A boring old witch?

Last weekend I went to a Halloween Party. Most people did. I went through various plans for costumes from Rainbow Brite to a witch. I have a cute black skirt I really wanted to wear plus I couldn't find Rainbow Brite's socks. A witch was plan until about noon Saturday.

I ran into the host at the market before the party. He said in not so many words he would judge me if I showed up as a witch. Hmmm, don't want to be judged and decided that I am boring.

So, creative as I am I was Glinda the Good Witch. And I had the perfect outfit. I re-purposed my wedding dress.

Fun! Bonus - the boustier bought for it was re-worn. I'm trying to depreciate it. Only 5 more wears and I'll consider it a good investment. :)

Vegan Diet Finish Line

Oops. The 2 month vegan diet challenge was supposed to end this morning. And it did, with cream in my coffee. But truthfully it ended on Friday at the Palate with the mussels in fusilli with a dill cream sauce. Yum.

And then on Saturday with the falafel wrap cover in tzatziki and garlic spread. And the cupcakes with 3 eggs in the mix. Oops. So good.

Of course, on Sunday we went to Cora's for breakfast and I got a crepe omelette's. Mmmm. With hollandaise sauce. Not vegan either.

I think I've decided that I am not doing a vegan diet again. We came out of it trying only one new recipe. And the one new thing we started doing, roasting veggies and tomatoes in the oven instead of making a pasta sauce, we did last night and added pesto sauce and sprinkling cheese on top, and it was so much more awesome.

Besides, did you know they make foam insulation for your house out of soy?!!? What can they not do with that bean. It's gotten a little scary!!

And after re-reading this post I think I've had a very indulgent weekend and need to hit the gym. Eep!!

Vegan Diet - 6 days left

Six days left in the 2 month vegan diet that I am sick of. Not that I'm craving chicken or anything in particular (maybe just chocolate and ice cream). But last night was awesome. I made a soup. A sweet potato, corn and jalapeño soup. It was thick and yummy and took very little effort. Also it was a nice change from the Curried Lentil Soup that has been a vegan staple. Once again I am delighted that I finally bought a hand blender. I use it constantly.

I used a recipe from 2 different sources and guessed on the ingredient amounts. I had 2 very large sweet potatoes to work with and the recipes differed in potato size and numbers. Everybody Likes Sandwiches was the one I focused on mostly because hers made more soup and I have a habit of returning to a pot of something I like until there are no leftovers for lunch. She got her recipe from the Wednesday Chef whom I have read religiously for about 2 years.

Try the links, try the soup. It's very passive cooking. I put on the onions and garlic to fry while Chris cut and peeled the potatoes. I added the broth, turned up the heat and let them boil for 25 minutes until I blended everything, added the rest of the ingredients and ate supper. Yum!

I'd post a picture but I don't have one. But I can verify that the sweet potato soup is orange and looks like a bisque. :)

Vegan Diet - 2 weeks left

We're 6 weeks into our vegan diet.

I don't think it's nearly as much fun as last time.

I'm super interested to see what kinds of habits we keep. I think I'll very quickly go back to drinking milk and eating eggs. Mostly because I don't drink a lot of milk. We have a ton of potatoes in the house from our CSA box and my favorite thing to do with potatoes is to put them in a frittata. And I can't do that. So we have a ton of really nice looking potatoes sitting in the kitchen. Just waiting for some sort of inspired idea. Vegan potato salad is pretty yummy. And they can be added to curry and chili. Ummmm..... and broccoli and potato soup. What else? Any suggestions? Please!

Also, I'm sick of pasta with roasted veggie pasta, lentil soup and couscous. Even though I made couscous just once, I find it bland. I'm still on board with the soy ice cream treats, hummus wraps and vegan curry. 2 weeks should be nothing. But last week I cheated a lot. I got home from the pasta buffet at the Delta on Thursday and I said to Chris, "The vegan pasta was super boring....and I think there was dairy in my cheesecake."

I think I should add an extra week just for that.

vegan diet

About a month ago Chris and I decided to do a two month vegan diet. We did it once before for 2 months. It was about a year ago that we tried it and we only had good memories. Although I recall missing eggs.

So we're a month into our 2 month vegan diet and I cheated. I ordered a veggie wrap and I was so careful to not get pesto on it because of the Parmesan cheese. Well that's great. But I was distracted and didn't noticed that it was made with mozzarella cheese.

I did not unwrap my spinach wrap to dig out the cheese. I ate it. And it was so good. I miss cheese. I am sad I can't buy home made cheese when we pick up our CSA box. I don't really care about eggs this time. And I certainly don't care about meat. But OMG I am dying for a dairy product or two...or three. *Sigh*

Wedding Album

I finally ordered and received my wedding album. Super exciting. It took a couple days to put together. It took a couple of months to work up the motivation. I love it. Too bad I didn't think ahead and decide to order a storage box. Oops. Either way its kinda gorgeous.

