This is Thirty Something

Hold my beer, I got this.

Daddy Daughter Dance

This is the song I used for my Daddy Daughter Dance at my wedding.
It is so sweet, I just wanted to share.
Ben Folds
Gracie

Lyrics:
You can’t fool me, I saw you when you came out
You got your momma’s taste but you got my mouth
And you will always have a part of me
Nobody else is ever going to see

Gracie girl
With your cards to your chest walking on your toes
What you got in the box only Gracie knows
And I would never try to make you be
Anything you didn’t really want to be

Gracie girl
Life flies by in seconds
You’re not a baby Gracie, you’re my friend
You’ll be a lady soon but until then
You gotta do what I say

You nodded off in my arms watching TV
I won’t move you an inch even thought my arm’s asleep
One day you’re gonna want to go
I hope we taught you everything you need to know

Gracie girl

And there will always be a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see but you and me

My little girl

My Gracie girl

You make a better Window than a Wall

One of my readers commented on a previous post about the outdoor chapel and how random it was I had been collecting vintage windows. I realized I never really got into the reasoning behind that in the post, so I wanted to share the story!
Back in 2000 there was a movie that came out that now has a huge cult following. I remember seeing previews for this movie and thought it looked amazing. Totally up my alley. I saw it, it was alright, I don’t get the hype. Maybe 10 years later I would “get it” and I should watching it try again.
The movie was

 I honestly don’t remember anything about the movie except a room divider made of old windows.
There is a scene in the movie that takes place inside Lisa Bonet’s apartment and she has the room split by a mismatched collection of old windows hanging by chains. Coolest thing ever.



This is the only photo I could find from the actual movie


My dad is a huge garage saler. I have been going to garage sales since I could ride a bike. Every weekend during the summer dad and I would get up early and ride our bikes to sales around the neighborhood. This of course only happened with a little coaxing on his part. I was always “bribed” by a maple bar from Chuck’s Donuts… or even better, french toast sticks from Burger King! The Burger King trip was dangerous but worth it, and was usually followed by my mom saying ” You let her ride her bike down Duvall?!”  Danger is my middle name, when it comes to breakfast foods. Dad really lucked out that the Burger King was located where it was. By me agreeing to ride there, that meant we could hit all the garage sales in other neighborhoods off Sunset and Union.

Back to the story…

So we go to these garage sales and Dad always had specifics he looked for; tools and car parts. Me on the other hand after out growing stuffed animals didn’t really have anything to collect.These windows served as a perfect distraction to early mornings and sifting through other peoples junk. By this time I was much older and no longer on a bike, the Burger King is long gone and in moved a Starbucks drive-thru.

Dad says:

 “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”
 True… sometimes.

 But he has also been known to say

 ” A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet”
Which is totally not true and kind of creepy.
So over the years I have collected these windows, some in good condition, some completely falling apart. All in the hopes of one day building this room divider for myself. The wedding came first though. I think they were put to good use and I was very lucky I had them. The more often I see these old windows for sale, the more expensive they are. Shabby chic style is common, people are more into DIY crafts and project and what was once old and useless, is now a collectors item. Supply and demand. Every once in a while you find someone who doesn’t know what they have and you get a deal.
Here are some other examples of this same idea

I think it’s time to start collecting again.

Working on the “Lodge”


Since I was left home alone this weekend, I thought I would share what is going on with the family!
 Right now Steve’s parents are building a new place on their property. Almost every weekend since last spring we have gone down to his parents to help out and lend a hand. This was crammed in between the weekends of working on the Camaro at my parent’s so it would be ready for the wedding and all of our DIY projects too. Basically we have had no life or free time for a while. It will pay off in the end though. This place is going to be pretty amazing! Did I mention it’s Seattle so we are in the rain working most of the time too?!

The Hubs



He is wearing his Sour Kraut suspenders!
 ( He is the German your mother warned you about)
This is me and Steve’s brother’s girlfriend. We are pressure washing logs that were cut down on their property. The logs will be sanded and sealed and stood upright in the main living room of the house!

Steve is bringing up more logs to work on.
Here is a photo of the house taken from where the current house they are living in is. The current house will be taken off the property when the new one is complete and they will have a huge front yard and turn around driveway here.
See those huge floor to ceiling windows in front? This is what it will look like from the inside!

The theme of the house is a modern take on a lodge in the woods. Lots of exposed beams, natural textures, wood and stone work. When I say lots…. I mean like 4200 square feet of it.
 I thought when you had an empty nest you were suppose to down size?



It is actually sunny here!



