Holy bookshelves!

In a quick google search for a picture of a bookshelf earlier today, I ran across several unique bookshelves - unlike any I've ever seen.  They're really just too great to not post.  Plus, one day when Crissy and I are rolling in the dough and can build our own house (hahaha....that seems like it might not ever happen at this point), I'm pretty sure we're going to need some of these.

Hanging bookshelves for the book lover with not enough wall space

A walking bookshelf for the person who needs exercise, too

And, the bookshelf that I am now absolutely IN LOVE with and HAVE to have someday:

They're stairs!!!  AND, a bookshelf all in one!  Forget the huge library I longed for as its own separate room with one of those rolling ladder things....I want these stairs!

Candles with a side of vegetables?

Cupcakes, Candy and Cookies - Oh My!!

No worries - I'm not devouring things like this as I write this.  Instead, I've been checking out ideas for our dessert table for the wedding.  I'm off work this week and while being lazy this morning, decided to peruse some ideas online.  Typically my not working leads to me spending money (I mean, who wouldn't want to shop when they don't have to work?) - however, I think this morning is resulting in me saving us some money for the wedding.  Crissy and I have planned all along to have various "mini" desserts at the wedding.  Let's face it - I'm indecisive and would prefer to have 2 bites of 3 different things than have one big piece of just one thing.  So, lots of options there will be!

We've talked about cupcakes - which I've decided today that I may just make myself.  One flavor will be carrot with cream cheese frosting.  Crissy and I have talked about little ways we can honor my mom and one of those ways will be carrot cupcakes.  I remember carrot cake and my request for birthday treats were often carrot cookies.  I might also have to enlist the help of my friend, Audrey, to make some fancy icing swirly things like this:

Audrey makes her own cupcakes - and they're pretty wonderful, with a variety of unique flavors to choose from.  We're looking to save money, so Crissy and I probably aren't likely to pay for someone else to make cupcakes when I could do it myself....but if you want to check out Audrey's cupcakes, you can order through Etsy (and she'll ship!).

I've also shared with Crissy that I think small tarts would be ideal, too - to add something "non-cake" to the assortment.  I, personally, LOVE lemon - so it seems only natural that we would offer a lemon tart with berries on top like this one:

I'm sure we'll also do things like gluten-free brownies for all of our celiac friends.  And, I perused the Jelly Belly website this morning to check out their flavors in greens, browns and a peacock color.  I'm pretty sure we're going to have to have some margarita, mojito and Dr. Pepper flavored jelly beans, too.  Plus, they just make tables look so pretty when they're in glass jars of various heights like this table:

Check out these other ideas I've found today, too:

Marshmallows dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

Oreos dipped in chocolate

Rock candy - that's just fun and kind of glittery :)

There's a good chance that we won't incorporate all of this....or if we do, all of these things will just be in small quantities.  But, oh the possibilities!!! 

Too much stuff!!!

Oh my gosh - I just keep finding too many things I like!!!  Like this fabulous dress:

Or, these really adorable fabric invitations.  So fun!!!

*Almost* like a new kitchen...

Crissy and I put together our new barstools Sunday and Monday - and had only one small snafu.  We were missing a rubber foot.  So, during a trip into Bed Bath and Beyond to redeem some gift cards we received as engagement presents (for a new down alternative comforter), we asked if they could somehow find us a "foot."  We were told to simply take one off of a display that was similar to our barstools.  Easy enough....

So, with barstools that we've been waiting to have since moving in in May, our kitchen almost seems like a whole new space.  I don't have a "before" picture, but here is the kitchen and island now that we have the barstools:

And, here's a picture of Crissy getting ready to enjoy one of her favorite "diet" dinners for the first time at the island:

No more eating on the couch for us!  Woo-hoo!!!  I am a firm believer in eating together - and eating at a table.  So, barstools are pretty exciting.  Thanks Mark and Ladonna!!!

