Jack Frost decided to visit early

We got some very wet, very heavy snow starting Friday. Very heavy means lots of trees down (& bushes like the ones beside our drive). Lots of people lost power (including my grandparents) and rumor is it won't be until the 22nd that they'll get it fixed. I'm betting it'll be before that, but there's no telling. We didn't get a lot of snow where we live (down in a valley)--I thought we had until we went over the mountain to do some Christmas shopping today & saw how much they got. Anyway, it made for some fun times (for us) and a good weekend.

I found the perfect gift for me:

Oh the things one can do with oatmeal boxes

My feeble attempts at home organization. I just covered an empty oatmeal box with tissue paper & stuck a label on it. Now to see if it does the trick...

Crocheted Hat

Check out my latest project here!

Crocheted headband

Check out my latest project here!

Why fix what ain't broke??

*

C & I have decided not to sell our house. I can give a thousand reasons why that is, but really, what it boils down to is that we're not financially ready. At least as far as I know. We probably could get the tax credit & maybe use some of the money from selling the house for a down payment on a new one, but neither of those are guarantees.

And really, why do it when we're perfectly fine here? Yeah, it's annoying to try to make everyone feel comfortable when we have parties, but that alone is no reason to buy a new house.

So once we decided we weren't going to pursue it, I then decided I'm on a mission to make our house work for us, not against us.

The office is a mess, so we're going furniture shopping to look for those nice big desk sets with the upper cabinents. Maybe we'll get a book case too. Oh, and we'll do some major purging of junk of course.

The bathroom could use some updating, so maybe we'll buy a new light fixture, mirror, cabinet/sink, new baseboards, & paint. I really would love to get a new toilet & tub, but that may be a little more than we can afford/want to do right now. Especially if we end up having to redo the flooring once we see what's under the current cabinet.

And of course there are other things I'd like to do, like replace the windows, install hardwood/laminate flooring, repaint the exterior. It'd definitely be awesome to convert the carport into a garage! But those are major undertakings & we're not there yet. 10 years? Hopefully we're in a new house by then. ;o)

And right now we have two couches & two chairs in the living room (so people have somewhere to sit when we have parties), which makes for some cramped living. I've decided we're no longer going to have parties during the cold months & can therefore move a couch and chair to the shed to open up some space.

But alas! We have no space in the shed! Why?? Oh, I don't know, maybe because we have 4 mattresses, a dining set, numerous stools, & tons of other crap in there. How can 2 people have so much stuff?? So yeah, I think we'll probably try to sell the mattresses. Maybe. I'm not sure I can part with them just yet. I think: but we'll need them some day! My mom says, "It's not that expensive to buy new sets." She has a point. I'll be sure to work that into our new dandy budget I made for us. ;o)

And then, we're currently using the crappy refrigerator circa 1940 (it's not, but it seems like it) while the nice one is being stored in the carport closet because it's compressor died. I did some more internet searching yesterday, & yes, when the compressor dies, you buy a new one. I was still holding out hope. Well, more appropriately, I didn't trust the maintenance guy's diagnosis that the compressor pooped out. At the same time, I have no way to check his work. Unless of course I wanted to pay someone another $80 to come out and tell me the same thing he did. To the point: if we got rid of the broken fridge, we'd have more room to store things. I'd really like a fridge with the freezer on the bottom. I LOVE those! C, not so much. >o[

I'll end this post here. It's really long & I'm sure boring to my readers. But OH SO EXCITING for me! Obviously, or I wouldn't be blogging about it.

I love change for the good. *sigh*

*Image from marriedtothesea.com

Baby nursery

Screw Winnie the Pooh! We're doing this!

No, that's not an announcement.

Another poll

1. Do you do any kind of financial planning/budgeting?

2. If yes, how do you do it?!?!

I would love love love to get a handle on our money, but C throws all his receipts away & I just toss mine in a pile in the office where they're swiftly lost.

I'm thinking it's probably just like home organization...it takes a little bit every day to keep it up. I'm so not an every day person. I'm a, "Wow! This house is a mess! Let's spend every waking moment cleaning for the next 3 days just to repeat the cycle again in a month!" person.

I just discovered some budget templates on Office Online, so I'm hoping one of these will help.

I'm also hoping my increasing experience with the budgets at work will help me out.

Media closet

It looks a little better now since we moved C's video games to another spot. We have a lot more board games that went under the bed...they looked horrible here, we just kept the ones we might actually play out.

Live & Learn

Thanksgiving with the Allman side:

Thought I might get out of there without any drama, but alas, I did not. Some feuding occurred during the bridal shower planning that it has continued & let's just say I was a little upset at some inferences made & the fact that it was even brought up.

Thanksgiving with C & N:

The only hiccups were that I threw my potholder in the gravy (not on purpose) & I managed to make the smoke alarm go off by burning the oil I was heating up. :oP

All in all, not too terrible.

Poll

Do you...

1. Leave all your dirty laundry to do at one time?

or

2. Do laundry continually so you don't have to do a whole bunch at one time?

Build up to nothing

I have a problem with falling asleep during tv shows. 9 times out of 10 I'll fall asleep before the big reveal. CSI...right before they figure out whodunnit.

And the Next Iron Chef? Right as they were deliberating who would get the honor.

Annoying!!

Media storage!

C & I solved our media storage problem. Well really, he did. He had the brilliant idea to remove the coat closet door & install shelving to hold our massive collection of movies (ours) & games (his). Just want to separate myself from the gaming before we begin. :o)

We bought a gallon of red paint for $15, shelving supports for $14 total, black spray paint to paint the supports for $2 total, & 7 shelves for $42 total. We went the cheapest without going the 2x4 route.

Our day off yesterday consisted of removing the door, all closet contents (board games, 1 wire shelf, 2 small book cases, a steam cleaner, gaming consoles, gaming accessories, & massive amounts of dvds), painting the back wall red, installing the seven 37" shelves, alphabetizing the movies, & last but not least, placing them on the shelves in an organized manner.

Oh. My. Gosh. It was like heaven. I love it. I'll post pictures later. And believe it or not, I barely got everything on those shelves. If I could bear to part with my VHS tapes, I think we'd be in good shape, but alas, I cannot. And I admit, my tape collection is pretty bad. Little House on the Prairie? Yeah, sorry, can't get rid of it. The entire tv series of Christy? Yeah, sorry, not gonna happen.

Is there something out there that can put tapes onto dvds? That would be heaven too.

I painted a huge wall in my house in NM red and swore I would never paint with red again. Yeah. I quickly remembered yesterday why that was.

