Bye Bye July

Good riddance. July was crazy. Want to see how crazy? Ok, I'll show you:

Adirondack Chairs: June 27

Adirondack Chairs: July 1

Adirondack Chairs: July 4

1st Project of July: Complete Adirondack chairs as a gift to my Grandparents

July 4: Scrape and Sand Chairs

Fresh paint happened on the 24th

Enslave Relatives on July 3: Remove glass panes from Lanterns

July 6: Stop screwing around with hand-grinder. Use Dad's super drill for MORE POWER. Balsam was flying everywhere!

A Project for Mom and Grandma: Fill the bags

Smart Ladies.

Boy those are cute! Cross another one off the list!

Dad slaves over copy-cat sign

Don't let his face fool you, he was actually quite excited about this.

Mom and Nana create a layout on the 23rd

Nicely Done!

July 16 - 23rd: Mom and Grandma hard at work painting posts

The Table Markers sans table names

July 22 - 24: Dad, Uncle Steve, Uncle Joe, Wayne and Papa hard at work at the wedding site: 1. Build fireplace

2. Mow grass.... lot's of grass!

Remove Uncle Steve's stuck van from this treacherous path

Just keep mowing, just keep mowing...

Oh yah, can you build a road while you're at it?

digging to add culverts

still mowing...

gravel delivery!

A little bit bumpy...

Getting there...

working culvert!

Man that looks good! What a productive weekend?

Re-paint this loungy couch a pretty white

July 25: Enslave Bridesmaid and her husband to help make tent decorations

Did I mention we also got married in a religious service? Yah... we did some planning for that during July as well.

Don't look at those bags under my eyes, it was a busy month. Keep your eyes on that adorable dress I got for $45!

 And just think: August might be busier! Thank you so much to everyone who helped me out this month, I definitely could not do it without you, especially the Mom.... she's good! Now if you add in couple of hospital visits and a lot of laundry, you've got my month of July. Hopefully you will forgive me for not posting with more regularity!

Invitations? Check!

I have been pretty busy lately.

Someone whipped me into a panic a few weeks ago by announcing that I needed to have my invitations completed in a mere 15 days. Not only did I have to actually put together 60 invitations, but I also had to come up with an idea since Michaels went ahead and stopped making the paper that I based my first design on.

Thanks Michael's.

No seriously, thank you, because the design I came up with is much, much better. Prepare yourselves to see the cutest invites ever.

Are you prepared?

Keep in mind that my Mom took this pictures with her point and shoot in her basement. There is no stylized setting here.

So basically, you've got kraft paper on a navy cardstock, embossed with an adorable little "blowing in the wind" flower stamp. On the back, are the RSVP directions, loosely held in place so that the reader can take the directions to their desk and follow along. RSVPing through our website will be great for 90% of our guests. But it's going to be quite the struggle for the other 10%.

My Dad wanted to know what people would do if they didn't have a computer or the internet. I laughed... but apparently 2 of his friends who are invited definitely don't have that kind of access. "Oh well" I said, "they can just tell you what they want and hope that you can remember 3 simple orders."

Anyway, the white strip on the side is actually a beautiful shimmery eyelet paper that serves to class up the kraft paper and keep everything banded together. Around the white is some red twine with a red and white tag that has a printed state of Maine outline, with a heart punched into the area where we are getting married.

Are they adorable? God yes. Hopefully the older generations will understand that modern times allow for a more unique invitation. They're not all white and letterpress anymore.... though, if I had the money for letterpress, I'd be all over it! It did take a little bit of convincing to get my Mom to endorse this design... with the kraft paper. But to quote my cousin Nick, "it's all good baby".

I was originally inspired by these invites. What do you think?

Yah... I like mine better too.

Nightmare...

Yesterday, Betsy texted me that there were only 12 short weeks until my wedding.

I called my Mom who talked to me about a friend that got married on Saturday and how she felt bad that it had rained.