In this photo they are working on the “mother in law” area above the garage. This area will have its own living space, bathroom and bedrooms… all with radiant floor heating. As of now, there is no actual mother in law planning to move in… but I have a feeling Steve and I will be claiming this area for holidays!
There is an open loft area overlooking the living room down stairs.The loft will serve as a library and game room.
I think this pool table would go in there perfectly!
This is one project that will really be rewarding in the end. They are doing almost everything themselves. Right down to the cabinetry, interior doors and railings. Steve’s dad is a shop teacher and a real master with wood working! Using timber from their own land he will be creating some one of a kind pieces for the house. He also works with metals too.
He is creating something similar to this for the staircase.
I hear it is going to be fish themed though!

Here is another example I found. This is actually made out of wood though, not metal! How amazing is that?
This weekend is Steve’s dad’s birthday! I wish that I could be down there to celebrate but this cold I have won’t let me go far from the house. When we were at Salmon days last weekend we found the perfect gift for him. He happens to also be an avid hunter and fisher. We thought he would really appreciate this work of art and it was something that would go perfect in the new house! It came matted and set in a rustic barn wood frame. Like this
 I don’t have a photo of the exact piece we got him ( which was a painting of 3 salmon) but here is some of the artists other work!




rainbow trout

 



steel head salmon

 

This artists work is even more amazing in person. I would love to acquire more from him for Steve and I to keep for ourselves. It isn’t cheap though, so we will have to collect over time! The artist is Dean Crouser and he is from Oregon. You can check him out Here! He works with acrylics, pastels and watercolors to create these intense colors. There was a series of painting with crows I saw at his both I really loved. Unfortunately I don’t see any on his site to show you, but here is one similar.
Well, in honor of Leavenworth Oktoberfest that I am missing tonight because I am sick. Here are some photos from last year!
Eins, Zwei, Drei G’Suffa
( one, two, three, drink!)
Steve’s Parents



Steve, Me, Luke, Tyler, Mandy



I love it there. It is such a neat town. Maybe we can go up for the tree lighting ceremony this year instead. It is such an amazing place in the winter time.




Mandy, Steve, Me, Tyler.. a happy German family!



If God wanted us sober, he’d knock the cup over, drink up, drink up, drink up!

Veils… like pretty please, with a cherry on top

One of the  most popular questions/comments I heard while planning my wedding was
 ” You are going to wear a cage veil aren’t you?!”

I guess the bird cage screams Gracie? I have to admit, I was a fan at one time but just as I outgrew the whole ” I want a 12 foot tall wedding cake ” , I guess I outgrew the  cage veil. They are hip, they are fun, they are unusual and vintage, but I truly wanted to feel so much more bridal and fabulous than that.


I weighed my options…..
On one end of the scale we have the Lady GaGa of veils




Totally not appropriate for my first wedding….

 

 On the other end we have the Why am I even wearing a veil veil

Seriously, wake me when this bride gets a personality
I found something in the middle
 Priscilla Presley.
Funny… she still looks like this today… minus the veil of course..




note: she obviously likes a tall cake too

I decided the bigger the veil, the closer to God.

The style is classified as Bubble or Couture
Here are some of my favorites that I stored away on my computer while I searched for the perfect one.

 





Fell in love with this one, I am sure it costs more than my dress did.. and it was wrong for my outdoor venue, had our wedding been inside a chapel I would have saved all my pennies for this

 


I thought this was the sweetest one of all. SO simple, but incredibly sweet




 I made my decision when I found BellaBridalVeils  on Etsy. Yes, Etsy…. again. Seriously, they have EVERYTHING on there. It is my addiction.

Anyway, don’t know if any of you have been veil shopping recently but they can run you in the hundreds and designer veils into the thousands. Why? I have no idea. Its literally yards of tulle, the same tulle they sell at the fabric store down the street, stitched to a plastic comb. That’s it. Yes, some are french tulle, Italian lace, hand stitched embroidery with swarovski crystals, I am not talking about those though. I am talking about your run of the mill, plain Jane veils! The prices are Ridiculous. Which is why I turned to Etsy. I saw the veils in the store and said ” I could SO make that.” Then I thought, “Hey, I bet someone already did… lets check Etsy!”

So, here she is, my veil, my utterly cheap and wonderfully huge, is that a veil or did the cotton candy fairy land on your head veil.




Just came in the mail

 

This is actually the 2nd veil she sent me. I had her sew the comb on reverse of the original direction… to make the veil stand up even taller.