Oh, and I also finished painting C's sidetable. :o/ I was starting to feel bad, so I was determined to finish it. He had been propping his lamp on top of the headboard and when that kept falling he just let it hang there. Poor guy. I never did find a cool wallpaper to put on the top of it, so I think I'll just mod podge a cool piece of fabric to the top.

I think I'll put a halt to the house projects until after our Christmas party. Stoked for it!! I think it'll be a good one.

All about Thanksgiving

When I was growing up I always felt like we (I) were left out from the extended family's fun holiday gatherings--which we were--there were only a handful of times we actually visited them during the holidays.

So when I came to graduate school near my extended family, I was really excited to spend more time with them. I soon realized that other family members saw us as having been lucky to have a good excuse to miss certain gatherings. And I soon saw why. You know families!

At any rate, for some reason (probably because I've never done it before) I have this intense desire to make Thanksgiving dinner. C & I even discussed declining all invitations and staying home to have our own Thanksgiving. After much thought and careful consideration we decided we'd spend it with my grandparents on my dad's side...and have our own Thanksgiving on Friday.

I'm so excited about it! Here's the menu I picked out:

Baked mashed potatoes, w/ pancetta, parm cheese, & breadcrumbs
2 in 1 gravy & sausage stuffed stuffing
Cornish game hen (on the panini press)
A green bean casserole of some sort
A sweet potato casserole of some sort
Cranberry sauce (yes, from the can, it's my favorite)
Pumpkin pie
And maybe a sweet corn bread pudding--if I'm feeling adventurous

I'm trying to think if I'm missing something my mom usually makes, but I think I covered it all. I only have one oven, so I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being fiasco. Then again, I might discover a talent I never knew I had. Come to think of it, most people only have one oven, so it must be doable.

In case you're wondering, the cornish hen is taking the place of a turkey. A turkey would just be ridiculous for two people. Unless they have turkeys made for two. I have no idea.

Workout music

Have I mentioned how great Black Eyed Peas on Pandora is for working out?? Fantastic.

Job Update

My heart it overflowing with joy about my job. Kinda weird, and I'm sure it won't last, but I certainly hope it does.

We had lunch as an office today to say farewell to one of the employees and I realized just how wonderful it is to work with a group of people who are positive and so caring about health and wellness.

It's just such a nice reprieve from the countless negative thoughts that are seemingly constantly thrown at me (be it from people or media); and to top it off, their specialty is wellness, something I strive for in every part of my life.

Sometimes I feel a little inept (especially when they're eating salads or talking about the race they just ran etc), but they never make me feel that way--I do that to myself.

I spoke with the previous director of the department this morning (she got promoted) and it looks like they're going to try their hardest to keep me in February and bump me up to full-time. I might have to do the happy dance if that transpires. For one, more money; two, health benefits!!

The other thing she said was that she's heard good things about me. Yay! And last week the lady that has been training me said, "Well, we might just have to do one session since you pick everything up so quickly." Another yay!

Something I've learned recently is that I'm really hard on myself. I want to pick things up the first time & when I don't, I beat myself up over it. C says, "Oh, you're doing fine." But he doesn't know, he doesn't work in my office--he's just being the supportive husband. And I didn't realize until recently how instrumental it is for me to hear that I'm doing well.

The only thing I'm still having a hard time with is getting everything I need to get done in the amount of time I have to do it. I'm only working 20 hours a week, so it's definitely challenging.

Perhaps I chose the wrong major after all. ;o)

My acting debut

A friend of mine says I'm the arm & a leg girl.

Pies, pies, & more pies!

If you love pies, you'll love Martha Stewart's Pie Contest blog post. The pies are beautiful and it makes me want to go home right now and bake one up!

Not much into history

I'll warn you before hand and let you know that this will be kind of a weird post. I don't know, maybe not, but it's regarding the sensitive subject of the Holocaust, so it certainly has the potential.

As the title suggests, I've never been what you would call a History buff. Except when it comes to the Holocaust. I've seen numerous movies (I know, movies...but many are quite good and accurate), read countless books, took a History of the Holocaust class in college, visited a concentration camp, and attended seminars.

I'm writing about this because recently I watched two movies on the subject and attended a presentation by a man who survived it. If you weren't aware, November 9th marked not only the fall of the Berlin Wall, but also Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass--an anti-Jewish riot).

The movies are Fateless and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and I recommend them both. Assuming you're in the mood to be depressed.

"We in the United States should be all the more thankful for the freedom and religious tolerance we enjoy. And we should always remember the lessons learned from the Holocaust, in hopes we stay vigilant against such inhumanity now and in the future." - Charlie Dent

Wedding Cakes

SO glad none of these were my cake.

An interesting thing occurred

Right after the wedding I was so full of stuff to blog about that I thought I'd have to split it up into multiple posts.

But now, it seems like I don't have anything to say.

I think it's because I know I won't be able to describe my views of the wedding to my satisfaction.

Perhaps things will change when I see the wedding videos. :o)

Wedding pic webpage

Click here!

Sneak Peek

Wedding pictures!

The pictures are up! Sorry, but I won't post a link here until the mass email first goes out to friends and family with the link. That will be done later this evening so be watching your Inboxes!

Inquiry sent

I've been the proud owner of two houses (the current one with a co-signer) by the ripe ol' age of 27 thanks to my parents' kindness and generosity.

Our current home is 960 sq ft. So with two dogs, a cat, and gobs of accumulated stuff, we've quickly outgrown it. Honestly, we probably could live with it, but because we like to have kick-ass parties, it's not enough space for us.

We've gone back and forth about whether to pursue purchasing a new home (biggest question: how long are we planning to stay here?) and have ultimately decided to at least look into it and see what we could afford. And there's two sides...it's a buyer's market...WOO!...seems like home sales have stalled...BOO!

Even though I've been through the motions twice, home buying is still confusing as hell to me. Do you see a realtor first? But how do you know what you can afford, if anything?? Do you go to a lender first?

I decided to email the woman with whom I worked previously, to see if 1. we can afford it 2. what we can afford and 3. if we will qualify for a first time home owner tax credit (or whatever the heck it is they're offering right now). It may be that I can't be included if we're to qualify for the tax credit--which means C would have to qualify for a loan all on his own I think.

At any rate, that's kind of exciting and I just wanted to share that with you. I'll be SO glad to get out of this little home. I'll miss it, but yet, I won't. And if we don't qualify, well then I'll be sorely disappointed and just have to learn to live with our humble abode.

Quick post

This is going to be a general post because if I went into any detail regarding the wedding, I'd be writing forever and I'm sure you'd get bored. I've decided to break things up and comment on specific wedding things in no particular order.

First topic: my name.

