Scrapping Success

I told y'all I was preparing for a Scrapbooking trip.  Last week I spent 3 days finally utilizing the supplies I got nearly 3 years ago!  I went with my SIL, Jeni and 3 of her friends, Rhonda, Sunny, and Caroline.  I could not have asked for a better group of ladies to spend a few days with. They were so helpful and generous.. funny too!

The place we stayed at was perfect for a group of scrapbookers. We each had a couple of 6 foot tables to work from and we pushed them together so we could see each other.  There was also a ton of lighting, check out all those lamps!

It may look like a bunch of stuff, but I definitely had the least amount of products. I was amazed at how much my fellow scrapbookers have accumulated throughout the years! Thankfully we shared between each other and they helped me with ideas.  

We stayed up until about 3am each night and were back at it by 9am the following day.  We even had our food catered, so we didn't have to worry about leaving to get anything. Turns out that this was a good plan because we were literally in the middle of nowhere off of a dirt road.

You would think that with 3 solid days of scrapbooking, I'd have 5 complete books made... wrong.  I'm not even done with my first one.  This trip I worked on my wedding events - turns out I had a lot of them.... my poor bridesmaids!!! 

I completed engagement photos, bridesmaid brunch, bridal shower, couples 50's "sock hop" shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and the slumber party the night before the wedding.  

You're seeing 2 different pages, the top one is just a different size. This is called an "insert".
 Just a little srapbooking lingo if you ever need it :)

I put together the flowers myself (pat on back)

This picture is a little blurry, but it's one of my favorite pages. 

I didn't even get to the actual wedding or our honeymoon! I guess that will be my next project in November when we plan to go on another trip.

I think I may have actually found a hobby that I'll stick with.  I really wish that my parents had something like this that I could look at, so I think my future kids will appreciate it one day :)

At Least One Day a Year

I'm not sure if I've shared or if you've gathered that I am a control freak.. so, I'll just come out and say it, "Hello, my name is Jessica, and I. am. a. control. freak."

There has been more than six hundred and twenty two times one time that I've been in the middle of explaining my thoughts to someone (thinking that they are completely rational) only to find the person I'm talking to drop their jaw and shake their head at me.

Here's an example, and I promise I'll go somewhere with this story... eventually.

I've been married for almost three years. Because of this, every single person I come into contact with asks "when are you going to have kids?".  Sometimes I respond with "I already have two - James and Oliver".  Sometimes I respond with, "when your kids are old enough to baby-sit mine".  Sometimes, I just don't respond.

I get the baby question daily.  A few days ago, I'm actually engaged in the conversation a bit.  It went something like this.

Begin story -

Person I work with: "Jessica, it's about time you have kids. When's that gonna happen?"

Me: "That came out of nowhere." (awkward pause) "I guess I'll have kids once I get a new job. This one takes up way too much of my time." 

Person I work with: "Oh, that's not a good excuse. You'll find a way to make it work."

Me: "Well, I just need to plan it out right." (here's where I think I'm being rational) I've decided that I can't wait until I'm financially ready, because I'll always find something else to spend money on." 

Person I work with: "Yep."

Me: (still being rational - this is where I lose her) "There is so much other planning involved.  For example, I want to make sure I get pregnant in the right month." 

Person I work with: "Huh?"

Me: "Well, I want to avoid having my child in December, because their birthday gets merged with Christmas.  And I really don't want to have my child in the summertime, because I want their friends to come to their birthday party. And let's just face it, your friends and their family vacations overlook you in the summertime.   I think March and April are ideal.  So, I need to make sure I get pregnant around June or July." 

Person I work with: (shaking her head at me) "You are crazy - that is ridiculous." 

End Story -

Okay - so, I know that having a child is all in God's timing.  But if I have a chance to sway when that is, why not try? 

You're probably thinking, "Who cares? It's just a birthday. One day in a whole year."  

I think that birthdays are so incredibly important. It is an entire day to celebrate YOU - everyone should feel special at least one day a year.

Okay, so there is a point to my long winded build up.  My aunt MaryBeth's birthday is December 21st.  Like many December birthdays, hers was not forgotten, but it took a backseat to Christmas and all the planning the holidays entail. 

So - my SILs and I decided we were going to have a HALF birthday for MaryBeth.  A surprise birthday party!

We made arrangements at the famous Cattleman's Steakhouse since MaryBeth loves steak. It took quite a bit of finagling to get her there, but we did it!  The family was waiting on her when she arrived. She was so shocked - in fact, she thought we were there to celebrate Grandma's birthday a month early! 

They usher you via horse and carriage from
the parking lot to the restaurant.

My SIL, Maggie and BIL, David anxiously waiting
for MaryBeth's arrival

We taught Roman and Olivia the joy of helium and chipmunk voices!!

They LOVED it!!

Such a great memory!

Happy HALF Birthday, MaryBeth!

Confessions of a Hobbyist

Let me make a confession.

When I get my mind set on a new hobby - it inevitably results in spending a whole lotta money.  I get really excited, get everyone else really excited, then go out and buy everything that a professional in said subject would own. 

Sometimes I follow through; most of the time I don't.  Here are just a few of my adventures:

• Making custom cakes: Success - but I'm pretty sure I've invested more than my car is worth in products.
• Selling Advocare: failed. Great product - still have a membership for discounts only. 
• Sewing: This only lasted 1 night, but at least I have a picture to prove I tried!

