As I was going through my blog feeds I realized no one blogs on the weekend.  This saddens me.  Then I realized I don’t blog on the weekend either.  So, to keep all that’s right in the world, here are my thoughts today.

Wedding invitations.  What?  Did you honestly think I would want to talk about something different?  I was up late last night looking through all the “wedding sites” and came across a unique idea for the wedding invitations:

Post Cards

Someone mentioned they used this site to create a post card.  The front was an engagement picture and all the wedding information was on the back.  Guests could RSVP and choose an entree on the wedding site.  This manner of RSVPing is something I decided I wanted to do anyway.  My friends know I’m an “early adopter” of technology, so this wouldn’t surprise them in the least.  The post cards are about $.74 each.  WHAT?  That’s a huge bargain.

The post card idea would go with the whole picture theme of the wedding.  And really, at under a dollar before postage, how can you go wrong?  My brother will argue it isn’t formal enough, Drew might think it’s a horrible idea, and my mom might increase our budget if I tell her this is the only way to get invitations out to guests…but I kind of like it.  It’s a good alternative.

Drew and I are planning a trip to see his sister in Tennessee after Christmas.  We only have a three-day window to make it down there so we can be home for New Year’s Eve (and the proposal date????).  Since he’s still gone, it was just logistically easier if I tried to coordinate dates with his sister.

So, I called.  I called.  I called my future sister-in-law.  I haven’t ever spoken to anyone in his family before.  And I was out of town for work, so I didn’t even get to call from the comfort of my own house…I had to call from a strange hotel room.

I dialed the phone number before I could freak myself out too much.  I mean, come on, she’s just his sister.  In an email to Drew she said I could call or email.  She gave me an out.  But I called because I want to get off on the right foot with her.  Calling was the right thing to do.

I know what it’s like to have a “girl” enter your family.  I, too, have a baby brother.  I remember my thoughts when he first announced he loved a girl.  But the comfort comes in knowing we were all so happy for him, and no matter who she was, he loved her.  And if he loved her, I loved her.  I hope Drew’s sister feels the same way.

The good news is that his mother will also be in the area that Monday, and she might also spend the night and be there Tuesday too.  I get to meet both!  I’m very excited about this step.  I think Drew would have proposed around New Year’s anyway, but meeting his family first was very important to me.  I’m happy we can make it happen.

**Oh, and I’ve seen the ring!  Drew sent me pictures from the jeweler.  I can’t wait to actually get to HOLD IT and wear it forever.  More on that next time.

Okay, so the search continues.  I started to look at some non-photo invitation options after my brother told me the invitations with pictures on them looked too informal and more like Save the Dates.  In a way, I agree with him.  Of the photo invitations, I think the one I like is the blue and green option with one picture (invitation D in the last post).

Here are some other options from Wedding Paper Divas.  All the invitations are $164 for 100.

Invitation 1: I like the black and white look of this invitation.  The flowers are made of tiny dots, which gives it a little more informal look.  This is fine, as our reception will be a big party and not a formal, stuffy affair.

Invitation 2: This invitation is the inspiration for the invitations I tried to make at my house.  For some reason I thought two different colors of card stock, ribbon, stamps and embossing powder would look wonderful.  And while it did look good, it also looked homemade.  Not the look I was going for.  Now when I see these invitations I’m reminded of my failure.

Invitation 3: I love this!  It has the blue and green I want in my wedding.  It also has a brown, which I think is okay.  Who says your wedding invitations need to exactly match what the wedding colors are?   Will people really walk into your wedding and think, “Um, the wedding invitations was blue, green, and brown.  Here the colors are blue, green, and black.  WTF?”  I don’t think anyone would.

Invitation 4: Okay, honestly, this might be my favorite.  Although the wedding colors are blue and black with green as the third, minor color, I love the look of this.  I think it is the striking black and green.  I also love the ampersand symbol in my daily life…I use it as much as possible.  And this one is just beautiful.

I know I will probably change my mind a million times before he actually proposes, but for now this black and green invitation is the winner.

As an pre-engaged person, naturally I’m picking out wedding invitations.  At first I thought I could make my own to save money.  I went out and bought some paper and ribbon and started to make prototypes.  It didn’t work very well.  I’m a perfectionist and I know this; why did I think I could make my own invitations?  It would take me 100 years to make all of them perfect.

