You know what?...apparently I'm just not consistent.

I'm starting to get a little irritated with myself about my total lack of blog posts, followed by an apology blog post where I promise that I will become a frequent blogger. Recently I (along with my pal Stacy) have realized that it's time to stop fretting and apologizing, and to just get on with it. So here it is.

I'm not sorry for not writing in almost two months. I'm disappointed that I didn't, but honestly, I just don't know when I would have had the time to do it. Blogging is something that's very enjoyable for me...unfortunately it's become much like my beloved pastime of reading: there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything in.

And to be even more frankly honest, I think that I've also been afraid to write my true blogger feelings and that I would outwardly look as crazed and stressed as I really am on the inside. Few people actually see the real me at high stress times, and I like to tend to keep it that way.

I'm also not going to get on here and promise to be more frequent. As decided in my faithful gchats with my beloved friend Stacy, we've both just got to let things go. But really, that is way easier said than done. It seem like every other day the two of us are helping coax the other out of a mini (or major) meltdown. Between wedding planning (that poor girl's wedding is one month and TWO days away--I pray for her each day), trying to have big career dreams while being stuck in dead-end jobs, and waiting in constant, AGONIZING anticipation of where our man's next career choice will take us, it's no wonder we get crazed and cranky. I think it's an awesome feat that we're not heavily medicated yet. (Note I said yet--there's a first for everything). No, I take that back. Stacy won't need meds, that'll most likely be me. haha.

But anyway, narcotic jokes aside, it's time to get serious. Why blog? For those of us who don't have some insanely awesome crafty talent or the time to read or have a super cool hobby like skydiving, there has to be one moment in the day that's ours. When you live with a man and a puppy (who, I might add, is more human than any mutt dog I've ever met), have a full time job and a FULL plate of responsibilities, there really isn't a "place" to go where you can have a free moment to yourself. Remember when you were younger and you could retreat to your very own bedroom with your very own personal space and do what you very well wanted to? That doesn't really exist in grown-up ville. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely an adjustment. This adjustment I would have assumed was long past and accomplished, but sometimes I still wonder.

Now this would normally be the time where I sit back and say "I, Blogger Melissa, do solemnly promise to blog once per week. I shall take the time for myself, lock myself in the bathroom (or whatever room doesn't have a man and a dog in it) and blog...and I will like it." Luckily the new more honestly blunt Melissa doesn't do that.

Instead, I'm going to promise to take time to chill out. And when I say time, I mean the two moments I try to remind myself WHY it isn't necessary to have a breakdown about the simplest little things. Maybe I'll promise to be a weekly submitter to Pissed Off Bride. MAYBE I'll make a promise to be more open minded about life and remind myself that things could be so SO so much worse than what I make them out to be. Who knows. Maybe when I finally decide something, I'll blog about it.

The funniest thing is: I honestly do have a legal pad that sits on my desk at work. Contained on the wrinkled, well traveled pages of this legal pad are a "to do" list for blogging. I ACTUALLY have notes I've taken at various times about topics I wanted to blog about. Much like all of my other to do lists, however, it's sitting in the SAME pile with all of the other ones. Pathetic I know, but it's the best I can do right now. At least I have that truth going for me.

I AM sorry that I've fallen off the face of the earth, but not because my 3.5 readers have missed me. I'm sorry that I haven't chosen to take enough me time so I can stay sane and release whatever pent up issues I have. Did you know that'll make you cranky?

Moral of the story: I got out of bed today, put on a cute skirt, put all of my makeup on and came to work feeling pretty. That's better than what I have been doing lately. Maybe sometime in the near future, I'll even polish off one of those to do lists.

Until the next time---I'll catch you on the flip side.

Finding the Motivation to Get Motivated to Movitate Myself.

******Disclaimer: This lady is overly cranky today. Read on if you dare!******

A few posts ago, I reenacted my promise to become a regular blogger. Luckily, I had a few more moment during my day to just barely make this deadline. So if anything positive comes out of today, it's the fact that I've reached a goal for one more week.

Doesn't that seem like an alien concept? Why should it be so hard for me to crank out one blog post per week? Lord knows I have plenty going on to share and write about? Lord knows I end up spending 70% of my life around a computer or my blackberry...(well if we add in the blackberry, I'd say that's about 93% of my life. That junker is constantly attached to my hip. It's like a total dependency of mine!)

I am getting a little concerned about my lack of motivation. Day in and day out, I make these to do lists. Lists for work tasks, lists for home tasks, grocery lists, wish lists, wedding lists, lists for weekend plans.....LISTS EVERYWHERE. Without fail, each and every list made gets two or three items that just never get crossed off. Where do these ignored items go? Why do they get ignored in the first place? I'd like to blame it on the busy-ness of life, but sometimes I really sit down and get honest with myself: I really believe that I have serious issues with motivation.