As I'm sure you all know, I went back and forth with this for quite a while. It wasn't until I was filling out the social security form that I decided what I was going to do.

I was going to let my middle name go *poof* and move my last name to my middle and take Chris' last name. As I was filling out the social security form, I actually started crying because I didn't want to give up my middle name. My middle name means a lot to me (I've been told it's a combination of my dad's middle and my sister's middle) and I wasn't willing to part with it.

What I ended up doing was moving my last name to my middle (so now I have two middle names) and took Chris' as my last. Which is kind of confusing to people and has posed a problem (if you can call it that) with my middle initial. Can you have two middle initials? I guess not. Which means I write down the first one? (D) But then the A gets passed over and I don't like that either. Whatever. It's not something I can't live with. This still is the best option for me.

And I wonder how long it will take before I can introduce myself as Nicole Parrish? Probably quite a while.

Speaking of dancing...

I forgot to mention: Chris and I have our first dance lesson tonight for our first dance. Wish us luck! (me more than him) ;o)

In a perfect world...

What would I like from next weekend?

I want everyone to enjoy good food, a fabulous cake, drinks galore, and shakin' their tailfeathers on the dance floor.

Everyone have their party hat on? That's what I want.

In a perfect world...

Dresses!

One of the things that I didn't know was such a big deal for people until I got involved in one, was wedding attire.

My assumption was that the bride cared about her dress & what the wedding party would wear. I wasn't prepared for the grandparents, aunts, parents, and even guests to be concerned too. Is this color okay? What about such and such style? What are your colors?

And I suppose I'm not the best person to ask, because...well, because I'm okay with everything! :o) Hey, I'm the one that seriously considered making my brothers wear bridesmaid dresses. (just joking)

But I certainly understand the concern. And perhaps the next time I'm invited to a wedding, I'll be a little more aware. ;o)

Beginning to run into problems...

So I *finally* received the pictures we ordered from the photographer in the mail. Including the bridal portrait that turned out better than I thought it would. I kinda liked it from the sample online, but I wasn't sure how it would look blown up to 16x20.

My mom and I went to Michael's on Monday to try to get it framed. So we looked around at the stock frames and we don't like anything. So then we look into having it custom framed...picked out the mat, the frame, (spent a while doing it) and then I ask, "How long will it take?" "About two weeks." Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh no. We don't have two weeks. Woops.

We decided to order it anyway (I won't go into cost--more than I expected) and if it doesn't come in, we'll just frame it with a stock frame for the reception. THEN we find out the 16x20 portrait I ordered (standard) is actually 16x24 (NOT standard). So it wouldn't even fit in a standard frame if we wanted it to!

Talk about frustrating. I'd like to blame someone for this, but that's not how I roll. Especially when I still have to deal with this person. At any rate, the Michael's lady was so nice and helpful and put *RUSH* all over the order & told me to call on Wednesday, so hopefully we can get this thing banged out in time for the wedding.

I really hope so considering how much we spent on this dang thing. :o)

Paintball

pl.n. Miscellaneous items, remnants, or pieces.

• I got another job! Not sure whether I'll stick with the motel or not. Who am I kidding? I'm outta there! I'll soon be employed as an Administrative Assistant at the rec center (fitness center) on campus. Sweet. It's temporary part-time, but rumor has it there's potential to move permanent full-time. I hope I make an impression (not a bad one).
  
• I went through hell today trying to have a bachelorette party this Saturday. You see, I completely forgot it was this weekend and didn't request the night off. So of course, I'm scheduled. And with one desk clerk in CA and another having gall bladder surgery, there's no one to work for me. Except George. My SAVIOR! First, he agreed that if Jared couldn't do it, he'd work my evening shift on Saturday. Second, he said that he would work his Sunday morning shift instead of having me take it (working until 11p and then having to work again at 7a is rough). Which means I don't have to worry about being up in time for work at 7a the day after my party. Such a hassle, but I think it's sorted out. And the whole time I kept thinking, "I already have another job. I could just not show up." But alas, that would be horrible of me & I always complain about people who are like that.
• We got our marriage license yesterday! I expected a long wait (like at the DMV), but that wasn't the case at all. Pretty simple really. I just think it's hilarious that we paid $60 for two sheets of paper. That paper better be able to cook me dinner for that amount of money!
• I went to Chris' Ultimate game last night. I guess I hadn't ever seen him play before because I was astonished at how good he was. To the point where his teammates were idolizing him. I was quite proud. :o)
  
• Did you hear about the guy who killed 60 baby loggerheads on accident? He apparently set up candles along the beach to propose to his girlfriend and when the turtles came out to make their way to the sea, they got confused by the light and went in all kinds of directions beside the one they needed to go. Crazy. Glad Chris didn't do this.
• We got our pictures in the mail yesterday. Oddly enough, after all the time I spent trying to decide on a bridal portrait to display at the wedding and still not being sure about it, I really like it. I thought I was going to cringe seeing myself in a 16x20 format, but that was not the case.
  
• And last but not least, I bought an epilator and it's the coolest thing e-v-e-r. I had no idea these things even existed until I saw a video on YouTube about them. Chris said it's worth the money just to see my facial expressions as the pain registers.

Are you excited??

Perhaps it was the mood she caught me in. Perhaps I was in the same mood when others asked me the same question.

That seems to be the most common question: are you excited. And other forms: are you getting excited? Are you nervous/anxious? Are you ready for the wedding/big day? Do you have everything done for the wedding?

As a bride, are you supposed to feel excited? I would assume so since that's the most common question I get. Except, it's not often I feel that way.

I'm pretty honest with people and usually answer with something like, "Eh." lol That's Nicole for ya. I started to think something was wrong with me because I just don't feel...giddy about it. And I thought about just coming up with something to say to people like, "Oh my goodness you have no idea!" because when I'm honest, I sound like I'm really not looking forward to it or too stressed out to enjoy the process.

Why am I not excited? I've tried to figure it out. Do I have too much on my mind to feel anything, let alone excited? Am I so even-keeled that I'm really not "excited"? Has it not hit me yet? Am I actually kind of dreading it because much attention will be on me (not something I look forward to--I'd rather just sit in a corner I think)? Is it because we'll be legally married some other time & this is just show? Is it because we already live together?

And then I figured it out. I do get excited. I just don't remain excited. It comes and goes. And usually it's regarding one specific thing. Are you excited about your groom's cake? Super duper excited! Are you excited about the drink luge? I wish I could see it now! Are you excited about getting married before the ceremony? Completely. Are you excited to walk down the aisle with your dad? I plan on sobbing before the wedding so I use up my supply!

