Wish List Wednesday

P and I only have one set of bedding with mismatched sheets for our bed.  It's a hassle to have to wash and dry the SAME set of bedding every week or so when it's laundry day.  Also, since it's laundry day, there is a TON more laundry to do along with the bedding.  So, if we start with the bedding, we usually make the bed in time for sleepy time.  If we make the mistake in washing other things first, we usually end up waiting and waiting for our slow dryer to finish drying the bedding while falling asleep on the couch and drooling like an old married couple.  :P  So for today's Wish List Wednesday, I would like to wish for a new set of bedding.  A set of NICE MATCHING bedding!  Like these:

I think we actually registered for this one...it's just neat looking!  :)

If I had this bedding, our bedroom would feel like a hotel!  :)

This set is just gorgeous!

Although, I would probably be happy with another set of sheets!  :P  Don't forget to check out my sis-in-law's blog for her Wish List Wednesday!

Music Monday

My head hurts and I can't seem to form a coherent sentence without TONS of mistakes.  Because of this, here's a music video of a song I love!

Friday Favorites on Saturday

So, I have been thinking about this blog and Fridays.  I'm not sure if I want to do a Friday Review Day or a Friday Favorites.  Maybe I'll just trade off and do either one I feel like!  :P  I know, I know, today is Saturday but I spent all evening on the phone yesterday catching up with my BFF and my Mom so it was too late to post anything last night.  Let's just pretend it's Friday for a few minutes okay?  Here we go!  Time for my Friday Favorites!  :)

One of my very favorite things is the sunflower.  I came to love sunflowers after my Great Grandmother (Grammy) passed away.  She loved sunflowers, had fake ones in her house, wore clothes with sunflowers on them and had a sunny personality like a sunflower.  We had a very strong bond when she was alive and sunflowers have always reminded me of Grammy since her passing.  I love them so much that I got a Blazing Red Sunflower on my left shoulder blade.


Sunflowers also seem to follow me.  There are sunflowers growing in my parents' back yard:

There are also sunflowers growing all around the area I live now:

I also plan on having Blazing Red Sunflowers in my wedding bouquet.  I don't know exactly what it will look like, but I know I will look one of a kind.  Which is why I probably can't find an example on Google!  :P  But, I did find this on the Modern Design Blog:

HOW CUTE IS THIS?!

Okay, back to Saturday!  :)

A realization while filing

I hate to share this with the interwebs, and while I'm AT work...

(Excuse me while I answer the phone.)

(It wasn't even for me!  Don't you know I'm busy here?!  :P )

Okay, I'm back - what I want to share is that I realized that have no idea what I'm doing while I'm working.  I am pretty much running on autopilot while doing this job.  I guess it's a good thing because I can really leave work at work.  Honestly, I don't wake up in the middle of the night thinking about work like some of my other coworkers - and I don't understand why they do.  So, I am pretty much faking this job.  I do what I'm told and do it well - but it doesn't take up that many resources in my brain.  Maybe that's it.  I really don't have to think about doing this job anymore.  I'll admit while I was just starting out, it was confusing.  And, when I finally got into a grove, more duties were dumped on me.  Then there were those few weeks when my coworker acted like she hated me because I am now doing her job but she still had to teach me...yeah that was fun.

Anyway, all-in-all, this is a pretty sweet job.  I have an office, windows, access to the Internet, air-conditioning, a boss that lets me work how I want to work as long as I get the job done, benefits, and friendly (usually) coworkers.

Even though this job is pretty good, I still dream of teaching or working with children.  I have ideas for lessons in the middle of the night instead of thoughts about work.  I love back to school time and can't walk past the school supply isle without sighing.  I have boxes of classroom supplies in our storage-type room just waiting to be used.  I kept all my books that had great ideas from my credential classes...

Anyway, I could go on and on...but it's time to go home...Thanks for listening/reading!

So...I was tagged for this...

...but I don't have 6 people to tag, so I'll just do this and maybe others will too.  If you follow me and haven't done one of these, do it, leave a comment so I can go see!  :P

1.If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

- I don't really blog anonymously...but I don't try to hide who I am.  I just write what I want to write and let whoever read it.  I am happy doing things this way and I don't think I wish to be anonymous.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

- Inner stubborn side?  As in - it's supposed to be hidden?!

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

- I see me...what else am I supposed to see?