My parents still have their wedding album. My dad hauls it out a couple of times a year. :) I kind of wanted one to look at in 35 years too.

This is the front cover.

This is the back.

The inside is full of fun stuff too.

16

I'm having a crappy day at work. And it's dragging on. And for some reason the thought that popped into my head was that my 16 year old self would be pissed about my job. And that's true. But you know what 16 year old Jill would love? The fact I married Chris. I had a crush on him when I was 16. His friend's locker was just down the hall from mine and he hung out there for a bit every morning. And I'd pass him and think, "Frig, he's hot."

Dream

I had a dream that we got married again. It was totally planned. People attended both ceremonies that were supposed to be exactly the same. Except I forgot to have my dress cleaned. And I forgot to tell the minister. So my second wedding was a disaster. I don't think there was any alcohol to make myself feel better either.

Better just stick to the first wedding and not do it again.

Soap nuts

I'm a wanna be hippy. Total wanna be. My best friend in high school was a hippy and I loved that about her. I loved how she made her own pillows, was a vegetarian, made friends with random homeless teenagers and weird grassroots organizations. I was glad her patchouli faze was a quick one.

But I will never be a hippy. Used clothing stores drive my allergies crazy. I don't make friends with randoms. And I can't list any songs by the Grateful Dead. So when I find anything that remotely appeals to my inner flower child I am all over it. And that's what brings me to my love of soap nuts.

I came across an ad for them last year on kijiji. There are a couple of Canadian websites that sell them. I also found some at Plovers in Halifax and on ebay. Online companies give a ton of info on their websites about them.

Soap nuts are the seed from a tree called Sapindus and people have been using their shells to clean for thousands of years. I've been using them to do my laundry for about 9 months now, and while removing stains isn't their strong suit, they make everything smell fresh and clean and wonderful. And they disinfect. Apparently they're really good for cloth diapers. The big plus is you put a handful of shells into a wash bag and you can use it 5-10 times. Makes laundry easy when I'm in the mood to do any. :)

I think they rock and everyone should use them so I thought I would spread the word. They are cheap, have no phosphates, and come from a renewable resource. Therefore everyone should use them.

Yes, this may be my only hippy tendency. But I always worried my dad would yell at me if I got dreads. He's big and scary. However, I am testing out vegan-ism again, starting tomorrow. That so counts.

August 28, 2010

Happy Wedding Day, Marcelle & Chris!!!!

XO

Wedding Rings

My friend Jonathan Corey of Masterworks Jewelry made both my engagement ring and my wedding band. Chris helped design the engagement ring and I designed the wedding band. And they are both gorgeous. But the setting of the diamond ring is really high and I do a little physical labour at work. Plus I'm super clumsy and run into things. Anyway I decided the setting wasn't appropriate for my office. I didn't want it to get scratched or chipped.

When I designed my wedding band it was with a flat setting in mind. I had browsed Etsy looking for ideas and settled on something from My Heart Monster. Using those ideas Jon designed a ring with 4 aquamarines in a low profile setting. The aquamarines are Chris's birth stone which is super cheesy and awesome. :)

Anyway the rings were never designed to match, which they don't. And I tried wearing them together but the clashing really bothered me. So I put the engagement ring in a box. But I missed it.

About 3 weeks ago I decided that I would buy another wedding band. One to wear whenever I'm in the mood for a sparkly diamond ring. Crazy, I know. But it arrived today and it's perfect. Yay!

I can't wear it yet until Chris see it. But that should be in less than an hour. And then it will be 'the more rings the merrier'. I wonder if this means I'll have to do another Ring Warming Ceremony?

Our Traditional weekend trip

This weekend is a super huge weekend that I look forward to every year. Our annual trip to Grand Manan!!!! We're at the Hole in the Wall Campsite at Whale Cove Site 1. Yes, this site number is important. There's a huge bench on the campsite, next to the fire pit where you can look over the Bay of Fundy and watch seals eat herring. It's a good time.

The view from our campsite.

Friends Lacey and Jason having supper on the huge bench.

This is the first time Chris and I are going by ourselves since we started going 7 years ago. Which is weird. And so we're doing something different on Saturday night. We're going out to dinner. I know, not really different. But on the island we always eat at the campsite and this time we're going to a fancy restaurant. I think it's just down the street but I'm not 100% certain. They post their menu daily and right now I'm sorry I'll be missing tonight's haddock stuffed with crab and cheese sauce. Mmmm.

I can't believe it's only Wednesday!!!

