First Fight

During my spring break from JES, I used my OCD powers to make our home perfect. I washed the mound of laundry we had, swept all the floors, cleaned the bathrooms, and scrunched all my clothes into one dresser so that The Duke could have the other one all to himself. Cleaning the house literally took me two days to complete... and I didn't get all my thank you notes done like I was supposed to. Not saying that The Duke doesn't help clean, because helps all the time. There's just something about a girl's touch that makes it different when it comes to folding laundry. Anyways, it took me a good three hours to organize our drawers perfectly, and I mean perfectly. Color-coded, & stacked nice and neat. I came home to more laundry and began putting up The Duke's newly washed t-shirts. I opened the drawer and much to my surprise, it was absolutely destroyed! You can imagine the words that came out of my mouth as I saw the tornado that hit his drawer. I wish I had snapped a quick shot of the damage, but I didn't. We didn't talk for a full 45 minutes and it ended with him pitifully going through his drawer & trying to put it back together. I guess you couldn't really call it a "fight" because we were pretty much laughing the whole time. Either I'm going to have to lighten up, or he's going to have to turn into a female before long!!

Judith March

Part of keeping up with our new marriage is keeping up with trends that were popular in our first year together. I only wanted to document so we could later say, "Ewwwww, what was I wearing???" In and effort to cut down on my shopping lately, I have been avoiding all stores, internet stores, and magazines I get in the mail. Since we are a real-life family now, we have to spend our money on the usual things most people do... bills, food, GAS (by the way, prices are absolutely ridiculous right now!) $70 to fill up my tank the other day was not worth the drive to go to class! Sad, I know! My attempts at the avoidance theory are now history!! Last week, I logged on to www.frecklesshop.com to purchase a gift for my BFF's birthday. Really, really bad idea! I used to shop at this little boutique in Carrollton, GA quite frequently and I thought I was going to have to give it up when I moved to Romega, but they created a website so I didn't have to kiss the store goodbye!! This store has amazing customer service, a great selection of dresses, cute tops, skirts, jewelry, jeans, & even a wide selection of Spanx bras! I was having trouble making my birthday purchase & I called to get some assistance. The employee that helped me went out of her way to offer me any assistance I needed. It was great! She even sent my package to work with her boyfriend (he works with The Duke) to avoid shipping!! Here are some of their Judith March (my favorite designer) selections that I am dying over for this Spring/Summer:

Aztec Shorts. $68



Cream Aztec Bird Tie Back Dress. $108



Kaleidoscope Pique with Ric Rac. $118



Turquoise Doily Tie Back Dress. $108



Turquoise Keyhole Halter Dress. $118



Turquoise Seersucker Bow Dress. $88



and last, but not least... Turquoise Yarn Neckline Dress. $108



Hope you enjoyed oogling these beauties as much as I have!! Bravo, Judith March, you've done it to me again :)

Another Baby Henn

After having this little princess two years ago,


decided to have another little prince or princess (And, yes, I helped). Do I even need to tell you how ecstatic we are?!?! VERY!!! I think it's safe to say the jinxing worked, Mama Henn!!

Easter Sunday

This Sunday was very special to us because it was our very first a.) holiday as a married couple and b.) Easter as a married couple. We got very lucky today because we were able to attend TWO Easter services, one at my parents' church & one at The Duke's parents' church. The way I see it, we were double blessed this Easter. Both sermons were so different from each other, & highlighted such different Easter thoughts. It was the perfect way to celebrate that Christ was risen on this day. The sermons were good reminders of our purpose here on earth. We have taken on the flesh & physical form of Jesus, when he died on the cross for our sins. He lives through each of us today & it is our purpose to use the gifts that the Lord has given us & remain thankful of Jesus' sacrifices. We have so much to be thankful for this year, and we are greatly humbled that God has blessed us with so much. This Easter, we are thankful for...

A happy and flourishing new marriage,


many more happy and flourishing old marriages,


the celebration & admiration of a few young lives,


the many Easter eggs we had to hunt & eat,


healthy families,
the best friends anyone could ever ask for,
& many more years of this wonderful life to celebrate together.

Hoppy Easter!!

Happy Birthday Daddy-o

WHEW! We've had A LOT of birthdays in one week!! Happy birthday to my Daddy-o, who is turning 17 again today & still young at heart! We are planning to celebrate at the Party Barn on Easter Sunday! Hope you have a great day..."I love your guts out!!!!!"

Happy Birthday BFF

Today is my sweet BFF's birthday and we are in full celebration mode with tickets to the Futurebirds, who are performing a concert at The Desoto here in Romega!! I hope you have the BEST birthday yet!!!