My parents, who are paying for the wedding, agreed with me that a photo booth at the wedding is an awesome idea.  This is a little expensive, so I need to cut costs somewhere else (thus I thought I could make my own invitations).  Now I’m thinking I’ll just cut costs on the centerpieces.

Since the photo booth will be a large part of the reception, we are thinking of using a photo theme for the wedding.  Maybe use photos of me and Drew on the table cards (names?  numbers?  not sure yet).  One of the wedding favors will be the actual strip of photos the guests get after taking their picture.  I’m going to order “bookmark sleeves” to put the strips in, slap a magnet on the back, and make it a favor.  The photo booth prints four photos in a strip.  As an alternative, we can put a “logo” in the last photo square.  Our “logo” would be a photo of me and Drew with the wedding date printed on it.

"Logo" at the bottom

In the spirit of a photo themed wedding, not to mention my friends know I take a lotof photos (which makes this very personalized to Drew and me), here are invitations I found for around $200 per 100 invitations.  Our wedding colors, as of now, are Tiffany blue and black, with green as an accent color.

Invitation A: These are $257 for 100 invitations.  I like the blue and the picture, but the paper it is printed on is made to look like it is textured.  The more I look at this one, I’m not a fan.

Invitation B: These are $257 for 100 invitations.  This is simple and pretty.  I like that more than one photo can appear on the invitation.  I also like that it has a more casual appearance.  The wedding is not going to be a stuffy affair…it is going to be a party.

Invitation C: These are $163 for 100 invitations.  I love this one.  I think you can customize the wording.  As it appears, the parents’ names in the lower left looks strange to me.

Invitation D: These are $205 for 100 invitations.  AND they are blue and green.  These might be a winner!

Invitation E: These are $272 for 100 invitations.  I do like the monogram on this.  The color, though, is more of an olive color than the green I’m thinking of using.

Invitation F: These are $168 for 100 invitations.  I like that there is a fold and a ribbon, which adds some interest.  I’m not sure, though, that I love the overall look.  (When I saved the inside portion it didn’t show the whole length.)

Invitation G: These are $177 for 100 invitations.  This is the outside of the invitation and the fold is at the top.  Inside is just wording that covers the space.  I like the “rugged” edge of these.

I just finished decorating the house.  On Saturday I put up the tree and various knick-knacks around the house.  What I really wanted to do was hang the Christmas stocking on the fireplace mantel.  I couldn’t find the stocking holders, so I went out and bought new ones yesterday.  Today I finished it off with garland, lights, and those red berries.  I love the red berries.  I really want a red berry wreath for the door, but the nice ones are very expensive, and the inexpensive ones I’ve seen are trashy.

Last year my mom purchased new needlepoint stockings with our names on them.  Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-in-law, Grace…and “Good Dog” for my dog.  Thanks, Mom.  My brother’s and sister-in-law’s stockings looked so cute together.  My parents’ stockings looked so cute together.  And my stocking with my dog’s…not so cute.

I’m very excited about the stockings this year because finally, after 31 years, I have a companion stocking.  Mom called last weekend and told me I needed to find the stockings she purchased, and buy one for Drew.  Yes!  An imminent proposal calls for a personalized stocking in this house!

 

Everyone has a companion stocking

(And just to clear up some confusion:  My parents are overseas for two years because of their jobs.  Instead of renting out their house, they offered it to me.  So, I rent out my condo and live in my parents’ house for free!  With a yard!  So, since it is their house, I put up all the stockings for the family.)

Have you heard about Movember? If not, act quickly, it’s almost over.

Today is the last day to donate toward Movember-a month dedicated to raising money for prostate cancer.  Men who want your support grow mustaches (a Mo) for the month.  And let me tell you, some men shouldn’t do this part of the fundraising!  Some of my friends look a little silly with a mustache (of course, not the one who reads my blog…you look maaaahvalous). 

I should have posted something sooner, in case you wanted to donate.  I’m sure all the foundations will still accept your money into December.  After all, a donation is a donation.

Click here for Movember donations

I am one of those people.  I never thought it would be me…but I am. I put up all my Christmas decorations and it is still November.  At least if I would have waiting until tomorrow I could have at least claimed it was the last day in November.