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

- I happen to drink a lot of water, but when I get tired of water, I like decaf, cold brewed iced tea.  Regular flavor..with ice and a little sweetener.  Or Diet Pepsi!

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

- Well, that depends on how I feel.  If I feel antsy and need to get out of the house, I go shopping or to the movies.  If I feel tired or like sticking around the house, I read, watch TV, play on the computer, start a project, etc...  Sometimes I even clean.  For me.  So I can sit around in a clean house for a bit.  :P

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

- Well, I think the only thing feel I HAVE to accomplish is to be a mom.  Everything else is up in the air...

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school?

- Where is the choice for "Just There?"  When I was in high school I ditched a lot though..

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?

- I have to choose one?  I see the day I met P, the day I graduated from College, the day Grammy passed away and I saw her face...

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

- I'm pretty okay with doing both actually.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

- Between the two, I choose sitting and reading.  I have sat and read while on the phone though - that's always fun.  The only reason I chose to sit and read was because...well, I don't know...I LOVE to read and don't mind talking on the phone but reading is higher on the list of things to do.  Although, I love to talk face-to-face with people like at a coffee shop or out to dinner or something like that.

So...let's see...I tag THE INTERNETS!  :P

Wish List Wednesday

As promised, it is Wednesday and time for a Wish List Wednesday!  I'll admit, I was unprepared and was not sure what to wish for.  Then I remembered that while I was making dinner tonight, I wished for a better kitchen.  One with some counter space would be nice.  Oh and an deep sink with a higher spout.  Something like this:

And perhaps something with a little more color and room to move around in, like this:

I also think a breakfast bar with some nice stools/chairs would be lovely too!  I think I like these the best:

I am particularly in love with red in the kitchen too, like this:

From quickly gathering pictures of lovely kitchens, I have realized that I am drawn to kitchens with white/off white cabinets and darker floors.  I also like the lighter colored stone counter tops.  As for kitchen colors, I am drawn to soothing background colors with pops of color here and there.

Ta Da!  That concludes my first Wish List Wednesday!  Go check out my sis-in-law's site, Lilac Barries for another awesome Wishlist Wednesday!  :)  She's kind of better at this than I, after all she started it!

A Wedding Update

The wedding plans are going along pretty smoothly.  I think the only thing P and I have left to do is choose the filler music.  We have all the important songs chosen, we just need to build up the playlist for the dancing/mingling part of the reception.  Anyone have any recommendations for good wedding songs?

The invitations have gone out and people are starting to respond.  Speaking of the invitations, I thought I'd share them.  I blocked out all the personal information because...well, it's the internets.  :P

They look better in person, but a scan will have to do.  :P  I designed the invites and then took them to Office Depot and the girl there doctored them up and made them perfect.  She also designed the response cards and printed everything for me.  The venue is The Gardens at Peacock Farms.  Go to their website and check them out.  It's a really beautiful venue that was created especially for weddings.  She thought of everything there is to think about regarding a wedding.  The owner is also doing my flowers!

I am getting excited but to tell you the truth, I'm also a bit stressed.  P and I are just now surfacing from some hard times and am finding the monetary flow more of a trickle than a gush.  It's enough to live off of though, and after a few more paychecks we should be able to really start building a nest egg.  But the wedding and the honeymoon are going to take all our nest egg we have at the moment.  But, we are managing.  To save some money, we scaled down the honeymoon to a few nights in a small bed and breakfast in Morro Bay instead of Disneyland .  We can always go to Disneyland later - or even set our sites higher and work toward a vacation in another country or something like that.  Maybe....Italy!

Random Post

It's Monday again.  Tonight is supposed to be the night of season premiers and there is nothing that I want to watch on.  Crazy huh? In other news, I got another postcard today, from Belarus:

I think it's really pretty!  I had never even heard of Belarus before until I got this postcard and looked it up.  This makes 12 postcards that I have received from all over the world.  I really am enjoying this hobby!  Receiving postcards from other places helps me bare living in this po-dunk town these days.  I also wanted to go back to my Roasted Chickpea post and talk about the plate.  Mama from So Many Veggies, So Little Time mentioned that she liked the plate, even though she only saw a little bit of it.  I wanted to show more of it to show just how adorable this plate is:

I got this plate from a very dear friend for my bridal shower.  It's hand made and feels like silk!  I want to get a plate hanger and hang it somewhere, but I just don't have the right place in this house.  So, it sits in my kitchen where I pass by it every day and touch it just because it's so soft and smooth.  :)  And the birdie is adorable!  I thought it would work really well while photographing the chickpeas - and it does.

