Orange Beach, Graduation, Deck Redo, Still Wedding Planning

It is June and we are officially within the three month mark of mine and Shane’s wedding. We are getting married. I’ll have a husband and he’ll have a wife…still a little weird to think about.


Anyway, the last few weeks have been very eventful (thus the title). Let’s get started…


Me and my friend, Lindsay, went down to Orange Beach, Al. at the end of May for a girls trip! It was a lot of fun, the weather was great and there was NO OIL on the beaches! There is a bar there called the Florabama, that is literally just some decking and tents thrown up together, that has amazing Bushwhackers (imagine ice cream and rum). And when I say amazing…I had two and blacked out. However, it was a somewhat responsible black out – I got home to the condo, put my PJs on (inside out), took off my jewelry…then woke the next morning to a Waffle House cup next to the bed and really sore feet (which I still can’t explain). Fun trip!

Me and Linds

Me, Caroline (Lindsay's Mom), Linds at Florabama (Bushwhackers in Hand!)

The next weekend (Memorial Day weekend), my baby brother, Patrick, graduated from high school! Congratulations, PattyWhacker! We are all very proud of you!
 Here is my little bro and the family:

Patrick getting his diploma!

P and Dad (Jimmie)

P and Mom (Wan-Dawg)

Me (sticking my butt out awkwardly...not real sure), P and Shane

Wan-Dawg, P, Greta, Jimmie

The Graduate!! Class of 2010!

The rest of Memorial Day weekend was pretty crappy since it rained off and on the whole time. No pool or lake time…


And since then, we have done some stuff around the house, including sprucing our deck that we built last year.


Before:

After:

Doesn’t it look great?!? I’m super happy with the way that it came out…but we still have some more stuff to put out! Exciting! And look at the pretty blooms...these will live a maximum of 15 days - trust me.

Petunias in an English Garden basket

Coleus and ... I can't remember what the white flowers are.

Begonias

Snapdragons, some kind of ground cover and impatiens

And on the wedding front…we are doing pretty good! We have chosen our menu and our next big milestone is the tasting and walk through at the beginning of July!

By the way, I’ve done some painting in my house and I don’t believe I shared pictures…stay tuned!

The 'After' Pic...

I said last Wednesday that I would post this pic 'tomorrow' (i.e. the next day...as in Thursday). But I'm a liar. It's Monday and here it is!

Very underwhelming. I know. It's Monday...

Just One More...

And then I'll stop - I promise! I just love our engagement photos SO much!

And I haven't forgotten about the 'Guess the Project' post...I'll post the 'after' pic tomorrow!

Hope everyone had a great Wednesday! I'm ecstatic that it's already Wednesday...I leave for the beach tomorrow - woo hoo!

More Engagement Photos!

Our engagement photos are ready! Squeeeeel! Here are a few more faves...

I love, love, love them...they are so casual and relaxed and fit me and Shane perfectly.

Want more information on my fantastic photographer? Check out Zach Porter!

Guess the Project

We have finally finished our project that involves something in this picture...do you know what it is?

The Candy Bar...Almost Complete

Instead of cake, we will have a candy bar at the wedding! Meaning, the following vases filled with various types of green candy. Why aren't we doing cake? We just aren't big 'cake people,' and this is much cheaper.

However, when I say that the bar is almost complete, it's because one of my vases (my favorite) broke either as it was being packed up or in transit.

I'm thinking that I will just put some clear packing tape over both sides to keep it from breaking more and still use it. I probably won't use it in the candy bar...you know, with food and broken glass posing a danger and all. But I think I can use it in my house...

Or can I fix it somehow? Are there glassworkers that can just fill in that hole? :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Since I don't blog on the weekends, or really at all (on a regular basis), I wanted to go ahead and give a shout out to some mammas for Mother's Day!

First is my mom, Wan-dog. Happy Mother's Day! We love you very much!

Yep, that's a leopard printed Snuggie.

And I musn't forget my future Mother-in-Law, Debbie...Happy Mother's Day! Love you!

RIP Lady Llerena...

Do You Dance?

Isn't that always such an awkward/random question when people ask that? Here is the scene that I envision...

Location: Bar/Club environment with dance music playing

"Do you dance?"

"Umm...yeah...sometimes. I mean, like when it's appropriate. I don't typically dance to my car in the morning...or dance my way into my office everyday...or break it down while I'm brushing my teeth in the morning. But I do dance when I've had a few drinks and I have some girlfriends with me that have also had some drinks and we are all in the mood...then I do dance. Oh, and the music has to be right...like some vintage stuff (and by vintage, I mean old-school Britney Spears or some Kilo (who remembers him?!?)) or new stuff like Rihanna or Kesha...still lovin' that 'Tick Tock' song. So, yeah, I do dance...do you?"



Random thought...anyone feeling me?

