Exhausted!

this is kind of sad.... but I'm exhausted from one of my Sunday afternoon activities.

nope, it wasn't the awesome church service this morning,
nor was it studying for an exam I have tomorrow.

I am mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from....

wedding registries!!!!

haha, sorry if that was anti-climactic (it sounded more dramatic in my head)

Future Hubby and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to begin our first wedding registry. 

I guess I had kind of been putting it off for a while because, well
a little thing called a THESIS, 

but also because I was afraid of registering too soon and then 

having something become discontinued before the wedding.

First of all, there are WAY too many buttons on that little clicky-gun...
you don't need half of them.

(it's not even in a fun gun shape to enhance the "whip around the 

corner and zap something" experience I had in mind)

Second of all, Future hubby took control of the gun because it

was "too confusing for me"...

(really, I just didn't want to be bogged down with technology... 

I wanted to flit around, dreaming of how I would decorate
our future home and which shower curtain would look
the most fabulous in the upstairs bathroom...
and that silly calculator on steroids would only bog me down! )


I realized this plan had backfired on me this evening as I was reviewing our registry online
lo and behold... what do I spy with my very own two eyes?
some surprise registry items, like this little fella...

 err.... i just threw up in my mouth a little bit.


Can you imagine if I hadn't seen it?!
some little 'ol lady from church would have, and probably croaked on the spot!


future hubby thought he was soooo sneaky 
what a phony balony!

*i know that's not how you spell bologna,
but it seems more "rhymy" with phony when it's spelled that way*

 That's not where it ended though...
after my first surprise registry finding I scoured the rest of the pages.


good thing, too.
certainly not something I would ever let grace any shelf of mine...

errr.... 

 yeah, about that. 

I don't know if it's the wording "girls night out" 

 the way it's bedazzled
or that fact that some punctuation is missing...

all around... not something I'm dying to receive as a wedding gift.

I also found this picture on my camera

(please disregard the inappropriate closeness of this pic and the relative lumpiness of it all)

yes, that is the scanner-gun light on my heinie.

haha,  wishful thinking on his part.

"no babe, you can't register me for a heinie upgrade at Bed Bath and Beyond"

*jk, he's not that kinda guy... mom you can put the shotgun down*

__________________________________________________

while we were at BB&B (kind of sounds like it should be the name of a bank), future hubby decided he needed a new pillow, on account of him not sleeping well the past few months.

well, ya can't miss the pillow section!

a lot of poking, prodding, squishing, and "snoozing" ensued.

I pretended not to mind that he laid his head on each and every one.

I kept my "do you know how many heads have been on those" comments to myself.

I think we've found a winner!

(but still... gross!)

I guess back to the main point...

I'm exhausted, from an activity that should have been super fun, because even the simple task of choosing a pizza cutter resulted in this:

um.... I can barely make a decision in the morning on
apple butter or cinnamon for my toast;

how am I supposed to make a decision here?!

there's just too much stuff in this world. 

do we really need it all?

How is it that our mindset today has strayed so far from that of early Christians;

the mindset of more, more, more.

we just make things more difficult for ourselves.

we've lost the concept of "community"... the way God planned the earliest churches in Acts.

we've replaced the idea of "sharing and caring" with "me and my stuff in my isolated world"

is this stuff really what's important?

i'm just sayin'

Confessions

I have a confession.

actually, it's more of an announcement.

I was cleaning out my bathroom bins last night... 

- throwing away old makeup

- chucking dried up nail polish

- weighing pros and cons of keep 5 majillion half used hair product bottles (what?! i might use them one day!)

etc, etc.

anywho.... i'd like to report this embarrassing  funny finding

go ahead... take a closer look

yup, you're seeing clearly.... that's 4 tweezers and 6 pairs of nail clippers

*wretch*

AND

i know for a FACT that i have 2 more tweezers and 1 pair of nail clippers in my car as we speak!

Who needs this many tweezers and clippers?

I'm not Chewbacca

though I wouldn't mind being best friends with Harrison Ford.... *giggle, snort*

(no offense future hubby)

SO....

How did this happen?

two words:

GRADUATE SCHOOL

dun dun DUN!!!!!

