Vitamins

My Mother always made sure I took my vitamins. She always made sure I wrote thank you notes after receiving gifts from loved ones. She always tried to teach me that plants grow towards the sun and how often which ones need to be watered (she has an amazing green thumb). She taught me the importance stretching every day and of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.

Of all of these, the one I never completely understood was vitamins. I get that they need to be taken with food and I understand the concept of what theyre good for but theres just one thing I cant quite grasp.

Which vitamins are okay to take with other vitamins? Ive heard that some combinations cancel one another out. Which should be taken in the morning and which should be taken at night? Is B12 really good for energy or curing hangovers?

Earlier this week I loaded up on:
Fish Oil
B12
Vitamin E
Multi Vitamins

If you have any helpful tips or excess vitamin knowledge PLEASE SHARE!

30 Rock

Sweet April asked me what Ive been watching on Netflix (shes lovingly trying to pull me from my writers block induced funk). Lord have mercy on those who attempt to inspire the uninspired!
Ill be the first to admit I can be late jumping on trends. Kinda like the time I finally bought knee high ‘riding boots’ and skinny jeans a week before we started to have 80 degree weather here in Austin. Another trend I unknowingly refused to give into was 30 Rock. Yep, that’s right. I finally came to my senses and have watched at least 30 episodes in the last few weeks.

Liz Lemon is such a hilarious hot, sad mess. Jack is a condescending and insensitive comical jerk and well- Tracy Jordan- hes just a wildcard that speaks like hes half sauced. Jenna is a shallow and self absorbed terribly awesome actress. Kenneth is a socially awkward and sensitive idiot who always makes me laugh.

Some of my newest faves:

Liz Lemon: Why are you wearing a tux?
Jack: It's after 6 o'clock Lemon. What am I, a farmer?

Tracy Jordan: I learned fried chicken at the school of hard knocks

Tracy: Dress every day like you're going to get murdered in those clothes.
Liz: Hello, I'm sorry, may I speak to Floyd, please?...Oh, he's in the shower...I am conducting a survey for the Ranford Group, and, uh, how old are you?...And your weight?...And when was the last time you had intercourse?...Who is this? Who is you? I is your worst nightmare, is who I is.

Kenneth: I like your top. I'm a real good sex person. I do it all the different ways.
Angie: Uh-huh. Well, I don't have a husband any more, so... you can come over anytime.
Kenneth: Oh, I will! I'll come over at night.

Tracy: [regarding his ankle bracelet alcohol monitoring device] Maybe I’ll just compromise - go to the party, cut off my foot and drink all I want!

Kenneth: [about coffee] I love how it makes me feel. It's like my heart is trying to hug my brain!

Jenna Maroney: The Kids Choice Awards? Fine, I'll set aside my feud with Raven-Symone for one day... but she knows what she did.

Liz Lemon: Tracy has... mental health issues.
Jenna Maroney: He bit Dakota Fanning on the face!
Liz Lemon: When you hear his versions she was kind of asking for it.

Jenna: Love isn’t easy, Liz. Love is hiding who you are at all times. It’s wearing make up to bed and going downstairs to the Burger King to poop

Wedding Peek: Flowers and Cakes

Im a big huge liar. Im going to talk about wedding stuff again. Rest assure its only because I am suffering from complete and total writers block.

Here is a glimpse of my bridal bouquet- or at least, the pieces of it that will come together to make up my bridal bouquet. Somewhat hard to picture together but that’s about as good as its going to get, dear readers.

And for my bridesmaids:

…and Ill also show you some inspirations for our cakes weve chosen- because Ive got nothing better to do. And lets face it, youre still reading so apparently neither do you.

(picture these layers each on their own stand- 5 to be exact- not tiered and with no flowers on top)

Wedding Peek: Garter Belt and Guest Book

Per your requests I have decided to give you some sneak peaks of wedding projects Ive been working on. I do intend to stick to my guns and keep the wedding stuff to a minimum but maybe Ill let you in on a little every week or so if only to please the ‘masses’ of my readers.

I got my garter belt(s) in the mail today.
One to keep and one to toss:

I placed an order for our guest book this evening. All Ill say (because Derek reads my blog) is that I worked hard to have it closely match my dress. This is not the exact book we ordered it has a lot of similar concepts and I added/changed a few small things. As soon as I receive it in person, Ill post pics ;) Whoever said you cant find whatever youre looking for on ETSY was clearly lying.

