back in the day

i saw this pic of us abelmann kids and had never seen it before - i love it. i didn't want to just focus on me, so i am also posting a pic of jan about the same age that i like. even w/his missing tooth, he had to have been every 3rd grade girl's crush.

never seen this

but it's so cute!

how fun!

i found this online, and thought it would be a good reminder for all of you who are coming! (ps we're not getting married at a baptist church)

oh harry

Everyone needs a little reading material to stay relaxed with a big event coming up. I grabbed harry potter for the flights and have been battling my tendancy to want to finish it before the wedding. i've read 3 pages, and won't do anymore until tomorrow night's flight. it's a thick book, totally heavy & not realistic to carry, but it's boarding w/my dress. i love, love reading. now..if only i can get jan hooked on book 1...

it's almost here!!

ok, for real people. 5 more days!!

sat. we spent the day in chicago and stopped by ikea. sunday we put together this table & shelf for our kitchen. jan convinced me to get the table for it's ideal use at this point in our lives -with both sides down, it's about 7" across, and can be used for extra counter space, opened for guests, or in the future for the perfect kid's desk or work table. with limited kitchen space, every extra drawer or shelf helps. i think we (he) are going to sand it down and stain or paint it (me). the shelf is super affordable - right now all our pots and pans are on there, i'll add cereal, cookbooks and baking items (flour, sugar, etc.) up on top.

photos to come in a few weeks!!

sampling

here is a sample of the menu cards that will go on the food tables:

to do:

Today/tomorrow, we're printing our programs, table cards, menu cards for the buffet & drink table, picking up my band, and my dress. This weekend we start moving into our new apartment!! On that note, here's something Jan & I finished a few weeks ago for our new place. We needed a desk for both of our imacs, and this idea was perfect, and super easy. I'll post a pic of the final piece post-wedding. Hollow core doors are genious.

hair we are

I saw these on the wedding bee blog and sent them to Harold to review, because they are so pretty and similar to styles I like, plus they're already grouped! My favorites are the top left and bottom right. I'm still looking for a hair pin, but I'm not worried.

ice ice baby

i finalized the drink menu (besides sodas and water and toasting stuff) to blueberry lemonade and rasberry iced tea. i'll make regular lemonade, and then we'll add crushed plus whole blueberries for a garnish (and because they're blue of course!), and some mint if we can grab some. the rasberry iced tea is a well tested Bender recipe, but takes longer to make, so that will be the secondary drink in the glass jar. the lemonade will go in the larger than large pewter punch bowl. I thought both of those sounded very refreshing for a warm summer day.

12 days

yikes, it's coming up fast! just working on last minute stuff today, plus a bunch of freelance, but will post something fun later tonight if i get a chance.

bmaids revisited

I love this idea from Blueprint. They show you 5 ways to turn your old bridesmaid dress into something updated and super cute. My favorite is the neckline on the ribbon blue cocktail dress, but all the ideas are pretty great. I am also loving the pink bubble.

corney

I gocco'd these up one night last week while Jan & I were watching TV - little bags for the kettle corn appetizers. I only have 80, so the goal is to re-use and re-serve. I wanted to bring a few things to the wedding to give props to Jan's home state, so here's one of them. Plus, it's delish.

the ants go marching one by one

oh, i mean aunts. anyways, the butterflies look a little darker than in real life in the pic, but this is what i put together last night. glued a gold pin on the back, and voila, a little something to let the aunts know that we think they are special. these will be out on the guest book table. i like the ideas of this in our hair (i am sporting one today at work w/a bobby pin), and am ordering a few more for my bridesmaids.

We got our panini grill from my cousin Kim last weekend, and I am so excited!! I wrote in her t/y note that I would blog about it. I can't wait to start testing it out. My first recipe will be this - I wish she lived closer to come over and have a bite! Panini presses are perfect for so many things, and very healthy, as they are slanted to drain out all the fat. Imagine white fish topped with sliced lemon, an easy steak burger, breakfast sandwiches in the morning...or just lots of hot, melted sandwiches, with crispy bread. yum!!

ring out wild bells

Here's a pic of the bells I wrote about earlier for my cousin's little kids.

pass the bread yo

Jan and I have a common love of bread w/oil & vinegar, athough I am a dipper, and he is a soaker. The one thing I always crave when I leave CA is good french & sourdough bread. We're putting bread on the tables and I've cut pieces of this vintage fabric I found for the napkins inside. It's faded, blue, and reminds me of Europe. This was Jan's one request for the dinner. His wish has been granted.

this is gonna be fun

I've started gathering hats for the backdrops, we're going to have a small basket of available props. I'm trying to do the wedding colors, but it's tough. I scored the hat on the left at an antique store by myself - it has a long feather, and netting! the cowboy one came from goodwill. Be on the hunt - if anyone finds anything fun, please bring them!

the fathership

My dad doesn't have too much to do pre-wedding besides funding this shin-dig along w/my mom, but I am having him run a few errands while in Utah this week. He is going to pick up some jars for rasberry iced tea (i think), and a flavored water (cucumber perhaps). The lemonade will go in a big metal bowl I'm renting. The jars are great for entertaining (you can buy them here) although i scouted out a cheaper source. He'll also pick up some sparkling cold duck (red grape) for the toasts. It's been a family tradition at all our celebrations to bring out this stuff. I couldn't find a pic of the brand we get, but you get the pic.

On another note - my final dress fitting is tonight and we are doing the guest book tomorrow after work. Blurb.com has great looking books w/no limit on the pics, so that's what we're working with. I liked them better than my publisher, etc. The countdown continues!!

proud to be an american

Happy Independence day tomorrow! The 4th, means the countdown begins - only 24 days till the wedding!

We would like to thank all those who fight for our freedom, and for those who founded this country. God truely has blessed America. Please keep in your prayers all those in the military that continue to fight in the name of our country, and the families waiting for their safe return.