Mi Casa es Su Casa

Within the next few weeks, we will be undertaking the always enjoyable process of moving. Again. But this time, I'm not moving, Drew and Silas are moving into the new house we bought. 
The past five months of our engagement have been split between our new house and Drew's old house, and I could not be more excited to be under one roof. Going back and forth multiple times per week is not a huge deal, but it seems like we are always carting stuff back and forth and inevitably forgetting something. Usually which house has the olive oil. 
Yes, I know a simple solution would be to buy olive oil for both, but that would be too dang easy. And require my brain to function properly and remember to buy olive oil when I'm at the grocery store, which is almost daily.
Facing yet another season of boxes, packing paper, and never sticky enough packing tape, I'm going to tackle this move with a little more calmness. I hope. This time I am going to unpack at a leisurely pace and not freak out about the disorganized mess in the new house. Right? RIGHT! Ha.
Anyone need an extra crock pot or three?

Casa, sweet casa.

(No Spanish language was harmed in the writing of this blog post. Primarily because I don't know Spanish. Therefore, there is gibberish in the title.)

Until next time, send some good moving karma my way, friends!

Honeymoon Packing for Adventuring Types

I will be the first to admit that a honeymoon filled with fruity drinks, sunning on the beach, and cute monogrammed beach bags is SOOOO not something that interests me. I also know that I am probably in the minority when thinking this.
Lucky for me, my fiancee has no interest in it as well. Maybe that's why I'm marrying him, ha ha! So instead of a relaxing beach vacation to some gorgeous tropical locale, we've decided to spend our time hiking through some National Parks in the Pacific Northwest.
I realize that this may be a huge mistake, seeing as this wedding is causing so much stress, and we will definitely be needing some R&R. But our version of recharging is so much different than what a beach vacation would entail. The mountains are my favorite landscape to escape to. Plus, we wanted to go somewhere in the continental US and do something that neither had experienced separately. 
We've booked four different Air BnB's or cabin stays throughout the Pacific Northwest so we can explore Olympic National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, Seattle, and Portland. So here's the conundrum, how on Earth am I going to pack for all these different experiences in two suitcases?
So here's what I know I'm definitely taking, out of necessity:

Now what cute outfits should I bring for our two days in Portland and one day in Seattle??? Here's what I'm feeling for some brewery tours, a vineyard stop, and a dinner out. Hope it's warm enough that time of year!

As always, I'm feeling the navy! Until next time,

How to Plan a Wedding without Losing Your Mind

Hire someone to do all the things. Seriously. And then take some Valium. And maybe chug a bottle of wine. Because good GOD, this is a giant undertaking.

My advice to anyone recently engaged, ELOPE. It's super cheap, you still do the (most) important part of starting a life together as a single unit, and you won't get overwhelmed when your mother calls you to talk about salt shakers or parking arrangements for the eight thousandth time.

That being said, there is no other woman I would have help me plan our wedding than my mama. She's awesome at it, albeit a bit too detail oriented.

But for those inquiring minds, here's how my wedding planning is going so far.

• All vendors have been hired and deposits made. (FYI, this was the most stressful part so far. Do yourself a favor and pick a venue that doesn't require any type of tent, linen, flatware or dish rental. That means do not do it in a back yard unless your guest list is under 100. Ours is not.)
• Officiant is confirmed!
• Invitations are finished, stuffed, stamped and ready to be sent
• All attire has been purchased and is in the process of being altered
• Decor has been decided and the table, tent, ceremony, and landscaping layouts are complete
• Honeymoon is booked!

{A little sneak peak at some of our decor inspirations}

Annnd here is what is not completed:

• Programs  and favors completed, although my matron of honor is taking this completely off my hands and I could not be more thankful. She's awesome!
• Music for the ceremony is not finalized
• We have yet to figure out any of the readings except one, not to mention we're also writing the invocation
• Parking dilemma is not solved. Meaning, we have invited 368 guests and only have room for about 160 cars. This may or not be an issue yet. I'm ignoring it until I can't anymore. Cheers to being prepared!
• Find a wedding band for Drew
• Order the booze, but this can wait until we have a head count
• Meet with the caterer to decide on side dishes and apps for the cocktail hour
• Anything that can't be done until later on, like get the marriage license

So really, everything is going great, it's just a lot to do. And the lists above are the shortened versions of the real thing. The point to this whole rambling post is really just to vent, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Only 75 days to go! (Wait, what???)

