Ooh la la!

Check out this fox.  If only I look this good when I am getting ready to host my own daughter's wedding!

So, not your average mother-of-the-bride dress?  I think shes rocking it.

So ready for September!

We walked by the venue last night on our way home, and I was so excited!

Here's to 2011, and to the longest 9 months of my life, I predict.

I am a home-improvement genius [and humble, too.]

Bathroom makeover - the (final) reveal! [so far.]

 I have a not-so-secret weakness for HGTV.  This is one of the many reasons that it kills me that we will not own a house for 5 or so years - I would really love to be able to do things like this on my own space.  But its probably not a good thing, given the whole, planning a wedding and taking on too many DIY projects in the process thing.  More on that later this week.

So my parents master bathroom looked like this in 2005:

Oh yes, that is some lovely wallpaper.  But you should have seen the lime green paint that was there when we moved in!

 My parents took a weekend trip for their 25th wedding anniversary, and when they came back, the bathroom looked like this (after about 30 straight hours of backbreaking labor):

Lovely floral arrangement provided by my equally lovely grandparents.  This was one of the first projects Brandon and I worked on together (my sister helped too, but we got her really sick with food poisoning [by accident!], and after that her helpfulness was limited by the fact that she couldn't move too much.  But I digress.)

My mom really loved the oil-rubbed bronze towel bars we put up, and immediately thought it would be nice to replace the faucets (which it was, they look great.)  But it looked weird that the melamine cabinets and the counters were still white, when the rest of the room looked so (reasonably) updated.  So, over my Christmas liberal leave week - voila!

And now, finally:  the bathroom today.

I am pretty pleased, and I know my mom is, which makes all the difference.  Theres a limit to what you can do when what you're starting with is poorly aligned melamine.  So, my work is done - until next week, when I start on the invitations.  Stay tuned, there is likely to be drama.

Apparently I have some griping to do

Just a little teaser

Every so often I have this feeling of vague disquiet, that something is wrong that I should be able to put my finger on but just can't.  Last night this feeling started up, and it still hasn't gone away, and I am wondering what it is that my subconscious thinks I should be angsty over.

I did have a dream last night that one of my best friends from middle school/high school, who I haven't spoken to (sadly) since high school, met me in some shop, and told me my skin was red and blotchy.  In the dream I responded, "but nowadays its always red and blotchy."  Should this make me concerned?

I know one of the reasons I am a bit nervous - just signed up for a fitness class, and I feel like it could easily mean I will be sore for the whole month of February.  But my sister will be there to tell me if I am being a real wimp, so that's encouraging.  Nothing like a little sibling rivalry to make sure I don't cheat on exercising.

I also (finally) submitted the design for the save the dates to have the letterpress plate made.  I am still hopeful that my homemade one will work - you can be sure there will be at least one if not several posts on that subject, once I have the supplies to give it a try.

On A Practical Wedding today there was a wedding grad post about a woman who clearly knew what she was doing, I mean her style was so spot-on, so unique - it was one of those weddings I aspire to have design-wise (except in my style, and not hers, if that makes any sense.)  And yet this woman admitted to having some serious second and third guessing about her decisions and I wonder - is that why I feel slightly uneasy?  Because slowly but surely, after 12 months of engagement, the decisions are starting to trickle in. 

I have actually committed to a save the date design, and I have been rejecting stationary designs since about February of last year.  Although in a way I have not committed, as I haven't sent them yet.  But still.  The fact that I am starting to buy things, that I have signed all the major contracts... maybe this is why the self-doubt.

God I can't wait to just get married and be done.  Fast forward button please?

...or...

More shoes!!!

Just ordered these, on sale :)  So pretty!

Butter Skinny Peep Toe Pump

Shoes!

 Brandon is sitting behind me, shaking his head...but then asked, if I get new shoes for the wedding, does that mean he gets "fancy new boots?"

I think I win.