Glazed & Confused

Last July, on my wedding day actually, to calm my nerves that were starting up I was checking email and playing around on the computer waiting for the day to start.  I came across a Groupon for a pottery place by me and told Ellen & Katy to buy it and we'd make a day of it.

...and that fun day was last Sunday!

We had done this once before  but were not impressed with the pottery place.  It was still fun but this place didn't have a lot of selection, colors, equipment etc.  However Glazed & Confused I hear about from people just about town so I was excited.

Katy decided to paint a picture frame for her future son due to arrive in July.  Ellen decided to paint a plate (or a frame for the wall) with her new last name to be given in April and I decided to paint a salad bowl with my honeymoon Disney theme on it.

One word: adorable!

So if you ever get the chance to go paint pottery, do it.  Its fun, relaxing and the end results are forever!

Mardi Gras 2012

Did you celebrate Mardi Gras this year?

Mardi Gras is a big deal in St. Louis.  Its almost like the entire city shuts down to celebrate, its unreal.  Add gorgeous weather, a hockey game, a Billikens game and our downtown was actually hoppin' this Saturday.

We didn't make it to the parade like we normally do but Keith was given last minute hockey tickets which is in the heart of it all so we got to celebrate both and had a pretty awesome day.  The Blues shutout the Minnesota Wild, we got beads and our hurricanes and beer.

It was a great way to spend the day!

Keith happy that the Blues won!

Happy girl with beads and hurricanes!

Valentine's 2012

Friday night Keith and I celebrated Valentine's Day.

We started out at Cheesecake Factory for dinner and I'm proud to say I made it to dessert!!  I wasn't sure but Keith said its for a special day so we got the Hershey Bar Chocolate Cheesecake...yum:


From there we headed to the movies to see the new movie, "The Vow" starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.

It was fabulous!  If you haven't seen it, make plans to do so now.  It really shows you what true love is and that if you let something go and its meant to be, it will come back.  It makes you fall in love with your significant other again.

We didn't do presents this year, just dinner and the movie and gave each other cards.  Pretty darn good Valentine's Day if I do say so myself

I confess...

I confess...

...I'm tired of girl drama.  Very very tired of it.  Its all stupid and the ones performing it now are high on my list of people who I really just am not giving a care about.

...I'm freaking out about the jury summons I got.  I need to get it dismissed, I filled out the paperwork and now its the waiting game.  I'm going to try to call later but who knows.

...I'm excited about Mardi Gras this weekend but as usual the people who usually make the trek with us to the parade and festivities are bailing this year.  So not sure what's going on yet.

...I am trained in a behavior program called Love and Logic that is implemented in our school  However I am not believing in it lately because I think some of these kids are becoming the way they are because they never get in trouble.

...I'm excited for Girls Day on Sunday.

...Keith is going to Chicago on Sunday for the Blues game and has promised to pick me up some Garrett popcorn.  I confess I think he'll forget...and I'll be sad :(

...I confess that I want my bachelorette party scrapbook!!  The girls all made me pages the weekend of my party and Jamie took it with her to finish it supposedly.  Well its now been 7 months and I haven't seen it and she never responds about it or brings it when I see her.  No clue when I'm getting it...maybe it will be a present on my one year in July...

...Keith had a George Foreman grill when I met him and that thing has been a staple in our house.  Well its officially gone to appliance heaven and its time to say goodbye.  Parting is such sweet sorrow!

...I'm ready for the weekend...are you?

Writer's Workshop: Song

So it was a shock to be at the hockey game Saturday night, during intermission and checking my phone and finding out that Whitney Houston had died.

Now I'm not a huge fan of hers.  But I did like a few songs and whatnot but I wasn't die hard.  I think her passing, to me, was like Michael Jackson's passing.  It made you stop, think, remember some of their favorite songs but that was about it (for me, anyway).  I respect the stamp they made on the music industry.

Growing up I did a lot of charity work and a lot of volunteering.  I remember going to Lake of the Ozarks yearly with my Dad for a fishing tournament that benefited St. Louis Children's Hospital (we got to tow down the grand prize every year - a big Tracker boat for the winning team, I loved seeing that boat on our truck) so when they would have the dinner portion they would usually play the following song with a montage of pictures highlighting the hospital:

I did watch the Grammys on Sunday to see how they were going to honor her last minute and I think Jennifer Hudson did an excellent job:

So yes the world has yet again lost someone to that horrible world known as drugs and at such a young age.  Rest in peace Whitney and to everyone she is joining up in heaven.  You will be missed.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's is all about sharing and showing your love.

