An Extraordinary Saturday: First Look

We got in trouble for kissing.

An Extraordinary Saturday: Pull Harder, Mom

Great, we have bulletproof hair.  But did the dress zip? 

An Extraordinary Saturday: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Moving on to the actual wedding day, my hair makes me look like a Flock of Seagulls roadie and the barn decorating crew discovers that the chair covers are missing. 

(Posting forwarding links is really just for my amusement at this point, right?)

An Extraordinary Saturday: Rain and a Rickrolled Rehearsal

The recaps continue over there wtih rain and a rickrolled rehearsal.

An Extraordinary Saturday: DIY Florals

I hate to do this, but it's too labor-intensive to post recaps both here and there.  There was easier for me... so I hope you don't mind too much clicking over for the first installment of recaps, a dry and fact-filled tale of DIY floral arranging.

coming soon!

Today the mail brought me these!  Beautifully packaged sets of discs from Bow Tie Photography.  You know what that means... recaps!

This is going to be fun.   Anything in particular you want to know about?

Ordinary Saturdays

Blogfriends, it's time.  The eventual wedding is over.  Time to move on.  Within a few weeks I will have pictures to illustrate my wedding stories, which may be where I leave some of you.  For the few of you interested in life after wedding, it starts with a wedding-day story.

I mentioned before that DJ and I wrote letters to each other, to be kept secret and read at the ceremony by friends of ours.  Our officiant kept his homily a surprise as well.  We, along with many well-wishing cards, referenced the same idea.  We all fixed on the same thought, a theme that came first from DJ's proposal.  Ring in hand, he said that loved our ordinary Saturdays, and asked me to spend mine with him.

So, of course.  Ordinary Saturdays.  The next chapter in my bad-neighboring, bacon-eating, project-starting, fun-running, recipe-ignoring life.  See you there?

gifts for the ladies

The wedding is over and the gifts have been given, now I can talk about them! Deciding on gifts for the bridesmaids was both fun and nervewracking. I was afraid the gifts would seem self-serving, since they were very wedding-related. DJ kept telling me it would be fine, but I kept worrying about it.
Each girl got a hatbox, tied with satin ribbon. Inside the hatbox was a pair of earrings, a monogrammed pocket mirror, and a clutch purse lined in green silk. The clutches were handmade by me; which could be sweet or not, depending on how you see it.
Fortunately they all liked their gifts - at least enough to wear the earrings and carry the clutches for the wedding.

For the purses, I used this tutorial and purse frames from Etsy. The most difficult parts were testing the pattern (twice! use cheap fabric first!) and gluing the fabric to the frame (buy at least one extra frame and don't rush yourself.)

My mom's gift was sentimental. She had inherited a pearl ring from her mother (my Grandma Julia), which she loved and wore frequently. Several years ago it went missing when she moved, and since then she's said many times how sad she was to have lost it.

The potential cuteness of replacing it was irresistible - recovering something you thought you'd lost for good - so I went antiquing, and hunted down a very similar ring of the same era. It came to me boxless, so I threaded it on a ribbon in a small box full of moss, along with a note explaining the lost and found idea. My mom loved it, and it's even the right size. Perfect.

How did you choose gifts for your bridesmaids? Were you nervous about it?

the honeymoon is over

After the wedding, DJ and I dropped our dog at his parents' house and drove to Michigan.
We napped. We watched movies. We ate pie from a farmstand. We screwed up the zoom on the camera. I went for one single pathetic three mile run up and down the main road past our B&B.
We went antiquing. I bought a silverplate champagne bucket. DJ held tiny things in his enormous hands to make me laugh.

We spent an afternoon in St. Joseph, and killed an hour reading over hot chocolate.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant that was a resort in the 1930's, now tucked quietly in a residential neighborhood along the lakeshore. It was delicious.

We also went wine tasting. I didn't know that Michigan had vineyards, but it does. Trivia: it's on the same latitude as Washington State, and roughly the same as the south of France. Different soil and weather, of course - but lots of grapes.

DJ's aunt and uncle gave us a stellar wedding gift. They arranged for our B&B to pack a picnic basket (with wine!) and deliver gift certificates to three nearby wineries.

This aunt and uncle actually got married at Round Barn several years ago. They no longer host weddings, but they have excellent wine, and recently also vodka and beer. (Try the cocoa stout. Trust me.)

On our last day we had an amazing lunch at Tabor Hill's restaurant.

