My first blogger goodie swap!

Okay, this is exciting to me.  Very!  I mean, I'm the kind that jumps up and down when someone I follow comments....or heck reads the blog but doesn't comment.  I realize I've been doing this for over a year, but the excitement simply has not worn off.

I just retrieved a package from the porch, and I cannot wait to share it!  Don't worry, the usual food in review post will be up tomorrow.

I've been exchanging comments and emails with Christin at Purple Bird Blog, which has been totally awesome.  I made a comment about not understanding the hype (and therefore being too cheap to buy) Barney Butter.  She generously offered to send me some sample packs.  That blew me away.  So, I offered up some granola (since it's probably the most creative thing I do).  She went for it, and I started scheming.

The package I received was WAY cooler than the one I sent.  My package had Zbars, barney butter, homemade accidental dough balls, 18 Rabbits granola, and a gorgeous scarf!  I immediately ate a dough ball.  My husband immediately ate a Zbar.  :)  The dough balls were coco-tastic!  I loved it.

And look at this gorgeous scarf!  I love the color.

Doesn't really go with the workout gear, but I think you get the idea. I dove into a Zbar after working out.  I love the chewiness.  And the Barney Butter.  That stuff is velvet.  It made a river through my oats this morning.  I'd use it as an ice cream sauce, not as nut butter.  Ooohhh, or on noodles in place of my usual peanut sauce.  Yeah, one pack is definitely getting saved for that!

Thanks Christin!!!

Showered

Okay, this baby shower is too cute NOT to share.   

Yeah, these ladies thought of everything.  The cake table had those lovely gift and "belly" cakes along with cake lollipops!  The candy table had a mix of homemade and store bought in the appropriate colors.  The homemade fudge (make by the mom-to-be's momma!) was simply to die for.  I came home with two little favor boxes full.  There was also a full spread of veggies and sandwich fixings in the back of the room (those photos didn't turn out as well).  My coworker looked excited, and they even made a homecoming-style mum for her with the baby's name.  The room was PACKED.  I've never seen so many people at a shower.  And I've never seen a gift table so overflowing.  It was truly a joyous celebration.  This baby will be well-loved. 

Congrats again!  I'm so happy for you both! 

Celebrating little bundles

 

I got to do something a little fun and out of the ordinary this week.  I made candy!  Well, sort of.  This is what my family would deem making candy, anyhow, and it's almost always reserved for the holidays.  Not this time.  This time it is for a celebration of another variety!  It's for my expectant coworker's baby shower!

She chose pretzel sticks to be coated in white candy coating.  Sorry, but I just can't bring myself to call it chocolate because it isn't.  It's almond bark.  Almond bark is THE product for coating, hands down!
I actually had to melt the almond bark in a pyrex pie plate because I didn't have a wide enough bowl to accommodate the sticks.  So, the method was far more ROLLING than dipping as I literally rolled each stick along the bottom of the pie plate in order to coat the pretzel as thoroughly as possible. 

 

Once dipped and set a bit, I put two drops of red food coloring into the remaining almond bark.  There was maybe a half cup left, so two drops created a very delicate baby girl pink.

 

The intention was to drizzle the pink on.  The almond bark had other ideas.  Though I reheated it to it's melt-iest consistency, the bark refused to actually drizzle.  Left with no other options, I did what any good candy making helper would do....I FLUNG the pink bark at the sticks violently coating the pretzels, wax paper, and a good portion of my kitchen counters and walls in delicate baby pink.  Upon telling the expectant mother this, she laughed and said that being a little messy was "in". Oh good.  ;)

Here's to my coworker, her man, and their excitedly awaited bundle!  (Clink pretzel sticks here!)

Dice!

I have my own set of dice now!  One of our groomsmen, the bringer of the fun, treated me to a set of dice since I've been playing this new campaign with them (per the terms of our best man's speech).  Funny how a set of dice can make the idea much more fun.  I'm excited to start playing with these. 

You can find my set online here.  We got them at Reaper in Denton.

I hope they bring me luck!  I love them.

Day brightener

I'm not sure which is more exciting: lunch at a new little hole in the wall or lunch with my best friend. When you combine the two, well, I can barely contain myself! I met my best maid at a place called Constanin's today in Addison. Seriously, go there. It felt like we were eating lunch in a Romanian mama's kitchen! It was warm and inviting with food that warmed the soul. Bonus, it was totally affordable.

We ate the homecooked buffet of three hearty dishes plus fresh baked bread and salad. After, we split a strudel and a cookie. Then in a massive burst of powdered sugar, I nearly snorted my water straight out of my nose! Now, that's a good lunch. It set me in a fantastic mood for the rest of the day, albeit a little feisty. It was just the mid-week boost I needed.

