The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Grown Up Day.

Did you ever read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as a kid? I did. A lot. I would justify this as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad grown-up day in the world of Brandi.

I’m not going to sugar coat this day nor its realities. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies today and I’m sorry if you don’t feel like reading depressing crap but I honestly just need to vent. Here’s my so-called life as of late:

First of all yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of my grammy’s death. L Still miss her so much it hurts. Still catch myself wanting to call her. She truly could brighten my dark days. Had a relationship with my grandmother I wish most could have with their “grammy’s”. I miss and love you everyday (so cliché yet so true). The most beautiful soul to have ever lived. Serious. She made the best toast ever. Yes, toast. Just sayin.

I hate the 26^th of every month. I have since February. The day we all found out Thomas died. That morning I was happily painting my “brandy-wine” colored walk-in closet with my mom. We were chatting about how I needed to call Thomas and tell him to get here to help us asap. I wasn’t going to roll the whole house without him. I said I’d pay him in Busch Light and pizza. That afternoon, guess what? Yup, you guessed it. His dad called with that call. Sweet.

Today I woke up on the infamous 26^th. Yup, 6:50 am – I have to be leaving my house at 6:50 exactly to make it to work by 7:30. Brushed my teeth, put my contacts in, changed my undies – left. Forgot my purse and lunch and my keycard to get INTO work. Oh! And deodorant. I was late waiting for someone to let me in and now my armpits smell like onions. Not laughing.

Lunch. Met Matt at Wal-Mart. I was parking and what do I see? Matt’s pickup blocking the way and backed into another vehicle. He forgot to put the parking break on. Oh! And he is in between insurance. Awesome.

Go inside. Get our lunch. Check out – debit denied. 3 days ago I transferred money into a new Wells Fargo account. It’s went through from my old bank but is nowhere to be found in the WF account. I’ve had 7  phone conversations to get this figured out. No word yet. Out all my money for good or until Monday.  It’s more frustrating than I care to put into words. Left our lunch in the self check-out.

Leave Wal-Mart to go return some pants at Maurices WITH MY RECEIPT WITHIN 30 DAYS. Can’t refund due to no ID. Due to no purse in Watertown - I can’t get my $40 today. WHATEVER I said while I walked away. Not very nice but I wasn’t in a great mood. Sorry sales associate. Not. I'm nice. Oh well.

Go back to work. Mad about no purse. Mad about onion armpits. Mad about no lunch. Mad about the truck hitting another car. Mad about no money/banking issues. Mad about maurices not being able to give me $40 to live on for the weekend. Mad. Mad. Mad. Mad.

And I thought all this was going to be the biggest problem of the day. ha.

Then a few hours later I get told my Grandpa Rod has cancer. Found in his liver, lungs, esophagus, and stomach. Wow. That sick, pit in your stomach feeling. I feel very child-like and scared for having no other way of putting this:  I don’t want him to die. (lump in throat). I  don’t.

Sometimes in life there are no words (this is me having no words – ha). None of the day’s prior mishaps compare to this news. I want to go home and cry. And I’m gonna.

{Sorry for all the negativity but I’m overwhelmed with the uncertainties of life. All that has happened -- all of which I never imagined. And how some people get thrown a tornado-hurricane-blizzard-migraine-ratatouille-downpour storm of a ride and others get thrown a rainbow-daisy-sugar-pony-meadow-sort of ride.}

F-BOMB.

Air Plants = Awesome!

I am just wow-ed by air plants. Look at that bridal bouquet! To me, it's absolutely breathtaking! These things are just all around sa-weet! No sweat about your flowers wilting before your event. You can have these lil cuties months before the wedding. Double them up as decor/favors. SCORE!

What do you guys think?


You can find them here: Air Plant Supply Company

Photo credit: Amanda McKinnon

Back to School Week: 'We've Got Perfect Chemistry' Bridal Shower

So it's back to school week for most! I have until next Tuesday and I'm actually kind of excited. I'm ready to keep chugging along with my education and get that Bachelor's degree hung on my wall! It may be awhile because I'm only taking part-time classes at Mount Marty BUT I'm doing the online Event/Wedding Planning and I am hoping to kick that in gear and be done before the new year! Anyways, I thought this chemistry inspired bridal shower was adorable and very fitting for the new school year! I hated hate hated chemistry but this makes it look fun! I found this shoot from Alder's Photography via StyleMePretty. Enjoy Sparklers!

