Goodbye Matt....

Matt Giraud was finally sent packing from American Idol last night! I know it seems like ages ago, but there was a moment this season when Simon actually praised Matt for out-singing Danny. After that, it was all downhill for the dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich. But it's not as if Matt didn't try. If anything, it's that he tried too hard. That's right. Instead of sticking to his guns, settling on one musical style, he attempted to be all things to all viewers. And the judges, understandably, raked him over the coals for appearing to be a Ray Charles wannabe one week and a Justin Timberlake clone the next. Tuesday night saw Matt serving up some of his best stuff, cheesy fedora notwithstanding. However, his sensitive, moving version of "My Funny Valentine" didn't influence voters, even despite Simon's pronouncement that the performance was "brilliant." The fact of the matter is that Matt's truly had a roller coaster season.

Those of us here in Kalamazoo, Mich. can't wait to see what the future holds for Matt! We are very proud of him.

Wedding Rings

Don't you think Don would love one of these rings from Superior Wedding Rings!! I totally love this one but OUCH on my pocket book!!! What can I say.....the girls got good taste!

Creative Seating Cards

Here are a few new and creative ideas from Martha.

"Seating" Cards
These tiny chairs may be too small for sitting, but they are the perfect size for displaying guests' names and table numbers. The seats are made from heavyweight paper -- we used pale yellow for ladies and pale green for gents -- and can be calligraphed or run through a printer. Tidy rows, however, won't stay that way if a breeze blows by, so make this an indoor display.

Tented Seating Cards
Tented seating cards are elevated to new heights atop a pillow of carnations. Cut several standard bricks of floral foam in half horizontally, soak in water, and place in shallow plastic flower-box trays. Snip off the carnation heads, leaving a little bit of stem on each, and insert into the foam; each half-brick should hold about two dozen carnations and four seating cards.

Drawn Diagram
Guests skim the alphabetized list at the right of this elegant seating chart to find their table number, then locate their table on the floor plan.

101 DIY Projects

Head over to Stylish Events to check out their list of 101 DIY projects for weddings.

Pretty Bows

To learn how to tie the prettiest bow ever for all that gift-wrapping you might be doing, check out this video!

Giraud Squad

You've only got from 9 to 11 p.m. Tuesday to phone or text in your votes for Kalamazoo "American Idol" finalist Matt Giraud.

Overview: Each contestant is assigned his or her own toll-free number and text-message short-code number. (Those text-messaging must only send the word "VOTE" to the four-digit number.)

Getting the numbers: Contestants' digits are announced during the live-performance shows airing at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on Fox TV. Numbers are not released in advance.
Hours for voting: Phone lines are open only for two hours immediately after the live-performance show.

How many times can you vote? You can vote an unlimited number of times.

Cost to vote Phone calls to "Idol" voting lines are toll-free. If you choose to use a cell phone rather than a land line, note that cell minutes will be used, even though it is toll-free call. Additionally, standard text-message fees will apply for those using AT&T Mobility Text Messaging.

Results show: Airs 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

Can it get any worse?

Went back to the oral surgeons today and I have 2 more dry sockets....that's 3 total!! Seriously, how can this be happening? I have followed my instructions just as they said and I still managed to get dry sockets. The surgeon tells me that "it just happens" but if you want my honest opinion I think IT JUST HAPPENS TO ME!!! I wish I could describe the pain I felt when the surgeon was packing the sockets today but I just don't think there are even words in the dictionary that would describe it. I started crying and when I say crying I mean all out bawling, hiperventilating, screaming.....it was the worst thing I have ever experienced!! At this moment I actually have a tear running down my face just re-living the experience. I have to go back on Friday and get this done again so please pray for me! I just can't imagine going through today's experience again in a couple days, but what can I do?
I'm still unable to eat and the doctor said it will be like this for many weeks to come (which made me cry even harder today). At least I can pray to lose a few pounds from all of this!
Pretty much this has been the Worst Experience EVER.........

Wisdom Update....

Wisdom teeth that is!! Well, at the current hour I am feeling much better than I have the past 48 hours. Day 1 and 2 wasn't that bad. Day 3 was much worse, Day 4 was miserable and Day 5 (today) totally unbearable. I went back to the oral surgeon today and found that I have a dry socket in one of the "openings" so they packed it and sent me on my way. They have taken away my vicodin as a result of severe nausea and vomiting yesterday so I'm back on Ibruprofen for the remainder of the week. I hope that this is the start to my recovery phase. It's been a long haul and it doesn't sound like it's going to be over any time soon. I go back on Thursday to have the gauze removed from the dry socket and then hopefully things will get better.

