slave labor

This is what happens when you visit the brides family a few days before a wedding... instead of fun and frivolity its slave wedding labor!! After dinner no one was permitted to leave the table until 100 wedding programs were punched, ribbons inserted and bowed!! And yes it took all four of us to accomplish the task... apparently in wedding boot camp there are no breaks even for injuries... My dad insists he deserves a purple heart for his scissor injuries!! And after waiting soo long to own a cropodile (the hole punching tool) I finally found a good excuse to buy one-- shove that expenditure right under the paper goods on the wedding budget and no one was the wiser. But did I get to play with it??? nooo one mention that it was a tool and Mike took over that job... because my bow tying skills were so poor I got stuck inserting ribbons... oh well at least the job is checked off the list!!

6 days and counting

So many last minute details... Yesterday Amanda and I headed out to Herndon for her last hair trial.. and somehow I got a haircut too... Kristen her hairstylist and friend did a wonderful job on Amandas hair--
Nothing brings out ohh and ahhs in a salon like pulling out a veil! I can't wait to see it on her wedding day.

And Last night was Amandas Bachelorette Party! Toni and I went down for to Arlington with Amanda and joined the girls for dinner and drinks and then left them as they jumped into a Cab for a wild night of celebrating Amandas last weekend of a single gal. The girls all looked so beautiful in their "party" dresses and they were definately ready for a night of fun. Boas and a scavenger hunt list... I pity anyone who got near them they were giddy and loud ready to hit the town.

I can shop

I am not a shopper, my mother would tell you that I am just missing the all important shopping gene... my daughter just shakes her head... and when I do shop I don't always make the best decisions--especially when it comes to clothes... I usually buy what I like and not necessarily what looks good on me, or what is fashionable... comfort plays a big part in my choices as does the "happy quotent", yes I buy things that look happy to me.... don't ask its hard to explain, but even when shopping for my couch I told the salesman I wanted a happy couch... try explaining what that looks like...

But this past week I shopped... alone... and I think I did pretty darn good. I wanted a dress for the rehersal dinner..not because I really really needed one but more because I wanted one. My wardrobe sorely lacks dresses and my only real choice was one had worn to several weddings recently... I could have worn dress pants but in my mind I wanted a dress... so a dress it was! I really am quite proud of myself... I found a dress that looks good on the hanger and looks good on me. I bought two other dresses too... its ok you can gasp-- but I was on such a roll and figured they were on sale and I could use one for the bachelorette party and for a dinner party- that has since been cancelled... In all my excitement about this dress... I pulled the bow on it... and of course now I can't get it to bow right anymore... someones gonna have to redo it for me...

Last month at bonco I let everyone know that I needed a sub for March Bonco... I knew these last couple of weeks would be busy.. but Thursday I decided to head over to Robins anyway.. because this girl needed a girls night out! Even it meant chit chatting from the sidelines... but as things turned out my spot was still open--- and it was a good decision... they all told me last month I would need my night out with bonco and they were sooo right..
A couple of the girls have already married off their children -- so they reassured me I wasn't going crazy, and warned me that it could get worse. And being the friends that they are offered extra beds, cooking skills and shoulder to cry on should things get worse... It was nice to share the details of Amandas big day and be greeted with enthusiasm.
As I worry about the little things I keep reminding myself of the big things... In two weeks my baby is getting married.

Breathe

Its all about breathing at this point.. my co-worker informed me that we were 16 days away.... not sure when that happened... I remember cheering at 50 days...

I finally made my decision about what dress I'm buying--keeping--wearing.... and I took it in to be altered today... and for the first time I think I might actually be able to pull this off.. the seamstress assured me I do have a waist.. So tonight (after Bonco of course) I will pack up all the other lovelies and send them back...

Last night Mike and I worked until midnight cutting the pages for the ceremony programs --tomorrow we will finish up with the cardstock and then its on to ribbon cutting!! After that I think my list is down to 5 items... although maybe I should check with the bride and see how her list is coming along..I am hoping that when she comes home next weekend (bacholorette party !! ) that we are done done done....

Helpful Maizy

The caption could read "really I don't remember licking the wall" or perhaps " my ball may have fallen in the paint bucket" or even "aren't you glad I was here to help".....

Yup in between our wedding to do lists we painted Amanda and Christophers old room.. Its officially another guest bedroom. And like the many dogs who have come before her Maizy was intent to help. Thinking back on all of our painting endevors it seems every dog has come out of the project with alittle paint on the tail or maybe alittle on their side as they brushed up against the wall.. But none that I can remember came out of the project with paint on their noses and ears and paws with the gusto that maizy had!! To say the project lasted alittle longer than we thought it would due to Maizy wouldn't be wrong... You see she loves to hide her ball under blankets, rugs, clothes whatever --- to the point that she will drag the cover around the room-- and then she pounces on it (think hopping bunnies) and then uncovers it and does it again and again and again... unfortunately this game was played under the paint tarp... and what we didn't know at the time was "somehow" her ball had paint on it... so the floor under the tarp had little paint spots from the ball ALL over it!! So on my hands and knees I removed the spots one at a time with alittle soap and water...

