Overdue

So now that the wedding is over it is time for some VERY overdue posts. I really want to share with you some wedding photos and details but first I feel the need to play catch up. Therefore... that is exactly what I plan to do this week. Below is what you can look forward to seeing this week:

Wednesday: Christmas decorations
Thursday: Christmas day and dinner photos
Friday:  Home Photos (these will be the pictures that I took of our house before we moved in)

It would be cruel to leave you without a wedding sneak peak...

haha... what a tease... wedding posts will be next week. 

Console LOVE

All... we are only 10 days from the wedding day!!! AHHH.

Now that I've gotten that exclamation out of the way... It is on to home improvement items. I've been doing A LOT at the house in the past few weeks... I just need to download all of the photos so that I can share my projects with you. I feel like such a slacker but between work, wedding planning, and getting the house together there are not enough hours in my day!

One project that I am looking forward to tackling as soon as the wedding is over is to redo a console table for our downstairs hallway. Over at Isabella & Max Rooms the talented Janell just recently completed a project that makes me drool and almost makes me what to pick up a paint brush BEFORE the wedding. It would almost we worth staying up all night for!

The crisp white paint and the antiqued hardware looks beautiful! and up against the stenciled wall!!! Let's just say that I love everything about this! The console that I am looking for will need to be a bit larger but this is exactly the look and feel of what I am hoping to achieve when I tackle this project POST wedding. I think that I might even go ahead and place an order for a stencil!

Thirty by Thirty Update

Now that 2011 is here I thought that this would be a good time to update all on my thirty by thirty list (Updates in purple)

Here is my Thirty by Thirty (in no order)

1. Get Married (Can cross this one off on January 29th)
2. Become a Home Owner - Matt and I bought a home in Alexandria last September!
3. Take Emma to Disney World - Should be this summer
4. Go Scuba Diving
5. Become a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
6. Go on a Winery Tour - During out visit to Traverse City we visited the wineries on Old Mission
7. Get a Dog - Should happen late this year
8. Take a Cooking Class- I would like to do this sometime in the spring
9. Run a 5K
10. Plant a Vegetable Garden - I hope to tackle this project this spring
11. Take a Photography Class
12. Spend a Minimum of 4 days Hiking and Camping with Matt
13. Take Emma Camping - Will do this summer
14. Cook a Full Thanksgiving Dinner - did a Christmas dinner... does that count??
15. Do a Family Photo Session and use the Picture for a Photo Holiday Card
16. Go to Europe with Matt
17. Take Dance Lessons… Maybe HipHop??? - I signed up for a hip hop cardio class but only managed to go once... so cannot cross this one off.
18. Give up Fruit Snacks… this will be a HARD one for me- I"m on my way with this one... no Gushers in two months. I have to admit that I have had the Welch's fruit snacks but I blame that on Wedding stress!
19. Take a Family Vacation with another Family - Might be going to Disney with my brother and his family this summer
20. Enlarge a Photograph that I’ve Taken and display as artwork in my home
21. Become a Government Employee… One can dream
22. Find a cheap & hideous piece of furniture to refinish/reupholster & make it BEAUTIFUL- I am currently on the lookout for a large hutch to refinish and put in our basement.
23. Create a Fitness Goal and stick to it- I've been working with a trainer the last 4 months to get toned for the wedding
24. Redesign and decorate an entire home… on a budget - work in progress
25. Get my Event Planning Business up & running
26. Become active in the PTA
27. Give Emma a brother or sister
28. Become organized enough to scrapbook
29. Cook at Home for a full Month... another SUPER Hard one
30. Go two months without buying clothes - I have not bought any clothing for myself in the last month... perhaps with all my upcoming wedding tasks I will be able to make this goal.

A Peaceful & Project-Filled 2011

2010 was a year full of changes.  And when I say full, I mean FULL - my job responsibilities at work evolved and I now travel when needed, Emma changed schools, we moved into a new house, and MATT PROPOSED!  I'm hoping that 2011 brings peace in the most basic of ways.  Settling into our new house, feeling less crazed and more centered, getting back to a more basic day-to-day life, after the wedding of course.  And with this new found peace, my goal is to post more to my blog, as I have a lot of projects on the docket!

p.s: In case you were all wondering... my cutie finance pulled though and talked Santa into leaving these under the tree! (in brown) I LOVE THEM!!!

If I had $10,000...

WOW a shoe of the month club... sign me up!!! If only it wasn't $10,000! A girl can dream though.

Here is a more economical option through JCrew

My wish list!

So a girl knows not to get her hopes up when her cutie pie fiance asks her what she wants for Christmas only 3 days out... WHAT you don't already have all of your gifts purchased???

Let me explain Reveal something to all of you... I am a Christmaszilla. I LOVE Christmas and am typically very on top of things this time of year. All of the gifts neatly wrapped under my tree were bought (and wrapped) before Thanksgiving. In August I typically sit down and make a list and slowly purchase things. This makes me budget for the gifts and keeps me from going CRAZY last minute with my credit card.

Now I'm going to reveal an area where Matt and I differ. I come from a family that makes Christmas lists... Matt HATES that!!! He thinks that gifts should be a total surprise and that you should not tell other people what you are hoping to get.... Weird right? Well this has taken me a few years to get use to. For a while I would TRY to give Matt hints but after those went unanswered I learned to just give up and wish for the best. (YES this leads to very random gifts... ) So this year I didn't say anything. I didn't make a wish list. So last night when my sweetie asked those little words "What do you want for Christmas?" I knew we were in trouble...  That means that Matt is up against a wall and hasn't given Christmas a thought up until this point

So... I'm thinking that it is already too late at this point since Matt ONLY shops on-line. But here is what is on my wish list this year...

 

Trellis Allover Stencil

by: Cutting Edge Stencils

How much fun would it be to paint an accent wall or even a ceiling with this fun and versatile stencil??? This would be such a fun project to tackle AFTER the wedding.

 I could even use the stencil for smaller projects. Look at this great tray that I found on a GREAT blog Isabella & Max Rooms

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UGG Snow Boot

From: Nordstrom

How cute are these snow boots. I was thinking that I wanted a pair of the original Ugg boots in black this Christmas but after seeing this snow boot I'm changing my mind! Bring on the snow (AFTER January 29th)

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A Cozy Robe

From: Nordstrom

It may come as a surprise but I do not own a comfy cozy robe like the one above!

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Tile

 

Yes you read that right... I would be ecstatic to receive some gorgeous tile for a special project that I would LOVE to take on after the wedding... MY DREAM LAUNDRY ROOM

Now I HATE doing laundry but I cannot help but think that my motivation would increase if I could have a room like the one bellow found on Never Without

Our laundry room is HUGE but uninspiring. I want to install a new floor, Drywall and something to hide our ugly utility thingies (aka hot water heater and other things to make a house function). On my dream Laundry Room list I would have the following:

Counter top

Storage for Dishes

Drawers for entertaining accessories

Functional overflow area for pantry goods

Wrapping Paper Section

Scrapbooking/Craft storage

I want this room to be so rocking and gorgeous that it becomes my mommy cave!Oh the endless possibilities

I know that this room is on the BOTTOM of Matt's priority list for the house but FYI to him I plan to make this my main focus after the wedding!

Apartment Love!

This gorgeous apartment proves you can do so much with a small space. It's only 540 square feet, but it's packed with style. I love the pops of color and the bathroom is AMAZING.

This apartment was featured in MiCasa.The site is in Spanish but all I care about are the GREAT home photos!