married...

 

see more here...

NIE NIE Benefit Sale TODAY & TOMORROW!!!!

 

go HERE to buy great handmade things (even some by me) and benefit a family in need.

Bend day 5 (AKA day before our wedding...)

Bend day 4

HAPPY 30th JESS!!

Oh man - my aunts and uncle had us in stitches for over an hour with their childhood stories (there were 11 kids)! Such good times! 

TWO DAYS!!

p.s. our photographer has a blog - she usually posts pictures the week following weddings she has shot. this way you can see pictures sooner than we will probably get them to you! 

Bend day 3

all my stress goes to my tummy - these three things help A LOT!

Bend day 2

made these today (all i have to say is I.HATE.FLORAL.TAPE) and enjoyed some dutch.

i heart bend

a day in pictures...

nie embroidery

i've been wanting to do some embroidered wall hangings since i first saw them here. Jenni did some a few weeks ago (i stole the dandelion idea from her) and i was further inspired.  when i heard about the Nie Nie Benefit Sale i thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start a few. I am very proud of them. Grant LOVES the little birdy - i'll have to make him a duplicate soon!

The sale is going to be held on etsy at this little shop on September 23rd and 24th (we will be in Mexico then!) and it looks like there is going to be LOTS of great stuff.

1 week (also known as 7 FREAKIN' DAYS!)

thank the good lord it is finally (almost) here.
im ready to be a married woman and have this wedding behind me.
i'm ready to focus on getting grant through this PhD program so we can move on with our lives.
i'm ready to start christmas crafting.
i'm ready to know where the heck we are going to move.
i'm just READY! and also extremely excited! 

this week has been a whirlwind. i kind of feel like i've run more errands (and subsequently spent more money) than i have ever in my life! but its all done. EVERYTHING that needed to get done before leaving Eugene is done. Well I still have to rework my vows still - but that can be done in Bend. My goal was to have this week be the crazy week so that life can calm a little once I am in Bend and enjoy the week leading up to the wedding.

One of the biggest things of the week was to get the programs finished. I picked them up from kinkos thursday night and got all 132 arranged, binding sewn, and lavendar packets glued in by 2:30am. felt soo good to get them all done and off my chest. our paper stuff is so awesome! i can't wait till i get to show you all of the other stuff jon has made for us!
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a little randomness:

 

 grant caught me in my morning routine - on the couch with my comp and slanket - makes me happy. 

this one is for eric. our spare room/office/craft room has become dissertation central - its VERY overwhelming.

beyond wedding and dissertation craziness - on wednesday my life flashed before my eyes when we took grant to get punctal plugs put in his eyes. here is the story as written in an email to jess...


OK so for the story. wednesday grant had a eye doc appt to get these things called punctal plugs - they put tiny plugs in your tear ducts so they dont drain as well and then keep your eyes more moisturized (he has incredibly dry eyes). i insisted on going with him even though you are fine to drive/ride afterward and it is only a 10 minute procedure - i just didnt want something to happen without being there to take care of him. so we went and all was fine. she put these numbing drops in his eyes and he was saying how he had no reflex to blink. long story short she first tried one that was too big. we waited she got another pack out. got the first one in. he was looking a little weird, but still talking. as she was putting the second one in he looked very odd. he was kind of shaking, and just didnt look right. the lady stepped back (by the way this woman is right out of school like our age-ish) and grant stared straight ahead. he looked really really off. i started talking to him. no response. his eyes were open and he looked like they were focusing. i think what really scared me was the fact that his arms were in a kind of frozen position too - like he had seized up. i was sure he had had a stroke. plus eyes open = scary (but was probably a result of the numbing drops- he had no reflex to close his eyes so he didnt)

the lady kind of said a few things, but didnt seem that concerned. i stood up and started shaking him and trying to get some response out of him. at this point i started to get really scared - which i shouted at the woman and started sobbing while shaking grant and telling him he had to wake up. i swear to god i thought he was dead. i kept talking to him and shouting at the doctor. she finally started calling 911. the sad thing is i was so out of it and beside myself i didnt even check his pulse or breathing. i wouldnt be surprised if he stopped breathing at least - i dont even want to think about his pulse. as she was on the phone with 911 i started to get him aroused. he was clammy, white, and kept asking me why i was so upset (lol - probably some sight to see - your fiance sobbing and screaming in your face when you 'wake up'). after a few minutes he was quite lucid and he wanted to lay down so we moved him to the floor and i put his legs up. the paramedics arrived and checked him out. he pulse was low but BP was fine. they stood him up and both improved even more, as would be expected. so yea. i thought i was a week from my wedding with a dead fiance. i seriously saw this whole life we are planning together be taken in an instant. such a bizarre feeling. we think the passing out or whatever it was was something to do with the numbing drops. He has almost passed out from eye dilating drops before. he said he remembers dreaming that he was in a great place listening to music - isn't that weird?

the only good thing to come out of that experience was the even greater appreciation i gained for what we have. And now we get to celebrate it next saturday!

**i am leaving Eugene today for Portland and head to Bend tomorrow - I'll miss ya'll and the blog. I scheduled a few posts and I may blog here and there from Bend and maybe in mexico (if i take the comp). Otherwise - I'll be back as a married woman in october!! there are so many of you that we wish were going to be at the wedding. just know that we will be thinking of you and will have lots of pictures/video to share! thanks for all the love and support.

