Wedding Fun!

I made myself a list to complete today... I was successful in completing all but 2 things out of the 8  today! Those will be moved to tomorrow for me to complete! 

I am meeting with our venue to make a payment towards our account tomorrow. I made an appointment to meet with a linen supplier on Thursday. I also sent a couple of emails to make more payments on other accounts, and to meet with a DJ. 

I also updated our Honeyfund account and got it looking spiffy and informational! I also built Freddy B and I a wedding website! WOO WOO!!! I am waiting on the last round of pictures to upload so I can share the link! :) 

I'd say today was a very productive day towards meeting some wedding goals! I had some weird occurrences come my way, but I was able to troubleshoot and get it taken care of thanks to a friend alerting me of the issue and the company being so quick to respond! #thankgodforawesomepeople 

We narrowed down our choice of a honeymoon spot. We are shooting for Moorea and Bora Bora. We are hoping for a 10 night dream honeymoon! A once in a life time trip. What better way to cap off an amazing celebration of our love than to travel to these amazing places! :) 

I am blessed to live such a beautiful life and love the people that I love. I am so thankful for each and every person who is a part of my life! You all make me better and fill my heart with joy! Thank you for being a part of my life!

Freddy B... I cannot WAIT to be your wife! In going through our MANY, MANY pictures, I've realized just how perfect you have made my day to day! I love you mucho!!! 

Here are my sites that I've been working hard on today! 

Our Honeyfund...

Our Wedding Website...

Thanks for stopping by and checking things out! :) 

Summer of Color -- Week 6 -- 2 Oranges and 1 Blue

I woke up this morning and realized I never posted for this week! Ahhhh!! I am getting ready for work, so I have to be quick! :)

While I like these colors separate, I struggle to like them together! I used a wrapped canvas, basics acrylic paint, glitter tape, adhesive bling, liquitex modeling paste, dylusions spray inks, stencils, and a stamp by the unity stamp company.

While I planned to use the arrow stencils, I didn't have a clear vision for this piece. So, I just made it up as I went along. (Hence, the quote I used!)

Here's the finished piece!

Thanks for stopping by to take a look! I have LOVED participating this summer and I am feeling a little blue (hehe!) that we have come to the end. Next summer can't arrive fast enough! ;) 

A Journey to a Fit Life

I have begun my journey (with the finace by my side) into Fit Girls Guide 28 Day Jump Start. 

We are currently only 3 days in, but I can feel the difference in my body. I am SORE like there's no tomorrow. However, I realized tonight, just how out of shape I am. I used to be able to do push ups and such with ease, but not now. I am struggling to get through these workouts. I push through it though. I know in 28 days, I will be so thankful for the pain and struggle. 

I have to remind myself of the challenge motto for this month... #progressnotperfection

I have been out of the fit scene for quite some time... 10 years, or more! I am not happy with how I feel and look. With my wedding in a few years, I don't want to walk down the aisle in a tired, sick body. While I may NEVER be a size 3 again, my insides will be healthier and happier. (Anyone who knows me, knows my lifelong struggle with food allergies & stomach issues.) 

I stumbled upon this program on Instagram. If you ask my fiance, I am really good at getting info about anything/anyone on IG. He says maybe I should have gone into private investigating rather than teaching. Hahaha... 

The thing that stuck with me with this program was that this was a program being used by real girls, getting real results, and nothing extra needed other than the book and a few grocery bags. There are no meal replacements, you are eating 3 clean meals with clean snacks throughout the day. They only require 30 minutes of exercise for 6 days a week. Best part... EVERYTHING is laid out in the books for you. Shopping lists, meal plans, workouts, snacks, substitutions, meal prep schedules, and so much more! It's a no brainer! I purchased my books back in March and I just started this month! Better late than never, right? :) 

I am excited to end this week and see what happens! A new menu comes and the workouts increase in strength needed. The upcoming menu includes a LOT of tomatoes and tuna! *gag* So, for this picky eater, I am SO THANKFUL for the substitution lists! 

If you want to check Fit Girls Guide, check it out here. 