MORE MORE MORE. I want MORE
At the hair trial




 The debut

 

Besides my mom and my photographer who watched me put this baby on and said
” OH WOW, now that’s a veil!”
I don’t honestly know what anyone thought of my “Head Piece.” I guess I don’t really care. When I thought back to the drawings I sketched as a kid of my  wedding day, I had this huge veil  in every single one. I honestly feel like I would have felt a little shorted if I hadn’t gotten it.
 ( No pun intended, it did add a good 4 inches)
Also, I think as a product of the 80’s this sort of big hair/bigger veil ideal was naturally instilled in me. Just look at Becky!



After all, my dream groom was Uncle Jesse *forever*



 So, I guess the moral of the story is… where what you like, wear what suits your personality and don’t  slink off into the corner and buy what the sales clerk at David’s Bridal *shudder* tells you to get. She doesn’t know what she is talking about.
And just for the record, I totally could have gone bigger.

Shut your mouth you dirty little hamster!



I don’t go to the beach, I go to the Shore.
Gracie & Steve aka Snooki & Pauly D



It is finally October!!! To me, that officially makes it fall. Its time for pumpkin lattes and caramel apple cider. I can’t wait to go corn mazing and pumpkin carving and best of all dress up for Halloween in a kick ass costume! Every year I spend a good amount of time creating a unique outfit. Sometimes it is bought and sometimes made from scratch. Last year, I have to admit was a little lame. We were pirates. The costume was cute but I also saw it on a million other girls. I bought it in the store and didn’t make any creative alterations to it.
Me & Steve last year
Steve and I wanted to do something as a couple again and decided on………….Jersey Shore!
  I am going to be Snooki ( although she is a good 10 inches short of my tallness)





imbringingbloggingback.com

 

 Wow she is tiny.
 At least I am actually Italian, a key ingredient I would think… and I have black hair already! Now the only real issue with this costume is which Snooki will I be? There is the ” Going out to the Club Snooki”, the” Lounging around the house Snooki” , the ” Red Carpet Snooki” Ahhkk, too many choices.
Here are some of the items I need to complete my ensemble:




A wonderful TEMPORARY Spray on Tan in Orange.

 



The Jersey Makeup




Snook’s house slippers



A skanky little tube dress ( Snooki loves leopard print)



Huge Hoop Earrings





 And of course last but definitely NOT least, her best known trait… the hair poof
Will the Bump It have what it takes???
To go along with the theme, Steve will be Pauly D. Another of the cast members on Jersey Shore. His outfit is pretty easy. We ordered a Pauly D wig, because his signature trait, just like Snooki’s , is the hair do.
The hair
It was actually a little depressing coming up with these outfits because they are so stereotypical. Let’s face it though, Jersey comes off in general as a gross place and just begs to be  made fun of. Google image search ” douchebag” and you know what will come up? Photos of Jersey boys…. also known  “Guidos”… a Tool, if you will. I always knew that term growing up as something derogatory. If you have ever watched Jersey Shore though, it is definitely not. Look up Guido on Urban Dictionary and the definition is as follows:

A sad pathetic excuse for a male; not necessarily of Italian descent, but most likely; usually native to the New York/New Jersey Tri-State area. WARDROBE: tight zipper shirts, tracksuits, designer jeans, fuzzy kangol hats, tiny hoop earrings, fake gold chains, and related Euro-trash garb and tacky cheese-wear. NATURAL HABITAT: Known to frequent Tri-State area malls looking for club gear to waste their week’s pay on (most likely spotted shopping at “Bang Bang” in Staten Island). During the day when not at their food delivery, telemarketting, or construction job, can be located at their local gym tanning or lifting weights. Can be found nightly at mainstream danceclubs they read about online (SF, Webster Hall, Etc.). Most notable for cruising the Jersey shore in an old car (Honda, Mustang, etc.) which has been tinted, painted and sports $1,000-$3,000 rims in a feeble attempt to look like new. Guido cars usually have a boomin’ system through which cheesy music like freestyle, commercial club/trance and hip-hop (anything KTU plays) is loudly blasted. GENETIC LINKS: Directly related to modern day urban-guidos, A.K.A. “wiggers,” A.K.A. “wegros;” urban-guidos are white males who once exhibited the traits referenced above, but have now instead opted to keep it unreal, with wardrobes consisting of clothes from labels like FUBU and Rocawear which they bought on sale at Macy’s.

 Why the cast of the show if more than proud of that, I am not sure. More power to them though! It gives the world something to make fun of, a show for me to rot my brain watching and a halloween costume for 2010.

