"I'd like to be a little hole in your pocket...

...so I could be with you where ever you go."

My mom said that to me once, when I was about 14. It makes me smile when I remember it.

As it is once again Mothers Day, I have to take a moment to acknowledge the the two mothers most responsible for molding me into the mother I am, and who I miss so much sometimes it hurts to even say their names.

These photos will be tied to my bouquet on my wedding day.  A vintage photo of my grandmother, Lois, from the 1970's, and the most beautiful picture of my mother, Raelene, from her college days.  On the back of the photo of Mom is another photo taken about a year before she died. It may not be a hole in my pocket, but I think Mom would be just as satisfied with the notion. :)

It has been 10 long years since they have been gone, yet I can still hear them laughing together or bickering over something in the kitchen.  If they were at my wedding, I'm sure they would be arguing over my choice of shoes and  Grandma's insistence on wearing blue no matter what Mom has to say about it.  Perhaps they will have the same argument in Heaven...and when I look at my shoes in 2 weeks, I will think of them and laugh. 

These women are my strength, my idols, my angels.  I wish them, and all the other amazing mothers out there, a very Happy Mothers Day.

I love you, no matter how old.

Dear readers, you probably think this post is some sweet diatribe of how much I love my soon-to-be-husband.

You are wrong.

This post is for my other love, Mr. George Clooney, who is celebrating his...gasp...50th Birthday today.

10 years ago today, Brittany and I made a cake for George. Sadly my pre-wedding diet does not allow for a cake tonight, but I would like to put my "#1 Fan" hat on and wish my George a happy birthday, as I have every 6th of May, since I was 12 years old.  Some things you just never grow out of. :)

I love you, Mr. Clooney, no matter how old. :)

The Deadline

Ladies and Gentleman, may I hear your thunderous applause! Today is the first day of May.

It is officially the month of our wedding.  And it is also my self-made deadline for DIY projects, planning, organizing, stressing, or even caring about the details.

You may recall my post back in August about my crazy 11-month wedding schedule, and where I also mentioned how adamant I am about NOT repeating the awfulness that ensued with my amount of stress during my first wedding many, many years ago.

Well, I am proud to say that my craziness really did pay off.  We did get behind schedule and added a ton of things to the list within the past 2 months (including another bridesmaid!).  And over the past month we have spent every single day off shopping and crafting, every single evening balancing homework and projects and planning, and our apartment has not been anywhere near clean for at least 5 weeks.
(Exhibit A: The Bride and welcome bags in the living room)

BUT, here it is, May 1st, and I have completed everything on my list (with the exception of 4 small projects that cannot be done until the week before the wedding, such as packing for the whole shebang).

So, for those who are curious, here is the rundown on some of the DIY wedding projects Pete and I have completed, almost entirely by ourselves (with the help of Brittany, Andrea or Ryan on a few things) over the past year:

Self-designed Save-The-Dates*
Four Flower Girl Buckets*
Custom Soda Labels*
Engagement-photo Guest Book
Self-designed and built 5-tier cupcake stand
Self-designed Invitations*
Hand cut envelope liners
Self-designed and assembled programs*
Hand drawn Las Vegas map*
Hand-made jewelry for bridemaids, flower girls, and others
Hand-made party dress (that ended up being too small so it's completely useless)
Flower Girl accessories including fabric rose pins & hair flower clips
Custom cuff-links
Self-designed welcome brochures
Personalized dress hangers
Personalized (and glitter-ized) Bachelorette Party Shirts*
Personalized, hand-painted Aisle Runner
Welcome Bags including personalized letters, lollipop favors and Las Vegas Survival Kits
Menu Stands and Menus*
Personalized Kids Coloring Books
Photo slideshow
Handmade thank you cards
(All things marked with * were actually done twice due to my perfectionist personality, my hard drive's death, or other factors)

Okay that made me exhausted just writing it.  The point is, Pete and I have tried very hard to make our wedding special and a true reflection of us, within the confines of our tiny little budget, and hopefully the next few weeks will be as stress-free as possible so we can enjoy the much-awaited weekend in peace and good health.

2.5 weeks to go!