Bloggerrific!

First Baby Shower Gift!

2010-08-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

So my baby shower is in CA on Saturday! I'm totally looking forward to going home for the holiday weekend and having a shower with my family and friends (including best friend Laura who is driving out from UT for it, YAY!) A good family friend, Ruth, who will be unable to attend the shower had my shower gift sent to the house and it arrived today!

How fun and cute are these little soft blocks with their coordinating bag?!?! Wanna know the best part? They were custom designed by an Etsy seller to match my nursery bedding!

Seriously, LOVE this gift! The sellers shop is closed for a couple of weeks, but I liked her work enough that when she re-opens I'm going to have her custom make a mobile to go over the crib! I'll link to her shop when I get that all ordered and done, and she's re-opened, etc...

I really need to blog... I mean it this time

2010-08-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Seriously.

I don't know what I was thinking trying to keep up with blogging, memes, taking and uploading a bazillion pictures, all while getting down to the wire planning a wedding, and then planning a cross country move!!!

So... Here are a couple of mosaics for you so you can see how life has been :-)

First: The Wedding! It was beautiful! I loved the way everything turned out and all of my hard work on handmade invitations and coordinating stationary really paid off in the end! We also had a blast on our honeymoon in Disney Land!

Second: We moved! Goodbye, California! Hello, Virginia! We spent an entire month doing a cross country road trip. Stops included Vegas, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and Niagara Falls. We also got to spend a lot of time with family!

And last but most certainly not least...

Yup! You saw that right! We're expecting!!! Another reason why the blog has taken a back seat, but also another reason I REALLY need to blog more! I'm a little more than halfway through my pregnancy now (23 weeks) and it's finally starting to feel real. It's a boy, and yes, he is our little souvenir from our honeymoon :-)

So there's the general update, more to follow, and hopefully I'll get into a couple of memes again as well!

Blah

2010-01-19T10:49:00.001-08:00

I am lazy.

I should blog more.

At least participate in memes again... :-(

New Years Resolution, blog more.

The typical holiday whirlwind!

2009-12-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

That has been the last two weeks in a nut shell! However, two exciting things worth posting about!

1: I got my shoes for the wedding!

Oh yeah, they're turquoise! Aren't they pretty and fun?! In a perfect world I'd want them a bit taller ;-) but the length of my dress won't allow for it. No matter, they're blingy and bright and I'm excited!

2: Rob got his orders for our next transfer! We're going to Virginia Beach, VA in July of 2010! We're super excited as this was our first choice of billets and we got it!

The next 6 months will be CRAZY! Wedding, Baptism, Honeymoon, House Hunting, Cross Country Road Trip, and New Job! Yikes!

Catching up Previews Wedding Wednesday

2009-12-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am EXHAUSTED! We went from Concord to San Jose to Texas to Louisiana back to Texas back to San Jose and finally...

...Rob and I set foot in our own apartment after being gone for almost two weeks! The trip down to the south was fun though, and tonight for dinner we are having some fresh deer meat from the buck he got while hunting. I'll have pictures up soon, but most of them are on the future SIL's camera, so it'll be a couple weeks. In the meantime here is a preview:

How could I not take the classic "Welcome to Texas" picture?! We took this on the way BACK to Texas from Louisiana. I wish I had a "Welcome to Louisiana" pic too, but I was asleep when we crossed that state line :-( I loved Texas! I'm much more comfortable with the idea of possibly living there now that I've seen it. Louisiana was ok, but a bit too rural for this urban girls taste.

In WEDDING NEWS:

I picked up my wedding dress yesterday! I love it! I would post pics but the risk of Rob seeing them is too high. I will tell you this, it has a NINE POINT bustle! The seamstress taught my mom how to bustle it and labeled each point, while my grandmother took step by step pics. My poor mom and Maid of Honor will have their work cut out for them on the big day, but it will be completely worth it. It's a beautiful custom bustle (I designed it and the seamstress added her own professional touches) that links on my hip and creates beautiful drape effects in the back.

I also printed out 50 copies of our engagement pictures yesterday because we mail our invitations in a week!

OTHER RANDOM HAPPENINGS!

I am a Christmas nut, and am stoked that I get to have all my Christmas stuff up! It's looking so pretty! I'll be posting pics on Mosaic Mondays and Pink Saturdays so you can see all the little pretty sparkles :-) I'm also working on a new look (and sound) for the blog to celebrate the season :-) Christmas cards go in the mail today too!