We ordered polenta fries with truffled aioli, and a lobster-scallop "cigar" with a sweet/spicy dipping sauce. Those were just the appetizers, then we had lunch!

We finally figured out the camera zoom.

So now we're newlyweds. Newlyweds with two cases of Michigan wine in the guest bedroom. That ought to get us through the first few days weeks months.

kitchen logic

If you want to make buttermilk ice cream, you will have a dozen leftover egg whites. So then you'll decide to make angel food cake, which is oversold as a fat-free dessert. Of course you will start thinking that cake would be delicious with buttermilk ice cream.

Also, you might not own a tube pan (nor really want a tube pan) and decide it might be fine to try a silicone bundt pan instead. Inadvisable. We may be having angel food french toast for breakfast tomorrow.

worth it

Over 21 months of planning, I don't know how many married women told me that they should have eloped. Too much trouble, didn't turn out like they wanted, etc. It makes you wonder if the wedding is really worth it.

Sure, if DJ and I had eloped we would be just as married as we are now. (whee!) But if you're in the throes of catering decisions and floral insecurities, know that the party may be worth it. Really worth it.

(photo from a guest with my camera)

Here I am, dancing with Kid A. My older-younger brother. He is not always well enough to dance, and that night he was all over the dance floor. In all of the problems and trials of life, there we are - dancing badly, kids shaking off joyful energy. So, it's worth it. It might be. I hope it is for you, it was for me.

yes I said yes I will Yes

We're married! (To each other, as DJ likes to clarify.) It was absolutely wonderful, I wouldn't change a thing.

(Snapshot from my camera, probably taken by a bridesmaid.)

DIY flowers: I did it!

At 9:30 in the morning the FedEx guy wished me a happy marriage. He left three boxes; two deceptively narrow, one the size of a small coffin.

Thirteen hours later...
(There are a few more pieces, including one big mama of a bouquet for me.) I'll tell you all about it in a week or so. I'm off to get married! I have had such a good time at EAD, getting advice about veils and family struggles and enjoying all of your ideas. After 21 months of I have an idea and I think I could make that, it's all happening!

Although, at the moment I am most excited about handing my bouquet to Katie so I can hold DJ's hands. Walking back down the aisle together. Sneaking glances at his hand with a ring on it. Doing the stand-and-sway to a sappy song. Celebrating a life ten years in the making, and worth every minute.

words of love

During our ceremony, two of our friends (a happily married couple) will read letters that DJ and I have written to/about each other. She will read what I wrote, he will read what DJ wrote. We are not sharing our letters with each other before the ceremony, so it might be a very nice and genuine moment.

But then we had this discussion over e-mail.

Me: I’m excited to hear what you wrote. Unless you are going to have {friend} get up there and yell WHO FANCY NOW! Because that would be stealing my idea.
DJ: You can have “Who fancy now.” {Friend} is going to holler “Who gonna check me, boo?” and do the head shake thing that goes with it.

We are a very romantic couple.

trial run

There was another bride at the salon on Saturday, with her mom and bridesmaids. They were sipping mimosas and enjoying bagels with the stylists, taking turns having their hair done. The bride had a pretty veil and really cute short hair, super shiny and full of volume. There she is in the corner behind me - bride and bride-in-training.
I really liked how my hair turned out for the test run. But it didn't stay "up" very well, partly because I have a ton of unruly hair, partly because it had been messed with too much, and partly because it needed better pins. Those pins shaped like a U never work for me - do they for anyone? I need the grippy ones you have to pry open, and an entire can of hairspray.

Your Colors are PINK and PINK

Here's the last of the difficult questions. Hairstyle chosen, menu approved, timeline set, song list delivered. But what color will I paint my fingernails?

Dear Future Julia,

Please stop buying neutral nail polishes. You have too many, and you are not very good with minor decisions.

xoxo,

Julia

yes, we have no bananas

This morning I was wide awake at 5:30. Like a kid on Christmas. I must be excited about today - hair trial (still seems funny to have a test run for hair), last dress fitting, and tonight is my bachelorette party!

I was dressed and ready to go by 6:15, with two hours to kill before leaving. So I cleaned the kitchen, top to bottom, and I have my eye on dusting the living room next. I could really use some of this productivity in my everyday life.

There was a minor hitch in the plan this week, when I found out that the garden roses I ordered from Fifty Flowers aren't available this week. The same thing happened to Abbie, I believe - probably the same roses, too. Flowers are always iffy, so I wasn't really surprised. They offered me my pick of the other flowers, and when I couldn't decide between two varieties, they split my order into half of each kind. Which was nice of them.