Flatware Meets Kate Spade

Silverware somehow ended up as the absolute last item on our "to get" list. Partly because I think it is boring to shop for. I mean, who really notices silverware anyways? That all changed when I was dragging myself through Macy's and spotted these puppies:



Kate Spade New York flatware. GORGEOUS!! I love how the thread on the end matches the pattern of our Juliska dishes so well. Though they are beautiful, they do come with a pretty hefty price tag. Ever heard the saying, "Sally Sue was born with a silver spoon in her mouth"? They must have meant a Kate Spade New York silver spoon. I'll be on the lookout for some similar wallet-friendly styles. Updates to come!

Here are some more of her stunning designs to oogle in the meantime:

Happy Birthday Lainey Boggs

Today is the birthday of one of our sweet friends we have grown to love the past handful of years. Lainey & I became friends through some of my high school friends and it was love at first sight! Through our snow day sleepovers, resolution boards, & long walks to broad street, we have become great friends. She was even the scripture reader at our wedding and we are so blessed to have met such a sweet friend (far left).



We are not only celebrating her birthday today, but a new job & a big move as well!! Woohoo! Here's to our sweet, inspiring, outgoing, yoga-butt-kicking, spunky friend, Lainey Boggs! Can't wait to celebrate with you & Mama Linda on Friday!!

Bath Mat Blues Cured

Bath mats irritate me so much. They're really just not cute at all and usually look really weird to me. We can never find any we like and we have searched everywhere, including Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Target, Wally World, & Belk. We purchased a bath mat similar to this one a few months ago:



We thought it was a good decision at the time to get white & we were so wrong. The one we purchased had a tan trim around the edge, so we couldn't bleach it. It constantly looked dirty, no matter how many times we washed it.

Tonight, we ventured to T.J. Maxx and finally found a set we liked. Here they are...



Nothing special, but at least they're not weird. We wanted a simple, clean look for this bathroom, and not too much "stuff laying around". Wonder if you can guess who said that! Here is the tooth brush holder & make-up brush holder we found at Bed, Bath, & Beyond as well...



We still need a picture or mirror to go here:



For the most part, everything has come together. Bath mats were pretty much the last thing on the list there and thank goodness we can finally stop searching!

Gluttony

One entire week and two days after the wedding and we are still eating every meal out. Partly because we have our old dishes on the counter tops, waiting to be boxed up and partly because we are taking a hiatus. After working out every day and eating great for so long, we rewarded ourselves with a hiatus from all of it this week. It sounds like a ton of fun, but we already felt terrible two days after the wedding. I'm pretty sure we've covered close to every restaurant in Rome, and a few in the Marietta area. Today, we are getting back on track and going to feel good again. Tonight, I cooked entirely by myself and didn't burn the house down. Amazing. This is what we had:



Mediterranean chicken & rice.



This may not look impressive at all but trust me, it is. It is by the grace of God that edible food was actually made here and by me. Make way, Rachel Ray!

Making a House a Haven

We truly believe in making a house a haven and ours was a little ways from it. The guest room was looking a little bare. We are not used to having hardwood floors, which make everything look a little emptier. We love our hardwood floors, but they needed a little sprucing in the guest room. Luckily, Galebo stored Mimi's old furniture safely at the Prop House and we were able to go get it.

We used Mimi's bed & rug (not pictured)...



We got the bedding and decorative pillow at Macy's for $37 and had a $25 giftcard. What a steal! Some of the wedding gifts we used for decoration...



Mimi's china cabinet, our Federal Platinum fine china made by Lenox & some of our other wedding gifts...



Mimi's desk & 2 lamps...



Mimi's night stand & lamp...



Sending a big ole' thank you up to Mimi once again :)

The Dish

Since the wedding, a huge part our daily lives has been getting our dishes situated. Ever since I decided to register for these stunning dishes, there has been complete confusion. Shortly after registering at Bussey's, I was informed that the main color we picked (butter yellow) was discontinued. Whaa. So we made a big ole' order & are currently still waiting on it to get here. I have in my possession one complete place setting and pieces of the others. Through the wait and the stress these dishes have brought on, they were more than worth it. In finally being able to put them out on the table and seeing it all together, they are absolutely gorgeous and so unique! The color combination is perfect in our home (we chose a combination of white, butter yellow, and chocolate brown. We also found the perfect place mats at Target and it all flows perfectly together. I can hardly wait for the rest of the order to come in!!



The place setting was given to us by my mom and the beautiful (pictured) blue bowl centerpiece was a present from my sweet brother & sister-in-law.