I NEVER used to be this out of sorts.

forgetful, messy, unorganized, buying new nail clippers because I really needed to trim a hangnail but could find any of the other 5 pairs...

embarrassing, to say the least

 I loaded those photos up so fast, my blog didn't have a chance to blink.

because i wanted it to be public... 

hopefully in sharing my "i can't find it so i'll buy a new one" sickness I can prevent this from happening again.

on a happier note:

I found my retainer!!!

(*yes, she is still in one piece and relatively clean....
...and yes, she IS glow in the dark blue!)

and this morning my teeth are aching so badly i half expect them to jump right out
of my mouth and run away screaming to find a better home (maybe the elderly lady down the street?)

.... I guess that's what happens when (cover your ears dad) you don't
wear it for 5 years and then try to jam it back into your mouth.

side-note people: TEETH CHANGE

i'm just sayin'

hello, yellow boots.

I love you.

you're perfect for snow, sleet, rain... and you've served me well.

but I want so badly to put you in the closet for 7 months so my feet can be free!!

Dear Summer,

I love you.

 

please descend on Virginia 

a little early this year.

i might die if i can't put my toes in sand soon!

warmly, 

ashley

ps: i know where you live... i will hunt you down... 

and there will be consequences.

glorious re-purposed goodies!

here's my latest side-of-the road scavenge rescue

ain't she a beauty?

I can't say I'm usually drawn to wrought iron pieces...

but she spoke to me...

because she was FREE!!!

So, I stuffed her into my tiny car and dragged her away kicking and screaming.

I hosed her down and brushed away any loose paint or rust.
(I probably could have done a rust removal treatment... but she was free.. and who has time for that anyway)

then I recruited my little brother to muscle a crooked leg back into place.

(sorry no pictures of me trying to do it before I gave in and asked him)

Thanks baby bro!!
(and thanks for posing for a picture without hemming and hawing too much...

It's for the blog PEOPLE!!!)

Then came the thinking part.

No, I don't have the gift that some of you have; 

I rarely have a "vision" right away for how I want my treasure to turn out.

so... (cue jeopardy music) what to do with this table?

thinking....

thinking...

  thinking...

ok ok, sorry there was no AHA! moment...

nope, this was a "let's just dive in and see what happens" kind of thought process.

I gave her a good coating of RustOleum.

I don't have pictures of the first coat, but I actually painted it brown...

then hated it.

that's what I get for not having a complete plan in my head!

so I slapped some white on her.

bada bing bada boom

we're in business.

now, I know what you're thinking:

"Um, HELLO? Does she know there's not a top to that table?"

Good news...Yes! I DID see that the glass top was missing!

I'm guessing that's why she was kicked to the curb... poor little lady.

Solution?

I thought you'd never ask!

A few weeks ago I found a great piece of artwork at Goodwill.

 It was one solid piece of finished wood with a nice print...

but I didn't buy it to hang on my wall. I actually bought it for another project
(coming soon, once I find a different piece of wood!).

anywho, lady saw this piece in my arms at the Goodwill and commented on the "beautiful print"

gag me.
I thought it was hideous and couldn't wait to paint over it.

I thought for sure all Goodwillers shared my passion for re-purposing....

negative.
words cannot describe the ice dagger stare she gave me when I told her my plans for it.

sheesh!

anyway, here it is:

ok, I guess it is kinda nice... 

but has some scratches and I'm no art restoration expert so I'm stickin' with the plan!

I gave her a good coating of plain 'ol white paint.

Once that dried, I taped off the edges with painter's tape.

I didn't have an exact image in my head of the look I was going for, 

but I knew I wanted the white to poke through in certain areas... like the border.

I started taping off sections here and there... no pattern in mind, just random stripes.

Rummaging through my stash of acrylic paints, I chose two of my favs:

GREEN and YELLOW

then just went to town, painting as I pleased.

Happy Spring to ME!!

the neighbors were curious.

this part makes me nervous. will it be a clean line?

I think my painters tape was kinda old... and may have lost some of its sticky talent...

oh well, not too bad!

TADA!!!
I love how crisp and clean it looks!

woops, don't look too closely at the edges!