From Alder’s Photography: Table Décor: Mai of Bunch Studio created the tablescape for the shower. The chocolate linens were covered in a paper runner that was comprised of graph and ruled paper.  Not only was the runner full of chemistry notations, but personalized with little encouragements for the bride to be. The table was lined with floral gatherings of various blues, yellows, and creams in keeping with the turquoise and metallic color scheme.  Test tube stands and books completed the look and were scattered throughout the arrangements.  Metallic gold pipe cleaners made to look like atoms and metallic gold Styrofoam balls adorned the table for the finishing touch.

Dessert Table: Kayla of Nummie! took the science theme and ran with it, creating custom made desserts perfectly suited to the chemistry theme.  She created Sugar Cookies in the shape of beakers, flasks, test tubes, and atoms. There were “Pretzel Test Tubes” covered in white or dark chocolate with almonds and dusted in silver powder and turquoise drizzle.  She purchased beakers to house her “Mini Beaker Cakes” in two flavors: vanilla bean with white chocolate amaretto buttercream or chocolate with salted caramel buttercream.  And she included “Cake Molecules” which were lemon cake with meyer lemon buttercream and white chocolate ganache center dipped in white chocolate and brushed with metallic dust.

Cake and Individual Cakes: Kristal of Sweet Love Co. created the 3-tiered cake as well as an individual exposed cake for each guest.  The creations were a vanilla/chocolate medley filled with raspberry ganache wrapped in Italian cream frosting.

Stationaey: Angelique from Seafoam SAFARI on Etsy created the stationary for the shower.  She custom designed the invitation, place cards, menu, Meghan’s chair sign, favor instructions, guest book instructions, and descriptions of the cake, desserts, bath salt scents (made to look like periodic elements), and cocktail. Using a custom logo as well as a signature font throughout, Angelique tied all the stationary together with turquoise and metallic gold coloring.  She topped it all off with gocco press printing.

Menu: The menu was comprised of different categories of chemistry: analytical chemistry was the spirits, bio chemistry (soup), physical chemistry (sandwiches), organic chemistry (salad), environmental chemistry (sorbet), pharmaceutical chemistry (sips), and inorganic chemistry (sweets).  The guests were invited to mix and mingle for the first hour of the shower, and were offered the shower’s signature cocktail (spirit): Blue Curacao and Blue Raspberry Cocktail infusion with Champagne.  The other non-alcoholic drinks (sips) were lemonade, iced tea, or fruit infused water and were served in 3 ### flasks.  Once seated, the guests enjoyed a four-course lunch that started with the soup: a delightful chilled gazpacho garnished with celery fronds.  The second course was the sandwiches: breads layered with savory cream cheese, chicken salad, and egg salad fillings and garnished with rosemary.  Third was the salad: mixed greens nestled in cucumber rounds, gorgonzola, spiced pecans, and garnished with a strawberry.  The lunch was completed with the sorbet to cleanse the palette: a trio of lemon, lime, and raspberry scoops garnished with a raspberry and mint leaf.

Games: After Libations and Lunch, guests were invited to join the Bride in a time for Games and Gifts.  Games were printed on graph paper as science experiments.  Match the Bride’s Phrase, Name That Wedding Cake, and The Match Game brought on many laughs from the attendees.  In Match the Bride’s Phrase, guests were give a sheet with a word and a blank.  The correct answers were Meghan’s answers and whoever matched the Bride the most won.  In Name That Wedding Cake guests were given clues and different cakes and had to match them up.  For instance, “a cake you would enjoy in bed” was sheet cake. Whoever matched the cakes first won.  And in The Match Game, the mad scientists lead the guests through matching phrases on two boards.  Each phrase’s prize was an associated candy.  For instance, the prize for “wedding coordinator” was Lifesavers and for “first dance” was Fun Dip.

Waiters: No chemistry bridal shower would be complete without two mad scientists to serve you!  Bow ties purchased from Divine Domestication on Etsy in yellow and lab coats from a local costume shop created the look for the waiters.

Guest Book: I purchased a vintage 1894 chemistry lab book, complete with handwritten notes on each experiment for the guests to write their well wishes, advice, prayers, and support for Meghan and Josh in as the perfect keepsake from the shower.  The book and a pencil in an adjacent beaker were laid out on a table along with the favors for the guests.