Last night I watched Finding Nemo while I folded laundry. Then I watched bits and sections of A Bug's Life. Finally, I read my book about the building of the Panama Canal as I drifted off to sleep.

Next thing I know:

I'm in a canoe with Diana, Andy, JD and Dan, headed down from my Grandparents house to the Saco, 2 days before my wedding. I'm right about to hit Mosquito Heaven and everywhere around me is thick mud. I'm seeing gigantic whale tales just littering the landscape. To my right, a huge pile of ship anchors. Then, we as we move forward, our canoe (which has been drifting in mud up to this point) suddenly and slowly tips over, and we all do a faceplant into the deepest thickest mud you can imagine.

Queue the snakes.

Just as I'm thinking to myself, "oh my God, how could we possible have gotten this much rain?" - so much that the ocean washed up to Fryeburg (hence the anchors and whale tales) - I realize that I will actually die if I don't get out of this muddy rut. The thing is, everywhere that I am trying to get out is literally covered with snakes - Indiana Jones style.

My brain is racing at this point, it's such a beautiful place, how could this have happened? I spent so much time trying to convince the Sadlon/Stephens contingent of just how majestic Fryeburg really is, and all we can see is snakes, mud, anchors and whale tales. 

As I am finally able to get my footing (a spot the snakes must have forgot to cover) I hoist myself back onto the path, and I wake up.

Now, maybe it's just me - but this seems like a very serious worst-case-scenario. Even so, I think it's time to resort to sun dances, prayer, offerings to the Sun Gods and beefing up my Plan B.

Got any tricks/tips for ensuring sunny skies?

Still Stuck for Favors

This whole favor thing is spiraling out of control. First the whoopie pies didn't taste that good. Then the chocolate covered blueberries were too much work. And finally, a horrible combination of the two: chocolate blueberry marble cookies that taste TERRIBLE and were way, way too much work.

Here's the recipe, you can try it yourself if you don't believe me. Better yet, just give me a call and I will give you the other half of the dough that I didn't use because it simply wasn't worth it.

Sure, they look great.

 

But there is more to cookies and wedding favors that sheer looks. Let me explain to you the pain of this process. First you have to boil the berries. Then you have to make 2 separate doughs, which requires the washing of dishes. Yuck. Then you have to chill the doughs because they are too sticky to work with fresh out of the mixer. Then you make each singular cookie with equal parts of each dough, rolling and marbleizing as you go.  Well, I just think that's insanity.

 

So I mixed the 2 doughs together and went about it that way. Turns out, it's still a lot of work and a very sticky mess. Then, after all that, you bake them and have a bite.... and think to yourself: "This needs more chocolate."

 

But even when you add the chocolate chips, there still isn't enough chocolate and the cookies still taste gross. So you continue thinking to yourself, "maybe they really are good, but I can't tell because I don't like fruit that much." But then, your family comes over the next day and tells you, no... they aren't very good. 

And then you slice your finger off while using your mandoline to cut potatoes. So you take some time off from cooking and crafting, and pretty much doing anything that requires any work at all. Next thing you know, it's been a few weeks since your last post and it's a good thing you didn't post about those stupid cookies when you made them 2 weeks ago, because then you'd have nothing to write about. 

And then you go home and throw the rest of the cookies away - because no one ate them - and you wonder, what are you gonna do about favors?

So then, what am I gonna do?

A Picnic Blanket + Bride Q&A

Q: Why does it take you so long to post?
A: When I do a project, it usually keeps me up most of the night, so I don't do it the same day.. Next thing you know, a whole week or so has gone by. However, in the case of the picnic blanket project, it took me so long because I wanted to take pictures of it outside, and it rained for like 100 days straight.

 

Q: Why a picnic blanket?

A: For the weenie roast (the day before the wedding) I realized we would never have enough seating, so I thought I'd whip up some adorable picnic blankets with a monogram... and I love the whole monogram idea, but both of our last names begin with "S", so it works for everyone.