I couldn't be happier to be planning a wedding for Drew and I. Starting our married life together is so close, and I cannot wait for the big day to get here! But until then send some karma my way that it doesn't rain on June 11th and that I get a chance to relax a little before then. 

Please and thanks, y'all!

New Design

Hello and welcome to my newly designed blog!!! Yay! It looks so much better (a graphic designer I am not, it was about as lame as they came before) and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! Special thanks to the designer, Two Thirds Hazel, who took what was  probably the most incomplete idea of what I was looking for and turned into exactly what I wanted! Erin's simple questionnaire helped me narrow down a look and gave her the tools to make it all come together! I think it looks amazing!

Hope you guys love it as much as I do. Now let's hope I can remember to blog on a regular basis!

The Living Room, Or the Room No One is Allowed In

Behold my newly found collage making skills. I am the master of the internets. Or at the very least, I learned some of the tools in Picasa. Man, was it easy! 

So the collage above and the picture below are what my inspirations for our formal living room are at the new house. I need at least two floor lamps due to no overhead lights in the entire room. This is a common theme among the living spaces in our house and it drives me crazy. I HATE a dark room.

The fabric is what I am actually using on a club chair and a love seat that will be used in one of the sitting areas in the room. It's a ginormous space and has taken a lot of shuffling of furniture to decide what the final layout will be.

I love the tufted ottoman, but I'm not sure that it's the most functional piece for our family. I just don't trust that drinks won't get spilled on it (by me, of course. I'm a spaz.) I also love the light, airy look this room has, but I quickly realized that unless I wanted to recover every piece of furniture annually, light beige fabric will not be the most dominant texture in our room. Kids and dogs (and a woman named Eileen...) are messy, y'all. And I wouldn't trade them in a heartbeat for a room like this.

So when we moved in to the new house, we opted not to paint most of it since we like the color palette the previous owners had chosen. We did repaint the foyer the same color to cover up the nail holes from the gallery wall and we completely redid the basement, but we wanted to focus on our furniture instead of paint for this space.

Here's the room before we moved in: 

The wall color is Palladium Blue by Benjamin Moore, and though you can't tell, is a nice, cool aqua color. We bought the rug seen above from the sellers primarily because I hate shopping for rugs. Nine times out of ten, when I buy one, I end up hating it. This one was neutral, fit the space, and they didn't want much for it. So there you have, used rug just for us!

We are still working on recovering my old red couch and a few chairs and a love seat to go in this space, but it's finally coming together. I need to find some floor lamps like the one above, but maybe in gold instead of bronze? We'll see. It's a work in progress, and hopefully it will come to completion sometime this year.

Did you guys grow up in a house with a room that you were never allowed to set foot in unless you wanted to risk incurring your mother's wrath? Ours was the formal living room at the front of our house. My mom still has the white couch she bought over 30 years ago for that room. And claims the screaming is what kept it so white all of these years. I can't wait for my children to have the same memories, ha ha!

Until next time, I'll be keeping that tradition alive and never letting anyone enter the living room. Cheers y'all!

Things I Wish I Had More Time to Explore

Just like everyone else in America, I am constantly feeling pressed for time in pretty much every arena of my life. Between work, charity gala planning, wedding planning, buying a new house, combining Drew's house and mine, and being a normal human being, there is not a lot of time left in the day for what I consider my hobbies.

Hobbies such as photography, blogging, not dressing like a hobo...these are the things that I enjoy doing that I have not spent much time on lately.

See this sweet new lens I bought a month ago from Amazon ? (mostly with points, yay!)

Yeah, I haven't even gone as far to attach it to my camera body yet. Yeah, that's no fun. I totally could have busted it out to capture some images of the super cute couples shower we threw last weekend, but nope, things got too busy.

My blogging, while I have posted now twice this week, is extremely sporadic, at best. I very much enjoy blogging, documenting our daily or weekly lives, and just writing in general. I may not be great at it. My blog design certainly isn't professional and no one is crazy enough to pay me to write anything. It's just something I enjoy and miss doing.

Ahh, and the whole not dressing as a hobo thing. Well, I'm going to be frank. I am lazy, the weather here in the Ohio Valley region of Kentucky is moody and unpredictable, and I just don't have time to pick out cute outfits these days.