Thank god for macaroni-n-cheese.............I was able to actually eat something today and it was fantabulous!!!

Happy Monday!

4 wisdom teeth + 1 molar

So not only did they take my 4 wisdom teeth but they also took out one of my molars that was extremely affected by one of my wisdom teeth. Im doing better than I had anticipated so that is good news. I'm thinking that the vicodin has been a god-saver so far. Keep 'em comin!!

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow is "D" day.......

Tomorrow is "D" Day for my wisdom teeth.......adios..........be gone.........good riddance! Now if only I could find that "brave" soul inside of me to tell me everything will be okay! This has to be the most scared I've ever been. I wasn't even 1/2 this nervous when I had my surgery for my cancer. Please say a prayer for me!!

Coolness

How cool is this centerpiece by Colin Cowie? Take clear cellophane paper and jam it into the bottom of a glass cylinder, then top it with cherry tomatoes, more cellophane and more tomatoes. Then fill the cylinder with water (water magnifies the contents). It is stunning!

Custom Boutonnieres

Check out these quirky and fun boutonnieres by Fritts Rosenow. Finally, a "boyish" boutonniere so that your man doesn't have to wear any girly flowers on his jacket. I love that you can custom design to show a bit of his own personality. Plus, it won't wilt after the wedding which means I can hold on to it as a keepsake from our big day.

DIY Photo Lanterns

I'm totally into the idea of anything DIY....this could be a result of my new homeowner status or the fact that I'm planning a wedding on a budget the size of a pea! Check out these photo lanterns. They could be used for anything....girls night, baby shower, wedding, family reunion, etc.

Yummy....

How yummy does this look? If only I could bake.....haha

Losing Sight of the Big Picture

First of all....Mom, this post is for you!! (she told me I hadn't posted anything lately)

Tonight I'm doing another walk thru at McCamly Plaza to look at the ballroom again. My mom is going with me and also my sister Rachel so I can't wait!

And that little note has now led me to the following portion of my post........I'm starting to have extreme anxiety over any and all wedding related issues. I notice that anytime I'm reading a wedding blog or even having thoughts in my head concerning the wedding that my anxiety level takes a huge spike. My first instinct was "Oh God, maybe I'm not ready to get married" then my next was "I can't do this alone maybe I need a wedding planner" which always leads to questions about money and should we wait another year...yada yada yada In the end, I'm finding that I'm actually getting stressed from the un-stated assumption that all brides need to be doing the same things. The things on those dreaded wedding "lists." If you are not doing these things, or worse, if it's never occurred to you to do these things, you might start freaking out wondering what you are doing wrong or can you even do this at all. Not to mention all those "budget worksheets" that totally freak me out when I try to input figures. I've decided that what works for me, might not work for someone else. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm okay with that. I'm okay with someone telling me I spent too much money on a venue. In my opinion, I can't put a price on the fact that my "husband" will be able to roam freely around the room without worries of being in someones way or that he can't get access to someone or something that he wants/needs. I'm okay with the fact that I'm not doing party favors. I also believe that I can feel like a princess in my wedding gown for under $500. And who says that every wedding has to have some magnificant wedding cake? I don't even like cake! And who says that floral centerpieces surrounded by votives are mandatory wedding decor? And why do I need chandeliers hanging from trees? And photographers that cost $3-5K? And who was it that said having a buffet style dinner is innapropriate for a formal wedding? I find that there are certains aspects to the wedding planning process that are very important to me and I will spend my budget accordingly. I want a really, really good DJ. The kind of DJ that people will talk about. The kind of DJ who can keep 100 people dancing all night. The kind of DJ that we beg to stay because no one wants to leave. But that's just me....that's who I am.....and this is MY wedding.

I have found that brides need to find a way to not judge ourselves as we're planning our weddings. The big money, big energy, one perfect day, your big day, the best day of your life, the details really matter concept of a wedding that is taken as gospel in large parts of the wedding world is damaging. It is emotionally warping and is bad news for our sanity, our relationships and our wallets. It takes our eyes off the "prize", it makes us focus on parts of our wedding that don't really matter (like the favors) instead focusing on parts of our wedding that really do matter (the love for our family and friends). I need to find a way to stop thinking "I'm never going to live up to everyone's expectations" or "OMG, I'm not doing this right" or "I want a simple wedding day but it's impossible". I need to step back and realize that I'm going to do this MY way, and that is so much better than doing it someone elses way!

Sorry for the long post, but man it feels good to get that off my chest! Happy Wednesday!