And the room which started like this . (those white spots are just a few of the zillion holes Mike spackled) and ended up looking lovely... maybe I will find time to take pictures tonight???

If the amount of stuff your child hangs on thier wall has any collation to the happiness they experinced during childhood I think my daughter was an extremely happy child.... This is room number two that she occupied in our house and both of them after she left required a whole jar of spackle... Lucky for her-- her daddy loves her lots... but he did make a note to get Corey his own spackle jar for the wedding...

Speaking of the wedding... the list gets smaller and smaller... This weekend.. Final walkthrough with the officers club, final dress fitting, they picked up the rings and Amanda got her hair done - moving right along!!!

SNOW DAY!

SNOW SNOW SNOW!! After being promised yesterday that the snow was coming we finally got it!!!

So I signed a petition today requesting that the American public be told what has actually happened to the Bail out money... specifically the banking money... but truth be told I could hear from the auto manufactures too... I don't understand how our government has chosen two industries... with multiple businesses to bail out .... what about the local restaurant down the street that just closed? or people at circuit city or the hundreds of other companies that have failed?? What about all the companies forced to lay off workers? Why didn't the government address them? were their business models in worse shape than anyone else??? Seems to me our government needs to rethink helping out businesses that choose to lend money to people they knew couldn't pay it back... who choose not to change the way they developed new products. Who felt that their executives needed more money then they could possibly spend....

lesson learned

The last few days have been alittle mind boogling. Of all the wedding vendors to have issues with we are having to deal with the church! And to be honest we have no idea what happened or where the communication break down was. Mike being the good Dad was given his weekly to do list and promptly followed through. He was given church duty because the list was short, they are easy to work with and simply because we just need to check on 1)microphones 2) how many candles 3) unity candle table 4) would cd or ipod be better.... And his visit went well.... until he mentioned the Piano was gone... yes Gone...

Somehow this just set things into a bad whirlwind of what to do now and why had they not mentioned this.

Many phone calls later, brides crying, grooms upset we still haven't smoothed everything out but we are definatley on the way.

Yesterday the groom, the grooms mom and I all desended on the church... in an effort to make it all better.. but the man of god refused to see us ..."he was in a meeting" and left us to deal with an assistant who quite frankly looked like she was a deer in headlights.. she got caught in lies and didn't seem smart enough to realize her boss had thrown her under the bus...

In the end... there will be a cross on the wall, they will provide a chair for the keyboard, and a table... still up in the air is a sound system and the price of the church and sound system or why they would even bring up the fact that we are bringing in our own pastor...

I learned the hard way that doctors don't know any more than the rest of us and I shouldn't expect them to actually heal people. And this week I have learned that being a man of the cloth doesn't mean I should trust that you -- or trust that you don't lie.

alls quiet

So with Mike at the State of the Union the house is really quiet... not that he's all that noisy, but it does seem very quiet here tonight... Usually I would spend this "free time" cutting and pasting, but for some reason even that doesn't excite me tonight... Dishes are done, laundry under control and there is nothing pressing except "what to write on the blog".... and I got nothing!! amazing but true I got nothing.... not even a photo....

today

Between this and that lifes been busy.... Yup that is the "offical" wedding room... and that is what I see everytime I look down.. Maizy has this obsession with balls... specifically ones with broken squeekers and little nubbies on them...

I am now the proud owner of a pair of silver peep toe shoes and 4 .... yes four dresses for Amandas wedding.. am I keeping them? Nope I think at this point they may all be going back... I might just be the one sitting in the back with jeans on... sadly I just can't find what I want to wear--- who knew it would be this hard... (besides of course my mother who did warn me!) ah well back to the drawing board...

Countdown to Nascar

With only hours left until the first offical race of the season its time to start thinking about your driver

Cat bathing 101

I have never seen a cat get a bath before.... but in preparation for Ferbies new living accomodations Christopher wanted to pretty her up... and that entailed a bath.... Something he said he has done before... and apparently they had... Ferbie didn't fuss half as much as I had expected.. no blood was shed-- no fur flying and not even a hiss.... toward the end she was talking to him... but all and all it was an amazing sight to be witnessed...

Ferbie's ready now to go live with Aunt Jackie... our fingers are crossed that she brings Jackie as much joy as she has brought Christopher.

