Rays & Roses

Cupcake Stand Tutorial

2011-10-25T10:14:00.001-05:00

Finally, the how to DIY your own cupcake stand... Our original inspiration came from The Meckley's, however, we did change several things...

Go to Lowes & purchase the following:

3/4x49x97 piece of MDF (avg. $32). Have this piece cut into 2 each of the following sizes:

32x32
24x24
17x17
12x12

Four pieces of 4" PVC Coupling (avg. $2 each)

Two pieces of 4" x 2' PVC pipe (avg. $5 each)

1/2" x 6' threaded rod (avg. $4 each)

Two 1/2" hex nuts (avg. $.10 each)

Two 1/2" washers (avg. $.10 each)

Four unfinished furniture feet (avg. $5 each)

Paint in a color of your choosing

Krylon Fusion Spray Paint for Plastics in color of your choosing (avg. $3)

2 yards of 44" wide fabric (use Hobby Lobby or Michaels coupons for the best price, cost varies depending on fabric)

Uncut Mat Board (use Hobby Lobby or Michaels coupons for the best price avg. $3)

Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Adhesive (avg. $3.50)

Any misc decorations of your choosing

Using a large drill bit, drill a 1/2" hold in the center of all the boards.
Cut PVC pipe to a length of your choosing, this will be the display area for your cupcakes. We used a 6" length & a power saw. You need to try & cut the PVC as straight as possible. Use a file to even out the ends if necessary.
Using a table saw, cut grooves 1/2" deep near edges of the MDF. These were done 1" from the edges of the MDF. You do not need to cut if you are not using panels. You do not need to do top & bottom, only the sides that need a groove for the panels.
Paint the MDF & furniture feet in a color of your choosing. Sides with grooves only need the edges painted as this is all that will be viewable.
Using Krylon Fusion Spray Paint in a color of your choosing paint the cut PVC pieces.
Attach furniture feet to bottom of a 32x32 piece of MDF.
Starting with a washer & hex nut on the bottom stack layers of cupcake stand beginning with 32x32 MDF with feet, then a 4" coupling, followed by another 32x32 MDF, next a 6" PVC (or whatever length you chose). Continue layering items, MDF smallest to largest, until done & end with another washer & hex nut.
Cut the remaining thread rod. We found the layers easier to manipulate by leaving a few inches of thread rod at the top. We left a 4" rod, but you can cut it flush if you like.
Cut mat board. These were our measurements, yours might be slightly different.

Big O's Budweiser Bash!!

2011-06-27T19:17:00.008-05:00

Hey everyone, hope all is well wherever you may be. The summer has been kind of crazy with all of the flooding problems. The current situation in our area is better, but things went bad to worse in a city north of us. Unfortunately it's been a big issue throughout the entire state of North Dakota this year. It sounds like the weather is about to heat up, just in time for the 4th of July weekend! My wife entered my name in a drawing, and I won, thanks Hun. I was picked to host a Budweiser Ultimate Backyard BBQ Bash from Houseparty.com, it should be a blast!

I just received a sweet package in the mail from them, it included several items like; Bud party favors such as can koozies, t-shirts, gift card for $ towards beer and brats and other rebates and coupons for my guests. I plan on hitting up a local distributor, as well as some bars around town for any old decor that's Bud related. Plus it will obviously have a patriotic 4th of July theme as well. I will have some backyard games, beer-pong in the garage and the poker table setup in the basement.

There will be some free beverages and hot food off the grill, but we are asking friends to bring a dish if they can, and some folding chairs and of course when our supply runs out, BYOB!! The wife and I are looking forward to this party with our friends and celebrating Independence Day with our family. Remember all the men and women in our military that make the U.S.A. such a great country to live in. Past, present and future, we thank them for fighting for our freedom so we can live the peaceful life here in America. Happy 4th of July!

Big Sky Adventures, rising waters, and a salute to our troops!

2011-05-30T01:58:00.015-05:00

Well, I must say it has been way too long since I've been on here. We just got back home from Montana. We had a family wedding to attend to and everything was awesome, we had a great time. But at the same time it was bitter sweet, we found out the flood situation was getting worse back home. We decided to come home a couple days early so we can continue where we left off last week and help sandbag, or do whatever needs to be done.

Getting back to our trip... The boys had a blast seeing cousins they have never met in person, and I actually was introduced to even more family on my wife's side! Big family, so many faces and names to remember. I took the boys on a small hike in the mountains. They were excited, kept on saying "were going on a bear hunt, and were going to catch a big one, what a beautiful day, were not scared"... ha, lol it was hilarious! They really enjoyed the old ice cream parlor and carousel, and plus it was a good time filler before we had to be at some historic ranch for the wedding ceremony and dance.

This was the longest road trip the boys have been on, I must say they passed with flying colors.We are home now, the van is unpacked, and now it is time to focus on the task at hand. Our metro area is having major flooding issues with the thanks to high water and too much rain and snow-pack in the mountains heading down stream to us. It's unfortunate, but we all need to work together and help volunteer, filling sandbags and whatever else to help fight this flood! I will keep you all posted, for whatever reason we have yet to make any national news.

Thankfully our house is on a hill away from the water and safe. However, we have many friends and family that are still fighting to protect their homes and property from these high waters. I ask you all to keep all of them and others in your thoughts and prayers.

I would like to thank all of my fellow veterans for their service to our country, and warm thoughts to the family members who may have lost a loved one to the ultimate sacrifice. Semper Fi to all of my Marines out there, Have a great Memorial Day!

Long Time...

2011-02-27T17:09:00.001-06:00

So the holidays happened. The boys had not one but two birthday parties. A new job entered the mix & life just got crazy. Not sure if we will keep this blog or not. He says yes, I say no. Maybe if he blogs a lil more often...
Anyway... The blue truck died on Christmas Eve so we bought a 2009 Town & Country that looks something like this...

We love the extra room but not the extra gas expense. This thing gets terrible gas mileage! Other than the extra $$ things are going good.

Other than that we've just been working on the house. Finally have some wall stuff hanging. They are empty picture frames, but at least they are up! Light fixtures redone, and more wall stuff... It's coming together bit by bit. :)

Valentines day was great! I found misc. Valentines Day stuff on the counter (mug, blanket, candy) and had gotten a dozen roses the week before. Started to make coffee & found a zippy bag buried in the coffee grounds. Pulled the bag out to find tickets to Elton John! While neither of us are huge fans, he will never come back here again.

For his Valentines Day gift I ordered him an MP3 player (so he stops using mine), new ear buds, slippers, and a few other misc. items. Overall, great day. Hope you enjoyed it too.

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti & Monster Cookies...

2010-12-18T16:22:00.000-06:00

Started the holiday baking finally. I made Monster Cookies with the boys. They truly believe that the cookies are for Monsters. It's too funny! Next up was Cranberry Pecan Biscotti drizzled with white chocolate. They are so good I can not wait to make more. Here's the recipes:

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup crushed pecans
White chocolate or almond bark for melting/dipping (optional)

For added flavor you can add orange zest, almond extract, cinnamon, &/or nutmeg depending on your tastes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place dough onto cookie sheet & form into a 2 inch log. Bake in oven for 35-40 min, or until it is golden brown. Remove from oven & cool for 10 min. Using a large kitchen knife, slice diagonally into 1 inch slices. Arrange slices onto their sides & place back in oven for 10-20 min (or until desired dryness is achieved) at 275 degrees. Melt chocolate or almond bark & drizzle (or dip) biscotti. Enjoy!