Teamwork

Chris and I are normally an excellent team. We have very similar tastes and preferences which made wedding planning really easy. However we don't work well together on house projects. I don't like the professor voice he uses when he's telling me how to do things. It bugs me to no end. My first experience with this was 4 years ago when we moved in to our house together and started to redo the kitchen. Chris was lecturing me on how to put in the new flooring. I think we got about 4 pieces in before I gave up to save the relationship. Yes Chris, I stopped helping you for the greater good. :) Aren't I sweet?

Luckily most of our projects aren't so big that he needs help. At least that's what I told myself when he gutted the bathroom to the studs and rebuilt it. I said, "The bathroom is too small for 2 people to work in there at once."

However, we have been living in this blue house for a long enough time. It's a very ugly blue. I have always hated it. And when I realized that we had been living there for 4 years this month I decided that was far too long to live with a color you hate. And so we agreed to paint the house. A project much too big for Chris to do by himself, so we had to work as a functioning team. (My friend told me it would go much smoother if I didn't disagree with him and just handed him tools as he required. That is so not me.)

However, much to my surprise, we worked together really well. We were super productive and painted one coat on the whole house this past weekend. Crazy. No more ugly blue!!!! And we're still talking to each other. And nice to each other. And we even had a little bit of fun! Yay! Maybe afterwards we can take on redoing the living room???

This picture was taken after all the prep work had been started...and 2 of 4 sides painted. But really, this is the before picture. The fascia boards still need to be fixed, but the front window was stripped and repainted. Thank goodness Chris has no problem with heights!

Tada! Midway point. This is with one coat on the house. So one more coat to be put on. And then on will go the new mail box, new numbers, and new light fixture. Plus we're painting the door red when we (I?) get a chance. Awesome!

Home

I am really glad our wedding reception was at my parents house. I lived there until I was 25, I am the only person with a key to the front door, and I spend about 4 nights there a month. Not surprisingly it's still pretty much home. And it was perfect and comfortable for the wedding.

But I had dinner there on Saturday night, sitting at the kitchen table that displayed all of the food at the reception. And since then all I can think about are the cupcakes that looked so pretty and tasted so yummy. I only have 2 left in the freezer and they are waiting in the freezer until our two month anniversary.

What a shame. Maybe I'll have to place another order.

Wedding Recap

On June 22,2010 my day started with a cup of coffee and drive out to Rothesay with my sister and friend Robyn. We spent the morning getting pampered with hair, make up and manicures. I have no idea what Chris did all morning except he and my aunt hung pom poms from the trees at my parents house where the reception took place. They did a really good job.

When we arrived back to the house we quickly got dressed and met Chris, his best man and best lady, and our photographer outside at 12:30. We went uptown to make spectacles of ourselves. It was awesome. We had a tour bus full of people cheer for us while we took pictures in King Square. It was a fabulous way to hang out and wait for your 3 o'clock wedding.

We were uptown for over an hour and took pictures in 3 locations. This was fabulous and there were tons of pictures taken. My only regret is that we only bought the 5 hour package and I wish we had of bought the 7 hour package. We have a million bridal party pictures but are lacking on the reception. I wonder what I missed as I flitted from room to room, from lobster rolls to smoked salmon and back again.

* all photos by Julie A. Whitlock

Wine Country

After checking out all the fossils on the beach at Joggins we headed to Wolfville to spend the night at an the Olde Lantern Inn and the next day traipsing around vineyards. This was my favorite party of our honeymoon. Most likely because it was the most 'honeymoon-y' part. :)

We arrived around 8 and startled the girl waiting in the lobby. I think we may have been supposed to knock, but that didn't occur to us and we walked right in. She quickly showed us to our room, The Wine Cellar. It was super sweet. The pictures online don't do it justice. It had a great view of the vineyard and this sweet little door into the front garden. It was super cute. And outside was lit by an old fashion lantern with a candle burning. It was sweet. The girl gave us directions to a fancy restaurant just down the vineyard, called Le Caveau. The path was also like by candlelight. We both ordered a glass of wine and the tuna. I just looked up the website to see what kind of wine we ordered and I realized....we went back the next day and I bought the wrong kind!!! I am pretty certain I had the Seyval Blanc with dinner and I bought the Vidal Blanc to bring home thinking it was the one from dinner. Silly. I guess I'll know for certain when I open it next week (my one month anniversary plan). But right now I'm strangely disappointed. Le sigh.

Anyway, dinner was fabulous. We were both stuffed. The next morning we got up and had breakfast at the Inn and sat with an interesting couple from New Jersey doing wine tours for 3 days. We ran into them later in the day and the woman whispered to me, "This is the best winery yet!" Since she had been doing tours for days I could only assume she was right. We only toured 3 wineries, but the one she picked as her favorite...it was fabulous.