**I am not being paid for this blog. I am simply speaking from experience and excitement looking at my fit future!**

A little something to celebrate!

I have been on the job hunt since school ended and have not had much luck. It's tough when you aren't submitting an application to a person, but rather submitting it to a website that gets rerouted to the location you were applying to. #craycray

Anyways, I had a good friend of mine text me about a job working on the weekends. Which is perfect, because my plan is to keep this job throughout the school year as well. Which will help to fill up our wedding account more and faster. #weddingstacking 

I was called for an interview and took on that challenge. This would be my first interview in 8 years. There were so many mistakes I made, (from not researching the company, sending a thank you note, etc.), and I felt like I fell short on selling myself. So, naturally, I was stressed and I went shopping! #threenewdressesfixedit

Cut to 2 weeks later, I received a phone call and the position was offered to me! Woo woo! I am so stinkin' excited! I will be working 2 weekends a month at the front desk of a real estate agency. Yay! 

Now, I am just waiting on HR to get with me tomorrow! 

#imemployedsnitches #makethatmoneyhoney #weddingofmydreams 

Here's to a new experience and new learning! :) 

Summer of Color -- Week 5 -- 2 Greens and 1 Pink

Super fun and bold this week! Green is an easy-peasy color for me, as well as, pink! However, I had a little bit of a difficult time deciding what I was going to do! 

So, I decided to re-do a painting I learned how to do a few weekends ago at one of those paint studios. You know, the ones you bring your wine and your friends and walk out a painter!? Yeah, one of those! This particular place is called The Painted Conch. It was a casual Sunday afternoon date with my momma. 

Our original painting was done in blues and purples. So, I thought... "Why not do it in greens and pink!?" 

I finished pretty quickly and I am happy with how it came out. I feel like it may need something, but then I also feel like it's perfect just the way it is! :) 

What'd ya think!? 

This is my original! I love it, too! I am looking for the perfect spot on the wall for it! :) 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look! :) 

Red, White, and Bland!

Another Independence Day has come and gone. The excitement and enjoyment of the day are always a beautiful memory making experience.

My fiance and his family have always come together and celebrated by lighting up the night sky. (Well, at least the 'always' that I have known them!) The fireworks are always beautiful, and most of all I love watching My Lovey interact with his brothers and sister. It gives me a tiny glimpse of them as little kids. My heart swells with love for him and his family. (Quirks and all!) I am very blessed/thankful to be a part of this clan with each passing day. There may be ups and downs, frustrations and mishaps, joy and sorrow, but the one thing tying all of us together is the underlying love that is tightly woven through every fiber of our beings. #imsomushy

Anyways! haha... I wanted to share a few snap shots from the evening!

Happy 4th of July from all of us to you! :)

 My festive nails!

 My niece Zoe and I decked out for the event! Flashy glasses are the bestest! 

 The Bland kids! (L to R... Youngest to oldest.)

 And another shot of the siblings. They were posing for a neighbor, who happened to have photos of them when they were all young. So cute! :) 

 My niece Kylie. She wasn't too fond of the fireworks at first. However, she seemed to like them better hanging out in my lap playing with glow sticks. 

 Checking out the sky! 

 Glow stick ears!

 Flashy lights! 

 My Lovey lighting them up! 

 The "kids" and the neighbor. 

My beagle boys on the ride back home. 

While I didn't get a lot of shots of the explosions... I did get The Grand Bland Finale! (Excuse the commentary... There was bit of craziness that ensued! I couldn't believe it!) 

I hope your holiday weekend was just as beautiful as mine! Thanks for stopping by! :) 

Summer of Color -- Week 4 -- 2 Reds & Metallic

Hello Week 4! What a challenge you were! 

Red and I are not the best of friends, however, my idea came while I was going to brush my teeth. You see, I have an Ironman toothbrush. No judging!  My fiance bought it for me. He knows Ironman/Tony Stark is my favorite. This is where Freddy B's nerdiness, rubs off on me!

Ironman fits this week's challenge perfectly! I LOVE how he turned out! I am SO excited to share this with you this week. 

Sometimes the solutions to our challenges are sitting right in front of us!

