New Years Eve Eve

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy, and Safe New Years Eve!

If you're going to be out and about tomorrow evening, please be careful and be responsible. There are too many irresponsible individuals out there so it's better to be safe than sorry!

This year, we're actually hosting a little get together in the late evening with several friends. Nothing too elaborate ~ just some heavy appetizers and some drinks. So, today I'll be running around finishing up getting the Holiday decor put away and I might even spruce up the place a little. I'm also going to be checking out Martha Stewart's site for some decor ideas and recipes! I love tyring out new and clever ideas!!

Oh, and check this out:

What the heck is that about?!? I only have three months and 22 days?!? Are you kidding me?!? I mean seriously...how in the world am I going to get everything I need to get done done? And, just think....it's only 3 months and 22 days until the day we're on Catalina Island exchanging vows. After that we have the California Reception in 4 months and 17 days..............the Minnesota Reception in 5 months and 22 days. So, putting that into prespective it would look like this:

3 months and 20 days = Cruise sets sail
3 months and 22 days = Wedding on Catalina Island
4 months and 17 days = California Reception
5 months and 22 days = Minnesota Reception

I have a list a mile long that needs to be done for each and everyone of those deadlines and at this point and time, I'm totally NOT MOTIVATED!!! In the beginning of the planning stages, I was so gung ho! In fact, our den is filled with boxes and boxes of stuff I've purchased from former DW (Destination Wedding) brides and / or stuff I've purchased brand new for the ceremony and both receptions. We literally have the wedding arch put together and is up in our living room right now because I am trying to figure out how I want it decorated. And if you don't believe me....take a look at this:

That's been sitting in our living room for about two months now, and I totally am not going with that decor. I've decided to be unique and creative. I've got the uniqueness and creativeness ideas in my head and now just need to bring it to life. Ha! Everyone who knows me, knows that the only place I'm creative and expressive are on my cakes! And 'this ain't no cake lady'! :)

The very most important thing I need to accomplish wedding related wise is to find the Bouquets for the bridal party. Yes, I know, this should already have been done, but for some reason I've been procrastinating. It's so unlike me to be this 'disorganized' or not on top of things.

I've decided that I've got today and tomorrow to wallow in this depressed state that I've been in and come January 1st, NO MORE. I've got plans for my future! I'm going to have lists again! Daily lists and Daily goals! Yes! Yes! Yes! Really? Do I sound convincing? I suppose the only person I need to convince here is myself! And it definitely aint working! :)

So off to getting this place organized!!! Have yourselfs a very awesome last Wednesday of 2009 and once again, please be safe tomorrow and have an AMAZING New Year!

Reflections & Resolutions

With 2009 coming to an end I start to wonder "Where did this past year go?" Many people have shared with me that they can't believe this year is over already. For me, I'm in that same boat. Don't get me wrong ~ I've done so much this year and enjoyed every.single.minute of it!! As some of you have read in my Reflections on the Past Year ~ Good and Bad post, we did a lot of traveling to Minnesota! I was fortunate enough to experience my very first visit with little to no snow!! (Whew!!!) Me + Cold = Cranky Woman!!!!

The one MAJOR upset / dissappointment / hurtful thing that transpired this past year is a very sad situation. This could get pretty long, but worth reading through and sharing your comments ~ so grab yourself a cup of coffee and get ready for a roller coaster of emotions!!

~~ (I'm able to share this story with you all because this impacts my life in ways that nobody will ever understand; it helps me to 'share' with everyone how I feel about this; and maybe somewhere, somehow, someone will help me to understand the why aspect of this all. I will not go into detail of all the family dynamics of it all just yet, [eventually I will post about it] however I want to get right to the point on this issue) ~~

Brian's oldest daughter, *J* got engaged just about two years ago or so. The wedding was set for June 20, 2009. Brian's entire family and circle of close friends remain in Minnesota ~ remember, Brian was born and raised there.

{Back Story: Brian and his ex-wife divorced when *J* was 19 years old. Today, *J* is 28, when she married she was 3 months shy of her 28th birthday - her Fiance is 36.}

When Brian moved to California in May of 2008 he had a great relationship with all of his adult children ~ he received their blessings and their respect for pursuing his career goals. At this point, the wedding plans were just about in full swing. He was contacted by *J* in early July of 2008 and asked if he'd be willing to pay for the Alcohol/Reception aspect of the wedding. They discussed the details and Brian was more than willing to take part in any way possible! This was his oldest daughter getting married ~ nothing but the best!!! After that, we weren't kept in the loop on any other wedding plans, just an occasional email here or there discussing who's going to be in the wedding and what role they were playing. Nonetheless, Brian was very estatic ~ he was going to be able to walk his oldest daughter down the aisle!