I found this poem while traveling around the internet earlier today:

The Invitation

This moment

Invites us to attend a party already in progress.

All may leave their objections at the door.

No gift is necessary.

Please try to attend as you are attended,

And join the fun.

Missing this celebration will only result in

Missing this celebration.

The good news is this party will never end.

                                                - John Stalling, 2006

Thoughts?  Happy Autumn Equinox.  :)

Lazy, Grumpy Saturday

Today started out pretty lazy and grumpy.  Not sure why, but I woke up with a bone to pick with anyone who crossed my path.  Even my fluffy, black and white kitty Zorro wasn't left out of the wrath - he got cuddled and squeezed like a baby when he decided to join me in the bathroom this morning, which he LOVES (insert sarcasm) btw.  After a while of sitting around and watching "stupid HGTV" (it's not normally stupid, this was the grump talking!) and complaining about there not being a decent coffee/donut/bookstore places in either of the two stupid towns we live by or the stupid town we live in, P mentioned that we could go to Hastings in Flagstaff to see if we could sell some of our books and DVDs that we never read/watch or just don't need/like any more.

I perked up with the mention of Flagstaff.  I love Flagstaff - or Flag as the locals call it.  It is a college town with a diverse population, various places to eat, coffee houses, bookstores, TRADER JOE'S, Target and a bunch of other things we don't have here in our po-dunk town.  In fact, it was a HUGE deal when the ONLY coffee shop type place - not attached to a grocery store or gas station - opened here.  People acted as if they had never heard of such a place, "WHAT? A coffee huh?  You mean it's not in the Walmart?!"  (insert a horrible Arizonian accent here)  Ahem...anyway, back to Flagstaff.  So, P and I hopped in the car, plugged in the iPod and turned on the audio book we are listening too.  (Aren't we cute?!  We listen to audio books together!  I know, I know, *gag*)  We took the long way, passed a prison, drove through Winslow, saw really neat landscapes with low shrubs, red soil and a bunch of random trailers just kind of plopped in the middle of nowhere - and people actually live in them!  We also came across a school bus stop just kind of there in the middle of the road.  I guess enough people live randomly out in the desert that they decided to build a school?

When we got to Flagstaff, we hung out at Hastings and drooled over books, magazines and various other fun stuffs one might find in a REAL BOOK STORE.  We ended up walking out with only two magazines and store credit for the books and DVDs we sold.  We are planning on using the credit maybe for the kids for Christmas?  We'll see...a couple of books were calling my name today...and my bookshelves are looking kind of bare now with ALL the books I got rid of...  :P  After Hastings, we found ourselves a bit peckish (I swear internet spell-checker, peckish is a word and it's spelled correctly!  Stop squiggly-underlining it in red!) and ended up at Granny's Closet.  (I will write more on this restaurant in a Friday Review Day post, but yes, it does have a giant Lumberjack outside it)  After dinner, we went to Walmart and exchanged some horrible pants for a small cat food dispenser type thing and vitamins.  We then drove home the faster way through Camp Verde since we had to make it home in time to meet Dad online for SNL.  I am SO glad I made it in time for SNL because Betty White was the host!  She is so funny!  After SNL, I decided to write this blog entry and here we are.

So that was how my Lazy and Grumpy Day turned into a Not So Lazy, Pretty Awesome Day!

*That's right!  You're eyes aren't deceiving you - that is a Lumberjack label!  

I do plan to write a Lumberjack post someday.

Friday Review Day

What do you think of the new design?  I have been messing with this dang blog for an hour now trying to get the blog and the header to be the same size.  Why the change?  I just wanted to see if I could conquer the blog!  :P  It really wasn't that hard, just tedious since there is really not tutorial for everything I wanted to do.  I also don't like html and it doesn't like me, so I usually cut and paste the codes for the designs I like and doctor what I know how.  I think it's pretty cute myself!


I have been thinking about ways to make my blog more exciting - for myself - so I will want to post everyday.  I thought about doing a Wishlist Wednesday like my sister-in law of Lilac Barries, but I didn't want to just copy her.  I talked to her about instituting a Wishlist Wednesday like she has and she thought we could both do a Wishlist Wednesday and link each other's blogs!  Awesome idea, I thought, so look for this starting next Wednesday!