Favors: In keeping with the “perfect chemistry” theme, I wanted a favor that not only incorporated science materials, but also was a science experiment.  So I purchased 3 scents of bath salts from ahavaus.com and displayed them in 1000 ml beakers with descriptions made to look like periodic table elements.  The guests were invited to take a test tube and experiment with their favorite scent (or a mixture of all 3) to take home along with a natural sponge (purchased on eBay) for a relaxing bath.

Misc Décor: An M and a J were purchased from Paper Source and covered with a “vintage laboratory experiment” paper from Dancing Bird Arts on Etsy.  The downloadable image was customized with a turquoise hue before being printed to cover the letters.

Less Lines, More Love

I in no way shape or form write to offend others. This is simply my opinion and sharing my explanations of why I’ve learned to view life in a new light. It’s been about 6 months since I lost a dear friend in a tragic, crazy unexplained accident. I can honestly say I’ve thought about things I’ve never considered and viewed life/religion/habits/etc. through new eyes. It’s been a journey I wouldn’t wish on anyone but one I feel everyone needs to experience.

Through this journey I’ve thought about religion, God, etc. I know there are umpteens of people who have lost someone close to them and definitely had to face the “why’s”. Why would God do this? Does God even exist? If He is so powerful than how could He let this happen? And on and on. I’ve asked myself those questions and after hours of thinking I’ve found what I doubt is religion.

There are numerous religions; Christianity being the most popular in the area of the world where I live. I grew up in a very God-Christian oriented household - on both my Mom’s side and my Dad’s. Sunday was an all day event in both families. Sundays almost always consisted of church, big meals, family time and sometimes more church. We were never afraid to voice our opinions or our feelings of the love we felt towards God, etc and I have an extremely strong faith in the existence of God from my upbringing and life experiences.

Before I was really forced to ask myself complicated questions regarding my faith I had a very black and white way of thinking about religion. Religion didn’t exist. Christianity was the only religion in my mind. Other beliefs, whether a person were Hindu, Agonistic, Atheist, Buddhist, etc. didn’t exist to me. I was very naïve and ignorant mostly.


I was having a conversation with someone very close to me a couple nights ago. We conversed about so many topics within this realm. We were discussing my latest post about what I’d written about our wedding not being in a church. This is what I said in my previous post:


I’m not connected to a church. I’m connected to God. I do not have to be in a man-made building to show my love and appreciation for my Lord and savior. Why not celebrate our union outdoors where we reside on the land that was crafted by God and to a person I call home?


This is where some people forget to stop and understand where another person is coming from. A church doesn’t make me a believer. My relationship with God and my faith does. When someone hasn’t been seen in church for ages doesn’t mean they’re backsliding or that they aren’t as “dedicated” as you are. I know for me personally I get more out of conversing with other believers or even having my faith questioned. I feel I get more out of breaking a mental sweat on why I believe what I do and how.


Do you understand what I’m saying? I feel as though I talk to God more on my drive home from work. I feel as though I see glimpses of God every time I watch the sun set. I know He subsists when I look at Matt and I feel blessed enough that He could so graciously put such a loving, gentle soul in my path.  My families are so tightly woven and have been through so much I can feel his presence whenever we’re all together. I get more personally from readings on my own, conversing with believers and non-believers, from not being afraid to talk about how some things don’t make sense.


For instance why is wearing a dress to church rather than jeans and a t-shirt better than the other? Does dressing up get you more out of sermon than the blue-jeaned person or is it just letting others “think” you are more committed? If someone wants to wear their pajamas, they should be welcomed without judgement because a church is the best place to be for non-judgement right?


What about communion? Why are non-Catholics not able to receive communion? Holy Communion is only for those of the Catholic faith?  We all believe in the same God – what’s the difference between you and me? And confession? Why confess my sins to another sinner? I can confess them to God and it’s the exact same thing. All these denominations Christians have are man-made. Jesus pushed for unity.


I have a couple very close friends that aren’t believers. What I find completely odd is that they are the most non-judgmental people that I know! They are welcoming no matter how much money you have, your wardrobe, your background, etc. Isn’t that sort of a crazy-sad contradiction? It’s truly sad to me my non-believer friends are more welcoming/less judgmental.