On the Friday of our honeymoon we toured:

Domaine de Grand Pré bought by a Swiss Banker in the nineties and completely restored.

Muir Murray Estate Winery owned by an Irish doctor.

And

Gaspereau Vineyards which is owned by Jost Wineries.

It was all fabulous. But I have to admit Gaspereau was my favorite. Just like the lady from New Jersey. When we arrived there we found out there wouldn't be a tour for an hour. So instead we tasted wines. The girl there let me taste all of their whites. Chris just wanted to taste the reds. I wanted to taste everything that Chris tasted. In the end Chris bought two bottles there, a red and a super expensive Chardonnay for me. Yay! He loves me.

After we tried all of the wines at Gaspereau the girl gave us a mini tour. She showed us the steel drums where they aged the wine. And then she took us outside the back of the barn and showed us some of the vineyards. They do a lot of experimenting at this winery. The location, on the sunny side of the hill is a great place to experiment. Which is why they have a chardonnay. Most vineyards in Nova Scotia don't seem to make it. It was interesting and so pretty. Part of the vineyard is int he picture below. The hill behind has the chardonnay grapes. Closer to us are the grapes for their L'Acadie wine. (Which everyone vineyard we went to bragged about but wasn't really to my taste. Ick.)

Joggins

On the second day of our 4 day honeymoon Chris and I went to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia. The building is eco-friendly and super neat.They have little display holes in the floor. And they had a café with yummy seafood chowder. We registered for the 2 hour tour on the beach. It was guided by a guy who is a grad student studying Paleontology in Halifax.

Everyone on the guided tour had to wear hard hats on the beach in case of `rock fall`. Chris quickly informed the guide about his little encounter with rock fall this spring. You know, the one where he lost the tip of his finger. Ha. The guide did that thing where you`re so grossed out you do a full body shake. It was funny. And then we walked down the beach and learned about fossils. Mostly tree fossils. And some lizard footprints. No dinosaurs. I would have known that if I had of read the website beforehand, but I did not. Oh well, I had always wanted to go and I had a really good time.

But the seafood chowder at the café...yummy!!!

Entertainment

I was reading a new blog ROSHDAWG, sister of my favorite wedding blogger and today's post suggested going to your oldest email account and reading some of the emails you sent years ago. She suggests that this will be hilarious. I tried this but I must have deleted all the old ones because the account I've had since I was 18 only goes back to 2007. And was mostly about getting Jenn to fix my resumé. But I found a note to my grandmother about how I bought a new skirt...ohhh, fancy. I wonder if it was the one Chris bought me because I 'lost' my wallet?

Anyway, the email to my grandmother was attached to a forward from her. I thought I'd let everyone have a laugh and roll their eyes. Enjoy!

I urgently needed a few days off work,
But, I knew the Boss would not allow me to take leave.
I thought that maybe if I acted "Crazy" then he would tell me to take a few days off.
So, I hung upside-down on the ceiling and made funny noises.
My co-worker (who's blonde) asked me what I was doing.
I told her that I was pretending to be a light bulb so that the Boss might think I was "Crazy" and give me a few days off.
A few minutes later the Boss came into the office and asked,
"What in the name of good GOD are you doing?"
I told him I was a light bulb.
He said, "You are clearly stressed out."
Go home and recuperate for a couple of days."
I jumped down and walked out of the office...
When my co-worker (the blonde) followed me, the Boss asked her,
"And where do you think you're going?!"

(You're gonna love this....)




She said, "I'm going home too. I can't work in the dark.

Two Weeks Married

Chris and I have been married for 2 weeks and 1 day. Fun. On this day at this time 2 weeks ago we were packing up to leave the presidential suite at the Chateau Saint John. So pretty!!! And then we went back to my parents house for brunch and present unwrapping. So fun!!! Shortly after we began our excellent adventure and honeymoon!!! Starting with Treego!

What a weird thing to do on your first full day of marriage. But we had fun!!! And I barely whined at all. :) But I was too tired afterward to go anywhere fancy for dinner. So we drove 3 minutes to the Superstore and picked up sushi.

Back at work all I can think about it how much fun I was having 2 weeks ago. But it feels more like some distant past. I need another vacation.

Married!!

Wedding was fabulous!!! Super fabulous!

Pictures are here.

Yay!!!

Now off to dinner with my hubby!

WEDDING DAY

Wedding is in about 15 and a half hours. So exciting. The rehearsal was fun. Went pretty well....brought me back to having my prom pictures taken at Public Gardens....although it wasn't really nostalgia. It was more due to the fact that a million high school kids were there getting their prom pictures taken. Crazy. We had to wait until they were all done taking pictures under the arbor. It was crazy. But they were all very pretty. So sweet! Until it was annoying.