Today, I thought I would start a Friday Review Day, or Review Friday, or Friday Review...not sure which one sounds better.  I think I like Friday Review Day the best, it just kind of rolls off the tongue the best.  What does this entail you ask?  Well, on Fridays I will review something that I find fun or interesting.  This something could be anything like a book, movie, restaurant, TV series, etc...  It might just turn out to be "My Opinion Friday," but hey, it's my blog!


Today, I would like to do a short review of a book.  I have read a few books in the past few months, but this one just happens to be the last one I finished.  Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay, is the book that the TV series Dexter is based on.  For those of you who don't know, the series - and the book - is about a serial killer who kills serial killers and what he does to try and fit into society.  It's like stepping into a serial killer's head.  We get to hear the internal dialog he has with himself and see the world the way he does.  What I liked about this book was (and this kinda sounds funny) that the characters in the book were portrayed perfectly in the series so the pictures that formed in my head while reading weren't in juxtapose.  In fact, the first series of Dexter pretty much follows this book - with a little creative license added to make the series more dramatic.  (I hate it when a series/movie doesn't follow the book at all - or when the characters in the book are rewritten so much that they no longer match the original character in the book - for example: Twilight)

I think Lindsay did a fantastic job writing this book but, I am a little put-off with how well he portrayed a serial killer who kills serial killers.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the series Dexter, or likes to read the books that movies and TV Series are based on, like me.  :)

Mac and Cheese

So, P came home tonight and said, "I'm kind of in the mood for Mac and Cheese tonight," when the discussion of What's For Dinner came up.  I responded with, "Well, do we HAVE any Mac and Cheese?" and he said no, since he didn't buy any when he went grocery shopping.  Yes, sometimes he goes grocery shopping on his own when I don't feel well, or just whine a lot about how I don't want to go.  I know, I'm spoiled!  :P  Anyway, when  the topic of Mac and Cheese came up, I instantly remembered the post over at So Many Veggies, So Little Time on her "Easy Peasy Mac and Cheesy" and decided to try it.  I pretty much followed the recipe to the -T- except I didn't have organic veggies.  Also, I had a brain fart and forgot how many ounces were in a pound and didn't cook enough noodles at first.  But this was an easy fix, I just added more later.  Oh and I used bow-tie noodles again because, well, BOW-TIES ARE COOL!  :)  Except for it being too cheesy at first because of less noodles, I give this recipe  five stars and would make it again in a heart beat.  :)  So thank you Sadie for the excellent meal idea!  :)

Roasted Chickpeas

As P goes out and forages for food, I have decided to write a blog.  I have recently discovered the amazingness of roasted chickpeas - or garbanzo beans.  Did you know that garbanzo beans and chickpeas are the same thing?  I really didn't realize this for a long time until I had to buy them on my own.  Luckily the can usually says both on the label.  Does anyone know if you can get them some other way besides canned?  I've never really looked for them in any other way but canned...

Anyway, back to the amazingness!  P does not really like beans of any kind and when I add them to any dish, he pretty much eats around them.  Something about the texture or something...whatever!  In general, roasting things changes the texture so when I ran across the recipe on the internet, I decided to try it.  P was pretty skeptical.  He didn't think the texture would change much and was really tentative about trying them.  But, he did and they were a hit!  Roasting the chickpeas changed their texture dramatically.  They were no longer mushy inside but crispy and crunchy and a nice substitute for chips.  They were really easy to make too!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Get yourself two 15oz cans of garbanzo beans, strain and rinse them.  Get a roasting pan or cookie sheet, layer it with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray (I actually just wiped the foil with a little olive oil).  Dump the garbanzo beans on the foil in one layer and pop them in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  You can test the crunchiness by taking one chickpea out, letting it cool a bit and then tasting it.  While they are baking, get a bowel and mix about two tablespoons olive oil in the bowel with about 3-6 teaspoons of your desired spice(s).  I used garlic salt because it was all we had on hand.  Once the chickpeas get to your desired crunchiness, take them out of the oven and let cool a few mins then toss them with the pre-mixed oil and spices.  Taste them while mixing until they taste perfect.  Then, MUNCH!! Store leftovers in an air-tight container, if there are any leftovers...

Recipe adapted from chowmama's recipe.