I was so excited to show you I forgot to touch 'em up!

anyway...
I can't wait to give her a nice protective coat so she can stay outside and hold some of my potted plants!

 thank you neighbor down the road for this trash...
which is now treasure.
nanna nanna boo boo!!

i'm just sayin'
and
i'm just linkin' up...
with

decisions decisions

so... I'm kind of over this whole wedding planning thing.

part of me just wants someone else to do it for me.

the other part of me knows that i do have an image in my head of what i want our day to look like

...and nobody can make it happen like i want but me
(me, and maybe my mom, she pretty much knows what's in my head)

type A you think?
don't answer that.

--------------------------------

anyway, since I'm back to wedding planning (haha, just a quick 2 minute hiatus to vent)

I am on the hunt for bridesmaids dresses.

I would love for my girls to have this dress from JCrew

but i don't love the price tag.... EEK!

I refuse to make my girls pay a bundle...

and the more casual plan for our wedding lends itself to more casual attire...
which means hopefully a lower price tag.

Today I was getting my blogger fix and I stopped over at 2713mornings

They are hosting a giveaway from a company called Mikarose

 

I had never heard of them, but the good little sheep that I am, I followed the link on over 

They have some super cute dresses that aren't too revealing; 

I didn't see the word "mini" or "low rise" anywhere!

What do you think about this dress for my bridesmaids?

Is it too casual?

I love the brown, and it looks SO comfy!

maybe I'm just in love with her shoes...

hmm... I just don't know!!!!!

pretty in pink

Thank God for spring!

makes me realize just how little time I have before summer.

and how many things I have to do before then!

commence checking things off the to-do list.

AND...another ray of sunshine also just peered through the gloomy grasp of winter...
in the form of two fabulous ladies over at...

The DIY Dish

Not only do they have super creative ideas, but they are giving away a Janome sewing machine AND a Janome embroidery machine!

WAHOOO!!

head on over to their site so you can have a chance to win either one.

skinny dipping

this was our lunch after church today.

I'll give you one guess as to which one was mine. don't judge.

I started to feel a little guilty after devouring it... but then I remembered it's frozen yogurt

(4 oz. of French Vanilla... only 100 calories!!)

there wasn't any health info on the chocolate sauce...darn, guess I can't worry about it.

In case you're curious, these yummy frozen yogurt treats were deliciously provided by...

The Skinny Dip

                           
Yummo! This is one of our most favorite local frozen yogurt places.

it's self serve.

they let you try as many samples as you want.

they always have fresh fruit toppings and yummy chocolate goodies to add.

you pay by the ounce at the register.

what a SWEET deal :)

I'm just sayin'

can Jade come out to play?

If you are at all like me... keeping anything plantlike alive is a supernatural feat from God.

There are only two green thumbs in my family... and my grandma and my mum have hogged them both!

 Fortunately for me, when God was creating each flower and plant

He decided to throw in a few that are "user friendly".

Meet Jade.

 She's the tall trunky one in the back. (is trunky a word?)

Pay not attention to her other friends (Aloe, Jade Jr., and Christmas cactus).
We'll talk about them another day.

 Let's get to know Jade a little bit:

Jade is a succulent.
Jade likes neglect.
Don't pamper her too much, she won't respond well to it.

 That being said, you do need to time your neglect according to HER schedule.
that's the only tricky part... fortunately she's forgiving.

In the spring and summer: 

                   - Jade can venture outside once the threat of frost has passed... 

                               you'll be the best judge of this depending on the region you live in. 

                   (Here in Virginia, I was able to move them out in mid-march).

                   -  Give her a good soaking once a week.

                   -  Let the soil dry out completely before you water again.

* This works well for me, because I frequently neglect all household chores for a few days, then get everything done in one fell swoop.... including slooshing water on all my plants in frivolous amounts (i spare no expense on the water slooshing).

In the fall and winter:

                   - Water once every 2 weeks

                   - This is when Jade goes dormant, so she won't be growing.
                             (but she also won't be needing water)

                   - Your Jade might flower in the winter months, like a Christmas cactus.
                            (if the conditions are right and the plant is mature enough...
                             I haven't been blessed with this occurrence yet - I count myself lucky that she's still green!)

