sick and tired...

of being sick and tired!

Well its been over 3 weeks now and I've been plagued! What started out as allergies, progressed into a sinus infection which I stubbornly didn't seek treatment for immediately. I finally went to the doctor and she scolded me for letting it progess that far... a z-pack later I was back at the doctor getting blood work and chest x-rays and found out i have pneumonia and possibly chronic mono... Now I'm on a round of steroids, another z-pack and singulair. I'm completely at my whits end here. The steroids make me slightly irritable, and by slightly I mean INCREDIBLY... However, the fact that I've been sick for 3 weeks doesn't help the irritability at all.

Okay but I'm all about silver linings... so here it is..

The save the dates are ready to be sent out as soon as my stamps arrive! WOO HOO! Yes yes I splurged on stamps to match the STD's... Call it silly if you must. I know they're just going to end up in the trash anyway...
I got to watch a lot of house, discovery channel, movies and (my fav) HGTV the past few days...
We took a trip (or 2) to the new Lowes just down the road to purchase some new light fixtures and ceiling fans to replace the horrendous 1950's fixtures that were here when we moved in.. We also bought a nifty electric heater that looks like a gas stove which is currently keeping the living room nice and toasty while I blog.
Got some laundry done... however only a little bit at a time since its incredibly difficult to do anything physical when you can't take a deep breath.
In other wedding related news... check out the registry at Ourwishingwell.com!
That's about as silver as the lining gets...

I hope my test results come back okay tomorrow. Apparently swollen lymph nodes are indicative of some very not pretty illnesses... Fingers crossed!!!

baad blogger! BAD BAD BLOGGER!

So, FSIL scolded me via facebook earlier for a blog update... And now I'm scolding myself! Its been 1 month since my last post! Sheeesh! A lot can happen in a month... and well, as always, I'm at work... but I caught a few mins to atleast give an update via mobile pictures!



Well, it just so happens I turned 24 on Aug 2nd... so a lot of really fun things happened... dinner, parties, kidnappings and lots of (responsible) drinking of course... Here's one of my favorites... a buttery nipple! MMMmmmm


Also, a home reno project is underway... TILE!!! You can also see a very welcomed addition into the 9 Clayton family... our new dishwasher!!! :-D



And well, Thor met a new play mate! My dearest college friend Kellie's puppy Harry! Awww!


We've been busy little bees especially since all the birthdays and seemingly endless picnics and parties! Not that I'm complaining or anything...

Well, I do have more pictures at home and I promise not to be such a stranger! Sorry blog world!

inspiration board number 9,854,265

and counting...

Its 3am, I'm working 3rd shift... I'm tired... and I'm using all my energy wedding-ing.

More cardstock and envelope samples are on their way... design is "in progress" as I have like 50 options right in front of me... I have my favorites we just need the hubby's opinion now...

Ahhhhhh less than a year!!!

another inspiration...

So, this wedding planning thing has been full of inspirations.... here is a board made by another bride... she titled is "red and brown rustic wedding" I looove it :-)


image from google images...

dressing the bridal party...

Well, the ladies were easy! (not like that people c'mon...) Now as for the men... I'm completely up in the air!

or...

I'm really all in all a fan of the first combo... but its really hard to tell how its going to alll fit together... I need to SEE it, not just "visualize it" and cut and paste into paint... its just not he same. Hmm, i wonder if I can high jack that dress at beautiful beginnings and sneak it down to deitrich's.... probably not... Soooo many decisions!!!

Call me spoiled...

But since I've been with Michael the "I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT ITS!" have constantly been turning into "I HAVE IT I HAVE IT I HAVE ITS!!!" and Saturday's BM shopping extravaganza was NO exception. *Le sigh* no longer... the BM champagne, lacy, strapless, sweatheart, cocktail length dream has COME TRUE!!!! My 5 lovely BM's, my mom, mike's mom and a little chlo bug had an amazing day Saturday. No tears were shed (by the adults), no crankies, no under the breath murmurs, no fighting, no arguing, no sadness, no let down, no disappointment saturday! We found a dress then ate lunch!! <3

On top of that, oh boy oh boy *bounce* do I have pictures from what's been going on at the beloved Hartman Homestead in the past 2 months since Mike's been out of school! We have a new deck, a new pool, a new pot rack, a new stove, soon to be new tile, new ceiling fans, new lots of stuff! *pictures coming soooon*

I know they call really crabby demanding brides "bridezilla" but what about happy-as-a-clam crazy excited brides??? a google search says... "wedding goddess" haha hey, i'm fine with that. :-)

alllllll smiles about everything right now... and (ew) its MONDAY! haha

hit the GOLD MINE!!