Monster Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups peanut butter
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
4-1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup M&Ms
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill dough for an hour in fridge (this is optional, I find it less messy when cold). Roll into 2" balls & place on cookie sheet 3 inches apart. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake in oven for 13 min or until golden brown.

Next baking project... Christmas cut-outs (ugh) & something with peanut butter because we have at least 4 jars in the cabinet.

Sick Day...

2010-12-09T15:52:00.000-06:00

The boys have been sick with a stomach bug this past week. Today I had both of them home from school. Most of our day looked something like this...

It's been a day full of lil boy movies & cleaning/disinfecting. Hopefully they will be on the mend soon & no one else gets sick. :)

Elmer's #CanYouTopThis Challenge- Christmas/Birthday Countdown!

2010-11-29T14:45:00.002-06:00

December is a really big deal in our house. Not only is it Christmas time, but the boy's birthday as well. This is the first year the boys understand that Christmas (Dec. 25th) & their birthday (Dec. 26th) are right around the corner. Because of this realization, I am bombarded with questions on a daily basis. Most of those questions are as follows:

Is it Christmas time yet?
Is Santa coming to my house today?
Is Santa coming tomorrow?
Is today my birthday?
Am I 4 now?
Am I still 3?

Since we have twin boys, we get twice the joy along with two times the questions. Every. Day. All. Day. Long. After a month of questions I decided that I would have to make some kind of Christmas/Birthday countdown in order to save my sanity. I figured I could pull out the construction paper & Elmer's glue, making a paper chain with a star or something on top. You know, like the one you made in first grade? I thought that would be simple enough. Then I saw Tonya Staab's Can You Top This Challenge. This provided the perfect opportunity to do something more. So I decided to take the #Canyoutopthis Challenge.

Supplies:

28"x40" Elmer's tri-fold board
Elmer's Repositionable Glue Stick
Elmer's Multipurpose Spray Adhesive
Hot Glue
Elmer's Construction Paper
Fabric of choice to cover tri-fold board
Scrapbook & Card stock of choice
24 Thumb Tacks
Paint of choice (I use Plaid Folk Art)

Somehow between my birthday (I turned 29 again last week), Thanksgiving, tons of Black Friday shopping, & life in general I found the time to create a Christmas/Birthday countdown. It started with purchasing an Elmers 28"x40" Tri-fold board at Walmart.

We made a quick stop at Joann Fabrics where the boys & I picked out a light blue fabric from the remnant bin. When we got home the boys & I pulled out my paper trimmer so I could start cutting out 3"x3" black squares.

Next I got out my Cricut so I could save time (and sanity) cutting out circles. The boys helped me choose some red, green, & white scrapbook/card stock paper. I cut out 3" circles for the calendar & 2" numbers for the dates. So now it was looking like this...

While my kiddos were sleeping I glued the squares, circles & numbers together using my Elmer's Repositionable Glue Stick. I LOVE this stuff! It's the only thing I use on the boy's scrapbooks. It's great because you can fix or change things if you do not like it (or if you goof up a lot like me). No worries about permanent glue.

I also attached the light blue fabric to the tri-fold board so it could dry overnight. I used Elmer's Multipurpose Spray Adhesive, which I had on hand, to glue fabric to front of the board. Then I used some hot glue to attach the fabric along the edges on the back side.

Next was Black Friday shopping... I had to take a break from all the glue fun to go get my shop on... After catching up on some sleep (we stayed up all night) & finding way too many good deals it was time to grab my templates, the Cricut, & get back to work. I used some of our Elmer's Construction Paper that we had on hand for the Christmas tree & balloons. The Cricut cut December out in 4" letters. I glued everything together again using the repositionable glue sticks, even attaching the shapes & letters to the fabric using the same glue. Found some Santa hat photos of the boys & added those to the Birthday side of the board (they love seeing themselves). I painted some thumb tacks red & green so I could easily remove them from the board. This is the final result:

If you are interested in the Can You Top This Challenge there is still time to enter. View any of these blogs for entry rules:

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-25T22:00:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone had their fill of food today. We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving.

Now go get your shop on at some Black Friday sales! We have already made purchases at JCP, Kohls, Lowes, & Sears. Next up is the Walmart madness (and Target too).

Wedding Party- Photos!

2010-11-22T00:01:00.008-06:00

Finally got our photo CD from the party in October. Here's several of my fave shots.

Cupcake stand (yes we made this, non-metric tutorial will be posted!)

Candy Buffet (was a huge hit!)

Tables...

FUN!

Oh Christmas Tree...

2010-11-21T22:44:00.000-06:00

Got the tree set up today. The boys have been asking me every day since Halloween if it's 'Christmas time yet?' So we decided to dig things out of storage. It's a little early this year but that's what worked with our schedule as a family. Two very excited little boys helped with everything. I'm sure we will be making cookies for Santa in our near future...

Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies

2010-11-06T08:00:00.005-05:00

The boys finally figured out how to climb on the kitchen counter. They sat on the counter all morning & even ate lunch up there. I figured it was time to put them to work so we made Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies. With all the Hershey Bars we have from Halloween, this seemed like a great way to get rid of them...

C insisted on wearing his goggles (upside down) so he would be safe when we were using the mixer.

Very excited to help open all the candy bars...

Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies (this is doubled):

2 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flower
2/3 cups rolled oats
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups semi sweet chocolate, chopped (we used milk chocolate Hershey bars)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients then put in fridge for 1 hr or until dough is no longer sticky. Rolls into balls & place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 min or until cookies begin to brown.

Thank You Cards Mailed!

2010-11-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

200 Thank You's later we are done. We did not hand write our thank you's. Instead we had these printed...

Front:

Back:

Wow Wow Wubbzy!

2010-11-03T22:36:00.000-05:00

The boys both decided to be Wubbzy this year. They got a huge candy haul while trick or treating. I think we have more candy than we can eat. Here's some photos (yes, that is snow on the ground)...

They had fun painting & carving pumpkins...

The boys also got all dressed up in their Wubbzy costumes for the first Moose Kid's Party...

We also took the boys to the corn maze this year. They had so much fun running through the maze with flashlights. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from our cheerleader Winnie!

Before & Afters...

2010-10-31T18:13:00.001-05:00

We have finally started hanging things on the walls! The only room left to paint is the basement bathroom. Everything is coming together finally. Here are a couple before & after shots. I'll post the family room & others as we finish them.
Playroom before & after (note: this room is only clean on the days I vacuum)

Boys Room before & After (yes I did blur my kids' names for their privacy/safety). They recently moved from toddler beds to twin beds. The room is very crowded with the new beds. I did ask them if they wanted to sleep in separate rooms but it was denied. C told me they would sleep together in one twin bed. Oh well... Better luck next year?

Thank You Parasol Pics...

2010-10-23T09:48:00.001-05:00

We decided to send photo cards for our thank you's. (For those wondering why you haven't received a thank you, it's because they are on order with vistaprint.com.) You can see how I made the thank you parasol here.

I did a photo collage using three of our wedding photos on one side, four photos of the boys on the other side. I got an excellent deal through vistaprint, ordering 200 thank you photo cards & envelopes for around $50. Here's our Thank You shots we had to choose from, one may be coming to a mailbox near you...

