Wedding Details: Basics & Bridal Attire

I had an email the other day from theknot.com: 8 months until the wedding! Wow, is it that close? I can't believe Matt & I have already been engaged for a year and four months! It may seem long, but time flies by!I think I should start sharing some wedding details with you now. I have been scouring wedding blogs daily to find inspiration, as well as had a brainstorming dinner with my bridesmaids.
Everything is coming together nicely, and while I have so much more to do, I have a lot covered so far:

Date: May 26, 2012

Venue: St. Mary's College Garden of Remembrance. My college campus is so special to me, and I was overjoyed when Matt suggested it.
Colors: Sea glass colors. Variations of teals and blues. All of my girls have different color dresses.
And speaking of dresses.... I FOUND MINE! After a disappointing trip to David's Bridal and none of the stores in the area having what I was looking for, someone suggested I browse Nordstrom for ideas. And there it was! When Evee saw me in it, she ran over and hugged me.

Earrings: I saw them on etsy.com and fell in love. Mary Lyle was sweet enough to get them for me.In regards to shoes, I'm still debating exactly what I want. I started out wanting these:
Sears, $30. They're a great color and just what I want, but The comfort level just doesn't look like it's there. As someone told me, "Less shoe = sore feet."

I love this color too, but the heel is way to high to keep me from falling on my face, and my toes would like to breath on their big day.
These etsy shoes are super cute and feminine. With my luck I'd ruin them outside, but man are they nice to look at.

I also love these Caparros. Again, can't beat $30. My only issue is that I'm afraid navy blue may be too dark in contrast to all the other colors. At least they wouldn't show dirt, and I could find a lot to wear them with.

These RSVP wedges would be good for me: just enough height, and would help me from being a klutz.My front runner is a pair that look like they're Kate Spades, but are no where near matching in price. Insert the $325 Kate Spade slingbacks. Gorgeous, just what I'm looking for, but not within my budget for shoes.J. Renee however, is very much in my price range. They're only $80, and the two pairs look like they could be cousins.I am still undecided, and would appreciate any feedback or votes. I would love to find some light blue shoes if anyone has seen some!

Recipe: Fruit Smoothie

I know there are millions of different ways to make a smoothie, but I have been making one type lately that I really like & wanted to share.

You will need:
strawberries
banana
peach
apple juice
vanilla yogurt

Before I go to bed, I chop up the fruit and put it in a ziplock baggie in the freezer. Freezing the fruit makes my smoothie have consistency without even using ice. Also, I never have to worry about my fruit going bad.
When it's time to throw everything in the blender, I put in one cup of apple juice and a container of vanilla yogurt with my frozen fruit. And that's it, simple! It make up a serving size for one person, or two depending on your cup size.

What are some of your smoothie recipes? I'm always looking for more!

Talking the Talk & Walking the Walk

By sheer luck, I got Eve's first time crawling AND her first word on video. I find myself watching them over and over again.

Summer Summary

It's been awhile. When we went to stay with Matt's parents for the summer so we could both work and be closer to family and friends, I lost all time for blogging. I worked at the gym six days a week, and spent any spare time with Matt and Evee, trying to squeeze in visits with friends the best I could. Relaxation? It wasn't really in this summer's agenda.
Highlights from my summer via pictures:

Evee & I enjoyed every day of sunshine & sundresses.

She started her own blog... well, not yet, but I'm sure in about five years or so she will have one.

My little sister Kara graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design.

When I got back from the trip to Georgia with my family on Memorial Day, Matt proposed. And of course, I said yes! It feels so wonderful to be engaged to him.

Three out of four of the Homer 3 girls were able to make it down to the annual
St. Mary's College reunion.

I brought Matt along, but we quickly realized that as parents we are just too tired to keep up with the college lifestyle - we just can't party like we used to. Nevertheless, it was wonderful taking a trip down memory lane and seeing old friends.

Matt celebrated his first Fathers Day :)

Occasionally we got to have adult time and go out, but I didn't get many chances to stay out late, as I worked early in the morning every weekend.

Maria & Keegan came to visit! In years to come they'll be doing the same things at the same time, but with how rapidly they grow as babies, it feels like they're years apart. Time flies when you're having fun though, because those few days just flew by, and I miss them so much!

And, they seem to be getting along great. Look at that hand holding :)

Evee's first summer meant Evee's first time in the pool. She loves swimming in the water. She kicks her feet like she is swimming when she wants to go after a toy. I think back on last summer, and it is such a change for me from lying poolside as big as a beached whale!

Evee loved lunches with Auntie Alexis!

Fourth of July! My favorite holiday. We spent the day at a cookout at Matt's grandfather's house. Oh, how I love holiday food! Evee didn't mind the fireworks at first, but when everyone kept coming up to her to see if she was okay, she started to
sense something was wrong and got upset.

Family photo op. I love the phases she goes through, like when she spent
the whole day just sticking her tongue out.

Actually, every moment I wasn't at work was a photo op. Like any mother, I can never take enough pictures of my baby!

Family time was the best part of the summer. Whether it was going out for a nice dinner just Matt & I, or sitting outside at Starbucks so Evee could enjoy the weather,
I treasured any time we got to spend together.

Evee took her first plan ride to Texas to meet the Autens. I feel as though they are my family too. I haven't seen them since last year when Bethany got married, and we were both barely showing! It was so nice to just be there, and be around them.

