Wedding Weekend To-Do List

Holy cow, we're flying to New York (with a baby!) in three days and I still have a gazillion things to do. Hopefully I'll be checking things off of the list sooner than later...

Feel free to give any and every bit of advice you may have about the items in bold. Those are the ones I haven't quite figured out yet...thanks in advance!

TO DO:

-Sew the sleeve of my dress that's coming loose.
-Find a little jacket or wrap to wear (it's an evening wedding).
-Decide which shoes to take.
-Paint my toe-nails.

-Do we need to take Asher's car seat base?
-Are we going to check a bag for the sake of baby food and toiletries? Yes.
-What kind of overnight disposable diapers should we take?  Taking regular ones, thanks Tina and Petra!

-Make a welcome home cake for my sweety Thane, assuming he makes it back to Georgia before it's time to fly out.
-Speaking of which- go to the commissary and stock up on food, but nothing that will spoil during the trip.

-Clean my house.
-Clean the car out.
-What's the best parking option for the Altanta airport? PreFlight- directions and 30% coupon printed- thanks Bethany!

-Finish unpacking (from the move).
-RE-PACK for the trip.

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Home at Last!



I know, you've seen this photo a lot lately... Can you tell what's been on my mind? Well, it's no longer a distant thought...I'm thrilled to say that we're back at Benning, hooray!

It's strange. Every now and then I catch myself looking around and wondering if I'm really here. It's like the movie Inception, where they can only go into the dream world so many times or they'll no longer know whether they're awake or asleep. Well, it's possible that if you move too many times you might not know where you live anymore. Or maybe it's the "too good to be true!"-yet it is true-feeling that keeps weirding me out. Anyway, it's wonderful! I keep telling everyone that I felt like I was walking into a palace compared to the hotel we lived in for four months. The high ceilings, the real furniture, the dishwasher, the washer & dryer, the full size oven...whoa now! Talk about appreciation with a capital A! Praise God for bringing us home!

Getting all packed up for the drive home.



So now we're getting back into the swing of things. No pun intended, but that's the first thing that happened; the swing went up. Priority #1 of this move, without a doubt: Asher, Asher, Asher!



And then there was his bouncer seat. It took me about three attempts to reassemble it. In other words, it won a battle or two. But never fear, I won the war! I finally realized I had the main piece backwards (just like Thane suspected all along).



Thank goodness it finally went together! This is one of those must-haves in our house, and has been since the beginning. It started as the only place Asher would sleep during the night. We've continued to use it daily since then, and I predict even moreso now that we're in a bigger space. When I'm cooking or getting other chores done, I've got to be able to carry him with me from one side of the house to the other and then set him down. He's usually pretty happy to hang out in it, especially with the vibrating "massage" function. On a side note, Thane's wanted a massage chair for years (we're the couple that's always testing them out for just a little longer than what's considered appropriate in Brooks & Brothers). But who gets one first? Asher.

Oh my goodness, what happened to Asher's nursery?! Oh that's right, he was born. Hahaha. And he's already been through two army moves, this being the aftermath of the second. That just about sums it up. But all that matters right now is that his changing station is up and running again!





Due to another endeavor gone wrong- cloth diaper size adjustment- Asher's nice crib got completely drenched the first day back. So it was off with the sheets, and on with the quilt! That was actually my first round of crib sheet washing and changing. Let me just say that getting the sheets back on the mattress was WAY harder than I thought it would be. So from now on, we're going to use a quilt as the "safety" barrier. It'll be much easier to wash, when necessary, and hopefully that cuts back on the sheet changes. 





But speaking of his crib, he loves it! No more Pack n' Play for him! And he just met his new monkey friend who's been waiting patiently for us to get home...

And of course there's his play mat. Actually, two, if you look carefully. (The one of top is his tummy mat.) I just need to re-attach his hanging toys to the play gym, and he'll be set. Oh and his carrier snuck into the photo too, on the floor to the left. Baby gear galore. If he liked his swing, it would be up and operating rather than sitting in the trunk of the car right now. Still working on un-packing...it's a much slower process than it used to be.





As far as the rest of the house is concerned, one word will sum it up. Chaos. 