Some of My Fave Photos. Finally!

2010-10-22T09:47:00.001-05:00

These pics are just some of my faves from the South Dakota wedding. We are still waiting on pics from our Oct. 2nd photographer. I'll post them when I can...

Busy & My Computer is Down!

2010-10-10T16:24:00.000-05:00

Well the social/dance went extremely well. I'd love to post pics but my computer is down & Jamie's isn't the best... So we all must wait for a better update on the party.

For now we have had a busy week. We are working on the basement again... This is the current status:

Will post finished photos when my new power cord arrives from China... Taking forever.

10 days to go before the big bash!

2010-09-21T22:09:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you to the small group of friends and family that made the trip to South Dakota for our private wedding ceremony. It was a great weekend, the weather was perfect, and everyone enjoyed the awesome dinner that followed at Roma's Italian Restaurant. We had a party into the night with friends in Deadwood, that was fun! Nicole, the boys, and I bounced around the Black Hills for a few days after the wedding, and had some fun family time, as you can see by some of the more recent posts and pics that my wife added to our blog. We all had a really great time!

Now that the ceremony is out of the way, its time to prepare for the big wedding celebration. It's been a work in progress, as you can imagine, a lot more DIY stuff, like the cupcake stand and the candy bar decor. We have some really good ideas for our table setups, it's going to look awesome! With only 10 days to go we still have a fair amount of things to get done, but like always we will knock it out of the park like rock stars!

Guest Book & Card Table...

2010-09-21T19:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick look at the guest book & card table. I still need to add ribbon to the guest book (when I buy another roll). We did not forget the pen, it's at my parents house. The picture frame will have a photo of us on our wedding day (if I ever hear from our photographer). I was thinking of adding a 'Wish Bowl' where guests can write lil wishes or congrats on slips of paper.

Candy Buffet...

2010-09-21T12:44:00.002-05:00

Well here's the general idea of what the candy table will look like. We bought red bead garland at Hobby Lobby to fill the centerpiece. That's my wedding bouquet. I have one more container to wrap with ribbon (ran out of the print ribbon). Each container will have a sign attached to the ribbon once those are done. Excited to have at least one table done. Next... Guest book/card table.

Candy Buffet Sign...

2010-09-20T12:54:00.000-05:00

Time to start working on all those DIY projects. We have two weeks & I'm super busy. Here's the sign I made for our candy table. I started with a 12x12 piece of MDF. The people at Lowes are nice & cut it down for me. Also need a plate holder. I stole this one from my parents house.

I bought a can of black spray paint that I am also using on the cupcake stand (still in progress, post to come later). I painted the MDF with some black acrylic paint I had on hand. The plastic plate holder was painted black with spray paint.

I used my Cricut to cut out the letters & Mod Podge to glue them to the MDF. The final result looks like this:

Misc. Pics...

2010-09-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen this while driving around town. Special thanks to Butch at The Shop for the sign, we love it!

We drove through Custer Park in the Black Hills where we met this guy... He was very friendly

Well almost a lil too friendly...

We took the boys down Needles Highway. They loved the tunnels & climbing on the rocks...

The boys enjoyed playing the piano in Deadwood...

We went through Spearfish Canyon & stopped to see Roughlock Falls...

Also took the boys to a mini cave at Thunderhead Falls. We wanted to test the waters & see how they would do on a longer tour... Maybe in a couple years, we were told it was 'too dark' over & over again...

Few Pics...

2010-09-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

These are not professional photos, just some taken by friends & family. The pics taken by our photographer, Angela, should be posted to her website some time this week. You can view them at www.angelapiersonphotography.com

This is the sand ceremony with the kids, thank you parasol for our thank you cards, and our wedding party.

We Have Arrived!

2010-09-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

Made it to the Black Hills last night. Had a few hiccups with our room check in because they were over booked (really dont like hotels when they do that). Everything worked in our favor. We got a bigger room that has lots of space for the kids to run & a fridge for juice, booze & lemons.

This morning we are going to get a marriage license. Then we have the rest of the day to relax. We plan on heading to Deadwood for lunch. The boys are excited & love it here. I can't wait to see both of them tomorrow with their tuxes on, they will be soo stinkin' cute! I'll be sure to post pics Saturday night or Sunday morning for everyone to see. :)

Nine More Days!

2010-08-26T22:50:00.000-05:00

Quick update on the latest happenings here...

My dress alterations are done, it is now a floor length dress with no train.
Jamie's ring arrived last week & fits perfect. Thank you Overstock.com for an awesome deal!

Only one of the boy's tuxes fit, the other was too big. I have a tux on order & it should be here early next week.

Cupcake stand is at a stand still. I painted one coat & never got to finish. Instead I painted the guest room for company arriving in 2 weeks. Here's a peek at the stand, will post a full tutorial when we are done.

400 invitations went into the mail last week. Now we are working on those people that were missed. Every day a couple more get added to the list. So glad to have the invitations done. They were very, very time consuming. Huge thank you to Mae & Kristin for all their help!
Found future MIL a dress for the wedding. Made her a pretty necklace & bracelet to match her outfit. (clear beads are silvery, flash kinda kills the bling)

My bridal shower was a couple weekends ago. Good times with great people! Got some awesome gifts & recipes. Special thanks to my mom & Mae for hosting. Awesome job ladies!

We have collected roughly 14 containers for the candy buffet. I'm going to start cutting ribbons & making labels for everything this week. Pics to come in the following weeks as we figure out the table layout.

I'm sure there is much, much more to add to this list but that's all I can think of for now. The invitations took us about 2 weeks to complete & were by far the biggest project. Hope to post more in the next few days as we get closer to leaving for the Hills.

Invitation Invasion

2010-08-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

The invitation invasion is in full swing. The assembly process has taken over our dining room. The address collection has taken over the office. It's a mess but once we are done putting things together it will go very quickly. I would start addressing the first 240 envelopes if my return address labels from Vista Print would arrive... So here we wait, staring at paper, slowly working on things. The tricky part is keeping the 3 yr old fingers off all this pretty paper...

Fun Times!

2010-08-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

Forgot to mention our bachelor/bachelorette parties from a few weeks ago. We each had individual parties with our guy/girl friends. The night continued with a combined party for the party bus. Bar hopping all over Bismarck/Mandan. Our fun night ended at Bucks where the DJ attempted to drowned the bride-to-be in 6 ft of foam... It was fun, but I don't know that I will ever do a foam party again after that experience!

Hey Mr. DJ, can you play that Song?

2010-08-06T01:35:00.007-05:00

Well it's almost 2AM. I just finished our play list that we will give our DJ, so he knows what kind of music we want played during our wedding celebration. We will have many guests so it was important that I include a good variety of songs from different artists and backgrounds . Even though it will not be a traditional reception, more of a big party for all friends and family, we will have plenty to keep our guests entertained. Along with this awesome selection of music I've been working on, we will also be having a projection big screen up with a recording of our ceremony in the Black Hills, maybe even a slide show with some pictures. If you follow our blog, then you already know about the Huge Cupcake stand I built. We will have some meat and cheese, veggie, and fruit trays and beverages of course. But Sorry no open bar! Almost forgot the candy bar, that should be fun. Nicole has not seen the play list yet, she is fast asleep, probably tired from the crazy fun day our twin boys put her through while I was at work! I think she will be very happy, as well as our guests. We are in to a little bit of everything when it comes to our choice of music. But it's not just about music we want to hear, it's also what's good and suitable for our demographic of guests who will be attending. Yet another thing to check off my list of things to do, oh yeah!

