#WeddingWeek

My brother got married on Saturday!  We have been planning and prepping for 9 months and I think it went great!  They decided to get married at my parents house so we did much of the work ourselves.  The months and weeks leading up to the big day were full of fun stuff for my to do.  I offered to design the invitations so my sister-in-law, Lindsay, sent me one that she liked.  A couple hours later I sent her a draft that didn't change much to the final draft.

I also made a few mason jar RSVP cards for those we knew wouldn't be able to respond online.

 My dad had sliced up some big logs several months before the wedding.  I intended to do something with them for the dessert table, but wasn't sure what at that time.  I ended up getting some remnant shipping tubes from work and the light bulb went on!  I wrapped them in burlap (free from a friend) and glued the wood slabs on top!

 They were varying heights and made for a great setting for the treats.  Best part is, they were practically free!

 We were lucky enough to have another power outage the weekend before the wedding.  We woke up at 6am Saturday, packed up the food, and headed to grandpa and nana's!  We were planning to be there anyway to get the shed ready, so it worked out.  

 Plus, it made for a fun family weekend and the power was back on Sunday morning, only 33 hours this time!

It was a very hot day, even hotter putting up tarps 12' up, but we got it done.  We also hung paper lanterns with lights from the canoes.

 It seemed like there was a task for every night the week leading up to the wedding.  We got a great deal on bridesmaid dressed on Amazon.  I just had to take in the strap and it was a great fit!  I have been hoping to do some more sewing, but this will have to do for now.

We almost forgot about the favors so I had a late Thursday run to Walmart for s'mores fixings!  I had some cellophane bags laying around and tied them up with a little note and twine.

 I took Friday off to help with finishing touches and to bake 168 cupcakes!  The baking didn't take too long, but the decorating was a bit more laborious.

I made edible decorations from candy melts earlier in the week.  There were 5 varieties, plus a few mini cheesecakes for my brother!  I used box cake mix just to save time.  All the frosting was from scratch, except the coconut pecan.

German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan Frosting 

 Rum and Coke (Rum Butter cream)

 Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting

 Peach with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting

 Lindsay's favorite, Raspberry White Chocolate

White cake with raspberry filling and white chocolate butter cream

 I finished with just enough time left to clean up for rehearsal.  We had a quick walk through of the ceremony, then enjoyed a walking taco/nacho dinner!

 My Grandma's birthday was the night before so we made her favorite, angel food cake!

 My dad gave a great speech that left many of us teary.  We are all excited to have Lindsay and her son, Cody, join our family! My dad is not a hugger, but she managed to sneak one by him!

Up Next: The big day!

The Heat of Summer

I can't believe it's the middle of summer already!  I feel like there are so many things I wanted to get done and so few have been accomplished.  One thing I didn't miss this year is Cow Appreciation Day. You can get a free meal at Chick-fil-A just by dressing like a cow!  You can also get just a free entree with a single article of cow apparel or a cow accessory.  Cows are my very favorite animal, I even have them all over my kitchen.  Combine that will a deep love for Chick-fil-A and you have a match made in heaven.  Jimmy was with Parker at therapy so they couldn't come along (Jimmy was a bit relieved!)  My outfit was a bit thrown together, but it did the job.  I have plans to get a bit fancier next year!

We've had mostly great weather the last few weeks and have be able to spend a lot of time outside.  Parker has recently discovered the gaps in the neighbors fence and has become quite the spy.  We know them pretty well, so that makes it less weird!

 I baked up a quick cake on Thursday to celebrate my mom's birthday.  I have cooked some fun meals in the past, but the next week is going to be a bit crazy, so we are postponing it for a bit.

 It makes my heart happy to do just a little thing for her.  She does way more for us than we could ever do for her.

 I love you mom!

 It heated up towards the end of the week so we got the pool up.

 All of us hopped in for a swim on Friday and it was so refreshing!

We planned to spend a lot of time in the pool this weekend, but an overnight storm changed our plans a bit...more on that next time.

Color Run 2015

I did the color run again this year.  Jimmy was planning to do it with me again, but ended up having to work.  I recruited my friend Aubrey and we had a blast.  I was very unprepared so we got a good chance to catch up while walking some of it.

Now we're talking!

 WooHoo, the finish!

At some point between finishing and getting in the car I ended up with a blue face.  I didn't realize it until getting home and seeing the pictures!  I am just glad it washed off easily!  We had a blast and can't wait to do it again next year!

Family Pictures

It has been almost 2 years since our last official family pictures.  The amazing Daisy from Daisy Jane Photography took our pictures again.  We went to Silverwood Park in St. Anthony and I love the way they turned out!  I am impressed with how many great smiles she was able to coax out of him.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we will!