   Of course we can’t forget about this little treasure, it never gets old



You know how you know the worst is behind you? You will see a sign that says
” You are now leaving New Jersey”


Design Star

I bought our current bed a little over a year ago from Cost Plus World Market. It is solid wood and was imported from Thailand. I love it. Like most chicks, I have always dreamed of having a canopy bed and this was the perfect mix of feminine and masculine for Steve and me. It has been a great bed frame… however our mattress has clearly become the worst purchase ever. I don’t even want to get into that though. After staying for a week in Jamaica on our honeymoon and sleeping in a luxurious king size bed, Steve and I decided it was time to upgrade. We knew a new mattress was in store for us so why not get a new frame as well and make it a king!

Here is the Current Bed
Sloan from Costplus
So,  I started shopping and found this beauty



Chris Madden  Avalon Bed



Ok, ok , I found it last year when I was looking at frames the first time but Steve said it was way to girly. Apparently he has gone soft because the 2nd time around, he said “Yeah, buy whatever you want”. Done and done! So the bed frame is ordered and on it’s way. We still need to find a mattress and the old canopy bed will go into the guest room, where Steve’s bed from college currently lives.

This new bed is completely different in style and color from the old one… which only means one thing. Bedroom needs a redesign!

Here is the theme I have in mind
Love the blue, white and black together

I think this is the color scheme I would like to go with.
With some mirrored tables and accessories
Love this dresser
And a chandelier lamp!
 Is this incredibly WAY too girly for Steve to live in?!
We will soon find out!
I would love to get this bedding. It is from Dwell Studio (Steve already approved it)

Dwell Studio tends to be on the pricer side of bedding. However they just did a new line for Target! Unfortunately, this pattern is not one of them

Wedding Gifts & Etsy Shops

As you might have read in my earlier post, last weekend Steve and I attended a friend’s wedding. They asked that no one bring gifts, as they already have what they need and requested cash for travel. To which I replied” But, but… I love to buy gifts!!” It’s true, I get a real high out of finding the perfect present for someone and giving it them!
So, I decided I would go with something personal for this one. I couldn’t get pots and pans or an iron for this couple obviously. This would be a real gift challenge…. or a Brittney sex riot, whichever way you want to look at it!
 I decided on wedding Forks! I ordered them from Etsy. I made cute little tags to attach to each of the forks, which I forgot to take a photo of, and tied them on with ribbon. We arrived to the ceremony a little early, so I popped into the reception area and placed the forks on the Bride and Groom’s table to surprise them! 
BeachHouseLiving on Etsy

I think these are SO adorable and would have been so excited to have received them myself. What a fitting way to eat your wedding cake… or pie!

 I also go them this pillow.
mendydensadesigns on Etsy

This was from Etsy as well. I don’t think I have mentioned how amazing that site is! I buy pretty much everything on there.  I have never been to this couple’s home before, so I have no idea what their decor style/ theme is. I have however met the couple many times ( they are college friends of Steve’s) and I know they are quirky,eclectic people …..like me! I thought this pillow would pretty much fit into any decor or room and seemed right up their alley. I hope they liked it!

The Story of the Outdoor Chapel




The entrance to our Outdoor Chapel



I originally saw the idea of building an outdoor chapel over a year ago in a wedding planning blog. The story was covering a couple’s wedding day and showed the amazing structure they built to sit out in a yard where the ceremony would be. I was in complete awe. What a great idea. What a neat way to make an outdoor ceremony intimate without closing it off or using a tent. I loved how it seemed like it had always been there, it wasn’t obstructive or out of place, it was the perfect rustic place for a wedding.

 Examples:
From that day forward I would randomly Google images to see if I could find other examples that couples had built. I wanted to see more! I was addicted to the idea of the chapel. I imaged my wedding day and how elated I would be to get married outside in a place like that. I soon stumbled on a blog written by a girl in California. Her father -in -law was conveniently a contractor and had the means and access to materials to build something this. In fact the wedding was to take place on their property, so they could build it on location and take their time. I checked up on her each month to see how it was coming along. Of course it was amazing. They put in a stone walk way and a fire place!

At this point, I decided I had to have one too. I emailed all the photos and information to Steve and said Build this please! And he did.

Most of the outdoor chapels I found online were built from scrap wood pulled of shipping pallets. The kind that gives you mad slivers if you have ever worked in receiving at a store! That wood is thin and cheap and best of all, light weight. Steve however, had a better idea. His family has assisted in numerous demolitions over the years. They have kept all the scrap wood, barn wood, junk wood, you name it wood, from these projects. All the materials we needed were sitting in his parents yard. Only thing missing were single pan

e vintage windows…hmm…. where would we find those? Well, it just so happened that I started collecting those windows when I was in high school. As an avid garage sale-er and swap meet attendee I had a small pile of precisely what we needed.

