Show Us Your Life- Wedding Reception and Honeymoon

Our wedding reception was held at the old roller skating rink in our hometown and was redone into a reception hall. It still had the original hardwood floors so we had a great dance floor!

To carry out our polka dotted theme we had to have a polka dotted cake with hot pink stripes and gerbera daisies!! I loved it!! Two of the layers were strawberry and the other two were white chocolate or vanilla, I think.

See the big flower arrangement in the background? We used the two from the ceremony and used them at the reception. The bridesmaids put their bouquets around the cake table.

The groom's cake was German chocolate topped with chocolate covered strawberries. MMM MMM mmmm!! No smashing the cake in the face for us!

How some of the tables were decorated... We used a tall, skinny vase and used the same gerbera daisies with a black feather, sparkley black twigs and polka dotted ribbon.

Drew's Dad and Grandma Annie getting down!! They got to dancing so hard Grandma Annie fell over but she got right back up and was ok! That may have been the most excitement at our reception. We had a good time and enjoyed spending our special day with family and friends.

We went to Fredericksburg, TX for our honeymoon. (For all you non-Texans, this is located in the Texas Hill Country. So beautiful) Since we were in the process of building a house when we got married, we decided to save money and just honeymoon somewhere local. I still want to go on my dream honeymoon someday to Fiji. :)

We stayed at a bed & breakfast right outside of town in a cabin. It was called the Cat's Meow, our cabin was called the 'Calico Cabin'. Gee, I wonder why?

Drew and I would sit on the porch of our cabin and these two little kittys would come and greet us every time. They would both jump in my lap at the same time and start growling at each other. That was kind of scary!

One day while sitting on the porch these two deer came right up. Oh shoot!! They saw us!

We went to Luckenbach, TX one day. Have you ever heard the song 'Let's go to Luckenbach Texas'? Yep, that is where we went. Let's just say I was a little disappointed in what it was. I had no idea how tiny it was!! We still had fun though!

We visited a war museum one day. I did that just for Drew, I was practicing being a good wife! :)

Tons of wild flowers were in bloom! The Hill Country is known for their wild flowers.

And we visited a few wineries! The best part was our couples massage!! Ahhh, I could use one now!! "Ummm, Drew Darling....." :)

To view the rest my Show Us Your Life... Here is my dress and ceremony & flowers.

Happy Birthday Momma!!

Today is my mom's birthday!!

Happy Birthday to the best MOM ever!!
Isn't she so pretty!! :) Love you Mom!

Quickie Bathroom Makeover

After living in our house for over a year now I'm still not 100% satisfied with the decor. Hey, we are newlyweds still, right?? Give us a break! Or are you only considered a newlywed the first year of marriage? I don't know, but there are areas in our house that still need a lot of work like our office, master bedroom, baster bath and guest bath.

Well, I got a reason to work on our guest bath the other day. :) Remember when Kendall and I hosted our very first swap party? I acquired a new shelf 'thingy'-(Thanks Kim for the donation). I don't know what it is called, it is a shelf that has pictures and a mirror in it. I knew the shelf would look great in our guest bath on the empty wall, however it was the wrong shade of green for my lemongrass and mocha brown bathroom.

I painted it brown and here is how it turned out!

I hung it right over the toilet... I hope it doesn't fall on anyone!! And don't our puppies look cute?

I went to Hobby Lobby to find some nick-knacks for the shelf and thought, "What the heck, let's get some fabric and hooks for some drapes." So I did. I am really proud of myself, I can't believe it turned out so well and how inexpensive it was. (If you think it looks like crap, tell me it looks good. OK?)

2 hooks- $5.99/ea.... but 50% off.

3 yards of sheer fabric-$11... but used my 40% off coupon

Total cost for window treatment $12.59+tax. Not bad!!

Gotta love Hobby Lobby for their sales! If you are not a HL shopper, you should be. If you go there and an item is not on sale, STOP and WAIT until the following week and it will be on sale. Seriously! All of their stuff is half off every other week. If you REALLY can't wait print off a 40% coupon from their website.

I think it took me about 5 minutes to put this up and Drew wasn't even here to help. I kind of measured but not really, screwed the hooks in to the wall, and put the fabric over the hooks. Easy peasy! I need to turn the edges under but I don't think it looks that bad. What do you think? I thought about using Witch Stitch but I've never used it before....

The stuff around the sink was already there but that was about it. I Love that little bird house! I think I might fill it with some cheapie, brown wash cloths.

The little gold nick-knacks I also got at HL half off. I bought them to sit on the shelf but they are a smidge too big... :( I think they look cute in the window sill though.

Ahhh!! One more room down.

