Buying Gifts (for ourselves)

Last week, I got an email I'd been dreading since registering at Crate & Barrel.  The one that says two of our registry items have been discontinued.

Poop.

So, how does one handle discontinued items?  Here was my approach.

Well, first, analyze how the item fits into the overall registry.  Is it part of a set of something?  Or, does it stand alone?

One of our discontinued items was a miscellaneous kind of thing: 

Mini Martini Glasses from Crate & Barrel

I thought these would make adorable dessert servers...  Or, maybe martini flights at a party?  Yum.

Luckily, there are plenty of places that sell mini glasses like this and I'm not too concerned about them not being available for our C&B registry.  Actually, I'm thinking I might be able to find something comparable at Target, which I could add to our other registry.  So, no biggie either way.

The next item was a bit trickier:

Miguel All-Purpose Goblet from Crate & Barrel

These were part of our overall glassware plan, to be combined with these:

All from Crate & Barrel

So, knowing that we really liked these pieces and that the other ones weren't discontinued, I felt like I had few options:

     1. Pick a different goblet and accept that we would either have non-matched glasses on our table

     2. Don't worry about these and realize there are few times when each person at dinner needs two glasses

     3. Pick a completely different set of glassware and know that everything will match 

     4. Stick with this set and buy the glasses myself.

Obviously (hello post title), I chose the last option.  I was nudged along by a 15% off coupon I received from C&B over the weekend.  I ordered a dozen to be picked up at the store near me.  Unfortunately, they did have all twelve.  So, I had to order a couple for delivery.

Either way, I am still super happy with the idea of this glassware set and can't wait to see them on our table.

Did any of your registry items end up on the discontinued list?  How did you handle it?  Did it result in a huge  change up in your list?

Getting Sh*t Done

Wow.  It's amazing how much can be done in a single day.

My mom and I set out early yesterday to do some wedding shopping...  And, we definitely did that.

First we headed to Anthropologie.

I bought some cabinet/drawer knobs for a new found cake stand idea:

Instructions at Martha Stewart

My mom found a dress that I think will be perfect for the rehearsal dinner:

Field Biology Maxi Dress via anthropologie

(I know, the pic sucks - can't stand when they make it so hard to share.)

We were both feeling great after this stop.  Before leaving the Galleria, we grabbed drinks from Starbucks and headed out to Robinson Towne Center...  And, IKEA!

This was the big moment of the day.  I bought my centerpieces.  Whew, does that feel good.  Plus, I also got my hanging lanterns for the shepherds' hooks at our venue.  

Here's what it looked like:

All from ikea

Sadly, only 83 of the Mattfull candles made it home with me...  It was quite an adventure getting everything into the car (and then back out of the car at home).  All of the work and bruises were worth it; to know that I have enough centerpieces for twenty tables.  Amazing feeling.  

Here's my quick mock up:

Personal Pic

After a quick lunch, we headed into Hobby Lobby, where we picked up some pre-cut chipboard letters.  These will get some sort of paint treatment before landing on my vintage suitcase cardbox.

Then, back to my mom's for a cup of coffee and looking over some online inspiration.

We wrapped up with a trip to Jo-Ann to find some fabric for shoes...  I found some that I loved and I contacted a seller on etsy to get more info.  I can't wait to get them underway and underfoot.

Did you have dedicated shopping days?  Dedicated crafting days?  Did you find it easier to make decisions and get stuff done if someone was with you?

One Hundred and Fifty

... days until our wedding!

That's less than 5 months!

Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit like this:

from NiceHook.com

Lately, I've been accomplishing nothing.  Unless you count adding more items to my to-do list as accomplishing things.

But, things are looking up.  This Saturday, our wedding venue has an Open House.  This will be my chance to re-visit the spaces and (hopefully) get re-motivated for wedding projects.

Some of the things I'm planning on doing at the Open House:

Taking pictures - I don't remember what anything really looks like...  I mean, I have some fuzzy pictures in my head, which I assume are not very realistic.

Measuring stuff - I want to know the exact dimensions of the event shelter, wedding arch, tables that will need decorating, the event co-ordinator...  Okay, maybe that's going too far, but I want to know exactly how much of everything I need.

Asking questions - How much Host Insurance coverage ($-wise) do we need to have?  What are our back-up rain plans?  What's the best way to approach buying wine/liquor/soda/mixers?  Do I need to buy ice?  The list is endless...  Of course, there is no real "list", so that's one of my to-do's for before Saturday.