Caleb & Evee seemed to hit it off well :)

Did I mention we went to Starbucks a lot? I found out I was known as "Ice Coffee Girl."
Not a bad nickname at all!

I love watching Matt & Evee interact. It makes me love both of them a little deeper
each time I see them together.

We've been to a few Orioles games this season, but my favorite going with a big group of friends that included my Homer 3 girls for a few reasons: Evee was the star of the show with ten plus people, the Orioles won, and I just love being around my college best friends. I know no matter where our lives take us, we will always be close and there for one another.

We went and had Eve's nine month pictures taken. It was an awkward stage, because she was heavily rolling, and didn't like to sit up much just yet.
But the child doesn't take a bad picture, so we got plenty of good ones.

Eve spent a ton of time with her friend Brooke, either going to the pool or playing at Starbucks.
It is going to be so fun to watch them grow up together.
Sharlene & I with our mini-me girls. I am so glad we bonded over pregnancy and became close friends. She is truly one of the sweetest people I know, and makes me feel ten times better anytime I need to vent about something. Having girls so close in age is so much fun.

I can't believe that in three days Evee will be ten months old. A few weeks ago her first tooth came in, and now the second tooth is quickly catching up with it. She started crawling, her first attempt being to pet a kitten. Just the other day she said he first word - "duck." I will post videos of those moments soon :) It feels like just yesterday she could barely lift her head on her own, and now I'm about to start planning her first birthday party. This little girl and my first summer with her have been wonderful. I'm so excited for summers - and beach trips! - to come.

Playroom Projects

It was so nice to have a relaxing Friday. I cleaned, crafted, and cooked a nice dinner. Matt & I took Eve to Starbucks since we finally had some nice weather. Usually we're heading back home so Matt can umpire, but because of Preakness tomorrow, he is only working on Sunday. I'm excited for my first time at Preakness -horse races, getting to see my friends, and Zac Brown band & O.A.R. in concert! I even bought a floppy hat for the occasion :) Today I did a lot of crafting, mainly in Eve's playroom. Here are my accomplishments:

I found a plain chalkboard at a yard sale for $1 and fixed it up. I painted the borders white, and hot glued burlap on the cork portion. I added flowers to the flat tacks. Unfortunately there was no chalk at CVS, but I'm going to write "Eve's Playroom" or a cute message on the chalkboard part. I plan to attach pictures and little designs on the cork, as I've started to do here:


This next project was inspired by Jen from Tatertots and Jello. She is so talented and has some amazing projects! Her version of the burlap wall frame and tutorial are at this link.
And here's my version:


Even though Eve is not crawling yet, I needed somewhere to hide all of my crafts that were in a pile on the floor of Eve's playroom. My parents were nice enough to give my a piece of furniture they weren't usinh, and that's where I put the frames. I also hot glued a ribbon around the basket, just because it needed a little crafty touch.


And lastly, I added a few details on top of the bookshelf. I bought a frame for $3 at Walmart, painted the area around the pictures gold, and added a ribbon. The picture on the left was a Mother's Day present, and has a picture of Eve and I in it, and the vase on the right has dried roses that Matt had given me for my birthday.


All in all, I am very proud of myself :) I'm currently working on another project for our coffee table, and then starting on detailing a mirror for our bedroom. We also finally get to pick up our dresser this week! I am attempting to sell some things at the neighborhood yard sale tomorrow, so I will be getting up extra early! Matts parents are coming in the morning so they can watch Eve while we are at Preakness, so I have a lot more cleaning to do tonight. I will be sure to post lots of pictures from Preakness tomorrow!

My 1st Mothers Day!

I know I'm getting around to this late, but I've been on the go the last couple of days. I have to share about my first holiday being recognized as a Mommy! It feels so strange to have been included in Mothers Day this year. While I was a mother in the making last year with Eve in my belly, this year it truly felt real. Matt and I went home for the weekend so he could umpire, as we have been doing for the past month or so. It was was nice to be able to see our mothers for Mothers Day weekend.When we got in on Friday we dropped Eve off with my parents and went on a dinner date to Applebees. I love our little dates. It's nice to relax in our apartment with Eve, but every now and then I enjoy that we get to go out and focus on each other.
Saturday Eve and I met up with Sharlene and her almost four month old daughter Brooke at Starbucks. I love chances to get together and chat with Sharlene; we are on the same page about a lot of things and it's nice to share concerns, advice, and stories on being new mommies. When I held Eve up to see Brooke, she immediately grabbed her hand. I'm so mad that I forgot to take pictures!
After coffee I met up with my favorite shopping buddy and roommate from college, Rowena. We browsed Target, which is one of my favorite things to do when I go out (besides getting my iced coffee!) I got a cute pair of clearance shoes and leggings, and a bunch of Mom/Grandma cards. Those things really add up! I went from buying one card last year to buying four this year!I spent the rest of the afternoon with Matt's family for his Aunt's birthday cookout.
Sunday Matt & I got up early to go get our moms flowers and Starbucks gift cards. He headed off to work shortly after. Matt and Eve gave me a card with a very sweet message. Having him write that him and Eve are excited to spend all the holidays to come with me meant so much. I feel so blessed to have the two of them.


When Matt left for work I headed over to spend the day with my family. We went to Starbucks and then I picked up some crafts for the apartment at AC Moore. And of course we had a little Mothers day photoshoot :)





Besides the weather not being very warm, I had a wonderful day. I love being able to celebrate being Eve's mommy.