Tag Archive | weddings

The Days that Time Worked in my Favor

Jun18

At the beginning of any extended vacation time  from work, there is a spring in my step, an unrealistic to-do list of Pinterest projects to try, and a feeling that the world is at my feet because time is on my side. I can easily organize the responsibilities of laundry, cooking, and cleaning with a lighthearted attitude.  I am so sorry  for those that  have not been able to feel that luxury of ‘time’ every once in a while because the opportunity to refresh is so important for one’s health.FullSizeRender (3)

This weekend, my husband surprised me with a road-trip for my birthday and our anniversary. Our definition of road-trip is: get in the car and drive to some undetermined destination.

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We spent two days driving to small towns, roaming around, talking, and laughing. Letting go is good and we both know that we have got to take these mini-vacations more often. We have decided however, that Siri will always travel with us in case we need assistance with gas station locations, hotel choices, and restaurant recommendations (that is a whole other story and one that we will laugh about together for years to come).

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With Love,

Penny

 

 

It’s All About That Cake (’bout that cake)

May18

If you were to look up the definition of  ‘Nervous Wreck’ in the dictionary, I am quite certain that you would see my picture as a visual representation and it would probably even have an unflattering caption underneath about my physical responses to stress. I  really can’t explain why – I grew up surrounded by a loving and supportive family. I did well in school and got along fine with my peers. But, in spite of it all, I can remember as far back as third grade and attempting to hide my anxiousness that was so extreme, it made me sick to my stomach. I have tried every remedy known to man to relieve my stress to no avail; so for me, it continues to be a daily struggle.

 

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Go figure – instead of avoiding situations that cause anxiety, I seem to select hobbies that have the word ‘stressful’ written all over them; for example, cake decorating. The challenge of taking on new cake designs is like an obsession for me. This past weekend, I had multiple cake orders  and each one had a special meaning to me!

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I  managed to survive and get all of the cakes completed and delivered to their correct locations with time to spare, but going back to ‘work’ on Monday was a killer.

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I really did feel like I had just played in a ballgame that had gone into extra innings! Then Tuesday rolled around, my kitchen was clean, and I had already started thinking about the orders that I have for the upcoming weekend.

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 Welcome back, stress! Good-bye clean kitchen!

With Love,

sunflower

Let’s Talk Weddings

May7

 

Hmmmm….what is the definition of micromanaging? I have come to the conclusion that I must have a micromanagement disorder (otherwise known as M.D.). Actually, I am thinking that I might have the disorder with additional issues – the one that is labeled M.D.H.D (Micromanagement Disorder with Household Duties).The definition of M.D.H.D is as follows: an obsession with spending an overabundance of time cleaning and staging a small section of one’s home while purposely remaining oblivious to the rest of the household which looks like tornado alley.

I have seriously thought about medication for this but when I have seen the commercials on television for the prescription, the actual side effects sound a whole lot scarier than the disorder. After all, watching an hour long television show without an advertisement for some sort of medication with serious side effects is impossible these days. Disclaimer – I don’t think that M.D.H.D. is an actual medical diagnosis yet, but I am living proof that it could be one! 

It is a beautiful Saturday here in central Texas, so let’s look at the advantages of having Micromanagement Disorder instead of the side effects shall we?

One of the advantages to being a micro-manager of a wedding reception is the feeling of control you have, even if it is just a false sense of security. When we celebrated at the reception in March, we had been planning it for almost a year and we were in charge of the decorations, the food, the cakes, and the order of events.

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I am pretty sure that the wrinkles were out of the tablecloth before the reception began. Yikes!

Don’t get me wrong, when it is down to the wire on wedding day and we are trying to manage the timing of everything, the idea of having someone else bring in the food or the cakes, or even just to have a separate clean-up crew is tempting.Not to mention that prior to the event, anticipation often invades my sleep for several nights  as I continue to go over and over checklists of every little detail in my mind. IMG_1582

But, eventually the moment arrives at the end of the evening when everything is packed up and we are feeling achy- muscle fatigue achy- as we wearily head home. It is then, that reflecting on the events of the day makes everything worth the work/the planning/the anticipation/the sleepless nights/ the aches and pains.

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Sweetheart Table

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Photo Booth Scrapbook Table

Reflection does seem to dull one’s memory (for example – the experience of giving birth doesn’t seem that bad following the fact). Reflecting on the expression of the bride and groom’s faces throughout the evening, witnessing the re-connections between family and friends in a time of celebration dulls the memory of all of the hard work leading up the event. Even reflecting on the memories of the stress points is a joy. Spending time in a panicked state with special friends who enjoy this work as much as I do is priceless.IMG_1591

And then, just like childbirth, I can’t help but smile to myself as I relive the memories and I am ready to take on another big challenge all over again…….A wedding, not childbirth!

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Happy, Happy Mother’s Day!

With Love,

sunflower

May the Fourth be with You

May4

I am not quite sure why I posted that title on today’s blog. I just know that I heard it on different media sources several times this morning, May 4, 2016, and I thought it sounded pretty catchy.

Okay- I have a really funny story to share about my husband’s cleaning frenzy this past weekend. In our neighborhood, we were scheduled for ‘bulk pickup’ yesterday. For those of you who don’t know what that means, it is pretty simple – unless you are trying to decipher the map to know when you are zoned for ‘bulk pickup’. There are all of these colors on the pamphlet and numbers with very few street names or landmarks to offer assistance. Anyway, upon close examination of the map,  I found out that we can put unwanted treasures out on the curb on the first Tuesday of each month and somebody with the title of ‘Bulk Picker Upper’ will come by and collect it all. That happens after the ‘Curbside Shoppers’ pilfer through it all to see if there is anything that they need. If you take a lot of pride in preserving the privacy of how you live behind the four walls of your household, you might want to think very carefully about what you put out for the ‘Curbside Shoppers’ because it could very well end up on Facebook for the whole world to see. And, that is just what happened to us. A couple of the treasures that I was reluctant to part with, ended up in the hands of some ‘Curbside Shoppers’ that I happen to be friends with on Facebook. Hmmmm…normal person by day and ‘Curbside Shopper’ by night….Ahhh! The irony! Needless to say, we will be laying low for a while.

I do have some pictures to share with you of a wedding reception some good friends and I recently did for a young couple. The venue was beautiful and we were able to cut some corners on the cost, as we did a lot of the work ourselves.

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Okay, you ‘Curbside Shoppers’, we took donated vases and spray painted them gold. I purchased blingy buttons at Walmart for the gems in the middle. Oh, and by the way, you might recognize this particular vase – it is a Ragu spaghetti jar!IMG_1597

All of the picture frames were purchased at the dollar store and they were also spray painted gold. We needed a lot of them because the bride and groom were spotlighted in a candid photo on each guest table. I am particularly proud of the table runners because each one of them was made, with love, by me (all 22 blush ones, and 10 gold ones). Let me just say that there was a lot of leisurely sewing going on in the middle of the night at my house through the winter months.

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See what I mean about picture frames? They were everywhere and even though each one was a bit different in style, all of them were gold. Just look at the sheen on that table runner!

I will share more pictures of this big event on my next post!

sunflower