Lazy Sunday

Today has been a lazy kind of Sunday. I love it when the weather is in the 70s and life just sort of moves at a slower pace. This afternoon we attended a 50th wedding anniversary reception. Kevin has been friends with the Smith family since 7th grade. Of course, being the scrapper that I am, I took my camera. *wink* I got a group pic of Ron and Suzanne with their four children (Mark, Todd, Kent and Laura). They are such a nice family. The weather was perfect for this and they had a great turnout. Ron and Suzanne have lived on the same farm for 50 years and it is a neat as a pin! I loved the peacefulness there and so wish Kevin and I could afford to move to the country. Kevin used to farm with Mark and has been a tractor buddy with Kent for a long time. It was so nice to see some old faces, meet new people and mingle with the Smiths.
Gotta love that "ornery boy" smirk on Kent. Kevin said that is just how he smiles in pictures. Sure makes him look like his son in this one.

As they were getting situated, I caught this shot of them all laughing. It was because Todd groaned after squatting down. I guess he felt his age in his knees! LOL! What a nice family! I'll send copies of these to each group so they have a memory of today. I guess it's my "job" as a scrapper to help preserve those memories. I like that job. :)

Enjoy the rest of this lazy Sunday! Wonder what I'll get into next. Laundry, perhaps? *shrugs shoulders* I kind of like the idea of not doing much of anything right now. Wait...shouldn't I go to my craft area and create? Fat chance.

Catchin' Up

Thought I'd grab a quick minute before heading to bed to post a little something. This week went by quickly and we weren't terribly busy. Yeah! Somehow, my house became a tornado zone. ????? It's as if not being as busy made me less organized. Geesh! :) I did some cleaning tonight and this weekend will mean haircuts, yard work and an anniversary celebration for Kevin's friend's parents. They've been married 50 years! Wow! I did make one card this week and it turned out to be a blessing...my mom needed a card for a birthday party she's attending on Sunday. Perfect timing! Thank you, Lord!
I used Basic Grey and Bashful Blue cardstocks, Bazzill scalloped strip, white gel pen, PTI set called Guide Lines, Going Grey ink and a sentiment stamp from Joann's.

I cut out the butterfly which I stamped using PTI's Fresh Snow ink. The stamp is from TAC. I added some blue bling for detail and adhered it using a small square dimensional.

I went to Wal-Mart this week and the boys got new chewy bones. They love to sniff the bags to see if they get anything. LOL! They do a happy dance while I open the package! :) Cute!

Yum yum this is quite tasty! Yeah, of course I buy TWO bones, but they still have to fight over the same one. Dogs! You'd think I starve them the way they act some days. LOL!

Jack wanted to show you a trick! He's a silly boy! Humans can ride a bike without holding the handlebars. Jack can hold the bone on his belly with no paws! LOL!

Well, good news and bad news....they have been banned back to their kennels since Riley thinks he needs to use the carpet as a bathroom again. Even thought Jack has never had an accident, I decided to just put both boys back in to make it equal. I just shampooed the carpets a few weeks ago! Jack has never had an accident, but I've heard that Yorkies and other small dogs are known for being hard to potty train. Riley is half Yorkie. I think he's also part TURKEY! *sigh* I don't want to come home each time and have to check the carpet in every room for wet spots! I guess I'll try them out again in a few weeks or months and see how Riley does. He's a weiner head! I think he just plays and plays and then it gets to the point where he can't hold it. I could spend all day trying to figure him out. He also earned a new nickname this past week. Woody Woodpecker. He was chewing the woodwork on the front window when Kevin pulled in the driveway. I put some crushed red pepper on it and he licked it once....twice and that was it! I hope it's the last time. I think he got the hint! So, you can see why I put them both back in the kennels when we're gone....less stress wondering what they're getting into. *sigh* LOL!