PS we are LOVING the new camera so far

stockings? yes, PLEASE!

photo from wee wonderfuls

last year i attempted to make stockings - i completed one and hated it so i think i will start anew this year. i'm thinking these will be PERFECT! i think they are adorable and love the idea of not padding them as this was my least favorite part last year.

PS wee wonderfuls is an awesome blog with lots of cute freebies!

china

this week must be the week of familial generosity, because we just got all of this beautiful antique china in the mail. it is the china that grant's maternal grandmother got for her wedding! she asked us a while ago if we would want it and, of course, we said YES! i LOVE it!! she also handed down her silver and crystal. its all so beautiful! i've never really inherited anything before so it means a lot to have something that was in grant's family for so long. i can't wait to move so we can get it in a china cabinet!!



since i always take pictures at night that turn out crappy here is a picture that more accurately represents the colors and pattern of the china. LOVE it!

Christmas is coming!!

Just bought this kit!!!

could they be any cuter? i can't wait to work on Christmas crafts!!! my goal is a 100% handmade Christmas. We'll see if it happens, but its a good goal. So excited for cold nights in my slanket with a fire roaring and my hubby (he will be this by then) done with his PhD!!!

troubles & new sparkles!

in my drunken haze saturday night i dropped my camera - it now won't focus (as you can see in the previous post) and it has this ugly black thing in the corner of every picture - its very allusive - changing sizes every picture!

wasn't worried at first - just get it fixed, right? nope. that will take weeks and an undisclosed amount of money. F***! i had no choice but to get a new camera - i kind of have a big photo opportunity coming up, ya know?

i really didnt know what to do. i've been eyeing this for MONTHS, but do i get something that nice when i have to use it immediately and have no idea how to use it? do i want that to be my sole camera? a back up point and shoot would be nice. all very frustrating. in the end my 'rents let me pick out whatever i wanted. i chose this point and shoot pictured below (ours is silver though). it was a really good deal, rated really well and will get me through until we can afford the digital SLR.

now that that is settled. i will tell you my other EXCITING news! my sister (well half - sister, but who cares?) emailed last week asking if i would want to wear one of her rings at the wedding. we've never met and she can't make it to the wedding so i was BEYOND excited and honored. the ring is beautiful - and arrived yesterday.. in this cute little box..

its antique (old), borrowed, and full of sapphires (blue) - AWESOME.... see??

its a little big, but the jewelers can put in a little temporary sizer so it will be perfect!! thanks lis!

one step closer

last night we went out to celebrate Grant's last study for his dissertation. it was SO much fun to just go out and get a few drinks with friends. plus i get wasted these days after 1 beer so I'm a cheap date. Gonna have to watch that at the wedding!

two.weeks!

i've been in a little funk this week - i'm hoping its hormonal and not a stress induced mood that won't leave. this whole IUD thing makes it difficult to know what is/isn't hormonal. (thats another story for another day..)

anyway.. back to what i came here to talk about. hmmm... we're going to be MARRIED in two weeks?? weird. i don't feel old enough to be an adult - i'm learning that once you hit a certain point in life you never feel 'old enough' to do whatever it is life expects you to do. but i'm beyond excited and extremely ready for it to be here. i feel like we've been talking about this thing forever - really we have.. its been over a year. how do people have like 10 year engagments??? i'm just hoping the strong desire i haver for it to 'be here' doesn't become a desire for it to just 'be over'. it won't though. that is the aforementioned funk talking...

left to do:

1. another hair trial - i know its getting ridiculous, but for some reason this decision is the ONE that is really freaking me out. up or down, up or down, on and on. oh wait. i've decided UP - it has to be up. two weeks later - i can't do it. i look like a pin head. DOWN it has to be down. and on it goes...

2. print/write placecards

3. print/assemble other paper stuff (all so cool - wait til you see!)

4. make tissue paper pom poms for get away car

5. finish some gifts and thank yous

6. finalize rental pick up/drop off times

7. make a bracelet

8. do some research on cabo - outline what to do there. get used to the idea of being 9 days with out computer... still not sure if i can part with it, but i know it will be good for me.

9. meet with day of coordinator

10. make 400 desserts

11. finalize everything else.

12. PACK - that is a big one. i leave eugene next saturday (Sept 13th) and don't return until after our honeymoon (Oct 1st). and those of you who have traveled with me know i am a horrible over packer - should be interesting.

pray i get out of this funk...

and i thought it couldn't get any better...

photo from pimpstitch

embroidery ROCKS.

and now i know how to color it in. check out this awesome tutorial. i just think it makes little embroidered scenes look soo much better!

i need to get my booty in gear and transfer some designs so i can do this on my honeymoon!

vintage linens

remember when i went to boston and told ya'll i got some vintage stuff? well i just got around to washing, ironing (although you can't tell), and photographing it. i left one of the table runners i got with my aunt as well as an amazing silk print of a woman nursing her baby (she will bring them out when she comes to the wedding).

this is a tea towel that matches the napkin below (set of 5 napkins from my aunt's stash!)

this one is just so sweet. i'm not even sure if it is actually old, but i love it.

LOVE the colors in this one!

**every time i post pictures these days i want to apologize...not only does my camera kind of suck, but our apartment gets the WORST light no matter what time of day but really im just too lazy to even attempt to edit most pictures. so you'll have to deal =)