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An Autumn Wedding

A unique wedding for a very unique bride and groom! This was my last wedding of the year and it was beautiful! The weather was just perfect and the couple was so laid back and seemed to just enjoy their day!

The wedding party...


Beautiful autumn flowers...


The Bridesmaids were so cute and fun...


Lots of fall decorations and they gave pumpkin whoopie pies as favors!


And now, I'm helping the Maid of Honor plan her own wedding for next spring! Fun!!

Oh Dear

I'm afraid I've been a bad blogging friend lately. But I must say, having no camera makes me feel like my right arm is cut off and what good is a blog post without a yummy picture, right? Well, the camera is on my Christmas list, so it will hopefully be arriving shortly!

Things I've been up to:

1. Wiping my daughter's nose.

2. Wiping my nose.

3. Getting excited about Thanksgiving and spending much-needed time with family from out-of-town.

4. Trying to muster up as much energy as I possibly can - this has been a toughy. I think I have my days and nights mixed up. Not good.

5. Getting my 2-year old adjusted to the new glasses she has to wear following her eye surgery. A 2 year old + glasses = potential disaster (yes, we did opt for getting the extended warranty on them!).

6. I'm actually getting my Christmas shopping done early - my list is almost all crossed off!

7. And, of course, it's just a given that I'm planning and working on projects that are most unnecessary but I just can't seem to turn my brain OFF. However, I do have necessary projects that I've been procrastinating on. Why does it always work out that way?

Wow - that list sounds incredibly boring and I promise I'm not usually a boring person. This is just my life right now. And I'm trying to deal with it! And be grateful for the many, many blessings that have been given to me!

The Honey Line (and some easy chicken!)

Did you guys catch Rachael Ray's show last Thursday? She interviewed model/athlete Gabrielle Reese who talked about the benefits of having close friends to talk to and to give and receive advice. Here's what she said...

"If you plug into three or four great friends, they're like the bees on the honey line. You can always get to the honey, and I think all women really survive on this notion of a honey line because if you have three really great friends you can get some serious stuff done."

I thought this was a pretty cool concept! One of the girls on my honey line, Sheila, has given me lots of advice throughout the years and a while ago she gave me this tip on how to can chicken and I thought I'd share it with you all.

Now I know what you're thinking, "I'm not the "canning" type", but, trust me, this is so easy and handy, you'll thank me if you try it! (I'm hoping!)

You don't need to use a canner or anything. When chicken goes on sale (you can use chicken breasts, thighs, legs, whatever you prefer and it can be boneless or with the bone), buy it in bulk. Fill quart size canning jars about 3/4 full (it's about 1-1/2 lbs.), and put the canning lids and rings on them. Put the jars in the oven and bake at 275 for about 4 hrs. Then let them set out to cool.

The chicken will seal in the jars and become very moist and fall right off the bone. It's great to use in dishes like enchiladas, casseroles, shepherd's pie and that sort of thing. And it's handier to use than frozen chicken, because you can use it last minute and not have to thaw it out. And, trust me, when it comes to dinner, I'm a last minute kind of girl! Try it!

An August Wedding

A beautiful young bride, a handsome young groom, and love was in the air! What more could you ask for!


I coordinated this wedding for Faith & Jordan in August and thought I'd just share some snapshots of their beautiful day.





They had large extended families and lots of friends that were so much fun to work with!

What a happy day!

Pardon Moi!

I've been off the blogging radar a bit more than usual in the past few weeks, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm alive and well - just very busy!

*NESTING!* One word explains it all! I've been stocking up on the baby essentials like diapers, bottles, blankets, all that good stuff. And it's making me really excited to meet our little guy. He's been super-active (translation: I feel like the next karate kid is practicing in my belly) but it's been so special to feel him move and grow. There aren't words to describe it!

I've also been dealing with the usual third-trimester discomforts like needing to use the bathroom 4 times a night and just being exhausted from GROWING this baby! Hubs keep assuring me that this is NORMAL, but slowing down is hard for me to do. I'm trying though!

I've been helping my sister Sara with her new (and very exciting!) business venture! More details on that to come!

I have my last wedding for 2008 this weekend. When I was pregnant with Avery, I coordinated a wedding a week before she was born and, although I really enjoy it, I was exhausted! It's nice to know that I won't have to deal with another wedding before my due date.

Our camera officially broke last night (and I'm not the least bit sad about it), so I'm in search of a new one! Janelle, I'm following in your footsteps!

Well, it's 5:30am and I should be sleeping. The baby is giving me practice for my upcoming night-time feedings, I suppose. Good night!