Day 17... & Tracy Anderson

Today, well...

I worked out.  So, I guess I'll talk about my fitness inspiration...  The lovely, the beautiful, the so-in-shape-and-hot-it-makes-me-sick Tracy Anderson! (T.A. for short, ok?)

First off, I like exercise videos.  As stupid and nonsensical as it sounds, sometimes I am too lazy to leave the house and work out.  Ok, maybe lazy is too harsh, but listen, I have a point.  Going to the gym requires getting in my car, driving, parking, walking to the desk, walking to the locker, getting my water...  a lot of steps!  And a lot of time - all that takes about 20 minutes.  If I stayed home, I would be 20 minutes into the work out.  And, well, going out for a run is good but sometimes it's too hot, too cold, too wet, too... outside-ish.  So, a good work out at home is a nice thing when I have no time or no energy to battle the natural elements.  I have a couple videos that I like, but nothing that ever really "fit" with me.  I wanted something interesting, that didn't get too old, that made me feel good and that complimented my lifestyle.  And, well, T.A. met those things.

How did I meet her?  Some silly article from Gweneth Paltrow explaining her amazing trainer - she has core strengthening, plus cardio dancing.  It's hard, but you get results quick.  Blah, Blah, Blah.  (That is a link to Gweneth's website Goop where you can hear from her, first hand).  I though, well, why not?  It works for her, why not a tiny bit for me?  So, I bought a few DVDs and, well, I guess I like them.  Well, at least one of them.  What I own is her Mat Video and a Dance Cardio DVD.  You are supposed to do one with the other (a total of 2 hours but, who has 2 hours except if you are a high-paid celebrity?).  I tried to do the Dance DVD, but my two left feet cannot hang.  I could do it if I were more motivated and driven, but I usually say "forget it" and go for a run.  The video is fun and is done so "anyone can do it" - it has a step-by-step lesson of the dance, and then you dance with her for 10 minutes.  Then, after that dance, there is another dance that you learn and then you do it with her.  I think there are 5 dances all together?  So 50 minutes of dancing all together.  I can imagine that if you do if for 6 months every other day it would get easy quick.  However, it took me forever to get the first one down,  and I really don't have time to sit and learn the others (remember, wedding?  17 days?).  Hey, the fact that I got one dance down is impressive since I am more often trip than hold rhythm!  

What I do love is the mat video.  Here is a little preview:

What do I like it? 

• Her exercises are doable, she does not talk too much (which is annoying at first when you are learning and need more information, but which is nice after you get the hang of it and you still have to listen to her for the 30th time), and she makes you feel like you can be her.  
• She is hot!  And it's nice to think that you can look like that too, one day, after many videos I guess.  
• The Mat workout is 50 minutes, but it is broken up in different segments that never get long or boring.  So, once you get to the end, the time has flown by!  That is awesome since working out can be grueling sometimes.  Plus, after doing the video a bizillion times, it is nice that it still flies by.
• She has a few arm workouts that help you get "ballerina arms".  She stresses strength without bulking, and that is exactly what I want.  No huge muscles, but toned arms.  And, well, admit it ladies, our arms are the easiest things to worry about once you start seeing wings.  A good arm workout is nice to have around!  That's a plus with this video.
• The workouts are tough, but it gets easier.  That's how I know it is working, cause I can do and finish the workouts.  And then, I feel good after that I challenged my muscles (accessory muscles to T.A.) and completed the hard task.  Ahhh, the sense of accomplishment. 
• I can cut the workouts up and do arms one day, legs another and so on.  However, because of the wedding, it is arms EVERYDAY

What I can't stand about her and what a lot of people complain about?

• The girl can't count.  She'll do 10 repetitions on one side, and 30 on the other.  Hello?  So you have to learn to go on your own pace to even it out, to count for yourself and to not get frustrated.  It's not that big of a deal.  Really.
• She flirts with the camera.  "Oh, look at me.  I'm super cute so I'll pout and bat my eyes at you".  I sware that's what it looks like she is thinking.   However, I have concluded that she does this because she is a little insecure with the camera.  She messes up sometimes and then smiles, coyly.  It's pretty human.  So, a little nervous smile makes her seem a little more "real".  (But, it can also make her seem a little annoying and conceited.)
• She doesn't cue.  Which is annoying at first, but then you learn to live with it.  However, when your head is down and she stands back up without letting you know...  A little awkward and frustrating.   