In my conversations with them I’ve found that the pushier a Christian is – the more black and white they are on gay rights, abortion, etc. the more they are LESS likely to believe. Sometimes I think if Jesus were to come back right now being a Christian would be the last thing He’d want to be. He'd be frightened by how bad of a reflection of His love we've showed.  


Sometimes I wish the world really was like the movie Shallow Hal. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie it’s basically about this spell that had been cast on this guy that made every woman look only as gorgeous as they really were as a person. He fell in love with someone “hideous” to others but to him, she was the most gorgeous thing on the planet. Wouldn’t this be fun if the world was like this? The world didn’t judge others by the penny in their pocket or the clothes on their back. We’d all be equal – equal - equal. Jeez-louise. Someone get me a tiara and a sash, I want world peace too.


This is the fork in the road red-tag labeled religion during my route here on Earth. In confronting this I’ve learned more about my faith and myself as a believer than I think I ever could listening to someone sermonize. What I want most is for people to question why they believe the things they do and why they do the things the church practices. Is it because a human being made it that way or because God did? Man unknowingly tends to stray from it’s key purpose due to opinion. Remember that.


Instead of saying we're Christian why don't we let our actions reflect our faith? We're all human , of course,  and we'll make mistakes but if we'd all lessen our judgment and open our eyes and ears to the troubles, heartaches, views of others I think we'd have a tiny bit better world - more understanding at least.  Why don't we put religion differences aside and strive for acceptance - gay, straight, happy, sad, fat, thin, black, white, etc. Lets work towards less judgement and more love. Less divided religion/denomination "lines" and more faith. I just don't know if I have a religion anymore - All I'm sure of is I'm a believer. 
                                                                                                         (not like the Shrek song - hehe)

our wedding.

The one thing I’ve noticed so far in the wedding planning (of my own wedding) is that everyone seems to have an opinion. Your relatives, your fiancés’ relatives, your friends, co-workers and people you hardly know! I sometimes feel like I’m suffocating with all the “this would be…” or ‘the look’. You know where their head goes back a little and tips sideways just slightly after you’ve told them your idea. The facial expression basically looks like they just saw a centaur (half house, half man)………..Yeah. That look. It’s discouraging. Although, is it my fault their not able to see our vision?

I honestly just can’t bring myself to apologize for not sticking to two colors and for not making the day mostly about me. I can’t apologize for throwing tradition to the wind. I am making it us! US. US. US. US. US. US. US. US. US. I am gonna pound that into people’s heads. It’s so frustrating! Why are things in this world they way they are? It makes NO sense. Some things we do as a human race, not just weddings, is just so robotic. We don’t stop and think why? Why are things this way? Why? Everyone just does it cause it’s “normal”. If it’s not normal people freak out and run the opposite direction arms flailing.

No, I’m not getting married in a church nor do I want to. I’m not connected to a church. I’m connected to God. I do not have to be in a man-made building to show my love and appreciation for my Lord and savior. Why not celebrate our union outdoors where we reside on the land that was crafted by God and to a person I call home?

And no, I am not going to list every person from every part of our family trees that passed away in our “remembrance” ceremony or whatever we do. I can’t include grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins or anyone that died before we even were born. There’s no emotional attachment there. See what I’m saying? I was told there would be “hurt” feelings if we singled out a couple people that had passed. UM, how? Those are the people that we were close to and that we miss dearly. Why do I need to have a table set up with a picture of my mom’s dad or my dad’s dad whom I never even knew past the age of 6 months!? It’s absurd and I don’t want to hear that there would be hurt feelings because my parents in no way would even expect me to do that. DUH!

I hate to sound so whiney and negative it’s just that it’s a constant echo whisper in my brain. I have to stick to my guns on what we want and envision. I have to. I can’t let outside influences influence me. And although there is an echoed whisper of what they have to say about our big day I have to ignore it. BUT BUT BUT – how do I go about not being rude when they tell me their idea? How do I not let them read MY facial expression of “hell no…….” haha! It’s true! I’m a wear your heart on your sleeve kinda person. You can read my every emotion in the way that I move my lips or where my eyes shift when you say something I don’t like. It’s a curse I swear.

Granted, there are some ideas from people I adore. So don’t stop giving me your input! But when it comes to my beliefs, my loved ones who have passed or having a “woodland fairytale” wedding please don’t roll your eyes. You can't judge what you haven't seen. My main concern is marrying Matt. His smile will be more memorable than any sort of paper stationary, decor, dress or caterer.....

