Reviews

I'm a bit behind the trend here, but I'm sure you all understand when I say that I've been busy recently.  The past few months I've told myself that once I got through my comprehensive exam, things would slow down and I could catch up on watching movies and reading books.

This past week I've seen two movies that I really wanted to.

Matt and I watched The Town last weekend and (although I couldn't stay up for the whole thing...shocking) Matt really liked it, and what I saw of it, I really liked too.  Lets just say that after a crazy week, starting a movie after 9pm on a Friday night has 0% chance of me staying awake for the whole thing.  I won't ruin it for you, but I would suggest it if you're looking for a thriller with a little love-story to keep the girls interested.

I had heard great things about Love and Other Drugs so when we had an overcast day, I went and rented it to watch by myself.  Pitiful, I know, the life of a lonely grad student.  Anyways, while I appreciated the great love story, humor, and being able to relate to the fact that the main character is in sales...I was not so appreciative of the constant in-your-face nudity.  Just not my thing.  I can understand the depth of love more from the video montage of pictures of the couple smiling while soft music plays in the background, then from seeing both parties naked and getting it on every other scene.  That aside, cute movie!


Moving on to books...

source: Celeb

I mentioned on here before that this is my current read.  I was trying to only read 25-30 pages a day so that I could make it last.  That went out the window the other day when I couldn't put it down and plowed through the last 150+ pages that I had left.  It is such a great book, I loved every minute of it and I cannot wait to start the second book in the series.  If you're looking for a little bit of info. on this book I'll give you just a tad!

It is set in the future where America has pretty much demolished itself.  There is a "Capitol" and 12 districts.  Each district is responsible for a particular industry.  The people of the districts are all different but the lack of food and quality of life is something that they all have in common.  A way for the Capitol to show its power is by holding the Hunger Games each year.  Every district must send a boy and girl "tribute" to the Capitol for the Hunger Games (so there are 24 tributes in all).  To make a long story short, the Hunger Games are held in an arena which is an environment controlled by the Gamemakers (powerful people from the Capitol) and the tributes are left to fight to the death.  A page-turner to say the least.  Also a great love story!

They are in the works of making this book in to a movie, which I'm so excited for.

On April 4, 2011 I read an article that lists these parts were offered to these actors...

The role of Peeta was offered to Josh Hutcherson.

(Good one...exactly how I pictured Peeta)

The role of Gale was offered to Liam Hemsworth.

(Holy cow...now I'm really looking forward to this movie!)

The leading role of Katniss was offered to Jennifer Lawrence.

(I pictured Katniss as a brunette...but still a good choice here.)

Now on to the book that I just finished in about 2 hours.  I'm giving it some time before diving in to the second book of the Hunger Games series.  Since it's Lent, I told myself that I was going to read the book Crazy Love about God's love for us.  Another Christian book that I've been wanting to read is Heaven is For Real.  Luckily my sister wanted to read it too.  She finished it the other day and passed it on to me.  Lent is a great period to spend some time with my faith, so this is my most recent read!  It's about a little boy who is taken into emergency surgery.  A few months after the surgery he starts saying things to his parents like "the hospital...that's where the angels sang to me" and things like that.  At four years old he describes things from the bible that he was never taught or could have any way of knowing.  This book kept me so interested that I couldn't put it down.  Definitely a must-read!

Wedding Wednesday - Part 1

I've been working on this post for awhile now.  As my wedding planning time comes to an end I remember that it was almost exactly a year ago when I started planning everything.  We took a few weeks to just be engaged and not plan anything and those weeks were glorious!  Once the planning began it was almost non-stop except for a few strategically placed weeks where I told myself "NO WEDDING WEEK".  These weeks were usually around a holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday) or when something else big was happening (comprehensive exam, big papers, big projects).  I'm learning time-management skills and having the luxury of ignoring the wedding at certain points throughout the year helped me keep my sanity.

I've decided to post 50 important wedding tips, ideas, strategies, designs, and overall suggestions that really have helped me throughout the process.  It's been a work in progress that I keep coming back to and I'm sure in these last 2 months I'll have more things to add to the list!  Here it is (at least the first 1/2...stay tuned because next Wednesday will be the last part of the list)!

1) Take those few weeks throughout the process to ignore any wedding duties.  It WILL keep you sane.

source: Creative Calendars

2) Get your fiance as involved as he wants to be.  Don't be afraid to make decisions on your own, but make sure he's in on the big ones! (he doesn't care about colors, he does care about the budget)

3) Utilize the wedding website on Theknot.com.  It really will help friends and family.

View Our Wedding Website Here

4) Utilize the budget tool on Theknot.com.  It is amazing to see the breakdown.

5) Utilize the To-Do Checklist on Theknot.com.  It will keep you on track!

6) Read Blogs for creative new ideas.  Some wedding blogs I follow are
    
       Merriment Events

     With this Ring

     Green Wedding Shoes

 
     The Wedding Chicks

    Merci New York

7) Insure your rings

8) Buy your rings with ample time before the wedding for sizing, etc...

