christmas time is here

life is so hectic and busy right now that i may not have a ton of time to post, so here's a little something to put you in the christmas mood. my dad found this on youtube and i was so excited i had to share it. it's a animated video to what just may be my favorite song on sufjan steven's christmas album (we ordered it and it's on back order and i can not wait till it arrives. i got a bootleg copy last christmas and along with the listener and dust's christmas record, that's all i listened to for weeks. so definitely check that and watch this!

how am i supposed to get anything done in life when all i want to do is research tropical honeymoon locations and surf the internet for travel ideas? it's less than 6 months and this weekend i make a big step and move out of my lovely little apt into my gracious friends beautiful home to save money till the wedding. i'm ready. too bad the unpacked boxes aren't as ready as my mind is.

lovely days

that's all. these are just lovely days.

this is my little wedding book. it's really a journal that my lovely friend lorien gave me for my birthday this year. i love the colors and flowers so much and the cover is actually a lovely silky fabric. so i decided to use this as my organizer since i don't like all the big bulky ones in the stores. this one goes with me everywhere these days. it's got scribbles and notes and ideas and inspirations and phone numbers and budgets and lists and prices and even a little drawing or two in it now. we also purchased this wedding software to keep our guest list, budget and other details organized. i think we are on track now. we have a place, we have a budget and we have alot of ideas. my mom is flying up soon to help me look for a dress. there are a million more decisions to be made, but i am loving every minute of it.

this is it

after a month of research, a few tears and at least one melt down...my overanalytical self and my ever patient fiance finally decided on the loveliest of all lovely churches for our wedding and found what in our minds is the coolest idea ever for a downtown reception. i can't give out all the details to the world wide web, but suffice it to say....we are very excited. :)

dollhouse

there it was. perfectly preserved. a little slice of my childhood i had totally forgotten about. i was wandering through an antique mall on a sunday afternoon and came across this old barbie dollhouse tucked under a table and out of the way. i had this exact one. my grandmother bought it for me at a yard sale. i loved it then and i love it now. it came with a house full of furniture and folded up into a little cube that you could take with you. i do remember mine starting to fall apart and the plastic cracking. this one is in mint condition, just sitting there waiting to be purchased. i wonder what ever happened to my old one. it's funny how seeing a toy like this can take you back in time.

loveliness part 2

just another something for my wish list in life. this gorgeous little china set of dishes with red and silver. it's on sale now at my favorite little anqtique mall.

early thanksgiving

today i just feel so blessed that it's bursting out of me and has to spill out somewhere. i am so thankful for my amazing and adoreable fiance', for my wonderful parents whose love just keeps going beyond what i ever dreamed, for my future family with the kind of mother and father inlaw that one could only hope and pray to have with such kind hearts, and for a community of friends that i am convinced are like no other. thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, but i am celebrating early.

nablopomo

i'm in
nablopomo

by the skin of my teeth and who knows if i'll make it to the end

inspirations

this little blue bird card from good on paper




this bit of vintage fabric from the blogof designer lena corwin, as well as her gorgeous wedding featured in martha stewart weddings summer '06 issue. i found these photos of the lovely event on flickr featuring "artfully mismatched fabrics and crockery".

knitted wedding

check it out, it's a wedding made of yarn. even. the food. seriously.
check it

i'm looking forward to this

last year two christmas cd's filled my ears with delicious christmas sounds so nice i made them both my exclusive music for the season. the christmas cd from the listener & dust was one of them. i just found got a nice little promo email on myspace saying that this year the duo is going on a christmas tour with promises of fresh music, hot cocoa and bad sweaters. sounds good to me! here are the tour dates, i'm going to do my level best to make it to the ohio show.*

FR 12/1 - Jacksonville, FL
SA 12/2 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
SU 12/3 - Tampa, FL
MO 12/4 - Macon, GA
TU 12/5 - Nashville, TN
WE 12/6 - Louisville, KY
TH 12/7 - Cincinnati, OH
FR 12/8 - Butler, PA
SA 12/9 - Holland, MI
SU 12/10 - Fort Wayne, IN
MO 12/11 - Muncie, IN
TU 12/12 - St. Louis, MO
WE 12/13 - Springfield, MO

*i stole that phrase 'i'll do my level best' from my friend robert in amsterdam. i love the way it sounds. 'level best'. that's like better than best.