Good news is that my employer offers YMCA memberships for half off. I discussed with Kevin that I am tired of looking, weighing and feeling the way I do and have to do something about it. I asked if he wanted to join with me and to make a long story very short, he said yes. I hope you'll see LESS of us as the months go by (weight wise). I hope to improve our quality time together, our health and at least my weight. He's got a bit of a belly, but it's very minor. I just know that overall we'll feel and look better. It's time for me to make a change. It's past time actually. Ugh.

Ok, the boys are ready to go up to bed. I had to type fast. Kevin is feeling better from his bronchitis and the antibiotic is doing its job. The boys and I are moving back to the big bed with Daddy tonight. Ah, I even hear the purring window a/c. Love soft, cool sheets! Mmmm!!!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll post again when I can or if anything crafty is happenin' here!

The Reception

Instead of typical guest favors, Julie chose to have a candy table. Guests could fill their own goody bag with treats or take one of the many that were already made up. She loved it! They had some of their engagement photos on display. Click for a closer look. That one in the 8x10 looks like a magazine ad. I told you Kristen was an artist photographer! Wow! They were genuinely laughing there and that makes it even more special.

The little labels are hand-stamped sticky sheets that were punched out and the bags are filled with Hershey's kisses and M&Ms. Yum!

Some tables had three pearl-covered candles on black candle holders and black & white photos of Josh and Julie. Guests could take the photos for a keepsake. The black linens made the room look so elegant. Of course, there's the accent of hot pink in the napkins and centerpieces.

Other tables had either white or pink topiaries and tealight candles. Julie wanted an elegant candlelit atmosphere. All the candles were awesome once the sun went down.

They chose to have a Columbus bakery called Piece of Cake make their cake. I tried both kinds, chocolate and white with raspberry or strawberry filling. Yum! My mom added some pink and black mini roses and ribbon to the cake knife and server. There were black and hot pink accents all over the place! :)

The fresh flowers and "S" on the top made the cake so very elegant! Man, I've gotta find out who has the leftovers! It was yuuuuummmmy!

This is from the sand ceremony and was brought inside to the bride and groom table. See how the white was there, then the moms added their individual colors, and finally Josh and Julie's were mixed. We packed it carefully for them to take home, so hopefully it isn't too messed up and they can enjoy it for years to come.

The traditional first dance as husband and wife. The sun was setting and it would shine onto their backs as they danced round and round. So precious! I loved how it seemed no one else was in the room while they danced. Whew...pass me a Kleenex!

Julie and her dad for the "daddy dance". I'm not sure the name of the song played then, but it said something like "I loved her first" and it talks about how the dad sees the daughter in love and reminds the guy that daddy loved her first. It is a tear-jerker.

Josh and his mom Sherri. I really didn't know the song he chose for this one, but it was definitely a song written for a mom. I'll have to get all those details from Josh and Julie so I can journal it in a scrapbook properly. I'd like to listen to both songs again, too.

Julie's friend Amanda caught the toss bouquet. Her dress is cute enough to be a bridesmaid! The color matches and all! :)

Julie was highly embarrassed by this part. How cute. I'm sure Josh was lovin' it! LOL!!!

Funny thing...Amanda's boyfriend caught the garter. Hmmm...wonder if they will be next! :)

Josh and Julie sat at our table to watch the slide show of them "through the years". I loved this shot and how they were just so content side by side. Ah...I get teary-eyed yet again when I see this. They are just so precious together. All I have ever wanted is for anyone I love to find happiness. I see that blessing in both their eyes. *sniffle*

Julie e-mailed from Paris today and told about what they've seen and done so far. Tomorrow they are off to Venice. Whoa! How cool is that?!

Ok, trying to get caught up with everything this week...including laundry. I got groceries tonight and have a low-key week ahead. Someday soon I hope to share something crafty again. Thanks for letting me share all this wonderful wedding stuff. See ya!

