Whirlwind Weekend + Some Randoms

Good morning, girls! First off, um, did we even have a weekend? Seriously, mine went by so fast that this morning when my alarm went off I wondered if I was mistaken and it was still the weekend. 'Le sigh...

Saturday was my second bridal shower and this one was hosted by Stephen's family. His sister Sarah WAY outdid herself on the food and decorations! She is 27 weeks pregnant and was such a trooper for putting the whole thing together : ) The house was immaculately clean and so adorably decorated - and she looked cute, to boot! I hope I'm as "with it" and put together as she is when I have kiddos!

Me and sweet Sarah!

We didn't take many photos just because there were lots of gifts and we wanted to get started opening them up right away. Plus, I wanted to spend more time mingling with all the amazing ladies who came to the shower. I'll see what I can get from my mom and try to post a few this week on here. I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to view more pics of me opening towels and salad plates, haha!

So yesterday we went to see the finale of Harry Potter and LOVED it. I'd elaborate on favorite parts, but since I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it. I will say though that the movie was a perfect ending to the series and the cast did an incredible job.

I'm holding out hope that J.K. Rowling will write more books...maybe about Harry Potter, Jr. and his adventures at Hogwart's?? Eh?

Finally, I got a few emails this weekend about the shoes from Friday's post. I hope y'all don't think I'm terrible for not emailing everyone back individually, but I'm in hard core wedding mode right now and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. I'm afraid to say, ye' olden blog may be taking a bit of a back seat during the next 8 weeks...hopefully ya'll will stick with me!

Anywho, I got the shoes last summer at Aldo, so unfortunately, I think the website has retired them : ( I would encourage you all to get on there and check out their current sandals and wedges though, because I always manage to find cute shoes there!

Ok, I'm off to do actual work stuff. Enjoy your day and try to stay cool in this heat!

Be blessed, lovelies-

A Blonde Wedding: {Flow-ahs}

via 100 Layer Cake



Wednesday night I had a chance to meet with our florist for our our big consultation. Stephen's sweet momma when along for moral support and because she is good friends with the floral designer! We are using the fabulous Lisa Bobel and I couldn't be more thrilled!

We poured over tons of books and photos from her previous work and Lisa gave lots of suggestions. Needless to say, I can' wait to see the finished product of everything...I know it will be beautiful!

We narrowed it down to Caramel Antike Garden Roses (oh my stars, LOVE those) and Veronicas as fillers. I love the look of a Garden Rose because it gives the roundness and dimension of a garden rose but without the temperamental qualities (or crazy expense) of peonies, which tend to not do so well in September.

Caramel Antike Garden Rose



More garden rose goodness...


We also talked about using moss and hydrangeas for some sort of arrangement that will adorn the front doors of the church.

We will probably inject lots of color into my bouquet, just to make it different than the bridesmaids' bouquets, which will be mainly comprised of the Caramel Antike roses. I love these Piano Roses, which are also a variety of the Garden Rose.

So yes, the flowers are now situated. More importantly, Stephen's mom and I got to spend some quality time together on Wednesday and can I just say how lucky I am to have such a great mom-in-law?

Stephen's parents are actually moving to Texas at the end of the year, so it's very hard getting so attached knowing she'll be leaving soon. She really is just the sweetest lady and I can't wait to make lots of memories with her and the rest of my awesome new family in the years to come.

Speaking of awesome family, my about-to-be Sister in Law Sarah is throwing me another bridal shower tomorrow afternoon in Fort Smith! As many of you know, Sarah is the one who put Stephen up on SUYL Singles on Kelly's blog!

Lots of my girlfriends will be attending from NWA, as well as my mom and both grandmas from back home. I can't wait!

And yes, I'll probably get another dress to wear for it this afternoon...ha!

Finally, Stephen and I have been dieting and exercising SO hard lately. Last night we took pics of our progress and I'm really pleased! I've been focusing on my arms the most, so I'm happy to see some definition and tone!

Have a great weekend, girls! Be good, be safe and most of all...

Be blessed, lovelies-

Bridal Shower Pics...Finally!

Did everyone have a great holiday weekend? We sure did! We did lots of nothing which, in my book, is the BEST thing to do. We did catch an amazing fireworks show on Saturday at Beaver Lake. It’s funny, I used to HATE fireworks when I was little because they were so loud and hurt my ears. Now that I’m older though, I love them!

