A little inspiration...

Candice shared this video with me this weekend and I wanted to share it with you guys.  Wouldn't it be nice if more people loved their life like this precious little girl??

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Happy Birthday dear friend!  I hope it is everything you wish it to be!  You're a wonderful friend, beautiful on the inside and out, and I am so thankful to be your roomie!  I love you!

Invitations

Welcome back to Wedding Wednesday the only thing I can find time to post about these days!  Following with last week's Save the Dates topic, this week we're talking about the good ol' invitations.  Again, a shameless plug for Morgan Printers, there are tons and tons of great invitations for your vieweing and ordering pleasure at http://www.morganprinters.cceasy.com/.  Just sayin'.

I found a few that match our color scheme and are viable options.  I really like the pocket fold invitations - you know, the kind that has a little pocket that holds all the loose cards and such (RSVP, directions, out of town guests information, reception card) because they seem so neat and orderly, which totally fits my Type A personality as you know.  However, finding a pocket fold invitation in light blue has been a difficult task.  Alas, here are four options.  You know the drill, pick your favorite and vote in this week's poll at the top of my sidebar.

Option 1:  Cute, clean, and crisp invitation with perfect light blue color and sophisticated black ribbon tie.

Option 2:  Classic white and pale green invitation with all the traditional elements folded and tied up in a perfect little package.

Option 3:  Fancy and modern, this pale blue and white invitation fits the color scheme and adds unique flair with its floral embellishments.

Option 4: Modern and fresh, this invitation is a clean look with pale green or pale blue text.

Ready, set, vote! 

Last week's poll showed that almost all of you think Save the Dates are necessary  (all but two lone voters actually).  One vote for unnecessary and one for undecided.  Well then!

Other news on the wedding front - yesterday marked the one year and one month countdown!  Woot woot!  We've decided on a DJ but haven't made a deposit yet.  It came down to a local radio/advertising personality, John Moore, who has done business with the printers and is very well-known, but is a bit on the pricey side, and Steven Dail, a lesser known and less experienced DJ that has a better price, but we had some tiny concerns after meeting with him.  Hard decision, but we finally made it!  More on who we picked after the deposit has been mailed and the DJ is officially booked.

Up next on The To Do List - meet with the photographer, choose a cake baker/maker, and work on a guests list...

Question - When does Parker pick out suits/tuxedos for him and the guys?  6 months?  Sooner?  Later?  I have no idea.

Save the Date

Update:  Ooopsy daisy!  I thought I had this scheduled for Wednesday morning at 12 AM... sorry about that!

Hello friends!  Welcome back to Wedding Wednesday where all things wedding are discussed, debated, and decided!  This week's topic is, as you can tell by the post title, Save the Dates.

Using Save the Dates is a fairly recent trend that is usually unnecesary, but it adds a nice personal touch to the planning period.  They are useful if the bride and groom are inviting family and friends from out-of-town so vacation notifications and hotel reservations can be made in plenty of time.  However, if you're worried about the budget, cutting STDs (you know that you just giggled when you read S-T-Ds) and all the stamps needed to send them can save you a lot of money.  If you really want to send them, you could limit them to your closest friends and family.  In my case, however, my closest friends and family already know the date because we've told them personally and most live close by.  Sometimes you can find really great deals, like my friend Georgina did, and order them online.  Sometimes you can get them for free + the cost of shipping!

You can find some really cute ones from Morgan Printers... I know, I know, shameless plug (it's Parker's family's company for those of you who didn't know), but I mean it, they have some really great Save the Dates!!  All the ones in the spread above are from them!  No, I do not get paid for saying this :) Haha!

Do you like Save the Dates?  Did you send them out for your wedding?  Do you plan to if you're not already married?  Vote in this week's poll!!

Also, if you do send them out, how early do you send them?  Just wondering...

Last week's poll results show that Line/group dances are the favorite for receptions.  Not far behind is beach music and easy listening.  A tie for third place is R&B and country.  Finally, pop, rock, and other tied with one vote a piece.  Who voted for other and what other did you have in mind??

Wallpaper Removal 101

Parker & I spent three nights this week pulling down wallpaper in our kitchen.  Three nights!  The kitchen is tiny and it should not have taken that long!!  I cannot tell you how many times I thought to myself, "Wallpaper is a dumb idea!!  Who decided to put this hideous wallpaper up in the kitchen??!!"  I mean, really, wallpaper is not a good idea, especially in a small kitchen with lots of nooks and crannies.  It must have been a nightmare to put up, which is probably why it was still there... until we came along.

That is the only real "before" picture I have because we had the leak from the refrigerater valve and our fridge was in the middle of the floor when I took "before" pictures.


