Big Changes--Big Love

So I am making a HUGE change in my life right now.

As in, moving out of my parents house.

As in to a new town.

As in alone.

Ok, so it's really only 15 minutes from my house, and in an area I've been familiar with for most of my life, but still this is a big deal for me people! I signed the lease on Monday of this week (when my mom and I spent the entire evening scrubbing the place down) and have spent the rest of my week hauling carloads to and from work.

Last night the best family a gal could ask for helped her move-in her few larger belongings. This sounds simple enough, except for the following points: A) I seriously picked the hottest day of the year so far (hello 90s), B) to move to a third floor apartment, C) with a narrow--I'm talking suck in your gut or you won't get through narrow--staircase, D) and not one bit of air-conditioning. (heh sorry guys!)

A loveseat took approximately an hour (and the removal of three banisters with mile long screws) to get up my tiny staircase. And who would have thought? Box springs don't bend! That baby had to come in through my living room window after being hoisted onto the roof next door, and walked up the wobbly staircase serving as my fire escape.

Yuck... now do you understand why they are the best? Because they are. And because they love me enough to help and sweat and work really, really hard with only beer and popsicles as payment.

I've been an emotional-stressed out-nervous wreck this week, and just thinking about all of their help is choking me up right now... You sometimes forget how loved you really are by the people around you, and I could not have been blessed with a better support system and loving family.

Thank yous:

Jill- For never being afraid to get your hands dirty and for all your support <3

Jon- For letting me load my junk into your truck and all the heavy lifting

Daddy- For being my fix-it superman and for moving me in... with a HERNIA.

Uncle Jerry- For letting me use your truck and for finding the humor in the situation

Uncle Scott- This man get's the MVM (most valuable mover) Award. He single handedly carried my box springs over his head up a set of shaky wooden stairs and through my window. He also got on the wrong end of the loveseat dilemna--as in he headed up before it and got stuck doing all the pulling and banister manipulation himself.

Mommy- For feeding my moving crew, for keeping Jill & Jon's kiddos so they could come help, for cleaning the majority of my apartment, for coming on countless shopping trips and hearing me ramble about all of my great (and some not so great) ideas for how I want to decorate, and for hugging me last night when I came home and cried at the sight of my empty bedroom.

I love you all.

Here are a few pics of the empty apartment, pre-move-in! I can't wait to decorate it, fill it up, and make it my own little home :)



Extra counter/dinette space in my kitchen



The entryway into my living room from the kitchen.

Living room with big new windows :)

Bedroom with small old windows...

Emily's Bridal Shower!

Have you ever had the perfect party in your brain?

Along the way details get changed, there's too much to be done, wrenches get thrown into your plans, and a little thing called poverty conscious budgeting creeps up on you; It all leaves you wondering if the picture in your head will ever become a reality.

In a recent post about a Bridal Shower Gift, I mentioned that I'd been busy planning
a bridal shower for my friend Emily along with a very crafty-resourceful-fun-ambitious group of ladies: Jena (MOH), Carissa (Bridesmaid/photographer extraordinaire),
& Debbie (mother of the bride). And what a beautiful picture we had in our heads for the way we wanted Emily's shower to be! Her wedding colors are coral pink and espresso brown and Emily picked out brightly-colored vibrant flowers to really liven things up!

Here's how the shower turned out along with some tips along the way! Everything we did is incredibly DIY-able and for the most part budget-friendly; We couldn't be more thrilled with the way it turned out! (All photos courtesy of FABULOUS Carissa McClellan Photography! Visit her website here, and check her out on facebook here)

We went wit simple white table clothes (the paper ones with the decorative edges & plastic lining) and plain brown table runners (ALSO paper table clothes cut into four strips lengthwise! These runners were super simple, streamlined our decor and got a lot of compliments..). White flower and coral heart confetti broke up the plain brown runner, and we centered a large and small, ribboned mason jar of flowers on each table.

Side Note: Flowers are crazy expensive. We may or may not have used premade bouquets of pastel and neon daisies from Walmart (thanks Aunt Belva for scouting that out!). We also may or may not have torn said bouquets apart and picked our favorite colors. Additionally.... someone may have picked up some filler sprigs and already-opened roses (for a fraction the cost of a rosebud stem) on her way to the shower that morning. The same person may have also cut fresh peonies from a neighbor's yard while a certain maid of honor raided her mother's flowerbed.

Only one thing can be said for sure--YES that was me picking those purple flowers on the side of the road on my way to the church hall...

For favors, we bridesmaids spent many-a-night guzzling wine handcrafting these homemade bath fizzes. A pin paved the way to this helpful tutorial, and Martha Stewart showed us how to wrap it all up. The tags read:

 From My Shower to Yours

Homemade Bath Fizz

Emily and Mike

2012

Em's not a huge gamer so we made many of the games optional, and included other things to do like bringing along a recipe card and writing a piece of advice or special message to the bride-to-be.

Each of us girls made up a basket to give away as a door prize... Lottery, Herb Garden, Italian Cooking, Home & Bath.

A lovely shower for a lovely bride. And the best part is that the party turned out exactly the way we wanted it to! And we managed to keep it all (well...most of it) a surprise from Emily.

Mike put in an appearance to help lug the shower loot home...

Bridal Envy.

Emily and Her Mama

2/3 of the Maids

Bridal Party! (minus the tiniest, who was not open to being photographed at the moment)