One Month Left...

2010-08-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

Only one month to go! Things are getting exciting & overwhelming at the same time. So much to do but it's all coming together. Finishing projects are flowers, his ring (finally gave me his ring size yesterday), dress alterations, suit fitting, bridal shower, practice hair day, & invitations. Can't forget about the massive cupcake stand that is still in progress. Needs another coat of paint & decor. We will post pics when it is done.

Next Project... Addresses

2010-08-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'm locking the doors & not coming out until the next project is done. These two boxes contain 500 envelopes. Each of them is waiting for an address & return label. If you don't hear from me within a couple days, send a search party...

Invitations Ordered

2010-07-30T20:56:00.000-05:00

We have 500 invitations on order along with 500 address labels. They should all be done sometime next week. We went very simple with the invites, no RSVP necessary. The end result will look something like this sample (except red ribbon & a graphic instead of initial):

I'll have a ribbon tying party with one or two of those lucky girlfriends of mine... That's right ladies, 500 ribbons, I know you can't wait! I'll buy the wine...

Pictures are Here!

2010-07-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about my new shoes that I forgot about the photos! We got our picture CD from Mandie Haman & here's a few of our faves...

Shoes!

2010-07-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

Lovin' these pretty red shoes! Found them at David's Bridal yesterday & now they are on my feet. (Also got black shoes for the boys)

The cupcake stand was built yesterday too! Next step is paint, fabric & misc. decor, pics will be posted when it's finished. For a peek at our inspiration look here.

We were very busy with wedding things yesterday. The photographer is paid in full. We secured a projector for the reception so the ceremony can be viewed by those not attending. Now we are off to the fair for an evening with Buckcherry!

Finding the perfect ring!

2010-07-28T01:37:00.011-05:00

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've been on. Hope all is well with our blog followers out there. We are still very busy with wedding stuff, even though it seems like we have so much to do, with less than 2 months to go before our big day, things are wrapping up very nicely. Well anyway, I just wanted to give a shout out to Susan and her staff at WALKERS N' DAUGHTERS. Thanks for everything. They are probably, in my opinion, one of the premiere jeweler's in the state. Several months ago I walked into their store and picked out the engagement ring that I wanted to give Nicole when I propose to her in Las Vegas. They were just awesome, very patient, and understanding. I was able to sit down and select a custom band, and loose stones, including a beautiful princess cut diamond, which is her favorite by the way.

I'm so happy with my selection, between the out of this world, Gorgeous rock that's already on her finger! And a matching band that will complement her ring which I was also able to find through the same jeweler listed above. I can't wait to see the expression on her pretty face when I place it on her finger next to what she is already wearing, it's going to look awesome. It should give her that same wow factor! And blow her away, sweeping her off her feet once again, like I did back in November when I proposed. Both her engagement ring, and band are 14k white gold, with plenty of bling! custom and unique, one of a kind, Only the best for my girl. Together they will look so beautiful on her! Without a doubt, between the new house and her rings will be my proudest purchase ever! Having her and our twin boys in my life is a lifetime investment that puts a smile on my face from ear to ear, and makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world!

http://www.walkersndaughters.com/index.html

DIY Thank You Parasol

2010-07-22T16:49:00.002-05:00

My latest project is a photo prop. This is the parasol that I saw on Bride on a Budget

I used Microsoft Publisher to print Thank You in 750pt Edwardian Font. (Kristin, I still think it's because you are team Edward, just sayin'). Then I cut out the letters & lightly taped them to the back of the parasol.

No lie people. This was not an easy task. I traced very gently with a pencil so I didn't punch through the parasol. Next was tracing with a black sharpie. If I ever make another one of these I would skip that step. The marker bleeds through the paper very easily.

Next step was paint, just simple, black, acrylic paint. I used one of the boy's art paint brushes with a fine tip. Again this was a tedious project... The end result looks like this. View our photos with parasol here.

Bling, Bling...

2010-06-28T23:13:00.001-05:00

Went shopping today & bought jewelry to go with my wedding dress. Found this necklace & earrings at Icing:

This looks really awesome with my dress. Just a reminder....

Next up is shoes. Currently I have this pair on order from Shoe Carnival. Hopefully they fit when they arrive in a couple weeks.

Stay tuned... We are having pics taken next week if the weather cooperates. I'll be sure to post pics as soon as they are finished!!

Let Them Eat Cake...

2010-06-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Along our journey in the Hills we met our photographer, Angela Pierson. She was super nice & we can't wait to work with her. I have a feeling we will have wonderful traditional shots as well as several fun photos. Angela is open to just about anything & seems very laid back. I'm sure we will all work well together.

After the ceremony & photos we will be having dinner at an Italian restaurant. The facility is new & the staff was more than helpful, willing to take time to talk to us & ask several questions. This restaurant was not our first choice, however, upon seeing both dinner locations, the decision was easy. Here's a peek at our dinner location:

We can have this private room for the night for a fee, or risk overflow from the restaurant if they are busy that night. They also have a patio area behind the restaurant they are willing to reserve for us if the weather is nice. The owner is allowing us to bring in a dessert so we found a small cake shop in town. A 10" cake was ordered. It is red velvet with cream cheese frosting & chocolate piping. Hopefully when it is done it will look something like this (white one) with roses on top:

Away We Go...

2010-06-18T22:53:00.000-05:00

We just returned from a four day trip to the Black Hills. This trip was to finalize plans, meet all the important people & have some fun with the boys. The South Dakota weather was very non-cooperative so we decide to take our time driving South. A drive down the Enchanted Highway entertained the boys for the first few hours...

After listening to the boys yell "I wanna go home" for a couple hours, we arrived in SD. Our first stop was the gazebo we chose as our wedding location. Everything was booked, sight unseen, & finding photos of this place is next to impossible... Here's what it looks like-

Back in the Saddle Again...

2010-06-10T17:05:00.001-05:00

Alright. We have avoided all this wedding stuff way too much. It's been about 2 months now, or is it 3 months since we worked on wedding plans... Now that the pressure is officially on, let's get stuff done!

While we were slacking we were having fun... Yet another out of town trip, this time to see all of these guys:

While we were there I decided to gracefully wipe out on the stairs & injure my foot, ankle, & knee. Nothing was broken but it did slow me down long enough to wreck Memorial Day weekend. :(

So... Now that we are back on track for wedding related stuff we are going to take a trip to the Black Hills. We still have to see exactly where we are getting married (remember this post), meet the photographer (Angela Pierson), and meet with a hair guru.

While we are on our mini camping trip the boys will get to check out Reptile Gardens & Storybook Island. I'm sure there will be lots about it posted later...

Latest Creations...

2010-05-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Well before we started working on garage sale stuff (which is going rather well, almost all big furniture is gone) I was working on dressers for the master bedroom. The boys have my dressers & Jamie doesn't have any. I have way too many clothes, so a dresser is a must.