Thank goodness for friends. Go visit one! Make your day better. It's totally worth it.

Giddy as a bride ought to be!

Today is going to be fantastic! Oh yes, I do believe it will be, because today I am picking up my dress from the Alteration Expert. She's had it since October to be shortened to fit my 5'2" frame (with killer 3 1/2" heels, of course) and added a French bustle, at her recommendation. Seems the American style is too hard on the lace and likely to tear a hole and fall out by night's end. Not the ending I want to the kick-*ss ceremony after party. I cannot tell you how elated I am to get back in my dress and not have to hold it up! Plus, there's something about putting it on that just puts me over the moon. Guess that's how you know you chose correctly, huh?

Even better still.....I get to spend time with two pretty amazing women. My maid of honor (I'll call her Diana. She's used to that. She calls me Anne. I hope some of you get the reference!) is joining me at the fitting. She's just such a vibrant, spiritual, positive person that you can't be around her and not feel better about the world and yourself and your choices. That is just the little pick-me-up that I need. Then this afternoon, I'm going out with another life-long friend and maid in search of a super-flattering brown dress. The bridesmaid dresses simply are not flattering on girls with curves. The makers of those things must thing that making it in the correct size is all you ever need to do for it to look good. Psshhaaa! It is not so! And I won't have her in something that doesn't make her feel fabulous. I simply won't have it! The other girls picked dresses that they feel hotter than Aphrodite in, and so shall she! Then we'll like catch a drink somewhere for good measure!

Yes, this will be a glorious day and I cannot wait to be smack in the thick of it. So happy Saturday to you all out there. I hope you have wonderful plans of your own to relish.

Photo from Photobucket.

Stress and coping

Is stress during wedding planning necessary? I’m beginning to think that it is. Or maybe I’m just overly sensitive because of the emotions a marriage congers up. I know for certain that I’m more emotional. I can read a touching wedding recap or a line of poetry and well up these days. Usually those are the really warm-fuzzy sort tears, but crying at the drop of a hat is not really my M.O. I’m not generally one ruled by emotion. I’m a Libra! I’m logic-driven. Yeah, that’s all out the window these days. I just let ‘em flow! I’ve ceased trying to hide it, since I find something touching enough to make my eyes water several times a day at this point. It’s a very unique sensation for me. (And I just literally started crying from the episode of "Say Yes to the Dress" in the background that I'd already seen. Oh brother.)

While it’s nice to be overwhelmed by the good “Oh my God this man really loves and wants to marry me and be my partner is awesomeness” feelings, I am desperately trying to avoid the “what were we thinking trying to have a wedding?!” feelings. So, I am doing things to avoid panic and reduce stress whenever I can. One thing I am trying to be very diligent about is going to the gym. I joined DURING the planning process, and oh my goodness does it ever help! Have a bad day…..go zone out running or pushing something around. Yeah, that works for me. I’m also trying to be on-top of tasks as they pop up instead of pushing them off. For example, my homemade Christmas presents were done the day after Thanksgiving so that they didn’t get lost in wedding chaos and never done. I try to do something for the wedding every day, and that helps me feel like I’m current and in charge of it instead of it being in charge of me. Oh, and wine and friends help too. Then there is my best friend, the therapist, in the background of my mind saying....."Are you breathing. You don't sound like you're breathing to me. BREATHE! There, does that feel better?" Gotta love her.

So, here’s to as low-stress-as-possible planning and living. Think it’s possible? Yeah, me either! Heh. But it’s worth a shot.

Very cool image from Photobucket.

A note about DIY

There are a couple compelling reasons to do things yourself. One, you might save some money. Then again, if you aren't as good at something as you thought you'd be, you could end up spending more when you have someone else fix the mess you made. Luckily, I haven't experienced that yet! Second, you probably get whatever you chose to DIY exactly the way you envisioned it. Again, this is dependent on skill level though, isn't it? I have to admit that some of the things I made I put in the "good enough" category, and I'm totally okay with that. The third reason is the best though. It's that you get to sit around a table with friends and create something together that makes everyone feel more connected and involved in your wedding. Everyone gets to take a little ownership in making the day great. Hopefully, they'll see that thing that they made in use at the wedding and give themselves a little pat on the back with a "yeah, I did that" attitude. I find myself wanting to find more things that I can get my friends over to help with. I think I invented a couple chores, just so that we can share some wine and some memories.

This has been a weekend for memory making, and I'll be sharing it with you all very soon!