So that is that.  This is what I do every day.  A little T.A., some cardio, and I better look nice in the wedding photos.  :)

Day 19/18...

Ok, ok; I know, I know.  I needed some time off, ok?  This is what I did...

Yesterday, Day 19:

Girls day!  Yesterday I worked out like a champ, took care of some gifts for the family and then got to hang out with some awesome girls.  There's nothing like taking some time with friends to eat pizza, drink beer and watch THE MOVIE Bridesmaids.

Awesome!  The movie was great and very appropriate for the theme of this blog.  I can relate to the movie, well, somewhat.  Maybe not all the hype and over-ambitious bridesmaids, but definitely the fun and the prep for that day.  A little less drama, crass humor and crazy awesome surprises (Wilson Phillips?  Probably a no-show)...  But a good laugh, never-the-less.

Oh!  I did do something productive!  Make-up trial!  We went to Macy's afterward and was able to get some make-up trial in.  It went well, as any make-up trial will go.  I really just hate getting my make-up done because it is always too much and too-not-me.  Here, what do you think?

I like the color, just not the intensity.  I really thought Bill wouldn't notice.  He did.  Then he explained that he didn't really like it.  I then took one eye "off" and asked him which eye was better - he picked the one without make-up.  Figures.  We'll see what I end up doing.  I am not getting a professional to do my make-up, so the trial is really a trial and lesson on how I will apply (or Kari, since I asked her so long ago to do my make-up.  Kari, you still in?)

Today, Day 18:

Today was a day off, again.  I am letting the house fall away during all this wedding madness, so I had to pay some attention to it.  I also needed to just take some time away from the wedding madness for me.  So, I just took the day off.  No exercise and no major project...  

That is kinda a lie.

I did get my hair done.  According to some research, your hair looks the best 2 weeks after a hair cut.  So, I booked my haircut for today (even though it is 2 weeks and then some).  It turned out nice and will look great for the big day.  Hair, done.

Plus, I kind-of figured out my seating card holders tonight.  I will not show the final design, but I will show you where the inspiration came from:

Super cute, huh?  And from the one and only, Martha Stewart.  Well, I am sure it did not come directly from her, but from someone she pays to make up really cute stuff.  Close enough.  Thank you Martha Stewart, you are amazing.  I really believe so, and I hope you agree.  If not, just check out her website and that will be enough.  She is brilliant - decoration, organizing, her recipes (I probably cook one once a week)...  I love her. 

Anyway, I started getting those ready.  That'll take awhile.  I'll give the step-by-step later.  They are really easy once you get the hang of it.  You'll see.

Ahh!  So much to do!

Day 20 & CAKE TOPPER...

Can you believe it?  20 more days!  UGH!  I have been waiting forever for this event (wait, that could be an understatement since I have been technically waiting for this day since I was 5).  Bill and I have been engaged since October of 2010 - wow, forever ago.  So now that this crazy day is 20 days away!  AHHH!  Exciting!  I cannot believe it is almost here.

So, now, what did I do today?...

CAKE TOPPER!

And it looks amazing.  My inspiration is from this:

  

So cute!  Of course, instead of buying it, I had to do my own.  So, I did.  Here's how.

Bought/Get supplies

• Floral wire - both bare and covered
• Cute ribbon flowers
  
  
• Ribbon
• Silver beads
• Wood base
  
  
• Fabric
• Small puffy balls (what are those called?  Pom-poms!  I'm dumb and not erasing what I wrote originally just in case you guys thought I was a genius or something)
• Wool Roving
• Needle Felting Needle
• Glue gun
• Drill

I first worked on the birds.  Have you ever Needle Felted?  If not, try it!  It is tons of fun and easy too.  What you do it you get Wool Roving (at your nearest big craft store - the big JoAnns, Beverly's and Ben Franklin is where I found stuff) and a needle-felting needle (also at the store.  Just NOTE, this is NOT your average needle.  It has barbs on it that essentially work the wool into a knot).  Get some foam to protect yourself!  Then teach yourself by looking up needle-felting on YouTube.  I watched this video and felt pretty confident afterward:

You essentially just jab the heck out of the wool to shape your creation.  It is JUST like using clay, but NO mess and you are using a needle.  It is fun and so addicting.  However, not for kids.  The needle is really sharp and I have poked myself a bunch of times.  So, please be CAREFUL.  And have fun, cause it is.  