Ok, maybe two words. Chaos and laundry.

And general disorganization.

So these next few days will no doubt be spent unpacking, cleaning, organizing, and of course making sure the baby's doing well and happy in this new environment. Sometimes he seems to love it, other times he seems a little stressed. But all the same, we'll give the "baby-fy the house" task a big fat check! Which means today we might be able to start on some long-awaited decor projects! See the whole (and growing) to-do list here.

We'll definitely keep you updated on what gets done (if anything, ha), so stay tuned!

P.S. Parents, what's your favorite/can't-live-without-it peice of baby equipment?

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Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23

Who Cut the Cheese?

This family did! And it saves us $30 a week on our grocery bill- didn't see that one coming.

After realizing that dairy didn't agree with our new baby's digestive system, we were forced to chose one of two routes: switch him over to formula, or kick the dairy from our diet. Just for the record, there was no consideration of option one. Which meant no dairy for mama, and hence no dairy (or very little) for daddy. It's just not practical to cook cheesy meals that only one of us can eat (other than the occasional frozen pizza for dad). So, we've been a dairy-free household for a few months now.

I expected that we'd both lose weight, but it turns out it's just as easy to eat unhealthfully without it as it is with it. But one thing I did notice was the $30 savings on groceries each week. We went from spending roughly $100 per week to $70. Wow! Does that mean we spent $30 on cheese products each week? Not exactly...but since my cooking options were much more diverse, I bought a lot of extra ingredients to make various dishes like homemade pizza, lasagna, etc. And now that I have to cook simpler meals, the ingredients are also simpler. And therefore we save money.

So, $30 a week times 4 weeks per month = $120 savings per month. Not bad! I suppose I won't convince anyone to voluntarily give up dairy for the sake of their grocery bill. But even just going to one or two non-dairy meals per week could potentially yield savings. And don't forget couponing! See my "Not-So-Extreme" but very affective approach to couponing here. And don't forget your green bags!

Happy eating! Or should I say Happy Saving? Have a great day everyone.

Our Not-So-Big (But Wonderful!) Wedding

Lee Chapel- June 23rd, 2007

Who loves My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Meee! It's been years since I've seen it, maybe I'll add it to the Netflix queue when Thane's not looking. Conan can wait.

Anyway, guess what today is? June 23rd- our wedding anniversary! We're celebrating four years of wonderful wedded bliss, praise God. He's been the rock of our relationship since the very beginning, and we go back almost nine years now! So what better way to celebrate the day than to take a little stroll down memory lane. Here are some photo highlights from our big day as well as a few I mean lots of money-saving tips. You know me, I'm frugal to the core and our wedding was no exception, ha. Which is not to say we went dirt cheap on everything, but it was by no means over the top- partly because we were working with a limited budget (who isn't?), and partly because I was planning it all-by-me-onsie in less than four months while working two jobs (60+ hours a week). And since I didn't have time to fool with planning every little detail (like party favors), I cut a lot of the non-necessities and saved time and money. So, maybe this can be of help to some of you yet-to-be-wedded!

Our wedding was simple, traditional, and low-cost. We only had about 100 guests in attendance (hence the "not-so-big" reference). But I'm sure that some of the same cost-saving principles can be applied no matter how you're planning your own nuptials- big or small, traditional or non.

Getting ready

The bridesmaids dresses: Notice the girls are all wearing black satin but in different styles. Rather than choose a specific dress for each of them to purchase, I just had them wear whatever black dress they'd prefer. That way they got to decide how much or little they spend and got to wear what they wanted. Since not everyone has the same budget or body shape, it was a way to give them flexibility.

My dream dress...it was love at first sight.

My dress: Ahhh, I'm still in love with it! It's a Rena Koh (not that I expect anyone else to know who that is). But anyway, remember me mentioning working two jobs? Well I worked full time as a graphic designer and part time as a bridal consultant. Long story short, I interviewed for both, but got hired at the bridal boutique right before getting hired at the design firm. So, without intending on it I ended up with two jobs and didn't want to quit either of them. As soon as I saw this dress, I knew it was the one. Even though it was pink. (I ordered it in ivory, obviously. Although I did consider the pink version for about a milli-sec).