I'm not one for wearing obscene amounts of red, white and blue. I mean, I love my country but would prefer not to look like a walking jello mold. Instead, here was my attempt at Fourth of July style...ya like? The top is from a local store called Belle Boutiqe and the brand is Cierce. The jeans are by Joe's Jeans in the Muse style, from here.

I also did some very, very loose waves with my new Hot Tools curling iron. You can see by the pic above that it fell pretty quick in this terrible Arkansas humidity, but this pic was taken (and Tweeted) right when I got to work Friday morning:

These are a week late, but I still thought y’all might like to see them. These are pictures from my first of two bridal showers. This one took place in my hometown where I grew up, Heber Springs, AR! We started the weekend on the lake in Heber...Greers Ferry lake, to be exact. We took my parents out on Stephen's boat and it was SO pretty!

King Stephen on his skis...showing off

Sunset on Greers Ferry Lake...God painted us a beautiful picture that night : )

This picture cracks me up because you can see my brother Matthew bobbing on his skis in the background, haha!

The next day, it was on to the shower! I was so taken aback by how pretty the church kitchen looked when we arrived. The hostesses really outdid themselves on decorations...so pretty!

Me with all of the hostesses!

One of my dearest and most longtime friends Sarah was the hostess. She and her mom and several other ladies did such an amazing job putting everything together.

Me and  beautiful Sarah

One of our good family friends Cathy made the cupcakes. She is so professional and we always tell her she should quit teaching (she is a schoolteacher) and open a bakery. They tasted as good as they look!

YUMMMM!

Funny story, my cousins in Denver, CO couldn’t be at the shower, so they mailed my gift. They packed it in a diaper box as a joke and it was SO funny to open it up! There were so many confused faces in the crowd…haha! Don’t worry, it will be a few years before we’ll be having THAT kind of shower, haha!

Oh my!

Opening up my KitchenAid mixer!

The food tables were just so pretty!

 

My grandma (Claudia), my mom, me, Stephen's mom (Frances), my Memaw (Loretta) and Stephen's grandma (Geraldine)

Me and my mama, Isn't she pretty? I love her : )



Sarah's precious little girl, Emmalynn (how much do y'all love that name?)



 
Anywho, hope y'all had a great weekend! You'll get to see more bridal shower pics in a couple of weeks after my next shower in Fort Smith hosted by Stephen's family! Ha!
 
Be blessed, lovelies-

Bridal Shower Weekend

via Grey Likes Weddings

I had originally titled this post “My First Shower”, but then decided that made me sound like I had never bathed before. So, it became “Bridal Shower Weekend”. Ingenious, no?

Sewwwww, this Saturday I have the first of two bridal showers! This one is in my hometown of Heber Springs and is being hosted by my friend Sarah S., who I’ve known literally since birth. We used to play Barbies and sing New Kids on the Block songs in my playhouse in the backyard. Ah, memories…

To show y'all how red my hair is naturally, see the below. (I think I make a better blonde.) And how fierce is my bow?

My sweet Hang Ten sweatsuit and feathered bangs. And, though it's hard to see, I'm wearing a Ronald McDonald necklace. And how about Sarah's amazing salmon-colored overalls? We were sooooo stylin'.... ha!

Anywhoodle, I’m pumped to be going home to visit with all of the sweet ladies I’ve known since childhood at my home church, where the shower is being held. There really is nothing I love more than a bunch of southern ladies gettin’ together for yummy punch and good conversation!

I had originally planned to wear a dress I purchased last week from Ruche, but me oh my was it ever short! The Baptist church ladies (and my mama) would die if they saw me in that short of a get-up. So I had to go dress hunting yesterday on my lunch break to find a replacement.

I found this beauty at Dillard’s! It was $69 and is by Teeze Me. (Yes, I realize “tease” is spelled wrong. I believe the designer did that on purp.) I couldn't find it online, but I did find a similar one here. I actually tried it on too and it's very cute!

Of course a fab-o-luss dress calls for equally fab shoes. Bring in these pretties from Baker’s that I scored for, wait for it, $24!

I think I’m going to go very simple on jewelry, just pearl drop earrings, a pearl bracelet and my engagement ring, of course : )

I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family and I’m so thankful for their support during this time in mine and S’s lives. So special!

What about y’all? Exciting plans this weekend?

Be blessed, lovelies-