Greener Grass

Do you ever look at blogs or other websites late at night, when you can't sleep, and magically find exactly what you didn't know you needed?

I do. I'm going to share this thought – it's obviously a sentiment that has been expressed by many, but I am grateful to have stumbled upon it tonight.

"The grass isn't greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water and fertilize it."

I hope your grass is green and healthy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have a good excuse for being a day late on this one. I hosted the family dinner.

That's right, you heard me.

It was the first time I had more than two people over for a meal. The first time my parents and my in-laws shared a holiday meal. The first time I made a turkey. The first time I bathed a baby in the kitchen sink (yes, really).

My lovely friend Andrea arrived on Sunday night from Victoria, on a whim, with her baby. I'm glad she did. There's something comforting about not knowing what you're doing when nobody else does either.

We set a table.

I think it turned out really well. The turkey was maybe just a little overdone, but at least it was cooked! My stuffing tasted like mom's which was the most important part. There were brussels sprouts, and we have tons of leftover everything (except stuffing). The baby was happy.

And there were turkey cookies. Yes.

Sunday's Simple Daybook

For today... Sunday, September 12, 2010

Outside my window... dark now, and has been pouring all day.

I am thinking... about many ides for the new church-school year.

I am thankful for... the impending fall. There is really nothing about fall that I don't love.

From the learning rooms... still need to get on my herbalism course. I will have a good report on this next week.

From the kitchen... embarrassingly, nothing today. It's time to use up leftovers and pantry items.

I am wearing... pajamas. It's only 8:30 but it feels like the right sort of thing tonight. I've also brought the slippers out to stay.

I am creating... a routine.

I am going... to order my wedding photos this week, for real.

I am reading... Women, Food, and God, as per last week. I do like it.

I am hoping... that the momentum I'm feeling around here really keeps up.

I am hearing... My favourite song this week, The Prayer (I like the version by Celtic Woman).

Around the house... I've put the heavy duvet on the bed. We have stacks of plastic bins that need to be dealt with this week – if they aren't filled for storage, they'll be going to my mom's for her use. 

One of my favorite things... my new Aroma Geni nebulizer from Saje Aromatherapy (a birthday gift). It's been going all evening with Love Potion #10 and it smells fantastic around here.

A few plans for the week...  Focus on unpacking boxes that are still hanging around, fix the china cabinet, send in a set of lessons (I know, I know), run.

Here is a picture for thought... this is the photo I've chosen as our wedding portrait.

Play along with the Simple Woman's Daybook!

Sunday's Simple Daybook

For today... Sunday, September 5, 2010

Outside my window... suddenly sunny after a very grey day!

I am thinking... about revamping our budget.

I am thankful for... having met my husband's gran in England. She is 98 years old and he hadn't seen her for 13 years. I am grateful that we had the opportunity to go, chat, and take photos.

From the learning rooms... need to get working (hard) on my herbalism course.

From the kitchen... Dinner Diva Detox from Leanne Ely at Saving Dinner. Time to get food in order.

I am wearing... Black yoga pants and a long-sleeved pink running room shirt. 


I am creating... a better me.

I am going... to my mom's this afternoon, to pick up some pantry items. She and I shop at Costco and split the bounty.

I am reading... Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth. I'm not yet sure what I think of it.

I am hoping... that my husband gets lots of work in September.

I am hearing... the laundry going, going, going...

Around the house... busy unpacking from our recent trip to the UK!

One of my favorite things... sprouted grain bread with almond butter. Yummy.

A few plans for the week...  I need to see my grandparents, get ready for church to start up, order wedding photos, and mail in a set of correspondence lessons. 

Here is a picture for thought... Dan and I with his grandmother, Marion.

Play along with the Simple Woman's Daybook!

I'm a Terrible Blogger – Have a Cookie

I'm terrible at blogging when I say I will!

I'm back with a good cookie recipe though, so I'm sure you'll forgive me.

