

I am sooo making Erin write thank you notes. He tried to get smart with me about how he is just showing up to get married...then I asked him if he wanted to make the favor boxes when we get the paper. His reply-- 'Hell No' I rest my case.

Oh I'm going to the tailors tomorrow to get my dress bustled and possibly hemmed. YAY!!

In other news....Nancy (Erin's mom) had quadruple by-pass surgery yesterday. Erin's brother is there right now. News is she is doing well, did well during the surgery, is in ICU (protocal), and will hopefully be able to take calls tonight. Erin's brother said she looked like hell, but that is expected. We are going to go visit this weekend and take her flowers. (Erin doesn't know about the flower part yet - I just decided)

Well that's all from here. I swear the minute I can I'm sooooo blogging about 'other' things! Here are some random pictures.

table numbers

favor tags (183 or them)

Lexi being sooo kind to help me with the wedding invites.

she wouldn't look at me....she was watching the camera light on the wall.

project pictures

favor boxes. Found a really cute stamp that says

'...and they lived happily ever after' :o)

Table numbers are glued onto brown backing paper

favor boxes

Here's a question -- should I make our own favor boxes? I found them at Michaels and it's $25.00 for 50 (or $20 for 50) I will have to assemble them...Or I can get scrap paper, print a template, and make them myself. It's not like I don't have the time right now. I can't decide what to do.....I just know I'd like to start making them now, even if I'm piling them up in the corner. Then all we have to do it fill them.

Here are pictures of a box that I just made. I added a 'Than You' tag to it.

I would use different colors....add a flower.

Bridal Shower Pictures

Here are some pictures of a few of our gifts and the party. We got a lot of big items and small. It was a great party! We played the purse game and bingo. Had yummy food and cake. It was a lot of fun. I almost cried a few times. :o) I just can't wait to marry Erin!!

Scrap Book Album

Utensil Holder/a few utensils too. (I don't think we have enough!) :oP

Crock Pot! I'm going to make BBQ pork or chicken this week.

Mixer and Blender. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the mixer.

Also Erin says we can buy smoothie stuff this weekend.

Bowls...Lexi trys to sleep in the big one.

quote...already hanging by the door.

My mommy and me - I had to cut the cake. Guess it's practice for wedding day.

The only ribbon I broke! They tricked me into it too!

It was a great day! We got a lot more gifts, but I don't have all the pics.

Also, I really, really, really want to post this possible good news, however, I don't want to get my hopes up. SO, I'll just say, we may have some new in another week or two. If it becomes reality I'll post immediately! :o)

baking bread

I decided to try my skills at bread baking today. I think it turned out well. I think I will bake bread more often. We might have to go buy flour from Sam's Club though.... :o)

Here are some pics.

Mixing/kneading the dough (thank goodness for my mixer!)

dough sat for 20 min and then I rolled it out

Rolled it and put in a pan...brushed with some olive oil

After 2 hours in the fridge...time to bake!

I wish you could smell how good this bread smells!

YUMMY bread!! I can't wait to make a sandwich with it tomorrow.

invites

Almost done with invites. I have 23 more to address and then I need stamps. I ran out of glue so hopefully I can find the right refill at the store tonight.

Here are some pictures. I did the wrap around labels.

Other than that not much else going on today. We are going to run some errands when Erin gets home. He knows I need out of the house. So we are going to take some things I cleaned out of the kitchen to a resale shop, then Target to get some pictures I had printed (going to do a scrap book page or two tomorrow), then Meijers for some milk.

Pictures to come of the shower soon! Promise!! Jen sent me a few last night and my mom is going to send me some more. Plus I want to take a few of the gifts put out...since I spent awhile yesterday cleaning/organizing/putting things away.

Oh and I can't stand hypocrites. ;-)

father/daughter dance

Now I don't know what song to chose for my dance with my daddy. We all know I'm a big daddy's girl and will forever be! I had always planned to use this song for my dance with him.