I'm not going to be doing Eye Spy Thursday anymore, I might start it up again after our wedding and transfer, but I'm realizing quickly how much work it is to HOST something like that, and really have a new appreciation for people like Beverly and Mary and all the hard work they do!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Thank you so much for being patient with my flakiness on the blogging front the last two months. I'm sure you all can understand the craziness that happens at this time of year, especially when combined with moving and wedding planning! You're comments have been so appreciated, and even though I haven't been writing much I've been reading what you've all been up too and it's been wonderful!

See you all on Pink Saturday!

Mosaic Monday

2009-11-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Mosaic Monday!! It feels good to be blogging again, even if it is a little sporatic right now! Be sure to stop by Little Red House and see what others have posted!

Yesterday Rob and I went to the Oakland Zoo. It was a lot of fun, it had been years since either of us had been to a zoo, and Oakland has a surprisingly nice zoo! We watched the elephant feeding (which was surprisingly anti-climactic) and saw 6 different breeds of monkeys.

Good day :-)

Where I've Been--

2009-11-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, I know, but I have good reason to have let my blog slip to the bottom of my to do list:

I went to go help out with my best friends new baby! Isn't she so cute? (That onesie is a really bright pink, but the camera made it look kinda redish :-/)

Then I promptly contracted swine flu on the flight home... THAT has not been so cute :-/

My blogging will probably continue to be pretty sporatic this month as well due to the fact that Rob and I leave for Louisiana in 9 days! So my computer access will be limited, but I will do my best. In the meantime, now that I no longer have Swine Flu I will at least change things out to be a bit more seasonally appropriate!

Happy (delayed) Pink Saturday!

Wedding Wednesday Oh... Dear God...

2009-10-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

I originally had a completely different post for you all for Wedding Wednesday, but I will be saving it for next week as my wedding seems to be on the precipice of its first disaster.

Remember the lovely pictures I've posted about the beautiful vision I have for my cake? (Here's a refresher if you need it) Well, I'm concerned.

This morning, I lay in bed after Rob went to work and surfed the web on my laptop, as per my usual routine. Checked Facebook, responded to a few forums on CoastieChicks, and had settled into my Blogger Dashboard to read new posts from some of my favorite blogs. There was a new post on one of my favorite little blogs, Cake Wrecks (you may have heard of it) featuring this cake:

FROM MY BAKERY!!!!!

They asked for a delicate lace pattern with some small ninja symbols subtlely worked into the lace in a way that only those who knew what to look for would see. Sort of an inside joke for the bride and groom. And they got THIS Swastika monstrosaty!!!

I'm going to be in San Jose tomorrow, and will be making a follow up trip to the bakery with more pictures, color swatches, and to confirm that my decorator will NOT be whoever decorated this... thing!!!

Read it on Cake Wrecks HERE
Read more from the brides mother HERE

UPDATE

Cake Wrecks and Yelp have both been forced to take down their posts regarding the Swastika Cake... apparently the baker isn't such a fan of negative press. This makes me even more leary, and am tempted to find a different baker.

Mosaic Monday

2009-10-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Time again for Mosaic Monday hosted by Little Red House, be sure to stop by and see what other compilations have been submitted this week.

Today is more about collages than true mosaics I suppose, but it's somewhat along the theme so I'll roll with it. Both collages were given to me by my good friend Brian, aka Tinman. About 8 years ago he and I took a spntaneous trip to Disneyland with another friend.

We all swore we'd do it again someday; however, life got in the way (as it often does). We lost touch and didn't see or hear of each other for 8 years.

Then one day it happened, he found me on Facebook. We had both looked for each other a variety of ways but had failed to find one another. Less than a month after re-connecting we were on a reunion trip to Disneyland :-)

Our friendship is as though we never lost touch and our Disney passion is sure to continue for years to come. Only now to include spouses, family members, and anyone else who can respond within 24 hours to one simple word. Disney??

A Writers Challenge

2009-10-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in a writers challenge sponsored by Lori at Family Trees May Contain Nuts. The Challenge this week is; What is the nicest thing somebody has ever done for you? Be sure to stop by and see what others have shared, there are some really touching stories to be read.