I care less about the substitution than how difficult it was to get an answer - it took about two hours on hold, four separate calls, two e-mails, and over 24 hours to find out whether my second choices were available. Maybe not their fault, but it was frustrating. All will be forgiven if the flowers show up on time and pretty, though.

If you were the Baltic Sea and I were a cup

Humor me, I'm dated. More or less intentionally.

I listened to Mike Dougherty sing Janine over and over the first summer that DJ and I were re-dating. It was 2006. I was 25. It was exactly the right sound for how I felt then, and now it takes me back. To 25 and humid lake breezes and the agonizing wait from Wednesday to Friday.

We hadn't yet told our families, but Katie and Chloe had already heard quite a bit and thought it was promising. I thought so too.


The sleepless lyrics made me feel romantic about my insomniac habits (since reformed.) But the thing that really stuck, really resonated with me then, was being so besotted with someone that you couldn't get enough. In that respect, not much has changed.

for clean sheets or dirty dishes, as long as we both shall live

You all had fun weekend plans, thanks for sharing. If you have fun Monday plans, I would like to know about those too - but I think most of us are less excited for Monday.

Today I ran three miles in twenty six minutes. That's pretty quick for me. But it also means that I had only twenty six minutes of exercise. So am I fast or lazy? I asked DJ, and he said fast. But I think he's biased.

Before that, yet another makeup artist tried to give me a "smoky eye." This was the best one yet, but I'm uncomfortable with it. On me, it feels like trying too hard. I don't like trying too hard (or at all.) I forgot to take a picture before my run. Now it's definitely not a good look.

I've also been writing our ceremony. It's difficult, since "Do you take this man to be your beneficiary" doesn't have the most romantic ring to it. True, though.

tradeoffs

On the one hand, running 25+ miles a week goes a long way towards nice legs (and good cholesterol, and reasonable blood pressure blah blah blah).

On the other, my feet are hideous and no pedicure can really fix that.

Weekend: DJ and I are going to eat French food and see about that spun sugar cake topper. Then I have a hair appointment. Then we are going to teach Kid B how to shop for groceries, since apparently he's been living off fast food for seven months. Oh, to have the metabolism of a 21-year-old; then I wouldn't have such ugly running feet.

What are your weekend plans?

brideface

Ever since I decided not to hire a makeup artist I've been paying a little extra attention to brides with great makeup.

Brideface is written by a makeup artist from Cincinnati, Ohio. She posts some gorgeous beauty shots. Lots of polished but very fresh faces, great inspiration for those of us with one elbow propped on the bathroom counter while attempting a straight run of liner.

Bloomers, Again

Remember that time my mom gave me bloomers at my bridal shower? Well. There's more to that story.

If you need context, Harriet the Spy is one of my dearest imaginary friends. I've known her since the days of Diaryland, where I called myself Fairlywell. (You know, as in: How are you? I am Fairlywell.") Years and years ago we made the leap from imaginary to real friends, and now we bike together and (apparently) tell stories about each others' underwear purchases. I have no shame; this is absolutely the funniest thing that's ever happened to me.

still obsessed with puffy veils

This one seen on Audrey Hepburn. I resemble Katharine more than Audrey (and still not that much), but I'll take style cues from either.

(Audrey Hepburn Library via Weddingbee)

In just a few weeks I'll be wearing my own puffy veil. I'm looking forward to so many things, every moment I think of a new one. It's so close now, I can hardly wait.

bustle me!

When I told my brother (Kid A) that my dress needed a bustle, he thought we were talking about this:
Boys! Love them to pieces.

I scheduled my dress fittings as close to the wedding as possible. I like to live dangerously - but really, three weeks seemed like plenty of time.

I asked the seamstress to replicate this bustle. It looks to me like little waves lapping around the hem of her dress.

(Style Me Pretty)

I think the train on my dress must be a bit longer than hers, because I ended up with more volume. Still pretty, but different. DJ's mom came with me to the fitting, and she was super-concerned that DJ not see the dress until the big day. So if you would like a sneak peek (and are not DJ), click here.

Where the Wild Things Are {Seated}

Once we had all the RSVP's in, DJ's mom helped me finish this project. She has pretty, scripty handwriting, much better than my ugly scrawl. The bronze rectangles are mini envelopes, each with a couple or guest's name written on the back. Inside each is a picture of a book cover corresponding to their table assignment. Like Memory! for adults with wine in hand.