This is a single-serve oatmeal cookie. I recently bought some packs of plain instant oatmeal. I was really excited about them. I always find the packaged instant oatmeal to be too sweet, so I thought these would be great to have at work. They were salty. I couldn't eat them. But I COULD make one into a cookie! This made a moist, jumbo cookie – but only one, so I don't have to resist a whole bunch.

I ate this straight out of the oven for a sweet fix, but it was pretty filling. I could see making one up in the evening and taking it for an on-the-go breakfast.

Ingredients


One pack of instant oatmeal (any flavour - I used plain)
1 TBS. brown sugar - you wouldn't really need this if your oatmeal was sweetened.
1 TBS. whole-wheat flour.
2 TBS. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. vanilla
Additions (nuts, raisins, etc.) as desired.

Combine, mix well, form into a cookie, place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (you'll know when it's done!)

Bricks of Bread

I've become interested in making bread lately, and have been dabbling with yeast-free breads for the last couple of weeks. I made an Irish soda bread, which was frankly awful. Tonight I made a loaf of rye bread from a mix I bought in the IKEA marketplace.

This was an interesting thing to make. The mix comes in a large container which looks like a milk carton. Basically, you add water, shake like crazy, and pour it into a loaf pan. It didn't rise much, and then it's baked for an hour.

I don't think I'll make it again because it's awkward to get out of the carton. It is very heavy, dense & thick – no kidding, it feels like a brick. But it was delicious warm with a little butter! We'll be using it this week with soups and such.

But, the plan is to give a yeast bread a try. This week I'm going to try out the basic recipe from the Hillbilly Housewife. Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes.

2010 Reading Challenge - 2/30 Done

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

A Christmas gift from my wonderful husband, The Constant Princess was my second finished book of the year. It was a beautiful, lovely read. Chronologically, it precedes The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance, though I read both of those last year.

I've loved all three, but I loved this the most. Katherine of Aragon was an amazing, interesting Princess and Queen, and this book has inspired me to look into her life even more.

Inspired by The Literate Housewife's recommendations (whom, by the way, I love), I'm now reading the Tudor-era historical fiction in chronological order. She's made a wonderful comprehensive list that even "fills in the gaps" of Philippa Gregory's series. So, next up will be a new (to me) author, Vanora Bennett. I look forward to reading and reviewing her work as well!

Happy Reading,

Things I Love

It is Things I Love Thursday over at The Diaper Diaries, and inspired by my friend at Bowmania, I'm joining in! Yes, it's a bit odd that I'm linking to a blog called The Diaper Diaries, but I couldn't pass this one up. So, I'm going with a couple wedding things, because you all should know.

I love comfortable shoes at weddings.

I chose Skechers, and they were awesome. I walked, I stood, I danced, I did just fine - and even managed to change into fancy heels at the end of the night! A bride needs to feel great on her wedding day.

I love traditions.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Hokey? Not at all. This is a beautiful lovely tradition and I'm so glad I took part. For something old, I used my mom's veil. Something new was my dress. Something borrowed was my great-grandmother's engagement ring, and I felt SO honoured to be allowed to wear it all day. Something blue was created for me by my grandma, who is the master embroiderer in the family. Behold, my wedding-day monogram. The photo below is my beautiful mom sewing it into the lining of my skirt on the morning of the wedding:

I love beautiful, delicious cake.

This was our cake. 'Nuff said... well, almost. Up until the day before the wedding, I was worried that the cake was the one thing we had over-spent on. I no longer have any doubts. It was a four-tier chocolate caramel cake. The bottom three tiers were cut for the wedding reception, and every single piece was eaten. The top tier was served at the gift-opening the following day. People are still talking about it, no kidding. I've determined that people truly, universally appreciate only a couple of wedding things, and good cake is one of them.

I think that's enough for today, but this was fun - stay tuned for more!

2010 Reading Challenge

I'm participating in a reading challenge for 2010. My goal is to read 30 books this year, no re-reads. I made 15 last year, so this will be a push for me, but I think it is doable. I am also including audiobooks, as I've decided to make the most of my long commute.