Sleep Training

 I have a lot of friends who talk about sleep training with regard to their kids.  They blog about such things as the "crying it out" method, patterns, sleep schedules, sleeping pills... Oh wait.  I think the sleeping pills must be their secret wish for the nights where the screaming just never stops.  One tiny little pill to make their precious little bundle of joy just be quiet and snooze long enough for them to regain their sanity and start a new day.  My friend, Emily, has blogged about, and read about, sleep training more than I think any other newer mother possibly could.  She amazes me.  Though, I should make it clear she's never blogged about wanting to give her adorable little man a sleeping pill...she's only blogged about her complete sleep deprivation and desire for him to sleep a whole night.  In one of her blogs she writes about the "crying it out" method, which is really exactly what the name implies.  However, with that comes concern about Erikson's theories of child development and a very crucial stage of trust vs. mistrust.  If you let your child cry, do they begin to think that you'll never be there when they need you?  Enough about child development theory...and real babies....on to what this post is really about:  Mo.

Yep, we're in need of some sleep training with the dog.  See, about a month ago or so, I told Crissy that if/when we got new bedding, I really didn't want Mo sleeping in the bed anymore.  (We'll disregard the fact that I was never a huge fan of it in the first place.)  At that time, we made a small effort to attempt to get him out of the bed.  However, it was small.  And, by small, I mean miniscule - and it lasted about two days - and, he never actually slept a night somewhere other than the bed.  Really, all we did was create an easier way for him to get in and out of bed.  Brilliant, huh?

As mentioned in the prior blog post, we got the bedding we were wanting from Crissy's grandparents for Christmas.  So, with our day off yesterday, we put it all on the bed and together.  It was lovely!  And, thus began the need for sleep training.  Our nap yesterday afternoon began with a nightmare of the loudest barking I've ever heard from Mo.  I mean, seriously, he hurt my ear drums with his barking.  Somehow he eventually fell asleep or went to chew on something...or something.  But, the sleep training resumed with bedtime last night.  Mo was actually okay in one of his two new options for a bed....right up until Crissy and I actually went to bed.  And, then the barking and whining resumed.  We took part in the "crying it out method" for a while and then I took pity on the fact Crissy had to work today.  So, I climbed out of bed and laid on the floor next to one of Mo's bed options.  He laid there for about a minute, then went back and forth between different places in the room, until he finally settled into the chair in our room.  So, I kneeled on the floor next to him and pet his face until he fell asleep.  There were a few steps after this which involved moving my hand and still making sure he was asleep, etc...before actually getting back into bed, but you get the idea.  Unfortunately, this had to happen again when he got up in the middle of the night.  To top it off, I felt like that new mom who had a hard time sleeping because she's listening for every little sound.  Well, I wasn't listening because I was worried about Mo....I didn't want Crissy to wake up!

We'll see how tonight goes - I'm hopeful that after another few nights, Mo will "sleep trained" to a new location in our room.  Here's what he has to choose from:

The really cozy chair in the corner of our room, near our bed

 

Or, a suitcase ala dog bed complete with pillow for a cushion, comforter we've been using and Mo's fleece blanket

Merry Christmas, Part 2

Bright and early Christmas morning, Crissy and I drove the 2-ish hours from my parents to hers.  While leaving the house by 7:20 to try to make it to her grandparents' by 9:00 seemed early, we were grateful that her parents had changed their mind about us needing to be at their house by 7:30 Christmas morning (which would have meant a 5:45 departure time).  Now, keep in mind that the weather between Washington and Farmersville can be a bit different.  So, while to all of Crissy's family it might have seemed like driving would be a piece of cake, it wasn't that way to me (let's disregard my complete paranoia about driving in winter, k?).  It was a little like this at my parent's house before leaving:

And, in comparison, it seemed like this when we arrived to the Springfield/Farmersville area:

We did, however, finally arrive - albeit late.  Christmas is definitely different between our two families and it was a new experience for me to have the "full" Brockmeyer Christmas experience this year.  You see, even though Crissy and I have been (mostly) together for the past 4.5 years, we've never split holidays before.  We've always done our own thing - and frequently, I've driven down to see her sometime on Christmas day (or whatever holiday is in question).  This was the first time that we attempted to spend holidays together - and with each of our families.  Honestly - it worked out pretty well, I think.  Christmas Eve is a much bigger deal in my family (and to me) and Christmas day is a pretty big deal to Crissy's family....so it was easy to split.  Plus, it was really nice to be able to have the full Christmas experience with each other - and each other's families. 