The Substitute Series: Boutonnieres

I want to make it clear when I post my Substitute Series it is not to say that this is better than that or if you are/have been married that what you chose was incorrect. This is simply just showing various options that can be done. No two people are identical and neither are tastes in clothes, food, books, weddings, etc. This is made for fun so just sit back and enjoy!

Let's hear it for the boys! This was SO fun to put together. I was seriously googling the funniest stuff. [side note: I heart google.] I finally learned how to spell boutonniere also. It's a word you have to study or else you're like "boot-in-ear?" : )
Enjoy these because most are so silly but so fun!! I like fun. Do you like fun? I'm not sure if many do because we always ALWAYS stay the safe route and pick FLORAL. Lets shake these so-called weddings up and do a popcorn boot-in-ear or something okay?! : )

I am so SAD I could not find a sombrero boutonniere for the life of me! {insert mental picture of adorable sombrero boutonniere here}

for the poke-hair play-hair.

PINE CONEZZZ! (saying this w/ a lisp like the sloth on ice Age!) hehehe.

This one is kinda cool for the musically inclined. Maybe I should wear a trumpet??

This lil' ice cream cone is so adorable! Think of all the themes.."50's diner, Sweet Carnival, etc.." Kind reminds me of Katy Perry.

CUUUUTE!!! An adorable lil' bird! hahaha, omg so presh.

This one reminds me of my Grammy! Haha, she had a slot machine in her house and this old fridge magnet that was kinda of like this. You could pull the handle and it would spin like crazy.

croquet anyone?! hahahaha!

I have to admit...these are my favorite. What adorable little plush hearts! :)

LOL! I was debating on showing my fiance this one. He surprisingly didn't like it. I guess we'll stick w/ our original plan of a boutonniere I didn't post :) sorry guys!

        

                                               CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, i love this one too! Pinwheels are so fun!

The kites are very cute and unique. I wonder if there was a story behind them meeting or their first date or their engagement that was the reasoning behind the kites! or maybe there was none at all and they just like kites!

A sushi boutonniere is just kinda funny I think. :) Although, I don't like sushi it's still funny.

What do you prefer!?!?

FIVE cont...

I’m not sure if this makes me a liar now after my ‘FIVE’ post. After walking yesterday reality struck. There is literally not enough hours in the day for me to walk five miles on the days that I work. I work 4 days a week for 10 hours each day. 7:30 to 6 to be exact and most times we have mandatory 1-2 hour overtime per day. That means getting home around 7:30-7:45ish? That’s absurd. On top of exercising I have all my other duties that come with a house. (cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc. etc etc!) Starting out I am fairly slow so 5 miles would take me around 2 hours! I just don’t have that amount of time getting home around 8 and doing all the other things that need to be done on a daily basis.

I have decided that I will dedicate 1 hour to my treadmill per day which starting out is only about 3 miles or so. But I am also doing a video that is vigorous and lasts about 30 minutes. That’s good starting out, right? An hour and a half of exercise? I also have 3 days I don’t work that I can work out harder for longer periods of time.

I do like walking on my eyesore of a treadmill though. Put on my Katy Perry Pandora radio and get to watch all our little pets run around to the left. Look straight ahead and I see the exact place I'll be saying "I do" to my sweet lil' Matthew and to the left Matt works in the garage (without a shirt on-yummy haha!) building muskrat boards. I don't think I could get a better view if I was in paradise myself. :)

So although I am not going to walk FIVE miles I'm still happy with myself because I’ve lost FIVE pounds. J 



It's not you, it's me. Wait...



FIVE

fml

Do you realize how much I had to beg Matt to let me put my treadmill in the house? ‘Twas previously chillin’ the with mice in the garage – YUM. After bribing and pouting for an embarrassingly long period of time last night Matt and Jimmy D carried my treadmill to the house. So there it sits plain as day in the entry way – a definite eyesore! Matt was trying to tell me to put it in my GORGEOUS pink walk-in closet. Dream on, mister matt! The entryway isn’t ideal but it’ll have to do!

