Wine and Waffles

It's an interesting combo, right? Well, that's what I had for dinner tonight. Yep. That's called home-cooking! Tonight in between bites of my waffles, I made three more dress appointments. I had 4 last week alone. I'm serious folks. It's do or die time. I am ready to sign on the dotted line, but every dress I love is seriously like 4-5,000 dollars. I tried on one dress this past weekend, that fit my criteria of: trumpet/mermaid silhouette, sweetheart neckline, and lace all over. It had all this and even buttons down the back! swoon! Buuu-uhhhTT it was itchy! I'm talking so scratchy that I was worried for my guests! What if they might want to hug me , or dance with me? They might get scratched! (Back to the drawing board)

My best friend/ MOH is in town this weekend and she is on a mission to find the dress maybe more than I am! :) So off we go to Alexandra, Bridal Galleria, and the Unique Bride. Anyone else have a good suggestion for a dress shop in the Bay Area?

I now present you my dinner:

This just in...

Pottery Barn has the cutest damask plates! Look at these! I bet they make your food taste better too. ;)



They also have these cute containers for the bath:



And these drink pitchers you can monogram:



and for entertaining groups:




I think I will add some of these to my list!

Wunning Winos

My friends and I entered ourselves into a 5k that took place just last weekend! (My very first athletic anything!) I had blogged before about needing a little help to get my lazy butt in gear, and when I heard that the 5K was going to take place in Napa AND there would be wine involved after to celebrate, I quickly decided to sign up. For a month or so prior, I "trained" for this event. This involved me panting like a fool, and breaking into a sweat after only a few blocks. It was pretty apparent that running even 3 miles without stopping, was not in the cards for this lady. So I began walking some and running some until I built up a better stamina. One of my friends even coined the term "wunning"= running + walking for our so-called method for not passing out. As the 5K approached, we decided that we needed shirts to commemorate what was soon to be an unforgettable weekend and my pal came up with the genius name for our group called the "Wunning Winos."

That's when I volunteered the gocco and all its wonderfulness to help make the shirts. I found an adorable design in my clipart on my computer of a running grape! It was so perfect for a race called The Napa Stomp! I copied the graphic in word and added the text below, using the ever-popular font from dafont.com called "albermale swash" ( or swash buckler as I like to call it). This seriously took me all of 5 minutes. My faith in the Gocco and my ability to actually created something ( no matter how small) was quickly renewed. Some of you may recall that I did burn my Gocco in an attempt to make use of my crafty gadget for this very project. I was showing off said Gocco and forgot to insert a screen! I burned the wunning wino right onto the plastic covering. yikes! This was before we made the shirts, and so I figured I might as well try to still make them, and you know what? It turned out! I have yet to try it for other stuff, so hopefully it won't interfere with any future designs. Anyway here is the final product:



and here is a picture of all the ladies sporting it!

Undomestic Goddess

My soon-to-be groom doesn't pass up any opportunity to tell people that he is the "domesticated" one. Its true. He cooks, he cleans, he pretty much does it all. Then, there's me. I believe any chores are cause for singing the song from Cinderella "Cinderelli, Cinderelli, do the dishes do the laundry!" and sighing loudly to show my disdain for such unsavory things like dusting. Where are those birds and mice who clean and sew happily when I need them?

Nope, that's definitely not me. I prefer Trader Joe's pre-made meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner! They are so tasty and easy they are hard to pass up after a long day at work.

It's not like I can't cook. I am reminded all the time how much a certain someone loves it when I do cook. ( sorry!) He gives me all sorts of pep talks and makes me feel like I could really have a show-case showdown with the one and only Martha!

As sweet as he is, I usually don't cook because he comes home much later than me. I get home and have the early-bird special. By the time he finally rolls in, I am curled up almost ready for bed. He often eats at work, and this unfortunately is just the nature of his job. I really like to cook along side someone. That is usually what we do when we are home together. We really like trying new recipes and are usually making something for the very first time. Its pretty much a guarantee that when we are following a recipe we will discover at least one item that we don't have in our kitchen that would make it a whole lot easier. Take this mixer for example:




wouldn't it make cookies and cupcakes taste so much better? I think so!


or what about this waffle maker?


No more toaster waffles for this couple!