So, I created my birds using the needle felting technique.  They turned out super cute, I love them.

THEN, I created the stand.

1. Curved the covered floral wire to form the arch.  Marked where I wanted that on the stand.
   
   
2. Drilled the holes into the stand to fit the arch.
3. Took the wood base and covered with fabric.  Glued that on.
4. Cut holes where the floral wire/arch would fit.
5. Took the arch, twirled ribbon around it.  Glued that on.
   
   
   
   
6. Attached the arch to the base.
7. Started placing flowers in random spots.  Just to get an idea!  I didn't glue them them on!
8. Wrapped green flower wire in a few spots, and then curled them around to get a vine affect.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Once flower placement was made and wire was on, I tied green ribbon to the arch to be the leaves.  I cut the ribbon to appear like a leaf and melted the tips of the ribbon very slightly to prevent fraying.
   
   
   
10. Also wrapped green flower wire in a few posts and attached a silver bead, just to get a shiny thing on the arch.  
11. Glued the flowers on top of the leaves
    
    
    
    
12. Glued other random things to fill in and add color - Pom-Poms to be exact
13. Tied the ribbon on top.
14. Placed the arch on the stand
    
    
     
15. Glued flowers at the base
16. Glued ribbon around the base

DONE!

In the picture there is a faux cupcake since we are going to be doing cupcakes at the wedding.  Our birds will be put on one special cupcake. 

Day 21...

Today was very low key.  We did very little to work on the wedding.  Well, it seems like a little.  Here's the list:

• Talked to DJ - we created our awesome master plan for the wedding music and schedule.  Look forward to some chicken dancing!  :)
• Discussed ceremony music with Bill.  That was pretty painless - "I want this song."  "Ugh, really?  We have to play THAT BAND at our ceremony?"  "Yes.  Sorry."  "Fine."  "Fine."  "I can't believe that that band (or person) is going to be in the ceremony."  "Sorry, but that's what we're doing."  I love negotiating.  :)
• Worked out

A nice, lazy Sunday.  See you tomorrow!

Day 23/22...

Ok, so I guess I need to add these two together.  Posting on Fridays & Saturdays will be hard since those are the days Bill and I party!  Just kidding.  Those are the days we tend to go out, though.  You know, date nights and such.  Gotta keep the relationship alive! ;P  So, here I go:

Friday, Day 23:

Ordered our B+T book.  B+T book?  Yes, I did a story book on our lives.  It is all inspired by this picture:

Super cute!  These are all the movie ticket stubs that this couple saved!  And they scanned them and put them in a photo book.  Well, guess what?  I SAVED most of our movie tickets, and other memorabilia throughout our relationship.  Why not do it too, then?  So, I did.  The book is more than the movie tickets, though - it is a collection of pictures, cards, and short descriptions of what it took to get us to this point.  I love it, and I hope our guests love it too.  I also added pictures of most of the guests who will be at the wedding, because they helped us get to this point.  I can't wait to get it, I look forward to it.  

And, just for an FYI, I did a lot of research for the type of photo book to use.  This website gave a lot of detailed information that I loved and helped me pick.  So what was it?  MyPublisher.  It was a program that I downloaded and opened up to work on every now-and-then.  It was pretty easy and turned out nice.  Yes, it wasn't perfect, but I am happy with it overall.  I just can't wait to find the final product!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Worked out, Tracy Anderson style.  Did my arms, did some cardio. Oh yea.

Cake Plates are DONE!  Yeah.  I bought epoxy glue to make sure they stick, and they are stuck.  They also look really awesome.