The nicest things somebody has ever done for me happened when I was 15. Homeschooled and unpopular, I was at a dance, sitting in a corner, crying because my boyfriend had dumped me. A girl that I hated because she was the girlfriend of one of my on-again off-again crushes came over and asked if I wanted to come dance with her friends because I was alone. When she saw I was crying she asked if I was ok. I looked up and said: "You're Laura aren't you?" She looked surprised, and pleased that this stranger knew who she was. Then with out missing a beat I said "I used to hate you."

This is the part where most 15 year old girls would have walked away annoyed, and in no mood to make friends with me, but Laura didn't. Instead she asked why and started up a conversation with me, and by the end of the night had invited me over to her house to come hang out with her friends.

That simple act of kindness ended up being the start of what is now a 12 year friendship, during which we've seen each other through marriages, divorces, bed rest, pregnancy, miscarriages. We've gone on trips to Disneyland, I planned her wedding, and now she's going to be my maid of honor and her 4 year old daughter my flower girl. Neither of us could have known at that dance that we would end up being friends, as close as sisters, for the rest of our lives.

This is a picture of us that was taken when we first met:

This is a picture of us on a trip to Disneyland last December:

Just goes to show you never know where a simple act of kindness can take you...

Happy Pink Saturday, Farewell Summer!

2009-10-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Pink Saturday all! Be sure to go see Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound and see what our other lovely bloggers have come up with!

It's official, they've stopped heating the pool at our apartment complex, and the weather has a sudden chill to it. Fall is finally here, in typical CA fashion (meaning it's a month later than anywhere else in the country) and I have a few pink pictures to send the summer out in style:

A pretty pretty princess pink beach towel

A neon pink pool floaty

A bright pink blown glass flower

A rose from my aunts garden

Farewell summer! See you next year :-)

Foodie Friday

2009-10-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Today I'm trying a new blog challenge; Foodie Friday hosted at Designs by Gollum.

I tried a new Cinnamon Roll recepie yesterday and I LOVED the way they turned out! Here is the Recipe from the Williams Sonoma Bread Book:

Fragrant with cinnamon, these old-fashioned rolls are laced with pecans, raisins and a sweet, crumbly filling known as streusel (streusel means "sprinkle" or "strew" in German). The rolls can be refrigerated during the second rise for up to 24 hours, making it easy to prepare them in advance for breakfast or brunch. The next morning, let the rolls stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then bake and serve warm with butter.

Ingredients:

For the streusel filling:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

For the rolls:
4 1/2 to 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup hot milk (125°F)
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature, plus more for serving
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup raisins or dried currants, or 1/2 cup dried cranberries, soaked in hot water for
10 minutes and drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 Tbs. milk or half-and-half

Directions:

To make the streusel filling, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make the rolls, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, granulated sugar and salt. Add the hot milk and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the butter, eggs and 1/4 cup of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook. Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on low speed until soft, smooth and springy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled deep bowl and turn once to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Roll out into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with the streusel filling, leaving a 1-inch border along the long edges. Sprinkle with the raisins and pecans, pressing them in lightly to adhere. Beginning with the long end, roll up jelly-roll fashion; it will be bulky. Pinch the long seam to seal but leave both ends open. Using a serrated knife, gently cut the roll crosswise into pieces 1 1/2 inches thick. Arrange, cut sides down and rolls just touching, in the prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 1 hour. Alternatively, cover with a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate to rise for 2 to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat an oven to 375°F.

Brush the tops of the rolls with some of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the milk once more. Using a spatula, remove the rolls from the pan and place them, bottom side up, on wire racks. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Invert the rolls onto a serving plate. Pull apart and server with butter. Makes 10 rolls

Mmmmmmm..... breakfast for Rob and I for the next three days :-)

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed

2009-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye; Halloween Decorations!

Above and Below: Halloween Village by Department 56 (I LOVE Department 56 Villages!)

My Pumpkin Centerpiece on Black Tablecloth (I just used cheap discount fabric from Joanns to create the satiny tablecoloth)

I put a mini Jack 'o' Lantern in my cake dome with some orange moss and put it in my bookshelf.

It's been fun getting into the spirit of things :-p See you next week!

Eye Spy Thursday

2009-10-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye, something that begins with H:

Any guesses?

You will notice today I don't have a Mr. Linky... I simply don't have enough participants to be putting up that widget every week. So if you want to participate after reading up on how to HERE, simply EMAIL ME and I'll add a link to your blog on this post. Then you'll be on my list and I will email you weekly about your intentions to participate in future Eye Spy Thursdays and link you in accordingly.