(remember these?)

The board above is not the same as the one in my previous post. Yep, I screwed up. The other one wasn't big enough for all the cards, so I had to start over. But it all worked out for the best - the too-small board recently became part of a different project!

Right after I snapped that picture DJ helped me wrap the whole thing in plastic. Hopefully Elizabeth will appreciate at least one project with minimal setup required!

things that work

As soon as I wrote about the things that were bothering me, they stopped bothering me. They haven't gone away, and probably they'll bother me again. But thanks for the free therapy!

I do have one more small problem. I've been really good about getting to the gym for a while now. My treadmill jaunts are showing the effort, too. Today I ran my four miles after work, and it was a good one. Everything felt good, I kept my pace without getting tired, no shinsplints.

Then I came home to this. DJ grilled burgers (with bacon and gouda and stone-ground mustard) and asparagus for dinner.

I have a dress fitting on Saturday, but I was helpless to the burger. I can't resist DJ's cooking. My life is sooooo hard.

more down than up

Liz asked how I am feeling as the wedding comes closer. Well, Liz. To be honest, this is not the easiest week. Saturday was the deadline for RSVP cards, and there were several disappointments. Several people I have considered dear friends never replied at all. Which has made me feel a little delusional about the state of those relationships.

(I realize that I may be taking it all too seriously. Don't worry, I am not doing anything about it. Compounding awkwardness is never the answer.)

We did hear from my grandma, finally, after five weeks of waiting. My estranged father's mother. We have been close in the past, until I stopped speaking to my father - although she did come to my bridal shower. For the wedding, she checked "decline." No note. I know exactly why, and it is a sad thing. All of it.

Things are still difficult with my mom. It's sad and embarassing, and I'm spending all kinds of time trying to schedule the wedding day so the difficulties won't be apparent to everyone else. Because I don't want to feel difficult and sad on my wedding day.

I'm having a hard time reconciling those relationship woes with the happiness and excitement of having rings, a marriage license, and exactly the right person for me. That's how I'm feeling.

license, rings, ceremony

On Friday DJ and I went to the Lake County courthouse to apply for our marriage license. There were two other couples ahead of us in line, one obviously pregnant. They asked how the Saturday courthouse ceremonies worked. The sheriff behind the desk replied that first everyone arrested Friday night posts bail. Then the judge is available for marriage ceremonies. There is a little bit of romance in that, I suppose.

My wedding band arrived last week, and I tried it on for fit. It's perfect. DJ's hands are so large that he's ordered his in the largest size available, and is still having it made nearly a full size larger. His great grandfather, so they say, wore a wedding ring big enough to pass a quarter through the center - although he was only five foot five. I love family lore.

We went to my boss' wedding on Saturday, under the first sunny skies all week. Between ceremony and reception we wandered Lincoln Park, where a woman offered to take our picture. Well, most of our picture. I like it anyway.

I was a good guest and a terrible wedding spy, observing more than snapping my camera. They are sweet together, and it was a good party. I meant to take pictures, but it didn't seem right at the moment and I really enjoyed just being a guest.

books and their covers

DJ has been watching me do crazy things for months now. Like covering books in kraft paper. In a bit of kismet, I found this bit of validation just as I finished faux-titling my set.

(source)

Except my writing with a paint pen was a little more haphazard than these.

Julia gets help

I am the girl with all of the projects. I haven't even told you about some of them yet because I was afraid. We have friends and family to help, but I wasn't sure how smoothly that would run without some serious planning from me. I've actually ranked them so that some could be jettisoned from the plan, if necessary.

A few weeks ago DJ's mom (who early on volunteered to coordinate the day) admitted that she was worried. Worried that she wouldn't be able to see the ceremony from inside the barn. Our ceremony is (knock on wood) outdoors. DJ's mom. This was not okay! Our wedding was turning into a Cindermama situation, which is a lousy way to start with the in-laws.

Fortunately I'd been talking to Elizabeth of Anticipation Events in Chicago. The first thing I knew about her was that she writes a really friendly, professional e-mail. The second thing was that her resume is impressive. I mean, really impressive. Don't take my word for it, go look. I'm sure it's true, she also gave me references. References. She's done some big stuff, my little wedding is not going to be any challenge. (Although I did send her a five page document of instructions. I was honestly surprised to hear from her after that, but I did - less than a day later.)