I thought I was crazy until I came across this lovely post from Offbeat Bride. And I realized that I don't need to be excited, nervous, anxious, or any other word you can think of to describe a bride and what she may or may not be feeling. I don't have to feel excited 24 hours a day. I can be whatever I want to be and however I want to feel.

Quite the weather lately

Here's a couple of pictures I took last night of the Tuck. Normally you can see lots of boulders and when one goes rafting, the odds of bottoming out are high. Please forgive the picture quality...it was evening. This is the river just down from my house.

Free from leaching BPA

Interesting

Autumnal Air

I have to admit...I cringe every time a see fall & Halloween decorations now. I used to love them. Not so anymore.

I walked into Ingles today and it felt like I was smacked in the face by the Halloween candy. And my next thought was, "Uh oh. Is this the beginning of the end of my love affair with this season??"

Why such dread? Because it means we're that much closer to the wedding. Not that that's horrible thing. On the contrary.

What it translates to me is that I'll have more to do. More on my plate. More appointments to meet with people. More emails. More money. Thank you notes. Decisions. More more more. Oh, not to mention a job and a thesis to write.

Piece of cake.

P.S. On the job note: I had a phone interview today for a temp, part-time secretary position at the fitness center. I will be ecstatic if I get called in for an in-person interview and absolutely floored if I get the job. Sweetness: On campus. Part-time (good for me right now). Possibility to turn permanent. Loads more money.

Desk clutter

No matter how hard I try to keep my desk clean, the clutter always come back.

Couldn't have said it better

This pretty much sums up my relationships. *past & present*

From A Practical Wedding

Dance lessons

I've been brushing up on my dancing skills for the wedding.

Getting married before/after getting married

I just think it's so amusing that our wedding ceremony will have no legal merit whatsoever. I know a lot of people do it this way, but I never envisioned it for myself. Chris says, "We can wait until after the ceremony to get legally married." Uh huh, sounds like a good way for him to high-tail it outta here! ;o)

So wait. When would our anniversary be? The day we were legal or the day of the ceremony?? Can we have TWO anniversaries?! Sweet.

For some reason I'm excited about being married before the ceremony. But at the same time, will it take the magic of the ceremony away?

Do we do it sooner rather than later? Does it make a difference?

Hmmm...

Treehugger Equivalent

This is kinda crazy and I love the first sentence of this post.

I'm...famous?

So if you go to a particular website and enter in a particular nucleotide sequence, this might pop up *hint: look under authors*:

Uncultured fungus isolate DGGE gel band 20_5C 18S ribosomal RNA gene and internal transcribed spacer 1, partial sequence

• Features
• Sequence

LOCUS       GQ388268                 190 bp    DNA     linear   ENV 30-AUG-2009

DEFINITION  Uncultured fungus isolate DGGE gel band 20_5C 18S ribosomal RNA

          gene and internal transcribed spacer 1, partial sequence.

ACCESSION   GQ388268

VERSION     GQ388268.1  GI:256557773

KEYWORDS    ENV.

SOURCE      uncultured fungus

ORGANISM  uncultured fungus

          Eukaryota; Fungi; environmental samples.

REFERENCE   1  (bases 1 to 190)

AUTHORS   Allman,N.D., Collins,B.S., Davis,R.W. and O'Connell,S.P.

TITLE     Fungal sequences retrieved from Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel

          (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) feces from the Southern Appalachians

JOURNAL   Unpublished

REFERENCE   2  (bases 1 to 190)

AUTHORS   Allman,N.D., Collins,B.S., Davis,R.W. and O'Connell,S.P.

TITLE     Direct Submission

JOURNAL   Submitted (15-JUL-2009) Biology, Western Carolina University, 132

          Natural Science Building, Cullowhee, NC 28723, USA

FEATURES             Location/Qualifiers

   source          1..190

                   /organism="uncultured fungus"

                   /mol_type="genomic DNA"

                   /isolate="DGGE gel band 20_5C"

                   /isolation_source="Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus feces"

                   /db_xref="taxon:175245"

                   /environmental_sample

                   /country="USA: Southern Appalachians"

                   /note="PCR_primers=fwd_name: ITS1-F, rev_name: ITS2"

   misc_RNA        <1..>190

                   /note="contains 18S ribosomal RNA and internal transcribed

                   spacer 1"

ORIGIN    

        1 tcttggtcat ttagaggaag taaaagtcgt aacaaggtct ccgtaggtga acctgcggag

     61 ggatcattac aagtgacccc ggtctaacca ccgggatgtt cataaccctt tgttgtccga

    121 ctctgttgcc tccggggcga ccctgccttc gggcgggggc tccgggtgga cacttcaaac

    181 tcttgcgtaa

//







Don't hate.

Ya know what?

I reserved our hotel reservations in Gatlinburg, TN today!

At a hotel 3 months old
In a room with a whirlpool AND fireplace

For cheaper *CHEAPER* than our room in Candler on our wedding night.

Crazy.

So yeah, originally we weren't going to go anywhere on our pre-honeymoon, but we figured we have the days off, we might as well do something.

That something turned out to be Dixie Stampede & Dollywood. Um, yeah. I'm crossing my fingers that I get to meet Dolly. Not joking.

Take time to smell the roses

Personally, I like the fastest clothes taker offer and fastest stamper.

Winkers

I think these are so funny.

Peace through Music

This puts it in perspective

The Green Box

This is so cool.

My dream home

I would love to own one of these homes!

T minus...

2 months and counting!

The invitations went out Thursday (I figured it's better to be early than late) and we've already had several people RSVP.

So exciting!

AIM romance

I teared up when Chris IMed me this:

Chris: Putting this on my syllabus

October 26 – I will not be here, due to some pretty lady having laid claim to me and us getting married on October 24. I will be back on October 28 to share my experience of both a wedding and being a new husband.

Equal Rights

See this blog post.

Then note: we've chosen a minister to perform our marriage ceremony who has refused to sign all marriage licenses in protest of NC laws that prohibit same-sex marriage. That means we'll have to go get married by a Justice of the Peace before our actual ceremony.

A small price to pay in the fight to award all people equal rights.

Unity Ceremony

We have plans to do a "ring-warming ceremony" in our wedding. I had envisioned it a little differently, however, so now I'm re-thinking the plans. The way I thought of doing it was actually have a space of time set aside for it, so have the minister start the rings around and we all just stand around looking at each other while a "musical interlude" is played (instead of starting the rings at the beginning and going on with the ceremony while they're being passed). I think the latter may work better though. But I still want a musical piece done, so maybe the former is the best way to kill two birds with one stone. I don't know! I'll mull it over.

