Curtain Crisis

Spring cleaning is complete...just in time to start all over again, I think. In the process, we had a bit of a curtain crisis, specifically curtain shrinking crisis. Now that I've solved it, I think the wounds are sufficiently healed to write about it.

Put simply, FAIL (old curtains, post-wash):









Fixed (new Ikea linen curtains, relentlessly ironed by George but still wrinkled):

Brilliant Sun

I've said I'm not going to check the weather for our wedding day until just before the wedding because there is no need to worry about something I can't change. However, upon realizing that the wedding is LESS THAN TWO WEEKS away (thus within the 15-day forecast), I decided to take a quick look. Knowing that our forecasts usually change right up to the day and are rarely accurate, I told myself not to worry if the forecast was for rain...or for high temps...or for low temps...or really anything other than perfect.

Look at what I found:


Not just sunny, but brilliant sun. Not too hot. Not too cold. PERFECT. I feel like I just checked my grades expecting a C and ending up with an A. You better believe that I will be keeping my fingers crossed that our day actually ends up with the predicted weather. Please...

Guestbook Forewarning

Start thinking of the advice, memories, and stories you want to share with us!

Don't worry - we'll provide you with some paper, pens, and even a camera at the reception.

Labor of Love

Every wedding (at least every wedding that includes DIY elements) has a labor of love - you know, that project that seems so simple but ends up taking a ton of time or just generally being difficult and will be worth it as long as it's appreciated. Meet our programs:

The design process evolved over months until I had just the right wording, font, layout, size, etc. When I finally decided to take the plunge and print to cardstock, everything started out really smoothly. There were no major printing issues. In fact, I started printing after dinner one night (7:30pm) and had all of the pages printed and cut into their respective pieces before going to bed that night. Heck, I thought, if it's this easy, I should be able to assemble them in the morning before I stop for lunch. Wrong.

In the process of assembling these babies, I've killed two (two!) hole punches and spent way too much quality vision trying to get all of my holes aligned and trying to weave the ribbon when the holes weren't perfect (most of the time).

That was early last week. Tonight, I won. I mean, I finished the programs. Now that they're all resting in their home-for-a-few-more-weeks, I feel significantly better about this whole wedding planning thing.

In case you're curious, here are the final statistics relating to the programs:

50 programs
7 layers of paper per program (x 50 programs = 350 layers of paper)
3 holes per program (x punched in 3 sets x 50 programs = 450 holes punched)
1 ribbon per program (x 50 programs = 50 ribbons...each double weaved and trimmed)
25 pieces of paper x 2 cuts per page x 7 layers of paper = 350 cuts to get paper the right size
1 large hole punch per program
1 sticker per program

At least one guest who really appreciates them = it's all worth it.

Spring Cleaning

I'm in the midst of my first exercise of spring cleaning since leaving my mother's very tidy abode. This is the first time in the last five years that I've lived somewhere long enough to need to spring clean, and I figure that this is the best time to do those things that should have been done a while ago, need done now, or might need done in the next several months. Alas, in a mere two weeks the party starts...er, Pierre arrives...and, in three weeks, it's the big day!

It's embarrassing that I'm estimating that it'll take just about every day that I'm not in school during the next two weeks in order to attack the whole house. Meanwhile, my mom could no doubt clean our whole house from top to bottom in two or maybe three days. I've learned most of what I know about cleaning from her, but I still have a thing or five to learn. So goes life...

Today I took to our office with our old vacuum and some trusty Murphy's Oil Soap. Turns out, Murphy's has given my engagement ring a whole lot of shine! It also makes our second floor smell like a Murphy's air freshener. Most importantly, it has given some new life to our office. Here are some photos to prove it:

BEFORE (just after moving in, May 2007)

AFTER (post- painting, recessed lights, and recent spring cleaning)

Ribbon Graveyard

I seem to always end up with the same amount (too little) left at the end of a roll:

Showered!

This morning, my friend, Samantha, threw me a fabulous bridal shower with some of my local girls. I always enjoy the opportunity to hang out with friends from different circles at the same time, so it was quite the treat! We ate, drank mimosas, played fun games, opened presents, made a faux bouquet for the rehearsal, and played with Sam and Brian's new dog, Gizmo. Thank you, all!

Here are some photos to tell the story:

Above: Amanda, Jeni, Anne

Note: Jessica was behind the camera, so we missed capturing her beautiful smile. :-(
Below: Sam, Theresa, Seon

Feeling Special

Holy spoiled, Batman! I'm a bit overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from our friends and family over our wedding. Just about every day, it seems, I'm getting a new evite or invitation for a party being thrown in our honor. We've gotten many warm wishes (and even gifts) from people who are important to us but who did not quite make it onto our (tiny) guest list. Of the guests who are coming, half (HALF!) are traveling from out of state and out of the country to be with us.

I know I won't be able to take care of all of our out of town wedding guests like I might like, but I'm going to do my best...starting with a lil' organic chocolate love from Theo's...


{To follow up on my previous post, my first fitting went splendidly. Amy is a genius, but more on her later when I do a review of our vendors after the wedding.}

Jitters

Tomorrow is my hair trial and my first dress fitting...and five weeks until the wedding. It's a big day, yes, but not such a big day that my stomach should be in knots. What is going on?

Summer in our yard

It's not yet "official" summer, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. We're in the middle of our second week with temperatures in the 80's (mid 20's C). I'm loving the sun and blue skies while George hides from it. We're both glad that it's making our garden so happy.

There are signs of new growth on the feijoa. Our rhododendron bloomed for a mere week, mostly while we were in Portland. Nonetheless, it's worth the wait over the year to experience its beauty. One afternoon, I came out and discovered a local bee strategically collecting pollen from one flower after another - neat. Now, the rhodie is undergoing tremendous growth preparing for the year ahead. It has doubled in size since we planted it last year, so I can't wait to see what it looks like next year! The herbs I planted seem to be establishing themselves pretty well. I suppose they feel at home being so close to our yummy mint (mmmm, mojitos!). Remember that fern that we rescued from the weed shield? We think it's doing pretty well - what do you think? It's going to town right beside Pat's laurel babies. Out by the street, our lilac bloomed and is now dying back a bit. The new plant I put in to hide the ugly green Comcast box seems to be adjusting well to its new home. I'm looking forward to the pretty orange flowers that will come from the odd green shoots planted closest to the driveway.

In the back, Pat's perennial border is coming back in full force, especially the hosta. All those white bits in the lawn are wild flowers. When we planted our lawn, we put down seed that was supposed to be native to this area and include wild flowers. Wow, did we get our share of flowers! They're white and pink, and they come back between every lawn cut. It's kind of crazy. And, all of our ferns are really erupting this year. I wonder if the snow over the winter made them a bit stronger. Did you ever wonder what a baby Douglas Fir looks like? These little guys are popping up all over our garden. We're hoping to get at least one of them through infancy as a gift to the next owner of our house. (No, we're not moving just yet, but we almost certainly won't be here when the trees make adulthood in 30 years.)

Despite the work we put into our yard, it's so nice to have a green little corner in the world. We hope to get to share it with many of you over the summer.