Anyway, having the part time bridal gig worked to my advantage. Not only did I have a blast getting paid to help women try on gorgeous gowns, but I had instant access to all kinds of great deals and discounts. So, money saving tip #2- work hard and be resourceful! I could have quit the boutique job, but hanging in there yielded big savings opportunities despite the really grueling work schedule. Back to the dress- I saved $1000 with my employee discount. I borrowed the veil, so that was free. The seamstress did my alterations for free, and I got a discount on the invitations as well. That being said, I realize that most women aren't going to have the advantage of working in bridal shop while planning their wedding. But there's always other ways to get similar discounts, like buying a dress off of the rack. That'll save you big time. As well as asking what the store can do for you if you just can't afford the dress of your dreams. Independently owned boutiques are often flexible on pricing- they'd rather make the sale at, say, a 10% discount, than no sale at all.

My bouquet

The Flowers: I wanted white peonies. But they were out of season, and they would have cost somewhere around $15-20 a stem to be shipped down from New England (where they were in season). So I opted for white roses and hydrangeas, the next best option. I still got the full, fluffy look, but at a fraction of the cost. I also supplied the toffee colored ribbon that I found at Michaels. I'm assuming that saved us a little bit as well.

On the way to the chapel!

Notice the bridesmaids have single roses rather than bouquets. I liked the idea of this simple, romantic look (sometimes less is more!), and it saved a lot of mula.

The Venues: Use your connections to your best advantage. We used Thane's as well as his parent's alumni status for our venues. I originally looked all over Northern Virginia (our home town) for a church and reception hall. My own church was too big and impersonal, I wanted something more romantic...same story with the reception halls. Plus, they were all booked out for June Saturdays (I only had three months and 28 days to plan).

So Thane suggested Lee Chapel, on the campus of Washington & Lee where his parents met. It was funny, I had never even noticed it despite the fact that it's right next to VMI (Virginia Military Institute) where Thane went to school. I guess I was always too busy googly-eyeing him to notice the other surroundings. But there it was, and it was perfect! And it was all possible thanks to alumni status- same with VMI's reception hall which was only a short walk from the chapel. Both were not only more beautiful and unique, but also more affordable than the options in Northern Virginia. So we ended up with a "mini-destination" wedding in Lexington, Virginia, about two and half hours from home. And I can't imagine having found a more perfect place.



Decorations: Choose venues that are beautiful "as is" and therefore don't need a lot of extra decoration. And pull on your own creativity and resourcefulness. The inside of Lee Chapel was stunning all by itself. It was all white with ornate windows and detailed wainscoting-style trim, sconces lining the walls, and espresso colored woodwork on everything that wasn't white. So we got away with just a couple of flower arrangements on the stage.

Look at that dreamy groom...

For the aisles, some of my family members got to together and made ivory ribbon and tulle bows.

 

My Grandmother even found a huge bolt of the same toffee colored ribbon I used on the flowers on clearance. So that, along with the same tulle, went on the front doors of the church and the railing leading into the entrance of the reception hall. Unfortunately I don't have any close-ups, but you can get a little glimpse of them here...

Thane & Rhys, brother and best man.

Ceremony Music: We had a live trumpeter and pianist for our ceremony music. For free. The trumpeter was a VMI teacher that Thane knew who only charged $50 but never actually cashed our check. And the pianist was the wife of Thane's pastor in Lexington, who married us. We have been so blessed to know so many wonderful people. A big thanks to them!


The photography: I didn't try to skimp on this one. One great thing we did do though was to request digital copies of all of the photos. Even though our photographer used film, she was able to transfer it all onto CDs and gave us total rights for only $50 extra. So now we can print our wedding photos anytime, anywhere. I've framed and hung a lot, but I have yet to make our album. One of these days...maybe for our five year anniversary.

Look at my mom's face, on the right- cracks me up every time!

 

The reception: Held in Moody Hall- VMI's reception hall- which included indoor and outdoor space. The cost was only $1000; much less than the $4000+ price tags on the generic country club halls in Northern VA.

Let the outdoors do the decorating for you! Veranda seating offered a beautiful view of VMI's parade field and barracks. Praise God for perfect weather that day! Here's the view...