Other Participants:

http://weareflyingnow.blogspot.com/

As always I'll reveal at 5pm Pacific time.

Wedding Wednesday

2009-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

So when I was looking at invitations I found some I really liked HERE... the downside; it would cost me nearly $500 for a mere 50 invitations. However upon closer inspection I discovered that I could probably make a near exact replica of them myself... So I did :-)

INVITATION & RECEPTION CARD

I think they turned out pretty good... what do you think?

Returning from and extended absence

2009-10-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

So... In the last two weeks I have had BOTH the flu, and oral surgery... I also had to wait ever so patiently for the charger that goes with my laptop. I'm just getting up to being able to blog again after catching up on laundry, house cleaning, and wedding planning, all of which also fell by the wayside! But now I'm back, with no reason to disappear again in the near future!

Lots of exciting things coming to Wedding Wednesday tomorrow, and we'll pick up where we left off on Eye Spy Thursday as well. I've especially missed Pink Saturday, and can't wait for that either! So stop by often, cause I'm back baby!

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed!

2009-09-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye; a Graveyard.... ooooooo

In case you couldn't tell by my fun new layout, I'm starting to get into the Halloween spirit (pun intended) I only have a few of my decorations out, and I'll be doing the rest after I dig them out of my parents and grandmothers garages this weekend :-) I got these tombstones at Micheals aka Housewife Heaven a couple of weeks ago

They were 40% off. So now I have a cool graveyard in front of our fireplace (which is perfectly safe by the way because the gas to it is turned off and the pilot light is NOT lit) I really like the way it turned out :-)

See you on Pink Saturday! And don't forget about Eye Spy Thursday next week, where the theme will be I Spy with my little eye; something that begins with "H"

Eye Spy Thursday

2009-09-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to Eye Spy Thursday! Here's your hint!

I Spy with my little eye; something that begins with "G"

Any guesses? Comment away! Have your own Eye Spy post? Link in below! I'll reveal my photo at 5pm PST.

Wedding Wednesday

2009-09-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Wedding Wednesday, where bridesmaid dresses have been chosen!!

My awesome MOH (Maid of Honor) picked them out and I love them because the chiffon fabric really compliments my dress! She's also making jewlery to compliment my dress, check out the link to her Etsy shop in my side bar. Anyway the dress is from J-Crew which, it turns out, has developed an entire wedding line. Apparently this is the new trend for popular retailers... Ann Taylor has a wedding line too (who'd have thought it?) Now on to finding shoes for them... and for me :-) See you tomorrow for Eye Spy Thursday!

Happy Pink Saturday!

2009-09-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Special thanks again to our hostess Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound! Be sure to stop by and see what others have done :-)

This is a sunset in Lake Tahoe from about a year ago, when there were so many fires out there. The smoke made the sun look deep pink and the sky all around it pink and purple. It was an amazing sight! There was another sunset similar to this in Santa Cruz just a month ago during all the Santa Cruz mountain fires... but that picture didn't turn out as good...

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed

2009-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye:

Fresh Fruit!

See you next week when the challenge is I spy with my little eye something that begins with "G"

Welcome to Eye Spy Thursday!

2009-09-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "F"

Anyone? Anyone? Leave a comment and make your guess! I'll reveal the answer at 5pm PST. Got your own Eye Spy Thursday post? Link in below!

Mosaic Monday

2009-09-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to Mosaic Monday! Be sure to stop by Little Red House and see what our hostess, and others, have in store.

Today I have a mosaic of wedding planning stuff. I've posted a lot of these pictures in seperate posts as part of my weeking Wedding Wednesday updates, but for those of you that haven't been following Wedding Wednesday here is a sneak peek of some of the wedding planning stuff that's been going on :-)

TheKnot.com also let us know this week that we have less than 200 days until the big day! I'm suddenly feeling like I still have a lot to get done!!

Hope you all are set to have a fabulous week!!

Pink Saturday, Pink Saturday.... Wherefore art thou Pink Saturday

2009-09-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

So... for those of you who came here only to be disappointed by the lack of Pink Saturday, here is what happened.

My little netbook laptop, with ALLLLLLL my pictures on it, suddenly died on Friday afternoon. After spending an hour using simple, one syllabull, words to communicate with the less than competent Gateway tech support, it has been determined that the charger for the computer bit the dust. Luckily the computer is under warrenty and a new charger will arrive sometime in the next two weeks.