Here is my inspiration picture:

(The lace will be darker in color- the ribbons will be black (and wider) and there will be a small black ceramic frame around the name/date tag.)

Happenings

Ive been beating myself up a lot about my lack of blogging. I have been pretty uninspired lately and I always sort of teased people who announced a long reprieve from their blogs. Don’t get me wrong, when you have a lot going on and you warn people in advance, that’s perfectly acceptable. Its when you log on only to write about how you have nothing to write about that annoys me. And that’s what Im doing right now.

I swore to myself my blog would not become wedding central, Im just not that girl. While most of our plans are complete we still have a few decisions to make (i.e. invitations). Ive got physical therapy for my knee once a week at the Drs office and everyday at home. So between that, my job and of course my serious addiction to Netflix, I don’t exactly have too many interesting tales and Im willing to bet youre tired of seeing pictures of my dogs.

Last month one of my best friends called off her wedding. Last week, one of my other best friends lost her grandmother. I have been to bachelorette parties the last two weekends and in the next two weeks I will be going to two weddings. Its safe to say things have been a bit crazy.

And just so you know, despite my blog being a practical dead end lately, Im still stalking each and every one of you on a daily basis.

My 2 Cents on Earth Day

Im a day late and a dollar short in wishing Mother Earth a happy Earth Day. When I was younger I was an actor (pause for hysterical laughter) and one of my claims to fame was an Earth Day special that aired each and every year on PBS.

I cant begin to explain to you just how disappointed I am that I cant attach/insert a clip for you all to laugh at (I really did complete an extensive search and came up empty handed). I have it on VHS at the house so if youd like to come over for a screening, let me know and well set one up. You should know I was dressed in a furry jacket (the kind that frames your face with fur on the hood) and I was supposed to be an Eskimo. This was made evident by the fact that I say atop a mountain and waved a flag as well as my teeny tiny (famous) hand.

Youre welcome for the visual even if it is a day late.

Filled Void

Being an only child has it perks and also has its downsides. One of those that weighed heaviest on me is that I wouldn’t ever get to be an aunt. I didn’t have siblings to watch sprout up families and it made me pretty sad to think about.

I wouldn’t have anyone to feed ice cream to when its too close to bedtime. I wouldn’t have anyone to take to see all the new Disney movies (which Id probably want to see more than they did). I wouldn’t have anyone to give advice to when they had their first heartache. I wouldn’t have anyone to tease them about staying off the streets when they got their drivers license. I wouldn’t be able to watch them head out for senior prom. I wouldn’t be able to witness them choose a college and go off to make their own path in the world.

I quickly became an aunt to many of my friends children and while it warmed my heart and made me feel important it didn’t feel real. I wanted my own.

Enter Macey.

While she is still not my very own niece (I have to share her with Derek)- she is an amazing one that I watch grow and learn with each passing day. Shes a 2 and a half year old spitfire that keeps us laughing ALL THE TIME. I was there the day she was born and have done my best to be there ever since. Ive seen her learn to talk, learn to laugh, learn to feed herself, walk, put on and take off shoes (mostly mine), color, sing, play with my hair, wear glasses, blow bubbles in the bath and so very much more.

My only wish is that she can look at me one day and know that Im her aunt- even if by marriage, Im calling her my own.

One of the most exciting parts of getting married? Officially becoming an aunt to the most precious little girl in the whole world.

And to top that off- Ryan and Rhonda have another one on the way! Eeek!

The excitement is almost too much!

7 Randoms

1. The first thing I do in the morning is hit the snooze button.

2. Every night before bed I grab a glass of ice water to keep on my night stand.

3. My favorite thing to do when I'm having a bad day is have an adult beverage.

4. Something that makes me cringe is nail files- either used on me or watching/hearing anyone else use them.

5. Social situations are how I keep my sanity.

6. I like to collect magnets.

7. Weekends are for sleeping in, playing with my dogs, eating fatty food and being lazy in general.

Reggie Got His Summer Trim

(I find our bathroom has the best natural lighting for doggy photo shoots)

clearly he has had enough of this...

Netflix

Have any of you gotten sucked into a show you may not have otherwise watched because its so readily accessible via Netflix?

Once I noticed Ally McBeal had been added to the list of available TV shows, I had to watch the entire series all over again. Its happened more than once that I obeyed a recommendation made by the genius Netflix and this time is no different.