Again, I let my heart control my hands. :) 

Here is the picture I used for my inspiration...

This is a shot of what I used to create my piece this week. 

I started out on my canvas with gesso. Then, I spread the the naphthol crimson all over with a small amount of alizarin crimson hue mixed in. Next, I used a star stencil I had and created shapes through the background using the alizarin crimson hue and gold. (All my paints are Liquitex Basics.) I also used the same stencil and modeling paste to create some dimension. Then, I drew my Ironman head on a piece of white card stock, outlined him with a black sharpie, and painted him in. (This was by far my favorite part. I was so excited with how he turned out.) I attached him to my canvas using 3-D tape squares. Next, I stamped the quote onto white card stock and cut it out. I glued it to the canvas and used Stickles to adorn the modeling paste stars. Last, I added some red glass dots at random. 

Here he is! :) 

Isn't he GREAT!?!? 

Thanks for stopping by! See ya next week! :) 

Summer Of Color -- Week 3 -- 2 Purples & 1 Yellow

This has been a CRAZY week! I came down with bronchitis, mixed with an upper respiratory infection, along with something going on with my ears. Needless to say, I walked away with horse pills for antibiotics, a pill to help with my cough (that hasn't done much!), and an inhaler. 

So, my work wasn't complete until Saturday! I was really rushing against the deadline! However, I got my piece done & I am content with how it turned out. 

Yellow is not a go to color for me, and purple I tend to play with from time to time. I saw a post on Facebook that gave me an idea. So, this is how it manifested. :)

Again, I used Liquitex acrylic paints and modeling paste. I also included Ranger Stickles Glitter Glue. (I am OBSESSED with Stickles! They fix EVERYTHING!)

Thanks for stopping by to my purple & yellow party! :) 

See you next week! 

Summer of Color - Week 2 - 2 Pinks & 1 Orange

I am finishing early this week, and I know it's going to kill me to wait on Monday to arrive! 

The reason that I am finishing early on in the week is because I got together with a group of my crafty, artsy teacher friends today and we played! 

The idea for this came about due to money being tight for all of us and that limits our options of things to do during our summer break. Finding time for art during the school year is very challenging and now we have a plethora time. So, we've decided to hold a weekly group get together. 

Today was the first day of our weekly summer play dates and it was FABULOUS! It was great sharing ideas, tips, and encouraging each other. 

2 pinks + 1 orange... Was tough for me this week. The colors I chose didn't quite translate onto my canvas as I had hoped. So, I did my best to stay within those hues. :) 

Here's how I started... This was the palette I was going for. 

I love me some Crayola colors! No joke! 

I used a canvas this week covered in gesso that I textures with a paper towel. I used acrylic paints and modeling paste by Liquitex, a silhouette that I google image searched and traced on to a scrap sheet of paper, TCW stencil, Elmer's gel glue, loose glitter, and random flower embellishments/stickers that I had in my craft room. 

I built lots of layers and melted the crayons pictured above using a lighter. I just kept adding until it "felt" right. I am slowly learning to 'art with my heart'. When I am connected with my feelings while creating, I always end up loving what the end result is. I believe this is something that I inherited from my grandmother. She was an amazing artist. I miss her dearly and wish she were still around so I could 'art with my heart' with her... :) Love you Grandma! Love you mucho! 

I took some pictures of my end result. The first set is without flash... the second set is with flash. 

 Close up of the top. 

 Close up of the bottom. 

 The whole picture. (No flash)

 The whole picture. (With flash)

 Close up of the top. (With flash.)

Close up of the bottom. (With flash.)

Thanks for stopping by! :) See you next week! :) 

Summertime Sadness

But, not really! I just thought of that song as I was thinking about summer. (My fiance, My Freddy B, loves that song!) 

There's no better time than summer, especially when that well deserved break comes along, that I have worked my tail off for all school year. However, before we get all "teachers have it made"... Let me just say that while I may have finished work on June 8th, I will NOT be paid again until Aug. 31st. Yeah, you read that right! A ridiculous amount of time, to stretch the very small amount of money I was paid out for the remainder on my contract. 