The light gold mine to be exact... designer alfred angelo. *le sigh* i've never seen this dress before, I hope it still exists cause.. i want it, i want it! I WANT IT!!!

programs!

http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/06/02/wedding-program-format/#comment-1093773

my inspiration board keeps growing and growing! one thing I was totally blanking with a giant brain fart was programs... thanks again wedding bee! lol

really the only reason i post these things is so i can reference back to them when it comes time to start a DIY... but how adorable!!

TABLE RUNNERS!

Love these, thanks to the hive and special bee vagabondgurl

http://diy.weddingbee.com/topic/vagabondgurls-diy-ruffled-burlap-table-runners

Haha

I was just looking at my etsy purchases from the past year since Andrea introduced me to it... Everything I have bought thus far has a starfish on it except for 1 thing.... a pair of underwear that says "Mrs. Hartman" on the back in blue for my "something blue" haha

I have a migraine... going back to bed. Which sucks because they're starting the sewers today and there is serious construction goin on outside my house right now.

its been a hail of a day!

Well, today at about 5pm the Trexlertown area was graced with the presence of a rediculous severe thunderstorm accompanied by a tornado warning. So, I heard the warning on the radio and decided to move to a place in the building where I could see the storm roll in... So, there I was standing at a garage door and BAM hail. At first it was just like, dime size, then nickel, then quarter, then half dollar, then golf ball, then raquet ball, then baseball sized. WELL needless to say I stopped watching at about half dollar sized because the wind was so strong it was BLOWING this huge hail about 50 feet INTO the plant. Thank god for hard hats! So my hopes of watching this storm "progress" turned into running for cover and scrambling to close doors. After the hail stopped I wandered outside to take a gander at the rediculousness mother nature had unleashed upon our area... Which mind you, sounded much like living under a bowling alley, or perhaps subway tracks... and this is what a found.



I also discovered that my car is JACKED UP. No windows were broken, thank god... but my poor HHR looks like a golf ball. Atleast biggy smalls made it through his first hail storm without any serious damage... Unfortunately my car was not the only one damaged... So yeah, after my excursion outside post-apocolypse a voice on the radio told me that "trexlertown has experienced dime sized hail" lol listen buddy... dime sized just doesn't cut it in this case... I have pictures and A RULER to prove it. Mind you, the pictures were taken about 15 mins after the hail stopped and that thing melted a lot on the way inside... PHHHT DIME SIZED. Never a dull moment right folks?

tied up... and twisted!

so this'll be a fun post. here are some silly ties i found...







my vote is for the lobsters!!! thank you etsy seller toybreaker! what a great shop!

Home improvement!

Well, this week on Clayton Ave we said bye bye to our blue foundation walls!!
and welcomed a much more muted, adobe beige colored foundation!
I have 2 regrets...
1. Not wearing sunscreen.
2. NOT DOING THIS SOONER!!!!!

What a difference a coat of paint and some elbow grease can make!

I need to post some more before and afters of some things when I have time to blog from home...
- new ceiling fans!
- new euro vanity!
- new bedroom set!!
- new pot rack!
Its always a home depot day for Michael... he's been so productive this week! Well, we both have! Horray! We also got rid of the random metal shower stall in the basement today! I am so excited to spend the weekends doing some home improvement projects with Michael!!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!

a picture is really worth a thousand words... need i say anything else?

flower girl dress... CHECK!

tan suits!

So, I do believe michael has agreed to the tan suit.
photo courtesy of a bee!

in love...

well, i hit the jackpot today... while browsing the david's bridal site as I often do to keep me occupied at work, i came across this lovely number.


and found myself a dress to wear for eric and melinda's wedding! :-) The question will be when to bite the bullet and buy the thing... Lucky me, I have a coupon from David's from buying my wedding dress there sooooo score!

off the cuff... link.

I think I may have had my first bridezilla moment yesterday... yes, over CUFF LINKS. Well, I seem to have prematurely "decided" on the cuff links...

When I showed them to Michael he said the most dreaded word in wedding planning history... TACKY. *shudder* THEN the Ryans of the wedding party also said the word... I like to think of this as the "vuldemort" of wedding planning... "he who must not be named.." "that of which we do not speak..." The T work completely and seriously pushes my buttons, in this "case" my beer caps. (ohhh puns) Soooooo this t-work fiasco has prompted me to rethink my decision for my "wedding day surprise" for Michael but, that's a secret... So YET AGAIN Michael (who claims to want NO part in planning the wedding) has made me go back to the drawing board. Yes, made ME go back to the drawing board... he only wants to veto and nix ideas not EVER come up with ANY of this own. YES the capital letters are made to STRESS my ANGER over the WHOLE SITUATION!