So....Christmas with her family typically starts with gift exchanging at her parents house; however, since we were late that portion was postponed until Christmas night.  The whole family extravaganza starts at 9 (or when we arrived) at her grandparents house - with everyone sitting around in a circle in the garage (with heat) to open presents.  This includes her grandparents, their three kids (which includes Crissy's mom), and the grandkids and significant others/spouses.  The biggest difference I noted between our families is how gifts get distributed.  I'm a big believer in the "one-at-a-time" method, where one present is handed to someone, they open, then a gift is handed to someone else, everyone watches while that person opens, and the cycle continues.  Crissy and her family are of the "pile" mentality - where each person has a pile of presents and they open all of them at once, then move on to the next person.  They also do it in order of age - youngest to oldest.  It's interesting how different families are, you know.  It's also interesting that however we were raised is probably what seems "right" to us.  Needless to say, there were lots of gifts exchanged Christmas morning with her family and I got to be a part of it.  I've always been invited to things before this year and while I've often received something small from people - I typically felt like the "weird friend" who was just always around.  Now that has nothing to do with how Crissy's family has ever treated me - because they've always been fantastic and amazingly welcoming of me.  I've never felt like an outsider....but holidays left me feeling weird.  Until this year.  I didn't need gifts - and I had no expectation of them, honestly.  But, that little thing of gift giving and having my name on gifts with Crissy that were ours, jointly.....that left me feeling very much included.  Her family knowing about me and that we're getting married...makes a big difference.  I'm really glad they know, that I get to be a part of her family too - and that I got to experience my first family Christmas with all of them.  :)

Crissy has always referenced the different stages of gifts in her family...."morning presents," "stockings," "afternoon presents"....  There are definitely stages - the opening of presents as mentioned above, followed by stocking gifts for each family member.  Then, it's time to start on things for lunch - which apparently allows most family members time to nap or play games on the XBox (which included some pretty hilarious dancing).  Then it's lunch....and napping (because how can you not with as much food as they have?)....and then afternoon presents.  Afternoon presents, it turns out, is when gifts are exchanged with Crissy's great aunt and uncle, Joanie and Wendell.

Following ALL of that, we headed to her parent's house for gifts between them, Crissy and I, and Jennifer and Jeremy.  We had some pretty exciting surprises for them, as well....and surprised Jennifer and Jeremy with their wedding gift.  Since I never blogged about Jennifer's wedding, the short version is that it was lovely.  I took lots of pictures so that Crissy and I could give a really great gift.  Remember several posts ago about Blurb, the website where you can create books?  Well, that's what we did for them with some of the 850 pictures I took.  And, we decided that her parents would want one, as well....so we made a smaller version for them.  I think they were a pretty big hit...

As a result of Christmas, part 2....we now have barstools in the kitchen and new bedding in our room.  We're pretty excited about all of it.  Check out how our room looks now with the new bedding:

Merry Christmas, Part 1

Christmas began with some time at my parent's house in Washington.  Crissy and I headed over on Thursday evening after she was done at work and we had sufficiently wrapped presents and packed for several days away from home.  Our holiday weekend started off well with my dad's famous (well, famous to us) homemade pizza, movies once Bill and Clare arrived and the start of jello shots.  Yep - our family celebrates holidays festively....with alcoholic jello.  It's nearly shameful for me to admit how much Peach Schnapps and Vodka I went through Thursday afternoon making the jello.  So, Christmas with my family resembles something a little like this picture of Crissy above.  Though, she only busts out the affro at Easter....not for Christmas.  haha.

We got some quality time with my parents, Bill and Clare - and eventually Kayla and Kyle, too.  There was lots of tasty food, aforementioned jello shots, wine, laughing, joking, relaxing and of course, presents.  It certainly wasn't all about the gifts, though we did get some great stuff.  More than that, we were pretty excited to give our gifts to my family.  Every person got something unique to them - and my dad, whose present hasn't arrived from Ireland yet, got a lovely hand-drawn picture of a sad elf explaining his present wasn't here, compliments of Crissy.