Take, for example, the ever-looming Bridal weight loss process. What I'm about to describe happens to brides everywhere---I get that. Really, I do. I've never been a Skinny Minnie, but more like a Thick Thelma. And you know what, 5 days out of the week (if I'm lucky), I'm really okay with that. After being a Thick Thelma for 23 years now (minus that stint in HS where I didn't eat for a few months...then I was just a Fainting Fannie), and genetically, Minnie status really isn't in the cards for me.

For the past 10 months or so, Matt and I were (mostly) successful with Weight Watchers. I had done the program before, dropped 20lbs and thought it rocked. Since then I had gained probably those 20 back and another 20-30. (Gross, I know). I was fortunate that my employer started a new wellness program and I stayed on program for three sessions (July - February). During that time I lost 30lbs, and couldn't have been happier about it! I dropped two pants sizes, and felt SO MUCH BETTER. It really put me on the band wagon to make this lifestyle change a permanent one.

Long story short, not too long before the program was cancelled for our work, I started to loose my motivation. Wedding dress had been ordered, dreams of skinny bridal pictures danced in my mind, and I unexpectedly decided that I didn't care if I stayed on plan or not. I never declared that out loud, it's just like my mind took a silent vacation from being healthy. WTF? Long story short, as time got busier, I got lazier. Not a good thing.

After a short jaunt on the slim fast train (yes, ladies, that stuff is still gag-worthy, I'm come to the realization that WW really is the best way to go. You DO get to eat real food, you DO still get to go out and eat in public and you DO still have the option to make better choices.

For the umpteenth time, MONDAY is the day where we get on the wagon. Every bite is going to be counted, and every pound will be monitored. Seriously---I'm getting married in 183 days. If I can't get motivated to give myself and my husband a healthy start to that marriage, what can I accomplish?

Wish me luck...and send your thoughts of Thick Thelma encouragement this way. And on a final note, I decided to add a photo to this post. After googling "Thick Thelma," the following image is the first one that was bounced back. Check me out here.

And on that note, folks, I'm out.

Blowing Bubbles.

One of the latest of the wedding tasks was getting those silly ceremony bubbles out of the way! After much debate over rice v. bells v. confetti v. bubbles (I mean tons--the future hubby even took the time to think it over), we settled on you guessed it: Bubbles.

At first bubbles lost major bonus points due to the ridiculously hideous bubble bottle options that are circulating in the wedding world. Believe it or not, however, I found the "classiest" bubbles at---WAL-MART! Thank goodness for Martha Stewart and all of her Crafty Goddessness.

With a price of like $15 per 100 bubbles (some sites were wanting $12 per 2 dozen PLUS S&H charges), we just couldn't pass the deal up. After hitting up Hobby Lobby (love the HobLob) for beautifully coordinating clover and chocolate ribbon, and a trip to Archivers (love that place even more!) for the same ecru cardstock used for the recipe cards, it was finally time to get down to business and get these bubble tubes complete!

Luckily for my busy schedule, a few weeks ago I was scheduled to supervise a mission work group on the main campus of my employer---which luckily put me in my office all weekend. With only minor things to do in conjunction with the group (mainly on site for emergencies and questions), I sat right down and got to work. Check out my teeny tiny office. It's small, but it's mine! :)

Step 1: Found two cute poems about brides, grooms and bubbles. They are as follows...

"Rice may be tradition, but bubbles are more fun...Fill the air to wish the newley weds well as their life has just begun!"

and

"Blow bubbles of good wishes for the new Mr. & Mrs."

Corny, cute and right to the point. Much like the whole idea of bubbles in general. With about 4,203 cuts of the paper cutter, 2038 punches with the hole punch...I could visibly start to see my vision take shape!

The process took me a few hours with interruptions here an there, but for the most part, it was a delightfully simple process. Check out the finished product! TaaaaDaaaaa!

What do you think? Classy or trashy? Hopefully they will do---and hopefully the bubble juice won't be all dried up by November!

What are you doing at the end of the ceremony? Rice? Bubbles? Bio-degradable confetti?

Lent is over---but my blogging is NOT.

Hello again blogging world. Surprise! I'm not dead, just extremely busy. Between having a broken camera, having unexpected changes in the workplace and a hefty workload placed upon my shoulders, I've become quite busy and have sadly had to put my blogging time on the back burner.

Although nothing has changed, I've decided that a sweet escape is necessary to keep my sanity. New and exciting ventures include:
**(1) Acquiring the items on my reading list and actually READING them.
**(2) Planning an awesome and unique Bachelorette Party for a dear friend.
**(3) Joining a new professional organization and MEETING NEW people.
**(4) Blogging at least once a week.

Progress is as follows:
**(1) List of books has been created. Local library is being searched. The future hubby is working late tonight, so I am going to swing by the library and get my first selection. Hopefully I can read this within the designated library etiquette time.

