You're my cuppycake

Currently I’m going through an intense “I want to be a baker” phase. And by baker I mean anything related to cakes, cupcakes, cake balls, cookies, pies, …pretty much any dessert that is made by way of oven…

Problem – I’m working with a less than fully stocked kitchen of cake decorating supplies and kitchenware…oh and my artistry skills (which are of paramount importance when it comes to creating cute icing and or chocolate coating flourishes and or tiny fondant flowers and animals) are a little on the elementary side…and by elementary … I mean that a second grader could probably do it better than me.

I really aspire to be like Martha Stewart – not in that whole jailed for insider trading felony conviction way – but that perfect hostess with the mostess way

Again – problem
Unlike Martha – I’m working on a cheapskate budget…out of my home in Etown (not my summer place in the Hamptons) – and unlike Martha I have little time and less talent to create such classic and creative treats ...oh and one more thing… I lack a little skill called patience and I’m not sure if my ambition level is high enough to take me to perfect gourmet hostess status as quickly as I would like

I’m the kind of person who if it doesn’t work for me the first time I’m pretty much over it. You can ask the husband – he’s already seen me try three or four new talent ventures that have completely fallen by the wayside – the one nite I tried calligraphy and it looked like I was learning to print again – I decided that it was over…and don’t even get me started on puzzles…

So I tried to think of something do that I actually really know that I enjoy already – taking pictures was an option until I saw that the camera I wanted costs a little over $2500.00 – and as a good steward of our finances – I immediately thought – gosh that would buy like multiple coach bags and new shoes – and then I thought – we better save that for another day

My absolutely dream life is still a serious fantasy land where I am the perfect housewife with a spotlessly clean house and have dinner waiting on Eddie everyday when he comes home from a hard day’s work. Like I said – fantasy (for him and me both lol). I would love to try out endless recipes and host fabulous dinner parties (come home D!!) for my friends. But yeah back to reality – professional housewifing aside…what else do I like to do?

I love to bake…and I love to wear aprons…and I love pretty things… so I wanted to bake pretty things
I’m not really a good cook – but I would go out on a limb and say I’m a pretty good baker – as far as I know no one has died yet from eating anything that I’ve whipped up

I can make an absolutely amazing box-mix cupcake …really…you have probably not tasted any that are finer … :) kidding

Just like when we were working on McNest (which by the way – it’s still not done…but that’s a post for another day)…and I loved looking at home magazines…now I just find that I want to dive inside the pages of all of these fabulous food magazines, online blogs, and cookbooks…I want to make beautiful desserts for lovely weddings…or birthday parties…or for no special reason at all … just to do it

But my creative energy usually stops at the page and the idea…

This time though – I’m not going to just throw in the apron…haha :)
I think we’ll venture to Hobby Lobby and get a book and maybe some little decorating starter sets to play with.

Luckily Eddie works with a fab bunch of people who are not afraid to try whatever I happen to send to their break room. Honestly – I have my very own focus group (how’s that for remembering a Marketing 101 term)!

Somebody is a slacker

and that somebody is me...I really should blog
and want to blog
it's just that i don't know what to blog about :)

To love, honor, and launder

Since becoming a newlywed over a month ago and subsequently moving into McNest, I’ve found myself discovering my inner housewife. Let’s just say I’m no June Cleaver (though I bet wearing some of those retro dresses would help)…but I have to say I am making great strides. I may only cook adequately at best (that’s a whole other blog) and my housekeeping skills are probably somewhere around subpar, but I do look really cute in an apron and I can bake great cupcakes.

My main problem is that there’s little to nothing that can rid me of any ounce of motivation I may possess as quickly as the thought of doing housework. I see the daily to-do list growing around me (the rug needs to be vacuumed, floors swept, floors mopped, toilet (ew) cleaned, dishes washed….yet I always suddenly find it of utmost importance and urgency that I do something else…such as anything other than housework. A nap, a sodoku puzzle, painting my nails, or watching episodes of the Cosby Show or John & Kate + 8 that my husband has lovingly recorded for me on that little miracle we call DVR. I bet if June Cleaver had Dish Satellite and DVR in the 50’s her kitchen wouldn’t have been clean either and I’m willing to wager that she would have had a few piles of laundry that hadn’t been washed too!

I’ve yet to find the ironing board to be a thing of beauty, but I do have to say I haven’t really hated doing anything around the house other than hand washing a few dishes every now and then that apparently aren’t dishwasher safe (which by the way – no company should be allowed to produce and market anything that isn’t dishwasher safe). And my hands…my poor hands just aren’t used to all of the cleaning product they have been subject to. But I digress…

Then there’s the laundry. Since I didn’t want to head down to the creek with a washboard, I’ve also done a few (or more than a few) loads of laundry at McNest as well. Who knew two people went thru so many towels and shirts in a week’s time.

I did my own laundry when I lived at 260 (my parents house). I figured that when Eddie and I moved in together – my laundry would double (and I was ok with that). I’m an accountant so I can totally do simple math – one plus one equals two. However I was completely unaware that once married there is a very complicated exponential equation and some sort of scientific phenomenon (thoughts Lisa?) that occur when we combine our tshirts and towels into the hamper. My laundry plus Eddie’s laundry does not equal double laundry – instead it equals quadruple laundry.