Best present given (aka the funniest)?  Definitely the one we gave to my brother.  You see, Bill is a HUGE Nine Inch Nails fan.  Even more than that, he LOVES LOVES LOVES Trent Reznor, the lead singer.  Bill claims to not be the least bit interested in guys....but I'm pretty sure that, without a doubt, he'd leave Clare for Trent if ever presented with the opportunity.  So, after a big misunderstanding about what type of "album" Bill really wanted for Christmas and the number of days dwindling, I suggested that Crissy sketch a picture of Bill and Trent.  I mean, that's a one of a kind gift...how could he not love it?!?!  Crissy did a great job - and I framed and matted it, so it was a legitimate gift.  Now, more than giving great gifts to my brother, I LOVE driving him crazy and irritating him.  For instance, I know exactly which nicknames tick him off the most.  So, I figured putting "Boyfriends" on his frame in blue glittery letters would do exactly that.  Instead, he found it as hilarious as I did.  But, hooray for him enjoying it and finding the humor in it!  Here's a pic of his picture all framed and ready to be wrapped:

Perhaps one of the most meaningful gifts received?  The Little Prince (pop-up version!)....from my brother.  I really love all of the gifts people got me and am beyond appreciative.  A lovely turquoise peacock graces our Christmas tree, a peacock vase sits on the hope chest in our room, our bed is far more cozy due to the new down-alternative mattress topper, Date Night has been watched and laughed at, my fun green coat has been worn and kept me warm, plus lots of other goodies.....  But, The Little Prince will always hold a very special place in my heart.  Somewhere is the version I read for the very first time - my mom's.  I remember reading it very young, perhaps around age 8 or so....and then probably several more times as I got older.  I read the original French version in 4th or 5th year French in high school....and have thought of it very few times since then.  When I pass it in a bookstore, I often look at it - and wonder if I know of anyone I should buy it for to spread the goodness of such a wonderful story.  To be honest - I remember few details of the story and only can recall the beauty of how it's written and the amazing life wisdom imparted by Saint-Exupery.  Now I get to re-read the story and check out all of the fun pop-up pieces in this new book.  Crissy has never read the story (shocking, right?!?!) and it's exciting to be able to share this with her, too.  Plus - as Bill mentioned when he gave it to me....it's something that can be shared with our kids, too, one day.

These are funny looking

While looking at David's Bridal's site tonight, I wanted to see some of their "separate" options for bridesmaids.  Well, little did I know that going that route would take me to this whole wizard like thing that would allow me to create all kinds of options for the wedding party.  So, I'm posting them just because they're kind of funny.  There are really limited options for hair styles and colors....which makes all of us look not quite like ourselves.  So, here are the more "cartoon" versions of Kristy, myself, Crissy and Darci.

I decided to cut my hair for this one - and wear it wavy.  haha...

The funny thing is, though, that only "Kristy's" outfit in the first picture is comprised of "separates."  And, seeing the pics David's has on their separates page before beginning the process makes me really wish people were wearing black and white - they're so pretty!  Though, honestly - I think I just want Kristy and Darci to wear dresses that they like, feel good in, and ideally could be worn again.  So, if that's the long brown one tried on in October and posted here ("We have a winner!"), then so be it.  Ladies - we're just glad you're a part of our day.  :)

Paper Flowers

If you recall from several (okay, perhaps lots) posts ago, we posted pictures of my parent's yard and the trees we would stand between while getting married.  Well, I've been trying to think of what we could do between those trees to not only look pretty, but also add something a little bit more "wedding like" to that part of the yard.  Well, after having made some rather large tissue paper flowers for Crissy's sister's rehearsal bouquet, I had the idea of doing something with similar flowers for that place in the yard.  This is what I'm thinking (though, not in yellow, of course):

Rain, Rain Go Away

Since Crissy and I are planning on everything being outside, we clearly need to accept the fact that it could rain on our glorious wedding day.  I'm hoping that the weather gods and goddesses are on my side....but in the event that I pissed them off somewhere along the way, we're going to have a back-up plan.  If you've ever been to the whopping metropolis of Washington, Illinois, then you know that there's not an overabundance of locations to have a wedding and reception in one place.  Not to mention one that could get past it's Tazewell County Republican mindset and accept why we need the location.  On top of that, we want somewhere unique and that's "us" and not your typical/traditional reception site.  Lucky for us - there's this fantastic location on the "Square."  The picture to the left is of one side of Venue Art and Wine.  The exposed brick, tin ceilings, trendy light fixtures, and overall ambiance make it the ideal "rain" location for us.  I just hope I get a response to my email that works for us and our budget. (*fingers crossed*)

Go, Go, Gadget.....Dress?