I can still take new pictures this week and upload them to Rob's computer to make all my posts until then, but the work I had already done for yesterday is trapped inside the laptop :-(

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! See you tomorrow for Mosaic Monday!

An Award from Sherry!

2009-09-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I received this award from Sherry over at Country Wings in Phoenix! I was so pleased! Make sure you stop by her site if you haven't before and check it out!

So, now my understanding is I can select up to 8 others to offer this award to. People who deserve to be recognized for their kindheartedness, and good nature. I don't actually know tons of fellow bloggers because I'm still fairly new to it, so I don't have 8 people, but I do know a few worth noting. All of whom have wonderful blogs, and a wonderful nature.

Robin @ Miscellaneous Thoughts

Corrine @ 101 Goals in 1001 Days

Nerina @ NicNac Maniac

Erin @ The Wilsons

Lori E @ Family Trees May Contain Nuts

All lovely ladies (two of them family) Stop by their blogs if you get the chance :-) And thanks again to Sherry for the award!!

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed

2009-09-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye:

Engagement Pictures!

Ok, Ok.... kind of cheating, I know. I know I've also already shown you a million engagement pictures but it's all I could come up with. "E" was really hard! See you next week for "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with 'F'"

Cheers!

Eye Spy Thursday

2009-09-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

This week was HARD! I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "E." Here's your hint:

Check back at 5pm PST for the answer. If you want to participate in Eye Spy Thursday, set your posts and link in below :-)

Wedding Wednesday

2009-09-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Wedding Wednesday! Today you get a second instalment of my visit from Robs parents! We spent a day in San Francisco and a day on the coast in the Carmel/Big Sur area. Here are some pics:

Here is Rob's mom, Cindy, and I at The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco.

This one is Me, Rob, Cindy, and Rob's father Gary.

On our day in the city my parents met Rob's parents for the first time. Here's all of us at Ghirardelli Square eating the best sundaes on the planet!

Gary and Cindy at a wine tasting we all went to at Cheateu Julien in Carmel Valley

The four of us along the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach

Gary and Cindy at Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. The weather was UNBEARABLY hot, which is so out of character for Big Sur, but we still had fun :-)

It was a great trip! Looking forward to being on their side of the fence when we go visit them in November!

Mosaic Monday Is Back!

2009-09-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well the last couple of weeks have been crazy, but I'm back to participating in Mosaic Monday, hosted by Little Red House!

My fiance and I love going to the local farmers market whenever we can afford to. The fresh produce is all so, so good. I love cooking with it, and the site of all the fresh food is also pretty awesome.

I love it! Hope you all enjoy your Labor Day holiday!

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed Auto Posting Glitch

2009-09-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I had my Eye Spy Thursday reveal set to auto-post and it failed me! But here it is:

I spy with my little eye a dog walker:

We saw a few of these dog walker guys when we were in San Francisco. How nice would it be, to be so rich you don't even have to walk the dog. Honestly, I'd spend my money on other things and still walk my own dog.

See you next week when the theme will be "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with 'E'"

I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "D"

2009-09-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to Eye Spy Thursday! Here's today's hint:

I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "D"

Any guesses? Don't forget to link in :-) I'll reveal my answer at 5pm PST

Wedding Wednesday Better late than never

2009-09-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well the visit from Robs parents went really, really well! My blog has been suffering though, with getting ready for them to come, them being here, getting organized since they've been gone. But I finally have a Wedding Wednesday post for you! Engagement party pictures!

CENTERPIECES

FOOD

ROB & GRANDPA

ME & MY MOM
CINDY (ROB'S MOM), ME, MY MOM

OPENING GIFTS

It was a lot of fun! And, I feel so much more relaxed now that I've met "the parents" :-)

Happy Pink Saturday!

2009-08-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Time again for Pink Saturday! Be sure to stop by and see our lovely hostess Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound and see what others have found in the pink!

Yesterday, I went with my sweetheart and his parents to San Francisco. It was so hot there today, in the 90's! It was clear and pretty out thought. One of many stops was The Palace of Fine Arts, with its pretty pink pillars :-)
Isn't it beautiful? Happy Pink Saturday! See you on Mosaic Monday, Wedding Wednesday, and Eye Spy Thursday!

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed Mmmmmm Coffee

2009-08-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

My future in-laws are coming into town... TODAY! Can you believe it? It's finally here and I'm nervous! They arrive at SFO at 12:30. In order to prepare to play hostess to Robs parents for four days, my mom got me this beautiful coffee service as an early engagement present:

Me likey!