I was asked by *J* since I do wedding cakes for a living, for some insights on her wedding cake. When all was said and done, she had asked if I would be able to pick the cakes up from the baker and transport it to the wedding /reception site. The cakes would be iced already, I'd just have to pipe the borders and decorations as well as set it up in the cake stand. Yay! I was going to be a part of this wondeful wedding!!! How exciting! I felt very honored that *J* would include me in any portion!!!

Brian was also asked if we could give up a week at our TimeShare for their Greece portion of their honeymoon. We agreed and so we paid for their entire week's stay in Greece.

Fast forward to early May 2009 ~ we receive a phone call from *J* and she tells her dad that she'd like to share something with him... the conversation kinda went like this:

J: Dad, I've been thinking ~ instead of you walking me down the aisle alone, I'd like mom to walk down with us. How do you feel about that?

Dad: Well *J*, you know me, I'm a very traditional guy and I've been waiting for this moment with you for 27 years.

J: But I've been to two weddings in the last year and they both had their mom and dads walk the bride down the aisle.

Dad: That's nice *J* but, this means the world to me to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle. Since the moment I held you in my arms when you were born, I've been dreaming of this time.

J: Well, why don't you think about it and I'll call you in a few days.

As I said, this conversation transpired in the beginning of May. Brian and I did have a trip planned to Minnesota the following week. We attended his other daughter's graduation from University of Minnesota and met up with all of his children at some point and time during the visit. In fact, we saw *J* several different occasions during that trip, however nothing was ever mentioned about the whole 'walking down the aisle' issue.

Finally, toward the end of May, we get a phone call from *J*; the conversation takes place something like this:

J: Hey dad, did you give it anymore thought about having mom walking down the aisle with us?

Dad: Well hon, I have thought about it and I am standing on how I feel. It's nothing against your mom at all, you know that, it's just that I've been wanting and waiting for this one special bond with you and I really don't want to have anyone walk down with us.

J: Dad, this isn't fair....this is my wedding not yours and you have to do what I ask you to do.

Dad: I'm sorry hon, but this is how I feel. You're not going to understand how I feel inside because I'm a dad.

J: Well, I'm going to have mom call you right now and see if she can talk you into it.

Two minutes later, Brian's cell phone rings.....he looks at me and says..."I'm putting this on speaker phone so you can hear both sides of this conversation"

Brian: Hello

Ex: Hi... I hear we have a problem

B: Nope...no problem

Ex: Well, I hear that you don't want to walk down the aisle with me again. What's going on with that?

B: Like I told *J*, it has nothing to do with you or anyone else for that matter. This is my daughter getting married and it's every dad's dream to walk their dauther down the aisle. I want that with my daughter

Ex: Well, this is *J*'s wedding and YOU HAVE TO DO THIS.

B: Now, you know better than to tell me what I HAVE TO DO. I didn't get much say in any of this wedding planning process, and the one thing I'm asking is to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle. Just me and her, hand in hand.

Ex: Why does everything have to be about you? Why do you have to be the star? This is *J*'s wedding and this is what she wants.

Yadda yadda yadda. Basically the phone conversation lasted an hour long with no headway at all. Just nothing but bickering back and forth. Personally, I had no say in this whatsoever. I wasn't picking sides, and I made this very clear to both *J* and Brian.

Then, towards the end of May, we received a phone call from *J* :

J: Hi dad...did you change your mind yet?

Dad: Hon, I've thought about this every day and I'm not changing how I feel. I can't.

J: Well then just so you know, you can't change your mind back. I want you to know that you're uninvited from the wedding and since you're being this way, I don't think I want you a part of my life in the future.

Dad: (completely blown away) Wow *J* is this really how you feel?

J: Yes, if you can't do this for me then I don't want you in my life. How does it make you feel?

Dad: I don't like it at all

J: Well, bye dad. Have a good life.

End of conversation.

Since that converation transpired, I continued to be in contact with *J* via telephone, text and/or email for a short period of time. She wanted me to know that I was still invited to the wedding should I decide that I wanted to go. She said she didn't have any issues with me at all.

The very next day, *J* decided to send out a mass email to all of their friends, family and wedding guests. The email read:

From: J
Subject: FW: Attention Please: Slight Change in Wedding Plans
To:
Date: Monday, May 25, 2009, 12:03 PM

Dear Family and Friends,

There has been a change of circumstances and J's father will no longer be attending the wedding, and has withdrawn his financial support for the event. Therefore, there will be a slight change in the evening's planned beverage arrangements. Please review our wedding website for more details and additional event information.

We look forward to sharing our special day with you!

Sincerely,
J & B

Talk about being floored!! We didn't even know this email went out to people until family and friends forwarded said email to Brian and asking why in the world would they be receiving such email?!? Yes, talk about a dissaster!!!

In this photo above, Brian's children are standing from left to right: Jared, Jaclyn, Jennifer, (the groom), the Bride and the Ex. It makes me sad that this photo doesn't include Brian in it. He should be in it! He's a part of that family!!

