I found THE dress!

Today, with the help of my sister and my mom--I found my wedding dress---1st store and only the 3rd one I tried on actually! All I will say to fellow brides-to-be is to try on any and all dresses--even if you think "Oh NO WAY!"--you might be pleasantly (very pleasantly) surprised!!!

Now it feels super real that it's happening in a little over 4 months! yippee!

Thanks to my sister for finding it and making me try it!!!

-Bre

The Dog Days of Summer...er...Spring...

The Dog Days of Summer are here...and it's only APRIL??!!!

With our weekend temps averaging at 97 degrees, It has been quite the change for canine, feline, and human alike within our house!

But here are some fun things we discovered helped make the spring weather (that feels more like mid-July) a little more fun.


1.) A simple misting squirt bottle--our dog Mocha went CRAZY with this today. It also helped make us feel a little bit cooler.




2.) Our doggy Baby pool that we got at Target for 3.99 a couple weeks ago. She loves to lay in it like its her private oasis--and the cats like to come and drink from it.


3.) Homemade "frosty-paws" or "cool claws" for dogs and cats alike.
We made a dozen in tupperwares in the freezer for Mocha for around 4.00 total (as opposed to buying frosty paws for 4.00 for 4! So easy:

Homemade frosty treats for doggies

1 32 Oz. container of plain or vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons of peanut butter

2 tablespoons of honey

1 mashed banana

(Beat lightly until creamy, pour into containers, and freeze!)

4.) If you can't make the frosty treats for them--most small ice cream joints will give you a "doggy cup" of vanilla soft serve...Our favorite is in Clifton Virginia, called Peterson's Ice Cream Depot-where dogs are always welcome, and for a little over a buck, they make Mocha the happiest puppy around!

Stay Cool everyone!!!

Matt calls me a "recessionista"

He calls me a recessionista...

With all that's going on these days with the economy and our change from a country club wedding to a classy rustic Southern wedding on a farm, we've had to be very creative in order to stretch a buck when it comes to planning our soiree...It's recession-chic meets preppy. I've always been a Vera Bradley/Lilly Pulitzer wearing thrift-store shopper, so I guess it's perfect.

The whole event is coming together wonderfully. We have built an awesome team of helpers, coordinators, vendors, caterers, entertainers, and decorators for the Big Day to help us put all of our ideas into play! I find things we can use to decorate, make little pictures and drawings, and thank goodness Matt can figure out the logistics of it...

Here's an example: I bought 500 feet of string lights and white linen fabric, and have all these plans for wrapping posts and rafters in the barn, but take no thought into extension cords or outlets--that's where Matt comes in with the plan of attack. I love that we work so great as a team.

Also--I've learned that we're using a common item in a lot of our decorating, which helps meld the preppy theme and Southern and rustic theme all at once--the mason jar.

We have so many great plans for decorating with these versatile everyday items--it's unbelievable. I can't wait!

Here are some of our inspirations:

only 140 days to go!

Doggy beach

Well, this weekend was a busy one. We met the caterer and decided on a wedding menu, I played in a bball game, countless dog park visits, and finally we took the dog to Annapolis to Quiet Waters Park to the dog beach and also the huge dog park they have, but by the time we got to the dog park, she was pretty pooped. I recommend Quiet Waters to anyone in the VA/MD area, there are tons of walking trails, pavillions, picnic areas and the whole park is dog friendly. We kept saying how the park was for dogs, but people were welcome too.

We went with a bunch of other dog friends and met a group of new "local" swimming dogs there too. It was the first time we had Mocha off the leash and she was perfect. Didn't go far, and knew her limits--she always looked to make sure she had us in her sights.

(Mocha with the question-mark tail)

The second we arrived, Mocha spotted a Black Lab swimming (Bre kept saying it looked just like Ben, one of her family's old dogs) and within a minute, she ran right in. She is definitely part lab! She chased sticks, driftwood, tennis balls, and the other dogs. It was really fun. There was a point where she literally ran up the beach, pivoted, ran back, pivoted, ran back with a trail of dogs chasing her (she is definitely speedy!).

On our way home, she barely made it to the car before she passed out. She fell asleep with her face smushed between Bre's leg and the shifting console. She cracks us up every day.

Here's a video for you:

Until the next blog--have a good day

Matt

Mocha's weekend update

Today's laugh:

Mocha has discovered the TOILET PAPER ROLL. Since we stopped her from jumping in the bathtub every time we are showering, she has begun to quietly sit outside the bath on the bathmat...a little too quiet if you know what I mean...I hopped out to find this:

Now we have to lock her OUT of the bathroom I guess...hehe.

Have a good one!