I tried to figure a way to take the picture without my reflection gleaming in the pot, but couldn't really avoid it :-/ Oh well...

NOW- I'm gonna go to the airport! See you next week when the theme is "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with 'D'"

I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "C"

2009-08-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Welcome to my Eye Spy Thursday! :-) This week the theme is C, if you want to learn how to participate click on the Eye Spy picture in my side bar :-)

Here is today's hint:

Any guesses?

Wedding Wednesday

2009-08-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

The in-laws arrive in EXACTLY 24 hours. Yup, 24 hours from this post my in-laws will be here. I'm more than kinda nervous! We have a whole lot planned for our weekend with them so be sure to check back next Wed. as I'll have a ton of pictures to share. In the meantime, here is a teaser:

It's the invite to our engagement party this Sunday! Sorry the little cartoon bubble kinda takes away from "the look" but you get the idea :-)

See you tomorrow for Eye Spy Thursday!!

Missing Mosaic Monday

2009-08-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends---

Today, sadly, I'm not able to participate in Mosaic Monday. I have so much on my plate with future inlaws coming on THURSDAY!!! I'll be back on my game next week, and with lots of great new pictures from the whole fam damnly being in town :-) I'll definitely still have Wedding Wednesday, Eye Spy Thursday, and Pink Saturday posts... just don't have time to build a Mosaic today :-( Be sure to still swing by The Little Red House though, and see what others have done!

Pink Saturday--Build A Little Birdhouse In Your Soul

2009-08-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Pink Saturday everyone!!! Special thanks once again to Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound for hosting such a fun challenge!

Today we visit my aunts garden again. I really need new material at this point don't I... hmmmm.... but I love this little pink birdhouse!

She painted it herself, I think it used to be yellow. Not nearly as pretty as the pink in my opinion! Have a great weekend everyone! Hope to see you soon for Mosaic Monday, Wedding Wednesday, and Eye Spy Thursday!

Eye Spy Thrusday Revealed: Today; I am making bread

2009-08-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye Bread Baking (do I get two points for using the letter 'b' twice??)

Once you settle into the basic routine of homemaking.... and you don't have kids that you're constantly picking up after... you have a lot of free time.

I'm bored, a lot.

So last week at the commissary I bought eight packets of yeast, and a five pound bag of flour. I'm starting with a simple recipe for an onion herb focaccia. I decided to go old fashioned and not use any beaters, but simply a wooden spoon, a bowl, and my hands. No dough hooks, no motors, and a new respect for my great-grandmother.

Here is the dough after it's first rise:

After it's second rise:

The finished product:
I'm feeling very proud of myself at the moment :-) Happy Eye Spy Thursday everyone! See you next week; the theme will be "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with 'C'" See you on Pink Saturday!

I Spy With My Little Eye; Something That Begins With "B"

2009-08-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Eye Spy Thursday! Today the theme is: I Spy With My Little Eye; Something That Begins With"B"

Here's the hint picture:
If you have a guess as to what I might spy, post a comment! I'll reveal at 5pm PST. Click HERE to learn how you can participate, and if you do participate, be sure to link in below!

Wedding Wednesday

2009-08-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went to Baker Beach in San Francisco to get our engagement pictures taken. When we got there the beach had a whole bunch of nudists hanging out, determined to ruin my engagement pictures! But we averted our eyes, and with some clever camera angles still managed to get some great shots, and here is our favorite:

Mosaic Monday!

2009-08-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's Mosaic Monday once again at The Little Red House! Be sure to stop by and check out what others have done.

This week I have more pictures from my aunts garden... this is becoming a theme for me. There were just so many fun things to take pictures of in her (very big) beautiful garden. The pictures in this mosaic are all of cute little signs that are strategically placed throughout the yard. My favorite is the "sweet herbs" sign... probably because it has the word "sundry" on it, and I'm a sucker for fun vocabulary! Hope you all enjoy! Be sure to stop by later in the week for Wedding Wednesday, Eye Spy Thursday, and Pink Saturday!

Mosaic Monday 2, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2009-08-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Pink Saturday once again! Be sure to stop by How Sweet The Sound and say hello to our lovely hostess Beverly.