With that being said, I have begun to fill out applications for part time positions to pick up while I am on summer break. Is it considered a break if I am working part time? Well, it'll be a mental break! ;) I was speaking with a friend this morning about summer & working. She made a valid point, that if the job is something you enjoy, it's almost a benefit. You make money while getting a brain break because it's something you enjoy. There's a saying about that right? Something along the lines of, if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life. 

That's what I am hoping for! :) 

There's another part of me that would really just love to be home for the entire summer & work on the projects that have piled up around the house. However, in my convo this morning with my friend, she made another great point! (She's so smart! I miss her dearly!) She said, those projects around the house end up costing money too. While you're working on them, you think, "Oh! I need this! I'll go to Target!" And if you are anything like me... I can NEVER get out of Target for under $80+. EVER! 

So, here's to part time job happiness and good times! :) 

Summer of Color 5 -- Week 1 -- 2 Blues and 1 Green

Here are my wishes for this summer...
1. To become more involved with my blog. 
2. To be inspired by color.
3. Update on my wedding plans. 

So, here's to the first 2 wishes being worked on! Summer of Color 5 is my mission for the summer. Each week will bring new color schemes and exciting play time! This week's color scheme was 2 blues and 1 green. 

I love me some blues and green. I was definitely in my happy place, and the creative bug bit me at about 11:30pm last night and I worked until about 3am. I've always said that I am my best at night! 

I used a combination of acrylic paints, gesso, and modeling paste by Liquitex. I used Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels and color mist by Mister Huey's for accents. I also used 2 stamps. One is by Julie Nutting. It's a cling stamp in the style of "Betty". (I found Betty last summer in CT, and fell in love with her! So, she came home to FL with me soon after.) The other stamp is Itty Bitty by Unity paired with with Donna Downey. 

I started with a coat of gesso, and then spread on my 2 shades of blue on top of the gesso. Then, I took my shade of green and splattered it all over my piece. Next, I stenciled on some tinted modeling paste. I tinted it with the color mist by Mister Huey's. I painted and splattered a few puzzles pieces. I stamped "Betty" and filled her in with watered down acrylic paints. I finished her by misting her with the Glimmer Mist. Last, I stamped the quote, cut it apart, and misted it with Mister Huey's color mist. 

I am in LOVE with this piece. I am so happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to hang her in my dining room.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

What a week...

This has been one of THE longest weeks in a while. Not sure what has made it exceptionally long, but it just has been. 

I am not wishing my hours and days away, I am just wishing they were so painstakingly difficult. Although, I think the common trend for me is I have been forgetting to breathe. *insert eye roll* Why is that so hard??

It was a week filled with students who are losing their minds, forgetting all the hard work we've put in, and not being able to have a fully productive day. I'm TIRED! Add on top of that, this time change has whooped my rear! I can't seem to fall asleep at a reasonable time any more. So, I am hoping that it changes as I am staring down yet another Monday. 

This week has been a busy one as well, and some of that is by my doing. I don't know how to just sit still. However, picking up the extra cash side jobs are definitely fueled by the need to save money for our upcoming wedding. So, how do I turn the money away, when it is truly needed?

While this weekend was, in my mind, supposed to just be a weekend of being home... it hasn't quite worked out that way. Meanwhile, my hypersensitivity and overreactions are at a high. So, I've lost my cool over a small problem that could have easily been dealt with, and in the end was remedied, sort of. I am now left with the guilt of being a jerk, and the need for an apology that may not be well received. 

UGH! Do you ever just have those weeks where you just CAN'T anymore? This is one of those for me! Can life just take a hot minute to itself in the opposite corner from me, and we can start fresh tomorrow? 

Here's to a better week starting tomorrow, and another day closer to Spring Break! 

A little wedding talk...

It's been a minute since I've been here and have just written.

Wedding Plans... 

We have made some headway! We have booked our photo booth, DJ, up lighting, photographer, and we are just waiting on our tax returns to book our venue!!! 