Jamie found this Kent Coffey dresser on clean up week. It was going to be sent to the local land fill. I wish I had taken pictures of it before I painted because the dresser was awful looking. There was peeling reddish brown paint that had to be sanded/scraped off. After priming & painting it looks like this (still needs knobs):

Then a good friend gave us another small dress so I did the same thing... Sand-Prime-Paint for this end result:

Not bad for two free dressers... While I was busy painting the boys were working on their own creations. For Mother's Day each boy decorated a cake for me at a local grocery store. They were so proud! The boy's figured it must be my birthday cake so they sang "Happy Birthday" many, many, many times that day. It was very cute!

Garage Days

2010-05-14T08:19:00.000-05:00

Have been spending every free moment preparing for a garage sale. The house is a complete mess with boxes unpacked everywhere so we can organize & tag all the sale items. Wish us luck!

A Guy & A Truck

2010-05-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

Jamie's been crazy busy the last few days. He traveled East to move the remainder of his personal items, furniture, & car out of storage. The lucky man got to make the cross country trip alone in a 16ft truck. I think he's pretty happy to be home after living in this for the last 3 days..

The truck got unloaded into the garage. We have been working on the mess all morning. After removing all the kitchen & linen items it now looks like this:

That's a major improvement from last night. Several of the items will be sold on a local classified site, the rest will find their home inside the house. :)

Bridesmaid Dress!

2010-05-07T15:03:00.001-05:00

After many hours of searching every store we could think of, Mae & I finally decided on a dress. We took a chance on Ebay. I had a friend bid for me as I was too busy having a girls night out with friends (thanks Ashley for hanging at home that evening). She got us a great deal too! This is the Dessy 2015, which sells regular price for $130-180. Ashley got the winning bid plus shipping for a whopping $35! Awesome!

Just too Busy...

2010-04-21T09:38:00.000-05:00

We haven't done a thing wedding related in almost 3 weeks. Life has just been too busy lately. You've seen the Dinosaur show, new furniture, and more. What you've missed is moving & selling the old furniture among other things.
We also traveled for Easter...

Then we had the biggest Easter Egg Hunt I've every seen. The boys walked away with half gallon bag of candy...

After returning home we had a couple days before Jamie & I left town again. This time it was to see this guy in concert...

Then I had a few more days before packing my bags for a weekend with girlfriends at our annual MOMS Convention. Photos coming soon...
The last couple days have been spent outside in the yard cleaning the deck & assembling this...

The swing set isn't done yet because we are missing a couple pieces. Not sure if these pieces were missing when we bought it or if the little helpers walked off with them...

Walking with Dinosaurs

2010-04-17T15:52:00.001-05:00

My mom & I took the boys to 'Walking with Dinosaurs' on Wednesday afternoon. It was a good show & the boys loved it. I heard a lady behind us laughing because 'one boy's eyes can't get any bigger & the other keeps covering his ears'. We walked away with foam dino heads

For more show info check out their website: http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

Toys & Books...

2010-04-16T13:55:00.002-05:00

Playroom is done with the exception of wall hangings... Here's the before book case. Found it on a local classifieds for $20.

This is the finished product after a few coats of paint & some scrapbook paper.

The boys had to 'help' me line up their books on the shelf.

New Furniture is Here...

2010-04-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

We have been super busy this past week working on home stuff. Jamie made the pedestal for the new washer dryer (pic coming soon). My book case for the boy's room is finally done. The yard is ready for swing set assembly (any helpers?) and we are slowing selling old furniture because we found nicer new stuff.

Here is a look at the dining room before:

Here's the dining room today:

We still need wall stuff & vertical blinds but things are wrapping up... When it's all done I'll post before & afters of each room.

Five Months to Go!

2010-04-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

Five months til our wedding day. Crazy! Everyone says the time goes fast & they are so right. We have so much left to do...

Flowers, tuxes, shoes, order cupcakes, build cupcake stand, secure reverend, dinner reservations, just to name a few... Eventually it will all get done, right?

In other news... We have these moving into the new house this weekend.

Jamie plans on building and painting pedestals before they arrive. Could be interesting (or entertaining) project. We'll keep you posted...

Red Rose Petals...

2010-04-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

So we needed more rose petals for table centerpieces. If you price petals out you will find that they are quite expensive. I found a seller on Ebay with a steal. I got 1000 petals for a few dollars. The petals would have to ship from China, but reviews were good so I figured I could give it a go.

Well the petals finally arrived in a small 4x6 envelope. I opened it to find this...

It's 1000 petals all compressed together. Each petal had to be separated. It took three of us about 45 minutes to complete this project. They were full of static so the petals were literally leaping out of the box even though we were using dryer sheets. We now have a large shoe box full of petals.

Inspirations...

2010-04-01T11:46:00.002-05:00

Will be busy with the holiday weekend. See you next week!

Happy Easter

MOVING DAY!

2010-03-29T13:01:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not moving into the house yet... That won't happen for a while. However, we did move all my things out of storage so I don't have to pay storage rent. Next is the garage. There are some misc. boxes & furniture remaining in the garage that can be moved to the house. We plan on doing this super fun activity tomorrow afternoon. What a way to spend the first 70 degree day, right? I can hardly wait & I'm sure he feels the same way.

We did start moving non-essential items like extra blankets, books, office supplies, movies, etc. The little things around the house that rarely get used. Everything will be sorted in to keep & sell piles so we can have a garage sale this summer...

When will we finally move to the new house? Who knows. Probably not til some time this summer. We still have a lot of work to do like wallpaper removal & painting. Feel like helping just let us know. Now I'm off to paint a bookcase for the boy's room & color with sidewalk chalk. I'll be sure to take pics of the bookcase & post another day...

A Friday Full Of Festivities!

2010-03-28T03:52:00.026-05:00

This past Friday was crazy... crazy fun that is! The twins had a full day& night of festivities. The boys stayed busy from start to finish, that's for sure. I was happy to take the day off from work to help my fiance and join in on the fun! The boys had a blast!

The boys had to get up early & go to preschool, then the Shrine Circus (which they loved by the way). As if that wasn't enough for one day, after a very short nap in the car, we went to Family night at the local Moose Lodge. The theme was Easter, for the kids of course. We had dinner and then they had fun, dancing with the Easter Bunny, winning prizes, and playing with their friends. It was really nice spending my last day off from work with them, we all had such a great time. At the end of the day, I'm not sure who was more tired? Ha ha, The twins or us!

Boy Room Decor DIY

2010-03-25T07:01:00.002-05:00

So the boys need some wall stuff for their rooms. I asked what they wanted on their walls & the response was 'I want a robot'. Well, because it's two little boys I really don't want to spend much $$ on something that will probably get destroyed. Instead I went to Lowes & had them cut a piece of MDF into 11x11" pieces. Once I got home I painted the edges a lime color.

We selected 12x12 scrapbook paper & cut the paper to fit. I coated the boards in Mod Podge & attached the paper. Once this is dry you can sand down the excess paper on the edges. The finished product looks like this... (apologies for the lil boy foot, he thought these were stepping stones)

These will hang on their walls & I plan to display their artwork above it. The best thing about it is this was under $10 start to finish.

DIY Bird Cage Part 2

2010-03-24T09:36:00.001-05:00

I finally finished the bird cage (as you already know if you read the previous post). It was a fairly simple chore. Jamie was lucky enough to get to help me. First we measured out all the ribbons to the correct length. Each ribbon was layered one on top of the other so it had this look:

Next step was to glue all the ribbons together. We used hot glue & careful centered each ribbon. When that was done I added the sign to the ribbon & glued it to the bird cage (again the lucky groom was my assistant). Once the sign was secure I wrapped a red feather boa around the bottom of the cage & added two red feather hair clips to the top. It's all done & looks like this...