This is my first Christmas in this house.  I didn’t think the decorations I used in my condo would be enough to fill up this house; they were.  As I was putting out snowmen and Santas I couldn’t believe the square footage I was able to decorate.  I thought I would only decorate the family room, but I found myself in the kitchen, then in the living room (and no, I’m not quite sure what the difference is between a family room and a living room except they are two different rooms in this house).

My only complaint is my Christmas tree.  It looked so good in my little condo.  In this house it looks a little small.  I guess that just means next Black Friday I need to look for a tree.  

Yes, I do an artificial tree.  I think it stems from the fact that growing up we always had an artificial tree.  Then, one year, my parents decided to get a real tree.  Well, no one told us you had to re-cut the bottom of the tree before putting it in the tree stand.  By the time Christmas came around all you had to do was look at the tree and the needles would fall off.  It was funny, but I think it scarred me. 

Christmas decorations:  check.  Christmas presents wrapped:  check.  Drew coming home in 21 days:  check.  YES!  He comes home in 21 days.  Please excuse me while I go do a little jig!

I have many things to be thankful for today.  My family, while dispersed across the globe, is happy and “normal” (well, as normal as a family can be).  I have wonderful friends who have stood by me through a lot of ups and downs, and fill in when my family is far away.

My brother, who lives close, came to see me today.  His wife had to work, so it was just the two of us for Thanksgiving.  We went to see Four Christmases, which I thought was pretty good, then went in search of a restaurant that was open.  We finally found a small, locally owned restaurant (I’ll call it Snarkey’s to protect those involved) that I have been to a few times.  The food was good, but the story about the restaurant is even better…at least that’s what my brother said. 

Here’s the low down:  In my former life I was a cheerleading coach.  One of my cheerleader’s father is co-owner of Snarkey’s.  While I was out at a bar one night I met a woman…a very drunk woman.  Our mutual friends were trying to convince her NOT to go to Snarkey’s.  See, she just ended an affair with someone who worked at Snarkey’s and they didn’t want any trouble.  Since I knew ONE person who worked there, I asked who the man was that she was having an affair with.  Sure enough, it was the cheerleader’s father! 

I couldn’t believe it.  I know the wife; I coached the daughter.  The wife is what I would call “high maintenance,” but even that is generous.  She is pretty, I think with surgical help, and very outspoken.  I couldn’t believe he was cheating on her…then sometimes I wonder if she knows about it.  On the outside, this family is the epitome of the word “family.” 

Just as I finished filling my brother in on the local gossip, in walked the wife.  She saw me and came over to chat.  Soon after her daughter stopped by to say hi also.  They are really nice people and I feel bad for them.  But who knows, maybe they have an open relationship.  Who am I to judge?

My dog and I have a routine every night before bed.  When I’m ready to go upstairs I always ask him, “You ready to go night-night?”  At that point he jumps up, runs to the pantry where his treats are, I fill my water glass from the fridge door, he gets a treat, and we head to bed.

I used to be a big water drinker, but since Drew left, I haven’t been eating well or watching my weight.  Thus, I’m more apt to grab a soda than water. 

Tonight I decided I needed to get my butt in gear.  Drew is supposed to come home December 21, but I just heard today he might come earlier.  I’m excited, but not too excited.  Nothing is firm (including my ass…hahaha) and I don’t want to get my hopes up.

Anywho–I decided to drink some water tonight.  As I started filling up my water glass, Bailey got all excited, stood begging at the pantry door, and was ready to go to bed.  This was at 7:30.  I guess if I drank more water he would understand that sometimes I fill up my water glass and don’t go to bed!

On this Thanksgiving eve I had to go to work.  No biggie, the government got a three hour early release.  That meant I left work at 1:30!  Awesome.

I was at work for six hours today.  During that time I had an interaction with a co-worker (who is famous for “over sharing”) outside the elevators.  Please note…this was a very public conversation that went something like this:

Crazy co-worker:  Do you want to hear my good news or my really good news?

Grace:  The good news first, of course.

Crazy co-worker:  I have a urinary tract infection.  Do you want to hear the really good news?

Grace:  You’re not pregnant?

Crazy co-worker:  Exactly!  No minivan in my future!  (Elevator doors close as I stand stunned in the lobby.)

I wonder what is more disturbing-that she shared this information with me and was excited to tell me, or that I guessed her “really good” news.