Wait...it gets better! "What?" do you say? How can it get any better than that?!? Well, after the wedding, some family members shared with us that during the reception they had a slide show. (This we knew about) However, prior to the presentation, *J* let it be known to her guests that any pictures of her dad had been removed. Yes, she did. Needless to say, Brian's older brother wasn't too happy about it. He shared his disappointment with Brian, but thats as far as the discussion went.

As we'd already planned and paid for our plane tickets for our trip to Minnesota in June, Brian wasn't sure if we'd still make the trip. His sister who moved to North Carolina and he hadn't seen for a couple of years was going to be there; additionally, the day after the wedding was Father's day, and Monday was Brian's Birthday. I felt it would be better if we were in Minnesota with all of his family and close friends during that period of time as they'd be able to help keep Brian out of any sort of depression. So we went.

Through this all, I, myself continued to hold my own feelings in tact. This was solely a decision Brian made based on his own convictions. I didn't have to necessarily agree with his decision, I was only there to support his decision. Whatever his decision may have been.

Can I just tell you guys that at the time, this is a 27 year old who is currently going to school for her 2nd Masters degree. She (along with her siblings) had never lacked anything while growing up. As a family, they took family vacations every.single.year. When Brian and the ex divorced, *J* had already graduated from High School, moved out of the home and was in her second year of college. It's not like Brian didn't raise her or wasn't a part of her life while she was growing up. (As some split families end up)

To this day, *J* has not spoken to her father at all. And, to top it off, she's also got her 4 siblings to 'side' with her and none of them have contacted him as well. It hurts me to know that they can just treat their father this way. The entire time I've known Brian and throughout our relationship, the kids (all adults) seldom ever called him~ not on Father's Day, not on Holidays, not even on his birthday. The only times they called him was if they needed something from him whether it was $$, or a favor. And Brian was always there to help them out....ALWAYS.

Needless to say, this is the ultimate sore spot of our 2009 year. Although Brian puts on that brave front and is quite hurt by their actions, we continue to acknowledge them though they don't acknowledge Brian. We continued to send out Birthday cards and we also sent out Christmas cards to each of them. We won't get a resonse, but they are still his kids and he will continue to acknowledge them every opportunity he can. What they choose to do is their choice ~ but oh....they've got to know that they're losing years of their lives with their father! We aren't getting any younger as the days pass ~ and in June of 2010 Brian will be turning 50 years old!

On a BRIGHTER side of 2009, I'd like to share with you that our relationship with Brian's daugther from a previous relationship (prior to his marriage) has grown tremendously!!! There's a story behind this as well, but we'll save that for another time!! I know Brian's relationship with Jenn will never be compromised by anyone, ever, and Jenn will never not have her dad in her life again for the rest of her life! We've had the greatest time getting to know her three sons, Brian's Grandchildren, and it's fun knowing we can spoil them rotton when we can!!



Meeting the grandchildren for the first time in March was an awesome experience for both Brian and myself included! Everyone that knows Brian knows that he's a sucker for kids! He just loves them to death and at times, he enjoys being a kid at heart as well!!! We love them and can't wait to spend more time with them in the years to come!!



Amazing, adorable, cute, cuddly, ahhhhhh love little ones!!! It's to bad that they're all the way in Minnesota though because if they were closer, I'd be having a blast with them every.single.day! :)



Another awesome thing that happened this year is my sister, Jalynn, who lives in Maui got married! Due to circumstances beyond my control (damn the economy and losing a job) we weren't able to attend the wedding. My dad was healthy enough to walk her down the aisle and I will treasure this photo for years to come!!!

Now, what will the New Year bring for me?!? Well, for starters, I need to go into WEDDING MODE!!! Yes I do! While we have the year pretty much planned out for us, let me tell you, it's going to be a busy little sucker!!! As far as OUR wedding is concerned, here's the month by month scene....

March = Couples shower
April = Wedding Cruise
May = California Reception
June = Minnesota Reception

So yes, I have my work cut out for me. Not only do I have to 'deal' with the above events, work related wise, I have two weekends in January booked with Wedding Cakes, and in July I have two weddings which I am the Event Coordinator. Can you say WOW!?!? CRAZY?!?!? I know, I know... my year is going to fly by just as much as it did this year. Whew!!!! Not to mention this coming year is Brian's big 5 - 0 Birthday Bash! Woo Hoo!!!