She made the haul out to see the Barn on a Saturday, to take notes and ask astute questions, and I feel so much better now. I mentioned lemons, she said to bring a knife and she'd chop them. I mentioned candles, she asked if I knew the burn time. Love that. It took her a matter of minutes to charm the socks off the Barn's manager, who tends to be... not charming.

I've held off on talking about most of my vendors until I see how it goes. I'd rather not mention them if it goes badly, you know. But Elizabeth already did half of her job - I feel relaxed and excited. Full of anticipation, like the name says.

Anyway, I'd like to do something nice for Elizabeth. If you were my day of coordinator, what sort of gesture of appreciation would make you forget the five-page e-mail?

Yesterday the project that has been slowly killing my soul for two years (but especially the last two months) finally wrapped. Reports signed, party attended, files archived.

It worked out neatly at the 30 day mark - but I had nothing to do with that, I would have loved to have been clear of it a long time ago.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is - hey, internet! I've missed you! I have so much to tell you!

Kid B turns 21 and learns an important lesson

Last night we celebrated Kid B's 21st birthday. He is a trusting kid - he left his Facebook open during the party. Bad move, Kid B! Several of us took advantage of the situation.
Fortunately he was too busy enjoying his birthday cake to be overly concerned. Happy birthday, Kid B! May you never again forget to close your browser!

DIY thank you cards

About a month ago I made thank you cards. Lots and lots of them. With lined envelopes, of course. I love sending paper cards. Writing them feels a little decadent, and opening the mailbox to a pretty envelope makes my day. Some of my friends send wonderful mail, so I have a set standard already.
I again used the pewter design from our invitations, and a calligraphed "Thank You" drawn by my talented friend Amy. Then it occurred to me to snag our return address from our keepsake invitation envelope.

There's an easy trick to that kind of piracy: take a high-quality digital photo, as straight-on as you can. Then use any photo editing software to up the contrast and brightness until you have a clean image of the text. Amy didn't mind because it saved her a bit of (unpaid) work; don't assume your calligrapher will feel the same way! I definitely suggest asking permission first. A few Gocco screens and much embossing powder later, I was very excited about writing notes. Which made it easier to knock the shower ones out right away. There's a small trick to the embossing, too. Right after a Gocco press, shake embossing powder over the wet ink. Flick off the extra, and set it aside. When you run out of table space, fire up the embossing gun for the whole batch.

What did you do for thank you notes? Do you think it's impolite to print Thank You on the front? Some people do. You can say so, I don't mind - I'm still blissed over the calligraphy.

an odd set of angles and uneven sides

Now and then I hesitate to share my favorite songs because I'm afraid that they'll become less mine. Then I remember that I'm not all that on the edge of things.

Aberfeldy - Love is an Arrow.

form over function

We had to change a small piece of the plan this week. A while ago DJ asked our caterer if she could put together an iced tea and lemonade table to have out before the ceremony. We were thinking that in September (even late September) you never know what you'll get for weather, so a cold beverage might be nice. She's fantastic, always quick on the yes. So, yes. We can have a table of drinks, and she'd be happy to coordinate the rentals.

This is what I was thinking:

(shoestring home)

Or possibly this:

(style me pretty)

But! This is the type of container available for rent:

Full bride stop. Oh no, I said to DJ. That will never do. I'm such a snob lately. But really, I wouldn't want these for a party at my house either. Does that make it any better? Probably not. At any rate, we're working on a new, less insulated plan.

liberal conservative

My mom thinks that I am too conservative. I am not sure how it happened, but it has. It's especially surprising because I was raised by conservative, religious parents. No jeans, skirts above the knee, or two piece swimsuits.

My mom would say that she really only needed a good pair of navy trousers, a pair of khaki pants, a black skirt, and various primary colored sweaters. She meant it, but the story her closets tell now is different. Vibrant and interesting. A strong shift in perspective.

Before my senior prom I secretly bought a pair of thong underwear, to avoid lines under my bias-cut dress. They were the granniest thong underwear possible. A full-coverage thong. My mom found it in my dresser and I thought it was the end of the world.

These days I wear two-piece swimsuits from time to time, often wear jeans, and hesitate about skirt length based mainly on my age, profession, and muscle tone. DJ and I live together and are not (yet) married. And my mother thinks that I am too conservative.

Which may be fair, since I don't go "out" often, wear turtleneck sweaters all winter, and don't mind the occasional grocery store ma'am. But all that was true ten years ago, too.

We are not relating well to each other right now. In the stages of life we are out of sync. Sometimes I wonder if we would get along well if she were the same now as she was then. Probably not. I’m too liberal for the mother of my teens, and too conservative for the mother of my twenties. There must have been a moment when the intersection was perfect, but it passed. I feel bad about that, too.