Well, etsy to the rescue this time because I DO have ANOTHER idea for cuff links. Michael actually used an exclamation point to respond to the "what about this..." text message which, is like... completely unheard of in Michael land. Mr. Straighasanarrow got EXCITED about something for the wedding... and of all things? CUFF LINKS. Well, here it is...

My little pirate himself has unused treasure all over the house, I can't believe I didn't think of using his coins for things before... BUT we don't want a pirate wedding all bootied out with glass eyes and wooden legs strewn about now do we? Well, I think they are just darling and much less *gasp* "tacky" than the beer caps. And, they got a rise out of the man... so how can I say no? I think I will utilize the maintenance department here at work... soldering or welding these coins to the blank cuff links...

really... FREAKIN' CUFF LINKS.

with this ring...

so, I often say this phrase... but I fell in love with something today...


fingerprint wedding bands!!! from etsy shot fabuluster. If you haven't checked them out I strongly suggest it. Even if it isn't for a wedding band... this would be a fantastic gift for a LOT of occasions! birthday, anniversary, christmas... So, if it so happens that michael does not want to get these, I will most certainly want one any way!

yuengling to the rescue!!!

So, I've been racking my brain for ideas for DIY cufflinks... of course at first I was thinking starfish.

BUT, I understand not EVERYTHING in the wedding can be full of starfish, including mike's groomsmen... So, I went searching. First, I found these...

if you can't tell they are champagne bottles and corks...

Well... then i thought to myself... what do all the groomsmen like... BEER!!!



SO i just ordered blank pairs of cufflinks off of ebay for less than a dollar a pair, and plan to use the furnace here at work to melt some of our resin, pour it in the cap, pop in the cufflink, let cool... BAM cufflinks. Not to mention... THANK YOU YUENGLING for using our wedding colors on your bottle caps... ALSO, for the one and only groomsmen that doesn't drink lager... my very own brother... his very own, custom, one of a kind set of, still matching, champagne of beers, high-life cufflinks!!!


And well, since I ordered 10 pairs of cufflinks and I only need 6 I plan on making some for the ushers as well.

With all these ideas I keep coming up with I'm seeing myself creating an etsy shop after all this wedding planning is done to "showcase" and sell some of my creations!

yes yes... ANOTHER inspiration board...

This one is flower related...

I <3 dahlias, daisies, and roses... and of course STARFISH! So, this board includes.... red flowers for flower inspiration as well as random other colored bouquets with starfish in them... I absolutely adore sugar starfish (the orange/golden bumpy ones) if you look at the bottom right corner there are champagne sugar starfish I hope to find that color... After all, the reason I picked a champagne and red theme was because of the oh so soothing and beautful reds and tans you see in sea shells... I just keep imagining tropical red flower petals on the beach as my wedding colors... who knew red could be so soothing???

wedding party inspiration...

lots of inspiration this week...

notice the lack of continuity with the groomsman's inspiration board... the black and tan debate is still going on... But, i've officially decided that I've decided nothing. haha I love the color combos though! <3 I'm swooning over dress #1.. they are all from the dessy/after six collection... as are the colors of the ties/vests.

hmmm if YOU were a bridesmaid which dress would you pick?!?!

more inspiration...

oh wedding planning... so many ideas! I hope it all comes together. Its hard to imagine some of my ideas in all their glory when they are sitting in the closet in the basement...

i keep trying to put my "theme" into words... so here are a few words for thought...
Sunset, Sand, Champagne.... Now to eleborate... my bm's will be wearing champagne/gold, I will be wearing "soft white." All the flowers will be red. I've been trying to convince michael to wear a linen/tan colored suit but he hasn't been receptive to the idea... It really screws my vision. I don't like black, never really did... but Mike seems to think its the only appropriate color for him to wear... Now how sexy is this?!

Now, I understand its his wedding too and all that crap... but why is this the only thing he has to butt heads with me about? everything else he's just like "yeah that's nice" "i like that" "whatever you want hunny." When it comes to the suits black is what he wants... why? no logical reason... will someone talk some sense into this man?!?! Annnd, the BM dress I fell in love with, I'm no longer in love with... *sigh* This wedding planning thing is a constant "back to the drawing board" process. On the positive end of things... Alice bought me some plain, rather sturdy well constructed flower girl baskets today for $2 a peice. So, the veil that I made and dismantled seems to be a perfect accent! Starfish, pearls and shells... I already have a great idea using tulle and ribbon for the handle... We'll see how that works out.