I know that lately a lot of my pictures have been from my aunts garden... but I simply can't help it! She puts a lot of hard work into it and the results are stunning! So when I was there a couple of weeks ago, I took a lot of pictures! This is a pink lantern that she has hanging in her sun room. Isn't it lovely?!

I do confess to doing a little bit of tweaking in photoshop to make the color really pop :-) I really want to know where my aunt finds such cute things for her garden! Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Hope to see you soon for Mosaic Monday, Wedding Wednesday, and Eye Spy Thursday!

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed!

2009-08-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye... ARGYLE!

There's a huge selection of argyle socks at Target and I want some! These are my moms... I'm jealous of her argyle.

Be sure to join in next week for Eye Spy! The theme is: I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "B"

I Spy With My Little Eye Something That Begins With "A"

2009-08-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Eye Spy Thursday! Today's theme is "...something that begins with 'A'" Here is your clue picture:

Be sure to check back this evening for the answer! I'm looking forward to seeing little Mr. Linkie links appear so I can see what you've all come up with! For details on how to participate in Eye Spy Thursday click HERE

Wedding Wednesday--- Pray for sun!!

2009-08-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

The location for our wedding is Carmel Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. Below is the view on a clear day:

It would be absolutely wonderful if it looked like this on our wedding day. However; I'm getting married in March and I am a realistic bride. It will probably be a little overcast, I'm ok with that. It could even be a little chilly, I'm ok with that too. Just please, please, please don't rain! Everyone pray for a dry day!

Military Life-- Your Dress Uniform Will Not Defeat Me!

2009-08-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

The USCG Dress Uniform (aka Bravos) is incredibly nice to look at, and in my opinion my fiance really does it justice. (Then again, I am just a tad bit biased)

This week Robs grandfather passed away after a long struggle with advanced Alzheimers. It's a sad time for him and his family, and even though I never had the chance to meet Papaw, it's a sad time for me as well as I watch him struggle with the loss. In an effort to be a supportive fiance, I decided to do everything I could to get him ready for the trip to Louisiana, this included updating all of the patches and ribbons and other various insignia on the "Bravos"

This task is a royal pain in the you-know-what!!!

The easiest part was the ribbons, I googled the USCG Uniform Regulations to find out what order they needed to go in. The ribbons all slide onto a bar that then attaches to the coat above the pocket... easy. However; the patch that indicates his rank and assignment on the coat sleeve was out of date. I had to take it off and put a new one on, which sounds easy enough.... until you realize what that means.

FIRST, all the patches are made the same way and have three red bars on them regardless of your rank. Rob only needs two bars, so I had to cut and alter the patch. THEN take off the old patch. THEN attach the new one, by hand, in the perfect position (with no outlines), through the coat and it's lining. I do not consider myself a seamstress by ANY stretch of the imagination. It took me 6 hours...

...but it did NOT defeat me.

Mosaic Monday!

2009-08-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week is my first week participating in Mosaic Monday, sponsored by Mary at Little Red House. This mosaic is made up of pictures I took in my aunts backyard in the early morning. My aunt has a beautiful garden, and in the morning when it's still cool outside there are bumble bees and honey bees sleeping on all the flowers. You can move the flower around and the bees will just stay there sleeping away! When the weather warms up they wake up to go about their busy bee business :-)

Sleeping Bees

Mosaic Monday 1, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2009-08-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! Welcome to Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverley over at How Sweet The Sound. Be sure to check it out and see what she and others have done!

Last weekend Rob and I went to our local farmers market. As we were walking out the door I said "Wait! Let me grab the camera in case I see something for my blog!" Low and behold, we saw this pretty pink cupcake while we were there

Are you ready for the amazing thing?? IT'S SOAP! Can you believe it?! Oh! The display was super cute too!!

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you later in the week for Mosaic Monday, Wedding Wednesday, and Eye Spy Thursday!!

Eye Spy Thursday Revealed!

2009-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

I spy with my little eye a bright pink pool floaty!

IMG_0009, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.
It was in the swimming pool and the still water and great contrast of colors was just too pretty to pass up!

Next week we'll start up with letters of the alphabet. You're challenge is:

I spy with my little eye something that begins with "A"

Eye Spy Thursday

2009-08-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

So... like I mentioned about a week ago I've been wanting to find new and fun ways to be an effective blogger. So far it's going well! I'm a part of Pink Saturday and Mosaic Monday, I also update you all on my wedding every week with Wedding Wednesday, and now I'd like to introduce.... (drum roll please)

EYE SPY THURSDAY (can you feel the excitement?)

