Beach themed Bridal Shower

Hey guys! This past weekend was my bridal shower … it was nothing huge but it still required a LOT of planning and preparation… from the food, to the games, to the table and chair rentals etc….It was an intimate affair at my godmothers house with some of my best friends and family… It was honestly everything I could imagine and more! There was a lot of food (appetizers, main course which included roasted pig, chicken, fish fillets, sushi etc… and coffee and dessert to finish) … wine that my lovely papa picked up for all the ladies (white, red and zinfandel)… the tables were beautifully decorated, games were fun … we played the apron game where you have to walk around and guests look at your apron .. but they don't know the rules yet… then they are quizzed to see how much they can remember and person with the most points wins a prize… we also had some throwaway games like “guess the seashells”, the “Price is Right”, create a dress game which was a team effort and Beach Bingo… I also got “grilled” with a set of questions that my maid of honour and fiancée came up with … to test my knowledge and see how well I know my husband-to-be… I was afraid but actually did very well :P…. overall, I think everyone had a great time and it was definitely a success… and there was not one person that could say they left hungry! My mother, aunts and maid of honour were just so amazing in helping to make sure everything ran smoothly …I am so blessed to have such wonderful and amazing women in my life… My little brother was also amazing at making sure I had photographs of the event… and being a runner/coat boy… I even got a cute little recipe book because each guest was asked to bring their favourite so that a book could be compiled for me – it was so sweet! J also made an appearance at the end and gave a lovely little speech that literally put me in tears and brought me a bouquet of roses <3

Next up is the wedding! I cant believe it is just over a couple of months away … I am a little nervous but I guess that's a good thing! I am so thrilled … and our home is almost ready … we are installing the kitchen, washroom and trim at this point…. then paint and we are pretty much set! I might show you guys some progress pictures of the home if you are interested

Hope you have all been doing well – thank you for sticking by me during this “crazy” time in my life

xox

We are a thrifty bunch …. I haven't disappeared, I just took a little break

Hey guys! So I guess its pointless to state the obvious… that I have been gone almost 4 months and I will just leave it at that … there has been a lot going on in my life and it has taken a slightly different direction where I have not had as much personal “free” time as I would like … J and I have a lot going on but you know what…. I am thankful. I am thankful for every opportunity life has provided me … I am thankful for everything that I have and that can be interpreted on different levels … I am thankful for the amazing people I have in my life (home, friends and work) and I am working on maintaining a sense of balance as best as I can and not let small bumps get in the way of what my ultimate goals are … I work hard at anything and all that I do but sometimes… you need to just step back and just breathe… because its so easy to become immersed in everything that you begin to lose a sense of enjoyment for the small things because you are so caught up in what seem to be all the “big things”. Anyways, enough of my “rantings” … I wish I had a fashionable post to share with you guys … but I don't … and to be honest… I'm ok with that and I hope you guys are too … because I am really excited to share my home and wedding related things with you! J and I have made a lot of progress on the home… we have done almost all of the work ourselves …. from gutting it to now beginning to install the floors… its been a lot of work… and a tight budget … but we have managed and are managing! It has been almost a year since we bought the house it is finally beginning to look like a home. We have walls! That we can paint! …. We are working on getting kitchen quotes (which was quite the shocker… in terms of pricing… but I am sure J and I will work something out that works for us and suits our style without compromising our “budget”… at least we have our fingers crossed) …. he hates that word… budget…. but its reality … and until we are both millionaires… haha …. that word will continue to play a “favourite” in our vocabulary!

I have not been thrift shopping much this past year … but I did manage to find a couple of brass coated lamps a while back with J… he actually sanded them down so that we could prime them with a grey spray primer … its about $5 at a hardware shop … and we are then going to spray them with white high gloss enamel paint … I cant wait to see the finished product because they already look pretty cool to me… and for $20… you cant go wrong – they are in perfect working condition! Our bedroom is a lot of whites, greys and silvers so these should go perfectly with our decor once its all done.
The table you see in the pictures above… was actually given to us from one of J’s mothers friends … she had the table for YEARS … its solid wood and was in great condition so of course … we weren't going to turn it down! I prefer the craftsmanship and durability of something that I know has withstood the test of time… and still looks great.. over something I might buy new anyways. The table was sanded down and re-stained… we will most likely be getting new chairs because the ones pictured are not very comfortable … and we like to mix antique with modern pieces so I think this table with some updated chairs will suit us perfectly!
Well I am off to bed to get some rest….

I hope to be back as soon as I can be back! If any of you have any home/wedding related tips or stories, or just want to say "hello" ... please leave me a comment and I will write back to you :) Talk to you all soon!

xox