For those of you who want to indulge in dinnerware for a smaller price tag, don't be afraid to look at places like T.J. Maxx, Wally World, or Target. We found these beauties at Wally World on Clearance:



The "D" mug (pictured above) was a gift from my BFF and was purchased at Anthropologie.
And a closer look...



$25 for 4 place settings. Each place setting includes a dinner plate, salad plate, cereal/pasta bowl, and coffee mug. That really can't be beat! We are planning on using these every day and saving our Juliska for guests and special occasions.

To Toss

One of the most fun parts of the reception was the tossing of the bouquet & the garter. My bouquet was created by Bussey's Florist and was absolutely gorgeous. It was a combination of champagne and sweet eskimo roses with white hydrangea and ribbons of liriope. Throughout the ceremony, it was wrapped in lace from my mom's wedding gown and an annointed handkerchief from my grandfather (pictures to come). The bouquet toss caused quite the commotion between two of my friends (I think it landed on the floor in-between them) and no one is really sure who actually caught it.

My sweet mother-in-law made the garter I wore throughout the day and it was perfect (pictures to come). I was so in love with it that I had a "to toss" garter that Bridals by Lori gave me when we purchased my dress. The Duke used his super-sneaky ninja moves to make it look like he pulled it off my leg, when he actually had it in his hand the whole time! The boyfriend of one of my high school BFF's caught the garter. My high school BFF was so tricked she called the next day & asked if we wanted it back since his mom made it. Hehe :)

Hair Affair

After a hair fiasco during wedding festivities, I realized the importance of a good hairdresser. I am normally not picky about hair, and I definitely didn't have to be on our wedding day. I have to give credit where credit is due and that is to Shanah Hoyt at Bliss Salon behind Broad Street. She did wonders on my hair & meticulously placed each hair on my head perfectly. She was more OCD than I am, and that sheer fact gave me mounds of comfort. I knew I was in good hands and she did not disappoint. It held all day long, even through the humidity.






The salon opened up for our wedding party and we had tons of fun talking, laughing, and telling stories.



The Duke scheduled his appointment with Donna at Bliss Salon a week before wedding day. He said it was the best haircut he's ever had & we were both very pleased with her work as well!

Thanks for all your hard work and for helping make our wedding day pure Bliss!

All Made Up

For anyone out there who is in the market for good make-up products, I'm about to enlighten you. Since there are very few people in Rome who do make-up and since I love doing it so much, I decided to do my own make-up the day of the wedding. Proof:



My mom and I ventured to Sephora in Kennesaw for a makeover, and to learn a few tricks of the trade. Sephora offers a really good deal; they charge $50 per makeover, and you get a $50 gift card to use towards your purchase. My make-up artist even threw in samples of some of the pricier products she used so we didn't have to buy them. I loved my make-up so much, I have incorporated pieces of it into my every-day look. Here are some of my favorite items suggested by my make-up artist:

Face.

Foundation. Laura Mercier. Oil free. I normally use BareMinerals for my every day foundation because it is sensitive on my skin, but this foundation did not cause one break-out, which is highly unusual for me. Very long-lasting and natural.



Powder. MAKE UP FOREVER. HD Microfinish Powder To Go. Translucent finishing powder; takes the shine away. Trick: Apply it after you apply your foundation and before you apply your blush once. Repeat after blush is applied.



Concealer. LANCOME. TEINT MIRACLE Instant Retouch Pen. Light and airy product that gets the job done. Trick: Apply to inside corners of eye for brightening & apply a straight line down the center of nose for highlighting effects.



Blush. Dior. Diorskin Shimmer Star in Rose Diamond. Trick: Apply to apples of cheeks.



Bronzer. Dior. DiorBlush in Sunkissed Cinnamon. Trick: Apply just under cheek bones.



Eyes.

Eyeshadow. laura mercier. Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Platinum. Trick: Apply to whole eye lid under LANCOME. Color Design 5 Shadow & Liner Palette in Sienna Sultry. Easy to follow directions for highlighting and contouring.





Liner. MAKE UP FOREVER. Aqua Creamliner in Matte Black. So easy to apply & looks beautiful on, makes eyes stand out. Trick: Only apply to lid. Applying under eye closes eyes up & makes them appear smaller.



Mascara. MAKE UP FOREVER. Lash Fibers. "Chunks" lashes & makes them appear fuller. Trick: Apply under LANCOME. HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara. One word: lash drama!






Lips.

Liner. MAKE UP FOREVER. Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencil in Light Rosewood.



Lipstick. LANCOME. COLOR DESIGN - Sensational Effects Lipcolor - Smooth Hold in Love It!



Trick: For longer lasting make-up, apply Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don't Stray eye shadow primer, & Benefit Cosmetics lip primer before application of products listed.