My Resolution for the new year is to spend each and every.single.day as if it were the last day of my life! No more holding back. No more trepidation. Go for it! I lost a total of 5 people this year ~ a couple were High School friends, one was a former Employer/Friend, and a couple were awesome friends. The loss of their lives have made me realize that you can't take for granted the things and/or people you have in your lives. You never know what tomorrow brings ~ and so I share with all of you today, my resolution in the New Year, I will be living my life from a different perspective. I will get closer to my relatives whether they are near or far, I will befriend those who need a friendship, I will lend an ear for those who need to vent, I will lend a shoulder should you need to cry. And I will appreciate every.single.thing I have in my life. EVERYONE makes mistakes in their lives ~ we're not here to judge those mistakes. We're here to be there for one another and live life from this day forward!

Happy Tuesday everyone and enjoy the last Tuesday of 2009!!!

Back on Track!!

This post is filled with a number of different topics, so please stick around ~ read through and bear with me as I try and catch up on the last couple of days!! :) There's everything from Christmas to Wedding Related issues to another Blog Award, and more!!! Enjoy and Happy Monday!!!

Whew! The Christmas Holidays are over ~ and boy, am I glad. This year was a rough one for me, I'll have to admit! I totally was not in the Christmas Spirit as I usually am. For some reason, I was not really all that excited for the festivities at all. Usually, our living room is all decked out by the time Thanksgiving Dinner is all said and done with, however this year I didn't put up our tree until the 16th ~ a little over a week before Christmas. And ONLY because we hosted a dinner party with friends over. What in the world?!?!? I also usually have my Christmas gifts wrapped and ready to go oh maybe by about the same time frame....a week out. Nope...not this year. I waited until the absolute last day. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas, along with spending time with family and friends ~ I just don't know why I was in such a gloomy mood.)

Christmas Eve was a WONDERFUL time with some very close friends. There was 12 of us and we enjoyed a great dinner. Dinner was delicious and just being around friends like that really got me out of the 'funk' that I was in. We also had a White Elephant Gift Exchange ~ Brian had never participated in one of these before and it was so much fun!! He totally got into it and I believe was the first person to "steal" a gift. He made it very interesting to say the least. After all was said and done, we came out of there with two great gifts! One was a gift set composed of two bottles of wine and some Lindor Chocolates...yummy! The other gift was 2 movie passes along with a $10 gift card for Popcorn & Soda! What a very well thought of gift!



Christmas Day was very nice. For those of you who know me, you all know how much of a Starbucks Caramel Frappicinno fiend I am! Well, I woke up Christmas Morning to one of these delicious grande Caramel Frappicinno with Extra Caramel around the cup, waiting for me on the dining room table! Yes, how thoughtful of my Fiance to go to Starbucks at 6:30 in the morning while I'm still asleep!! I ABSOLUTELY was in heaven!!



Then as I'm enjoying my drink, I take a gander over to our small table top Christmas Tree all decked out and I squeal with delight as I see a couple of Christmas Stockings filled! Brian and I's agreement was that we weren't going to exchange gifts this year because of our upcoming wedding. So, to make a long story short, I think we were both thinking along the same lines! Instead of getting each other "gifts" we decided that we'd surprise the other with 'stocking stuffers'.....however we didn't share this info with one another. Hahahaha!!!! Both of our stockings were filled with candies and favorite snacks that we each liked. Of course there was a few other little gifts thrown in there as well ~ Brian received a new pair of jeans and the usual undies and socks! :) And my gift was my DROID Eris phone!! Yes!!! I got my phone and I absolutely love it!!! It is amazing!!! I'm not even going to go into the story behind what it took for him to get it for me without me going out and getting it myself! :) Needless to say, I had also went out and got Brian a new phone as well ~ great minds think alike!!!!

Christmas Dinner was wonderful too. My son and his girlfriend along with my soon to be 20-year-old came from Sacramento. We hung out, watched Grad Torino, had a great Ham dinner, hung out some more, exchanged gifts and then they had to move on to their other parent's family Christmas get together. Wonderful times!!! The only thing I regret is that I forgot to take a group photo. Boo! :(

The day after Christmas I went out Clearance Shopping at Target! You all know how much I ♥ Target! Not just because Target is responsible for Brian and I meeting, or because I used to work there, but because it's such a wonderful shopping environment!!! So.... let me share with you my AWESOME deal I got!



I found these Gold Band Porcelain Dinner Plates ~ Set of 12 ~ for $7.49! Yes, it was a set of 12 clearanced for $7.49.

I also found the matching Salad Plates ~ Set of 12 ~ for the same price, along with the Dinner Mugs ~ Set of 12 ~ and also the Glass Tumblers ~ Set of 12 ~.

What a deal! Currently we have two different dish 'sets' that we use on a daily basis and I love them ~ however they are only in a 'set' of 4. So when we have dinner guests, more often than not, we have mis-matched dishes and I'm not really too fond of that! Also, I found a Burgundy linen table-cloth with 10 cloth napkins clearanced for $4.99. Score!