Anyways, long story short I put up a fight w/ my infamous temper tantrums that have been on going since I was a tot! Only this time I’ve learned that peeing on the kitchen floor every time I got mad was not the best solution to getting what I want (sorry mom!). SOOO, since I put up such a fight to get what I want I suppose I better go balls to the walls. For readers that have been following along from the beginning you know that reaching my goal weight is on my bucket list because what’s better than feeling and looking great?! I have a wedding to get gorgeous for! So bucket list AND our wedding. That’s a double whammy in the game of needing to drop some L-Bs. Here’s my public announcement that my ars will be on the treadmill every single day walking FIVE miles per day. Wish me luck Sparklers!! I know I can do it!!

WOOO-HOOO!

Matthew & Brandi's Wedding Details!!

Happy Tuesday Sparklers!

It seems as though I haven’t blogged in forever! I have had a long hard weekend of shopping so I apologize J. I want to congratulate Kelsi and Julie for being our first giveaway winners! They had SUCH great answers! I enjoyed hearing from them! If you could Facebook or e-mail me your addresses that would be FANtastic. J

Our wedding details!! We have officially decided on colors, a date, wedding party, place, etc. I decided I wanted to share a little about what we have decided because if you love weddings as much as I do you’ll be interested! J

who: Matthew & Brandi

what: A wedding. A union. A celebration.

when: September 22, 2012 - sunset.

where: Our beautiful home in good ol’ GC.

why: Our souls have found their mates – we’re in love duh!

We have decided on a “Woodland Fairytale” themed wedding. Previously, I had  said “Enchanted Forest” but that was more me than it was him I felt like and “Woodland Fairytale” is more “us”! Us is what we’re going for. When you come I want you to see and feel the reflection of both Matthew and I individually and as a couple. After all, it is NOT my day – it’s OUR day. We, as a couple, have sat down and wrote down what is most important to us in décor, ceremony readings, songs, etc. He has been very involved as to what is going on and he’s excited! I have given him “to-do’s” on things to collect and keep an eye out for out in the shelter belts and what not.

Our color palette consists of soft ivory, buck skin, blush pink, greens, and browns. It’s hard to nail down the greens and browns because after all, there are so many different shades of them especially in nature. The ivory/blush represents me obviously and the greens and the browns represent Matt.

We will both be having 2 bridesmaids and 2 groomsmen each. I will also be having 4 girls who will be pegged as my “soul sisters” – I feel as though personal attendant is a bossy term. A term that wasn’t personable to how much I care for my 4 closest friends. I didn’t expect them to run around doing what I say. I know they’ll be helpful regardless of what their titles are. These four will have a matching dress in a different shade. They will still have a bouquet and sit with me at the head table. I haven’t figured out all the details but I will probably have them start out the ceremony walking 2 by 2 to their front row seats. I am so happy I found a unique way to include my “soul sisters” into my big day!

I’m not ready to reveal my wedding party yet because I want to make sure they all received an appropriate asking. J

As I mentioned I had a long hard weekend of shopping. My mother and I did some major retail therapy. We found and bought my bridesmaid/soul sister dresses AND shoes! The dresses are simply gorgeous and with the help of about 10 coupons we got $100 dresses to $40. Shoes were on a major sale and so we got their shoes/dresses combined for around $55/each. I also got my ceremony Cinderella heels/dancing shoes! My mom is AM-AZ-ING when it comes to shopping!

With the wedding becoming reality the prepping has begun! Hair, skin, nails, body, mind, etc. I want to feel beautiful and most importantly, COMFORTABLE on the big day. So here's to eating right, working out and all around taking care of myself for the big day and for my ability to enjoy the day without worrying about how I look from what angle!

I'm SUCH a planner, always have been. It's no surprise to me I have a binder filled with my details and my bridesmaid dresses already bought. I am the type that has to have everything written out and decided on so I can enjoy the process. It helps me stay sane and not to get too stressed out. You only get married once and it's overwhelming but it's also an exciting time and you have to remember getting stressed will NOT help. It's a once in a lifetime event so sit back and enjoy the planning process!

More details to come.



Forever Fridays: Barbershop Quartet Proposal

It is our 2nd Forever Friday here at Add a Little Sparkle and I am excited to share what we have today. There are so many creative guys out there. This proposee put together a Barbershop Quartet to sing to his love on the beach he grew up on. They practiced learning Light by the Silvery Moon for 3 months! I love that they even wore the classic costumes. So adorable. All of it!


Photo credits: Katie from Tyler Branch Photography

Let's Play The Miss America Game...k?

