Curtains Galaore

It's Monday night, what do you do? Watch the Bachelor wedding? Nope I completely forgot about that! Do laundry, yep, did some of that, dishes, yep, watch T.V., did some of that too. One thing I bet you can't guess I did...ironed curtains. Yep, I have ironed 3 out of 7 curtain panels. When we put these up a year ago I just hung them and thought most of the wrinkles would work themselves out over time. Well, they didn't. I've ironed the 4 curtain panels in the upstairs bedrooms over the weekend and I'm not sure if I should do the dining/sitting room. I am going to buy MORE curtains for our bedroom this week so we shall see if the ironing continues! I'll probably finish the living room/kitchen over the next couple of days. The next major thing is to clean the base boards. They sure get dusty! The entire house is lined with them too.

If the rain ever lets up, I'd like to work on the yard that I've neglected. It rained all day on Sunday and although it didn't rain today, it was cloudy and gloomy the whole day. More rain to come tomorrow :( I really hope this rain stops and the sun comes out over the next 2 weeks!

J purchased a suit over the weekend and I picked up a new comforter. The one I bought a year ago has been a real pain. It makes a lot of noise, too heavy, not breathable, has white patches all over after receiving it back from the dry cleaners. I'm packing it up and sending it back to BBB where they will return it to the brand. Luckily I did not wash or use the two sheet sets it came with. I got a great deal on a reversible comforter with bedskirt and two shams from Dillards. Oh, and 100% cotton is the way to go. Don't buy that foreign fabric, shiny looking stuff.


Today's Temperature 58*

Current Wedding Plans

The next couple of weeks will be extremely busy. I need to up my gym time. I've only been doing Pilates and Yoga once a week and although my body is sore after each workout, I need to get the cardio in. My goal of losing a couple of pounds before the wedding haven't been working out like I wanted. I know that in order to burn fat, cardio is the only answer.

My engagement ring was sent off to be rodium plated along with sizing my wedding band. Once I receive them back this week, the rings are taken care of! J received his wedding band a couple weeks back.

As far as wedding plans, I have the wedding cake left to choose. Our dessert menu includes 2 desserts and a wedding cake! The hotel, chapel, resturant, dress, rings, hair, accessories are complete. J needs to decide on his attire, I need to work on my veil and wear my shoes around to break them in. We submitted our menu selection on Monday. My sister has lined up some things for us too.

My parents are coming down a week before the wedding and they are already making plans with friends that are down here visiting for the winter. We'll have a full house and be on the run for 2 weeks straight. I'm excited for my parents to come down and see what Arizona has to offer them. I'm sure they will enjoy it just as much as I do (as much as they may not want to admit).

J will be traveling to Chicago next week. This is the first work related trip he's been on in 2 years due to budget cutbacks. While he is away, leaving me in this house by myself for the first time, I'll be busy cleaning the house and getting it ready for our guests.





Today's Temperature: 75*

Pittsburgh Willy's Gourmet Hotdogs

I think I need to change my profile picture. I still haven't posted the pictures of the newly painted house so this picture looks drab now.

Tanning is going very well. I think I'm as tan as I'm going to be. With as many times as I have gone you'd think I'd be really dark. My skin just doesn't hold a tan for long. But on the flip side my dress alterations are complete and either the dress looks really white from the cleaning or I look tan! Haha. Now I don't look so washed out and as white as the dress! I had to hang the dress up in our spare bedroom closet as my first dress keeper is having issues with her cat and the closet it would be kept in. Long story... This means J is not allowed to peak! The dress also stinks; it must be the cleaning product they used. I'd like to air it out, but I don't want wondering eyes to see. I can't believe the wedding is only a month away!! I've made my hair appointment at The Mirage and we have confirmed that the Graceland Wedding Chapel has our name reserved (had to make sure you know, it was over 3 months ago when we booked).

Every week has been busy. Between getting the house cleaned, looking at new houses (possibly moving to a ranch style and renting this house), going to the gym, running errands, tanning, working and all the other things life brings. I enjoy my Pilate's and Yoga class to relax and breath. The Pilate's really works your entire body and the Yoga class isn't called Challenge Yoga for nothing! It's defiantly challenging!

It is also Lenten season which means I've given up something. This year I've decided to save everyones life around me and stick with coffee and give up soda pop. I didn't think it would be too hard since I don't drink a ton of it, but when I eat pizza I have to have a pop! Today I found myself craving a sip of diet Pepsi or Coke, but I didn't give in. Water and I have been getting along really well lately.

Today we tried a new place called Pittsburgh Willy's Gourmet Hotdogs. I had the Wild Willy and J opted for the 3 Legged Chili 'N Cheese and I also had to try their pierogi's. It was all very good! There is just one guy there that takes your order and cooks the food (cook to order). It's inside the antique mall so you can browse while your meal is being prepared or walk it off afterwards.

Trader Joe's and Sprouts

A couple of weeks ago I dragged J to check out Trader Joe's and Sprouts. Trader Joe's is a organic store and Sprouts is a organic locally-grown supermarket. Since I wanted to lose a couple of pounds before the wedding I wanted to cut down sugar as much as possible. I found organic sugar and sweeteners to help me out. I have not added sugar to coffee in a couple of weeks now! I am a sucker for sweet tea in restaurants though and have had about 3 sweet teas in the past couple weeks...*sigh. Now I just need to cut out sweets and I'll be set! There isn't a Trader Joe's near the house so we trekked up to Mesa to check it out. Upon arriving this place was so busy! Probably didn't help we went on a Saturday :) They have tiny carts for kids to push and boy were there a ton of them! This place is pretty small as J said it reminded him of a small supermarket on the corner in Chicago, a type of place you could buy a little bit of everything-quick one stop shop. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable as I had to utilize them to show me around and slow down my stimulated brain (meaning the place was so busy and I had no idea where anything was and there is so much stuff in there-anxiety set in). I knew I wanted to get some freshly ground coffee, organic sugar and some high fiber snacks. I grabbed a can of coffee and used their grinders to grind the beans-very convenient! Talked to a couple staff members about organic sugar then found some high fiber-chocolate chip mini cookies and picked up some peanut butter cookies for Tory.

The Blue Agave sweetener is actually sold in most grocery stores here. It is derived from the Agave plant which can be found everywhere here!

Sprouts was larger than TJ's and had a more organized layout. I bought a few items from them as well.

Overall both stores were interesting and fun.

Gold Canyon's Valentine Scent Recipe

Scent Blending Recipes are carefully selected recipes of individual candles that when burning together, create their own unique, blended scent experience.

To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.

FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.

SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.

THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.

My Sweet Valentine

For an extra special Valentine’s Day, this blend of fruits and sweets will make your sweetie swoon. With such a wonderful aroma of candies and delectable baked goods, your sweetie will surely expect some of the real thing!

19 oz. Lemon Bar
14 oz. Candy Hearts
8 oz. Strawberry Shortcake