9) Clear out a closet or some space to start collecting stuff for the wedding (it's more junk than you can imagine)

10) CONSTANTLY thank people.  Your friends and family are going to help you more than you could ever imagine.  Make sure they know it is all appreciated.
.

11) Book a rehearsal dinner location as soon as possible.  They book up just as fast as wedding venues do!

12) Decide on an overall look and make sure it is in your budget.  At first I wanted the Chivari chair look with tall centerpieces.  Then I realized you're talking $8 per chair and $50 per centerpiece.  Real quick that's $2,600 added to your total - yikes!  With a second look at the budget we opted for a less formal look so our chairs were only $4 and our centerpieces went down to $15 because I did the leg work and found our vases (vintage blue mason jars).  Just like that we went from $2,600 to $1,100.  Plus, this is so much more our style anyways!  We're not stuffy formal people, we're more laid back and casual!

13) Don't get your feelings hurt and try not to take things personally.  Wedding planning tends to bring the ugly out in people.

14) Take SOMEONE (anyone) with you to every meeting.  That way there are two people listening to what the person has to say, and there is always another opinion.  I took my youngest sisters to some appointments just for piece of mind.

15) Find out just what your venue has and doesn't have.  A rental fee can sometimes be pretty hefty ($2,000+) but if there isn't a rental fee, they may not provide you with everything you need so you have to rent things through an outside source which can also get expensive.

16) Make sure your cake person can do what your vision is.  I've known people to want red accents on their cake and it turned out pink, or black that turned out gray.  Be careful!

17) Splurge on the pictures.  I don't know this first hand yet, but have heard it from EVERYONE.  This is not something you want to cut down on.  After the whirl-wind day, it's all you have left!

18) Keep your parents in the loop. period.

19) Split up the guest list by groups.  Matt and I had a list together, he had one separate (for co-workers), my parents had one, and his parents had one.

20) If you're second guessing inviting someone and haven't seen them in a year or so...then don't invite them.  If you're thinking about inviting someone who you think you may regret at a later time for not inviting, DO invite them.  You can't appease everyone and the guest list thing gets very political.  Good Luck.

21) Order extra invitations, but more important...order extra envelopes.  Mistakes happen!

 

22) Don't sweat the small stuff.

23) Put an "extra" column in your budget for things such as welcome bags in the hotel, decorations, favors, etc...

24) Know when to DIY (Do it yourself) and know when the headache is not worth it.  For example, I've seen signs on Etsy.com that sold for upwards of $50.  I knew that for relatively cheap I could make them on my own, and they weren't rocket science to put together.  Then when talking about invitations we knew there were some that we could buy and do on our own to save about $75.  But we also knew we didn't want the hassle of buying ink...formatting the wording...printing each one...buying extras for mess-ups...hunting down matching ones from different Michael's around the state, etc.  It was worth the extra $75 in our eyes!

25) KEEP EVERYTHING WELL DOCUMENTED!  I have a wedding binder that has every contract, receipt, brochure, price quote...you name it, I've probably kept it.  It's so nice to have my vendor info. at my fingertips and has really kept me on top of things.  Also I keep a working to-do list by week at the front of the binder to help me stay on top of things!

Source: Professional Organizer

Gift Giving

My favorite part about this time in my life (bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, birthdays) are that for each event there is always a chance to gift something to someone very special to me.  I love giving way more than receiving.  Many of my friends have heard me say that I hate the pressure of opening presents in front of people.  Don't get me wrong...getting presents is pretty cool, especially when it's that thing you really want but wouldn't buy for yourself!

Source: Have2HaveIt

It isn't a surprise when I say that Emily Giffin is my favorite author.  I've mentioned it on here before that I follow her through facebook and other social outlets.  The other day she was a guest blogger over at Tres Sugar.

Here's a shot of Emily Giffin at her recent birthday party in NYC.

She created a list of 5 gifting tips and they happen to be ones that I live by too.

Enjoy!

Here are five specific gifting tips: 

1. Buy in advance — or at least take notes. How many times have we found the perfect card months before our cousin’s birthday? Or heard our best friend muse in a department store that she really “needs” to spice up her underwear drawer? Seize these moments and either buy in advance, allocating a drawer or shelf in your home for the collection, or record the idea in a “gift” notebook. An extreme example: I recently bought a darling Sweet Sixteen card for my Goddaughter who is only seven — but I know I will be grateful to have it in 2020!  (I happen to have Christmas presents for all of my sisters already in West Virginia.)

2. Gifts aren’t just for birthdays. I have two friends who always gift me upon the publication of my novels. An engraved bookmark, a bouquet of fresh flowers, or a sweet token that coordinates with my book jacket art, e.g. a tiny bootie for Baby Proof with a 2006 penny inside (the year that book was released). I cherish these gifts and love the generous spirit in which they are given. So go ahead and celebrate your friend’s new home, job, or car (or help ease the blow of a bad break-up). She will never forget the gesture. (This is so easy now with ordering things online, you don't have to be in the same state as someone to have gifts sent!)