Whether it be love for your family, your friends, your husband, your wife, your fiance, your boyfriend...however they may fall in your life, today is your day to shout it from the rooftops.

I have "met" a lot of blogger friends on this site and I wish you nothing but friendship love on this day.  Personally my valentine and I will be celebrating on Friday the 17th and having a small celebration with dinner at home tonight.

I can't wait to hear all about how you celebrated.  Until then, here is a special Valentine's Wish for each of you:

Special Valentine Wish 

I'd like to hang a valentine 

Upon the world's front door... 

With hearts of love and peace entwined 

To last forevermore. 

With love to guide our daily path, 

There'd be no one in need; 

God's blessings would be shared by all 

Of every race and creed. 

Peace would come to all the world 

As nations great and small, 

Would put aside their selfish aims 

To work for the good of all. 

If I could have my wish today, 

I'd wish for nothing more 

Than to hang a great big valentine 

Upon our world's front door. 

Here is the link: http://www.alighthouse.com/valentine.htm if you wish to have a copy of the poem for yourself.

Get Your Blog Out There LINKUP!

Hi, I'm Julie!!



I'm very glad you've stumbled across my blog.  I have fun writing it, I hope you enjoy reading it.

I blog because I love to write.  I also love to meet people and stay in touch with my friends who also blog.  I actually got my start via Jen and I just love seeing where the blog is going.

My blog is an odds-n-ends blog.  I blog about anything and everything.  I do linkups but then again I just do random posts also.  I do not have a button but maybe one day.

A little about me:  I am a teacher's assistant who is trying hard to get her own classroom back again.  Gotta love the economy :( I love working with kiddos and nothing makes me happier.  I married my best friend Keith last July and we are having the time of our lives figuring out marriage and having a lot of fun.  My family is quite large and extended and I may talk about the millions of people that make up my family.

I live in St. Louis and currently I am inside as the snow has kinda kept me put for the night.  We get the most random weather ever and it is never the same.  I am always looking for new and fun things to do in my town.  We have date nights once a week and do our best to try to go somewhere we haven't been.

Other favorites ~ travel, wine, kisses, friends, girls nights, pottery, scrapbooking, pictures, some reality tv, St. Louis sports teams, sweet tea, chex mix, chocolate and movies.

Wanna advertise your blog?  Link up below and let the games begin :)

Just another Monday...

Yet another weekend has come and gone.

Friday was supposed to be Girls Night but it got cancelled so I stayed home with my hubby and watched Netflix until I literally crashed at 10 pm.  I'm old, ha!  Saturday we went to dinner and the Blues game...which we won!  Then today a whole lotta nothing then ended the night with a few good games of volleyball.

So since I'm just sitting around waiting to watch the weather on the news, I decided to play on Pinterest (which I hardly get to do) and well, with Valentine's on Tuesday, I found a few favorite ideas:

I may have to do more Pinterest idea posts because this is actually addicting!

Here's hoping for a snow day Tuesday :)

What's YOUR love story?

What's your love story??

Is it unique?  Is it special??

Share it with a link up!

1)  How long have you and your significant other been together?  5 years of being together, almost to the 1 year mark of being married!

2)  How did you meet? (what's your love story?) Its actually very interesting.  Back in college, by the dare of a sorority sister, I made a personals page.  I never responded to any of the profiles back then but made it and forgot about it.  One random day back in January 2007, shortly after the new year, I was cleaning out my daily emails and saw one telling me about my perfect match via Yahoo!  I clicked on it and realized it was my old one from 7 years ago.  I figured why not, changed some things around and set it to what I would want today.  Keith was one of the matches that came up on the screen.  I figured why not, sent him on of the general emails and figured nothing would come of it.  Before I knew it, I had gotten a reply back from him.  We talked for a few weeks and went on our first date January 27th...and the rest is still being made for the books :)

3)  If married, how long have you been married?  We got married on July 29, 2011 so will be hitting our one year mark in a few months.

4)  If you are married, where did you get married at?  Big or small wedding??  Our dream was to have it at a winery but because that was not able to happen for many reasons we brought the winery to us.  We got married at my hometown church and the reception was turned into a winery.  It was a medium sized wedding and one of the best I had been to in awhile.

5)  Do you have any nicknames you call each other?  I honestly do not have any nicknames for him.  Just never thought of any.  However he has plenty for me, just depends on the day but most frequently it is Little One.

6)  Name 3 things you love most about your honey?  His smiles, his love for hockey and his attempt to make everything special.

