Bumpin' It

What a weekend!!!!! My brother got married this past weekend! Whoo hoo!!! We have been running non-stop since Thursday! I have so many pictures of the entire weekend, so I am breaking them down by each event. So this week most of the posts will be wedding posts. We will start with the rehearsal dinner. The dinner was held at a local lodge, Southern Sportsman's Lodge. It is a great place, really rustic. I was in charge of the decorations for the rehearsal dinner (I gave myself that honor). I wanted to have a theme that would reflect my brother's interest....so we did deer/ducks/turkey/fishing theme. Ya'll already saw the invitation on a previous post...so now you finally get to see the final results.

Let's start with the cake. A girl, Laura, that lives near me did the cake (http://www.lauraleessweets.com/). I cannot tell you how amazingly awesome she is at making them. It tasted great! I sent Laura 2 pictures, one of my sister-in-law (SIL), and one of my brother, this was what I wanted them to look like on the cake. I wanted them fishing at their pond with their dogs. SIL My Brother

The cake. The cake was buttercream icing, and the figures were fondant. The top layer was vanilla and the bottom chocolate....man it was good!

SIL and her dog (corgy) Patsy Cline

How cute is that!!!

It was not easy travelling 2 hours with that cake! I was a nervous wreck. I was so worried that it would get messed up. Thankfully my best friend went with me, to help me, my mom and my aunt decorate Friday. As you can see, the cake made it.

We got to the lodge around 9am Friday morning, and off to work we went. It looks simple, but it wasn't. We had bags and bags of stuff to sort out, greenery, decorative balls, candles, votives...you name it. I should have taken a picture of the mess I was making while putting together the arrangements! Thank goodness my aunt and friend were there to help me and mom, or else we would not have gotten done!

This is the main arrangement at the bride & grooms table. The green balls are actually mock oranges. They grow everywhere around my brothers house. Me & my mom were out picking them at 8am that morning. They made the arrangements to me!

I had to make sure none of the hanging votives would catch the arrangements on fire! I am happy to report that everything was fine

We got done decorating about 2:30, and had to rush to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. Then it was time to have fun!

Me and my best friend in the hotel lobby

candles lit, and ready to go!

My SIL LOVED the cake! She saved her dog off it!LOL!!

Bride & Groom, a friend of my brother's giving a little speech

My cousins Jenny & Lindsey...they are a mess! Lindsey told me she loved my "Bump It"!! If ya'll don't know, a bump it is a little plastic thing you put in your hair to give it volume. I told her that my bump it was the real deal.....hair indeed.....a little teasing, and no bump it involved! I had funny hair comments all weekend. One lady at the bridal luncheon thought my hair was a wig! Are you kidding me! She said it looked to perfect! So my hair looks like a wig with a bump it! I guess thats a good thing....maybe?!?!

Me , my Aunt, best friend, and cousins

my SIL and brother singing with their band

Me and my Dad

Macy (bride's sister), the Bride & me

My cousin and my brother

We had soooooooo much fun. They were really pleased with the decorations...thank goodness. Everything turned out great! We had a blast listening to the band, and getting to visit with family and friends.

Tomorrow will will tour the hotel and go to a bridal luncheon! I know ya'll can't wait to see more of me, my wig and my bump it!!! LOL!!!!!!!

Where in the World is Bilbo: Cumbria, England

Bilbo has arrived in Cumbria, England! Please go visit him at BilboWaggins' blog: http://theviewfrombagend.blogspot.com/2009/08/where-in-world-is-bilbo-cumbria-england.html ---Ginger standing in for Dirt Princess (she'll be back soon!)

Blog Buddies

What a GREAT day yesterday was! I got my braces off!! Whoo hoo! I feel normal again!!! I can eat what I want, chewing gum is more meaningful, brushing my teeth is awesome....now that the "barb wire" is gone....it is awesome. I have a clear little retainer I have to wear....for the rest of my life. That is perfectly fine with me. After getting my braces off I had a dinner date...with Ginger @ Law of the Land! We have been emailing for a while now, but yesterday was the first time we actually met. It was so much fun. I felt like I have known her all of my life. She is a TINY TINY little thing....I look like Big Bertha next to her! UGH!!! She is absolutely precious! When I told me friends I was having dinner with a blog friend, they were a little worried that Ginger was gonna turn out to be "Bubba" , weighing 280lbs who was gonna kill me and stuff my body in a suitcase....well.....it's not Bubba. I wasn't worried about that anyway...it's not like we met on some online chat site!

We must have talked about every topic known to man! It was just really fun. I am going to be in Jackson, MS in October and November for a wedding, so I hope we can get together then. She did bring us some peppers. Which is perfect because I plan on making some pepper sauce tonight. I gave her a cardinal flower. I have much more to send her later in the fall once I start dividing.

And this is why I love blogging! I have met so many wonderful people that I would otherwise never gotten to know! Ya'll are great!

I Was Featured....

On Alabama Bloggers, and I somehow missed it! Thanks to a fellow blogger for letting me know! Too funny!

I am finally getting these braces off today...in 3 hours! Whoo hoo!!! Do ya'll know how happy I am! No more picking food out of my teeth ( TMI, I know), no more ulcers in my mouth, I can floss like a normal person, and for the first time in a year and a half I will be able to speak clearly and not sound like a hissing snake when I talk!

They Are GONE!

What a WONDERFUL weekend! They weather was perfect! It was in the 60's in the mornings, and low 80's during the day. I wish it would stay that way....but it will be hot again before long. I did get out yesterday morning and work in the yard for a while. I had 7 bags of mulch left over, so I mulched this bed. You can see that some of the plants are bent up, & chewed up. One hairy little fella did that (Tide).