FIFTEEN MONDAYS

Can you even believe that?!? Seriously, there are only 15 Mondays left before the Cruise. 15 Wednesdays from this Wednesday I will be on the beach marrying my best friend! That isn't very many weeks left and I think once the New Years holiday rolls around, I will be more dedicated to getting what needs to be done, done! Wedding related tasks at least! So much to do, so little time!!! OMG!!! I need to have someone give me a swift kick in the behind so I can get movin!!!! Any volunteers?!? I just need to get through this last round of get togethers ~ we're hosting a New Year's Eve gathering this year and once that is over its nothing but WEDDING, WEDDING, WEDDING here on out! (Or so I'm anticipating!!!)

On another note, I thought I'd share with you all that I really enjoy reading different blogs and I've gained so many friendships in doing so! I can't really say enough to some of the women I've 'met' who have inspired me and have taken the time to actually read and comment on some of my blog postings. It's nice to know that they really take the time to read, care and respond to me. For those of you who do that, thank you so much! :)



I was blessed to receive yet another Blog Award from a very sincere person whose blog is one I read just about every.single.day! Insights from a SuperHero's Mom is a great blog and I encourage you all to take a look if you don't already follow her!

As a recipient of this wonderful award, one must continue the rules of the award which are:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
- Link to the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Having to choose 10 other blogs was difficult as there are so many great blogs out there, but I’d like to share my award with the following (in no particular order):

Nolan's Story

Mom Tried It

Eco-Friendly and Frugal

It's the Bergman's!

Mommy is Green

Salt Says

The Heir to Blair

Goodness & Mercy Shall Follow

MammaHood Among Other Things

Of Mice and Ramen

If you haven't already read any of the above blogs, I would offer you guys the opportunity to go check them out! Some of them share very intimate details of their life's struggles, trials and tribulations along with the joy in their lives, while others are just journaling of their every day life. Enjoy reading these!

And before I go ~ I need to give a shout out to my WONDERFUL Football Team!! The Steelers' actually won two in a row! Woo Hoo! Go Steeler's!!!! :)

Have an AMAZING Monday and enjoy your last Monday of 2009!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my friends, family and bloggy buddies and readers a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I'd also like to thank you all for sharing your day with me and allowing me to do the same with you! Some of you make me laugh, get me through the day and/or teach me things I didn't know. Each and every day I meet someone new and I'm grateful for all the support and wonderful friendships that I've made since entering this Blogesphere! :)

My children will be coming into town tomorrow and we'll be enjoying Christmas lunch together so I will be away from the computer for the entire day. I'll be sure to share pictures with you all on Saturday!

Winners of All things Wedding Guide's Debut Issue GiveAway

Congratulations to Jennifer C who is the lucky winner of the 24 ct. Mini Cupcake Stand!

We also have two winners who willl receive an assortment of Devilishly Delicious Dips! They are:

Lilshuggs2001 and Deb K

CONGRATULATIONS ! Be sure to check your email for information on how to receive your prizes!!

Thank you everyone for participating in All Things Wedding Guide's debut GiveAway and most certainly for being a follower on my blog!

Please check out our current GiveAway and maybe we'll see YOU posted here next week as our Winner!!! Good luck!!

All Things Wedding Guide ~ Issue #2 ~ Reception

This issue of All Things Wedding Guide is dedicated to the Reception ~ Table Names to be exact!

One of the latest phases in All Things Reception Related, brides have been stepping out of the box when it comes to their reception, including the color theme, floral theme, centerpieces and various other aspects. Nowadays, with receptions where there are a large number of guests, many brides and grooms opt to 'name' their tables to help their guests find their seats. While most couples choose to use numbers to name their tables, some choose to do something different and/or unique which show cases their individuality.

If this is the route you're going to go, you should definitely choose a topic and/or theme that fits your personality and can be anything that you like. For instance, if you love your job, choose names that are job related; other options may be to focus on a specific themes, something that relates to your wedding reception, something related to your heritage, something related to your honeymoon, or even things both you and your fiancé love.

Here are a some examples taken from an article I saved from several months ago: (unfortunately, I didn't save the source name)

Name Your Tables After Your Occupation

•If you’re a teacher, name your tables after school subjects or other school related names such as: Mathematics, Report Card, English, History, Recess, Teacher’s Lounge, Cafeteria, Gym, Home Economics, Spanish, and so forth.

•If your husband is a minister of some kind, name your tables after books of the Bible.

•If one of you is a doctor, use names like stethoscope, tongue depressor, nurse, cotton swabs, and so forth.

•If you work with computers, use names like keyboard, mouse, motherboard, monitor, video card, memory, etc.

Name Your Tables After a Hobby

•If you’re a shopaholic then name the tables after your favorite stores.