This is a photogrophy and creativity challenge for you, my fellow bloggers :-) We all remember the car game from those road trips as children; I spy with my little eye, something that... Every week, I will announce the challenge for the next week (I spy with my little eye, something that begins with A, or ...something that you find in water) Also, any time you visit my blog the upcomming Eye Spy theme will be posted in the side bar. There are three ways you can participate:

+The first way to participate is once you have a picture you want to use post a hint or glimpse of the picture for people to look at and leave you comments guessing what you spy. Then schedule a post with the entire picture in it to auto post to your blog at 8pm EST. Then, link your blog to my Eye Spy post using Mr. Linkie.

+The second (and easiest) is to simply post a picture on your blog of anything that fits in the category and link to it on my blog using my Mr. Linkie widget

+The third is to go look at other Eye Spy posts and leave comments making guesses on what peoples pictures are.

Fun times are sure to be ahead as more and more participate!

NOW... for my first Eye Spy!

I spy with my little eye, something that you find in water!

Wedding Wednesday

2009-08-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

Some fun things for this weeks wedding update! The theme of my wedding is "beach glam." It's going to be a beach wedding with a modern twist and lots of bling :-) A couple of weeks ago I was in Santa Cruz with my mom and my grandma and we found some fun wedding accessories!

This clam shell opens up and is going to be what we have our flower girl/ring bearer hand to us with the rings in it during the ceremony. I love the little rhinestones on the ridges, and the blue fade at the bottom goes perfectly with my colors (turquoise and mandarin orange)!

Clamshell for Rings, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

This crystal covered starfish is actually a broach, but I'm going to put it in my hair. Again, I love the sparkles!

Starfish for Hair, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the rest of my accessories will look like! My best friend and Maid of Honor, Laura, has a small business making jewelry and is going to make a bracelet and a pair of earrings for me to wear on the big day! If you want, you can check out some of the things she has made HERE.

Getting more anxious as we prepare for my future in-laws visit! Also looking forward to engagement pictures in 2 weeks!

Pink Saturday

2009-08-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Today I'm participating in the Pink Saturday blog challenge sponsered by Beverley over at How Sweet The Sound. Be sure to stop by her blog and check out what other participants as well as our hostess have done!

This is a picture of my best friend of 13 years and I at Disneyland in a bright pink teacup right by the Mad Hatters Tea Party ride in Fantasyland. Disneyland is one of my favorite spots and this bright pink teacup is one of the best photo spots in the park!

Pink Saturday 8/1/09, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

Becoming an effective blogger Wedding Wednsday

2009-07-29T07:56:00.001-07:00

So, in order to maintain a better blog I've decided to look for a couple of other blogs that I can follow that have weekly blog challenges. My mother is the queen of this, so I'll probably start by investigating her blog roll and swiping Robs government issued digital camera (shhhhh it's for official use only :-p).

In the meantime I will spend the next 8 months trying to update all of you on the process of planning my wedding. So... Welcome to Wedding Wednsday!! (Isn't that a nice illiteration?)

Last week was VERY productive on the wedding front! I arranged for an officiant and ordered our wedding cake! Our officiant is Pastor Norm Mowery, from The Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel. I worked with him a lot when I was planning weddings down there, and he officiated all but two of the weddings I arranged in Carmel. Here is a picture I took of him about 4 years ago (he still looks the same!):

Our Officiant, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.
Our wedding cake is going to be a cupcake cake from Sugar Butter Flour Bakery. I'm really excited about this idea because it means we don't need anyone to cut and serve our cake! The top tier will be a traditional 6" wedding cake tier, and then the bottom three tiers will be graduating platforms filled with 40 cupcakes! Our top tier is going to be carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and is inspired by this cake:

Wedding Cake Inspiration, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

The cupcakes will be an assortment of 4 different flavors: Chocolate, White, Marble with Fudge Filling, and Banana. Each one will be topped with a hand painted chocolate seashell and look like this:

Ocean Cupcakes, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.
Next week I'll be starting to plan for when Robs parents are coming to town! Which means engagement pictures and engagement party details are sure to follow!

Happy Hump Day!
Jennicillin

BLING BLING

2009-07-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

BAM! I have been branded as the property of P.O. Robert Troha!

Ring, originally uploaded by Jennicillin.

So... New life, new blog. Can you feel the excitement??