I promise a Christmas/holiday recap will come soon....but, in the meantime, check out these dresses I found.  They're a "two-in-one" gown and go from long to short with apparently a "quick zip."  Can you imagine just unzipping the whole bottom half of a wedding gown?  I can't - but think it sounds amazing.  I wasn't really looking to spend $600 on a wedding dress, but the idea of having a more dancing friendly dress for the reception seems pretty awesome.  On top of that, why not just dye the shorter version after the whole day is said and done....and then it becomes something that could be worn over and over again.  I mean, these dresses are just fantastic.  I can't wait to try dresses on - and am in hopes that I fall in love with something far less expensive than these.

This one becomes this:

And, this one becomes this:

The art of being frugal

If you know me (Trish) at all, you know I'm not really frugal.  Beyond not really being frugal, I don't really like the art of being frugal.  What I do like is to shop.  Not only that, but I like expensive things.  Don't get me wrong - I love a good sale....but a good sale just makes me want to buy more than I would have if something were full price to begin with.  So, this whole wedding planning on a limited budget thing is a little challenging for me.  Now, if money weren't an issue at all, I don't think much would be different - I just wouldn't worry so much about what things cost and how we'll pay for it all.  I'd still want it outside at my parents house without a lot of the "hoopla" of more traditional weddings.  I'd still want it small like it will be.  I'd still want most things exactly as they are.  However, I'd probably pay someone else to make bouquets for us.....I'd consider paying for a dj instead of creating playlists for an iPod.....I'd splurge and rent things like chair covers and round tables.  But, instead - we'll probably make our own bouquets, have an iPod, and be perfectly content with our rectangle tables....plus a million other little details that we'll do ourselves.  In the end, I know we'll be perfectly happy with our wedding - and be thankful we didn't spend a lot.  Honestly.

So, instead of big fancy wedding bouquets, we're much more likely to have something like this that I saw on a wedding blog by another bride-to-be who made it for $8 from flowers she picked up at Trader Joe's.  $8 bouquet?  Yes, please!

And, then there's the subject of boutonneire's and corsages.  They might seem silly since we're having a small wedding and everyone will clearly know who our parents are.  But, here's the thing:  our parents are pretty important to us and while everyone might recognize who they are without that flower thing stuck to them....we want to make it clear who they are.  I also had an epiphany today about to do these "frugally."  (is that even a word?)  Yesterday, I was at Ariel's house chatting and picking up some gifts that I had her make for others for Christmas (I'm sooo excited to give them!) - and she showed me some cute little bags/wallet-like-things she had made and some fabric flowers she was experimenting with.  I LOVED them!!! They were all amazing - and I would have bought all of them if I (1) had the money and (2) had a use for lots of fabric flowers.  So, instead I oooh-ed and aww-ed over them and professed my love.  Then, today, I thought - why not have Ariel make fabric flowers for corsages and bouts?!?!  Little does she know that this is my thought....but I'm hoping she'll be on board when I break the news to her that I have yet another project to occupy her time.  I like the idea of fabric for a few reasons - there's nothing messy to get on people's clothes, no ridiculous pins that no one knows what to do with, and they can be kept forever.  Here's a boutonneire I found today that I think is pretty awesome...

I also came across this inspiration board today.  I love pretty much everything on the board from the fabulous shoes, that amazing dress, the clutch, the hair flower thing and the pillow.  I'll take one of each, please.  But, most importantly - that clutch may become another project for Ariel for a lovely gift for someone.  :)

You see, if I'm going to spend money on things for the wedding and gifts for others - I'd much rather pay a friend to make things she's really good at making than buy them from a store. 