P.S. Almost a week later, my wasp sting is still "smarting". I wish it was over already!

What to do with cans (besides recycle them)

This green idea is super cool.

Changing names

This post from The Broke-Ass Bride is one of the few posts on name changing that is actually worth something.

I had no idea there's a competition for this

http://www.time.com/time/video/?bcpid=1485842900&bctid=33415389001

Beer cups!

And the beer cups came in yesterday. I can't say I'm absolutely head over heels in love with them (esp after the price tag), but they'll do.

Odds and ends

My mom and brother arrived in town yesterday; they'll be here about a week. So Chris and I headed over to my grandmother's house to visit (I just wanted to see the wedding things my mom brought).

And boy did she have some stuff...a full car load to be exact. I got to see the grapevine wreaths my dad made (which are awesome btw), a whole bunch of linens my mom bought (still need to make final decision on those), the gift bags and goodies for the out of town guests, the cage that will hold cards (perfect!), my sister's shoes that she had dyed to match the dress, the "lace" my mom crocheted for the ring bearer pillow, the koozies that will go in the disc golf party bags, and my favorite: my mom and dad's cake server from their wedding.



I'll post new pictures once I get it polished and engraved. Exciting!

Solution to my problems?

Not really since it would take up half the lane and I never ride at night. But it's still pretty cool.

Can't sleep

I've been absent from the blog a while because, to be honest, I just really haven't had anything nice to say.

I almost posted something about exercising, but then realized I'm a little sick of talking about it. I wish weight loss wasn't such a prominent player in my life so to blog about it is a little counterproductive.

I also almost posted something about how Chris is such a fabulous motivator, but it got too mushy, so I refrained.

Another post was started regarding my second thoughts about my wedding dress, but it just didn't seem like something appropriate to complain about, so that one got deleted as well.

I just had a little snafoo (another one of many) with one of my friends. My wish for the situation actually came true and I now hold the reins of the planning of the party at MY house. Imagine that.

My mom gets into town on Tuesday. I'm pretty excited-I'm sure that'll quickly change once the wedding errands commence.

Speaking of the wedding, I think I'm most excited about the groom's cake-weird thing to be excited about, I know. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Spice cake with white chocolate buttercream icing. Yummy! What else am I excited about? I think seeing all of the friends and relatives in one place celebrating the same thing. I really can't believe it's so close. It's like I expect time to stop-that it's something that's being planned but it won't actually take place. I try to imagine what it will be like the day before-or the day of when getting my hair done-but I can't. I'm excited about seeing the ringbearer and flower girl decked out too-they're going to be so cute!

I'm excited about the time of year and the many autumnal things we can do (the possibilities are endless!) I have my fingers crossed that it's not cold. Rainy I can handle. Cold I cannot. I mean, I love the cold, but not for our wedding.

At any rate, I'm rambling now so I think I'll try to fall asleep again.

Life Decisions

I couldn't quite justify purchasing EA Sports Active for $60, so I bought *YET ANOTHER* cookbook for $14 instead: Hungry Girl 200 under 200.

We'll see...

Countdown

3 months left!

Hanes

This is too funny!

Took some pictures one day...

Bee balm past its prime:

Pony!:

A bloom on the mimosa tree that's past its prime:

I love dahlias:

I believe this is a michigan lily:

The Circle of Life

Some beautiful robin's eggs Chris found while trimming the red bud tree:

If you look closely, you can see the robin's head peeking out:

Here's some pictures of the babies after two of them hatched:

The unfortunate ending of this story is that when I came home from work a couple of days later (maybe even just one), the mama was laying dead in the driveway and the nest was dislodged. :o(

My fight with bleach

Bleach and I have a love-hate relationship.

I didn't fall in love with bleach until recently when I started using it on my whites (never really had before I met Chris) and more importantly when I dumped loads of it in the wash to get all the nasties off of the fabric shower curtain. It did wonders.

Even more recently than that, I decided I no longer want to go the bleach route. I'm greening up my laundry room, and bleach is no longer welcome there.

But what to do about the gross stuff on the shower curtain? Just plain washing it won't do the trick, I've tried it.

Well, I've done some Internet searching and of course there are eco-friendly bleach products one can buy. I'm pretty certain I'd have to buy them online or drive a million miles to find any though, because po-dunk Sylva doesn't seem to have anything I need/want.

There's also a homemade bleach version that calls for equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water. I may try that since I keep hydrogen peroxide on hand.

Tip: hydrogen peroxide makes dogs throw up--prob cats too, but I've never tried it on a cat. So if you have any dogs, keep it handy in case they eat anything they shouldn't. I mean, don't if they ate a golf ball or underwear or something like that. In that case, take them to the vet. But if your 40lb dog eats an entire bottle of your 85lb dog's pain medication, shovel hydrogen peroxide down the crazy dog's throat until it pukes up its stomach.

:oD

Now THAT'S ecofriendly!

Check out There, I fixed it. Funny stuff.

Photo session pics up!

Here's the link to the engagement pictures:

http://www.weddingday-photo.com/2009/Nicloe_Engagement/

Nicloe...that's an interesting take on it!

I have the bridal pictures too, but I'll refrain from linking them.

Funny how you perceive yourself differently than what photos show. That day was hot and humid...not sure you can tell that from the pictures.

Dealing with...

Trying to defer my student loan payments. $581 is no good with a part-time job & wedding coming up.

Trying to register for the fall semester since I didn't make the deadline to graduate in August. I'm being 'prohibited' from this due to my 'student status'. I have no idea.

I guess that's all I'm dealing with...seemed like it was a lot more than that. :oP

Haircut

Got my hair cut today (2"). I'm always terrified because I still haven't found someone I really like. I mentioned something about my split ends and she just ran with it. Talked about it so much that I started to get a complex about it. She even CALLED ME AFTER I LEFT to tell me she had samples of some split ends serum that I could come pick up if I wanted. Weird.

RFLMAOTTQLSICPITPATH

Is it wrong that I think this is hilarious?? I think it probably is.

Last post was on 7/5

It's been a whole week since my last post. I tend to do my blogging while at work and the Internet has been out!


1. Mr. P found a robin's nest with 3 eggs in it today when he was trimming the redbud. They're so cute! I'll post a pic later. I'm worried he cut it back too much and now the nest will be easy prey. :o(

2. Went from a guest (when I suggested he could go to the BP station across the street to get shampoo if none of the housekeeper's carts had any) telling me "What you just said wasn't very nice." to a guest taking my name down for the bigwigs when I upgraded them to a suite for no charge when he got into a yelling match with the hotel in Hillsborough, NC. Apparently the online people made their reservation for Hillsborough instead of Dillsboro. You show me your military ID and you can have the penthouse for free. We don't have a penthouse, but if we did...