Its a dogs life

The last two nights we have sat watching some riviting tv... ok maybe not riviting but it was something different.. The Westminister Kennel Club dog show... Hello Pet lover... its a mecca for seeing exactly what all these dogs are supposed to look like if we had the time to groom them... The winner was a surprise... a 10 year old dog.. YES 10!! Stump

In the toy group (we were keenly watching this group) the Pug came in second... although we did not find him as cute as our own Maizy... I really don't understand the whole judging process... I have read the books on what makes a prize winning pug (dog) and from what I could see this winner didn't exhibit some of those traits... but then I am not a judge I am just an owner...

So I know you are asking... Did Maizy watch??? nope she was much to busy (self centered) playing fetch with her soccerball....

This is the look we get when we dress our Maizy... none too happy.... and yes that is a trashbag of clothes she has decided to pout on...

So after getting alittle rest on Sunday it was back into the daily grind... Mike helped Chrisopher pack up his life and get alot of it into his truck. A few more trips and Christopher will be all moved in. And I hit the ground getting laundry caught up and went back to working on taxes... You know they want to pass an economic stimulas plan.... maybe they could reduce our tax burden??? Its totally out of control the amount of money our government requires... and if they keep bailing out businesses that aren't smart enough to be fiscally responsbile our taxes will only continue to climb...
Perhaps the Auto manufacturers should go to the bank to get a loan???? ohh wait they wouldn't qualify because their business model is dated... and then theres that little thing of the banks closing down because they gave money out to people who don't work.... and can't pay it back... its all shameful.....

This week we get back on the wedding bandwagon... not too much left to do... but there is a list!

Amandas Shower

I can't begin to tell you how tired I am right now... but its a good tired we had Amandas Bridal Shower yesterday and it was wonderful! I can't even tell you how wonderful Amandas Bridesmaids are -- They did a fantastic job of putting together the best bridal shower ever. And even though Amanda knew it was coming I think even she was surprised at how much fun it was. Does she not have the prettiest Bridesmaids ever??? From left to right Heather (her new sister in law to be, Jenny (Sorority sister), Erin (college roomie), Amanda, Natalie (sorority sister) and Sara (sorority sister) )

She even had a few cute boys to help out with the details.... Uncle Robin outdid himself by providing valet parking for the girls , and Dad played chauffeur to make sure she got to the party-They both did so many wonderful things that made the day sooo special- No these are not gang signs... its a sign of the crown... we all got a good giggle in as they chanted their Zeta song... I couldn't be more thankful that Amanda has these wonderful girls in her life.We couldn't have had such a wonderful day without the hospitality of Aunt Toni--She opened her home and provided the perfect place to have make lasting memories... doesn't the table look wonderful???

And as if the day wasn't just perfect with sunny skies and good friends watching Amandas face when she realized her grandmother had flown in made it priceless...

I can't help but think if the shower was this much fun and soo perfect how wonderful will the wedding be??? With less than 50 days left it gets more exciting every day!! I can't wait to have all of our friends and family in one big location. But we are all so tired after just the shower how tired will we be after the wedding???

Maizy gets a snow day

Sure we have had flurries this winter but this was Maizys first real time playing in the snow!! Once she got over her fear of walking off the deck she hit the snow a million miles an hour!! Running as fast as she could in big old circles!! And of course tasting it all on her way!!

The white dress

So there has been lots of talk of late about the White dress... Amanda had her first real fitting this weekend... Seems the dress is alittle too big because the seamstress really had to use alot of pins to take it in... Which is a good thing.. means all that dieting wasn't for nothing.. And she got to see her dress with "the shoes"... who knew finding shoes would be just as hard as finding the dress...

Since I can't show you her dress I thought I would give you a peak of another white dress.... Leelas-- Just as fancy and so darn cute....

Hi Dad!

So my Dad mentioned that according to my blog Hell had frozen over.... yea I guess I have been alittle slack at updating.. but beleive me its not because I haven't been busy!!! So for now... I just drop this little note that I am here... I am alive and yes I am counting down the days until spring-- because I am tired of boots, fleece and gloves....

Hell has frozen over.

So I found out today that one of favorite magazines is going under. Simple Scrapbooks is yet another tragedy in our struggling economy.. Subscription base isn't enough when advertising just isn't out there. Its a shame.. and to be honest its just another indicator how bad it is out there in the real world. The radio station I listen to announce less commercials this week... not to be nice to us but because they can't sell the radio slots... its a shame ....

Did I mention how freaking cold it is out there??? so cold that you feel like your fingertips will just fall off if you forget your gloves...
Yea its inauguration week here in the nations capitol... and yes Virginia-- Hell has frozen over... See what happens when you vote someone in who doesn't deserve to be our president... we all suffer... Hope he has little hand warmers in his mittens or he won't have fingers to sign off on all his promises---

Mike has the priviledge of being "essential personnel" this weekend that treat allows him to work all day Saturday and then stay Monday -Tuesday... sleeping in a chair to ensure communications are A-OK for the "event"-- me I will use my time to finish up wedding details...
I think we are almost done and can sit back and enjoy.... if only the darn stamps would come in for the invites....