We finished the Bird Cage!

2010-03-23T07:27:00.008-05:00

Well yesterday was my Friday! I'm on 4 days off due to my unusual, but at the same time awesome work schedule! After working a 7 day stretch, I can always look forward to 3 or 4 day weekends. Instead of going out with the guys to attend a Wizards Basketball Game, I agree to stay home with the boys. We had fun, they enjoy spending time at the new house! It will be nice this summer, school will be out, and we can all be under the same roof. So anyway, Last night I had the twins so my fiance could have this meeting with the girls, for their Mom's Club.

When she got home, I must have won the lottery or something! Ha, I was the lucky one to assist her in anyway possible, so we could finish this bird cage, which we are obviously using for our Wedding Card drop holder at our reception. Yes, that's why they call me the #1Groom! I go above and beyond the call of duty. No really, I was very happy to help. We had a good time decorating the bird cage, and it was kind of fun! Except for the burning of fingers, from the hot glue gun, while applying the ribbons. The finished product turned out to be awesome, it looks really good! There will be a picture of it soon added to this post. I guess it's on to the next project at hand, H mm... I wonder what it could be?

DIY Bird Cage Decor Part 1

2010-03-21T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well I could finish this project tonight, but the bird cage isn't here... So instead this turns into a two part deal.

I started by printing one of our monograms on white card stock & cutting out the monogram. I sized it to be 5x5". Then I cut a 6x6" piece of black card stock. Next I used my exacto knife to cut two 2.5" slits in the black card stock. The slits are for the three different ribbons I'll be wrapping around the bird cage & use them to support the monogram sign. So far it looks something like this:

Well I wasn't completely happy with the product & thought it needed a little more. So I went digging through my crafty lil tote in the closet & found a fine red ribbon. I grabbed some Mod Podge & added a ribbon accent to the top & bottom. The final product will look something like this...

I might remove the middle red ribbon & I might not. I will figure it out when I attach it to the bird cage in a couple days.

The Groom has found his Wedding Band!

2010-03-21T17:06:00.008-05:00

Hey everybody! Well I think I just found my wedding band. My fiance has been poking fun at me, because I can't make up my mind on what I want. I like Tungsten, Titanium, Stainless-Steel& 14kt White Gold for possible options. Do I go with just a regular band?, or do I want something with a nice brushed finish look, with or without stones? Then I stumbled upon a website while surfing the internet looking for a dining room table set for our new house. It was Overstock.com, I could not believe the variety they had to choose from. It beats going out and driving around looking at all of the possible jeweler's in town. I still would like to get her opinion, however I really like this one! The ring is 14kt White Gold, with a nice brushed finish, kind of has a cool 2-tone accent and it's heavy with a small diamond. I think it's sharp, a very nice clean-cut and sophisticated look. All for around $450.00, which is a pretty good price. It also got some really good reviews, Hm-mm.... I wonder what she will say? Ha, I'll keep my fingers crossed. Have a great week everyone!

One Crazy Summer!

2010-03-19T14:01:00.007-05:00

Hey everybody! This picture was taken of us in Medora, ND last summer, when we went to the badlands over the 4th of July. last year was a busy one, We traveled near and far, spending time with friends and family. We had such a great time, lots of fun adventures and experiences. Sometimes it was just my fiance and I, and other times we had the boys along for the ride. For a couple of toddler's, I must say they travel pretty good. This summer will be yet another crazy, but fun one! Between road trips, and traveling for a wedding, being a part of other friends weddings, and preparing for our own, we have a busy schedule ahead of us. I just want to give a shout out to all that have been following our blog. A special thanks to everyone. It's never a dull moment around here, that's for sure! Between the new house, our wedding plans, work and everyday life stuff a.k.a "the twins", we keep very busy! FYI, stay tuned for our next blog post, it should be another good one!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

While neither of us have the time or energy for green beer tonight, we did have a green day... The boys & I had a play date today. We spent time painting with green pudding, eating cookies with green sprinkles, not to mention wearing green (the boys, not me).

When play time was over, it was time to go home. We couldn't avoid the temptation that greeted us at the front door... PUDDLES! So I grabbed the camera & we had some fun...

Save the Date Photo Booth Style!

2010-03-16T01:12:00.000-05:00

I have never used Photoshop in my life. This DIY project took hours (no joke). I made the signs with my new BFF, Cricut. We then had a friend snap many, many, many, photos of us (super thanks Kristin). The hard part was all the editing for a beginner. Overall, the outcome is not too bad. A special thank you to Getbrushed.com for supplying these wonderful Photo Booth brushes so i could quickly add the appropriate shading to the photos.

Here's a peek, no one has seen these yet, including the groom! I did the same images, one is just slightly darker than the other...

While that isn't our wedding date, it is the date of our big bash that is sure to be crazy fun! For those that know us, look forward to these images coming to a Facebook or inbox near you... Enjoy!

Marshmallow Popcorn Balls

2010-03-15T21:02:00.001-05:00

Well I'm awesome & forgot today was snack day for one of the boys. So, tomorrow I'll provide a snack (juice & crackers) along with a treat for their St. Patrick's Day party. I made green popcorn balls & they are yummy (taste like Rice Krispie bars)! Here's the recipe:

2 bags microwave popcorn

6 Tbsp butter

5 cups mini marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla, if desired

Food coloring, if desired

Prepare popcorn according to directions on package. Remove any unpopped kernels. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray & add popcorn. Melt butter & marshmallows together over med heat. Add food coloring, if desired. Pour over popcorn. Spray hands with cooking spray & mix until well blended. Using hands, form mixture into balls & place to wax paper until set. Package individually & enjoy!

Making a House your Home!

2010-03-15T12:18:00.010-05:00

Well, between the the new House purchased in late November, the engagement, and wedding plans, We have been very busy! Slowly but surely, my Fiance, the twins, and I have been making this house our home. I have to admit, it's been a never-ending work in progress! I've had a condo, and townhouse, but this is my first experience owning a single family dwelling. No regrets though, I'm up for the challenge. At times it can be hard work, but at the same time it's fun. All of the daily& weekly projects from painting to cleaning carpets, etc.

Even though the house was built in 1980, it has a lot of upside, with many new updates. It has a great location along with major investment potential. It will be a great home for our family to grow into over the years. I can't wait until her and the boys are able to move in for good, and we all can be under the same roof finally. People say that I'm crazy, and that I should enjoy my freedom while it lasts! I'm ready for it, am I crazy? Maybe a little, Hm-mm... crazy in love that is! I'm very excited, and looking forward to this transition, and it puts a smile on my face just thinking about her and the boys, and our future family endeavors.

We Made a Monogram!

2010-03-13T15:14:00.003-06:00

Not bad for our very first attempt. I used Powerpoint & we chose the font & clipart together. The font was free & we downloaded it from dafont.com it's the Chopin Script. The border was from Microsoft. We will use this monogram to decorate several items such as the bird cage, invitations, etc.

I was able to find a couple more borders available for free download. You can grab them here: http://www.eluckyme.com/home/2009/3/3/giveaway-thank-you.html. After my great download find I quickly created two more monograms...