**(2) Initial stages of research have been completed. After the okay of my co-conspirator, concrete plans will be finalized and coordinating accessories will be acquired! :)

**(3) Application has been filled out...check has been signed. I've recently attended a few of the educational sessions of this group and my eyes have been completely opened: All the way through college, the one constant in PR Classes was "Network! Network! Network!" Well if I'm going to do this, I need to take up active pursuit of such opportunities. The membership is pricey, but will be for an entire year, and open the door to tons of networking opportunities with others in my field and related fields. With the headquarters in STL, it's way close to my house, and easy to travel back and forth to. Will this take up more of my free time? Yes. Is it totally a worthwhile investment? Yes. Enough said. :)

**(4) Well with this blog post, that officially makes my first week of getting back on the wagon successful. Boy I love that instant gratification, don't you?

Over the next few blog posts, it's time to update this communication realm with the latest and greatest news in my world. Some of the topics include finalizing wedding details, finding my niche in life, challenges in the work place, relaxing time with friends and so much more.

Don't worry friends, not to fear! Your Pal Melissa the intermittent-blogger is here! :)

Bride-to-Be's Crafty Corner: Mothers' Bud Vases

Keeping in tune with the square glass vases I intend to use for the centerpieces at the reception, I decided to keep the same glass look throughout the ceremony as well.

Picking up two small square glass bud vases at Garden Ridge for around $6 total, I easily used the same organza, wired, chocolate ribbon used for the ring bearer pillow to add a little flair to these vases. Also used were more scrapbooking jewels found at Hobby Lobby. With a little twisting and hot gluing, below is what I ended up with.

The nice thing about these vases is that whenever they are moved from the church to the reception site, they can be a nice addition to the parents tables' decor. (And the Mom's beautiful orange roses and crandberry caspia arrangements won't wilt!)

Next up on the list: Unity Candle Holders!

Bride-to-Be's Crafty Corner

Next task after the recipe book: Ring bearer pillow. I was fortunate enough to find this off-white pillow online for around $8. What a steal! All of the pillows I've seen with the matching acent colors I need are way above my intended budget, normally STARTING at $30. I just don't think it's worth the cash whenever it's only going to be used for 15 minutes by my little 6 year old cousing. For all I know, he'll be kicking it like a hackey sack down the isle!

After trying a few different things, I think I'm going to settle with this look:


The jewels I found in the scrapbooking isle of Hobby Lobby. I've searched high and low and these are the only ones I could find that fit my requirements. We shall see how they hold up. I may have to use the hot glue gun to keep them in place.

I think I'm going to replaze the off-white ribbon that's holding the faux rings with chocolate ribbon of the same width. Once this is complete, project number two will be complete as well!

Recipe Book Project: Check!

The recipe project is D-O-N-E! After leaving it hanging since the last time I blogged about it, I finally finished up this handy DIY project. I guess in my mind I had built up the remaining work as being SO MUCH to complete---whenever I got it out today, however, I realized that I only had to finish FOUR dividers. Only four! Naturally, once I realized this, it was time to get serious so I can finally check this item off my list.

First things first: I need a permanent wedding work area. My fiancee is fortunate enough to not only have the garage as his "man cave," but I have also relinquished all decor-say in the guest bedroom. We lovingly refer to this camoflage-clad area as the "man room." it is covered in hunting and beer related items (including the ever-loved camo bedspread my fiancee had in his room at his parents house. Lucky me, I know. :) ) Anyway, this is Matt's area. He has all of his hunting clothes and supplies layed out in this room when the various seasons are in, plays guitar in there etc. In his mind, he's lucky he has this space because I apparently "have the whole rest of the house." Riiiiight. So naturally, the only remaining room that is left unclaimed (a non-staple room like a bathroom or living room) is the office area. It's a lofted space that overlooks our living room It has our desk/computer area, Matt's great grandma's rocking chair (that's cushions have been conveniently recovered in camo fabric---sadly, it won't fit through the door of the man room.) and the odds and ends of wedding items that I've acquired. Since we don't really use the desktop computer that sits on the desk now that my laptop is working again, I decided it was about time I hi-jacked that area. As Matt says "you've already taken up half of the room with that wedding stuff anyway." Why yes I do. What is this whole paragraph for? To explain that I finally have a permanent workspace. No more laying everything out on the kitchen table and then packing it all up and getting it out of the way. I'm hoping that this makes my to-do tasks even easier to check off now that I can easily access all of my "wedding stuff."

Once I was able to get everything arranged, it took me no time at all to complete the recipe book. Check out this finished product:


As you can see, however, I definitely need to find larger metal rings so I can fit all of the additional recipe cards into it once I get them from my two bridal showers. Now, I'm on the search for bigger rings. Anyone know where to find those? If so, leave me a comment.

I thought I had plenty of recipe cards printed, but after a quick count, I can see that there are only enough for one shower's guest list. Look I need to keep printing!

What do you think? I'm really pleased with my first huge DIY wedding-related project. I know it's a small hurdle, but I'm dlad it's over! Now onto other things!