I only tampered with sewing for a minute,
but I would really like to learn.  I'll table that thought for now.

• Scrapbooking: started buying supplies 2.5 years ago, and haven't put a single picture to paper.
• Selling Scentsy: Eh. I've got it if you need it, but I don't plan on having any house parties anytime soon. I finally got the Scentsy logo off my car yesterday. Since James drives us to work in my car (and is notorious for road rage) I didn't want anyone to be able to contact me to complain. 
• Blogging: Started off strong - faded; Making a comeback
• Couch 2 5K: Womp, womp womp...

And for those of you who knew me in college, I purposefully excluded that escapade. What was I thinking?!

Well, ladies and gentlemen... after 2 years of saying I'm going to start scrapbooking, I've actually committed.   I will be going on a 4 day trip with my SIL and her friends.  FOUR days.  Did I mention that I've never put a single picture to paper?!

More to come on those preparations...  Hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Birthday Celebration

I celebrated my birthday while I was on my blogging hiatus. (April 19th - don't forget it next year...)  I typically celebrate my birthday in a very big way.  It usually results in a bad decisions and a headache the next day. This year, I made a conscience effort to take it down a notch.  So, I decided dinner with family and a mimosa brunch with my girlfriends would be perfect!

We always struggle trying to find a place to go where we can get reservations for 10+ people. Since there are kids in the equation, waiting in line at a restaurant is not very fun. The kids are what make it so much fun though!  

We decided on a Japanese Steakhouse, Musashi's.  I never get tired of the show the chef puts on and the food is delish!  I didn't get very many pictures - I will have to get better about making people pose!

We are definitely meat eaters.
That's my BIL and SIL, Dodd and Jeni across the way.

My precious niece, Olivia.  She got a very special
 light up dinosaur headband :)

The night was just perfect.  Sometimes less is more :)

Crawdad Boil

A few weekends ago, we went to a crawdad (crawfish) boil.  There was 120 pounds of them!   Some things I learned: 

1. Crawdads must be alive before they are boiled. If they are dead, you throw them out.

2. It's considered "normal" to suck out their heads.. gross.

3. They kinda taste like lobster.

4. I cannot look something in the eye that I am about to eat.

5. I don't like them.

There were 2 horse troughs full of crawdads!

It's looking at me.

I think I'll sponsor the next boil - we'll have shrimp.

Piece of Cake

Today, I feel like cake!  I don't have the ingredients to make one, so I'll settle for a review of cakes we've done the last few months.


My friend Elizabeth had a paisley themed baby shower and this cake was so much fun to make!  Almost as cute as baby Jackson!

This one was for a western themed wedding.  I wasn't a fan of the design, but this is what they wanted. This one seems like it would be the easiest, but 3 tiers can be a challenge sometimes.

Every year I do birthday cakes for my cousins, Julie and Lily.  Julie wanted Tangled, and we had a great time coming up with the perfect design. Do you see the ice cream sugar cone and cake cone (tower)?  We were going for purple, but this looks blue. She loved it anyway!

You can see my new curtains in the back.. I'm so proud of them :)

Lily's birthday was just a few weeks ago.  I got a new phone and lost my pictures, so my family sent me a few they had.  Lighting was bad, I promise those cupcakes were oh-so-cute and of course, sparkly.

I had the cupcake pics made for me from Etsy.  They made a great addition!

I hope you've had a great Tuesday!

Date Night

James and I went on a date night Sunday.  We've gotten a lot better about eating at home, so this was a real treat.  We started at Spaghetti Warehouse.

This picture makes the place look huge, but the restaurant is just on the bottom floor.

Naturally, we over-ordered.  Did we really need the ULTIMATE Italian Feast for Two?! It sounded so good though...

They were out of raviolis.. so they substituted it for dessert! 

James loathes loves taking pictures.

Then we took a short walk down Oklahoma City's River Walk. 

           

I have bad aim..

I always admire the horse drawn carriages. 

In front of the Chickasaw Bricktown ballpark.
Looking forward to Thirsty Thursdays :)

We stopped at our final destination.  Harkins Theatre.   This was one of the first additions to the "new" Bricktown and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  After all, they do have the BEST coke and popcorn here (which is why I go to the movies).

We watched Star Trek (James's choice).  It was pretty good, but I was a little lost since I've never seen a single episode of Star Trek. It was a TV series, not a movie, right?

Necessary picture? Probably not.

I am a creature of habit... must sit on the first 2 rows (of the elevated seating) and my feet must be able to rest on the seat in front of me. 

Breaking the rules... 

Random fact:  These are guineas.

How did you spend your weekend?

Oklahoma Weather

The last couple of weeks have been completely devastating for central Oklahoma. We have had multiple days of tornados that have claimed the lives of at least 33 people.

Picture taken outside Firelake Grand Casino. This is just minutes away from where I grew up. 

It is completely heartbreaking to see the aftermath these tornados have left behind.  James and I were very lucky to have only gotten minor tree damage - so many people lost so much more.  

The damage was catastrophic, but there have been some good things to follow. The outpouring of support from Oklahomans and others across the world has been amazing.  We've had a benefit concert, countless hours of volunteers, and an abundance of donations. It is truly amazing how people rally together in times of such devastation. 

Please pray for Oklahoma.