In the midst of studying, passing my classes, planning more of the wedding, finding a place to live in Fargo and eventually graduating, I have not been around in internet world. However, after graduating and currently failing to find a job fresh out of college, I seem to have a lot more time on my hands!

My blog has seemingly been lacking a lot of things - sometimes personality - but over the next few weeks I hope to make a fresh start. Coming up: Cake Balls, current loves on the internet and life as a pre-housewife housewife.

Stay tuned!

J

This is a project that I've been dieing to try after seeing the idea here. It is really simple and all you need is patience (to let the paint dry!)I used the clay terracotta potters for mine and scrapbooking paper.


What You'll Need: 3 Terracotta potters (about 6 inches in diameter); 3 terracotta saucers in varying sizes (I used 8", 11 3/4" and 12 1/2"); the 12"x12" scrapbooking paper, hot glue/hot glue gun, a pencil, scissors, acrylic paint of your desired color(s) and spongy brushes.

Step 1: Set up your work station and dust off your terracotta pieces (I found mine at home repair stores that were outside, but they were on sale because it was during the end of summer).

Step 2: Trace the bottom of your saucers on your paper. I learned this the hard way and waited after my paint was dry and ended up with pencil marks. You may have to cut your pieces a little smaller than what you traced but that's ok. I also learned that even if you can't cut a perfect it you can't notice because there will be other things to look at!

Step 3: Start to paint your pieces. I did the potters first because I wanted to get a feel for it. Remember that you do not need to paint the bottoms or insides of the potters. I used an up and down motion similar to painting a wall so I got smooth lines.



The middles of the saucers do not need to be painted either unless you are not going to use any paper for it. For this I went in a circle following the saucer for the first layer. You do not need to be fancy for the first layer as long as things are covered up.



Step 4: Be Patient! Let the paint dry before you add your second coat!

Step 5: Add your second coat of paint. This time do it in slower, nicer, smoother fashion than before. Make sure you don't have splotches or drips. Let dry.

You can also add any decorative ribbon around the edge of the saucers. I left mine plain so far because I really like the clean lines and the detail of the paper.

Here is my finished result:

1.The only place to pee is behind a bush.
Even though there were two porta potties, bushes are always preferable.

2.Make sure the hike to the wedding venue has lots of mud puddles.
There must be a torrential down pour for these mud puddles to exist. And many people in high heals to sink through the mud.

3.Have a 2 hour wait between the wedding and the reception.
Yes, it must be 2 hours (longer is a plus).

4.Open the reception room so everyone can look out the window, and watch you have photos taken for 2 hours.
As if looking at the couple kissing and making out is a gag-me terrific moment, there should also be pictures of them in that stance for 2 hours. And remember, those two hours must be added onto the two hours between the wedding and reception.

5.Don't have a open bar.

6.Have the bride wear a stupid hat.
Top hats as a veil are always a plus.

7.Do not have a host or hostess.
Have people run to food without their tables being excused.

8.Do not have reserved tables for the parents and grandparents.
Make sure your family/parents have no place to sit close to the bridal party table. And also, make sure that the groom's parents sit by themselves way in the back.

9.Have the bride and groom kiss in stupid poses, until everyone wishes they would just go to their room.
See number 4.

10.Have the music so loud your ears bleed.
A new, upcoming DJ playing "good" songs from when I was in 7th grade (I'm almost 22 now) loudly for dinner music is that last must have.

Photo received from: http://poorrichard.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/bridezilla.jpg

Will someone let me know if that is truly possible? If so, I could use some advice. Fictoris and I have this saying, "Goose Frava". I am really not sure what it means, but he decided to say it about a year ago when times were stressed. Its so weird to say it that it makes things go away and you find yourself asking "What is 'Goose Frava?'"

Fictoris and I are getting married in a year and a month, and I feel rather proud of myself for all that we have accomplished and gotten done before then. Especially after hearing about upcoming weddings.