Taste stuff - The exclusive caterer will be on site and there may be some other vendors present as well.  This will be a chance to try a couple food options before we even have our official tasting.

Following the Open House, I'm hoping to get my butt in gear.  With a new enthusiasm (hopefully gained over the weekend), I feel like decisions I've been putting off may come a bit easier.  And, once I've finalized a few of the decor plans, maybe I can finally start buying stuff and DIY-ing my little heart out.

Did/does your venue have an Open House?  Any suggestions for getting the most out of another visit to the ceremony and/or reception spaces?  Did you have any events like this that got you moving on your wedding plans and projects?

Made it Through (the Juice Cleanse)

It's over!  Which means, no more of this:

Personal Pic

... at least till the end of April because I've decided to do another cleanse.

I'm not going to say it was easy because it wasn't.  But, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected.  After the first day, things were pretty straight forward.  No real surprises.

So, what can you expect during a BluePrintCleanse?  I'll try to answer some of the questions I would have asked someone who'd done the cleanse before I had.

Were you hungry?

Eh.  A bit, sometimes.  But, it wasn't that bad.  Plus, the schedule for drinking juices isn't set in stone; it's flexible.  So, when I was hungry, I drank my juices a little earlier than I had planned.  The only time I was really craving food was on the last day, was when my co-workers all got fish sammies for lunch.  They (the sammies, not my co-workers) smelled SO GOOD!  I don't even really like fried fish, but the smell was amazing.  But, I got through it.

Did you have to go to the bathroom a lot?

Yes.  Drinking over a gallon of fluid a day will do that.  So, there were lots more trips.  But, the bathroom part that people tend to worry about (shall we say "number two") wasn't a problem.  The only stomach rumbles I got were after the last drink each night.  I have to assume that the fat in that drink, since it's the only fat I was getting, had something to do with it.

Did you feel enlightened?

No.  I felt happy, much happier than I (and my fiance/co-workers/everyone I know) expected.  I didn't feel like I reached any sort of new level of universal understanding; maybe I should have been doing more meditating?

Did you cheat?

No

Seriously, not at all?

Nope.  I am happy to say that I did not ingest anything I wasn't supposed to throughout the three day cleanse.  Juices, water and one lone mug of herbal tea (I found that the idea of more liquid was just not very appetizing), that's all I had.  I didn't even need to resort to the "cheat sheet" items, like cucumbers or vegetable broth.

Did you like the juices?

Yes, for the most part.  They definitely took some getting used to.  My favorites were the Pineapple, Apple Mint juice and the Cashew Nut Milk.  My least favorite was the Carrot, Apple, Beet juice.  I'm thinking that I may go up a level next time, to the Foundation level, which would eliminate the CAB.  (The weird thing is that I like beets.  So, if you don't, there is probably even less chance of you liking this juice.)

Would you do it again?

Yep.  In April.

Any recommendations for someone doing this for the first time?

1. Try to follow the pre-cleanse instructions.  Cut out dairy, sugar, meat and caffeine starting three days before the juicing starts.  I definitely think that this is what made the actual days of juicing easier.

2. Don't take it too seriously.  It's juice.  It's only a couple days of your life.  It will be over before you know it.

3. Stay busy.  I only really thought about the fact that I wasn't eating when I was bored, which is when I'm usually snacking.

Did you lose weight?

Yes, six pounds.  I'm not sure if it will all stay off, but I'm going to try my best. Plus, in the days since ending, I haven't been very hungry.  *fingers crossed*

If you're thinking about trying a juice cleanse, BluePrint or another company's, what other questions do you have?

Day One of the Cleanse

Over the weekend, I wrote about my upcoming juice cleanse.  And, I am now in the thick of it.

I haven't had coffee since Sunday morning (it's Wednesday!), I haven't chewed anything all day and I feel surprisingly good.  Sure, I may have almost passed out in the shower, but that's getting ahead of myself...

I woke up late this morning because I had a dentist appointment.  I was hungry!  Seriously hungry.  Which is very odd for me.  I have a routine of coffee on the way to work and breakfast at the office.  I chalk my hunger up to running later than normal.  I drank the suggested hot water with lemon juice and felt much better.  I made it through the dentist appointment and to the office without too many stomach grumbles.

And, once I got to the office, the juicing began.

10:00 a.m. - Juice #1.  Ah, the famous Green Juice.  The first sip was awful but I got used to it after a few more.  Not bad, not great.