3. Speaking of work, today's my last day! Woo! Start the new job on Tuesday.

4. Made a huge eco-boo-boo when we bought pesticide & herbicide this weekend. Eek!

5. Got the invites printed and most are cut and embellished. Just need to do the backing and sash. Oh, and all the other millions of invites we're doing for other events.

6. I have renewed energy with regards to my gardening. I've never been able to successfully start plants from seed, but so far, the ones I just planted are doing great! The moonflowers are almost ready to transplant and the seeds I planted from the bridal shower favors (packets of various types of seeds) are good looking seedlings. I also transplanted a plant that wasn't doing well on one side of the house and planted some grape hyacinths under my maple tree. I cleaned out two flower beds in the backyard in hopes of making those beautiful soon.

6. My love of the outdoors is slowly but surely coming back to me (I came to despise it after my field work). I've been riding my bike with Mr. P and I just really have so much fun. The fireflies were awesome last night! I told him today that I hope wherever we move next has as good of biking as we have here.

7. Along the eco lines, homemade detergent still going strong. Next up: homemade fabric softener.

That's about it. Or all I'm willing to bore my readers with right now. ;o)

Topics on my mind

I can't wait for the new Harry Potter movie to come out!

One more chapter of "Bronte" and then I can get started on the first official book of the Bio Girls Bookclub!

I now know what it feels like to really not like one's job. Never been one to flake out on the schedule, but may do so tomorrow.

Will start new job around the 15th. Worried I'll hate it as much as my current job, since I'll be doing the same thing.

I often get excited about moving. I reel
myself back in when I remember we'll be here for at least another year. And how much work buying and selling is.

Still haven't seen proofs from our engagement/bridal portrait sessions. Annoying.

I'll leave it at that since anything more I say will probably be more boring than the last.

"New" job

Normally I'd be super excited, but I'm not for some reason. Not sure if it's just the mood I'm in or the circumstances surrounding my employment.

I got a rejection email on Monday from the place I really wanted to work. Poo.

And I think I pretty much had this new job before I even interviewed.

Two weeks from now I'll be working at the front desk at the Holiday Inn in Cherokee. That's about 20 minutes from where I live. It's a pay raise, so that's good. I'm still being paid well below what I feel like I should be earning as a soon to be Nicole M.S., but I'm rooted in reality and know that I won't start making that kind of money until I land a competitive job in my field.

I'm hoping it's a better fit for me. I hate leaving a job only a couple of months in, but when you combine late paychecks with people relieving me late and the feeling of being taken advantage of by the hotel owners, I think it's time to look elsewhere.

When I told my manager she got a little upset and asked if I couldn't give her 1 more month because she's still training the night audit person. No. Once she found out that I have something else lined up and I mentioned I'm giving two weeks while others have just up and left, she backed down a bit.

The end.

Lenticular Clouds

The images from this EarthFirst post are incredible.

Weekend? What weekend?

A girl at the front desk quit, so my hours have been boosted. Boosted to include weekend shifts. I guess that's what happens when you work at a hotel. I didn't know I had it so good at the animal hospital. Open 7:30a - 12p on Saturday, closed on Sunday.

What this means is that I can't seem to get any house chores done. I'm still in the mindset that I'll do them on the weekend. But when you work on the weekend, that doesn't happen!

I yelled at Mr. P yesterday for not having done anything while I was gone (he did do stuff, just not as much as I thought he would--or how much I would have). I realized the reason I was so upset was not because he didn't do much, but because I have all this stuff I want to get done and can't, while he has all the time in the world.

At any rate, we went for a bike ride yesterday evening. I had so much fun. I still think the bike was a good purchase. I was hugely impressed that I got all the way up the drive without stopping--and it was my first time back on the bike this season.

Today I had high hopes on getting Chris' side tables sanded and prepared for paint, but alas, sanding takes longer than I thought. I got the tops done and that's it. And that's with a rotary sander! But that's okay, I need to re-think my plan anyway. I started sanding and realized the wood is really nice and they might be okay with just a light stain. Right now they have a very dark stain and look really dated.

I then cleaned the house. I also reupholstered the storage bench--that was fun! Completely different look. By the time lunch rolled around, I was exhausted and still had more to do. If I'd only learn that if I kept it clean during the week, I wouldn't have so much to do at one time on the weekend. So by the time I had to start getting ready for work, I had the house clean but felt like I hadn't gotten anything done. I guess because I still have so much on my list.

• Clean out stuff from under bed
• Deep clean/organize guest room
• "/" bathroom
• "/" computer room
• "/" movie closet & dresser--we have way too many movies
  
• "/" kitchen
  
• "/" carport closet
• "/" shed
• Finish side tables
• Paint bedroom

I just need to realize that these things are going to take a little longer because of their nature.

Ya know what I just realized? Why do I have this list? Why did I decide I needed to go through each room and get rid of stuff? Do I feel suffocated by all this junk? Maybe. The more likely answer, however, is because I have a thesis to write.

How 'bout that.

From a blog I peruse

Check out this post from Awkward Family Photos.

Kinda creepy and hilarious all at the same time.

Wallpaper

I've never been particularly fond of wallpaper; if you've ever had to take wallpaper down, you know what I'm talking about.

And the images that are conjured up in my mind when I think of wallpaper are of roses, lace, awful colors, you know, old people wallpaper.

Design*Sponge has completely change my mind though. I've come to realize that there are some pretty awesome wallpapers out there. And you don't have to use them on all your walls...just one as an accent works great. Or some on the top of an old side table you purchased at a yard sale to repurpose. Or some on the faces of drawers of an old dresser you have.

Which led me to my next question: where the heck do you buy wallpaper? I've never had to buy it before and therefore, have no clue! :oP

Wow.

Check out this before & after (Dominique's Hall) at Design*Sponge. Definitely not your average hall.

Back in the saddle!

I found it pretty difficult to keep my Shred routine going after my shower weekend, so I took 7 days off (Mon-Fri of last week & Mon and Tues this week--plus the weekends, but I don't do the Shred on those days anyway).

I started it up again yesterday. Right now I'm on day 2 of two weeks (5 days) of the advanced version of Level 2.

It's difficult, but the only thing I have to stop in the middle of are those darn double jump ropes (Level 1 is single, Level 2 is double). I'm still amazed that something seemingly simple is actually pretty darn tough to do.

My sister has started doing the 100 pushups thing again. I'm tempted to start it up again now that my core muscles are up to snuff. When I tried it the first time, I kept pulling an ab muscle so I quit.