Saturday, Day 22:

Guest book pages are designed!  I thought that this would take WAY longer, but it didn't.  It was fun and I am VERY happy with how it turned out.  Wait, are you thinking what Bill was thinking?  "I thought we have a Guest Book with the B+T book?"  Well, no.  That is a book that tells our story to our guests.  The Guest Book is what our guests will fill out so we remember their presence at the wedding FOREVER.  What our guests will do it complete a page in a fun and creative way.  I will not show you the pages I created, but I will show the inspiration of them!  Here you go:

 

CAKE PLATES

I love these things - so cute, so rustic, so pretty and fun! And easy! And cheap! What's not to love about them?? We are going to be doing cupcakes (not my first choice, which was pies. However, pies were complicated, expensive and, well, too awesome. Cupcakes are good, easy and the lady we are going through rocks. Her cupcakes are amazing. So, what can you do???). This is what one of them looks like:

You take a candlestick holder and glue an antique/thrift store plate to it. Easy!! And fun. I didn't think of it, I think I saw it on some random DIY wedding website... Oh, here is what I just found that could have been the source:

IntimateWeddings.com

This site give an amazing step-by-step. I started to glue them down but want to wait to see if the glue really works. I picked a cheaper one and may need to go heavy-duty on these. This is how they look ready to be glued:

and all together...


The post-its are to determine how many cupcakes will fit on a plate. So nice, huh? And look at this. The AMAZING website, BHLDN.com, which is Anthropologie for weddings, sells plates similar to these. Check it out:


And they go for $70 to $90 dollars... each! I like their twist which is colored, antique glasses. However, a candlestick holder and plate from Goodwill? Cheap and just as nice. Don't get me wrong, I love BHLDN.com and if you haven't seen it, check it out and droll a little. But just a small trip (or two) to your local thrift store can save you tons of money.

Day 24...

10 more minutes left in day 24... Wow, what a day! Let's see, what happened. Oh, yes...

8:00 - Wedding License

Wow, I never really thought of marriage being so "official". Bill and I had to fill out an online application, make an appointment, sign a document, raise our right hand and sware to an oath, and then pay $70 for the license. The whole time I was thinking, "this is crazy! so formal and bureaucratic!" But then I really thought about it. Hmmm... Marriage between two people is a sacred bond, whether one is religious or not. However, it is also a political bond. Think of centuries ago when marriage was not just from love but from a joining of two families and the growth of those joined resources. I even think of my grandmother's parents who were not only husband and wife, but uncle and niece! A union to keep their valued property in the family! (Oops, now you know my interbreeding family past. :/ ) And then the issues of citizenship and being able to be a part of a country solely through marriage. I wonder how many times someone has applied for a license just to jump through that citizenship loop-hole. Goodness, and I shouldn't need to get into the issues of marriage equality. Not too long ago a large number of states refused marriage licenses for interracial unions. Oh, and do not get me started on Gay marriage. We all deserve the right to marry who we love... Ok, I'll stop on that thought. So, now that I think about it, I am really lucky that I can go to the County office of records and sign that paper, give that oath and pay that money. I am lucky cause I get to do it to the man I love and for the only reason of love. No one is forcing me, no one is telling me no, and we both really want this. I am quite lucky to be a part of this bureaucratic craziness after all...

10:00 - a dear friend's mother's funeral

Last week, a dear friend of mine lost her mother out of nowhere. It really makes you think and treasure all that is near and dear. You never know when someone will just leave this earth... You never know, so treasure every moment.

2:00 - eye brow waxing!

For the first time! I just made a good amount of appointments to "beautify" myself. You should have seen me at the Origins store yesterday. I think I am ready and have a nice plan to get myself all pretty and perfect for the big day. I talk more about this later...

4:00 - finally did my Tracy Anderson video for the day

Oh, and Tracy A deserves her own blog post as well. I love her, but I am also getting really sick of her. After Bill, Tracy is the most consistent person in my life. I see her everyday. Every stinking day... Much on her later.

6:00 - finally got my butt out the door to do cardio

I walked. Couldn't get myself to run. Hey, it was 40 minutes! My goal for these 25 days is to exercise EVERYDAY. And to do a portion of the Tracy A video everyday (the arms. I want ballerina arms.)

9:00 - finally started some real wedding tasks that were on the list

This was good and productive. I started and almost finished a big task... CAKE PLATES! So cute and perfect! And cheap! I'll give a tutorial on the cake plates on the next post. :)

11:00 - ordered fun stuff (he he) online

Victoria Secret. That's all I'll say. Was able to use a few gift cards, he he... Also bought Bill's swimming trunks cause we need suits to GO TO HAWAII! I keep forgetting that we have a Honeymoon after the big day. That will be SO nice - a break from the planning, dieting, working out, stressing... Cannot wait.

Oops, it's 12:30am. We are now on day 23! But, I'll leave day 23 till tomorrow. This post is technically day 24. Ok? Ok.

Nighty night.