7)  Tell us how he proposed:  We had caught an amazing deal on Groupon for a winery b&b getaway that was south of us.  We booked it and were itching to get away from life for awhile.  Little did I know Keith had some other plans up his sleeves.  We checked into our room at the winery and took the complimentary bottle of merlot out to the porch to enjoy the gorgeous night.  I brought my camera out and told him to smile and took his picture.  He took my camera and told me the same and told me that I was missing my ring.  I looked at my hand, saw my thumb ring and said, "no its right here" and he replied, "no this ring" and he pulled out a ring box from his pocket, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  Of course I said yes!

8)  Is he a flowers and teddy bear type of guy for valentine's day or strawberries, champagne and rose petals type of guy ?  He is a flowers and teddy bear type of guy and I've gotten them both on several occasions.

9)  Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or a pop in a movie and relax on the couch type of girl? I would love for a sunset dinner, then walk on the beach followed by a movie on the couch the rest of the night.  All sounds wonderful to me!

10)  Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day if you could do anything:  I think it would be amazing to travel to the 7 wonders of the world.  We are ready to travel travel travel!

11)  Tell us what you plan on doing this Valentine's Day:  This year is going to be low key as in a month from then we are going on our honeymoon so its looking to be dinner and a movie...which is perfect!

12)  Are you asking for anything this Valentine's Day?  Nope...we aren't doing presents.  I'd love to be surprised but...we'll see if I get a card ;)

13)  Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love:  Make sure to have your guys nights and your girls nights.  As much as you love each other you need time apart and that's the best medicine.  And something else, keep date nights alive!

14)  Show us a picture of what love means to you:

Love is...being spontaneous!

Love is...doing something you haven't done since you were a kid!

Love is...exploring new places

Fabulous Valentine's Challenge Day 6 ~ Love to be Creative!

Hello to Monday!  Not going to say happy because I'm sick with a cold or the flu but I'll at least say hello it!

Time for another installment of the Fabulous Valentine's Day Challenge.  Today's topic: Love to be Creative!!

My first valentine's with Keith I had no clue what to get him.  So I did what any normal person would do and bought him funky valentine's boxers.  Yeah...he's never worn them!!  I don't even know if we still own them.  So from then on out I tried my best to think of little stuff to give him that he'd want and like.

If I were going to hand make everything I think writing him a love letter would be fun:

I totally don't see him doing it back to me but me doing it to him would be fun.

I actually have a friend who use to do this and would make her sig other a cookie cake:

It combined love, home cooking and chocolate, everyone's best friend!

This year we aren't doing gifts per his request since we just booked our big honeymoon.  We're going to give cards though so I need to find one (or make one) that says it all!

Fabulous Valentine's Challenge Day 5 ~ Love My Girlfriends

I have some of the best friends around.

Hands down!

What can I say about them??  They are:

Fun!

Ready to party!

Creative!

There for you always!

Always ready for a night on the town...

...or a night staying in!

I really do love all my groups of friends.  Wouldn't trade them for the world.

Fabulous Valentine's Challenge Day 4 ~ Love Weddings

Day 4: Love Weddings!  Share your favorites

I still can't believe my big day came and went justlikethat back in July 2011.  I planned a dream wedding on a bronze budget and to this day we are still told it was one of the best weddings that people have been to.

That makes me smile.

Some pictures from that day to share:

Wine, black, ivory and white was our color scheme

The final dress selection...not color!

Me with my bridal shower cake

The cute shoes!

A pre-lim of the centerpiece

My hubby all ready to get married

Me with two of my favorite little ladies

This picture speaks for itself!

Came...saw...conquered!

The newly-wed Mr and Mrs!

Would I do it again?  Sure...in a few years for a major milestone celebration.

I think we agreed we're going to throw a party every 5 years to celebrate.  I have a friend doing that and its a great idea.

I love parties.  I love weddings. Love love love!

Fabulous Valentine's Challenge Day 3 ~ Love My Outfit

Keith is in charge of planning Valentine's Day (his doing, not mine and I'm totally fine with it) and each year varies in what we do.

So my outfit varies.  However I guess I already transferred the files over to be kept safe and I cannot find any of our past pictures to post.  Usually though I try to wear something red.  We haven't gone fancy dancy yet on Valentine's but I think these dresses would be adorable to wear:

    
However this year he has not told me plans yet so outfit has not been picked out.  It will have red, though and I'll post a picture after Valentine's because now I need to get new pictures!

What outfit are you going to wear?