I moved the Black Eyed Susan to this trellis. It looks puny, but it will perk up. I couldn't even see my blueberry bush, the BES vine was covering it. So I ripped (yes...RIPPED) it all off and moved what was left of it.

Zinnia

Butterfly Ginger with a visitor

Zinnia

The Hunter's watermelon....it is sprawling all over the place! All in the walkway, oh well

Summer Poinsettia

Butterfly Ginger

This is my Pagoda Plant...I can't WAIT for it to bloom, not sure when that will be

Zinnia & Bee Balm

Zinnia

Notice anything different here???? The cosmos are GONE! Whew! I had to saw them off at the roots, then pull the roots up! They left huge voids where they were planted. In 2-3 weeks I am going to divide my daylilies and amaryllis and fill in those voids.

Look how bare this one is! You can see where they amaryllis & daylilies are lined out up, that "was" the front of this bed when I expanded it. They will be divided and moved soon, and I will be planting some mums.

It really opened the beds up once they were gone....I heard a few of the plants breath sighs of relief....now they can grow!

Zinnia

Double Prairie Coneflower, I couldn't see these when the cosmos were there.

There was a little breeze while I was trying to snap the picture, so I never really got a good shot.

I have half a million skinks at my house, they love me. I see them everywhere. Apparently I have a lot of bugs for them to dine on. Kiki loves to watch them

This is another plant I am excited to see bloom, it is a Cardinal Flowers (Lobelia cardinalis), and it is awesome. I am going to divide it this year. I got it from my grandma.

This Fall and next Spring I am doing some MAJOR overhauls. I am not 100% happy with any of the beds I have...live and learn. I will be totally re-doing 3 of them. I am already making mental notes. One bed I have in the shade it just green, even though I have blooming plants in it, they never bloom....and it just stays green and drives me nuts!

Fertilizer Friday

Its FRIDAY!!! Which means its...Fertilizer Friday. You can click on the link above to go to Tootsie's page...she is our gracious host each week! I haven't been Fertilizer, I will admit. It has rained here almost 3 weeks straight...so my plants are getting fertilized from Mother Nature.

This Zinnia bush is so weird, none of the blooms have EVER had petals....so strange?

Butterfly Ginger, I want to rub the petals all over me so I can smell so good! Maybe I should take some and crush them to get the oils out. To me that is such a heavenly scent

Zinnias...with petals

When I came back from Nashville on Sunday I had a hideous flag thumb tacked to my house! C'mon now....THUMB TACKS! Ugh... ! It's my house too....but that doesn't matter. So I photo shopped the flag. My neighbor who is a die-hard fan of the team on the flag thumb tacked on my house, called me to ask me if I was alive. He said when he saw that flag on my house he knew I must be dead to have it stuck up there. I told The Hunter that he could have at least bought a flag that said "A House Divided" with both teams on it....but he says our house is not divided. Oh yes....we are. I will save the Auburn/Alabama arguments for closer to college football season....trust me....it ain't pretty!

Daylily

Penta's

The ground is saturated with water...to the point that the grass is starting to die...Its either dying from heat or dying from too much water...there is no good medium!

The rain has made the weeds grow like crazy. I hope I can get outside tomorrow and work in the yard. Maybe it won't rain for a while.

Hydrangea

Another bloom from the same bush

OK...help me out here...what is this??????? I have no idea. I know someone gave it to me...but I don't know what it is...

Here's a close up. Any ideas? Phlox

Ok #2....I can tell you with 100% accuracy that these are watermelons blooms....

Yes indeed...and................

#2...I have a black eyed susan vine that mysteriously appeared

Zinnia & Bee Balm

Here is a shot of the BES taking over what was once my blueberry bush. I am going to move the BES in the fall....away from my bush and anything else

Butterfly Ginger & Mexican Petunia (in the back)

Impatiens

Zinnia from seed, and yes I know....this bed looks really, really crappy right now...I am almost ashamed to show it to ya'll!

Althea

My Morning Glory tree has FINALLY started growing. Every since February it has been 6" tall, and now it is shooting on up!

Gerbera Daisy...my fave!

Pink Mexican Petunia

Zinnia

This has been the most gorgeous zinnia bush. I love it.

ok...looking at this picture really just infuriates me! Ya'll know why! Look at those crazy cosmos!!!!!!!! AHHH! Clearly the bungee cord did not work on holding them up. They are out of control. Tomorrow I am pulling them ALL up! The nightmare is...they RE-SEED! Are you kidding me! I do NOT want these overgrown, gargantuan, Steroid popping cosmos back on my property. There is no one to blame for them but myself. I grew them so proudly from seed....and this is how they repay me.....

Vinca

Gazania, with a broke down Cosmos in the back....nice bungee cord huh!

I mean really? Pathetic excuse for a plant!

The grass needs to be cut, I know. But who is looking at the grass with all the overgrown, out of control cosmos? I know people are riding by my house saying "well, would ya look at those big 'ol weeds, you think she'd pull them up", yes....I am going to pull them up! It's almost as embarrassing as "that" flag on my house! Ok...the flag is worse!

I know ya'll can't see any other flowers but the cosmos....sheesh!

As I was outside this morning taking these pictures, I was sporting this shirt......

I am sure the people driving by were laughing, an Alabama Flag thumb tacked on the house, and me in an Auburn shirt......HA!

Happy Friday!