 

Q: Do you think it's a bit overboard for you to try and style a photo shoot like this? I mean comon, sandals, hats, lanterns, a picnic basket with wine glasses... who do you think you are?

A: yes, it's overboard. Totally and completely overboard. Especially since I didn't bother to get real nice pictures (without shade). But it makes sense, because I'm Mandy and that's just the way I do things sometimes.

 

Q: That's a huge picnic basket... why would you have such an over sized useless item... oh my.. wait... did you buy that just for the purpose of this photo shoot that's not a photo shoot?
A: What if I did?
Q: I'll do the questions, you do the answers!
A: Yes, I bought it at a tag sale to benefit MDOG. It was 50 cents. So there.
Q: Do you think it's a bit pathetic that you are questioning and answering yourself strictly for the amusement of your 5 blog readers?
A: Yes. Let's move along here....

 

Q: Actually it's pretty cute. How long did it take to make the blanket? How many more are you going to make? What are you going to do with them after?
A: It was probably a 20 minute process to sew, then another 20 to embroider the "S". I think I have enough fabric to make 5 or 6... and I suppose I'll just give them away afterwards, well I know I have to give away at least 2, the mother and mother-in-law already called dibs. So if you want an "S" blanket... you'll have to "call it" pretty soon.

 

Q: Why didn't you take a picture of the dogs on the blanket?
A: Oh, well, I thought I'd leave them inside to eat a tray of about 20 stuffed shells that I had planned to bring to my cousin and his wife to celebrate their new home.

 

Q: Oh my God. How many times are you going to be so foolish and let Bruno eat everything you make?

A: That's not really a fair question. Look at that face! He's still got some ricotta on his nose...

I'm here... really, I am!

I've been around doing things... the reason I haven't been blogging about those things is because they are boring - or repetitive.... I did tell you that I had to make 35 of those bags right? Yah... repetitive.

I've been working on my table, the chairs, I made a hat for the Kentucky Derby Party I went to...

Me, sister Katie, cousin Steffie

then I was backed up with mother's day activities - which I will post about later. Then there was a week of nice weather, so I was outside with the dogs. This past weekend we went to Maine and did some nitty gritty preparation for the wedding.

scrapped the porch ceiling

and then painted it...

And I did make some whoopie pies. I had been wanting to try out another recipe to see if I could find the perfect one to make for the favors for our wedding. So I tried a recipe that won the "best overall" at the Fryeburg Fair in 1998. But I have to tell you - I didn't think it was that great. I will admit that I probably made them too big, and they fluffed up too much, which made the filling to cake ratio a tad bit off. But the cakey part was dry... and no-one likes dry cake. Oh, they'll tell you if it's dry (Mom).

Anyway as I was tasting yet another failure, I was getting the filling all over my fingers. "I hate this" I thought to myself... "why does the filling always ooze out the sides of stuff?" Think about it: nearly anything that is sandwiched in between 2 pieces of something else always oozes out: ruebens, grilled cheese, whoopie pies, ice cream sandwiches. And this is something that I have always disliked about sandwich style food.

"What am I doing?" was the next thing I asked. And while I was talking to myself in my head, Dan walked in and asked the same thing; "What are you doing? Why are you making these again - nobody even likes them." Then it struck me: wait a minute.. I don't like these, Dan doesn't like these... why AM I making them for OUR wedding? Just because they are a Maine thing doesn't mean they are a good thing. So then, back to the drawing board. I had the idea of having chocolate covered blueberries instead. So I tried making some.

I'm not really wild about these either... plus they are super time consuming. Don't get me wrong, they taste good. But I think I am slightly turned off by the amount of work that would go into making enough for 120 people.

So then, dear reader, what should I do? I have a lobster lollipop mold, but I was going to make those for the welcome bags. I'm afraid that I am stuck once again.

What do you suggest for favors? Something that says, "Maine" and "Mandy and Dan" and "Thank you for driving 500 miles round trip for our wedding..."