I am on the verge of annoying when it comes to being organized and planned, so doing all the preparations is no way out of the ordinary for me. Last week, I almost had a breakdown just by going over the flower list, and wondering what would work for us and how much money and all the Ah! type of things that came up. We are going to a wedding soon that really has not had very much planned; the only dates and times we know are what are on the invite and to be honest, I'm really not sure that I'm even welcomed at this wedding. After things that went down tonight, and I will spare you the gruesome details, I have all of a sudden felt VERY good about our future wedding. And I would like to give us some credit for all that we have done, even though many other people accomplish exactly the same thing.

So, kudos to me and Fictoris for having a DJ, having a florist (kudos to Fictoris mom!), booking a venue w/ great food, and booking a fabulous vintage auditorium for our wedding ceremony! Also, kudos to us for doing all this by many great DIY ideas from many of the wedding sites on the website and for making this OUR own, not his or her own - because marriage and friendship is all about the "we" factor, not the "I" factor.

Lastly, I give a great pat on the back, and maybe a hug, to all you other future brides and grooms for going through the exact same thing! I know we'll all be experiencing stress through out the next few months, buts just remember "Goose Frava" and a damn good stress ball (or a mate that gives one hell of a back rub).

Photo received from: http://www.etsu.edu/tips/pictures/Stress-ZebraStripes.jpg

Recently, Fictoris wrote a blog about learning Social Networking skills from small towns. In his blog he states that everyone knows everyone and their second cousin in small towns. Now if you’re not from North Dakota or a lesser populated state, a small “town” to you maybe a town of 50,000 people, or even 100,000 people - depending where you are from. But here in good ol’ ND, small is about 500 people or even less! The main thesis of his blog was to learn from the individuals in these towns that take a general interest in their neighbors/friends/citizens.

Can social networks learn something from this small closeness of a community? Can individuals learn something from the web of people and their connections in a community?

Social networks have been around far longer than the internet has, but now it seems like whenever we hear “social network”, we have learned to think about Twitter or Facebook. I have expressed a fear in lack of communication and social skills in people thanks to all that is capable because of the internet. And living with a self-proclaimed nerd, it is not an easy fight to win. Sometimes I think people have forgotten about face to face communication and the bonding that you can really only get through interpersonal socializing. Both social networks online and any individual can learn so much from a community that is made up of 90% of people over 65 years in age. These are the people that have seen the process of technology and the changes it has had on the world. These are the people that have seen and learned so much, and yet still are able to find that bond - that closeness - that link, to each individual they encounter.

Now I am in no way disapproving of online social networking (I’m on Twitter and Facebook and yes, sadly at one time MySpace). I just hope that people also remember their bonds with other individuals through other social networks besides the internet. And whether online or face to face, show an interest in whomever you meet and be part of something no matter how big or small you think it may be.

I have always thought that I was born in the wrong decade.

This is my list of five of my favorite leading men and little tid-bits about them. There is no particular order because how could you chose from these five fabulous men?

I got this inspiration from Project Wedding:

I've known for a while that I want to use this idea. So today I tried/attempted a couple to see how well they would go. This is what I got and need opinions:


Sorry about the photo...anyway, these are my color options. The purple is a nice mix between dark and light, and the green is a nice kelly green. I am personally a fan of the purple...


Next, are legs or no legs? I found that if you do not have something that helps you fold or cut little, it is very difficult to do the legs. Especially if you like things close to perfect.


The backdrop is next. I chose a darker like pattern and a colorful like pattern (see below) to see what would look best. These will NOT be the finalized backdrops, but I just needed color options to judge against.


In all, I found that I liked the purple, without the legs, with the darker backdrop. My fiance, Fictoris, is pretty much happy with whatever I pick out. The information I am going to put on the four sides include: Disposable Camera information, Kisses for the Bride and Groom (its a little poem that refers to people singing songs instead of clinking their glasses for PDA), a photo of us, and a little couple trivia. You can find more options and ideas from the Project Wedding website.

Please remember that things will be done a lot nicer for the wedding. I was just trying to get an idea of what options I had and how long each one would take for me to make it (which was by the way, about 10-15 minutes when I got the hang of it). Enjoy!