Our towels are huge so they are one load by themselves. Then there are jeans and darks…whites…then of course I have my own special “cold wash” wardrobe as well. Lucky for me Eddie actually does help fold all the clothes when they are done. It helps when I drag the laundry basket into the den and he can fold and watch tv at the same time. You’ll be happy to know (people at Sharp) that after one unfortunate incident I have yet to find any of Eddie’s clothes on the floor in the laundry room. I give him an A+ for remembering that dirty clothes belong in the hamper! Good job babe :)

I’m starting to wonder if instead of my perfume I smell like Downy fabric softener since I’m in the laundry room so much. Before long I’ll probly be a strand of pearls away from becoming Mrs. Cleaver herself! Which by the way Mr. Hanson - I would be down with a set of my own pearls! Ha Ha!

McWedding - When 2 become 1

Thought you might like to see a little summary of our favorite day :)
The quality isn't as stellar as if you were watching the actual high def dvd - because we had to do a little converting and youtube-ing to actually get it on here...but you'll get the picture!
PS - you'll definitely need some highspeed internet before you watch it...you may even want to pause it while it loads and then click play to avoid all of the buffering...
oh and just so you know if you're at work - it's about 10 minutes long...



If you don't see the embedded video above click here.
We're beyond blessed to have the kind of talented friends that can create and produce this amazing videography. Marc and Celia - we love you and thank you so so much for the video!

Newlyw/Ed

So we’ve joined the ranks of those before us and have now entered into the world of the “so how’s married life” question. We’ve heard it more than a few times already and it hasn’t even been three weeks. So far our answer has been this…”married life is great” … and it is. What’s not great about a nice ceremony…followed by a celebration with family…and then a week off of work…err.. I mean honeymoon!

Don’t worry…we realize there will be trials ahead (it can’t all be perfect right?), but for right now…we really are enjoying the “honeymoon phase.”

I’m also really enjoying looking at all of the photos from the wedding. Now if you know me (and you probly do if you are reading this blog) I am VERY picky about pictures – I sort of have a good picture side and well…yeah…you get the point. I imagined that I would either love or hate all of the pictures. Well guess what…I love them. I can’t stop looking at them. Not because I think I look so pretty in all of them…but because I look so happy…oh and that I heart looking at my hot husband as well.

The candid shots I have from my friends and family and the professional photos from Jeff Hall are one of the greatest reminders of what I’m calling the best day of my life …so far. I mean really…who wouldn’t love a stream of well wishers and smiles coming into my little “getting ready room”…all of the “you look so pretty” and “aww” comments.

I felt like one of those brides from some small tribe in the remote parts of the world…on the National Geographic channel where she’s in a hut and everybody comes in and covers her with mud or face paint and sing to her– because it’s a special tradition and they love her…except no one put mud on me…but they did love me.

It was much fun to have an entire day devoted to everyone being super nice to me! I have many sarcastic friends but on that day – it was all happiness and heartfelt love – less snarkiness. Nice touch girls. Nice touch! And my mom and friends didn’t even have to use that soft, reserved voice that people use when they are talking to someone crazy or irrational. I was neither crazy or irrational! I wasn’t even nervous…I was just waiting. The waiting got hard about ten minutes til time to walk down the aisle. I think I was just ready to see him…see Eddie. And when I started walking down the aisle, he is all I did see.

Our wedding day – the day I have dreamed of for a long time – was in a word…perfect. From the perfect weather we were blessed with to the smallest details…everything came together just right. We wanted the day to be about our love and not a lot of fuss

There were a few agreed upon ideas about what we wanted in a wedding. A small intimate ceremony was at the top of the list. Not only would I have had to carry a barf bag down the aisle had we married in front of more than our handful of guests – I would have been a nervous wreck for months before worrying about all who were attending and not focusing on the important things – like what color shoes I would wear or how we would do my hair. Kidding.

We also wanted a beautiful place to say our vows and boy did we ever get that dream come true. The chapel at the Cliffs was amazing and beautiful. Most importantly, we wanted our wedding to be about two things our love for God and our love for each other. Once we established that it was pretty easy to figure out everything else.

Though I imagined I would be so nervous when I woke up and get car sick on the way up – I didn’t. I actually felt really good – and didn’t even need the ginger ale and saltine crackers that were available for my consumption and sanity.

Though Regina did try to force me to eat a little so that I would not pass out at the altar. She even stuck a peppermint in my mouth to ensure that I wouldn’t pass out from low blood sugar once I got to the altar and to make sure my breath was kissable fresh. Like Dionne says, “That’s what friends are for!” Love ya RKB!

Getting ready was much fun. RKB, Alicia and Shay were there to make me laugh and make me smile and keep my mind occupied. Karen did a super fabulous job on my hair – as always! And we know I heart having pretty hair.

Thankful.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about our wedding day. I am and eternally will be thankful to God for blessing me with such an amazing friend, husband, love. He is perfect for me. He is different from me. He’s a whole lot like him and I actually love him for it. :) Not only does he complete me (not in that Jerry Maguire kind of way) but he complements me as well.

Not compliment in the the “you look hot” way (well he does that too)…but complement… in the way that our two parts make up the whole – our strengths and weaknesses balance each other out. Yes…I’ll admit I’m not always perfect…and brace yourselves…I have faults and weaknesses . But Eddie balances my faults and weaknesses out with his strengths and I like to think that I do the same for him.

Did you know that I am completely, ridiculously, madly in love with my husband? I like him better than I like all of you combined…and I like all of you a whole lot. I am no longer daydreaming about what my husband will be like…I can just reach over and touch his fingers or mess with his hair. I can either pinch me or pinch him and no matter which one I do it to – it’s still real.

When the wedding ceremony was all said and done, we were exhausted but deliriously pleased with everything. I think I said “we’re married” many times (just in case he was unaware of the reason I had him dress up in a tux and put a ring on my finger…) through the day. It wasn’t just a dream…it was reality…it is reality… and it is better than I could have ever imagined.