Glitter & Glue: A DIY Cake (or Cupcake) Topper

2010-03-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

After shopping for cake toppers & seeing how ridiculously expensive they are I decided to make my own. We found some cute, curly, wooden letters at the store I practically live at (Hobby Lobby). We also found a red, wooden heart. After some black paint on the letters...

I coated them with glue... For the first coat I used my fave, Mod Podge!

I coated the letters & heart in red & black glitter... What a mess! This took a while to dry... Then they looked like this...

Everything needed two more coats of glitter so I used Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Glue. That stuff is sooo sticky! If you use it be sure to cover your whole work area because you will spray everything in the general area...

When I was all done I used the Mod Podge to glue the 3 pieces together. I still need to add a dowel, which I will pick up at one of my many future Hobby Lobby trips... The almost finished project looks like this & the best part is I did it for under $10!!

The Bird Cage

2010-03-10T11:28:00.001-06:00

I want a bird cage card box. Yes, that's right, a bird cage. Every time I say it someone looks at me like I'm absolutely crazy... It's not that off topic of an idea, after all, Hobby Lobby sells bird cages in the wedding section. It is just a lil more mod than some would like, but isn't that why they call it Modern Bride?

I have been looking everywhere for bird cages. I finally found one on a local classifieds site, however the lady wanted $40 for a used, decorative bird cage that I would have to spray paint black. Instead of purchasing that one, I went shopping with my dad & the lil toddler boys. We found a nice, black bird cage at TJ Maxx for $30. My plan is to decorate this cage with a red feather boa. I will also make a cute lil sign with my Cricut saying 'letters' or 'cards' or something along those lines... This sign will be attached with some pretty ribbon (which I've been collecting at my thrift store & Hobby Lobby stops).

Here's a picture of my original inspiration:

Tuxedo or suit? Hmm... Not sure yet!

2010-03-08T22:38:00.005-06:00

Well, I'm trying to decide on whether I should wear a Tux or a suit? I found a look I really like in the ECKO line. It's sharp, and should look real good! I think I'm leaning more towards something formal with pinstripes.

I want something more than a suit, but different from the traditional tuxedo look. I like the black on black look with sutle gray pinstripes with matching vest. Instead of a bow-tie, I will wear a sharp red tie, along with a red pocket-square,and a black dress shirt, to incorporate our wedding colors. Because our wedding, is a small private outdoor ceremony, I only have my tux to rent or buy, along with my bestman, the only groomsmen I will have. She will also just have 1 maid of honor, or bridesmaid. This makes things much easier, not to mention saves everyone money in the long run.

Wedding Planning brings out that crazy shopper in you!

2010-03-08T21:24:00.004-06:00

Well, this morning my beautiful bride to be calls me waking me up, which was good I had to get up and get ready for work anyway. During our conversation on the phone, we obviously start talking about our wedding plans, which we do on a daily basis. Unlike most grooms I know, I believe this planning stuff should be a team effort. She has her hands full with the twins all of the time, so I try to help out as much as I can. It's been kind of fun, a little stressful, but for the most part we are enjoying all of the things that go into a DIY wedding!

So anyway we are still talking on the phone this morning. She has this down time to kill while the boys are in school usually, that is if she's not working. So she decides to hit up some stores, one of the many we have been shopping at for our wedding, is Hobby Lobby. 2 items we still needed more of was; glass rocks, and flowers, among other stuff for our wedding decor. The store had an awesome sale on the exact things we need, so she's off and running!

Next thing I know, by the time we ended our talk on the phone, she was ripping through boxes and packages awaiting to be re-stocked on the shelves at Hobby Lobby, because the employee that was unloading the boxes, just decided to stop, and leave without finishing. Well my fiance, already knowing the rocks we need are probably in there some where so she took it upon herself to find them, too funny! I could just picture her running through certain aisles trying to get the things we need before some cute grandma cleans them out, buying everything in sight, which usually happens during crazy sales such as this. I couldn't stop laughing just thinking about her shopping tactics. Although I must admit, she and I are doing a really good job finding different things, and coming up with some awesome ideas for our wedding.

Bargain Buy of the Week...

2010-03-08T12:53:00.000-06:00

We have been watching thrift stores and checking prices at several local discount stores for cylinder vases. They average in price between $3-10 each. I read on several websites that brides were buying their glass from Dollar Tree. We checked the local stores on a few occasions but never found suitable vases. Today I decided to check their website & discovered you can order online by the case. So... $25 & three cases later the vases are on order (another great deal)! Now I need to decide if we are going to do one vase or two on each table...

Flower Girl Dress...

2010-03-04T09:03:00.001-06:00

Just bought this taffeta dress for Lil Miss Lily on ebay. She will be super cute in it. The dress was quite a deal, only $18 + shipping. Think I will change the flower to red when it comes in if it's an easy task.

Purchased here: http://stores.ebay.com/capesforalloccasions

DIY Centerpiece

2010-03-03T23:34:00.002-06:00

A submerged flower or two is what I would like to do (minus the mirror). Our table colors will alternate black & white, so I may alternate the color of the rocks &/or candles too. The vase will be surrounded by rose petals (got those real cheap after Valentines Day at Hobby Lobby), and white votives...

Now if I can just find a great deal on the vases, I'll need about 25 of them... Any suggestions??

Registry is finished, yeah!

2010-03-03T22:57:00.000-06:00

Well, my beautiful bride to be and I just finished up our registry! She was able to sneak away from the twins, while the grandparents stayed at home with them. We already did WalMart, and Target. Our last choice was Kohl's. We hit that tonight before closing, it was a mad dash, but we got it done. At all 3 stores we chose things we needed for the new house, and some things we wanted. All in all I think we did good. Most of the items we needed, and we compared prices, trying to get the best prices available. One more thing to check off our to do list for our wedding!

Roses & More...

2010-03-03T20:44:00.000-06:00

This is my original inspiration, however, I wonder if it will be too much for 'the dress'. I love the idea of incorporating black feathers into the bouquet. We will use silk flowers & create the bouquets ourselves.

DIY Tissue Paper Pom Poms...

2010-03-03T20:32:00.000-06:00

Originally we both wanted some Chinese Lanterns & tulle hanging over our dance floor. Our venue already has the tulle in place, we just need to purchase the lanterns.

Well, because we are on such a tight budget (we are doing this wedding for $5k or less) we are trying to pinch & save anywhere possible. Instead of Chinese lanterns, I'll be making Pom Poms out of tissue paper. They are so inexpensive, you can buy the tissue paper at your local dollar store. The pom poms are also so extremely easy. If you can fan fold paper & have 15 min, you can do these!

From Martha Stewart:
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias

Hanging Pom-Poms
1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.

You can make the pompoms in varying sizes by changing the size of your tissue paper. You can also play with color using one or all of your wedding colors.

It's All About the Dress

2010-03-03T20:29:00.000-06:00

You know how they say 'when you find the right dress you will just know...' It's so true!

I spent a good 3 hrs trying on dresses at the very popular bridal chain store that many loathe (including myself). After several hours I was still unimpressed with the store & their dresses... I decided I would have to venture elsewhere in order to find MY dress.

I decided to put dress shopping on hold. Instead we decided to do one of our gift registries. While we were 'shopping' a woman stopped us. She informed me of a bridal store in town that is going out of business. The bank just recently took over all sales & slashed all the prices 60% off! We ventured to the store the next day, kids in tow...