We are also in need of more practical items like Tupperware and silverware. We are still rockin' some silverware from Target, that has its name printed on one side of all the butter knives! I love target, but I don't need to be reminded of it while I eat! tacky!

Also, it might be nice to finally have some matching wine glasses that we didn't acquire while wine tasting.

Lastly, when I am trying to boil water, it may be a good idea to have a lid that actually fits the pot. (who knew?)

So Long Budget...

move along now, beat it, SCRAM!

Good day sir.

*************************************************************************************

It seems every time I find a vendor that I really like, I hear the cost associated with said vendor, and I have to politely walk away. It is so depressing! And so it goes, the nature of a wedding budget. Just the other day, we finally found a caterer that really knocked our socks off in the taste and presentation department. They are out of this world--and so is there price tag. :(

I know many couples get very creative and hire many so-called "out-of-the-box" professionals to perform services for significantly less money. Um, I can't seem to find them. So, if you are a Significantly-Less-Vendor-Who-Should-Totally-Charge-More would you please contact me? Pretty please with a cherry on top? Thanks!

Gocco, you sunk my battleship!

My Dearest Gocco,

Oh how I loved you! You were the best. You had mad skills and showed real promise in becoming my secret weapon of choice for all things paper. And then, you and I met. Face to screen. You wanted to help me, you really did, but I wasn't ready for all that you had to offer. I just didn't understand you. You would dangle your fabulously designed creations in front of me on the web, and I was just too beneath you to reciprocate with the same kind of talent. I tried, I really did. You said some things, I said some things, and then it happened. IN the midst of what was sure to be a real breakthrough for us, I burned you. I forgot to insert the screen. Now you are permanently scarred with an imprint from me. I only hope at this point we can repair our relationship. I have so many plans for us. What do you say? Shall we give it another try?

Signed,

Still Hopeful in San Francisco

Engagement-a-versary!

Our "engagement-a-versary" was Sept.8th. We were engaged exactly 6 years to the day I moved to San Francisco back in 2001, which is where I met Brent. We decided to make a trip to the cute town of Bodega Bay where it all went down. We packed a little picnic and found a spot by the water to BBQ oysters (on our camping stove!) like we did last year. yum!

Here are some pictures from our actual engagement weekend:




Believe it or not, that camping stove can really cook up some mean oysters!

Let's just say prior to eating oysters on the water, our engagement did not go as smoothly as some (and by some, I mean he) might have liked. :( There might be a part in the story where I fell asleep when we first arrived at our little cottage, and he ended up drinking beers alone in the hot tub, or others might recall the part where I asked him if the ring was real or not ( I really did!) but those little tidbits don't taint my memory of one of the best days ever, it just makes it more funny!

Here's how it all went down:

He told me that his parents were having some last minute "Kiwis" (his mom is from New Zealand) come into town and they weren't able to use a cottage they had booked in the very cute town of Bodega Bay after all. So I happily jumped at the chance for us to have a get-a-way. We drove a few hours from the city after work on a Friday. I was sooooo tired when we finally got there and immediately curled up on the bed. He had lit a fire, but I was so cozy I didn't make it past the first crackle in the logs. He apparently was going to ask me as soon as we got there, but his plans were thwarted by a warm and cozy bed! He sat alone in the hot tub drinking beers to calm him nerves! The next morning I barely had my eyes open and he coaxed me to the couch in the house and shoved a mug of hot chocolate in my hand ( it was business time) and then proceeded to sit about 5 feet away from me on the couch. I thought this was a bit odd, but I really had just woken up so I barely noticed when he not-so-gracefully dragged his duffel bag closer to the couch where we were sitting and started fumbling around with one arm all the while trying to act like it wasn't happening. I still was not even a little bit phased and sipped my hot chocolate happily. Then he proudly announced "Well Miss Smith, the time has come..." ( the time has come?! Hahaha) and got down on one knee and at this moment I started going into shock. I really think it was shock, as I could barely speak, except of course, when I asked if the ring was real and if he was being serious or not, and then I replied, with what I am sure is not the answer he was hoping for and said, "yeah..." That was it. yeah. It was all I could muster. I was elated and beyond thrilled, but definitely in shock. good job Fink, you surprised me after 5 1/2 years!