Rooting a Jade:

                 - To root your Jade, simple trim off a stem(s)

                 - Set the stems aside for a few weeks so the ends can "scab" over

                 - Plop those fellas in a small pot, kind of crammed in.

                 - Water 'em and sun em' like they're adult Jades

*please don't judge the condition of my soil... I have re-potting on the to-do list.. I swear!

*** Disclaimer:  um... I'm not a plant expert, nor do I want to be. I just have a jade plant that I am proud of because she hasn't croaked yet... so that's where my experience comes from. I'm just sayin'.

Looking for THE dress?

calling all future brides...  LISTEN UP!

I don't get on a soapbox very often (er...pay no attention to my last post)

anyway

I wanted to share my "dress finding" experience with you all... 

because it was SO easy, and SO much fun

AND

SO within budget!!!

as you may know, Mr. and I are having a small-ish backyard wedding

(actually not so small if you look at our guest list; but that post will have to come on another day)

the point is, we are on a budget!

With all of the wedding shows on tv these days..

the experience of looking for "the dress" has been hyped up.

I bet it is a fantastically wonderful experience to visit Kleinfeld Bridal

and when you find "the dress"

I bet bells chime, choirs sing, and maybe they even release doves into the air...

magical

(image props go to Say Yes to the Dress)

    

            

However, for most DIY brides, a trip to Kleinfelds isn't in the budget.

so where do you turn?

bum bum bum BUM....
CONSIGNMENT!!!

(yippee, I love that word!)


Here's my reasoning:

   (--> enter side-note soapbox)

1. Personally, I am not interested in having the "typical" wedding gown.

         my wedding is going to be outside.

         in the yard.

how silly would it look if everything about my wedding was sweet and simple... but my dress was puffy enough to fit 5 small children under and the train was 2 miles long?

that just doesn't go with the flow!

             *Yes, you can find simple at David's Bridal... but they just didn't have what I was looking for
                            (or not for very cheaply at least) 

2. You wear your wedding dress for one day. There, I said it. ONE DAY PEOPLE! Only one stinkin' day!

         Side-story:  my sister's wedding dress (sorry Mel), is chillin', preserved in a 3ft box - taking up space in MY closet!!!   (harumpf!)   Never to be worn again.

Times have changed. Daughters don't wear the gowns their mothers were married in.

Commence actual blog post about my dress finding experience -->


Want to get a sneak peek at my dress?

too bad, you can't see it! Actually, I'd love to share its beauty with all of you, but Mr. is way too internet savvy and he'd probably take a sneak peek as well...

NO WAY JOSE!

however, I will share the story of how I found "The Dress":

I wanted to check out several consignment shops in the area so my mom and I made a day of it.
This was the first stop.

Blush is located in Newport News... so any of you South-Eastern Virginia Gals... go check it out!

It's the cutest little place.
Kind of small, but they also carry bridesmaids, flower girl, and mother of the bride dresses.

*Just make sure you have the right mindset when you head to your first bridal consignment place.
This isn't shopping at Carolina Herrera.
What you see is what you get.
They can't get things in different sizes and different colors.
"Only one" means... only one.


but, if you keep an open mind and plan well in advance so you can stop in several shops, several different times until you find "the one"...


then your hard work will be rewarded!

The first one I tried on was perfect.
A few sizes too big, but simple and different!

In perfect condition, except for a few teeny tiny, itsy bitsy dirt marks on the very bottom hem.

I wasn't worried because I knew about 3 inches would have to be hemmed off the bottom anyway.

My mum, the smart thinker that she is, mentioned it to the owner though, and the owner knocked the price down even more!
No bargaining, no arguing... just friendly talk about the stains :)

Just to be safe, I tried on the seven other dresses I had pulled, then came back to this one.
Since I still wasn't 100% sure...
My mom and I went to a different consignment shop after lunch... just to make sure I wasn't missing out.

I wasn't worried about having a "moment" were you realize THIS IS IT!!!
I know my own fickle mind well enough that I knew I had to exhaust my options to be completely satisfied I had truly gotten "the dress".


Turns out the first one I tried on really was the one... so we snatched it up!

This is me (duh) carrying "the dress" out to the car.



So... in my opinion, if you want to make smart decisions with your wedding budget one of the biggest things you can save on is the dress...
think consignment!