Duck, Ducks and a White Dog

Saturday Drew and I went over to a friends' house and met up with the Stoys to go swimming. While we were swimming someone mentioned that they had a bunch of baby ducks, so Kendall and I got out and headed down to the pond to see them. The momma duck (I think they are called a Drakes?) came really close to us with her little ducklings. They were so cute!!! 10 little ducklings to be exact. I told Kendall that we should feed them. So, I headed up to the house to get some bread, I headed back down to the pond and Kendall said, "look they all came up to land!!"

Meanwhile, I had a little shadow.

One of these big guys (or gal, I'm not sure. There are 2.. one boy and one girl)! I can never tell them apart from a distance so we just call them "White Dogs."

I'm getting closer to Kendall and the ducks and they start heading back towards the water. I shout out to Kendall "cut them off."

Did I forget to mention that we wanted to catch the little duckies?! (man I wish we could have gotten this on video.) No?? Ok, we wanted to hold the cute little duckies.

Anywho, Kendall is herding the drake and the ducklings and I'm rounding out the tail end. All of a sudden the drake and the ducklings try to pull a fast one on us and start running towards the water!!

Then there were almost 9!!

The White Dog starts running towards the ducklings and catches one in its mouth!!!!! Holy moly, holy moly!! What to do, what to do?!?! Kendall decides to scream and squeal (poor city girl) and I start running after this dog screaming, "White Dog, let it go. DROP IT!! White Dog!!! STOPPP!!!!" The poor little duckling is quacking its little head off while I wrestle the White Dog and pry its mouth open.

YAY!!! The little duckling is free and headed to the pond with the rest of the duck family. Then, I yelled at the White Dog some more and told it "BAD DOG!!!" The poor, big White Dog was actually just doing his (or her job). You see, that is what those dogs (Great Pyrenees) do. It is their JOB!! Really. They are there to protect all the other animals like donkeys, horses, goats, cows, cats... you name it. If you don't 'introduce' the white dogs to other animals, they will more than likely kill it. They are not mean dogs at all, they are protectors. Unfortunately, the domestic ducks were new to the ranch and hadn't been introduced yet. I say we give them an introduction!

Finally, we contain the White Dogs and feed the Duck Family and nice corn dinner and were able to catch a few. That is another pretty good story (LOLLLL) that I'm sure Kendall will share with you later over at the Stoys Story.

Kendall, Brade and Drew doing some duck catching! :)

***No drakes or ducklings were harmed**

A Polka Dotted Wedding

As promised yesterday, here is my SHOW US YOUR LIFE - Wedding Party and Flowers/Ceremony.

I knew my Black & White with Hot Pink wedding had to be in every detail...

My Bouquet- Pink Gerbera Daises in a bed of pink Hydrangeas with pearl beads for a polka dotted look. I loved it!! Drew was also supposed to have a Gerbera Daisy boutonniere but it looked like crap!! My lovely photographer took charge and switched it out with the minister and got a rose. No biggie!

The bridesmaids carried Gerbera Daises with pink beads.

Our wedding was held in the gardens at Texas Woman's University. They had the most beautiful Pink Azaleas that matched my colors so we didn't need many flowers for the ceremony. We bought 2 hanging baskets and put them in some urns at the end of the isle. After the wedding I was able to hang them on our back porch.... until I killed them. :(

Our two big arrangements were at the front. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them!! We bought TONS of black and white Christmas balls of all sorts to fill these large vases. There white sand and black stones to weigh them down. Gerbera Daises(artificial), pink tulle, and black glittery twigs filled the top and we put them on columns. These things were HUGE, you can see how much taller are than Drew and he is 6'5"!!

I wanted the bridesmaids to have fun, polka dotted dresses that they could wear again if they wanted to. I bought these bridesmaids dresses at Nordstrom's for about $115 or so. None of the bridesmaids were there to try them on, no consulting them to see if they liked them.... eek!! They were on sale and I fell in love with them! Brade, my Jr. Bridesmaid wore a simple black dress from David's Bridal and we dressed it up with a polka dotted ribbon.

All of the groomsmen
Here is the ring bearer, Parker, and flower girls, Paige, Samantha and Lauren. We searched up and down for the perfect flower girl dresses and could find a thing so we ended up having them made. Oh, and same goes for the ring bearer pillow. Mom and I found the polka dotted fabric in Dallas and were able to use it for many things in the wedding. :)

I tried to make this as short and sweet as possible since I am so late at getting it done. Sorry! Watch for next week, you will see more flowers and fun from the reception!

Sooo Sad....

Remember this picture I posted last week?

Today is Show Us Your Life- Wedding Party and Flowers/Ceremony over at Kelly's Korner and I completely forgot to do my post!! I was so excited about it. I loved my black & white-polka-dotted-wedding. I even remembered yesterday but I didn't get home till late last night... so I forgot again! :( Oh well, I will be sure to do it first thing when I get home tonight (that is where all my wedding pictures are), that is unless I forget again!!

Wanna hear something funny?? My mom told me the other day that I used to say "got forbout it." Isn't that silly!! Example... Mom: "Kelsie, you forgot to clean your room." Me: "Oh, I got forbout it." LOL I guess I just don't have a good memory.

