Some wedding DEETS

See how cool I am? I used a new hip word "Deets" short for details. How old are you when you have to start acting your age? Oh, wait. I think I'm over the limit. Oh well.

Anyway, since I've been posting about the wedding, I thought I'd share some of the planning stuff. It's only 89 days away! ACK!

9-9-09 was selected as a date for many reasons. 9s are lucky numbers. Wednesday is supposedly the best day of the week to get married on. I wanted something different. Sweetie says the day is easy to remember so he won't be forgetting our anniversary.

Our colors are black white and baby pink.

Our invitations are hand made, by me, and they still aren't finished. Once I've got them ready to go I'll post some pictures.

Our reception has a strawberry theme to it. Strawberry cupcakes, strawberry jam, strawberry fruit salad. It's the berry best!

I like non traditional things so our ceremony will be very non traditional.

I will be walking down the aisle to A River Flows in you by Yiruma. If you are a Twilight fan, you will recognize this as Bella's Lullaby- the song Edward played on the piano for her.

After the wedding we will leave the church to My Sweet Love by John Mellencamp.

And, I ordered these for toasting:

97 days and counting

In 97 days I'm going to the chapel and I'm gonna get married. Woo Hoo! Sweetie proposed on Christmas Day and I said yes. On 9-9-09 we're gonna do the damn thing. I've filled my hard drive with tons of wedding "porn" (that would be bridal pictures) and I have about 10 bridal blogs bookmarked. I have visions of a beautiful pink and black Martha-esque wedding. I love my hardworking man and can't wait to be his Mrs.

In 97 more days I go from being a widow to being a wife again. It feels strange and it scares the hell out of me, to be truthful. This will be #3. Yes, that's me, Three Time Loser. I joke about it and say that I'm like the Pittsburgh Steelers and won't quit till I have "one for the thumb" but in truth, it keeps me awake at night and give me great anxiety. I'm worried that I won't be a good wife and a good step mother. I'm worried that this relationship will fail. I'm worried that something bad will happen to my Sweetie and I'll be left alone again. I realize that I just need to have faith in him and me and in the situation and be confident that everything will work out the way it's supposed to. When I start to worry too much, I put in a CD with songs that will be played at our reception. This is one of my favorites. I prefer Jewel's version over John Hiatt's or Mandy Moore's.

When the road gets dark, And you can no longer see

Just let my love throw a spark, baby

Have a little faith in me

When the tears you cryAre all you can believe

Just give these loving arms a try, baby

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

When your secret heart, Cannot speak so easily

Come here darlin, From a whisper start

Have a little faith in me

When your back's against the wall Just turn around, you will see

I will catch ya, I will catch your fall

Just have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Have a little faith in me

Well, I've been loving you forsuch a long, long time baby

Expecting nothing in return Just for you to have a little faith in me

You see time, time is ourf riend *for you and me*

Cause for us there is no end All you gotta do is have alittle faith in me

I said I will catch you ,I will catch your fall

Have a little faith in me

Hey baby, oh, baby

All ya gotta do is have a little faith in me

All Grown up

I remember when my niece Jes was born. She had big blonde curls and loved all the colors of the rainbow. I remember the cute little frilly dresses and her grins filled with teeth that looked like white chiclets.
My sweet little girl is all grown up. She is now 17 years old, filled with a spirit of independence. Tonight, she will graduate from high school. She is ready to face the world as a full on college student. (She will be attending the same college I did. That just makes my heart sing!)
I am very proud of her and I wish her all the best. Go get em Jes. You'll be awesome!
Love you.

Thursday Randomness

I don't have any specific thing to blog about today. Sorry. You get to follow my thoughts as they pop into my head today. lucky you!
I'm still on the search for a grill. I need a new one- BAD. I grilled a couple of RibEyes last night and only about half of the burners worked. :o(
It's graduation season. My niece is graduating next week. How did she grow up so fast? ACK! I guess that means we better get the new rooms on the house finished so she can move in and go to college.
Its also (shh!) swimsuit season. I am officially banning swimsuit season. Sorry for those of you who will be disappointed.
I did not watch American Idol this season. Not one show, even. But, I'm curious. Did you like the winner?
I also did not watch Dancing with the Stars. Again, did you like the winner?
I did however, watch a few episodes of Survivor. I'm glad that TJ won. He's a cutie.
80 deg. in Ohio. Today. Bring on the sunshine!
What random thoughts are you processing today?

I stole this post!

My friend Cook And Bottle Washer posted this on her blog and I liked it so much that I stole it and put it here.

# 22 is my favorite. Which one speaks to you?

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19.. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

It's the most Wonderful time of the Year

Grilling and BBQ season! Woo Hoo? My motto is: "If it ain't smoked it could be better". Thank you Lord Jesus, for greasy hickory smoked pork but and St. Llouis Style ribs. Amen.
I have been on the hunt for a new propane grill. I know there is a lot of debate about propae or charcoal, but for me, propane is what works best, so that is what I use. Let me take a moment to pay homage to Hank Hill and his propane and propane accessories. I digress, sorry.
My grill is a 3 burner monster of a thing and it has been much loved and well used. It sits on my back porch, just outside my bedroom window, so when I smoke something my dreams are filled with the sweet smell of smoked meat. Mmmm- hmmm. Now, after 6 years, the burners are falling apart and the grates have lost thier porcelain grating and it's going to cost more to fix than to jsut buy a new one.
I want specific things in my grill and it's been difficult to find one that has everything. I want more than one burner, rotisserie capabilities, NO side burner, (waste of space!), stainless steel grill grates and I'm kind of jonesing for one of those new fangled infrared burner things but I'm willing to compromise. When I find just the right one, it will be a momentous occasion, to be celebrated properly. I'll keep you updated on my search. I'm open for suggetions or recommendations, so fire away!
This is one of my favorite sauces. I like it best on pork but it's awesome on chicken too. Try it and let me know what you think. If you're into grilled vegetables, go to The Food network site and look up Bobby Flay's grilled ratatouille recipe. Yum-o.

Chinese BBQ Sauce
1 c ketchup
3 ½ Tbs soy sauce
1 T liquid smoke (i don't use this)
¾ c brown sugar (i prefer dark brown sugar)
1 Tbs ground ginger (i use freshly grated)
3 cloves garlic, minced

In a med. sized sauce pan bring all ingredients to a low simmer. Stir often and cook until sugar is dissolved. Sauce is done when it become thick. Brush on chicken or ribs. Also good as a marinade.

What kind of grill do you have and what is your favorite thing to cook on it?

Cinco de Mayo! Ole!

It's Cinco de Mayo! (fifth of may, in case you aren't all bilingual and stuff)

Are you celebrating with margaritas and tacos?