Tonight I finished listening to Chronicles of Avonlea by one of my all-time favourite authors, L.M. Montgomery. A collection of short stories, our dear Anne Shirley appears several times. She isn't featured in any of the stories, but it nonetheless gave me a little thrill each time I heard her name, like running into an old friend.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The short stories were just perfect for my commute to work – at an average of half an hour apiece, I could listen to approximately 3 between my drives to and from work. The stories were engrossing, and I found myself laughing many times. I am addicted to audiobooks all of a sudden, and I look forward to the Further Chronicles of Avonlea in the near future.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who has known Anne, though of course it isn't necessary at all! This would be a delightful read at nearly any age, and I'm sure I will listen to it, and probably pick up a paper copy, again and again.

Oh and... 1 down, 29 to go!

I'm Back!

It took me nearly a month pre-wedding, and four months post-wedding to focus, pull off a huge event, go on a honeymoon, move, and recover.

I'm moved. I'm recovered. I'm even going through photos and such now. And thus, it is time for me to blog again.

I got stuck. I wanted to blog about the wedding events before I started blogging about other things, but I wasn't ready to tackle the rest of the wedding things. So I've made a decision – I'm going to blog both. Every few days you'll get a wedding post because I don't want to leave things hanging with the shower! And every now and then you'll get something else.

I have some goals for 2010. I want to read 30 books. I want to bake bread, which makes me very nervous. I plan to get in better shape and to do some embroidery. I'm going to have to move again.

Please join me as I figure out how to live a marriage now that I'm done with planning a wedding. Here, the real work starts.

Cheers!

Showers of Love

The last Saturday of July was my beautiful bridal shower. I came home from a business trip to Minneapolis late Friday night, and enjoyed a lazy Saturday morning before heading over. I need to reiterate that my Maid of Honour, Michelle, is truly amazing.

So many amazing women were there to greet me when I arrived. Looking around, I was really amazed at what a diverse look at my life they represented. My grandmother was there, with my great-aunt. Cousins, girlfriends... work friends, school friends... some I've known for only a couple of years, and some I've known since I was 5. One of my oldest friends brought her baby girl, and it was delightful to have her there too!

I suddenly understand the meaning of "shower." I've always assumed it was a showering gifts. I got spoiled, no doubt, but in so many ways. It was a shower of love, laughter, and stories. It was a shower of wisdom and blessings that having a group of women together can bring. It was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

I have to brag about two gifts that astounded me. My grandmother presented me with a floral cross-stitch she did for me. I love my grandma's needlework. She taught me (I'm not that good), and it really is a defining part of our relationship. My mom has spent time putting together a cookbook of family recipes for me. It includes all my favourites and I can't wait to get started with them!

Today's Already-Dones

I'm going to list some of my already-dones instead of talking about everything I have to do still. Reporting on accomplishments keeps me motivated to do more, much more than a massive list does. Speaking of massive lists... I have one. I find it overwhelming, so my new method is to look at it once a day and pick 5 or so things that I, or my mom, can get done that very day. A list of 5 things is much more approachable than a list of 50 things.

Today's Dones:

1. Dropped off the hairband I chose for my headpiece. The seamstress who is working on my dress is going to attach my mom's beautiful veil to this after she covers it with a coordinating fabric. I'm nervous because I don't really understand how this going to look, but I'm sure it will turn out beautifully.

2. Visited Western Tux to discuss switching over there from Moores. More on this later.

3. Found a Barn Star for a project I'm planning to do. Stay tuned! Does anybody know where to get small versions of these? Mine is quite large, and I'd like 2 smaller ones as well.

4. Resent three invitations that had come back undelivered.

5. Updated list of guests for the wedding -- we have 57 confirmed so far!

And, had a Starbucks iced coffee with milk, which is clearly the thing that's fueling me through this list.

