Wedding Wednesday

Since today is the day after Christmas I am out and about scoring some deals for the wedding and Christmas!

Here's my shopping list:

• Clear icicle lights for underneath table cloth on head table and cake table.
• Clear strands of lights for stage in Ballroom
• Stockings holder
• Stockings
• Wrapping paper
• Gift boxes
• Plastic storage for wrapping paper, boxes, bows

We will see how I do and how many people I'll be battling for these items!

On a super happy note, the bridesmaid dresses are in a full 2 months earlier than we anticipated! I'm so excited to get the girls together again and see the dresses in right color and on them! We're almost 6 months to the big day!!!

First Gift Exchange

Merry Christmas Eve! As we are starting to begin our Christmas festivities with my parents, I had to quickly share the first gift exchange I had with my bestie and her baby yesterday afternoon. I was so excited for Riley to open my gift and I took quite a few pictures!

Every year it never fails, Erica's gift is always alcohol related now that we're over 21. I'm excited to use these glasses and mix with her. The jelly bellys will be gone before we get to make the drinks. Haha.

Watching Mama trying to tell her to pull on the paper.

Not much of a smile there, but a picture with part of her gift.

Getting some help from Mama opening the next gift

Playing with the wrapping paper

She loved the lid :)

So excited to see what Santa brings Miss Riley for her first Christmas!!

Winter Wonderland

Lucky for me, well not so lucky was me waking up midnight Wednesday morning with the stomach flu. I missed the last day of 4K for 2012 as we got dumped by snow from Winter Storm Draco. I think we got around 16" where I live. I spent my first snow day recovering and the second snow day was frantically cleaning and packing so I could head home for Christmas! At home they got around 13", so it was still a lot.

The parking lot before the plow came through.

View to the road from our bedroom window.

After the plow came through. Much better!

Back home - Dad blew some snow for a path for the dogs and to get to the buildings.

They sure love the snow :)

Always so pretty in our yard after the snow.

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Update

Now that we are under 7 months from the big day, there are lots of decisions to be making!

Here's the gigantic list of to do's that leads me up to February:
Book cake baker
Finalize guest list
Print & mail save the dates
Start photography list
Work on timeline
Work on invitations and wedding program with Erica
Decide on wedding ceremony musicians/music
Call Church to change wedding time and ceremony
Call couple to do FOCCUS
Second marriage prep class - Jan. 26
Research wedding party gifts
Research place to get rehearsal invites done through
Ask friend to be a program/bubble lady
Select and order groom and groomsmen attire
Look at cake/knife sets and decide if I want to borrow Berkley's
Talk to photographer about ordering guestbook
Find out price for hotel block we reserved at AmeriInn
Find wedding jewelry
Look over registries and add missing things/wants
Find garter
Find hairstyle and makeup inspiration
Menu tasting Feb. 2
Waterproof wedding shoes
1st wedding dress fitting
Alterations appointment
Decide on wedding flowers and make appointment with florist


It seems like a lot, but I know there is a ton more I need to add to this list come February. I need to get out of this wedding rut and start making T do some things for me. I cannot wait to work on details and experiment. I'm thinking some wine will help this task and my girls! :)

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

A few weeks ago T and I decided it was time to put our day after Christmas steal of a tree up in our apartment. It's super exciting to start decorating our first tree in our first place together. We opened the box and were about to start putting our tree together until we noticed a very important piece was missing....the plastic piece that the tree goes into that also has the slots for the feet to slide into.

The next day T called the customer support and had a sort of interesting experience. He had to leave a voicemail since no one answered. Luckily, the lady called back and T had to fib when we bought the tree since it was last years model. She told him that she would call if they couldn't find the part or he could just go by a tree stand and wedge the tree into it. Umm, no thanks. 

I was very excited to see a little box near our door last week so we could put our tree up. It was the right part, so we were ready to start fluffing and decorating our tree.

T fluffing our tree

Some ornaments on and a few wrapped presents under.

All decorated!

On a Hobby Lobby run, I picked up this ornament for me :)

One of my students gave me this ornament for Christmas when I was student teaching for my future tree. I just loved my fifth graders!

My classroom is starting to look decorated as well. I picked up a little tree and ornaments on a Target run and grabbed some lights at Shopko. I got the tree skirt last year when we got our tree after Christmas.

This project was a lot of work, but it was worth it. On a sad note, all our snow is gone. :(

I'm Back!

It has been a few weeks since I've posted and it's just been crazy busy! I think my other new years resolution should be making sure to blog 2x a week! Now that I'm nursing a cold (thankfully it's not pinkeye, strep, ear infection or stomach flu that has been also going around my classroom), it was the perfect rainy Wisconsin winter day to catch up with me!

The last weekend in November, my future brother in law turned 21. He attends the same college I just graduated from a year ago. Time sure flies! We went out in downtown P-ville to help him celebrate and babysit. :)

 Getting sung Happy Birthday in Spanish!

Tequila Shot

The Brothers - You can't tell Pat is excited ;)

I smelled like fire after standing in front of it with Paddy.

T and I

I love my future brother - by far my favorite picture of us :)

It was a great night and I was the best sister in law ever to hold his free t-shirt all night and help walk him home.

Now that it's December we are also getting into crunch time with some wedding things. I'll have to post all about that soon!