In the process, we learned a few things about removing wallpaper:

1. Besides requiring a lot of patience, wallpaper removal requires a squirt bottle, water and DIF (or any other adhesive breakdown spray - I've heard water/vinegar or fabric softener works also, but I've never tried either), scrapers... and twice as much time as you think you'll need.

2. Spray the DIF and let it sit for a bit and then spray it again.  Spray the area that you'll be working on next when you spray the area you're working on now.  Always spray ahead of the work area.  Make sense?  The more you spray, the easier it is. You can never use too much.

3. If you're pulling down multiple layers like we did, do one layer at a time.  It stinks and it takes more time, but you'll make less mistakes.  If you're taking down paper from sheetrock that wasn't primed before the paper was put up... it's really going to make you crazy you're probably going to rip some sheetrock layers apart.  If you do, its not the end of the world, you can fix it later.


What we wish we had thought about beforehand...

1. Start in an inconspicuous place (ie. behind the fridge, over a doorway, etc.) to get your practice in before ripping apart the most obvious areas.

2. If the bottom layer is smooth or has been up for 25 years or more just prime over it. 

3. If it looks like the countertops/cabinets/etc. were put in after a layer of wallpaper, score the paper with a knife to avoid pulling up caulk or having small bits of paper stuck behind the cabinets.

These lists are more or less for myself to refer back to when we start pulling down the wallpaper in the guest bathroom... which will be in a few months because I can only take but so much at a time.  :)  Any other suggestions/advice would be warmly accepted :) :) :)

Last but not least, a "during" picture so you can be glad you spent your weekend doing something besides taking down wallpaper.  Haha!  Fortunately, we did get a break in the middle of the day on Saturday to go to my sweet little cousin's 3rd birthday party.  Happy Birthday Walker!

Next on The To Do List - Sheetrock repair, priming & painting walls & cabinets!  Don't hold your breath for a post about that.  Haha

Graduation Day

Now that I've been a Carolina alumnus for about a week, I figured I should post about graduation.  :)  The day turned out to be gorgeous - perfect weather and temperature.  A great day for graduation and Mother's Day!

Parker took lots of great pictures with my camera.  He snapped the photo above that looks like Lauren & I are looking at the camera, but really, we were trying to find my family in the sea of people!  Can you find us??

John Grisham, the author of many popular legal thrillers, was the speaker, and he did a great job.

His speech was hilarious, entertaining, and not a typical "go and make something great of yourself" pep-talk.  I loved it.  My favorite part was hearing the Clef Hangers (& Chancellor Holden Thorp) sing James Taylor's "I'm Going to Carolina in My Mind," one of my favorite songs.



I had many special guests including Grandma, Aunt Kay & her sweet family, Granddaddy, and of course Mom, Dad, Weston, and Parker.  It means so much that these special people shared in this memory.

Of course Weston had to break the seriousness of all the formal pictures by trying to tickle Dad in the middle of our family picture.  :)

I cannot believe how grown Weston looks in this picture.  He is almost as tall as I am (I know that isn't saying much)!!  Don't worry, that hot chocolate all over his shirt proves he's still a kid at heart.

Last but not least, the handsome photographer! :)

My official degree is a Bachelor of Arts in History with a concentration in American History, Graduate with Distinction.

I'll be working in Greenville at the pharmacy until mid June when I start my Master of Arts in Teaching.  ONE more year!

Reception Music

Welcome back to Wedding Wednesday!  Yes, I know it's Thursday, but I've been so busy!!  A couple weeks ago we discussed ceremony music, so it is only fitting that we talk about reception music.  Parker & I met with a potential DJ last week, and he gave us a great list of "First Dance" songs.  It is so hard to decide on songs!  I don't really want a sappy country song and we're not really booty dancing people... we like to shag, slow dance, salsa... you know, real dancing - not what all those young folks do these days HAHA.  We want to do something Grandma won't have a heart attack over - so Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" will not do.  :)  "At Last" by Etta James seems appropriate, because it's pretty much how I'll feel after waiting 7 and half years to dance with Parker as his wife.  Decisions, decisions!!

We've narrowed the DJ down to two - one has a big local reputation, we like him, but his price is a little high and we've heard a few negative reviews (along with a lot of great ones).  The other is the right price, less-known, and comes with great recommendations... but we we have a few reservations after meeting with him.  Tough choice.

Fortunately, one thing we do know is what kind of music we want.  :) 

That brings me to this weeks poll question - what kind of music do you like to hear at wedding receptions??