I believe we are doing pretty fantastic at this rate! I am hoping to keep this momentum up, so that my plan of having everything paid off prior to walking down the aisle comes to fruition! We've laid out a savings plan, are getting ready to open a wedding account, and I have taken on 3 extra jobs, on top of teaching every day, to make sure I have enough cash flow coming in to make our day absolutely breathtaking. 

We have a few more things to consider, shop around for, and decide on. We got a quote on a cake last weekend. And, let me just say... this sampling deal was pretty tasty! We walked away with a dozen cupcakes that morning to take home and sample with my mom and brother! :) haha... The cupcakes were too good to walk away from. 

I did get to go with almost all of my maids to Alfred Angelo and play in February! My original idea of THE dress has changed, and changed for the BEST! Man, I put that dress on and didn't want to take it off. My girls modeled for me, and we have decided on a color for now. However, as our date gets closer, that could change. At least we have a ballpark idea. :) 

I have been to several wedding shows and have enjoyed myself and all the yummy goodies that come with that. I totally did about 3-4 drive-bys of my venue's booth and sampled a good amount of their hor dourves that I have to choose from. haha... I mean, who else was going to sample all that yumminess that was just sitting there begging to be eaten?? 

What I have begun to notice is, I have a bit of a commitment issue! I use to be fairly confident in deciding on what I like and what I don't like. I just go after what I want when I want it. However, this whole wedding planning business has brought out the commitment-phobe out in me. 

I guess I am afraid of making the wrong decision. I am nervous about putting the big bucks out for something that might not fully meet the vision in my head. I think I can maybe attribute this to the overwhelming amount of options that are available. What happens if I make a bad choice on an option in front of me??  

I just need to get out of my head, and choose with my heart like I normally do. Choose based on how it feels and remember that this day is about Freddy & I above all else. :) 

The planning has commenced, and the struggle is real! 

30 Years and...

I'm loving it! I have been 30 for a month and 6 days. The month of February was overwhelmingly lovely, I was sad to see it go. However, if February was any indication of what 30 is going to hold, my heart will be happy and filled with love, joy, and gratefulness. :) 

I turned 30 in the Gulf of Mexico sailing to Cozumel with my mom, my sister, my best friend from 6th grade, and a couple of family friends. Let me follow that up by saying, I truly, honestly, whole-heartily believe I have THE BEST mother in the ENTIRE world. She surprised me with all that loveliness in a surprise party, that I almost foiled. (Instead, I showed up almost 2 hours late! Whoops!) 

Cruising into 30 was the most incredible way to celebrate. I have so many wonderful memories that I will cherish and smile about for many years to come. 

I was so surprised and it took me a while to fully process the whole experience. (Which is maybe why it's taken so long to write about it... and return to my blog!) However, I don't think that I fully ever thanked my mom for everything that she did, or thanked My Lovey for helping to arrange the surprise party that kicked off my birthday week with an amazing beginning! (By the way, we partied on JT's birthday! Which makes it even more amazing!) 

So, here we go! 

Thank you Freddy B for being the amazing man that you are and really going out of your way to make sure that my 30th was special. Thank you for helping to get all of the local/semi-local people that are important to me in one room. I also want to say... thanks for letting me drag you through IKEA, even when you knew I was messing EVERYTHING up. Thank you for letting me just indulge in the sweetness of a special day! I love you mucho! I can't wait to be your wife! :) 

Thank you momma for being the bestest at all times! Even when I didn't understand it all. ;) I am sure on some days you weren't positive you'd let me live to 30, but I am sure glad you did! You really did a wonderful job of making sure that my 30th was nothing short of amazing! I couldn't have asked for a better event, or memory making experience. Thank you for making this the best birthday yet! I mean... There were even elephants in the pool!  I wouldn't have changed a single thing. (Although, you may say different!) I am thinking we really do need to make a yearly event of this girls' trip! 

Shannon, Sara, Amy, and Abby... Thank you all so much for being there to celebrate with me! I couldn't have asked for a better group to be trapped on a ship with. I will cherish every memory made and I am so honored to have you amazing ladies be part of those memories. I honestly miss our hourly bar meetings... FOR REAL!!! 

Take me back to Cozumel!!!!!