•If you both love basketball, or some other sport, name your wedding reception tables after your favorite players or teams

•If you love rock climbing, name the tables after places you’ve climbed, or climbing gear

•If you love the outdoors, name your tables after different species of trees or flowers (using seed packet wedding favors for these kinds of tables is very popular)

Name Your Tables for Your Reception

•If you are having a wedding reception with a theme, use something that goes along with that theme, such as the following:

◦For a Western Theme, use terms like Cowboy, Cowgirl, Lasso, Saddle, Horseshoes, Corral, Saloon, Outlaw, etc.

◦In a Beach Theme wedding, use names like Starfish, Sand Dollars, Sea Horses, and more.

◦A Dessert Reception can be easily done by naming your tables after your favorite candies or kinds of candies.

•If your wedding ceremony or reception are outdoors, you can also name your tables after different kinds of trees and flowers, as listed in the previous category.

•If you are having a reception with a theme, check out my other article on Themed Table Centerpieces for great ideas on making a great centerpiece for your tables.

Name Your Tables After Your Honeymoon

•If you’re taking a Caribbean cruise, name your tables after different tropical islands.

•A Hawaiian Honeymoon can also be named after the different islands, as well as other things native to Hawaii.

•A European Honeymoon can bring you tables named after the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Parliament, Stonehenge, Venice, and much more.

In keeping with the traditional table numbers, there are a variety of ways you can make yours 'different'!

• Wine Bottles


• Picture frames


• Sand Dollars


• Candles


• Ornaments

Here's some photos of different ideas from former brides:

While there are endless possibilities with this specific topic, when choosing a theme, be sure you choose something that showcases you and your fiancé, together with what you love.

Here's a website that is an awesome resource if you're looking for theme specific choices! It's called Documents & Designs. They have tips and ideas on a number of different topics, but all Wedding Related!

What are we doing for our wedding might you ask?!? Well, first of all, we're having not one, but two AHR's (At Home Receptions). One in California and 3 weeks later, one in Minnesota. They're both going to be casual affairs so I don't think we're going to have seating charts therefore no table names! :) Whew! Less to have to worry about!

***GIVEAWAY***GIVEAWAY***

This week's GiveAway is the following:

These table numbers are tented so both sides have the number on them along with a bow in the color of your choice and a swarovski crystal in the middle of the flower. They are 6 inches by 6 inches and the numbers start at 3 as the first two cards will say "Brides Family" and "Grooms Family". The photo above shows the bow in Fuchsia.

The lucky winner will receive a set of ten (10) Table Cards.

HOW YOU CAN WIN IT!

(To enter this GiveAway, please leave all entry comments on this thread!!)

Mandatory Entries:

** Become a Follower of this WordPress Blog by Subscribing through E-Mail utilizing the “Email Subscription” button on the right hand SideBar ~ This is worth three (3) entries. Leave three separate comments on this post indicating that you’ve subscribed to this Blog. Be sure to include your email address so I may verify your subscription.

** Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JustMeShelliB ~ This is worth two (2) entries.

Extra Entries:

** Post about this GiveAway on your Blog, being sure to leave your Blog URL when you leave your comment that you’ve Blogged this ~ This is worth one (1) entry per day.

** Tweet this GiveAway: Win set of 10 Table Tent Table Number Cards with Minnesota meets California's All things Wedding Guide. Ends 12/29." (Can Do 1 Per Day)


There is a total of 2 Mandatory Entries which you’re able to gain a total of 5 entries!! And an opportunity for 14 extra entries!

This GiveAway opportunity will end on Tuesday, December 29th @ midnight Pacific Standard Time. The winner(s) will be selected and announced on Wednesday, December 30th.

To enter this GiveAway, please go here!!

My First Ever Blog Award!!!

I meet so many different people every.single.day through the different online communities I am a part of and I am grateful for every.single.friendship that I make! It's through the Destination Wedding community on The Knot that I met fellow bride-to-be and blogger Salt from Salt Says. I am honored and grateful that she sent me my first ever Blog Award! Woo Hoo! I am now a "Kick Ass Blogger".

As with many other Awards, I have the privilege to pass this gracious award on to five (5) other favorite blogs of mine! Let's pass this puppy on to the following;

These first three are blogs that share ideas and/or offers reviews and insight on products and craft projects.

Kim @ Mom Tried It * Jaye @ Eco Friendly & Frugal * Deanna @ Just Deanna

These second two are blogs that invite us, as readers, into their every day life ~ they share their joys, excitments, accomplishments, frustrations and sometimes most intimate struggles, trials and tribulations they're going through on a daily basis.

Ashley @ Nolan's Story * Vivanne @ Vivanne's Vista

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Do you guys know what tomorrow brings?!? Tomorrow is the release of Issue #2 of my All Things Wedding Guide! Yipee! Which means I will have another GiveAway!! Be sure look for it and please let me know what you think!! And if you have suggestions for future feature topics, please feel free to share those with me!

