Paper & Plastic or Stoneware & Silver

I'm currently experiencing the one time in life where a girl is encouraged to be selfish, and I desperately with I didn't have to be. As ridiculous as it sounds I'm duty bound to bask in the tidal wave of gifts - things we don't truly need, but rather would make our home more aesthetically pleasing.

Sure, I'd love to have a new set of dinnerware, but that hand-me-down set from my sister has worked fine for years and I'm sure that wouldn't stop after "I do". My first (of four) shower went exceptionally well. So what's the big problem?

Tonight I got a call from my church asking if I could go to the New Orleans/Texas area to help work a food trailer. My heart soared - my work with disaster relief after Katrina was one of the most blessed times in my life. I looked forward to being able to make a difference in a very real way again. We would leave3 on the 20th and potentially come back on the 27th. The 27th? That's the day of my shower in West Virginia for Mr. Right's family. Invitations have already been sent and plans have already been made.

So please, fell sorry for me, as I lay in bed crying off my $15 anti-wrinkle cream. Because instead of helping feed people who's lives were damaged by Hurricane Ike, I have to put on my Sunday best, smile as I'm introduced to dozens of strangers, and open $20 dinner plates and $30 silverware place settings.

This isn't the person I want to be. So why do my actions say otherwise? My heart is breaking right now. I think its safe to assume that God could say the same.

Works for Me Wednesday: Taco Bell

I tried to be a good meal planner as Mr. Right and I were closing on our new house. I did pre-cooking prep work on several different items (browning ground beef, cooking noodles to be reheated, cooking rice). And for the first week everything went well. Then Mr. Right started getting busy with his job (he works for himself so his hours are whenever he sets them). At that point our days over at the new house became very inconsistent. On days that he has clients interested in looking at property, I can't expect him to go over to the house and paint all day.

Making things worse, from day to day he's not sure when we'll be at the new house. Thankfully we have appliances now (the first week I was cooking on an electric skillet) but he's got the kitchen a mess from his painting that I wouldn't eat anything that was prepared in that disaster area.

Which brings me to what works for me - the Taco Bell value menu. I had asked him to get a frozen pizza out of the at his place freezer on his way to the house. But with a few things on his mind (like one contract he's writing up and another he's trying to finalize) he forgot to get our food. So instead, we stopped at Taco Bell. He got 3 $0.99 bean burritos and I got the $0.79 nachos and a $0.89 burrito (which was actually more than I could eat).

Not quite the $2.50 we would have had in our frozen pizza, but it was a good hot meal with no effort. And when it comes down to it, I'd rather spend $6 on fast food than loose several thousand on a contract falling through.

For more tips and ideas, check out Works for me Wednesday.

Oops!

I got in trouble last night with Mr. Right. I started Sunday night (I guess all the excitement of the shower got me pumped up) on my thank you cards. I did more on my break at work yesterday. Last night when I mentioned them, Mr. Right was very disappointed because he hadn't gotten to sign his name on the ones I had already sent out.

I've always given my mother a hard time about writing birthday cards "I thank God for a special daughter." or "I love you" and then signed "Mama and Daddy". I tease her that she should write "we" or else let him sign it himself.

I knew it was bound to happen - but I've turned into my mother already! In my thank you notes I wrote "Mr. Right and I" and then signed both of our names at the bottom.

I had gotten about 12-15 knocked out before last night, so there was no going back on those cards. Instead last night we just started an assembly line with the next wave of them.

Wedding Shower Weekend

Yesterday was my first bridal shower - the big one too. Both sides of my family were invited as well as family friends. Last Monday night one of my cousins (I have around 25 1st cousins) called to say that everything was gone off my registry and I needed to come down and add more items. Unfortunately the company is in the process of a web site/registry over hall, so I just had to write down the items on a piece of paper. I got excited when I realized that people were actually out shopping for me!

I received quite the stash:








Amazing, since I three more showers to go: one for my friends, one for Mr. Right's family, and one for his family friends (they are in a different state from his family which is why we are having two).

I am certainly one blessed lady!

Frugal Friday - Do it yourself

Trying to keep my wedding costs down, I've got several do-it-yourself projects. A good friend of mine suggested that we make the boutonnieres and corsages rather than pay a florist - that project is for a later Frugal Friday when I can post pictures of how great they turned out. I'm making my own veil. Kits are $15 at Hobby Lobby. The fancy veils you buy at the bridal store run around $100. If I mess up the kit, for $15 I can scrap it and go a different direction.

Another project I'm looking forward to is making the cake topper. I saw the idea on ebay and plan on recreating the idea myself. This weekend (after my first gown fitting tomorrow morning) I'm heading to the craft store to pick up my veil kit as well as some letters and paint. Mr. Right purchased some sponge brushes to paint the tiny trim areas of the house, so I'll just steal one of those for my project. And I'll make his project figuring out how to stick the letters into the cake.

My to do list:
purchase/make veil
1st dress fitting (not at all frugal)
purchase/make cake topper
start thank you notes (after Sunday's shower)

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...

Sorry, couldn't help myself. I got my first gift in the mail today!!! I'm so excited, but I'm waiting till this weekend to open it.

Straight Sexy Hair

Sorry to be MIA for a few days but real life has gotten a hold of me. Monday was of course a holiday and due to my limited computer access I couldn't post about the exciting world of washing down baseboards and masking off rooms to be painted. Tuesday I had to take the day off to meet with the locksmith to change the locks and let the appliance delivery guys in. Oh, and I had to run into Belk and add more items to my registry.

Short side story: I hadn't put much on my registry because I was afraid of looking too greedy. Monday night my cousin called me saying I only had 4 items left and they weren't available at that store. Thankfully I got their the next day to add more items because the first Tuesday of the month is Senior day - they get a 10-15% discount so a lot of my family was waiting till then to go shopping.

Yesterday I was busying playing catch up at work - thankfully to be seated behind my desk all day rather than working my buns off at the house. So that brings us to today, Things I love Thursday.

One thing I love (although I haven't used recently) is Straight Sexy Hair Smooth and Seal My mom bought it as a surprise treat for me last time she was at the salon. You spray it on your hair right before you take the straightener to it. It gives my hair that polished look when I straighten it. Unfortunately for me, I've been sporting a t-shirt, shorts, and a ponytail for the past few days. But this product will be perfect for this Sunday. I'm having my first bridal shower after church so I won't be able to go home and redo my hair. This way my hair will stay straight and unfrizzy all day.

Check out the Diaper Diaries for more TILT suggestions!