Last week's poll results show that most of you think seating arrangements are okay, but not for you.  A few of you "hate 'em" and one loner "loves 'em."  I say "loner" only because I know who it was and I want to pick on her... LOVE YOU LBC!!

What does your fridge say about you?

So everytime I go to the fridge to get something, I get a kick out of the momentos we (my roomates and I) have chosen to display.  If your fridge was a representation of you, what would it say?

Our fridge has an assortment of artwork, calendars, pictures, good grades, sudoku solutions, and appliance directions.  If our fridge represented us it would say that we are close-knit.



We are family. HAHA - We got mail, its legit, remember?  Not only that, but our guys are close-knit too.



That picture of Parker & Cory cracks me up every time!!  The assortment of kid's artwork also indicates our love for children that 3 out of 4 of us babysit and the 4th volunteers at an elementary school every week.



We have funny magnets that represent our light heartedness and sense of humor, like this one:

Of course, they do represent us in more literal ways also.  :)  These magnets have the important job of holding up our good grades!  Here in the Chambers' family household, 70s are good grades!  If its passing, its good!  We're so proud! :)  No, really.  Especially since its on a test about nucleophilic acyl substitutions and such - I mean what does that even mean??!!??  And Carolina claims that grades are inflated - puh-lease!

Finally, directions to our most important appliances are clearly posted.

And let me tell you, the Mr. Coffee Tea Maker is VERY important.

What does your fridge say about you?

Our First Home - The Before Pics

Welcome to our first home!  I'm so excited that it makes me wish that Parker & I were getting married this June so I wouldn't have to wait another year before I could move in!  Hopefully it won't turn into too much of a bachelor pad before then.  :)  Anyways...  Saturday morning I woke up bright and early for two final exams.  Then I hopped into my car and drove to Greenville to start cleaning and moving furniture.  Please excuse our mess and the terrible quality of the following pictures :)

The entrance to our sweet little condo in all it's brown glory - Ha!

The living room with a chair, a couch, and a lot of other junk   :)  Don't worry, we're not leaving it like this!

The kitchen table area, minus the kitchen table.

The master bedroom (from a weird angle - sorry about that)

The master bath, also from a weird angle...

The guest bedroom/office space/where all our junk is right now.

Another bathroom with wonderful wallpaper.

I would show you the kitchen, but the fridge is in the middle of the floor because, well, we had a leak.

The valve for the fridge had a leak that we noticed Saturday night - as we we're cleaning the guest bedroom and noticed that the carpet was wet.  Oh yeah, we also met our downstairs neighbor when she came up to tell us she had noticed water marks on her ceiling.  Great, right?  We had the plumber come (yay for home warranties) and the inspector/realtor is paying for the service charge and we'll see what happens with the home insurance/repairs.

Yesterday when I left, most of the furniture was moved in, everything was clean, kitchen cabinets were lined with shelf paper, and the kitchen was partially stocked.  On The To Do List: paint the trim, paint the walls, take down wall paper, paint the cabinets, make some curtains... and about 100 other things!  Important thing is that we now have a home!!

A special thanks to Candice & Jacob who helped us clean Saturday night, brought their awesome Kirby vacuum (which they got used for $200 -  what a deal!), and dined with us on the floor in our dining area.  Haha!  Love you guys! 

Assigned Seating?

Hello sweet blog readers!  I bet that you thought that I had forgotten Wedding Wednesday, but don't worry - here it is!  Better late than never, eh?  This week's topic is Reception Seating.  Even though Parker & I are having a sit down meal, we're not having assigned seating - I mean, let's be honest here - we're having fried chicken, and fried chicken doesn't exactly warrant escort cards if you know what I mean... :)  Ha! 

But, that doesn't mean that I don't love the look of creative escort cards and table numbers.  It's just something about the lines, uniformity, repetition, and organization.  It definitely appeals to my Type A personality.  I mean just look at this:

Doesn't it make you want to decide whether Aunt Susie should sit near your crazy friend from high school or your co-worker's husband??  No?  Ok, me neither.  Seating arrangements = not for me...  but, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love every minute of creating an escort card presentation/display thing-ama-jiggy.  Maybe I'll do the table numbers just for looks :)  What do you think??

This week's poll question is - How do you feel about seating arrangements?

Last week's poll showed that "When I Say I Do" is the clear favorite for the unity candle song, but "Be Thou My Vision" also got a couple votes.  Hmm... we might just use both! ;-)

That's all I have for this week!  You'll have to forgive me - I've been in the middle of exams and getting our condo cleaned and move-in ready!  Pictures to come, but don't hold your breath 'cause it might be a couple days and I wouldn't want you to pass out.  :)