I'll leave you all with another reminder that the GiveAway from my Debut Issue ends this evening at Midnight (PST). So if you haven't yet, you still have time to check it out!! Here's the link for you: Minnesota meets California ~ GiveAway

Yay for Blog Awards!! Yay for GiveAways!! And Yay for 4 more days until Christmas!!

** Just a Reminder **

Hi there! Just a reminder to all of you who are following me here on Blogger ~ you can visit my WordPress Blog at http://shellilynn.wordpress.com to view my some great stuff like my Receipe of the Week, Verse of the Day, Photo of the Week, and of course my great GiveAways!

Also, for the time being, I am posting all my daily blogs here as well as on WP, but in the near future, I will be transitioning my entire blog over to WP, so if you aren't a subscribed follower on my WP Blog, please head on over there and subscribe!

Thanks and hope you all have a great start to this week!!!

Sixteen

Sixteen Mondays. ~ For those of you new readers out there who haven't been following me very long, let me share a little tid bit about myself! I am engaged and will be getting married in April of 2010. "Sixteen" signifies that there is 16 Mondays left before our Wedding Cruise!! I've been counting down the Mondays for awhile now to help me put in perspective just how much planning time I have. And boy can I tell you, it scares me to think that I'm actually down to 4 months! Wow!

I've been in such a Wedding Rut for the past month or two, and I think just knowing that my time is getting shorter and shorter as each day passes, I need to dig down deep inside and find my MOTIVATION!!! It will come ~ trust me ~ it will come!!!

Christmastime Pretties

With Christmas already here, it's nice to see all the decorated homes throughout the neighborhoods! In the City of Ceres here in the Central Valley of California there's a hoppin' spot during the Holiday Season called "Christmas Tree Lane". It's a neighborhood where everyone decorates their homes with tons of lights and giant Santa's or Snowmen, or anything Christmas related. Last night we took a drive thru Christmas Tree Lane and it was beautiful!! I wasn't able to capture many photos as #1) I was the driver and #2) I didn't think to take any pictures until half way thru the fun!!! Nonetheless, here are a few photos I was able to shoot, making sure not to hit any pedestrians and/or the car in front of me! :)

I also forgot to mention here that I didn't realize that the pictures would look so much better had I turned off the flash on the camera! Hey...I'm not a professional photographer ~ I barely know how to work the darn camera! :)

Yay for Football

Now, on to Fooball!!! Did you guys see the Steelers game yesterday?!? What a comeback! Can you just believe it?!? As I mentioned in a previous post, there is no way that the Steelers can provide all of us with a repeat SuperBowl win this year, however they played with such determination last night that got them the win over the Green Bay Packers! YES! With 3 seconds left in the game, Big Ben pulls it off!! I actually didn't think it was gonna happen, but so excited that it did! Needless to say, I was one happy camper!!!!

My Christmas Wish List!

So, back to the topic of Christmas!! I don't usually ask for anything specifically for Christmas. I'm 41 years old and I've been focusing Christmas on my children and family for the last 22 years of my life! I enjoy giving to others tremendously and don't ever, ever, expect anything in return. It's just not my nature!! This is the first year where I've received some wonderful Ornaments and several other gifts from friends I've met online in different "Communities". I will treasure these forever! (If you want to see some of the wonderful ornaments, you can see the Cupcake Ornaments here, the Personalized Catalina Ornament here, or the awesome Personalized Hanger here!)

This year, I've been wanting a new phone! Don't ask me why, but in the last few weeks, I've been looking and doing research on different phones. Originally, I've always wanted an iPhone! Afterall, I've been told those phones are the "phone of all phones". We go to the Verizon store (because that's who Brian has for his phone and we're thinking on adding me and go with the Family Plan) and browse around.

The first time we go, I see and fall in love with the Blackberry Storm. I play around with it for about 5 minutes and see what all the features they have available are. I ask questions about the pricing...the touch screen....everything I could possibly think of asking.

We decide to wait and see what they have to offer at Target thru their MobileSolutions Kiosk they have in store since Brian would be able to get 10% off of any equipment we purchase, plus an additional 20% off our monthly bill on the primary line. What do I find there?!? A Blackberry Tour ~ Free with upgrade.

We go back to the Verizon store just to see if they have anything new to offer. What do I find there?!? The NEW DROID HTC.

I am now thoroughly confused as to what phone I want. So...... what it all comes down to is this.... I would like a phone that has the capability to access the internet so I can check my email (personal and work), access my WP Blog, text, take pictures and all that good stuff! :) I think I'm allowed to have ONE toy right?!? I have my Kitchen Aid Mixer that I've wanted for years which I received from one of my students years ago. Besides the Kitchen Aid, the only other thing I want is a phone. I think I'm going to splurge and actually buy something for ME this year! I don't think there is anything wrong with that! After all the children and grandchildren are taken care of, I think I will pick up a little something something for little 'ole me! (Ha! I say this now, but I probably won't do it.....I have a wedding coming up in 4 months!!!) But it sounds good to share this with you guys!!