Ugh. So we got started a little later. But it was good and there was a good flow. And after Gracie went down the isle as flower girl she made a new friend. It was fun to wait her and Marcelle running across the grounds. :)

It was a good night. And tomorrow should be a good day. :) Full of spa dates and cupcakes. :)

OMG

Ok, so the wedding is in 6 days and I took some pictures into work for scanning today. You know, for wedding stuff. :) Anyway I was just looking at this and thinking how super cute we are.

We may be a little drunk but frig...don't you miss being 22 and having great skin? No wrinkles or dark circles!

Oh yeah, this was our first Halloween together. I'm an angel and he's a lumberjack. And we're totally cute. And I stole his beard.

DIY crunch time

Eeep. Wedding is in 7 days. I'm all about avoiding DIY projects at the moment. So while I'm avoiding printing out pictures of Chris and myself I found this gem. And I had to post it.

XOXO babe.

9 Days

Eep! 9 days until the wedding. Lots of stuff to look forward to. A party, a vacation, a honeymoon. So excited about the honeymoon. We're touring around Nova Scotia and doing a bunch of stuff we've never done before. And going to the Halifax market at it's Keith Brewery location for the last time before it moves. All very exciting. :) Yay!!!

But the wedding favours that I bought months ago and was so excited about have yet to ship out. I'm actually stressed about it. Which is so funny because I bought them in March. And I picked them out well before I ever got engaged. And now with 7 business days left before the wedding I'm annoyed and stressed. What does a person do if they're wedding favours don't turn up in time for the wedding? Will I have 80 little trinkets just hanging out at my house? Does one deliver them after the wedding? Do I have to pick up something else? Hmmmm..... any suggestions?

Count down

The wedding is 2 weeks from yesterday. Eep. I wrote myself a list of things that still need to be done. It's an entire page. I feel like I'm cramming for an exam, except I can't spend the night before doing all the work. Well, I could. But ugh...I bet that would take all the fun out of it.

On Saturday I met with my cupcake lady. She's fabulous. When I got to her home I was treating to a viewing of two orders waiting for pick up. Blue football cupcakes for a little boy and some fabulous pink ones for a one year old girls. Nate needs cupcakes for his first birthday. And maybe we can order them for every other upcoming occasion? Mmmm....yum.

Also we met with our photographer on Monday night at Snooty Fox. All meetings should take place where they are drinks and nachos. Although Chris had to keep directing the conversation back to the wedding pictures. Julie and I wanted to gossip instead. Oh well. Looks like we'll be meeting at my parents at 12:30. Hope I'm all pretty by then. And then we'll head uptown for some fun lets-make-a -spectacle kind of shots. :)

Looks like in 12 days we'll be all set for a wedding. Woohoo!

Location!!

On Sunday evening at 8 whatever pm Chris and I went to check out the park. I think it was the first time we've been there together since picking it for our wedding. We needed to decide where the ceremony will be taking place.

There are tons of good options: Under a big tree, in front of a big garden (where I had my prom pics taken), or the obvious choice to get married in front of the arbor. We picked the arbor. Not because people are supposed to get married under an arbor, but because there is a grassy knoll across from it. We figure we can lay out picnic blankets on the knoll and the younger generation can sit there. And hopefully a couple of strong men can haul the concrete benches over from around the park.

I wonder if it will work out as planned. This wedding keeps getting fancier and fancier so I'm not sure how the picnic blanket idea is going to go over.... but it will be a fun attempt.

Ceremony

Since March we have been trying to schedule a meeting with our wedding officiant. The logistics haven't been working in our favour, but yesterday was the day we could all connect. Meeting at a Tim Hortons in Saint John was way more fun then spending a sunny afternoon at work.

Our officiant is Pastor Kirk Perry from Central Wesleyan Church on Grand Manan. Kirk and I met years ago because my sister is really close with his family. However we got to know each other during a 5 day excursion to Pennsylvania for Creation Festival 2005. It's a 4 day Christian music festival and it was a lot of fun. One night we were watching Audio Adrenaline play their set from the mosh pit and one of their amps blew. So while we were waiting the half hour for them to fix it Kirk started a sing-a-long. Completely entertaining and totally hilarious. And my favorite Kirk memory. :)

Yesterday was a good day. We all agreed on most things. The ceremony may be a little more religious that people would expect from Chris and I, but it will be personal and about 20 minutes long. And I'm really excited about it. :)

Wishpot

I read far too much wedding porn. The favorites list on my work computer is now loaded with wedding blogs, purchases, and DIY tips. No more fancy food blogs or medical equipment retailers.

Eep.