2 ½ Weeks Ago…

I wrote my last post. A lot has been going on since then…



In wedding-related news (and I apologize if I've already shared this...I was too lazy to look back through my other posts)

• We’ve decided on our wedding band! Huge burden off our shoulders, but I’m not sharing any details. It’s a surprise.
• I've purchased a wedding dress! And all of my bridesmaids have ordered their dresses as well - take a look and try to envision it in black:

• Groomsmen have all been asked (and they accepted :)). Here is how Shane posed the question to his guys...can you see the difference in the bottle label on the left and right? So cute, right?!?

• Had to start over with another florist...but the new one is great! She even managed a way for us to have ORCHIDS!
• Booked our officiant!
• We are in the process of picking food...who knew that could be such a painstaking process?

In other news...

I’ve done lots more painting and redecorating around the casa. Stay tuned for pics…

My bestest friend, Jenny, was in town recently - we had a blast!

Me and Jenny (BFF since 4th grade...can you believe it?!)

Austin, Kel, Jenny and Me

Four out of six bridesmaids - Danielle, Kelly, me, Jenny and Mandy...

A few drinks/shots/songs later...

The Boys - Austin, John, Shane and Mike

Shane and I got airbrush tans. Yep. I’m serious. And let me tell you that is a very humbling experience (but not as much as a Brazilian wax…so I’ve heard). But it thankfully turned out really good! Not orange or anything!

Why did we get airbrush tans? Because we had engagement photos taken that weekend…

Aren’t they A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.? We should be getting the remainder of them sometime this week and I am so excited. I’ve also posted these on the wedding website – visit it at http://www.stacyandshane.wedsite.com/ and check out the ‘News and Updates’ page.

I believe I've mentioned that I've been running for a while now. I've had problems with my knee, and randomly my wrist, so I went to the chiropractor last weekend. Turns out that my butt muscles are tight and messing with my sciatic nerve. What do I have to do? Massage...concentrating on my butt. Yet again, another humbling experience.

Until next time...

The Roof is on FIYA

Not literally, but definitely figuratively! We had hail in our area earlier this month so I filed a claim with my insurance company and voila! I have a new roof!

Before:

After:

We are very happy with the final results...although we ran into a pretty big snag during demo. When they were ripping off the old shingles, they found that the plywood underneath was brittle and rotted...which meant that had to be replaced. You know when you watch shows on HGTV (specifically 'Flip That House') they always warn about the 'unknown of the roof?' Well, this was our unknown, but luckily it was somewhat of a minimal charge to repair. Also want to give a shout out to our roofer, Bulldog Roofing, who helped us through the entire process...from insurance claims, to ventilation, to 'what ifs,' to completion:

They were truly an awesome vendor to work with...you know I would tell you if they weren't. :)

And now for the during shots...Enjoy!

Finally, After a Whole Year...

I painted my front door! OMG - can you believe it?!?! I must admit that it still needs one more coat and I also need to razor off the overpaint on the windows, but STILL. I did it!!!

Before:

After:

And I think that it looks so much better. The red was an odd shade, they didn't paint the grids - which then turned yellow...and who doesn't love a black door? 'I see a red door and I want it painted black...' - Rolling Stones & Stacy Carlisle.

Side note: You may be wondering 'Why all of a sudden is Stacy doing all this house work?' Well...it's because my oldest, bestest friend Jenny is coming in town today and will be staying with us tonight! You know how I like a deadline and working under pressure!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sawin' it Off

We purchased two very exciting things this week.

Numero uno: Doors for our laundry room. (I use the word 'room' loosely...it's a closet.)

Numero dos: A circular saw.

Why did we buy these things? How are they related? I'll tell you.

We bought the doors last Saturday. They measured to the exact size of our laundry room opening, which means - they won't fit. Well, the guy told us that the size listed was the 'call size' and that they should fit fine. Well, they almost did. But were about an 1/2" too long. So, we tossed around the idea of sanding them down, taking them back and having Home Depot cut them down, giving up, just leaning them against the opening, etc. We ended up purchasing said circular saw to do it ourselves.

After Shane figured out how to load the blade and all that jazz, we skimmed off 1/8" of the bottom of the door. We were then going to take another 1/8" off the top. But then we just decided to take a 1/2" off the bottom instead...Measure once, cut three times - right?

I have mentioned several times that you couldn't find a square corner in my home if you tried, so unfortunately the door is a little bit 'off.' Not much though...not to the naked eye...

Take a look!

Before:

After:

The doors still need to be painted but it is a DEFINITE improvement...Agree?

Leave of Absence

Excuse my hiatus...we've been PRETTY busy over here! I have a LOT of projects and activities that I need to recap, but for now take a look at some of our 'quick wins:'

Painted Fireplace
Before:

During:

After:

New Outdoor Lights
Before:

After:

Stay tuned for more! I still have to share my other painting projects and ideas, groomsmen/bridesmaids 'ask' information, our new roof and landscaping plans!!