It's Monday

Today is Monday.  I had a conference to go to today which was in a city 2 hours away from the city I normally work in and it was nice to sleep in a bit and get paid to be someplace other than my office.  However, I guess some lines of communication were crossed with my boss and her boss.  I was told by my boss to leave for the conference from my house and go by myself.  My boss's boss was under the assumption that she and I were going to go together and I was supposed to meet her at work.  My boss was going to tell her boss that she wanted me to go on my own but that never happened.  So now I'm kind of confused at what's going to happen tomorrow at work.  Was I supposed to go to work at my normal time and then leave in time for to get to the conference on time?  There was already 8 hours of professional leave on my time sheet for today.  If I did go into work on time and leave in time for the conference, that would have given me 2.5 extra hours to play with.  I could have gone home early a couple of days, but it might have screwed a lot of stuff up.  Work these days has not been slow and I have found myself working up until the very last minute when my Outlook tells me to go home.  Also, what would have happened to those 8 hours they had me scheduled for if I had clocked in this morning then clocked out around 10ish?  *shanking head*  I guess if I did something wrong, I can claim naivety. I'm new and was just doing what I was told.


On another note, the drive there was nice.  I passed a lot of fields of these bright orange flowers.  There didn't seem to be a safe place to pull over and take a picture of the actual field of flowers so I give you this picture that is kind of like it.  This is a random picture from a Buddhist Monastery somewhere.  Add more pine trees in the field and it would look like the flowers I passed.  I also got to eat at one of my favorite places called Wildflower Bread Company.  Everything I have eaten there there has been wonderful! Today I had a fantastic ham and swiss sandwich and a lemonade.

The conference itself?  Eh...I could have lived without it.  But, I did learn some stuff and was even able to answer some questions.  But, I am glad to be home.  And, I received the postcards I ordered two weeks ago.  I was so excited to get them!  But there is a problem.  I ordered the Wanderlust USA Postcard Box but received the Wanderlust: 30 Postcards for Insatiable Travelers. I contacted the seller about this, so we will wait and see what happens.  I'll keep you all updated.  :)

But Perchance to Dream...

I have been dreaming about a sewing room for some time now.  A place where I can fold up my fabric nicely on shelves so I can actually see what I have instead of having to rummage through a Rubbermaid container every time I want to find a certain fabric.  It would also be nice to have a space where I can leave a  project that is half done out, close the doors and know that nothing is going to happen to it until I come back.  A place where everyone is welcome, but where I can be alone if I wanted.  An inspiring place...something like these:

This room is just so bright and cute.  I think my favorite parts
of this room are the color on the walls and the red lanterns.

This one is just so simple, sophisticated and organized.  It
kind of reminds me of Joscelyn but not just because of the purple.

I think this one is my favorite.  I love the green sheers and the
simplicity of the entire room.  It's not too big, not too small and has
touches of bright colors here and there.  It also has a nice,
relaxed and inspiring feel to it.

If all I had was a closet, I would make something
like this.  I love the tree paper in the background and
all the shelf space.  I worry there isn't enough room
behind the sewing machine though to
actually sew something.

A Food Entry

Good evening!  As an adult, I have never really been a fan of cooking.  I tried in college, but found it hard to fix an entire meal for just one person.  Then, when I cooked for more than one, I would have so many leftovers that I would get bored of the same meal after two days of leftovers.  I found it just easier to buy pre-prepared food and just, essentially reheat the food.  However, in the past few years I have been trying to discover my "Inner Woman."  Or maybe I have just gotten bored with eating pre-prepared and tasteless food.  I also have been reading and following a couple of food-related blogs, communities and have been finding myself saying, "I can do that!"  Also, since I now cook for two, we still have leftovers but they don't usually make it past two more servings.  And since P doesn't know how to cook that many dishes, I have been experimenting with different things to make while also going back to my "roots" as they say, and cooking dishes that my mom used to.

The first dish I have to offer tonight could be a one pot dish.  In our family we call it, "The Casserole."  All you really need is some kind of meat, a box/bag of pasta, a can or two of beans, a can of olives and a jar of pasta sauce.  Here we have bow-tie pasta - because BOW-TIES ARE COOL - ground turkey, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, olives and I think a generic pasta sauce.  Boil up the pasta and set it aside.  Make sure to run water over the pasta every now and then to make sure it doesn't stick together.  Next, cook up the turkey.  Once all the meat is browned and a bit caramelized (the way I like it), dump the noodles into the pan and stir.  Then dump the sauce, beans and olives in and stir until everything is covered in yummy sauce.  Let the mixture sit on the stove until everything is warm and the house smells yummy.  Spoon into loverly bowls and add cheese on top if you like.  This dish tastes even better the second day after all the ingredients have had time to meld together in the fridge.  I love taking my leftovers to work.  All my coworkers follow me around asking what the meal is and how to make it!

