More Wedding bells

A week ago our middle son called me and wanted to know if I'd like to go shopping with him. I said "oh! where do you want to go?" He said "You know, to the one-kind of store"...... Being his mom, and knowing the situation Yes, I realized he meant the jewelery store.
Are you kidding? What mom would turn down an invitation like that from her son?
As it turned out we didn't get to go, but wow, I sure got warm fuzzies that he asked me to go along!
He and she did some more looking, and then he called me again and wanted me to come look at the rings she liked before he bought one, so earlier this week Relyssa and I met him at the store and gave our approval on his choice.
The kids have been "dating/seeing each other/going together" whatever you want to call it since earlier this year when they met on facebook. They soon were talking non-stop on the phone, and then actually met for the first time when Ryan flew out to California to help her move to NE. this summer. They've been pretty much inseparable since.
Ryan had the idea that he wanted to officially ask her to marry him on their first date (evidently days at the lake, eating fast food out, and just general spending time together doesn't count!)
So after buying the ring, a REAL date was planned to a nice (read expensive) sit down dinner, dress clothes & all. I extracted a promise from them to come over after their date so I could take pictures. They both had posted about their "first date" on facebook, and a few of us who knew what was going to happen made all sorts of suggestions like flowers, limos, etc.
So, here we go again. I posted last week that I needed a vacation...... what a joke. Basically the responses that I got were laughing at me for even thinking such a thing. Who am I kidding anyway? By the time I get my kids all married off, & my grandchildren born, my grandkids will start getting married.
Would I have it any other way? Nope!
But would someone just hire me a live in maid so that I can do the FUN things & not spend all my time on dishes, laundry & cleaning?
And would someone just please come be my personal shopping assistant? This is going to mean ANOTHER outfit to find to wear. ( And NO, I haven't found one for Relyssa's wedding yet.)




Isn't that a pretty ring!

Leon and I sent flowers to the restaurant for them.

I am the "Mother of the Bride..."

#4 and final excerpt from "the book". "Before "Suzie's" wedding I planned to lose 20 pounds, get into shape and find a dress that didn't shout Mother of the Bride. I intended to plan the perfect affair without breaking the bank, breaking a sweat or breaking out in hives. In my spare time, I'd do something about world peace." (In my words here, keep my house clean, my family fed and happy, my bills paid & make sure everyone was where they were suppose to be WHEN they were suppose to be).
Hmmm. Is that why this morning I feel like I had too much coffee but need some more, am very sleep deprived, and still have things that need done today? My phone rang at 6:30 this time, 7:30 home time with an apologetic voice on the other end that says she's sorry but she can't do her car-pool to get the kids to school this morning? (they leave at 7:40) I call my husband 7 time in a row because he doesn't answer, and I get the 14 yr. old who is frantically trying to get out the door because she didn't set her alarm clock this morning and her sister went off and left her, so Dad's getting ready to take HER to school the opposite direction from the younger ones who are suppose to leave now in 5 minutes. To top that all off, Dad's suppose to be leaving in a different direction for an out of town job this morning so he can get back by noon, pick up kids from school, clean the house, pack the stuff that I sent him an e-mail detail list NOT TO FORGET, and get out here for rehearsal tonight. (life in the zoo....without mom at home!)
It's all o.k. We'll all survive, Re-enforcements arrived yesterday noon to help, & two more are are on their way to be here by 9 a.m. this morning. Tomorrow night it will be over & we'll swear up and down not to do _____ or ______again......... until the next wedding.

Kyrie & Trey are running around the house at 6:30 this morning full speed ahead, not a care in the world. I need some of their energy :*)

No more blogging till we're thru here! It's time to boogie, You all have a GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!
The mother of the bride has spent much more time on the flower girl dresses than her own!

#3. Lycra is the M-O-B's best friend.
#2. Never tell a salesperson that you are looking for a mother-of-the-bride dress. If you do, they'll steer you right to the jacket-dress with sequins section.

#1. "Mother of the bride--the phrase conjures up a vision of a middle-aged woman with the kind of hairdo that doesn't move in a high wind. The mother of the bride wears a pastel jacket to hide her flabby upper arms and matching shoes with arch supports. She carries a purse big enough for her reading glasses. She asks the caterer for decaf. Nobody ever refers to the mother of the bride as "such a pretty girl." I didn't want to see myself that way, but if the arch supports fit..."

