- Oh Happy Daze

decisions decisions

so… I’m kind of over this whole wedding planning thing.
part of me just wants someone else to do it for me.
the other part of me knows that i do have an image in my head of what i want our day to look like
…and nobody can make it happen like i want but me
(me, and maybe my mom, she pretty much knows what’s in my head)
type A you think?
don’t answer that.
——————————–
anyway, since I’m back to wedding planning (haha, just a quick 2 minute hiatus to vent)
I am on the hunt for bridesmaids dresses.
I would love for my girls to have this dress from JCrew
but i don’t love the price tag…. EEK!

I refuse to make my girls pay a bundle…
and the more casual plan for our wedding lends itself to more casual attire…
which means hopefully a lower price tag.
Today I was getting my blogger fix and I stopped over at 2713mornings
They are hosting a giveaway from a company called Mikarose
 
I had never heard of them, but the good little sheep that I am, I followed the link on over 
They have some super cute dresses that aren’t too revealing; 
I didn’t see the word “mini” or “low rise” anywhere!
What do you think about this dress for my bridesmaids?
Is it too casual?
I love the brown, and it looks SO comfy!
maybe I’m just in love with her shoes…
hmm… I just don’t know!!!!!
- Oh Happy Daze

can Jade come out to play?

If you are at all like me… keeping anything plantlike alive is a supernatural feat from God.
There are only two green thumbs in my family… and my grandma and my mum have hogged them both!

 Fortunately for me, when God was creating each flower and plant
He decided to throw in a few that are “user friendly”.
Meet Jade.

 She’s the tall trunky one in the back. (is trunky a word?)

Pay not attention to her other friends (Aloe, Jade Jr., and Christmas cactus).
We’ll talk about them another day.

 Let’s get to know Jade a little bit:

Jade is a succulent.
Jade likes neglect.
Don’t pamper her too much, she won’t respond well to it.

 That being said, you do need to time your neglect according to HER schedule.
that’s the only tricky part… fortunately she’s forgiving.

In the spring and summer: 
                   – Jade can venture outside once the threat of frost has passed… 
                               you’ll be the best judge of this depending on the region you live in. 
                   (Here in Virginia, I was able to move them out in mid-march).
                   –  Give her a good soaking once a week.
                   –  Let the soil dry out completely before you water again.
* This works well for me, because I frequently neglect all household chores for a few days, then get everything done in one fell swoop…. including slooshing water on all my plants in frivolous amounts (i spare no expense on the water slooshing).
In the fall and winter:
                   – Water once every 2 weeks
                   – This is when Jade goes dormant, so she won’t be growing.
                             (but she also won’t be needing water)
                   – Your Jade might flower in the winter months, like a Christmas cactus.
                            (if the conditions are right and the plant is mature enough…
                             I haven’t been blessed with this occurrence yet – I count myself lucky that she’s still green!)
Rooting a Jade:
                 – To root your Jade, simple trim off a stem(s)
                 – Set the stems aside for a few weeks so the ends can “scab” over
                 – Plop those fellas in a small pot, kind of crammed in.
                 – Water ’em and sun em’ like they’re adult Jades
*please don’t judge the condition of my soil… I have re-potting on the to-do list.. I swear!
*** Disclaimer:  um… I’m not a plant expert, nor do I want to be. I just have a jade plant that I am proud of because she hasn’t croaked yet… so that’s where my experience comes from. I’m just sayin’.

- Oh Happy Daze

Looking for THE dress?

calling all future brides…  LISTEN UP!
I don’t get on a soapbox very often (er…pay no attention to my last post)
anyway
I wanted to share my “dress finding” experience with you all… 
because it was SO easy, and SO much fun
AND
SO within budget!!!
as you may know, Mr. and I are having a small-ish backyard wedding
(actually not so small if you look at our guest list; but that post will have to come on another day)
the point is, we are on a budget!
With all of the wedding shows on tv these days..
the experience of looking for “the dress” has been hyped up.
I bet it is a fantastically wonderful experience to visit Kleinfeld Bridal
and when you find “the dress”
I bet bells chime, choirs sing, and maybe they even release doves into the air…
magical

    
            

However, for most DIY brides, a trip to Kleinfelds isn’t in the budget.
so where do you turn?

bum bum bum BUM….
CONSIGNMENT!!!

(yippee, I love that word!)

Here’s my reasoning:

   (–> enter side-note soapbox)

1. Personally, I am not interested in having the “typical” wedding gown.
         my wedding is going to be outside.
         in the yard.
how silly would it look if everything about my wedding was sweet and simple… but my dress was puffy enough to fit 5 small children under and the train was 2 miles long?
that just doesn’t go with the flow!
             *Yes, you can find simple at David’s Bridal… but they just didn’t have what I was looking for
                            (or not for very cheaply at least) 
2. You wear your wedding dress for one day. There, I said it. ONE DAY PEOPLE! Only one stinkin’ day!
         Side-story:  my sister’s wedding dress (sorry Mel), is chillin’, preserved in a 3ft box – taking up space in MY closet!!!   (harumpf!)   Never to be worn again.
Times have changed. Daughters don’t wear the gowns their mothers were married in.