I figured an $800 budget for a dress... With the help of my FH I tried on every dress they had to offer in my size. It was when I tried on the Maggie Sottero that I just knew 'This is my dress!' The fit will be perfect with some minor alterations. The best part about the whole thing was the price... I got the dress, a guest book, and a cute lil white purse for the magical price of $360!!!!

(Yes, this is it!)

Take a Picture, It'll Last Longer...

2010-03-03T20:22:00.000-06:00

I made too many phone calls & logged too many web hours trying to find the perfect photographer while we are in the Black Hills. Personally, I think photography is something that should be of excellent quality. These will be your memories so you should not skimp on a photographer.

With us getting married in South Dakota & then having a party a month later we need two different photographers. To ask the same photographer to travel 5 hrs is too costly. So the ideal situation is to find a photographer willing to give us reprint/copyrights. This way we can mesh the two sessions together & create our own wedding album.

I knew right away that I would ask a high school classmate of ours, Mandie Haman, to do our engagement, family & reception photos. She has kindly agreed to do our photography for a great price & I get reprint rights. It's a steal!

You can view her work here: http://www.mandiehaman.com/index2.php#/home/

After many, many phone calls & emails I reached a deal with Angela Pierson Photography in the Black Hills. She will photograph the wedding day & ceremony (we are not having a reception that day). She also agreed to reprint rights.

You can view her work here: http://www.angelapiersonphotography.com/__welcome.html

Total price for photos & editing: $1,650 not too shabby since we maintain copyright.

DIY Cupcake Wrappers

2010-03-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

Another oneprettything.com find. Think I might use the lil flowers, however, the cupcake wrappers will be overkill for our damask cupcake stand.

You can grab the printable here:
http://foodartparty.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-cupcake-wrappers-for-free.html

DIY Cake Topper

2010-03-03T20:10:00.000-06:00

I saw this on oneprettything.com. This is a monogram cake topper made from foam board & some inexpensive rhinestones from Walmart. It's not the topper I'm going to do, but it might help someone.

You can view the tutorial here:

http://momtasking.blogspot.com/2010/02/diy-wedding-cake-topper.html#links

Location, Location, Location

2010-03-03T20:03:00.000-06:00

When we started talking about getting married I told him I did not want a big wedding with all of our family & friends. A wedding that size is not a wedding, it's a circus. I want to be able to enjoy the moment of actually getting married. I want to be able to enjoy the day with my FH, my kids, our close knit circle of friends & immediate family. I do not want to walk down an isle where there are 300 people judging my dress, flowers, & hair. I do not want to worry about how we will feed 300 people at 5pm & if we will have enough food. I talked to my FH about all of these concerns & he agreed. Wedding in September, party in October.

We chose the Black Hills of South Dakota for our ceremony location. There is a beautiful park with a gazebo & waterfall that we have rented for the day. Our guest list for the ceremony includes our parents, siblings, and a hand full of our close friends.

We will have a professional photographer take pictures of everyone that day. After the ceremony will we travel to Deadwood for a nice, intimate dinner with all of our guests. For lodging I think we will all be staying at the same hotel.

It will be a quiet, private weekend with friends & family, but I wouldn't have it any other way...

Cricut- My New Best Friend

2010-03-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

My mom was nice enough to buy me a Cricut Expression for Christmas. I always wanted one for my scrapbooking (twin 3 yr old boys) & she's always wanted me to have one for her quilting.

Well when she purchased the Cricut, we had no idea about the engagement. Now that I have it, I'm completely in love with it. I've already used the cricut to create these cute home decor items:

http://www.howdoesshe.com/wp-content/uploads/laundry-room-post.jpg

http://www.howdoesshe.com/wp-content/uploads/remove-your-shoes-post.jpg

Now I will be using the Cricut to create wedding invitations, labels, and misc. wedding signs/decor (not to mention scrapbooking if I ever find the time). It's probably the best investment this year... Ok, well the dress was a pretty good one too...

Survey Says...

2010-03-03T19:12:00.000-06:00

How long did you date before you got engaged?
8 months, but we have known each other since we were 8 yrs old

Did you get the ring you wanted?
yes, it's perfect

Was the proposal a complete surprise?
not really, we had discussed it & he was being too secretive on our vacation

Do you wish you had a bigger/smaller diamond? If so How big or small?
nope, it's perfect

Did you cry when he proposed?
no, i cracked up laughing

When do you want to go for your honeymoon?
we will probably do a vacation next fall/winter, possibly disney

Are you buying his wedding band for him?
yes, once he stops changing his mind on the metal type

Have you gone over your original wedding budget?
Yes, finances are tight with the new house

What day of the year will your wedding be?
Sept. 4th 2010 is the ceremony, social/dance Oct 2nd

What kind of weather?
Hopefully a perfect fall day mid 70's

Outside or Inside?
outside in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Church/justice of the peace/other?
a reverend that we dont get to meet until June

How many people will be there?
20ish

Time of day?
4ish

How many bridesmaids? Who would they be?
Just one, a great friend of mine

What kind of cake/what will it look like?
We are doing cupcakes, it's less mess & soo much cheaper

What kind of dress will you have/color/material?
white taffeta maggie sottero

What kind of flowers in your bouquet?
red roses, white pearls & black feathers

Kind of wedding bands?
mine will be custom made, not sure about his yet, again, he needs to make up his mind

How will you wear your hair?
not sure, would like to have it down

Who will be important to be there?
family & friends.

Will the reception be big or small?
just having a social/dance & it will be about 300

What will the groom wear?
black suit, vest

How old will you and the groom be?
we will both be 30, but he does not hesitate to point out the fact that I'm 6 months older

How long will you be engaged before you get married?
8 months

Live together before or wait till married?
We will live together but not yet. Just bought a house & we are painting ALL of the interior (yes, in addition to wedding plans, we are crazy like that)

Take a long time to plan the wedding or will it be simple?
simple.

Will you do it yourself or with family or hire someone to plan the wedding?
Myself, friends, family, and anyone else who knows how to use glue!

Will you write your own vows or use something pre-made?
premade, we decided that we have enough going on, somethings gotta give, right?

What Happens in Vegas...

2010-03-03T19:10:00.000-06:00

It was my 30th birthday present... A flight to Las Vegas, no kids, and I would get to spend time with a best friend I hadn't seen in years. I was so excited & would have been perfectly happy spending time with my friend & nothing else...

Little did I know, my FH & friend had been planning this whole proposal for 2 months. My friend works at the Bellagio, so he took us there to see where he works & the hotel itself (btw, it's stunningly gorgeous!). We walked outside to watch the fountains, everything was soo pretty! My friend was videoing everything.

I had to pee really bad so I ran inside. By the time I returned, they had informed everyone standing around us that he was about to propose. He wasted no time either. Just got down on one knee when the show started, asked me to be his wife & I cracked up laughing! I didnt know if I should be looking at FH, the camera, or the giant rock in his hand, I was in shock & hysterics all at once. Of course I eventually regained composure & accepted. The crowd that had formed around us started to applaud & congratulate us.

I dont think it could have been any more perfect. I was honored to have my best friend by my side for the whole thing & still thank him today just for being there. He sent me the video to share with our families so we will always have those memories.