12:30 p.m. - Juice #2 - Pineapple, Apple, Mint.  I wasn't really hungry yet; I just felt like I needed to drink it when the co-workers started eating lunch and I wanted to stay on track time-wise.  Amazing!  This juice is delicious.  It's refreshing and has the perfect level of sweetness.  Yum.

3:00 p.m. - Juice #3 - More Green Juice.  I was feeling a bit hungry.  This tasted a bit better than the first on but it's still a bit weird. It's not bad, just strange.  It definitely tastes green.

4:30 p.m. - Juice #4 - Spicy Lemonade.  This was a bit spicier than I expected.  Like the green juice, it got better as I kept drinking, but the first sip was a bit overwhelming.

5:20 p.m. - Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill (doing intervals) and 20 minutes on the elliptical.  About 30 minutes in, exhaustion hits.  I feel sweatier than normal; even my hands are slick.  I finish my workout and head to the shower.  I decide to do two things that will hopefully substitute for suggestions on the BPC site: leave the exhaust fan off in order to create a very steamy room and use a body scrub to exfoliate.  Just as I was getting ready to rinse off the scrub, I had to turn off the water and sit down.  I felt extremely light headed and needed a few minutes to catch my breath.  Eventually, I was able to finish my shower.  Afterwards, I laid down for a few minutes and felt better.  Weird.

6:30 p.m. - Juice #5 - Carrot, Apple, Beet.  Ick!  Tastes like dirt.  Those are my first thoughts.  It does get better...  Are we noticing a trend?

8:00 p.m. - Juice #6 - Cashew Nut Milk.  I needed to get this one down so that I could have two hours before bed.  And, I was super excited to finally get to try the one juice that is universally loved.  Everyone is right about this.  It is sweet and satisfying.  A perfect end to a day of juice.

10:00 p.m. - Bed!  I'm also super excited for this part.  I'm exhausted!

Anyone out there done the BPC before?  How did it go?  Any advice for making it through?

Making Flowers

I'm hoping to get a lot of wedding project work done this week, while the FI is out of town.  One of my main goals is making some clay flowers.  I have been practiced here and there, but haven't made much progress towards my inspiration bouquet.

But, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it, and finally made one rose that I'm going to let dry.  It isn't perfect, but I've realized that perfect may be a bit beyond my skill level at this point.  Plus, I've realized that it might be unnecessary to have perfection when its very hard to find a "perfect" real flower.

So, without further ado, here are a couple pictures of my first finished rose:

I'm hoping to make a bunch of the roses, plus some other flower varieties for my bouquet, the corsages and bouts.  Once I'm feeling a bit more confident in my skills, I'll write up my tips for making these flowers out of clay.

Preparing for a Cleanse (of the Juice Variety)

I'm going to start a juice cleanse on Wednesday, a BluePrintCleanse to be more specific.  (Their Renovation cleanse to be even more specific.)

Renovation Cleanse from BluePrintCleanse

This is their "gateway" cleanse and I'm super excited to start.  I've been reading a lot of online reviews and it seems like a great way to get a jump start on healthy eating.  It'll give my body a reset of sorts.

Everyone I've told thinks I'm nuts; and, the guys at work are planning to plot my mood over the week (they're very supportive/helpful of any odd endeavor - that's a slight dose of sarcasm for you).  But, honestly, I don't think this will be super difficult.  I've done a number of fasts over the years, they kind where I'd eat nothing and drink only water and herbal tea.  Now, that was a difficult way to detox, IMO.

So, today, after my waffle breakfast (it was the FI's last morning in town before his first of three work travel weeks), I've been trying to cut out some of the items they suggest: caffeine, meat, dairy, sugar.  I made fish with a bit of brown rice for lunch and am planning on a vegetable and fruit filled dinner.

Tomorrow may be a bit more difficult, as I'm going to attempt to go without my morning coffee.  This will probably lead to a withdrawal headache, as I have a serious caffeine addiction.  But, I figure that I can get through with a bit of tea if it becomes super necessary.  As long as I am ready to go without by Wednesday, I think I'll be okay. 

It seems like just preparing for the cleanse will get me a head start on the healthy life path (and, hopefully, a little bit of weight loss).

I'll add more thoughts and my review once I get underway with the drinking of all the juices.

Have you tried the BluePrintCleanse?  Any of the other ones out there?  Or, maybe made your own juices?  If so, was it awful?  Or, was it an ok experience that you'd recommend to others?