Because of my undying love for Dexter, it was suggested I watch Six Feet Under. I cant even decide how much I like it, if its funny because the mother on the show is mentally unstable or if I simply cant walk away from an unfinished queue. Derek and I are well into season 2 and it almost feels like Im just wanting to get through it so I can say I did. How weird is that?!

Any of you seen that show? Thoughts?

Spring Has Sprung

A Guest Blogger!!!

When Dezzy asked me to guest post, I immediately wanted to do something wedding inspired. For those who may not know, Dez is recently engaged and planning a winter wedding for this coming January. Even though she has made most of the big decisions already, I thought I'd give her some winter wedding ideas.


Favors, Centerpieces & Decor

1. custom snow globes with table numbers inside

2. a faux snow-dusted tree with crystal ornaments which can be used as seating cards as well as takeaways for the guests

3. knit gloves with hot cocoa and marshmallows serve as cozy favors for the guests

4. Tori Spelling had guests write notes to the newlyweds which were hung from a "wish tree" made of willow branches and cymbidium orchids in a vase filled with shells the couple had collected in Fiji.

5. You can place simple flower arrangements in different sized vases to make an immediate impression in a small space. Carnations are a perfect solution because they can be packed tightly together and are rather inexpensive.




Flowers

1. calla lilies accented by a lush lily leaf

2. peonies, French lilac and stephanotis

3. a mixture of stephanotis, tuberose, hyacinth, nerine lilies, mini callas, garden roses, and jasmine


Cakes

Most winter cakes I found were white and accented with flowers similar to that of the bride's bouquet.




Photographs

I would suggest having poses in mind before the ceremony. Don't be afraid to speak up. Tell your photographer exactly what you want or don't want. Be specific.

Every bride should have:
-posed shots
-candid shots
-silly pictures
-pictures of guests
-pictures of the food
-pictures of the cake
-pictures of the favors
-pictures of the first dance
-pictures of everyone dancing
-pictures that represent the bride and groom











You didn't honestly think I'd make it through this post without pictures of celebrities, did you?

If you have any advice or ideas for Dez, let her know. I'm sure she can use all the help she can get in planning her big day.

hotpants™

A Mom Update

I am happy to report that my Mom had her surgery this morning. We were able to get an appointment with her regular dermatologist and got it done FAST. When I say fast I mean they got her in only days after her diagnosis and were also able to get ALL of her cancer out in a matter of hours.

She went under the knife for a procedure called Mohs Micrographic Surgery. This is an advanced treatment process for skin cancer that offers the highest possible cure rate for many skin cancers and simultaneously minimizes the sacrifice of normal tissue. This cutting-edge treatment requires highly specialized physicians that serve as surgeon, pathologist and reconstructive surgeon.

The microscopic analysis of the removed tissue allows the surgeon to track the removal of the cancer and ensure the complete elimination of all tumor roots. Tumors often extend below intact normal skin (like the roots of a tree) and this procedure allows the surgeon to see beyond the visible tumor to ensure its complete removal.

All in all, we are lucky she had it all taken care of so fast and other than her healing process, she can get back on the ship soon. Her scar runs from just under her eye all the way down to her lip so it was a bit shocking to walk in and see her being stitched up. I think my face said it all when I looked at her and the nurse immediately said “not such big eyes please-your mother wasnt ready to see it yet.” We both had a bit of a cry )ok, a HUGE cry) and then we dried our tears and started to ask questions about reparative surgery. I am thrilled the cancer is gone- now we just need to be supportive and help her get to the other side of all this.

Thank you so much for all the sweet comments, the support and for just being there for me- and especially for her. Were going to get through this.

Happy Easter

Stolen from Happy meals and Happy Hours- Happy Easter- dont say I didnt give you anything.

Surprise!

Man oh man do I have a treat for you lovers!

One of my very favorites, Hotpants over at Handbags and Handguns is going to GUEST BLOG for me! I couldn’t be more excited to not only share her literary genius with all of you, but the idea of not having to think at all is just way too appealing. Between work, putting the finishing touches on our wedding, my Moms health and possible impending surgery, its just too much. I did, however, make a promise to myself to be a better blogger after my hiatus a few weeks ago so even if its not me writing, youll still be entertained and you just may find a new blog to follow out of the deal! You WONT be sorry.

I swear on my blog.