The next dish I have is pizza!  This pizza happens to be chicken with white sauce, baby Portabella mushrooms, olives and chives.  The crust is a premade one, but P and I both work 40 hour work weeks and we don't have forever to make dinner.  Now, since the crust is premade, all you really have to do is pile on all the toppings, shred cheese on top and bake for 8-10 mins at 400 degrees.  Let cool for a few minutes after baking, then cut and serve.  It is so hard not to eat this entire pizza in one sitting!  I just have to remember how awesome it is as a lunch the next day.  This also made my coworkers jealous as a left over!

One thing I haven't shared with my coworkers is my WAFFLES!  My mom likes to tell the story of how we found a waffle iron while going through my great grandmother's things and me grabbing it, holding it to my chest and not letting anyone near it.  I remember the waffle iron.  It traveled around with me until it finally died.  If I'm remembering correctly, it was round and one of those older ones with the fabric chords.  One day I plugged it in and where the chord attached to the back of the iron popped, sparked and burst into a small fire that quickly died out.  I was sad but also knew the waffle iron lived a long and happy life.  Shortly after, the family got another waffle iron that made those big square waffles.  It died not too long ago and it was replaced by one of those sandwich makers with removable plates.  It was also at my family's house a state away so fortunately, I got a waffle iron as one of the gifts from my bridal shower.  I have to say it makes pretty dang good waffles!  There are many waffle recipes out there but I happen to like the one on the side of the Bisquick box, with a few little additions like cinnamon and vanilla.  I also like to double the recipe so I can freeze the rest and pop them in the toaster for breakfasts for the week.  They are a nice change from toast.

Last but not least, I couldn't finish my first food blog without mentioning my cookies!  I make some pretty good Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Today I had to stick around the house and wait for the cable guy to come by and fix our internet and since I didn't have internet and had to be home all day, I decided to bake.  It also wasn't too hot so the oven didn't heat up the entire house.  I am still getting used to baking in this high altitude, but I think they came out pretty good.  :)  The recipe is the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from the bottom of the lid from the Quaker Oatmeal container but with a few changes, like chocolate and white chocolate chips instead of raisins.  I also change a couple of other things, but those things shall remain a secret.

So, as you can see, I have been having fun in my smaller-than-a-postage stamp kitchen and making some yummy things!  I have to say that it's more fun cooking and baking for more than just me!  :)

Postcards!

I have a fun new hobby called Postcrossing.  It's free to join and fun!  I thought since I have a PO Box, I'd sign up and see where I get postcards from.  So far, I have sent out 15 postcards to different places all over the world and have received 11.  And here they are!

From Spain

From Virginia

From Indiana

From Finland

From Singapore

From The UK

From The Netherlands

From Canada

From Finland

From Puerto Rico

From Russia

I will update when I get a new postcard, but I promise there won't be this many next time.  I really do love this hobby because I love getting snail mail, but I can see it getting expensive if I let it.  This is why I have limited myself to only send out two postcards a week.   I am also waiting for my "sent" number of postcards to match my "received" number of postcards before I send out anymore.  I did purchase some really cool postcards two weeks ago from Amazon, (30 postcards for $8.00 - including shipping yey!) but they haven't gotten here yet.  Maybe that's why they call it "Snail Mail!"

First Post

Hey everyone.  :)  This being my first post, I might as well start off with a discussion of wedding invitations, yey!  I sent out the last of my wedding invitations the other day.  They are beautiful and everyone has been commenting about how pretty they are.  I actually got them printed at Office Depot.  I will upload a picture of them later when I want to get up off the couch to scan one.  In the meantime, I found some invitations online that would have been nice if I hadn't had designed my own.  :P

The following are from Wedding Paper Divas:

I really like the simplicity of this invite, even the colors would have worked for my wedding, and it has a retro feel that I am drawn to.

This one was just so simple and pretty even in blue!

So cute, simple and retro!

And the wild card:

I'm not exactly sure why I love the last one..maybe it's the hand drawn look, or the two birds on top that escaped from their cages and found each other.  It's just too cute.  I also found a few on Etsy:

I like the vintage feel of these..

Again with the birds?  :P  I just loved the whimsy in this one

Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of this blog thing.  :)  It's time for bed now so have a good night everyone!