So, we hit 1,500 viewers in less than 3 weeks. I just checked it and we're at 1,546 actually! We were at 1,443 starting yesterday. That's unbelievable! When I was thinking of creating a blog I thought to myself no one will read or view my posts. I didn't think it was because I boring because I certainly wouldn't consider myself boring by any means because my life is ALWAYS (I mean always) full of moments where I stop and think "I should have my own reality tv series...." REAL drama, heartache, LOTS of laughs (loud loud laughs) and many "what the hell just happened?" moments. Thank you guys so much for following along (and perhaps being future viewers on my reality tv show? =] )

When I went to South Dakota State my friends and I partied more than we studied to say the least. Hence, why I'm still in school. Anyways, my friends and I played what we have now pegged, "The Miss America Game" - it was great! It was called the Miss America Game because we'd ask each other "on-stage questions" we'd literally have the best time doing nothing but ask eachother questions. Ex: "If you HAD to choose between a heart, a brain or courage what would you choose and why?" ...

Anyways, I wanted to incorporate my favorite game (I do love Disney Apples to Apples too though!) into my first giveway! The instructions are fairly simple. Unfortunately for you the giveway is not a car (I know I'm a lot like Oprah but not quite as rich! and I'm pastey white!) but I hope you'll enjoy it none the less!

All you have to do is Facebook message or email me at brandi.addalittlesparkle@gmail.com or at brandi_babe35@hotmail.com  with the answers to these questions. I want to get to know my Sparklers like they're getting to know me! All must be in complete sentences because I like to pretend I'm a beauty pageant judge : )  The most unique explanations and answers will win! The contest ends Friday, August 12th at 5 pm. My panel of judges and I look forward to hearing from you!

1) Your favorite color?

2) Your favorite movie?

3) Your favorite Disney character?

4) Your 3 favorite things about Add a Little Sparkle?
5) If you HAD to choose between a heart, a brain or courage what would you choose and why?
6) If you could have dinner with anyone FAMOUS in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

7) If you could only bring 3 things on a deserted island and one person (you actually know) what and who would you bring? (a fully loaded RV doesn't count)

Thanks Sparklers for all your love and support! This is for YOU!





The Substitute Series: Bridal Bouquets



I want to make it clear when I post my Substitute Series it is not to say that this is better than that or if you are/have been married that what you chose was incorrect. This is simply just showing various options that can be done. No two people are identical and neither are tastes in clothes, food, books, weddings, etc. This is made for fun so just sit back and enjoy!

Happy Thursday and Jerzday Sparklers! I am very excited to share with you the 2nd substitute to the series! I hope it's a treat for you to view like it was for me to put together! Don't get me wrong, I love regular flowers but again, I just want to show you different options. In reality, the ones I've put together are not even the beginning of what you can use as a bridal bouquet - the possibilities for bouquets are endless! I literally had to stop myself from googling!

 I am in love with this paper bouquet! Kudos to the bride for the colors and technique! It's paper and it's stunning! There are so many paper textures and designs to choose from in this world!


  

 A fabric silk bouquet. Who knew right? Good ol' google. I also think this one is very very pretty!


 

A brooch bouquet! Makes me wanna go dig in my granny's jewlery box! They say some have weighed up to 7lbs! (me as a baby). "For the body-builder bride" ; )





I LOVE this and totally will rock it! So enchanting in my mind AND I love her dress. (sorry for the lettering/numbers in the middle - not any (on google) bride rocked a lantern...)





 I literally own about 400 mason jars and you can bet your bottom dollar I love this idea.  

 

Yes, those are Christmas ornaments. I'm not particularly in love with this certain one but think of all the possibilities. There are umpteen bajillion ornaments out there. Love! Especially for a winter/new year's wedding!





I LOVE this! A pinwheel bouquet; this just shouts fun! 





A bead bouquet! time consuming but has total possibility to be absolutely stunning!!





Feather bouquet. This one reminds me of the feather duster on Beauty and the Beast which actually makes me like it more...

 

 BUTTON BOUQUET! I love the word button (ever since I was told I have a button nose) I think this is a super neat idear! No, that is not a typo...

                                                           

                                                            and a more playful one...







                     A shell bouquet: for the beach bride. Kinda scary looking though...like it'll bite.



                                         A felt bouquet! I think this idea is just darling!!



A butterfly bouquet! I feel as though I'm not innocent enough in personality to have a butterfly bouquet but it's adorbs.







What bridal bouquet would you choose? I choose lantern : )