Customization of a Dress

First of all, I need to apologize for not having any photos of the dress process. I keep meaning to, and I keep forgetting. Perhaps this is how it should be.

I had my first official dress fitting last week. Have I mentioned it's perfect? The first time I tried the dress on, it was a little tight. This time, it did up so beautifully. I'm thrilled, it really felt wonderful. The seamstress I'm working with has not many size alterations to do... really just a hem.

However, we've decided on two changes. First, we're making a design change, and I'm extremely happy with it.  I think it takes this dress, which is gorgeous, and makes it MINE. It totally speaks to my personality and style, which has got to be a win.

Second, we're altering the veil. My mom's veil is gorgeous, but the lace headpiece is just too fragile to work with. Since we have a little extra dress fabric, we're having a headpiece made. We will be attaching my mom's actual veil (the tulle part) to this new piece. I'm nervous about it. Even though I know it's the right thing to do, part of me really resists changing what my mom wore.

But, I can't wait to show you the results!

Camcorder Giveaway!

I'm trying to learn to be more frugal, since Dan is going back to school and we'll be living "skinny" for a while. I've recently been introduced to The Grocery Shrink, and I love Angela's blog! 

Today, she's posted a giveaway for a Vado HD Camcorder! Get thee to her blog and enter... I personally think it'd be excellent to have this little device around for all the many events leading up to the wedding!

The Grocery Shrink Blog is here: http://www.groceryshrink.typepad.com/

Invitation Inserts

Our invitations have arrived, and I love them. I think it was wise to order them and not make them myself. However, I did forget one small detail to add to them... our website address! I've worked hard on the website and really wanted people to know where to find it! When I realized this, I tried to come up with all sorts of possibilities to add it on there. Dan heard the conundrum and instantly remarked:

"Why not just print it up on a separate little card?"

... umm, I needed somebody to tell me this? Clearly I am sleep deprived, but to be fair, my friend who was with me hadn't thought of it either.

So, tonight with the help of Apple's Pages, I did just that. I managed to match the border and colour pretty closely, and Pages has a great business card template that made it a snap. I'm thrilled!

I do have one more "insert card" I'd like to add to the package, but I'm happy to have figured out how.

It's Christmas in May...

Seriously, all I need is a red suit and I'd be Santa Claus. I'm making my list folks, and I'm checking it twice... and three, four, five times over.

I am completely and utterly paranoid that now, when it comes down to finalizing the list and writing out all those addresses, that I'm going to forget somebody. 

So far, the count is 116 "parties" (that is, the number of invitations) and just shy of 200 people. Mom & I still need to go back through and figure out which kids are invited, and who exactly we've missed.

And then I'll probably have nightmares about not sending an invitation to my grandma, or one friend out of a group or something ridiculous like that. How do people handle this part? 

A Fun Purchase

Today I went shopping with my mom to look for mother-of-the-bride outfits, and made a very fun purchase of my own. I bought a dress for the rehearsal dinner. This was obviously not as important as my bridal gown, but it was way easier. It's turquoise and brown, and I adore it. I think I will even take it on the cruise! I've not typically been a dress kind of girl, and certainly never dresses that aren't long, but I think I can pull it off. 

I'm surprised at how excited I am for this small item done. I'm trying to do one wedding task per day, and this was a good one!

100 Days!

The countdown may officially begin!

I almost missed it... good thing I stay up late. ;)

What Not To Do

Alright, so, because a good friend got engaged this past weekend, my mind buzzes along with things she's just gotta know. And since I've learned that people DO actually read this blog (please leave comments so I know!) I figure somebody out there might be interested in hearing me blather on. I've been engaged for a really long time (very close to too long), so I've seen my share of magazines, blogs, wedding shows, and bridal fairs. I've talked to many brides, and many people in the bridal business. Today's list is "What NOT To Do." Observe:

1. Do not plan anything (I mean that) without having planned a location and a date first. This is critical. This is the backbone of your wedding. You can do this in one of two ways. The first, is to choose your exact date and then find something that is available. The earlier you do this, the more availability there will be. The second way is to pick a place you adore and then choose a date they have available. Pick your priority, but you can't get around this truth. I once ran into a bride who was buying her gown. She had no idea where the wedding would be, or even when. Believe it or not, clothes – even wedding gowns – are seasonal. It is prudent to know when your wedding will be and what the vague style of it will be before you purchase anything.
2. Don't buy anything you don't love. Weddings are expensive, no doubt. But there's this funny thing that happens. You may find something on sale that could be useful, so you buy it. Then you find something you like better. Shop around as you need to, buy what you love, and cherish it. 
   
3. Don't ever look at a wedding magazine and think you'll be able to find that same idea later on. You will have stacks of magazines. More than you will ever buy, because people will give you theirs. If you like it, flag it with a sticky note or tear it out and put it in a folder.
4. Don't be nasty to your friends. I'm horrified by how many people wear the term "Bridezilla" like it's a badge of honour. It's not nice, it's not right, and you'll end up with no friends. Presumably you've chosen your bridesmaids because you have a good relationship with them, and you want that to continue. I know of a bride whose gals all left the wedding as soon as they could and didn't talk to her for a good 6 months post. Think about that... your first year of marriage with no friends? Bad plan.
5. Don't think you have to do everything yourself. You can hire people, you can ask people (nicely), and you can even let some things go. Just because your sister's-hairdresser's-babysitter made her invitations for 450 people and still had time to monogram sugar cubes, doesn't mean you have to.
6. Don't make your registry too early. People might tell you to, and it might even seem logical and helpful to them. But it will be a pain in the butt when you have to go in frequently to change discontinued items.
7. Don't ignore your groom. He asked you to marry him because he loves you. Everybody knows that weddings are busy and sometimes stressful, but with the average engagement length of 17 months, you really can't afford to lose date nights and time to connect. Your goal is to come out of this all with a husband... make sure he's still with you along the way.
8. Don't change who you are. You want to lose a few pounds or tone up your arms? Fine. You want to eat cabbage soup for a month only to put all the weight back on the minute you look at the buffet on your all-inclusive honeymoon? No. Order a dress that fits you, that reflects who you are, and that you feel wonderful in. Otherwise, your kids won't know who's standing beside their dad in all those photos...
9. Don't lose who you are, either. I've seen brides give up every interest and hobby in the time it takes to plan a wedding. You may want to put aside needlepoint to learn calligraphy (yeah hi, me right here), and that's fine. But read a book now and then, not just magazines, and stay on top of the things that define you. If you don't, two things will happen. You'll become a complete bore and you won't know what to do with yourself after the wedding. Nobody needs post-wedding-depression because they don't know how to fill their time.
10. Related to the above, don't talk about the wedding non-stop. I love the blog because people who want to hear what I have to say, can. Of course you're excited, and people are happy for you. But life goes on for them, and most people are happier if you're part of that.

(hey... do you like my signature?)

Cruising to Alaska!

So, a couple major things have happened in the last month.

1. Dan got accepted into UBC for the Bachelor of Education program! This is great news for him, obviously. I'm very excited. It's a July-start program, which means (we thought) that he's basically going to be doing school all the way through the wedding. Ahh well... at least we picked a Saturday, right?

2. I took a closer look at the calendar, and learned that he has 3 weeks off at the end of summer -- RIGHT over the time of the wedding! In fact, his last day of school is my last day of work. We both have the full week off before the wedding, and then he has 2 weeks off afterward (I have one week and a couple days).

3. We booked a honeymoon! There is bliss to look forward to. We'll be sailing on the Holland America Volendam, roundtrip to Alaska. We leave from Vancouver, which I love, because we don't have to fly anywhere. And, we head out 4 days after the wedding, giving us opportunity to visit with some out of town guests and pack. I'm super excited that Dan has time off, and thrilled we've booked a trip!