Well guys ~ here's to hoping you have an awesome Monday! As always, don't forget to check out my GiveAway here and enter as many times as you can!!! I'll be picking the winners tomorrow night!! Good luck to you all!!

I'll leave you with some random pictures of friends and family that were taken yesterday during Football Sunday!!

Football Sunday ~ My Favorite Restaurant Shout Out

If you all didn't know this about me already, I am a HUGE Football Fan! You can call me crazy, but I absolutely love it! I am diehard PITTSBURGH STEELER'S FAN and proud of it!!!

Granted, they didn't do so well this season and their hope to defend their SUPERBOWL CHAMPION status has been shot, they are still MY team! There isn't any other Football Team out there today who can say they've won 6 Super Bowls! And there probably won't be for quite some time!

Usually during the months of September thru January, you could find me at "The Coolest Joint in Town" ~ Cool Hand Lukes on Sundays with a group of friends who are also Football Fans! They actually open at 10 a.m. ~ just in time for opening kick-off for the morning games on Sundays. They have 4 big screen televisions throughout the lounge and have all 4 televised games on at the same time! During the Football Season, CHL offers an awesome Football Special on Sundays and Mondays. The Appetizer Specials are awesome!

We have a variety of fans ranging from 49'ers, Packers, Giants, Raiders, and Vikings!! It gets a little loud and boisterous when our teams are playing against each other! Through all the bantering back and forth, we all know in the end it's just fun and games! We thoroughly enjoy the day together watching Football and the guys take advantage of the great Drink specials (how anyone can drink an alcoholic beverage at 10 a.m. is beyond me!!!) You all know me...I'll be lucky if I can finish ONE drink!! AND, if I decide to drink something alcoholic, I make sure it's after noon before I do!!! :)

The biggest rival of course is between me and the Fiance! Steelers versus the Vikings! On Sunday, October 25th, our teams met in Pittsburgh. Head to Head! When all was said and done, which team prevailed?!? THE STEELERS!!! Whoo Hoo!! Ah.....I love it!!! We know which Football Team's parahanelia is going to be decorating the walls of our home!!! :)

*** WEDDING REALTED***

Some of my readers have emailed me and asked me how my wedding plans are coming along. I thought I'd reply to those inquiries here. As far as wedding plans, I have been in an ultimate FUNK. There, I said it. I haven't done anything wedding related to my own wedding in the last couple of months. Seriously! I've been working feverishly on clients' weddings, but nothing on mine. I don't know what it is, but I've been in this rut that I can't seem to get out of and quite honestly speaking.....I have 122 days from today before I'm on the beach on Catalina Island marrying my best friend!!! (More on that issue coming tomorrow in my daily Monday posts.)

The last DIY project that I half completed is these Palm Fans. I wrapped the handles in ribbon ~ using our wedding colors. My intentions are to finish these off by putting something at the base of the fan (top of the handle) area, but I'm not quite sure yet what it is I'm going to put there. I was thinking maybe a flower...maybe our monogram...not sure yet. I've been looking and searching for some inspirational photos, but nothing has jumped out at me that caught my eye. So....this project has been set off to the side for the time being!

These are my two newest addtions to my Apothecary Jar collection for the Candy Buffet I am going to have at both of my AHR's (At Home Reception). This brings my personal collection of Apothecary Jars to 4 now. If some of you remember, my goal was to buy one a month beginning in October utilizing the 40% off coupons Michaels offers and by the time April rolls around I'd have at least 6 of them. The rate I'm going, I'll have more than 6! Yipee!! I do have 6 of them that I use for my Event Planning business ~ I rent them out as a set for Candy Buffets to my clients. I decided that I could just add my personal set to the exisiting business set once I'm done with our AHR's!

If you're at all interested, here's the link to my Planning Bio. Feel free to check it out! I can't guarantee that its totally updated 100% but for the most part, it's accurate! :) I tend to fall behind in that department!

***CHRISTMAS***

It's 6 days away and I've yet to complete my Christmas Shopping! I know, I know...procrastinator huh? For those of you who know me, this is totally uncharacteristic of me! I'm a planner....I'm detail oriented....I have lists....but this Holiday Season has thrown me for a loop! I can't believe that we just put up our Christmas Tree earlier this week. And the only reason for that was because we had a dinner party on Wednesday evening! I had to be 'festive' for the guests! I think my daughter and I will have no problems whatsoever going out tomorrow and do a little shopping....and a little pampering! :)

***GIVEAWAY***

Don't forget about my GiveAway which you can read about here! Be sure to enter because the GiveAway ends on Tueday the 22nd at midnight PST! Good luck!

Happy Sunday everyone!!! Go Steelers!!!!!