As far as invites are concerned... I've picked out cardstock and paper as well as envelopes! I'm very excited about my decisions! Thanks to Kristi for showing me the website! It should only cost about $300 dollars for supplies... (estimating 150 invitations) and grossly overestimating the amount of paper and cardstock I need seeing as though i will need extra for placecards and what not... Also, since they are only going to be printed in black, i'm going to use my printer at work... it'll only be about 75 pages (2 invites per page) so I don't even feel bad about it... The color on the invites I will be handstamping with stamps I bought from e-bay for 5 dollars. Oh yes, that 300# includes the envelopes for the save the dates as well. On top of that, I already have a million and 1 address labels... and the RSVP postcards were only 6 dollars from vistaprint... So the total "suite" will cost about $3 (that includes the STD magnets) My lab partner is in for a treat... I want to hand address everything so I'm going to ask her to help out... oddly enough we have REDICULOUSLY similar handwriting... even we can't tell the difference sometimes. So it'll be like cloning myself and cutting the work in half! Phew, invitations were hard... I have like 42 envelope samples... so if I have to send any letters to anyone in the near future and you get a really fancy envelope you know why! Haha

Can I quit my job and become a wedding planner? Ooooo and a florist on the side... *sigh*

Time for shredding!!! Level 3 you get me everytime.

You're my inspiration!!

as some of you may remember... idea board #1


I now present... Idea board #2


a little info on WHY i'm posting this at nearly 4am. Oh dear ICO bribed us 2nd shifters into working a double shift... Yes, bribed us... I'm making time and a half and getting paid for the holida. WOOP WOOP double time and a half. Is it worth it?? We'll see... Its been a very very very long night! I am oh so glad I get to leave at 5am.

This weekend is jam packed... Go home, sleep, wake up, go shopping with Evie, pick Channy up at work, go to philly, celebrate Ms. Milf-of-honor's B-day!!! <3 Sleep in a hotel in Philly, wake up, go home, get ready, go BACK to philly, celebrate mine and Michael's 15 month-a-versary, stay in a different hotel... Flyer's game at noon! What a weekend... Happy Easter everyone!!!

Hairspiration!

weddinginging

found a new blog today!!! ruffledblog.com

Man, I just love it. Check this one out...
http://ruffledblog.com/2010/03/entry-2-diy-window-pane-menu/


Since we're doing a buffet, this would be a perfect idea for the menu! AND the signature drink menu as well!! (less paper in the trash afterwards!!) Plus, I ordered about a million little frames that I have no idea what to do with... BAM use them for "food labeling" on the buffets! plus, i'm a big fan of my handwriting... so horray! I love this idea... LOVE IT! I'm not sure if i've stressed this quite enough but... THIS is not what I want my wedding aftermath to look like....


I much much much prefer a lot of this...


So, an alternative to *gasp* plastic forks...


http://www.webstaurantstore.com/greenware-disposable-wooden-fork-heavy-weight-100-pack/999GWP201.html

and *GASP* plastic plates for cake...


http://www.webstaurantstore.com/solo-bare-6-3-4-square-sugar-cane-plate-compostable-125-pack/9996PSC.html

NO PLASTIC ANYTHING!! Yes, I understand I work in a plastic factory and if it weren't for plastic I'd be out of a job... BUT I also make sure they aren't bringing in carcinogens, dumping things down the drain, using eco-friendly cleaners, 100% recycled paper, recycling ink cartridges, have the right permits, and bla bla bla ANYWAY... the less paper and plastic that we use at our wedding the better for us, the better for our pocket, the better for the environment! :-) At the end of the evening, I would like to be able to load all our "trash" into my car and bring it home for composting. Plates, napkins, yes even forks.. compost is our friend! So one day, when my garden is sprouting pretty veggies and flowers I will be able to thank all our wedding guests for contributing a plate or a fork or a napkin to our compost heap. <3 Plus, all our reusable goodies will be, you guessed it, REUSED! Perhaps in our house, perhaps in somone elses... perhaps sold on ebay. Nothing will go to waste... So please don't wrap our wedding presents in anything but old newspapers... no trees need to be sacrificed for this wedding!!!!!

i leave you with this.... *sigh* oh to have room to store 300 mismatched vintage chairs...