Commence actual blog post about my dress finding experience –>

Want to get a sneak peek at my dress?

too bad, you can’t see it! Actually, I’d love to share its beauty with all of you, but Mr. is way too internet savvy and he’d probably take a sneak peek as well…

NO WAY JOSE!

however, I will share the story of how I found “The Dress”:

I wanted to check out several consignment shops in the area so my mom and I made a day of it.
This was the first stop.

Blush is located in Newport News… so any of you South-Eastern Virginia Gals… go check it out!

It’s the cutest little place.
Kind of small, but they also carry bridesmaids, flower girl, and mother of the bride dresses.

*Just make sure you have the right mindset when you head to your first bridal consignment place.
This isn’t shopping at Carolina Herrera.
What you see is what you get.
They can’t get things in different sizes and different colors.
“Only one” means… only one.

but, if you keep an open mind and plan well in advance so you can stop in several shops, several different times until you find “the one“…

then your hard work will be rewarded!

The first one I tried on was perfect.
A few sizes too big, but simple and different!

In perfect condition, except for a few teeny tiny, itsy bitsy dirt marks on the very bottom hem.
I wasn’t worried because I knew about 3 inches would have to be hemmed off the bottom anyway.

My mum, the smart thinker that she is, mentioned it to the owner though, and the owner knocked the price down even more!
No bargaining, no arguing… just friendly talk about the stains πŸ™‚

Just to be safe, I tried on the seven other dresses I had pulled, then came back to this one.
Since I still wasn’t 100% sure…
My mom and I went to a different consignment shop after lunch… just to make sure I wasn’t missing out.

I wasn’t worried about having a “moment” were you realize THIS IS IT!!!
I know my own fickle mind well enough that I knew I had to exhaust my options to be completely satisfied I had truly gotten “the dress”.

Turns out the first one I tried on really was the one… so we snatched it up!

This is me (duh) carrying “the dress” out to the car.

So… in my opinion, if you want to make smart decisions with your wedding budget one of the biggest things you can save on is the dress…
think consignment!

I’m just sayin’

- Oh Happy Daze

The simple truth about stress!

“My grace is sufficient for you, 
My power is made perfect in your weakness.
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, 
so that Christ’s power may rest on me”.
2 Corinthians 12:9

I feel like I need to share this verse with you all.

I know I am not the only person in the world who is type A and stresses over every last detail of anything.
My fiance says if I ever stop worrying for one second I’ll die… 
or maybe I’ve stopped worrying because I have died!
This is nothing new for me, it seems I’ve always been this way…
however, lately (maybe the past 6 months or so) my anxiety seems to consume me.
Every minute of every day.
I lay awake for hours every night… thinking… of anything and everything:
what will happen tomorrow
what I need to do to prepare for tomorrow
what might happen tomorrow
what happened today, yesterday, last week
what could have happened today, yesterday, last week
about having everything just perfect
about job interviews
about approaching deadlines
about people’s first impressions of me
and on and on and on.
This is not a healthy habit, and this has been something I have been praying about for a long time.
We’ve all heard these verses before:
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Matthew 6:27
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 
Each day has enough trouble of its own”.
Matthew 6:34
I’ve read these a thousand times, underlined them in my bible, highlighted them, prayed about them…
but I’m sad to admit that I still continue to worry, and things have gotten worse;
even sadder still, I now know the reason why God hasn’t answered my “prayers”
Yes, I have prayed for God to give me peace and take away my incessant worrying…
but I know I didn’t actually mean it. 
not 100%
As much as I stress out, I still couldn’t let go of everything.
I love my calendar; I live by it.
I love planning ahead; I constantly strive for it.
I love being in control; I thrive by it.

I didn’t think I could turn over ALL of that to God.
how foolish.

this isn’t the way God calls us to live, because:
1. Worrying and stress cause mental and physical illness and exhaustion. I know I experience this almost every day; headaches, stomach aches, indigestion, nausea….all from stressing and worrying of menial details of life.
2. Worrying means a lack of trust in God. God created the earth we live on. He knows the number if the starts and He is the one who taught them how to shine. He created the birds of the air and provides for them each and every day. He loves us even more than the earth and the stars and the birds … so how much more do you think He has in store for us? and how much more can He and will He provide for us?
    And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?   
    Matthew 6:30 (NLT)
    Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 
     Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
     
     I hope this gives you a different perspective. 
    I have already seen a difference in my level of stress and anxiety.
    As you continue through your day, keep in mind the purpose we have on this earth.
    To be in it not of it.
    Suddenly, the fact that I’m sitting in traffic or that my schedule isn’t going as planned doesn’t seem so terrible after all. All of these things we enjoy are EXTRAS. Let’s focus our time on things that will last for eternity… souls. This earth and everything in it is temporary… why spend another minute worrying about temporary things?!