3. Try to avoid the generic candle or bath product and choose something that reflects your friend’s personal style. Having a gift monogrammed or personalized will show you thought of her way in advance of her day. And if you simply can’t resist the candle-bath product route — be sure to pick the perfect scent or color. (While I do agree with this one, I must say that I do love the candle-bath product route because they are things that I love, but often don't justify buying.)

4. On a tight budget? Think homemade. I received two CD mixes this year — and absolutely love both. After all, few things can capture the essence of a relationship like a collection of handpicked tunes. If you want a homemade twist but aren’t creative yourself, check out etsy.com. Who wouldn’t love a one-of-a-kind picture frame with the perfect photograph, capturing a favorite memory, inside? (Like the hanger I got from my sister for my bridal shower - so thoughtful...you can see it here.)

5. Presentation matters. Make it extra special with beautiful wrapping paper and coordinating raffia (PaperSource is my favorite), complete with a special handwritten note in a fun color (I heart teal or violet LePens and lime green extra fine Sharpies).(Here's my recent attempt at cute wrapping for Susie's baby shower.  They are big UNC fans and I'm sure they'll be passing that love along to their baby boy so I added a UNC blanket on the top!)

Travel Monday - The Island of Capri, Italy

Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula off of the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Southern Italy.  source: wikipedia

source: cruise 

I was lucky enough to travel to Capri with my best friends during the Summer of 2005. 

I'll never forget riding around in a boat around the Island and seeing the amazing Blue Grotto.

After our boat tour and swimming in the sea we headed to Anacapri (the top of the Island) for lunch, shopping, and taking in the views.

Another thing that I remember about Capri was the shopping.  There were great stores and every store with food offered free samples (basically shots) of Limoncello.  Delicious!  I brought samples home for family members!

 

Source : Recipe

This morning Matt and I went to church with my family in Richmond.  We knew we had a meeting with the Catholic Deacon (we've already met with the Baptist Pastor) to discuss the logistics about the wedding.  It really put us at ease and went way better than we could have expected.  The Deacon asked us some tough questions and gave great marriage advice.  I do really like certain aspects of the Catholic church but one thing that bothered me was being married by someone who was never, themselves, married before.  Having a Deacon marry us (instead of a priest) is so nice because the Deacons are actually married and able to give great advice. 

After church we went home to hang out with my  family and my Mom was asking questions about Spring Weekend.  This is a weekend at Longwood where there are huge concerts and a ton of things to do on campus.  My sisters are going to come visit next weekend and we told my mom that one of the music acts is Cali Swag District and their popular song is Teach Me How to Dougie.  She thought Dougie was a person so we took some time to show her on You Tube what we were talking about.

After hanging out for a little bit with the family, Matt and I left to head back to Farmville.  We got to stop at one of my favorite places on our way back.  Sweet Frog!  It's delicious frozen yogurt and I love the fresh fruit on the topping bar! Yum!

Source: Eating Bird Food

It will be a great ending to a fun weekend because I get to have Matt with me to watch our Sunday night shows.  He'll head back to West Virginia early tomorrow morning.

Being a kid again!

This morning I started out by sleeping in and not really being on a schedule.  Usually my Saturdays are packed with wedding to-dos, work, traveling, or other general to-do lists.  Not today.  I got up and made Matt breakfast in bed.  I love when he visits me in Farmville and we can have lazy mornings.

I made Matt Cream Chipped Beef (sounds gross, actually pretty good) and I also had some Chobani Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit and Bear Naked granola.  Yum!

Matt also was sneaky and had some of these (for breakfast) that I had made the night before.

After breakfast and brownies we headed to Chesterfield to meet up with two of our best friends who are house hunting.  It was great to look at the homes and it sparked great conversations between Matt and I about where we want to be in the next few years.  After looking at a house we headed over to Short Pump to spend the afternoon checking out Dave and Busters.  We had so much fun playing the games, but it definitely isn't a cheap way of entertainment.  That is something we won't be doing often!

After looking around for places to watch the VCU game, we decided that going out just wasn't going to happen and we went to see our friends out in Mechanicsville and watch the basketball games there.  It was so fun cheering on VCU and catching up with great friends.  What a fun way to spend our Saturday!  Even though VCU lost, it was a great game and an awesome thing for Richmond, VA.

Source: VCU

Friday's April Fools Food

Happy April Fools!

Clearly I'm not in elementary school anymore, and lets face it...those are the best times to enjoy April Fools Day.  I remember the dares "I dare you to put glue on the teacher's chair" or "I dare you to glue everything on the teacher's desk together".  By middle school you get the occasional prank, but by highschool and college April Fools usually comes and goes with only a simple joke or two.

I've been reading a bunch of blogs recently and have found that many of the moms out there love to get their kids on April Fools day.  Here are some cute ideas.

Both of these are from The Farm Girl

Vanilla cupcakes with thin buttercream icing and a Ferrero Rocher chocolate dipped in jelly.

 

Vanilla cupcake with buttercream icing and jellybeans - Block of butter is a starburst or laffy taffy.

Yummly.com

Grilled Cheese Cake (Vanilla cake with orange frosting)

Really the possibilities are endless!  Happy April Fools Day!