I also read this cute blog post from Elizabeth Anne Designs blog. I emailed it to Mr. P and he says with incredulity, "You want to do a half marathon?!" Well, no. Not a half marathon per se. I like the idea of it--a 5k or something is a little more attainable. It would be a great goal to reach together (although, he could probably run one right now without a problem) and it'd get me fit in time for the wedding (maybe?). The other thing I was thinking was maybe not running (the hills and roads--no shoulder--around here make for a difficult run), but biking would be a good option. He's been pretty good about riding his to work, but I haven't gotten on mine once all season. :oP Disappointing.

VOTE FOR RUTH!

Ruth is my cousin's wife's best friend. She makes the best purses/bags! Vote for her here.

Honest Scrap Award

A Life Less Ordinary tagged me for the "Honest Scrap Award" and the rules are to post 10 things about you that are true, that they might not know. Then you have to tag other bloggers to do the same.

1. I hate living in a messy house, yet can't keep mine clean.

2. I have second thoughts about having kids because of my fiance's computer game/video game habit.

3. I have a subscription to Wine Spectator and haven't opened a single issue I've received.

4. I doubt my decisions and abilities all the time but have become really good at pretending the opposite.

5. I hate that I love to gossip.

6. I used fake eyelashes for the first time 2 weeks ago.

7. I'm my own worst critic.

8. I love edamame, cheese, and Sour Patch Kids.

9. I tend to do/say random and unexpected things just to see what kind of reactions I can get.

10. I don't regret anything I've done or that has happened in my life (even incidents in Italy & an abusive relationship) since it has led to who I have become and has led to many lessons learned.

Now I would love to tag:

my cup runneth over

Time after Time

VenetianBlond

Wandering Thoughts

The Golden Life

Preparation is key

Our buddy Dave is leaving town today for his new job in Boston, so there was a little get together at a local pub & grill (where I met my fiance btw) last night.

Mr. P & I walk into the patio to sit down and at that point, there were only 2 other people at our table and they commented on how nice I looked with my makeup and clothes. Apparently I don't normally look like that and the reason for the next question: why?

So I said I had had a second interview at a new dermatology clinic in town and we started talking about that for a little bit. A friend was saying it's great we have one now because it took her forever to get into the one in Asheville.

At any rate, I then noticed a little commotion behind my friends at another table. I look over, and there are the owners of the clinic, who just interviewed me, looking our way and laughing. We waved to each other, said hi, and I swiftly crapped my pants.

We all had a good laugh about it. After they left I leaned over to my fiance and asked, "I didn't say anything bad did I?" I really couldn't remember what I said before I noticed they were there.

Weird thing is that I had completely envisioned this happening as I was getting ready to go out. But what I envisioned was walking by their table, pausing, and politely introducing them to my fiance. Not what actually happened at all.

I do not want to die

From Spring Moon by Bette Bao Lord:

The child shook his head. Slowly the tears fell, like brave soldiers marching before the king.

"Was it a ghost?"

"I..." His words burst forth. "I do not want to die, I do not want to die like True Mother. Why do I have to die?"

Bold Talent put his arms around him, comforting him. "You see, if no one ever died, the world would be a terrible place. There would be too many people, no room to grow food or play. So it is better to have a season and live each minute until it is time to join our ancestors."

Honeymoon Preparation I

*Whew! I'm glad I read this before our trip! I was starting to think I wouldn't know how to handle it.*

From The WORST-CASE SCENARIO Survival Handbook: EXTREME EDITION

HOW TO SKI OFF A 100-FOOT DROP

1. Look for danger below.

Just before you ski off the edge of the cliff, look down and out over the slope. If your projected path takes you toward rocks, trees, or another cliff, change your takeoff angle by jumping to the left or right so you will head toward safer, wide-open terrain.

2. Jump up and off the ledge.

Just as you are leaving the ground, hop up and slightly forward to help you clear any rocks or other obstructions that may be hidden just below the ledge and that could knock you off balance.

3. Pull your legs and skis up and tuck them under your rear end.

This compressed "ball" position will help you maintain balance while airborne and help you to land safely.

4. Thrust both arms out in front of you, elbows slightly bent.

Avoid the "cat out the window" position, where your arms and hands are splayed out above your head. That position will put you off balance when you land.

5. Look out, not down.

Looking down at the ground will lead to a "door hinge" landing, where you bend forward at the waist and plant your face in the slope. Look out over the mountain.

6. Focus on a suitable landing site.

Land on very steep terrain. Avoid a low-angled slope or, worse, a flat section of the mountain. As long as the snow is powder and at least one foot deep, you should be able to land without serious injury.

7. Bend your knees as you land.

As you approach the side of the mountain, keep your knees bent to absorb the force of the impact with the ground. Avoid leaning back, which will cause a "tail first" landing and probable back injury. If you cannot ski away from a landing, land on your hip. Do not lean too far forward or you will fall on your face.

8. Extend your feet, bend your knees, and turn across (or "into") the mountain to slow down.

Because of your extreme speed while airborne, you must minimize acceleration by turning as soon as you land, or you risk hurtling down the mountain out of control. Modern skis should stay on top of deep powder instead of sinking, giving you a reasonable amount of control.

9. Continue making turns to keep control and reduce speed as you ski away.

BE AWARE

• If you feel yourself falling backward while airborne, move your hands further in front of you and make fast circular motions, forward and back. This balancing maneuver is called "rolling down the windows."
• In any jump greater than 15 feet, avoid landing in the same spot a previous jumper landed; the snow will already be compacted and will not provide sufficient cushioning.
  

Let's make a deal

Two weeks or so ago Mr. P made a trip up to the neighbor's house above us to see who they use to do their lawn. Yesterday, the guy came down to the house to talk about what we'd like done and how much he would charge.

Well, turns out he used to live in my house! He's married to the woman from whom I bought the house! He's the one who put all the planters in and I'm pretty sure he also built the firepit. I hope we haven't disappointed him too much by how we've let it grow up!

I had called a different guy to come and give an estimate, but I think I'll scratch it. This other guy is just too perfect. He knows the property lines, what's planted (weeds vs. plants), and he's charging a lot less than I expected. He's going to trim up the hedge (great b/c I don't have a hedge trimmer), cut off some lower branches of the trees above the house, clear out the rubus (blackberry--man I hate that stuff) from the front of the house, and do the regular weedeating. I can't wait! I wouldn't even do this work for the amount he's charging. And then he wasn't even worried about getting paid. He says, 'Well, if I don't get it the first time, I'll just get it the next time.'