As luck would have it, Steve’s dad is a wood shop teacher. Together he and Steve had all the tools and know how to build these structures. The wood had been sitting for years and was perfectly weathered and worn. It only took a few weekends to build 4 sides and the entry way, each with their own supports to hold them up. Although, when a friend asked how they would stand on their own, Steve’s brother replied “Well, they ordered a couple wizards and they are going to be in charge of that.”

Pretty much the best answer ever.

Each structure weighed about 200-250 lbs and took 2 men to carry. We loaded them onto a flatbed trailer and hauled them to the wedding venue the morning of and set them in place. Unfortunately, the venue was booked the night before so we were unable to set anything up ahead of time. They turned out Awesome.

The back side

Before Adding the windows in

Ready to load!

Our guests didn’t realize we had built them, they thought they were part of the venue!

I kept thinking about how at the end of the night our families and friends in their tired and drunken stoopers would have to tear down and pack everything up. Including this entire outdoor chapel! The venue was yet again book the following day and we couldn’t leave anything behind that night.

As the ceremony was wrapping up, the owner approached us and asked to buy the chapel from us. What better way to top off our wedding night?! We had planned to sell them on Craigslist anyhow! So, we made some extra cash and didn’t have to move them again!!! I would say that was definitely a win- win situation, with or without the wizards!

Thank god it didn’t rain that day, or all this work would have been a complete waste, as the ceremony would have been moved inside the barn! Here are some photos of the process and the final product.




A view from the side during the ceremony



Heading down the aisle to see Steve for the first time




We added childhood photos to the entryway. Bride on one side and Groom on the other. It was amazing to walk through as my dad took me down the aisle. To see the photos as we passed through the doorway. To feel like I was coming through the church doors like I had always imagined I would while growing up. To have the sun shining down and the warm breeze at our backs. It couldn’t have been more perfect… and Steve built it all for me. 

Makeup, babies and too much food

I want this.

Tonight I decided that going to Red Lobster for all you can eat shrimp was a WAY better idea than doing p90x at home. I am on the fast track to gaining the freshman 15… or.. er..uh, newly wed 15 I suppose. Winter is not good to me. Eggnog lattes, pumpkin pie… potato soup… the list goes on and on. Not to mention it’s dark when I leave the house and when I come home, making we want to lay on the couch in the pm, not go walking or do any physical activity for that matter!
At dinner we had a discussion about all the wonderful things your body does when you are pregnant. I am so looking forward to peeing my self and puking all day. NOT. No, I am not with child… this was just for future reference. For now, I will stick with my cat… she doesn’t give me stretch marks….. just scratch marks! HA. Good night moon.

Weddings weddings everywhere

Steve and I are about burnt out on weddings this summer. After spending tons of time and energy on ours, all of our friends got married this summer too! This weekend we attended Andrew and Cassie’s wedding. I have to admit, I was a little bit apprehensive about going. When they came to our wedding last month, they told us how similar our weddings were going to be. Right down to the cowboy boots ,dessert bar, pies and even the centerpieces! We weren’t sure how attending this wedding so soon after ours would make us feel. Would they one up us? Would I notice details I left out? Would our friends who have attended both compare everything? I am happy to report that the weddings, though similar in theme, were completely different.
I loved all the details and touches Cassie had added to her wedding. It was a lot of fun and we danced all night long. She looked amazing in her short dress and boots and we drank till the keg ran dry! All in all, I was worrying for no reason. I should have never doubted myself or my wedding. I think no matter how wonderful someone else’s wedding is, mine will always be perfect to me. It was after all my wedding and a day Steve and I will never forget. No one can one up that feeling/vision/memory that we have of our wedding day.
Speaking of our wedding day, we received a free night stay at the Raddison in the mail today! That is the hotel we stayed at on our wedding night. It was very nice, but they didn’t follow through on some details Steve had planned out as a surprise for me. So when they emailed me asking to do a survey reporting how our stay went, I let them have it! It was our wedding night, everything should have been perfect! So, they wrote me a nice letter apologizing and a gift certificate for a free night’s stay. I am sure its for the bottom of the line room… and we had originally stayed in the honeymoon suite.. but we will have to wait and see. Savin’ the coupon for a rainy day!
Here are some pics from this weekend’s wedding!

Groomsmen & Bridesmaid
The lovely couple!
Centerpieces
Dessert Buffet
Pie they cut instead of the traditional cake
Steve and me!
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