But I did learn a few things from this new guilty pleasure. A person can create a registry in one place online but you can register at any store you want to. Fun. Chris loves it. He registered for stuff from MEC.

Anyway we have an account at Wishpot. It's fun and fast and efficient. I love efficient. Just FYI.

Progress

Stuff's happening!!

1) Wedding clothing is being purchased! Dresses! Ties! Hair stuff!

2) Cheesecake Lollipops are being brought into my life!

3) Appointments and reservations are being made

4) Vacation time is booked

5) Ministers are still on board. :)

And yet it has still crossed my mind twice today that I would like to elope.

Invites

Wedding Invitations are going out this weekend!!

Very cool.

The wedding to-do list finally has a few more check marks. Looks like the whole event might come together. However with a minister, a dress, some wine and the cupcakes all lined up I am pretty sure we have the makings of a wedding. It's just the extras that need to be taken care of, like what the groom is wearing. :)

Possible decor

These are some home made pom poms that were made for Chris's 30th birthday. Marcelle and I were practicing for the wedding.

I think with some practice they could look really pretty.

This is what they are supposed to look like:

These are from PomLove on Etsy.

I don't think we were too far off. But my round edge ones weren't nearly as pretty as these ones.

Rainy day

Hmmm, no new posts for weeks now. That means it's been weeks since I've done anything. Eep.

Well, today I was readying a website that tells me rain on my wedding day is good luck. Since the historical forecast of June 22 says it often rains on that day I kind of felt like we should have a back up plan. Therefore the wedding may very well be 'BYOU', Bring Your Own Umbrella. And if it predicts rain I will be headed to Market Square to buy one of those fancy umbrellas they display but always feel a little to extravagant to buy.

But look at this pretty picture of a rainy day bride. Isn't she cute with her umbrella and rubber boots?

Photo's from Kiss The Groom.

Sorry, couldn't just copy the one I wanted.

Trollin'

This afternoon my mind has been wandering. Only 90 days until the wedding and I am bumming around the Internet looking for any interesting ideas.

To begin my afternoon of internet surfing I first landed on this website: Adam Graham Photography

I went to youth group with Adam while in high school and I wanted to look at his wedding photos. There are some very pretty pictures. He has such a cute kid. He also has a talented wife who makes her own soap.

So then I landed on her website: Birch Bark Handmade Soap

I love handmade soap. I usually just collect it but I've been making an effort lately to actually use it.

Anyway on Birch Bark Handmade Soap's blog she posted a link to Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. It's a website where you can type in a skin care product that you use and it comes up with a number on a scale of 1 to 10. Low hazard to high hazard ratings on ingredients for personal use.

I typed in 'Bed Head Shampoo" which is what I use and it came up with this horrible hazard number of 8 out of 10. They dissect the ingredients used in the product and show what each ingredient has been linked to. So an 8 out of 10 means that several ingredients have been linked to cancer, skin irritation and contains something that has been found unsafe for use in cosmetics. Eww. My moisturizer is a 6 and my make-up remover a 5.

Lovely. So I am posting the link so others can be educated/grossed out too.

Maps to wedding and reception

I am going to let the cat out of the bag. We put maps on the back of our wedding invitations. It seemed more efficient than putting them on separate paper.

I thought I would post them in case anyone has any questions of how to get there. I'm hoping the reception can immediately follow the wedding with pictures beforehand. Not entirely certain how well that is going to work, but I think it could be fun.

This is a map directing people from Fredericton to the Saint John Public Gardens. In the map it's called the 'Horticultural Gardens', but I have never once called it that in my life and I grew up down the street.

From there the reception will take place at my parents house. I am really hoping the weather is good. I have tons of ideas for outside decorations and not many for inside. If it rains I'll have to be much more creative. Oh yeah...if it rains, you should pack an umbrella. Chris vetoed my, "Let's take a trip to Bar Harbor and by $5 umbrella's idea." Which is too bad. I'm sure it's really nice there with all this fabulous weather.

If anyone has questions on directions or if rubber-boots are acceptable attire please let me know.

Dress

Do you have to try on a wedding dress to buy one? I've found about 6 that I love online, but I can't find any in the store that I actually want to put on? There's either too much fabric, or icky feeling fabric. And I don't seem to have a whole lot of interest in putting myself through that. Besides with 3 and a half months until the wedding I really don't have a lot of time to get one in. Eep. Too soon. Getting engaged 6 months before the wedding is crappy timing. I think it should have been either a year long engagement or 3 weeks before the wedding. Tons of time to plans lots of details or no time at all.

I wonder if Chris is having any luck deciding on what he's going to wear. I hope he's not waiting on me.