location, location, location

my first big task in this wedding planning whirlwind is to find the venue. it is definitely more of a challenge than i had thought. there are soooo many places. of course, alot get ruled out quickly due to the price or the location or even just the decor. i am trying to be creative since we are on a limited budget. today we looked at gorgeous church downtown. we are trying to have the reception and wedding in the same place if possible. so we are trying to find a unique location or a church near downtown that has a fellowship hall big enough for dancing and a reception. i would love to find an art gallery or loft type space, but the more i look the more i think that's just a pipe dream. honestly, no matter where it is, i know it's going to be wonderful. however, i think i understand more know why they tell you to prioritize and determine what things at the wedding matter most to you. outside of the spiritual aspect, the LOVE aspect and the music.....i guess location is a big deal to me. it seems to me if we find the right place, it will just make everything come together so much more smoothly. suggestions anyone?

and so it begins...

ok, all you lovelies that read my blog. the planning is in full force. my brain is going 800 miles an hour thinking of cakes, venues, catering, dresses, decorations and the works. it's funny how quickly the planning start once you are engaged. everyone has different ideas and plans for you. i love it all. it's so much fun!

so i am calling out to you married ladies out there and i asking for your advice and ideas. what do you wish you had done differently? what did you learn the hard way? what did you do right that you loved. i want to hear it all.

will this turn into a bridal blog? that's what's on my brain so chances are that's going to come up alot in all my conversations for the next 7 months till the lovely day we have picked out, may 19th, 2007. i can't wait! :)

here's the wedding blog/sites that i am reading and enjoying with some thrown in that aren't dedicated to weddings but have written about their own weddings with beautiful style, if you know of others that are a must see let me know:

something old something new

wedding register

wedding bee

oh joy

cupcakes on a monday


there are more, but i will save them for another day.....
back to researching venues!

we're engaged!!

we're engaged, originally uploaded by goldiestereo.

it's official! he proposed and i, of course, said YES!

steps

not goodbye but see you later to old friends, hello to long lost loved ones, taking deep breaths, quitting jobs and beginning a brand, brand new kind of job, stopping, closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, feeling the cool breeze, hearing the wind in the trees, seasons changing, breathing some more, letting go of stress, taking new steps.

sweetness

my birthday cake, >.

to sum it up....
it was fabulous.
there was a romantic dinner for two at spagio , followed a week later by a small dinner party hosted by zabs and
nathan and irene. this incredible (and when i say incredible i mean incredible) cake from the famous mrs. goodman's bakery with melt in your mouth icing and lemon raspberry filling, flowers, presents too pretty to unwrap, a box filled to the brim that seemed to have no end with treasures from my mom from earrings and stationary to the sweetest little biue bird tea cups and all manner of delightful goodness, wonderful phone calls and messages from old friends, cards that are still hanging on my wall for me to enjoy just a little while longer, the best lemon pound cake in the world during a wonderful labor day trip to my dad's by the ocean where i also received wonderful gifts and more nostalgic vinyl that i'll tell you about another day, a delightful lunch and pedicure with my friend rachael, a wonderful dinner with my friend lorien and more presents and hillarious cards.

there was too much really, i am blessed beyond description. it's too much love for me to fathom. i don't know if i am spoiled rotten or just the luckiest girl in the world.

then to top it all off, my boyfriend spent days making me what may be the world's only yacht rock soundtrack....no, not just cd's with every single song from the entire series in order....but the vinyl records to go with it so that i own what may also be the world's only true yacht rock vinyl collection.

it was one of my favorite birthdays ever in life.

i can feel it coming.

it's creeping up, slowly but surely. today i can really feel it in the wind that blows past me from my open window. the tree outside, the one that acts as a signal for all the seasons is starting to show tips of orangey red on the once bright green leaves. there may be some more days to come of indian summer but i know autumn is coming. i can feel it. it's my favorite season of all.

calling all retro loving readers

my dad is cleaning out his storage and if you are like me, you want to be around when a guys who has spent his whole life working in the music business starts selling off some of his memorabilia. it's like the yard sale of my dreams. the good news is you can be there, through the magic of the internet and a little site called ebay. check it out
here

there are some old records and more to come, a johnny mathis business card holder, vintage radio promo pieces....just all sorts of neat stuff. there are some beautiful antique perfume bottle as well passed down from a legendary aunt in our family in the 1920's. he's still cleaning things out, so i am sure there will be more to come.