#52. what to wear what to wear

often the very hardest part of my day is when I stand in front of my closet and try to decide what on earth I should wear! sometimes, (and I am ashamed to admit this, actually) sometimes I will actually change my entire outfit 2 or 3 times in the morning. (Rock absolutely cannot understand this, by the way).

remember when Rock asked me about the eee picks back in the spring? and we decided not to take any? well, actually, we changed our minds . . . really, our awesome and amazing photographer changed our minds when she offered to add e-pics in to our photo package. for FREE! heck yes we'll do e-pics for free! (plus, it will totally give us a chance to practice looking normal in front of a camera)

but now I have to decide what to wear! what to wear in pictures that will be around for the rest of my life! no pressure or anything! so, little help out there . . . what suggestions do you have for engagement picture outfits?!

#51. harry potter and wedding photography

I know, you're wondering what in the heck Harry Potter has to do with wedding photography. and I am going to tell you: absolutely nothing. not one thing. except that I met our wedding photographer at the midnight showing of the latest Harry Potter movie. (it was so totally awesome! and I know I'm way behind on telling this story but better late than never, right?)

yes, it's true, I was connected with my wonderful and talented wedding photographer-to-be (and her delightful husband-slash-second shooter) through one of my b.maids and we met in person for the first time standing in line for the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. her name is Missy, of Missy Saunders Photography. She is primarily a family photographer but she has been branching out into weddings and I am SOOOO lucky to have snapped her up for the wedding! her vision and creativity are inspirational! her photos show such emotion I feel like I'm really there!

Missy specializes in outdoor locations (perfect!) and also in working with children and babies (extra perfect!). it takes a special talent to capture the beauty and joy of children on film. and Rock and I, we really need that . . . we have this uncanny ability to look awkward in nearly every photo taken ever. ever. especially me. no, really.

please please please check out her awesome website and her blog! (she's also a graphic designer and web designer. so talented!!) she's fabulous! so excited!!

#50. I love mini food

I love cupcakes. they're like a mini cake. any food in miniature is somehow tastier but especially dessert-type food.

Rock & I are still in negotiations about the dessert section of our wedding. he's not a big sweets fan but does love brownies, pie and the occasional chocolate chip cookie. I, on the other hand, have an unquenchable sweet tooth and will eat nearly any dessert except for white (wedding) cake. we've tossed around some ideas . . . a non-traditional-weddingy cake, cupcakes, cheesecakes, pie, cookies, donuts (which Rock's brother & Sparkles just did, so that'll be a "no") . . . but we still haven't really come to any conclusions.

but I just found these!:

they're mini pies!! baked in little jars!

visit Not Martha for a great tutorial and lots of pictures. the best part? because they're in jars, they're freezable. I could make them ahead of time and then just freeze them until we need them!

wait, am I actually thinking about making my own wedding food? am I crazy? . . . . . .

#49. midterms . . .

I had forgotten how much work it is to go to school! it's midterm time and I have papers due and papers to grade . . . why do professors assign such intensive midterm projects? and so many quizzes? I've already graded quizzes until my eyeballs burn and we're only half done!

on a bright note, I got the glass paint in the mail this week! hopefully I'll get to test it out next week!

we also went to Sparkles' Wedding! last weekend. and are headed to another wedding this weekend. updates to come!

wish me luck!

#48. faux vintage

in the last post, I was wondering how to find cheap vintage blue ball mason jars. I did a little research and found that they sell in shops & on ebay for, like, $10. each! I was ready to abandon the idea. then, I found this: make vintage mason jars. A.Mountain.Bride found a tutorial at Bridal Buzz and re-posted the steps and images.

kristin at Bridal Buzz used turquoise glass paint to simply paint the jars the vintage color. so brilliantly obvious that I never would have thought of it! I will refrain from re-posting the whole thing here, but look at the finished product:
it looks exactly like Non-Texan Momma's jar! maybe prettier . . . (don't tell Momma)


I bought the glass paint and thinner online from dick blick. I'll let you know how it turns out!

#47. boxes boxes boxes

Rock is moving! he's coming home this weekend! he still hasn't found a job but it's just too much living this far apart. he's been driving down every weekend, we're paying expenses at 2 apartments, and we're just tired of doing the long distance relationship. again!

we did this whole long distance thing once and had planned to never do it again, but here we are . . . Rock & I have been together for almost 3 and a half years. all total, we have spent 2 of those years living between 500 and 2,000 miles away from each other. it was hard but I wouldn't have it any other way . . .

living so far away has certainly helped our communication skills. conducting so much of the relationship over the phone, I got comfortable telling Rock almost everything going on in my life. we learned to talk about it immediately if there was a problem or a concern rather than let it fester silently.

I had forgotten how much of a difference it makes to visually and physically connect with Rock each day. I had forgotten how much I miss him when he's not here. I'm so glad he's moving home!

#46. lemons & limes, part VI

this time with NO lemons and limes!

yep, that's right, no lemons or limes in this particular centerpiece post, but don't worry, we're still doing them (I think). [if you don't remember the lemon/lime discussions, check out part I, part II, and part III.] when Rock & I went home to visit Momma (and watch football! go pokes!), we played with sunflowers she has been growing in her garden this summer. we've decided on using sunflowers for the bouquets.

we (she) made some cute little maid's bouquets and she had the idea of putting one in a vintage blue mason jar she has.

(ignore the sad little gerbera daisy in there! we needed another bloom to fill in & it was around)

I LOVE this look! can we do something like this for centerpieces? but I also love the lemons & limes . . .

(another shot, different background)

what do you think? is there a way we can incorporate the two? will it be too much to have on the table? (also, these blue vintage mason jars are kind of expensive . . . is there a way to find them cheaper?)

(step-daddy kindly demonstrating a maid's bouquet. such a good sport!)