In the interest of being frugal, does anyone want to volunteer to turn fabric into cloth napkins?  I'd really much prefer cloth napkins (which coincides with being more "green" than not) to paper napkins....but my sewing machine doesn't work.  :-(

Tis the Season

Crissy and I have been talking all weekend about putting up the tree - and finally did it today.  While we've spent Christmas together since we first began dating for the first time, this year feels different.  This is the first Christmas of us living together.  This is the first Christmas of us being engaged.  This is the first Christmas where it feels like it's our "first Christmas together."  So, we pulled the tree out of the box from the basement and brought up our respective ornaments and mixed what we each have had to create our new tree.  I think it's pretty.....  We also lit this Yankee Candle holiday wax thing I received as a gift somewhere along the way....and between the tree and the "candle," it seems a whole lot like Christmas in our house.  Happy Holidays!

  

How I spent my Friday night

Crissy's sister gets married a week from, well, today, technically.  It's now after midnight - which means only seven short days until Jennifer's big day.  It's a long standing tradition that when you get married and have a rehearsal, the bride carries a bouquet made from the ribbons she received on all of the presents from all of the bridal showers.  With that, is also the old wives tale about how many ribbons breaking equaling the number of children in the marriage, blah, blah, blah.  Enough of that.  At Jennifer's family shower back in October, I offered to take the ribbons and make Jennifer's rehearsal bouquet.  I had plans of making tissue paper flowers so it resembled more of an actual bouquet than ribbons stuck through a paper plate (no offense to all of those brides who have done that, though - just not my cup of tea).

On Thanksgiving, Jennifer gave me the rest of her ribbons from her other showers.  At that point, it looked like a lot of ribbons.  Let me just tell you - it was A LOT of ribbons!  With the wedding only a week away and knowing how much I hate to be productive once home during the week after work, I decided tonight might be a good time to start on the bouquet.  I mean - it's freaking freezing outside, there's loads of snow (and by loads, I clearly mean about 2 inches), and Crissy and I had no plans.  So, I picked up some tissue paper, sparkly silver pipe cleaners, and silver and green glittery stuff earlier today to adorn the bouquet and make it more "real" looking.

Two full hours later, there is one rather large rehearsal bouquet sitting in my largest vase that regularly graces the shelf-thing in the living room.  I wish the pictures I took really captured the magnitude of this thing - it's just that large.  And, did I mention how many freaking ribbons Jennifer had?  More specifically - did I mention how many purple satin ribbons she has from Bed, Bath and Beyond?  I mean, they're pretty - but come on!  So, here are some pics....though, quite frankly - she has so many ribbons that I think they completely overtook the paper flowers I made (which were rather large themselves).

9 months!

In nine months, we're having a........wedding.  Not a baby, sillies.  The big day is nine months from today!!!  Though, it is a little weird to think one of us could get pregnant and birth a child between now and then.  I think we'll just stick with the wedding. We know you're super stoked....

Drooling for Duvets

As Crissy would say, when I get an idea in my head about something I want.....I want it yesterday.  Patience is not one of my virtues (though it's better than it used to be).  And, when I get one of these ideas, well, I might become a little obsessive with looking for ways to make it happen.  The current "idea:"  new bedding.  Ever since Crissy and I stayed at the B&B in Andersonville with a bed so cozy it made you never want to leave, I've been trying to figure out how to make ours into something like that.  So, I've been looking at new comforters like crazy - and then finally decided a down alternative comforter and duvet cover was the perfect solution.  Because this clearly won't be the last time I change my mind about how I want our bedroom decorated.  While spending some time at Target tonight to pick up tissue paper, I decided to peruse the bedding.  You might be wondering if the bedding is near the tissue paper....well, it's not.  But bedding is way more exciting than tissue paper.  While there, I stumbled upon this:

And then, of course, a coordinating throw to casually toss at the foot of the bed:

Check out the whole look with contrasting shams:

And, I found this fantastic pillow to add to it, which goes great with the blues and greens in our room already.  Trust me - I took the duvet cover around with the throw, shams and this pillow:

Have I mentioned lately how much I wish we had more money? 

Twins

I saw this on another blog today and was amazed at the fact that it looked like it could be Mo with his big, fat head stuck in the door.  It's really not....we swear.  But, the pic totally humored me since it looks so much like him!