Too bad he can't come by until next week. :o(

2 Notations

1. My veggies are growing! The watermelon plant has finally started growing, I have peppers (hot & bell), a real nice yellow squash (last year I had a problem with bugs, so I'm diggin' this nice looking squash), two big ol' tomatoes, some killer cucumbers (have never actually seen these suckers grow), and cilantro that's so potent it'll knock your socks off. My lettuce is still hanging in there--not doing much of anything really. And the strawberries are non-existant. Damn you birds! My fiance is in charge of making a scare crow, but I think that's not high on his priority list.

2. Had a job interview for a receptionist position at a new dermatology clinic in town. I'm super excited about this and have a second interview with the doctor on Monday. We discussed the possibility of me moving up in the clinic (because of my advanced degree--hardy har), so that's pretty frickin' awesome. Definitely better than the sporadic paychecks I'm currently receiving...or not receiving rather.

Need to go. Have to get up at 5:15a to go feed some people breakfast. Ugh. What one will do for money. I guess I should count my blessings.

Such hostility!

I went to Walmart today and got CornPops, 2 packs of thank you cards, & provolone cheese. Since I didn't have my grocery bags with me, I told the cashier that I'd just carry them out without a bag. WHOA NELLY was that the wrong thing to say. She got very upset and informed me quite rudely that I'd have to show the Walmart welcomer (is that their official title?) my receipt as I left. I politely informed her that that was fine with me. She then yelled across the way to the welcomer that I would be leaving without a bag *gasp* and that she would need to check my receipt on the way out. The cashier then, with attitude mind you, tried to let me know that I would need to push...oh wait, I'VE ALREADY DONE IT YOU IDIOT! She tried to get all snotty when I didn't push no cash back, but alas, I had already done everything...just waiting on you to push your little 'Debit' button Miss Walmart Meanie. Sorry, she really perturbed me.

Final vindication: I started to stop by the welcomer and the lady waved me on and said, "Oh, you're fine...go on." Take that you silly cashier!

Whirlwind of a weekend

I figured I'd be recovered by now, but when you get sick the first day back in your house, it makes the recovery even harder.

The bridal shower was on Saturday and just about went off without a hitch. There was some family feuding before and after (only 1 of which related to the shower), but I ignored it as best as I could. It was a little awkward because I didn't know a lot of the people and didn't know where to look to thank the person whose present I had just opened. I was also a little nervous to make sure Mr. P's mom, grandmother, and cousin felt at ease. They all had driven a substantial distance and I was (am) really honored.

We had our engagement session Sunday with my bridal portraits taken after Mr. P left. I had my makeup done at Mac (they only hire makeup artists btw--as opposed to anyone off the street) and was worried it was too much, but I think it worked. I can't wait to get the proofs! We had so much fun doing them...we got some in front of the pond, on the dock, in the barn, and I got some in my dress in the hay field and in the creek. It was such a let down too when we were done, and the only thing I had to show for it was stinky armpits and running makeup. I wanted to see the pictures right away!

On Monday I went with my mom to the wedding venue and I think I nailed down where the ceremony will take place. Woo! We also went by the rental place to look at linens. We narrowed it down to two and then we were told one was $39 per linen and the other was $40. I think we'll go with the $16 polyester, thank you.

I got home Monday afternoon and quickly realized there's little space left in this house for the bridal shower presents. Where do you put an 18qt roaster when you're already storing crockpots on top of your refrigerator?? It's a sad day when 960 sq ft is too small for two people.

I can't wait to move.

I got sick this morning and it pretty much ruined my mood for the entire day. That's expected I guess. Despite this, I still managed to reserve our hotel room for our wedding night and reserve the room in which we'll have the day after wedding brunch (lunch?) for select guests. The lady was so cute...she was really excited to put it under my new married name. She even added the "Mrs." which she normally doesn't do apparently. We got a pretty good deal on the room too!

I also still managed to go into the lab and run a gel that I wasn't able to do on Friday. Now I'm at work waiting for my other half to bring dinner. I only have 2 hours left to go!

Job interview tomorrow! I've never wanted a job so badly.

My lilies

My lilies have finally bloomed! I've been waiting months! I had no idea it would take them this long.

Homemade laundry detergent

Made my own laundry detergent the other day! Washed a load with it too. Seems fine...the only difference I noticed was that the clothes didn't have that overwhelming fresh laundry smell. Which some like, some don't. You can add essential oils to it to get a scent, but I didn't have any to use. Didn't have a container for it either...had to use a fish bowl I had laying around.

I followed this recipe.

Two tips:
I'd probably double the recipe--the original recipe doesn't make much and it's a hassle to grind up the soap. I'd rather make a bunch than have to drag the food processor out every 2 weeks.

DO NOT hover over the food processor after you grind the soap up. I inhaled a bunch of soap particles and I about keeled over. Blech!

Recycled Napkin Rings

These are awesome! I can't wait to try it. And no sewing!

This is just awesome

Design Sponge Blog

I'm totally enthralled by this blog and I can't even remember how I came across it. It always has the most amazing pictures.

The rooms always look so well put together, but not--like the designer wasn't trying (a good thing). If I was to try anything like this, it'd just look like a room full of crap.

Maybe it's the photographer. Perhaps if I have a professional come in and snap pictures of my house it'd look like this blog. Nah, probably not.

One of my goals in life is to have my house look amazing and still feel welcoming and cozy. Wonder if I'll ever achieve that.

Change of plans

No matter how cheap we got the cottage/cabin, it's still a lot of money when people require 2 or 3 night minimum stays. This is what I came to realize the other day. So then the question became...

Do we want to spend $300 on a place for 2 nights after our wedding or would we rather save that money for our real honeymoon?? My answer: save it (no surprises there). Mr. P's answer: spend it (no surprises there).

Now we're (I'm) back to square one. Because I work at a hotel, I qualify for an employee discount at all IHG hotels. Whether or not they'll give me that discount for a jacuzzi tub room, I don't know.

The plan is to see what kind of rate I can get for a jacuzzi tub room and go from there. One hotel I checked with doesn't give discounts on the weekends (poopheads!) and so it was going to be $200 for one night. Ridiculous.

The other good thing about going with a hotel room is that it's possible we can rent space there too for the Sunday brunch for our out-of-town friends. That would certainly make life easier.

P.S. Callie keeps peeing on the dog beds. It's pissing me off. *no pun intended--okay, maybe a little*

Coupon organizer in the mail

So I broke down and bought a custom made coupon organizer like the one with which I fell in love. I'm still in love. I would give my left arm to be able to do this. Well, maybe not my arm, but I'd definitely shave my head. Check out iSew's etsy shop. Here are the pics: