Gobble Gobble Week

This week, I finally get to take a break away from my studies at school and be home with the family. It's about 3 to 4 hours between where I go to school and where home is, so I don't always get to come home when I want to. This week, I am staying with Colton and his grandparents in Loveland. It is really an adorable little town, if I do say so. It's fairly quiet, but definitely busy enough to keep a girl happy. We are thinking of getting an apartment out here once we have a steadier source of income. Until that happens, we are kind of squatting at the Hugo Grandparent house for a bit. Grandma doesn't seem to mind it that much, but Grandpa is still a little iffy about the whole thing.

One of my favorite times of the year is Thanksgiving. Not just for the food (although that is an exceptionally good reason to love Thanksgiving!), but also because of the message behind it. Family has always been a really important thing to me, even if we don't necessarily get along all the time, and Thanksgiving is a time to get together and enjoy one another's company and enjoy a great meal too. I am going to my parents' house on Wednesday and staying there through Thursday and having the Hugo celebration on Saturday. They moved the date so I would be able to attend both families. I do feel bad that they had to move things around, but it does work out so nicely.

Image via Kaboose

Usually we will set the table with sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls, fruit salad, a multitude of dressings, and of course the long awaited Thanksgiving turkey. Dessert is filled with pumpkin pie, apple pie, rum pie, chocolate pie, ice cream, cobbler, and maybe even a layered dish. It makes me hungry just thinking about it! Money has never been something easy for anyone on either side of the family, but when it comes to holidays it doesn't matter as much as long as the main point is celebrated.

It will be sad when it is over, but I am happy that there will always be that time of year where family can all come together and celebrate the joys of being together and having each other in our lives.

Baby Blues... Or Maybe Pinks?

You would not believe the craziness that comes with expecting a new baby in the family. Did I forget to mention that? Yes, I am an expectant mother. Feel free to cheer and applaud in your free time! I know there are some people out there who frown heavily upon babies being born out of wedlock (my own parents, just to name a couple), however I think it will all turn out just fine considering how my due date is in April and the wedding is at the end of July. It's going to be a very busy 2012, that's for sure!

The craziest thing has started happening in just the last couple of weeks. I can feel him/her moving around. It's such a different feeling than what I'm used to! Granted, Colton and I did have a baby back in 2010 that we gave up for adoption so we could go to school and give ourselves and her the greatest lives possible. But this time we are opting to keep it and be parents. We don't know whether it will be a boy or a girl yet, but I've got my fingers crossed for a boy. Colton has always really wanted a girl. We will find out over Thanksgiving though! It should be an exciting time. I'm already 4 months in, so we should be getting close.

We told Colton's dad and stepmom as well as his step-siblings. They are the only ones though. Because of they way they reacted to the wedding and our relationship in general, we are waiting until we know the gender before we tell his mom and stepdad and my parents. It's going to be a bit of a bumpy ride when that finally happens...

I'm so nervous!! Not just for telling our families, but for the actual baby. Being born, raising it, getting to know the kind of person it will end up being. Will I be a good mother? I certainly hope so. This is one of the few times that I allow myself to stay outside of my comfort zone for a long time and am happy about it. As for names? We aren't 100% certain about things yet, but we do know that if it is a boy his middle name will be Colton after his father. It's sort of a family tradition on his side that the first-born boy gets his father's first name as a middle name. I like the name Samuel for a first name, but you never really know for sure until you see them. If it's a girl, I like the name Leah. Colton likes Ashley. Again, we have no idea what to do if it's a girl. It will all get figured out though. It always does.

We already have basic supplies (crib, carseat, stroller), but there's still a lot more that needs to be done before we can be ready to take care of this baby. We can't exactly get clothes until we know the sex of the baby, but that's alright.

Regardless of the troubles that are certain to come, I'm very excited for this baby and to start a family with the only man I've ever really loved. I can't wait!

Image via Hiren

Technical Difficulties

It looks like a few wardrobe issues are going to force me to change my entire look for the wedding after all. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this... I had to cancel the order for my wedding dress. Awful, I know. But! It's not all bad news. I did place an order for a new one along with matching shoes. I love shoe shopping! These are the ever so beautiful shoes I ended up getting for my new gown.

Image via 6pm

Aren't they just adorable? I ordered my new dress from Dressily Me, which is in my personal opinion the absolute best place to buy a dress for a bride on a budget. I managed to find this one for just $130. It is a taffeta, A-line style dress with a dropped neckline. It's strapless and as I don't want to show too much skin, I also ordered a cute little lace jacket with short sleeves that will go perfectly with the overall ensemble. Both of those plus a veil and shipping ended up costing me a mere $207, which is how much my original dress alone would have costed me from this site. It's a steal, I know. A lot of people think it is a total scam site, but believe me when I tell you this is an incredible website to get a fabulous dress from. I can't even believe I lucked out on such a great deal!

I'm going to dweeb out a little right now and just ooze dress and shoe excitement. It is a custom fit dress with a lace up back and a beautiful bead pattern along the bodice and slightly down the skirt. Generally, I don't like beads or anything flashy on wedding dresses. I always planned for a simple white, ballgown type of look. But when I saw this one, I just fell in love with it. It isn't exactly what I imagined, but it is pretty dang close. They say it will take anywhere up to about 2 months to ship out, but some reviews have said it can come in as soon as 3 weeks and be absolutely beautiful, so I have no idea what to expect.

As for those beautiful little shoes I mentioned earlier, they are a white satin shoe with a peep toe design to compliment the 4" heel. I wanted to wear flats for the comfort factor, but these ones just make me squeal when I look at them. Yes, I do still have the other ones that I talked about a couple of weeks ago. They might be more for the evening reception depending on how my little piggies feel about hugging heels for about 6 hours. The best part about these? They were only $15 with free shipping and handling. Most shoes you find like this cost at the absolute least around $45. Someone out there must love me to be presenting all the fabulous deals. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I ordered them from a little site called 6pm. It's basically a site that gives you fantastic deals on brand shoes. Love it!

That is my latest update I suppose. I will be posting more later, don't you worry about that! I'm debating putting up pictures of my dress once it arrives, but we may have to wait until after the wedding so my dear Mr. Colton Fiance won't start snooping and see something he shouldn't. Ta!

It All Comes Out

Last night, I finally told my parents that Colton and I are engaged. They have never really liked our relationship, but we love each other and that's what matters. They aren't very happy with the idea of it, but I think after some time they will warm up to the idea and be more supportive. My parents have had a sort of "vision" of what my future should be like and this definitely doesn't fit into their plans. Because they are so far away from me and I am currently without a car or other mode of transportation, I had to call them and tell them over the phone. The conversation went really well until we got to the part about my engagement. It hurts because they said they don't know if they can support my decision and they didn't say much else about it. I really want them to be involved, but it's hard when we have differing views on what's best for me. There is still time before the time actually comes for the wedding for them to warm up to it. I just hope it's enough time.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

This one wasn't that big of a problem for me. I just ordered my dress, veil and petticoat online and they should all be here in a month or two. I can't wait!! Ahhh!! I would post pictures of those, but I don't want my husband-to-be snooping around and finding them. Shoes were next on my to-do list. That was a bit of a problem at first because I didn't know if I wanted high heels or flats or strappy shoes or any sort of idea where to look. I ended up deciding on flats just because they would be much comfier and functional than heels. The internet has lots of fabulous shoes, but all of them seemed a bit high priced for a plain white shoe. Then I turned to the next best thing: my closet. As it turns out, I already have a pair of white shoes that I never even wore! They have just been sitting in the back corner of my closet for about 4 years never even touched. It just so happens that they are PERFECT for wearing all day at the ceremony and reception! So that's one more thing I can check off my list and they were free! (Partially... I did pay for them at some point of course.) Here is a picture of what they look like:

I wish everyone else luck on their shoe search!

Improvising Nature

So all of the florists I have looked at are ridiculously expensive. I tried thinking of how I could save money on flowers, but no matter what it looked like it would always be eating a hole out of my bank account. That was until I made the amazing discovery of Kusudama Origami Flowers.

Photo via www.foldingtrees.com

I found these little treasures on www.foldingtrees.com and instantly fell in love with them. I'm going to use them for all the bouquets and boutonnieres. They save so much money and they look so cute! I'm going to take the liberty of copying the tutorial from Folding Trees just so you won't have to jump back and forth. All accreditation goes to them! None of this is mine. I just want to make that very clear to any copyright sharks out there. Anywho, this is how to make a Kusudama Flower Ball:

Part One
The Japanese Kusudama is a paper ball made out of identical origami shapes glued together. They were traditionally used as a ball for incense or potpourri but now we see them more for decoration or as a gift.
There are many different patterns to make a Kusudama ball but I find this the easiest pattern to get started.
What you need for this tutorial is:

• 60 pieces of paper cut into squares. The pieces are each 7x7cm or 3x3in.
• Glue.

Below I will show you how to make the basic shape. You need to make 60 of these. Every flower will then have 5 of these shapes or petals glued together making a total of 12 flowers. I will explain how to glue them together in part 2.

Fold the bottom corner to the top. This will make a triangle.

Fold the right and left corners up to the middle corner. This makes a square.

Fold the same points down. The folded edge will line up exactly on top of the outside edge of the square.

Open up the flaps you have just created and flatten them.

Fold the top triangles towards you so they are level with the edges of the paper. (This will result in 3 little petals on the inside of your petal; if you fold the top triangles away from you, this will result in only 1 petal on the inside of the petal.)

Fold the triangles back using the crease you made earlier and glue the outside triangles together.
Now make 5 more of these petals and glue them all together. Make sure you wait until the glue is dry after every petal and take your time. You will need 12 flowers to complete the Kusudama ball; I will show you how to complete it in part 2.

Part Two
In part 1, I showed you how to make the individual flowers; you should now have 12 flowers made from 60 individual petals.
For part 2 you will need:

• 12 flowers (made from 60 petals)
• Glue
• String or a ribbon
• Bead(s)

As you might be able to see from the finished Kusudama at the top of the page, I made 6 flowers from blue paper and 6 flowers from a recycled map. To make it easier to see how I am putting the ball together I will use 1 blue flower in the middle and 5 map flowers around it.

Start to glue the flowers together one petal at a time - this will give the nicest result. In the photo (right) you can see that you apply the glue a little to the right of the middle line. Hold the 2 pieces together in place with your fingers until the glue is dry. Then glue the second petal in the same way.

When you add the 3rd flower, there are 3 petals to connect. Make sure you work from the middle; glue, hold in place, wait until the glue is dry. Now work your way all around the first flower.

After you have attached all 6 flowers you will end up with 2 sets of half a Kusudama. Now it is time to attach the cord.

I used 3 beads on the bottom. (Left pic) I made a knot over the first bead to lock it in place and the put the other beads on the string, locking it in again with an overhand knot.

Now take your 1/2 Kusudamas and put some glue on the top. You can see the yellow glue I used on the right-hand picture.

Glue your string down, making sure it is nice and straight. Now glue the other half of the string down, making sure this time that you put the glue exactly on the middle of the petal. After this is nice and dry, start gluing the other half of the Kusudama on top of the first half. I normally work around from the top.

That's it! You have finished your Kusudama ball, now find a nice spot in your home for it.

Okay, me again. Can you see why I love these? I'm going to make a whole bunch of these with my own little flair of course. Don't worry, I'll post lots of pictures and give you all my DIY do's and dont's. I hope this inspired somebody else out there because I love them!

Some Things to Think About

I never realized how much there was involved in planning a wedding... without a wedding planner. That's right, I am attempting to do this 100% on my own so my entire wedding will be completely personal without any outside input. That may sound a bit crazy, but I know I'm not the only one who has been dreaming about her wedding day since she was four years old. For those other self-challenge type of bride-to-be's out there, I thought I might help you out a little bit. I have been scouring the web for months getting all sorts of ideas and checklists and research and it can be a little overwhelming. Here is a nice pocket-sized list of questions you may want to ask yourself. Let the checklists come later once you find some time to get an organization binder filled up. (I'm still working on getting all the components of mine. Pictures and templates will be posted once it is completed.)

• What season do you want your wedding in? Be sure to consider weather trends and décor when finding an answer to this question. Think of contrasting holidays or big family events that may happen at the same time that you don't want to conflict with.
• What are your colors going to be? Most brides stick with one or two, but you can have an entire palette of colors to make your wedding vibrant and fun.
• Do you want to have a themed wedding? If so, what would your theme be? Sometimes themed weddings can mean more decorations and planning, but some brides might think of it as a guide to how their final wedding will look like.
• How many people do you want to be there? A wedding can be private or large, depending on how intimate you want it to be. Most people want their entire family and friends there which tends to make the numbers hike up a bit higher than you may have first anticipated.
• Do you want an indoor or outdoor wedding? This can be an important factor when searching for a ceremony venue.
• Do you want your ceremony and reception at the same place or separate? Most venues do not have the option of having both a ceremony and reception, but if you look hard enough you can find a pretty good deal.
• How many bridesmaids/groomsmen do you want? Who will they be? On average, the number of bridesmaids ranges anywhere from 2-12. It all depends on your comfort level.
• What will your cake look like? Will it be the classic white or do you want something bold and drastic?
• Check out http://weddingcakecreations.com/ for some interesting wedding cake ideas.
• What do you want your dress to look like? I know it seems like a simple question, but once you start looking you may find that there are several dress styles you really like. Try and narrow it down to 2 or three. It is a good idea to have a dress picked out around 7-9 months before your wedding date, or even sooner than that if you feel comfortable. You want a "safety period" to have any alterations made that you may need.
• What kind of food do you want to serve? Some ideas are just desserts like cookies and candy, a full course dinner, hors d'oeuvres, kebabs, cocktail hour, or any other kinds of foods that you may want.

Of course, there are many, many things that go into planning a wedding. These are just a few things to get you started on your planning process. Another important thing to consider is the venues you will need. Not all of them are necessary, but here is a list of what most brides look for:

• Ceremony Venue
• Reception Venue
• Music, Band
• Hairstylist
• Makeup Artist
• Catering
• Florist
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Cake Baker
• Officiant
• Dress Maker

As I said before, not all of these are necessary, but they are definitely something to consider. Don't get too excited just yet and go jumping into your planning process. I did that and it came to bite me in the end. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to remember how much you are willing or able to spend on making your special day come to fruition. My fiance and I aren't very wealthy, so we know that we have to budget every penny to make this happen. Think about a final number you want (say $5,000 as your total amount) and try to fit everything into that price range. Keep track of how much things cost and what they are going to be used for. Don't jump at the first opportunity that presents itself. Do your research first. Even if you fall in love with a certain venue, it may be out of your price range or unreasonable in some other way. I had to change my mind several times and I'm still not sure if I found the perfect place yet.

I hope this helps somebody out there. It would have been nice if someone had told me these things when I first started planning. Here I am 8 months away from my own wedding and hardly anything has been done. Ahh!!

Image via smartbrideboutique.com