So my whole reason for this post (AKA get to the point lady) is not actually to explain my absence, but to pose a question to you guys. (insert crickets chirping here.) How do you guys manage it all??? 

I'm serious, not being trite or sarcastic (which is usually my norm.) Those of you that have children, write blogs, take amazing photos, look like you've put some thought into your apparel, and have jobs. Do you go to bed at midnight after writing a post and get up at six to get ready? Do you sit down and spend an afternoon writing posts and schedule them to go out daily? 

What's your routine? How does it work with family life? I'm asking because I want to make time for some of these things without having to give up or let the other things (the really important ones) slide. You know the ones I'm talking about; my fiancee and soon to be step-son, work, a social life.

Any help or comments appreciated! Props to you people in advance, because at this point, all I can muster up the time and strength for is a really long nap while two weeks of laundry go unwashed in a corner.

It's Almost SPRING!!!!!

It's almost spring and I have the seasonal allergies to prove it. Shout out to my other Ohio Valley natives living through the nasal nonsense with me!

Today's semiannual post (Ha, get it? I never blog.) is all about pretty little things that are catching my eyes these days. Most of which I will not be buying. Because seriously, who needs a $325 cover up that's going to get covered in sand and salt water? Not I, but dang if it isn't cute!

I love you Tory, but my fiancee would die if he knew I paid that much for a beach cover up I'd wear twice a year. So stinking cute, though!!! 

I've also fallen in love with this sweet but super chic wallpaper for a nursery. And no, there's no bun in the oven to make our upcoming nuptials a shotgun wedding, but it's fun to day dream!

I love Jonathan Adler's style, but honestly, it's a little trendy for our house. Our style is a bit more traditional. But if I was gutsy, I would love to do an accent wall in this. But not for the price. Why is cute stuff so dang high??? Oh yeah, it's cute.

We are certainly in the market for some cute bar stools for our basement, but I'm having trouble deciding on what kind of style would look best. Our basement bar is white wood with an oak top, and the rest of the space is fairly traditional as well, with navy walls below the chair rail and a buttery yellow on top. 

I like the look of this option from  Wayfair, but I'm hesitant to buy anything without sitting on it. Anyone have great (or terrible) experience with buying furniture from them?

This weekend I'll be going to lunch with some of my best, and most pregnant, gals for a little lunch and pedi party to celebrate their on-the-way bundles of joy. If the weather stays a little bit warm, I may be wearing this dress.

Lilly is always perfect for this time of year!

That's what's been piquing my interest these days. Hope everyone has a happy week and wonderful weather!

A Little Truth or Dare

Hey friend! What's new with you guys? I've been spending most of my time these days traveling, wedding and Concrete Ball planning, and adjusting to life in our new house with my fiancée and future step son. 

Things are super busy, super hectic, and super awesome these days. I don't know that one person can even deserve this wonderful and amazing life. That's being said, there's still some days that just flat out take me down. 

Anyway, I thought it might be fun and cathartic to have a little confession session for a post, so here goes!

1. I love to plan events, parties, showers, etcetera... But planning this wedding has flat out made me cry giant alligator tears on more than one occasion. There are just so many details to figure out, especially when you choose a venue that isn't a venue (i.e. your father's backyard). I am so ready to elope...

2. I am writing this post from a business meeting for a convention that I'm attending. It's at the beach. Don't feel too bad for my wedding stress, I'm getting some relaxation and decompressing done this week.

3. I have to talk myself out of going shopping (almost) everyday on my lunch hour. Some days I just can't stop myself. Lucky for me, Frankfort only has about three stores that I'll shop at, and two of them are discount stores.

4. If I never had to see butter again, I wouldn't give a damn. It would be super hard to make desserts, but as far as using it as an oil, spread, or condiment, you can go on down the road. Yuck. I realize that I am probably the only person on Earth that feels this way. Drew thinks I'm nuts.

5. I recently donated/consigned/gave away about 45 pairs of shoes and about 10 purses. I am a bit of a clothes/accessories hoarder. There were shoes from college in that donate pile. I graduated in 2003. Seriously, 13 year old shoes. I won't bother to go into detail about the weekly trips to Goodwill with bags of tee shirts and shorts that I haven't worn for 5 years.

Alright, that's enough for now. I should probably pay attention in this boring as seminar. Happy Tuesday, y'all!!!