Dress Dilemma - Flower Girl Edition

Meet Katelyn.  She's six years old and will be the flower girl at our wedding. I've been perusing a number of websites trying to find the perfect dress, but it's absurd how much they cost.  Just add the prefix "flower girl" to "dress" and you can expect to pay twice, heck even three times as much as any other special occasion outfit.  So I decided to wait and look once the Easter and First Communion dresses hit stores.

Troy and I were shopping with my mom yesterday when we found not one, but two, incredibly cute options for Miss Katelyn.  One is a very traditional look for a flower girl.  The other is different and fun.  As someone who's fairly traditional, I'm torn between which dress Katie should wear.  So I bought them both.

Ivory flower girl dress with pearl accents

This is the other one.

Silver sparkle flower girl dress

What are your thoughts -- silver sparkle or ivory pearl?  I'm sure Katie will love them both -- and since the silver one was only $18 (gotta love an extra 30% off at Dillards!) she can always wear it for the rehearsal or even to play dress up.  Good thing I have 118 days to think it over!

Cooking for One

Mmmm Stir Fry (not mine though)

I love to cook.  My Uncle Gerry calls me "Rachael Ray" every time I'm in the kitchen.  And ever since Troy and I moved in together, we've probably prepared and enjoyed a home-cooked meal five nights a week.  But now that it's just me, my motivation has taken a big, fat nose-dive.  Not because I want to indulge and eat McDonald's every night, but because part of why I love cooking is to share it with others and give them a meal that's satisfying and tasty.

Out of the seven nights that I've been on my own, I think I've only made dinner for myself two times.  To say I've been slacking is an understatement, and tonight, I decided it was time to get my groove back.  

As part of my pre-wedding slim down, I've given up eating most starches and carbs.  I know, a terrible decision, and one that has kept me away from one of my favorite types of food: Asian.  How can you possibly enjoy it sans rice and those amazing deep-fried egg rolls?  I decided that I couldn't let this diet get the best of me, so I decided to try a stir fry that was good and good for you.  Below is my quick and easy carb-free chicken stir fry, which was so delish, I promise, you won't even miss the rice.  

Ingredients:

- 1 tbs. olive oil

- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 cup zucchini

- 1 1/2 cups frozen stir fry vegetables

- 1/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame

- 1/4 cup store-bought peanut sauce

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Mince the garlic and add.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add, cooking each side for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from pan and add zucchini (also seasoned with salt and pepper).  After 2 minutes, add the  frozen veggies and edamame.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 4-6 mins.

This next step is important: be sure to drain the excess liquid from the pan.  If you don't, your stir fry will get soggy and your peanut sauce will be runny.  Once the veggies are drained, add the chicken back in and the peanut sauce.  Mix well (I find tongs work best) and cook uncovered for another 3 minutes as you allow the flavors to combine.  

And then, TA-DA!  A yummy stir fry dinner (without the carbs) for one!    I'm sorry there's no picture of my delicious meal -- I thought about taking one after I was finished devouring my dish.  And even though it may look like a lot of food for one person at first, the veggies cook down and it's all healthy stuff; so there's no need to feel guilty!

Weekend Wedding Wrap Up

What better way to spend a weekend then to do a bunch of wedding planning!

I'm sure that's exactly what Troy thought, too...

In my defense we had all of our appointments scheduled before we knew he'd only be home on the weekends.  So we spent the majority of Troy's first weekend back at my parents' house, doing a number of wedding things, like meeting with the florist, viewing the linens for the reception and meeting with the priest to continue our pre-marriage counseling.

As with most grooms, flowers are not high on Troy's priority list, especially at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.  My mom and I went to see the florist and talk through all the blooms for the big day.  To provide a little background, my mom is always looking for something unique and classy when it comes to the wedding, so finding the right centerpiece has been a challenge.  Mostly because there are so many ideas out there.  But I'm happy with our decisions.   To give you a sneak peak, one of the arrangements will look something like this (finger's crossed):

After hashing out all the details -- peonies or garden roses, branches or baby's breath -- and two hours, we were done.  Time to head to the next appointment.

Linens tend to not be as difficult as flowers, thank goodness.  We went with the white tablecloths and chair covers instead of the ivory (they just looked like dirty white ones) and a dark gray sash on the chairs.  Glad to be checking things off my list!  We headed back home after our counseling session and snuggled in for a night of laundry and TV.  Sometimes all it takes is doing the simple things with the one you love to have the prefect Saturday night.

Snow Blows

I know, I know.  I should not be surprised by any amount of snow we receive in Northeast Ohio.  Especially since I've lived here all my life.  But last night, the snow got the best of me.  I checked the weather before leaving the office because I was trekking to the far eastside for a hair appointment.  The forecast said a "dusting to three inches."  WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP.

The roads were atrocious, as was visibility.  By the time I made it to my appointment, I was 30 minutes late.  Thankfully, the lovely Nicole at Angel Hair didn't mind.  During the time in the salon, it continued to snow and snow and snow, totally ravaging the roads and making my drive home miserable.

After a cumulative three hours and 45 minutes of drive time, I finally made it home and our driveway is a mess.  Ladies, this is where having a man in the house is a huge bonus.  But since it was just me, I said a little prayer, and gunned it down the driveway, hoping my little wind-up car could make it without getting stuck.  I didn't bother shoveling, cause I figured it would stop soon and it was 10:15 and I was spent.  WRONG.

The driveway had another three inches on it when I walked outside.  Usually, on mornings like this,  Troy would shovel the driveway and drive me to work so I didn't have to deal with slick roads and idiot drivers.  But, being on my own, I was left to my own devices.  I made it down the driveway and to work (only 30 minutes late -- are you seeing a pattern?) and it's now sunny and blue skies.  Of course.  Looks like I'll be hiring a plow service for the rest of the winter!

On my own...

129 Days to go...

Our wedding is in 129 days.  And Troy, my fiancé, left earlier this week to live in a different city -- to be precise, a different state -- for a work assignment for the next three to six months.  And where does that leave me?  In the house by myself with Coco, my fearless kitty and sidekick, and the only living creature to hear my ramblings on a daily basis.  This is the first time I've ever lived alone, and after three years of living with Troy, to say this is an adjustment is an understatement.  So how have I chosen to deal with my new found loneliness/independence?  By finalizing our wedding plans and blogging about it, of course.

Let me start by saying that I have a paralyzing fear of robbers.  I know I sound like a child, but ever since I was young, I have been scared that a strange man will come into the house in the middle of the night and begin rummaging through my belongings.  I never babysat in high school; I never stayed at my parents house alone overnight; I even used to make a fake "body" out of stuffed animals in the bed next to me just in case an intruder did come into my room.

So... you can see my dilemma and how staying alone in our small rental house on a dark street five nights a week can cause some anxiety.

I'd say these first three nights I've done pretty well.  Of course I've been waking up at 2:30, then 4 and finally 5 a.m. because I've heard noises (I keep telling myself it's just Coco).  I'm sure our electric bill will skyrocket from keeping a few lights -- and the TV -- on all night.  But hey, it's all in the name of adjustment.

Only two more nights until Troy comes home for his first weekend.  Needless to say I can't wait.  Not just because I miss him, but I'm in need of a good night's sleep, too.