Alberta Wedding

This weekend I am taking notes on Jason and Terri Jo's wedding. I am trying to figure out what I am forgetting or what spins on the traditional I would like. Last night at the rehearsal I was making notes on Chris's I-pod. I got 4 or 5 so it was totally productive for me...plus it was fun.

Thanks J for getting married so I can hang out and watch. It was a beautiful ceremony, plus it's always fun to see Chris in a tux. However there was a rule about no picture taking allowed in the chapel. Ugh! That was annoying. I had the lens cap off of the camera but I couldn't ignore the minister's wishes. Thank goodness for the brother-in-law that hid a video camera up his sleeve. Luckily the park doesn't have the policy. :)

Eep!

Today I checked my email and the Knot told me I have exactly 4 months until my wedding day. 4 months doesn't really seem like a long time. Especially since I have yet to pick out my wedding dress. I am thinking I'll end up paying an extra $50 for express shipping. Thank goodness for express shipping!

Oh well, this weekend we crossed off another caterer. Picky! :) After I get back from my quick trip to Alberta I'll start worrying about the wedding. I'm trying to figure out if I can convince Chris to let Asia walk him down the isle. Maybe that can be my goal for the week. Since he can't get away from me on vacation I can annoying him the way Bart and Lisa Simpson annoy Homer so they can go to Duffland. "Chris, Asia should be in the wedding." again and again.....

Invite Test

Chris and I finished the wedding invitations yesterday. Very exciting!!!! At least we think we finished them. I ordered 10 just to see if I love them. If not we have time to redesign them. But I am really excited about checking them out before ordering a ton. Although when I got the bill for the shipping it seemed a little silly and frivolous. But I also ordered a few other things too. Including a pre-wedding ball cap. Sweet!

Updating the Check List

Item 1 : Call favorite pastor and beg him to marry me. I mean us. Check for me.

Item 2 :Call City of Saint John and see about Tucker Park option. Check for Chris. The guy on the phone offered to clean the beach for us the day before the wedding. Sweet!

Item 3: Call Public Garden Society people and apply for booking. Check for Chris. The guy on the phone tentatively booked the day for us and there is an application package in the mail.

Yay team Nelfolk! Totally accomplishing stuff!

Suggestions for Chris

I have a few ideas about what Chris should wear to the wedding. Since I have yet to decide on what I want to wear, I may as well focus on him. :)

My suggestions:

or

maybe even:

But definitely:

What do you think? Maybe he'd even get a pedicure?

Present for Gracie

I am trying to find a flower girl dress for my niece Gracie. Of could she'll be cute in anything. And I could buy something completely adorable for her from Winners. But that idea hasn't stopped my from looking on the Internet.

Thank goodness her birthday is coming up. I found a completely adorable tutu for her. I am thinking of putting her in a tutu dress for the wedding....but I'm trying to change my mind. How comfy will a two year old be in tulle for for 5 hours? Yuck! No one should be in tulle for 5 hours.

Anyway, I just wanted to post Grace's birthday present. It's gorgeous. And I'm hoping I will get my fill of seeing her in a tutu and find something comfy for the wedding.

Registering

My friend is already registering for her wedding in August which makes me feel a little behind because June comes first. However I started to think about things I would like to register for and I am having a super hard time. Chris and I have had a house together for over 3 years...we just got a new coffee maker, blender and toaster. What else is left?

Today I found out I can register on etsy.com. Which is totally awesome and one of my favorite things, but kind of sounds like a lot of work. So I'm just going to register for one thing:
Have it Confections Caramel of the Month Club. Ohhhh. Fun!!! You know on 27 Dresses where the chick buys the Wine of the Month Club for every wedding she attends...doesn't this sound so much better??? Well, just as good at least. :)

Wedding dress code

Since the wedding is going to be on a Tuesday afternoon I wonder if it should be a business casual dress code? Everyone can just arrive from work. But that can't apply to me because I wear jeans and hiking boots most of the time.

I suggested a Hawaiian shirt for my nephew Nate so he would match the color scheme. If everyone showed up in one it could make for some interesting pictures. I'm putting the idea out there for anyone who would like to run with it. Since we're leaning towards a wedding at Tucker Pack on the beach it could be very fitting. Depending on the bug situation there could be tiki torches.

Either way, ties are optional and Birkenstocks would be totally cool. If they make wedge heels that's what I'll be wearing on my feet. :)

Save the Date...Done!!! Next, Invites!

Save the Date cards are in the mail!!!! Yay!!! All done.

Well except for Haley and Phil's which I was supposed to drop off walking the dog last night. But I'll walk her tonight and try to remember it. :)

I'm sick at home today so I'll probably work on the invitation. Although I truly am lousy with Photoshop, so I will play and then I'll tell Chris what I really want. :) That's the way it's been working. But it should be a neat invitation. I like the idea of having something I've never seen before. It's nice to have a goal.