Ok, check back later tonight. See ya!

A Perfect Night

This is how Drew and I spent our Friday night.

On the back porch playing Phase 10!!! It was such a nice evening and my kind of night to start the weekend. I had to twist Drew's arm because he would have rather been inside watching the Ranger's play ball. ICK!! I did let him listen to it on the radio while we played though.

Anyone up for game night?!?!

Oh, are you wondering who won?? That would be me!! :) Drew ALWAYS wins when we play Phase 10 but I FINALLY won!

And just because they are so darn cute!

The obedient one. Hobie.

Is this not the cutest?? Too bad it is blurry...

Sister Girl doing tricks (not really, she is just begging)

"What did you say, Momma? Get off the bed??"

Our niece, Lauren with her cousin dog, Dodge.

Friend Ryan, Niece Lauren and Paige, Nephew Parker with Dodge the Puppy. Poor thing!

Show Us Where You Live Friday- Wedding Dress Edition

This Friday over at Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Wedding Dress. I love this idea!! I love looking at wedding dresses!!

Here it is! It is Mori Lee and it cost around $400, but I got it on sale!! :) I too, like Kendall, didn't have 'that moment' you KNEW you found 'the dress.' I had it narrowed down to 4, then to 2 and finally down to one. I think the Labor Day sale did me in.

Here is one of my bridal portraits taken at the Dallas Arboretum.

On my wedding day... I forgot the veil for all of my pre-wedding pics. Oops! My favorite part about my dress was the lace that went around my girth(?) in the front, came around the back and went down my train. We made them detachable so when we bustled my dress for the reception they flowed freely. :) (I don't know if you can see them in the picture above or not. Look closely!)

I always pictured myself in the big princess wedding dress but when it came down to planning my outdoor wedding, I knew I needed something light and simple. I have no regrets about my dress, I LOVED IT!!

Here is a sneak peek to next weeks showcase- Show off your wedding party and flowers.

Here is the link to fablous photographer- Memory Makers Photography

Why, Hello There!!

Not much to report here. Just a few pictures to post, but I'll have to make it quick because the Bachelorette is about to start!! Yes, I got sucked in for another season. Who do you think Jillian will pick, Kiptyn or Ed?

We have a couple new editions at the casa! I have loved this rug from Target for a really long time and had a little extra cash so I finally gave in and got it. I LOVE IT!! I thought it might be weird to have a rug on carpet, but I checked with my interior design consultant (aka Kendall/SIL) and she said it was OK! :)

Next is this little booger!!

FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY we have a table in our kitchen!!! I got it here in Canton. I have only waited a year to find and save up for the perfect table. Well, it is kind of a table. It is an island with an overhang and I definitely love this table more than the rug! The island is perfect for our kitchen. We have very limited space in the kitchen so it serves multiple purposes; eating, storage, food prep, buffet for when we eat in the dining room.... and it is just SUPER cute!
and I got these stools in Canton too! I love this type of stool, you can find them just about anywhere. I think they are called saddle stools.

Here is the Hubster playing his first season in slow pitch softball. He is playing with his buddies and I think they are having a good time. They are currently 0-4.... poor guys they try hard! I have faith that they will pull out a win before the end of the season!! AND I must say this is some good entertainment, so if you are in the area give me a shout and I will let you know when and where.

(I think he is a little embarrassed here... Come on, Kels!!! What are you doing?!) he he :)

The "What Happened Was..."

A few weeks ago my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins came in town from Kansas. Drew and I took the boys to tour the new Cowboys Stadium. The was our 2nd trip here, except this time we got to see lots of behind the scenes stuff!

some lounge area

in the locker room.. wasn't quite finished yet.

Turf wasn't laid down yet. They have 3 different turfs!!

Not sure what happened to this pic. This was in another lounge that leads to the locker room. I think this was for family and press??

This star was in between the HUGE screens. COOL!

Jim, Tom, Drew, Alan

Here are my 4th of July puppies! We had planned on attending the 4th of July parade our city puts on but we didn't make it in time. They looked so cute I couldn't let them get by without a little photo session!! Of course this was true Kerestine Khaos... I took TONS of pics trying to get the perfect picture!!

Cutie Patootie

Miss Thang not behaving! Seriously, she is dumb as rocks, but we still love her!

I think this is a good one!!

"Hey Momma!!"

Lastly, Kendall and I hosted our first swap party this weekend. Talk about loads of F-U-N!! Are you wondering what a swap party is?? A swap party is for the purchases that don't work, and do not get returned, there a good solution. We get together with some girl friends and we shop each others impulse purchases. Whatever doesn't go home with someone else we take to Goodwill. A few months ago The Nester posted the idea on her blog and we had to host one ourselves!!

Everyone brought TONS of stuff and I got some really good treasures!