You Are Invited....to a Family Affair!!!

I promised pictures....and I deliver!!!  Here are some photos from Bonnie's wedding.......

Trayden and Ansleigh walked in ahead of their Momma...

Bonnie makes her entrance - she fought hard not to cry

Bonnie and Matthew Powell

A new family is born.....

The only word for the look on Matt's face.....RELIEF!!!

The Bride and her attendants

Matt and his guys

Matt's sister made the beautiful cakes

I think she warned him what would happen if cake went on the face or the dress....

Eddie & I with the happy couple

So proud of this photo of my beautiful Family!!!

Bonnie planned and we put this wedding together in only a few short weeks.  She had a vision of what she wanted - family-oriented, simple affair with black, white and silver.  She and I did the flowers. Each of her attendants selected their own dresses.  Ansleigh and Trayden looked adorable.  Matt's niece was the Flower Girl and his nephews were ringbearers.  Bonnie's friend, Stacy, did all the photos.  Matt's sister, Ashley, made both cakes.  It was truly a Family Affair!

I want to send out a SPECIAL THANKS to our Friends who went the extra mile and helped with setting up and cleaning up - Kim, Jacqueline, Barbara and John and Bethany!  Ben and Sam, my sweet boys, helped their Sister on her special day with loving hearts - kudos to you, guys!  And, Rudy, you did an awesome ceremony and kept Matt calm. 

Matt and Bonnie, my heart is filled with love and best wishes for you as you begin this new chapter in your lives.  May you always find strength and joy in Christ who guides you - and each other!

Reflections on October....

Here we are, already past the first week of November!  But, I wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on October before it just becomes a dim memory.....

What a busy month it was!  A lot of time was spent decorating for Autumn and Halloween.  I put a lot of effort into it this year since we live so near the grandkids and I wanted Mimi and Papa Ed's place to be really special for the season.  It might have been a lot of work, but it was a lot of FUN, too!

All that effort drew lots of attention and compliments from the neighbors and trick-or-treaters!  In addition, my blog post,  "Make Mine Spooky, Please", garnered some attention from FrontPorchIdeasandMore.Com and was featured in a special Halloween decorating section on their website.  You can check it out RIGHT HERE.   What a thrill to see my porch somewhere other than on my blog!  LOL.

Another project that seemed to require a lot of time in October was preparing for my stepdaughter's wedding in Oklahoma.  There was much to be done as far as helping Ed plan the meal that she requested for the reception....but, most of my time and energy was focused on finding that oh-so-right dress.  Remember???

I waited for my educational requirements to be evaluated by the Texas Real Estate Commission and my application to take the state licensing exam to be approved.  I was disappointed by the delay, but started an intensive review of the material I studied over the Summer.  I heard back from them just before leaving for the wedding.  I have a "green light" to take the exam!

And, finally, we put together a family evening of pumpkin-carving and chili-eating to celebrate Halloween.  It turned out to be so much fun - I'm sure a new family tradition has been born!

But, as I reflect on the month, one of the most special and rewarding moments had to be making cookies with my 4-year-old granddaughter, Ansleigh!   On the day before Halloween, I picked Ansleigh and her 6-year-old brother, Trayden, up and brought them over for some quality "Bake Time" with their Mimi (uh, that would be me).  We mixed up packaged sugar cookie mix (so simple!), rolled it out and used cookie cutters in the shapes of pumpkins, ghosts and bats to cut the cookies.  Then, we sprinkled orange sugar crystals on them before baking.  VOILA!!!  Halloween cookies!!!

To be honest, Trayden lost interest in the project pretty quickly.  He cut out a couple of cookies and then headed out into the backyard to romp with the dogs and search for treasures in the dirt.  But, Ansleigh took to cookie-making like a duck to water....and stayed with me through the last sheet of cookies.

This was a morning I will always treasure!  Just look at those precious little helping hands.....

And so October has raced past us....remaining only in memories.  Did it fly by for you, too?  Did you accomplish your goals for the month?  Spend the time you wanted with your Family?  Oh, I hope you did!

I am linking with Heidi at "Heart and Home" for Wednesday Gratitude.  Please take a moment to go over and check it out! 

Looking forward....

Jane

Another One Bites the Dust.....

Well, it's all behind us now....Ed's daughter, Anita, was married on Saturday evening.  Her months of planning all came to an end and Friends and Family gathered to help Jimmy and Anita celebrate their wedding vows. 

The venue was the Marland Mansion in Ponca City, Oklahoma, a beautiful historical estate complete with a grand ballroom....the perfect place for a wedding on a gorgeous Autumn evening!

The bride looked stunning.....

The cake was totally awesome....

The ceremony was relaxed, intimate and full of little surprising touches....such as the Bride and Groom sharing their first smooch as man and wife to the tune of the rock classic, "Another One Bites the Dust". 

Ed smoked four large briskets and three turkey breasts and, together, he and I prepared all the trimmings to go with the traditional Texas spread, per Anita's special request.  By the time the ceremony rolled around, we were ready to just enjoy it!  Champagne and beer flowed and everybody just got down to the business of having a good time, which was what the couple wanted. 

There wasn't a dry eye in the place when Father and Daughter waltzed to "I Loved Her First", such a special moment for a daddy and his little girl....

And the happy couple was all smiles as they cut that divine-looking cake!

(Yep, that's "all smiles" for Jimmy!)

Congratulations, Anita and Jimmy Casey!  

We love you both and wish you many, many years 

of Happiness and Joy together!!!