Check, Check, Check!!

I've had a really productive few days. So productive that the 'wedding item' I needed to check off tonight was "Blog about how productive I've been". So here it goes.

Friday night Chris and I worked on designing our wedding invitations. They definitely aren't finished yet but they have come a long way.

Saturday I asked Robyn to be my bridesmaid. That was a fun thing to do. And then we popped into Heavenly Gowns to see if they had the dress I want in stock. They don't. I'll be headed out to Dieppe to check a store there.

Sunday it was decided that the reception will be at my parents house. I am so excited. I think it fits in with my plans perfectly. This way Chris and I can have the wedding reception we've always wanted. :) And I think that there's a nice flow to the house and it will be the casual comfy atmosphere that we are aiming for.
We're still not completely sure where the wedding will be. It's a toss up between Tucker Park and Public Gardens. Both have pros and cons....I'm sure I'll (I mean 'we'll') decide soon.

Monday I booked our photographer. I'm so excited. Julie A. Whitlock Photography. I love her work. And she led me to my cake baker, whom I booked today.

So check, check, check.

My goal tomorrow is too look at catering menus online. I'm pretty sure I know which company I would like but it's fun to look and I love to comparison shop. Oh yeah and I should call my favorite Pastor and see if he wants to hang out on some random Tuesday in June. A never ending list. But I like the idea of trying to accomplish one wedding item a day. That's doable.

More on this topic...

The Save the Date cards have arrived. Now I just need to get together all of the addresses. It seems kind of silly to email people for their addresses so I can send them a save the date card. I could just tell them in the email to begin with. But then weddings seem to be kind of silly themselves.

The day after the save the date cards arrived I saw a really cute idea on a wedding blog. A couple made a timeline of their relationship ending with their wedding date. It was super cute and I immediately wanted to throw out the cards I have and start over. But I know if I do that once I'll probably get in the habit of it. Chris always makes fun of me for pricing and comparing items after I have already bought them. But I think it's fun and educational. :) This time I'll ignore the urge to re-purchase and send out the cards on my dining room table.

Next topic....we're back to locations!

Tada!

Save the Date cards are on order. I decided against the magnets because my favorite one needed a picture and oddly enough after 7 years Chris and I have very few pictures of the two of us where we're both looking fabulous. (And let's all be thankful he got rid of those round glasses.) Anyway the goal is for the cards to be in the hands of invitees by the middle of February. That gives me a few weeks to collect addresses. One thing accomplished and one new job.

Next color selection and invitations! Excitement is in the air!

Magic Peanut Sauce

I think everyone in the whole world should know about the Spicy Magic Peanut Sauce from everybodylikessandwhiches.blogspot.com

It's fabulous. It burns onto the pot everytime because I always forget to chop my ginger and garlic before I need them. But it still tastes fabulous. And the pot always comes clean with a little baking soda. No harm done. :) Throw it on a stirfry and get all of veggie servings in for the day.

3 parts chunky natuarl peanut butter
1 part sriracha (That cheap Chinese hot sauce)
lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 parts chili sauce
2 parts honey
lots of garlic
1/4 cup water plus more if you cook it too long and it gets too thick
chunk of fresh ginger, chopped or grated
1 part soy sauce


I write 'part' instead of an actual measurement because I tend to just throw the ingrediants in. The recipe is super flexible and yummy.

Save the Date!

Well, I have decided to go with Save the Date cards. Actually, Save the Date fridge magnets. It seems efficient since people normally put wedding info on the refrigerator anyway.

I've read that Save the Date cards should go out 4 to 6 months before the wedding. Finally, I am right on schedule for something. Hopefully they can be designed and in the mail by the end of the month. A new goal for a new day.


Next on the list is finding a location and maybe booking a photographer. Oh and I saw a picture of a fabulous wedding cupcake display this morning at
Julie A. Whitlock Photography
I may need to find out who the baker was at that turquoise wedding. Yummy!

Engagement announcement

After seven quick years of relationship bliss Chris finally popped the question. *Surprise*

Actually I was surprised. I had set an imaginary wedding date 5 years ago when my sister got engaged. June 22nd, 2010 seemed far, far away. Alas, after saying the date every time someone asked me when we planned on getting married....I got a little attached. However unconventional and inconvenient, the wedding is on a Tuesday at the end of June.

Now I am in the mist of trying to figure out where the wedding should be, what time of day and how many people want to take a vacation day for a wedding. Maybe I can just tell 75 people to call in sick. Instead of a 'Save the Date' card, maybe I could send out a 'Save a Sick Day' card??? Hmmm, who wouldn't find that funny?

Something to think about later.

For now I can check 'Start a Wedding Blog' off of my list.