I feel bad

I feel bad because I don’t really need these shiny wonderful gifts, but I really really want them. I would like to make a rule (arbitrary, of course) that any household with less than two full incomes may not give wedding presents with monetary value, because I feel bad.

I feel bad because after a hard-knocks sort of childhood, my mom is lavishing me with gifts. I don’t need gifts, but I am happy to have it all going in the right direction and the gifts are a tangible indicator. Still, I want her to spend money on herself and have the things she never had, so I feel bad.

I feel bad because everyone is buying new clothes because of the wedding. I want to tell them that it’s okay, they can come as they are. Of course they are excited and want to be shiny and new and they can make their own adult decisions. But I feel bad.

I feel bad because my single friends are celebrating my extraordinary luck in finding DJ. Which is great, it was amazing luck. But I already have the prize, and it would be okay to celebrate something that was not a line in the sand between us, so I feel bad.

Anyone else feel bad? I’m too cheap to pay for therapy at the moment, but some commiseration would be nice.

ladies' luncheon: bake me a cake!

I have been making cookie dough and cakes and mashed potatoes with my old mixer. Actually, DJ makes the mashed potatoes. Our division of labor is usually based on talent, not fairness. His mashed potatoes are incredible. But I have a reputation for cake and cookies.
My mixer is a Sunbeam, probably from the late 60's. It came from a garage sale when I was setting up my first kitchen. The finish is wearing off the beaters a bit. It's been used a few times.
It's done a good job, but it's headed for the Goodwill. Because DJ's mom gave us the much-coveted Kitchen Aid. (DJ says mashedpotatoeswillbesomucheasierthaaaanksMOM!)
I love it. (Slightly less than I love DJ.) Everyone at the shower was shocked that I didn't already have one. Which I think means that I bake too much. Now, remember this! When I go for my dress fittings in September and it won't zip, this is what happened. Feel free to point and laugh.

ladies' luncheon: hostess gifts

I put together a little thank you for each of my bridal shower hostesses. They wouldn't let me help with anything at all, so I went shopping. Each bag had Philosophy Red Velvet Cake shower gel, pink pomegranate soap, and two fancy chocolate bars. I wrote a note on paper left over from printing wedding invitations: Thank you for the sweet shower... Enjoy these sweets with your next shower! I know, not original. And cheesy. But like I'm always saying while shamelessly copying, the classics are the classics for a reason. Also, I think I'm addicted to lining envelopes. Is there a support group for this?

evidence

Ladieeees. Not to belabor the point, but my sister sent over some pictures she took with her camera at the shower. And... hee.
Bloomers! See, I wouldn't lie to you.

ladies luncheon: great idea

One of my shower gifts was so sweet and creative that I had to share.
On a stack of recipe cards that match my kitchen (it's the details, right?) were handwritten recipes along with stories of their significance.

"The Best Chocolate Cake" was an office treat - and surprise, low in fat! "First Dinner Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust" was dessert for the first dinner she cooked for her husband while they were dating. "Monk Bread" was a family favorite, from a monastery in New Mexico. "Crazy Conductor Cappucino Brownies" carry fond memories of a choral conductor. "Grandma's Sugar + Spice Cookies" look very much like my Grandma Julia's molasses cookie recipe - I will have to compare them side by side.

It's a sweet idea. A little ::something borrowed:: for my kitchen!

ladies' luncheon: memorable gifts

You may remember that my mom wanted to give me lingerie "for the wedding night." After a short conversation with her it seemed like we were on the same page. Some kind of sweet nightgown or slip, time of actual wearing TBD. Like this:
So I wasn't surprised to open a box from her to find a pile of white silk.

Nightgown! More see-through than I'd like, especially to open in front of DJ's young cousins and my grandma - but, okay!

Robe! Ah, that addresses the see-through issue.

But wait, there's a second box. The card said "from Mamoo and Papa," my grandparents. Both gone for years now. My mom started to tear up, so I assumed that this was a deeply sentimental gift.

I'm a deeply sentimental girl. Lower lip quivering and all. So you can imagine my surprise to find...

Bloomers.

XL, transparent bloomers. What do you think about that, Julia?

(To be fair, XL is probably the correct size. For me. In BLOOMERS.)

Really. True story.

(All photos from my camera except the nightgown and bloomers. Source unknown for the nightgown. Bloomers here.)