The table centerpieces: To rent the most basic table decorations from the florist (just a small vase with a single hydrangea in it), was going to cost $35 a table. I wanted something a little more unique and not nearly as costly. So, with the help of the family, we made our own table decor. We used a mix and match assortment of champagne glasses, small white candles, and round mirror bases that were lent to us by the baker for free. As you can see, we placed the candles inside of two of the glasses, then set the third glass upside down and placed a candle on the stem. All of the glasses were either pre-owned by family or bought for very little at thrift shops. The hydrangeas were a complete surprise to me- they came from my aunt Joan's garden, how perfect was that?! So, our table centerpieces weren't the three foot tall drop-dead gorgeous floral masterpieces that I would have loved (like our buddies Lindsay & Steve had, I wish you could see them!). But they were soft and romantic and wallet-friendly.

Table centerpieces

The food: Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but we had various buffets set up around the reception hall inside and out, including a pasta station. I really have no clue what it looked like, or even how the food tasted, since Thane and I didn't eat any. I never thought we'd be like all the other couples who didn't get to try their own wedding food, but yep. We were. Oh- I know most people won't go for this, haha- but we didn't serve alcohol. Nada. Not for money's sake, but it did save us a lot!

Our Cake

The cake: French vanilla cake with a chocolate mousse filling, topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. It sounds better than it was, I'm a chocolate fan. We should have gone for an all chocolate cake, who says you have to do everything traditional? But it was the classic, elegant look that I wanted, and we saved about $50 by opting for buttercream over fondant.

Party favors: There were none! That was one of those pesky details that I just simply didn't have the time nor desire to plan out. So, we didn't have any of the little champagne bottles or rice (we weren't allowed to throw rice anyway, since the reception hall was a historic building and didn't allow it). And that definitely saved a little cash. Although, another surprise to me, my Grandmother brought a ton of little "wedding bells" and set them on each table. So we were entreated to many kisses throughout the night, as the bell ringing tradition requires.

Rhys tries out his bell... Yep, it works!

The music: My dad has a great sound system (he's a drummer), so he brought it and hooked it up. Thane and I made our own play list and recruited my cousin Justin to do the announcing for us (he has radio experience and loves that kind of thing). He did a great job and of course made it super special and personal. So, since we didn't have to hire a DJ we saved $1000.

The Sweetheart Table :)

Transportation: In lue of a limo, we used the valiant Yukon. Not super classy, but practical. And looking back, it's very special. After all, it was what Thane picked me up in for our first date! And many many more over the years.

That's a lot of dress.

Here's another thank you to all of the wonderful friends and family that shared our big day with us, and for all of your love and support! Now that I'm looking back, I'm realizing how big of a role everyone played in this event. So when I say that we couldn't have made it happen without you all, I mean it! Thanks again, and we love you!

Ok, just one more picture!

Thane wasn't crazy about this little photoshoot, but the photographer insisted.

So what about you guys? Did you come up with any creative ways to make your day special without breaking the bank? Any funny memories or outtakes during your wedding? Any disasters that you laugh about now? Who designed your dress? Haha, I can talk weddings all day long!

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And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
-Genesis 2:18-24

Make the Most of Any Space



By "any", I mean any. Case in point: our temporary living situation in Kentucky. It's basically a suped-up hotel, complete with plastic key cards, stylin' linens, and a channel guide for the TV. Fortunately for us, it's not your average hotel room, but a mini-apartment with a separate bedroom and office (that we double as Asher's nursery), as well as a little efficiency-style kitchen. Thane was given the privilege of returning to our all-time favorite base (insert sarcasm here), Fort Knox, to take command of a unit that's in transition to Fort Benning. (That's where our real home is, the beloved White Elephant). All of this transpired right before our sweet pea was born, and six weeks after his birth we packed up and moved to our little hotel-house. Needless to say, we didn't exactly take this well at first...but more on that later. Here she is!



Since we were coming for a full four months, I wanted to make the most out of the not-so-ideal-but-typical army imposed craziness. And I'm happy to say that even hotel living doesn't have to be bad! A little re-arranging and personalization can really go a long way. It's a far cry from our Georgia house, but "home" is anywhere that the three of us can be together.