Dad & Jane 

And now, it's back to Normal Life....at least as we know it!   With Thanksgiving right around the corner,  Christmas hot on its heels, and one major Real Estate Exam to conquer, it ought to be interesting to see how "Normal" works out....

Alive & kickin'....

Jane

P. S.  I finally got to wear that red dress and those gold shoes.  Ah, yes, those oh-so-sexy shoes turned out to be real killers....they killed my feet!  I ended up doing what most every other woman did (including the Bride), and kicked them off before I kicked up my heels. 

Mission Accomplished!!!

As I have mentioned before, Ed's daughter, Anita, will become Mrs. James Allen Casey on November 6, 2010.  (Okay, nobody ever calls him anything other than "Jimmy", so I had to go look at the invitation to get his full given name....)  

What an exciting time in this young couple's lives!  

My dilemma has been....what to wear to their wedding!  (In case you missed that post, you can click HERE to read it.)  

Well, this past Saturday, my dear friend - Barbara - and I tackled this dilemma head on!  With no particular color, length or style in mind, we decided to make our first stop at David's Bridal.  All I can say is..... "THANK GOD WE DID!!!" 

Once there, we quickly searched through the racks of ready-made dresses and pulled four selections for me to try on.  Three were black.....one was red; all were around knee-length, sleeveless and very simple.

The first two black numbers were "no brainer, no way"....

The third dress was a definite possibility.  It was a classic "little black dress" and would have required only minimal alterations.  I started to get excited!!!  This wasn't going too badly....but, I still had that red one to try on.....

Before it was even zipped up, I was IN MAJOR LOVE!!!  I knew, without a doubt, this was THE ONE!!!

Barbara got excited when I stepped out of the dressing room.  Allison, our sales assistant, got excited.  I was grinning ear to ear.  It was unanimous....the red dress was going home with me!  

Having forgotten my digital camera, I pulled out my Blackberry and had Barb snap a couple of photos for me.  It felt awkward to be in front of the camera....ugh.  

But, as I twirled in front of the mirrors, she snapped this photo that captures my joy and the dress beautifully.

 

I gotta tell you, I was beside myself with how well the dress shopping went.  We left my house at 1:00 pm; we walked out of David's Bridal at 1:50.  And I haven't even told you the most amazing thing about this dress....it was marked down to $79 on the clearance rack!!!  This was a cause for celebrating....and so we did!

After a nice lunch, we hit Dillards in the mall.  We decided to go with something metallic - really hot this year and a little different from the routine died-to-match shoes or basic black.  It didn't take long to get the same feeling of euphoria when I slipped on this pair....

With the pressure off, we spent the rest of the afternoon looking for just right accessories.  We were in agreement that a shimmery metallic gold-toned pashmina from Dillards would be just perfect....they had a few in stock, so I plan on returning tomorrow to make that purchase!  And, as we looked at display after display of jewelry, we decided that I would need EITHER a "statement" necklace with simple earrings OR "statement" earrings with no necklace to complete the ensemble.  I am still on the search for this element.  (And I would love any suggestions you might have on the subject!)

Today, I spread the dress out on our bed and snapped photo after photo of the dress....

of the dress and shoes....

the detail along the neckline....

the "bling" on the shoes that takes them beyond ordinary....

Like everyone kept telling me - I just KNEW the right dress when I found it.  I couldn't have asked for it to go any smoother!!!

Thanks for all the encouraging words so many of y'all had for me....I especially loved the one suggesting the personal shopper approach at Nordstrom's.   Believe me, if I lived anywhere near a Nordstrom's, I would have tried it!!!

Hugs until next time....

Jane

Wish Me LUCK!!!

As I have mentioned before, Ed's daughter is getting married next month.  November 6th, to be exact.  This wedding will be very special, I have no doubt!  Anita has been hard at work planning it for nearly 1-1/2 years!!! 

Now, I have to find an absolutely-drop-dead-gorgeous-suitable-for-the-stepmother-of-the-Bride dress to wear! 

I admit I've been dreading shopping for a dress.....yes, I have.   Mostly because I hate shopping for clothes!  I hate trying on clothes!  I can browse through antique and second-hand shops all day long, but I get nervous thinking about shopping for a piece of clothing such as this.  (Remember what an ordeal it was when I was shopping and preparing for a simple weekend trip to Bowie last month???)

Of course, when I started working out, it was easy to put off the shopping because I was in the process of losing weight and toning up.  I was hopeful that anything I picked 6 months in advance would be too large by the time the wedding rolled around.  (Excuse #1)

Also, it was the wrong "season".....I wanted to wait until the "Fall line" was out before making a selection.  Right???  (Excuse #2)

Well, my weight IS less than it was 6 months ago.  YEA!!!  But, it has pretty much stabilized now that I've gotten to this point.   And my body does LOOK different and I LOVE that!   So....this is no longer a viable excuse.  So long, Excuse #1. 

And, I think we are well enough into the season for anything new to be out there in the stores.  Adios, Excuse #2. 

So, when a girlfriend called earlier this week and suggested we get out and about for a little "Girl Time" this weekend, I jumped all over that!  She can HELP me shop for "the dress"!!!  And one of the things I love most about this friend is that she will always be brutally straight and honest with me.  So, I totally trust her to tell me if something looks great....or awful. 

Although I am still undecided about length, color, style, pretty much everything....I am hopeful that I will be successful when we go shopping on Saturday.

So, wish me luck in this "adventure"....Lord knows, I certainly need it!

Thanks and a big ol' hug!

Jane