Wedding activities

Let's face it, weddings can be boring. I'm not talking about the ceremony itself; that usually only lasts about 20 minutes, anyway. What's boring is all the sitting around after the ceremony and during the reception. I know the two recent weddings I've been to, I was bored to death just sitting around waiting to get a chance to talk to the people we came to honor anyway. So I've come up wth a few solutions:

Moonbounce! (DUH)

Holy crap, that's a huge Jenga! That was my favorite game when I was a child.

Croquet? It would definitely make for some funny pictures, and we do have room for it.

Horseshoes could be fun, though I'm absolutely terrible at it. Of course, in this area we really should have cornhole.

And my ABSOLUTE favorite idea so far:

CRAYONS! There are no words for how happy coloring at my wedding would make me. =D

Centerpiece ideas

I went on a wedding-blog-reading spree last night. It's been so long since I could stand seeing or talking about anything involving weddings. For a month there I was feeling overwhelmed and kept getting a sinking feeling every time I tried to stoke my creativity with wedding porn. There's still so much to do and so little time to do it, but I think I'm ready to get back to work on it.

My first step will be researching flowers since I've officially decided to take care of my own bouquets/boutonnieres/centerpieces. People have told me it's crazy, but I want laid back, simple arrangements and it would be easier to achieve that by not having a professional do them. Plus I'll be saving a lot of money. And, one of my secret dream jobs was as a florist, so now I can take a crack at it. It will be a bit of a task but I think I'll be OK, at least with the help of my friends. Right, guys?

Anyway, here is some wedding porn involving centerpieces and flowers.

I've already talked about my love of twine, but I think I also like the look of plain craft paper. It's clean and simple.

Right now, the only flower besides Calla Lilies that I know I want are Craspedia or Billy Ball's. I think they have amazing shape and are the right yellow pop I've been looking for. The bouquet featured in the top right of the above collage is so perfect. I love those white flowers in there. They look like mini-daisies and I MUST know what there. I guess that's something I'll need to be researching as well.

Finally, I think this is an awesome idea. I've already considered having lemonade as a beverage. Slicing limes and lemons into the bottom of a few vases/mason jars would look awesome and carry my color scheme into everything. Plus the smell would be so fresh!

It's been awhile since I've posted. Since my failed run at NaBloPoMo in June, it has been very difficult to talk myself into bothering with blogging. To be truthful, the NaBloPoMo debacle isn't the reason I've been sporadic. While I could blame working (which is a small part) or spending time with the puppy (who is now a year old), I have to admit that it mostly has to do with the simple act of writing. Having spent such a long period of my life with only one goal in mind (to record my thoughts and observations on paper and, later, on the interwebs), it is hard to admit that I rarely have the strong urge to write anymore. I think I've been purposely pressing that innate urge down (because, really, we cannot change our true selves so easily) and so choosing not to write so that I won't miss it so much.

In any case, I am not promising that I am back for good or that I will even compose another post in the near future. What I can promise is that I will be trying to figure myself out more and so I may feel the need to record those explorations here.

For now, I will share a photo that best reveals how Travis has (finally) decided to dress the groomsmen:

"Michigan Farm Style Wedding," Weddingchicks.com

Essentially, Travis would like all his men to wear whatever suit they have and then the same color tie (or bowtie, in Graham's case). I happen to think it actually looks cool, but then I don't usually focus on matching things. So I hope that little wedding tidbit will hold you over until I am able to share more.

A quick and easy breakfast

This was literally the first "meal" I made as a child and it was a stand-by all through middle school and high school, when I would often have to get ready for school alone. On a recent morning I opened the fridge and stared for what seemed an age. I couldn't think of anything to eat. As my gaze traveled around the fridge key ingredients for my old stand-by caught my eye and I knew it was time to resurrect the recipe. So here it is in all it's simple glory: my favorite egg sandwich. Sounds boring, but the right sauce makes all the difference.

Egg Sandwich with Relish-mustard-mayo

1 egg

2 slices of bread, toasted

1 dollop of mayonnaise

2 dollops of spicy brown mustard (I recommend Guilden)

1 tbsp sweet relish with some of the liquid drained

1 tsp. cumin

Spice for the egg while it's cooking: Oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper (amounts depend on what you like).

1. Heat up olive oil in a small pan.

2. Once the oil is just rippling, crack an egg into the pan. Break the yolk if that's what you're into (I am). Season the first side as you wish. I recommend oregano, chili powder and cumin, plus the usual salt and pepper.

3. While the egg is frying mix the mayonnaise, mustard, relish and cumin. I don't really have exact measurements, but you can make a lot so you can always have some on hand. Just keep in mind that the basic mayo to mustard ratio is 1 to 2.

4. Flip the egg before the first side is completely done. This allows you to season that side and cook the spices into the egg.

5. Toast the bread, spread the mixture on both pieces (you'll want as much of the yummy sauce as the toast can stand) and put your completed egg on that. ENJOY.