The Wedding

Friday was the big day! Kevin and I dropped the boys off at the kennel, made a last-minute stop at Wal-Mart for Rhonda and stopped to pick up the fresh flowers at Annette's florist here in Ashland. I felt so responsible for those flowers! We arrived, delivered the flowers, took some pictures and checked in at the Hampton Inn. Julie and Josh had goody bags for each guest filled with bottled water, snacks, hair care, etc. It was such a nice touch! The hotel was very nice, too. Kevin and I both slept good and the staff and breakfast were great.
We got Julie and Josh a spice rack filled with jars of spices. I had to wrap the octagon-shaped box which ended up not being so bad. The top of the box had the handle, so I added tufts of white tissue paper. I made a gift tag and tied on some yummy wide ribbon.

Julie was already dressed once we arrived. I took some snapshots before they all headed off to get group shots with the photographer. Julie had a simple veil and I added some tiny bling stones to give it some sparkle. I loved this one of her fixing her hair. Actually, I loved all the pictures from this day. :) Life is about details and I love to capture them with my camera.

I'm not sure what all was in her bouquet. I know roses and freesia, but there is something else. Annette had added some beading which was neat. The stems were wrapped and it make such a nice elegant bouquet.

For her "something old", she had stones (diamonds, rubies) from her late paternal grandmother's jewelry reset into a new ring for this special day. She had her dad place it on her hand before the wedding. Love her simple french manicure.

The photographer took several pictures before the wedding. She even had Julie and Josh take the golf cart to various parts of the golf course for some stunning shots. I love this one of them together. I might be partial, but they are both so gorgeous! See her new pearls? Sweet!! I think you can see here, too, how the beading is in the bouquet. The stems are wrapped with ribbon and more beading. That matched the beading on her dress.

Brooke (maid of honor) and Devin (best man) went along with them on the course.

Julie's dad Don and Josh's dad Dick. I got them to stand together while they were taking a break from pictures.

I can't believe I never took a picture of Josh's mom with Rhonda, but I did get their flowered bracelets. The flowers can be removed and each mom has a keepsake bracelet to wear. Kinda neat I thought. Julie said that was one of her favs about the flowers....the bracelet. Sherri's was white and Rhonda's was pink.

The ceremony was held outside and the reception was in the Grand Ballroom. Things were set up so that when guests arrived, they entered the front door and stopped at the guest book table before going down the hall to the right to reach the outdoor area. My mom did the flower arrangement and photo collages of the two of them. The photographer had made an awesome book with various engagement photos. Guests could use the silver Sharpie pens to sign the black pages of the book with their best wishes for Julie and Josh. Since I knew I would get too choked up on the videographer's tape, I opted out of talking and just signed a heartfelt message in the photo book. I was able to say what I needed there...and spare them the tears. :) You can see the gift table in the foreground. I forgot to take a pic of the card box that I decorated. Oh well...

Once outside, the guests received their program. Rhonda did them on the computer and cut them. We stamped the pink rose on the first page and a smaller one on the last page. I love how they turned out. I liked Julie's choice of wedding colors and I think the combo looked so elegant in all the details of the day.

I took so many pics of the ceremony, but will share the basic ones. Here are the guys all lined up. I love how Josh isn't taking his eye off the end of the aisle where his beautiful bride will appear. *sniffle*

Morgan didn't drop any fresh rose petals as she wanted to hold Brooke's hand the whole way. She just held up her basket for everyone to see. Notice how her cute little dress has flower petals in the bottom part. We were so glad she walked with Brooke. At rehearsal, she and Jake wanted nothing to do with it. :) I don't have a picture, but at the back of the lawn area, my brother Steve played Amazing Grace on the guitar during the Prelude. It made my grandma cry. *sniffle* Some people think of that being a funeral song, but that is the BEST song ever if you ask me. Its words are so powerful and one of Julie and Josh's favs. Oh, and cute black shoes on the bridesmaids, huh? Everyone had nice pedicures and manicures that morning.