Father and Daughter by Paul Simon

If you ever leap awake
In the mirror of a bad dream
And for a fraction of a second
You can't remember where you are
Just open your window
And follow your memory upstream
To the meadow in the mountain
Where we counted every falling star

I believe the light that shines on you
Will shine on you forever
And though I can't guarantee
There's nothing scary hiding under your bed
I’m gonna stand guard
Like a postcard of a Golden Retriever
And never leave till I leave you
With a sweet dream in your head

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

Trust your intuition
It's just like going fishing
You cast your line
And hope you'll get a bite
But you don't need to waste your time
Worrying about the market place
Try to help the human race
Struggling to survive its harshest night

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

But now, I heard this song and it made me cry. Jenny, a great family friend, sent this song to my mom and she forwarded it to me. She heard it on her way home from my shower.

Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

pictures

A few pictures to tide you over until I do a real post....which will be a few to show our wonderful weekend. I will have tons of pictures!

Our gifts....there is a mixer and blender hidden in there

The two bowls my Aunt got me - I don't want to put anything in them!!

I think I'll leave them on the table when all is cleaned up.

These supplies will become Thank You cards tomorrow. :o)

More wedding scrapbook goodies (part of a gift)

Going to make a party pages when I get more pics from Jen and my mom.

My camera battery died 10 min into the first shower. oops. :o)

The wedding invite/RSVP card

Going to start stuffing envelopes and addressing them this week.

will return

I was blogging once a day....but the past few days I've been in a real mood! :o)

SO, here is a picture of Lexi -- I find her sitting here all the time now. I think it's sooo cute!

I'll post next week with pictures of my showers and a weekend update. :o) So long!

2 months!

Just 2 months -- 60 days until I am officially Mrs. McFall!! (although according to Twitter and Facebook I already am....well in name at least) :oP I can't wait!! I'm just waiting until I have a month to go and I am swamped with making favors/seating cards/well....I think that's all I'll have to do. Then 3 weeks before is all our final meetings. I have already made a few appointments. I just can't wait!! :o)

I love you Erin!!! :-*

ready!

Almost ready for the shower Saturday!!

Gift bags are done and my wedding container is ready to go! :o)

Now all I need is a brown tank top and cardigan to wear with my maxi dress and I'll have my outfit. I'm getting really excited!!! :o)

Also, I saw this straight iron/curling iron at the store today. Mine are going bad along with my hair dryer. So, Erin knows that when I get a job, I'm going to need to replace them. I am still looking for a hair dryer but, I have found my new iron. It's from conair. It straightens and curls your hair!

It's perfect for me. :o)

Hope everyone has had a GREAT weekend!! :o)

I can't keep it in....

Ok, I have been holding this in all day! I just have to share....I'm getting this --

at my shower on Saturday. I don't know if this is the color I'll get. But my grandma called today and had to tell me what it is because she wanted to know if it was ok for her to cut the box up to send in the rebate that comes with it. I said sure! I also said Thank You and I can't wait to open it on Saturday!! YAY!! This mixer was at the top of my registry list. I've wanted one for a long time. :o) I also had to go onto my registry to mark it as purchased. But I didn't look at anything else!! I was good. It also helped that the mixer we asked for was at the top of the list. Yippie!!

Last here is a pic of Lexi. She likes to sleep in our closet and now it looks like she likes our clothing shelf too. She is just sooo adorable sometimes. (then again I'm biased)

Final wedding stationary

I know I posted some wedding stationary awhile ago - however I've since made changes and Jen has made some stuff for me too. I'm getting some mock-ups ready for next weekend to show my mom and thought I'd post pics of what I did.

First was the program -- I changed it. Before it was too long, too much paper, and I wasn't happy with it. I've since made something smaller - 1 piece of paper for each program! I don't have everything I like in it, but that's ok. I have our monogram, a list of who's in the wedding, thank yous, and the Kissing Tree.

The program...I have attached with brads for now - but will probably use ribbon and colored paper to print on. Also, I'm getting a boarder punch, instead of the sizers like I used.

Next is the seating cards Jen made for me. Erin loved the bells that Jen had at her wedding so I wanted to include them in ours. Jen came up with the idea of using them as a seating cards. I also found a cute little quote and she made adjustments and we now have a cute seating card. I figure I'll attach with blue ribbon to the bell.

Last is our table number. I need a new glue, but what I had got the job done for me yesterday. I got the idea from Martha Stewart. I just thought it was super cute! This one has no numbers on it, but Erin and I joked last night about having a blank table.

That is all for now. I didn't print the menus. But I think I have a good handle on everything. I can't wait to start making everything. :o)