I'm just sayin'

The simple truth about stress!

"My grace is sufficient for you, 

My power is made perfect in your weakness.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, 

so that Christ's power may rest on me".

2 Corinthians 12:9

I feel like I need to share this verse with you all.

I know I am not the only person in the world who is type A and stresses over every last detail of anything.

My fiance says if I ever stop worrying for one second I'll die... 

or maybe I've stopped worrying because I have died!

This is nothing new for me, it seems I've always been this way...

however, lately (maybe the past 6 months or so) my anxiety seems to consume me.

Every minute of every day.

I lay awake for hours every night... thinking... of anything and everything:

what will happen tomorrow

what I need to do to prepare for tomorrow

what might happen tomorrow

what happened today, yesterday, last week

what could have happened today, yesterday, last week

about having everything just perfect

about job interviews

about approaching deadlines

about people's first impressions of me

and on and on and on.

This is not a healthy habit, and this has been something I have been praying about for a long time.

We've all heard these verses before:

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Matthew 6:27

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own".

Matthew 6:34

I've read these a thousand times, underlined them in my bible, highlighted them, prayed about them...

but I'm sad to admit that I still continue to worry, and things have gotten worse;

even sadder still, I now know the reason why God hasn't answered my "prayers"

Yes, I have prayed for God to give me peace and take away my incessant worrying...

but I know I didn't actually mean it. 

not 100%

As much as I stress out, I still couldn't let go of everything.

I love my calendar; I live by it.

I love planning ahead; I constantly strive for it.

I love being in control; I thrive by it.

I didn't think I could turn over ALL of that to God.
how foolish.

this isn't the way God calls us to live, because:

1. Worrying and stress cause mental and physical illness and exhaustion. I know I experience this almost every day; headaches, stomach aches, indigestion, nausea....all from stressing and worrying of menial details of life.
2. Worrying means a lack of trust in God. God created the earth we live on. He knows the number if the starts and He is the one who taught them how to shine. He created the birds of the air and provides for them each and every day. He loves us even more than the earth and the stars and the birds ... so how much more do you think He has in store for us? and how much more can He and will He provide for us?

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?   

Matthew 6:30 (NLT)

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 

 Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

 

 I hope this gives you a different perspective. 

I have already seen a difference in my level of stress and anxiety.

As you continue through your day, keep in mind the purpose we have on this earth.

To be in it not of it.

Suddenly, the fact that I'm sitting in traffic or that my schedule isn't going as planned doesn't seem so terrible after all. All of these things we enjoy are EXTRAS. Let's focus our time on things that will last for eternity... souls. This earth and everything in it is temporary... why spend another minute worrying about temporary things?!

 

A table treat

While I was zipping around town on Thursday I passed these two tables on the side of the road...

poor. lonely. deserted; 

and in desperate need of some TLC.

Lucky for these two fellas, my mum taught me how to scavenge rescue odds and ends from the side of the road at an early age. I still have a lot to learn, but I am getting better at determining what types of things are worth the effort.

These little babies were definitely worth it... particularly because Mr. and I are realizing we have very little furniture for our future home. Fortunately for us, we are realizing this now in March and our wedding isn't until October. There is still plenty of time and there are still many furniture outcasts to be scavenged rescued!

I can't wait to start fixing them up, it will have to wait a bit though (you remember... thesis and stuff) but I will keep you posted! The smaller one I think I might paint white, just to tone down the dark chunky-ness of it all (a bit overpowering for our small townhouse), and the larger one I am hoping to sand and stain a dark cherry, haha, or maybe go crazy with the white paint and paint it as well... so many options!

Now don't get me wrong -

I'm not saying I wouldn't rather have this coffee table and sofa from Pottery Barn

 (go ahead and click the link, I'll wait while you drool over everything on the website)

but this one....

was free!!!

i'm just sayin'

The Virginia House giveaway!

Aren't these jars from  The Virginia House sweet? I can just see them in a craft room filled with buttons and bits of ribbon, maybe some spools of thread... the possibilities are endless!

You can get your very own by entering her giveaway....
HELLO?!! she's giving them away for free...
i'm just sayin'
good luck!