Jake walked with Jenny. Ahhhhh...yes, he did it! See the girl on the left with the cast? That's Brittany, the guest book attendant. Just behind her is Tom, Josh's godfather. He's the one who lives downtown at the Miranova where rehearsal dinner was. I didn't take pictures of every bridesmaid, but Julie had six, plus Brooke as maid of honor. They included Josh's sister Megan and some of Julie's longtime friends.

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white! Wow! All I can say is Wow...and then wipe the happy tears from my eyes. She just looked so happy. Her dress looked stunning on her!

Pastor Larry talked about how Don was the first man in Julie's life before they did the "giving the bride away" part. I love how you can see Josh in between them. Oh, and you can see the back of her dress. The criss-cross part on the back and how the train starts. You can kinda sorta see the bling on her veil, but it is subtle since I used the tiny stones.

Instead of doing unity candles, they chose to do a sand ceremony. Before the ceremony, the moms came forward and poured the two colors of sand in the vase, one at a time. During the ceremony, Josh and Julie poured more of the individual colors at the same time, mixing them as one. That part signified the unity. It was appropriate, too, since Julie loves the beach! During this part, my brother played Canon in D on the guitar. It sounded so nice! You can sort of see the beading on her train here.

Mr. and Mrs. Josh Smith!

It's official! Wow! Unfortuately, I had failed to snap a pic of the exhange of rings since I was watching so intently. I also forgot to get a pic of their hands together at the reception. Oh well. I'll get that another time. Julie's ring is so sparkly! Josh got a wide platinum band with no stones. It doesn't show here though unfortunately.

The girls helped get the bustle just right. We took more pictures while the guests mingled on the terrace behind the Grand Ballroom. It was nice as it gave the photographer time for more group shots and family shots. It is cute, since she was truly laughing here as all those girls tried to get her "bum" just right. hee hee The one groomsman Brandon was checking it all out. LOL! The girls in this pic are left to right: Morgan, Jenny, Jenn, Megan (Josh's sister). Brittany is squated behind Julie. Brooke and Heather's faces aren't showing, but they are behind Julie, too. If you look closely, you can see their earrings. Rhonda made them to match the bridesmaids' necklaces.

Ta-da! There it is...now she's ready to mingle with guests and dance the night away! You can also see one of the bridesmaid's feet here. Julie had a goody box with essentials for the day for each bridesmaid. One of the things was a pair of flip flops decorated with pink and white bling stones. Ahhhhh...comfy! It is funny that some of them already were out of their high heels!

The weather was perfect. The ceremony was held on the east side of the building so the setting sun didn't blind us. It shone through the trees and cast delicate shadows on Julie's back while they said their vows. *sniffle* It made for a nice setting for the pre-reception on the terrace, too.

Ok, whew...that took a while to post. I'll be back in my next post with details about the reception. Enjoy these photos for now. You can click any of them for a closer look. Thanks for stopping by! I'll have to say, it is almost 6pm now on Sunday and I am still in my pajamas. I haven't had a lick of energy for anything today and have napped on and off with the boys. Kevin has been up in our bed resting as he has a nasty cold/bronchitis again. He's taking a bath now and I have to feed him supper.

Check back for the reception details tomorrow or later this week. I have to go back to work tomorrow. Bummer, dude! I was having so much fun in wedding mode!

The Rehearsal

On Thursday night, I drove down for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Although I was not in the actual wedding, pretty much any friends and family involved with the wedding planning or ceremony were invited for dinner. How nice! There go the guys towards the arch. This setting is just magnificent. It overlooks the gorgeous manicured golf course at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, OH.

Julie and Don waiting to walk down the aisle. Her bridesmaids made her a traditional bouquet of ribbons and bows from her shower gifts. The people in the foreground are Julie's next door neighbors Amy, Morgan and Jake. Morgan was flower girl. Jack was ring bearer.