That being said, here are a few pictures of our little hotel space:



Waaamp, waaamp, waaaaamp. Not very exciting.

So, I had to do something to improve it. And here's what I did- just a few simple things to make it a little homier and more baby-friendly. Without spending any money, by the way.

I re-arranged the furniture, added a runner to the coffee table, and moved the lighting around.

Anticipating the dark, dingy nature of hotels, I brought two floor lamps from home. One's shown next to the TV stand, and the other one is behind the love seat. Putting them at opposite sides of the room helps to distribute the light the most effectively, and it also gives the room a balanced look. The small table lamps are also "opposite" of each other, for the same effect.

Re-arranging really did wonders. Not only does the love seat look better angled, but it provides some out-of-sight storage space behind it for Asher's car seat and diaper bag. I brought over one of the end tables as well. I think it completes this side of the room, which was bare and unattractive before. I mixed up the "decorative" pillows, so that they're a little less matchy-matchy. (See the one on the love seat? It matches the couch...if the maid comes in when I'm out, she'll re-arrange them so that they're all back on their matching counterparts, ha!) Here are the hidden baby items that you saw sitting around the room in plain sight in the first few photos...

Did you notice the banana weave basket under the end table? I brought a set of two, here are some close ups:

They hold all of Asher's gear and toys, plus our books and magazines, etc, and slide right underneath the end tables. Not only do they provide a little extra storage space, but they make for quick and easy clean-up too. And last but not least, they look nice when they're neatly tucked under the end tables, breaking up the monotony of the hotel furniture!

Again, mixing up the decorative pillows lent to a slightly less matchy-matchy hotel look. (I know, I'm stretching here...but you have to do what you can!)

This trash can used to sit out in the open, next to the TV. Now it's at least tucked away in a spot where it's less noticeable. Asher's bouncer also fits here when it's not being used. Anything to prevent that our-baby-has-taken-over-our-home look, haha!

                                 

Remember these Pier1 pillows I scored on clearance a while back? They were of course meant for our Georgia home, but I was delighted to realize that they matched the eggplant colored pillow cases and white comforter I brought to Kentucky. So, it was OUT with the hotel bedspread, and in with our own linens and pillows!

So, we've made the best of this temporary living situation. As you can imagine, we were less than thrilled to find out that Thane was being sent here for temporary duty. Especially being that it was a mere five weeks after Asher's birth. There was a lot that we lamented leaving...our home, our wonderful church, our great friends...the nursery that I'd just put so much work into, the space I had for painting and sewing, the beautiful community...a settled life that we assumed Asher would have for at least his first eight months or so.

Which begs the discussion of more important matters. As Christians, Thane and I generally assumed that we'd be willing to follow Christ wherever He leads, to do whatever He asks. Then this happened. And He showed us that we (well, mostly me) weren't as loyal as we gave ourselves credit for. He blessed us so immensely in Georgia, and we wanted to hang onto those things rather than joyfully embace the next change He was bringing about in our lives. Try as I might to be positive, all I could think about was what we had to leave and the reality of yet another move, this time with an infant. It was hard, but all the same we did our best to keep a positive attitude, especially in light of the many families that are separated by a deployment. I would tell myself "come on Sarah, it could be much much worse". Not only was Thane not deploying, but Asher and I could go with him and then return home in a mere four months. Piece of cake, right?

And, like always, our good and faithful Lord knew exactly what He was doing. Getting to Kentucky after an exciting, exhilerating, and exhausting month of having a new baby was actually a relief. Like a vacation almost. A place where the three of us could focus on each other and live a simpler life for a little while.

And more than that, we made some wonderful friends here! Sadly, we only had a few weeks together before they headed off to their next assignment in Alaska. But we're thankful for that short time, all the same. We miss you, Matt and Evelyn!

Now that our time in Kentucky is drawing to a close, we're very excited to be going back to Georgia! But we've appreciated our time here, and thank God for His unending faithfulness despite our lack thereof. Thank you for your love and patience, Jesus, You've proved it time and time again with us! And we hope and pray we'll be more faithful the next time life throws and unexpected twist our way.