Julie's photographer is a woman after my own heart. She is truly an artist. Her photography is a magnificent gift from God. The moments she captured while doing their engagement photos were superb and priceless. I love pictures. It doesn't matter who is in the picture, but when someone captures those you love in the way that Kristen can....wow! I will be in awe once the wedding photos are ready. At that time, I'll give you a link to see them online since they are copyright protected and can't be copied to my blog. I love this one of her "working". She is such a sweetheart.

Practice makes perfect. It makes my heart full to see them so happy and to see the spark in Julie's eye that I know comes from her love for Josh.

After rehearsal, we drove downtown Columbus to eat dinner in the social room of the Miranova. Josh's godfather lives there and was able to reserve the location for Josh's parents who hosted the dinner. It is the building with the sloped roof. I took this picture while Rhonda drove. The catered meal was wonderful and Josh's mom and sister had decorated everything so nicely. After dinner, we all gathered in the billiard room to watch the slide show that was also shown at the wedding.

Julie welcomed everyone for coming and let us all know that our presence and involvement for their wedding meant a lot. She and Josh had handwritten thank you cards and gifts for everyone. How sweet! (You'll have to excuse all the red eyes. I haven't yet edited my photos and just wanted to get some posted quickly.)

Josh had a little surprise for Julie in this BIG box. She rooted and rooted until she got to the blue boxes in the bottom.

Josh gave her pearl earrings and a necklace for her wedding day. She told me later that she had casually mentioned she'd love pearls for her wedding day. I told her that he obviously listened well! :) She isn't one to cry much, but this about got her!

How beautiful! They did indeed look stunning with her wedding dress. Check back for wedding pics and details later or tomorrow! We are all recovering from little sleep and lots of work these past few days. My sweet Julie is SO worth every minute! :) They are on their flight right now for Paris! Wow!

Zap! Zap!

This morning I had my EMG (nerve conduction test) at the hospital in Mansfield. It confirmed I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, with the right being worse than the left. I already knew this from my symptoms getting worse, but it had to be confirmed with a test. The test really was not bad. The doctor placed electrodes on my hand/wrist area. He has this zapper thing (oh, such a technical word) that he would touch to my arm in different places. There were a series of "zaps" or what felt like static electricity in my arm, and that caused my hand to involuntarily twitch or move. Then he poked various muscles with a needle to test the current of the nerves. I'd say the one under my arm near the elbow was the ouchy one, but I have to say I could do that test every day as it wasn't that bad. Kevin and I stopped at Bob Evans for a yummy breakfast and by the time I got home, there was a message from my family doctor about my test. I have two options: injections of Kenalog in my wrists or surgery. Since I have to build up more short term disability time and can't afford to be off work that long right now, I will be doing injections once Dr. R is back from vacation. It will help soothe the symptoms until I can build up more short term disability time and take off work. I was making goofy noises in the car and telling Kevin about it. He asked me if Dr. Tan put the electrode on my head and zapped what is between my ears. Silly boy! LOL! Uh, no! I am abnormal in a lot of ways, but..... :)

Heading south to Grove City at 2pm today to decorate and the rehearsal is at 5:30pm and dinner at 7pm. Then, tomorrow is the big day! I'll hopefully have some good snapshots to share this weekend. The weather is stunning today and looks like no rain tomorrow. Wow! How awesome is that?!

In Colors

While browsing some of my fav blogs today, I came across a color comparison. The new Stampin' Up! In Colors will be available July 1st and this demo has shown what the new ones look like in comparison to some of the main colors that are always available. Click HERE to see her comparisons. Click HERE to see another demo's blurb about them. Can you believe I just finally ordered the soon-to-be-retired In Colors? LOL! I am so out of the loop and limit my purchases now that I am no longer a demonstrator. My new fav is probably....all of them! I love color, color, color. Being an art major in college made me not want to exclude any from my palette. :) Well, ok, I guess my fav is...Rich Razzleberry. It's even fun to say!

Ok, back to wedding plans and the last minute details for Julie's big day! :) See you sometime after we all exhale! Now, where's my to-do list?