These entrys are actually going to be "backwards" in order, as I'm going to add on to this one instead of making new posts this week about this book. I realize many of my blog readers are those who are not in this stage of life. Maybe you can relate for back when you were married. Maybe this is why some of you skipped the whole wedding scene and went for eloping. But, this is my life at this time, so this is what I'm blogging about :*)

So, on with the book:




A present from my bride to be daughter. I haven't let myself indulge in the whole book yet, but enough of it that I can say this is a must read for any mother of the bride! It is absolutely hilarious. I'll be sharing some excerpts from this book over the next couple days while I'm away from home helping my BTB daughter, and my other daughter do all the last minute wedding preparations. (wedding cakes, flower girl dresses & accessories, wedding favors, flowers & decorations)
Here's what the fly leaf has to say about this book:

"When you think "mother of the bride" maybe you picture a proud, serene woman, pulling a neatly folded hanky out of her purse to discreetly blot proud tears from her welling eyes. Well, perhaps this is what you see at the final stages of Operation Wedding, but underneath that tasteful-but-not-too-flashy-and-certainly-not-white dress is a guerrilla deal maker/politico who's been to the edge of madness and has the battle scars to prove it.--

Stay tuned for Scene I.

Shower pictures

Here's some pictures from our fun day on Saturday. Thanks Lynisha for putting this slide show together & letting me use it, & Thanks again for my sister's & neice's work It was a lovely time!

Happy Birthday Lori!!-Aug 7

Jeanne with her Aunties. We missed those that weren't there! (I'll post more shower pix soon)
I couldn't find a recent picture of just Lori to post, so used this one just taken Saturday at Jeanne's bridal shower. It's one of my favorites taken that day. L-R Gay, Cyndie, Luanne, Jeanne, Lori & Elaine.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORI!! SO GLAD YOU GOT TO COME, AND IT'S FUN TO HAVE YOU HERE IN TOWN FOR A BIT!

What we're in the middle of.....

The "problem" with loving to create......
How can you buy something when you can make it?

Shower invitations... made by my very talented crafty neice Raimie
Flower girl dresses...sewing by my very talented seamstress Mother (She got all 4 of them put together except zippers & hems in 4 days after I got them cut out for her)


The wedding invitations & card inserts inside....These were mine and Raimie's brainstorm, coupled with Lynisha's talent on the computer & Thanks to joint effort of my sisters, niece & friends coming to my house helping me assemble them.

I did get the envelopes all addressed, filled and in the mail this week.
Today is Jeanne's shower, and promises to be a crazy fun filled afternoon/evening!
Other activities this week included having my grandaughter Kyrie here all week, my husband & oldest & youngest son gone on a job accross the state, a birthday party for my two youngest daughters with 5 other little girls, a shopping trip to Grand Island Friday afternoon after Jeanne, Lynisha & Trey got here for the weekend, and a 4th birthday party (Fancy Nancy/butterfly) for my great neice Felicity with a whole flight of other little girls (maybe 14??) They all dressed up as butterfly's, and it was quite a party! I'll have some pictures of that later next week.

The hardest thing,..

We're in the middle of wedding planning. I can plan and do decorations. I can sew flower girl dresses. I can make invitations, programs & guest books. I can plan and cook for the reception. I can clean house & beautify yards. I can give my opinions freely on about anything else involved in a wedding.
I've managed to do all these things in some measure for two of our other daughter's weddings already plus two nieces & a nephew.
So what's the problem?? Not "much"....just the problem of finding something for ME to wear!
Do you know how hideously ugly "mother of the bride" dresses are? (I could go to the goodwill and find some old draperies & wrap around myself & look like that) Why would I want to wear something that is so totally "not-me"? Why would I want to buy something that I would never wear again? Why is it so hard? I just want something I like, That looks good on me, I can enjoy wearing, feel good about myself in, wear again, and doesn't cost me a fortune either!
hmmm......
Is that really too much to ask?

I've just spent (way to long) on-line, searching sites for ideas...Maybe I don't know how or where to look, but came up with zilch, nada, NOTHING that I liked.
Any suggestions anyone?? Feel free to send me links! I won't offer any prizes, but believe me, If I found something from your suggestions, You would have my un-dieing gratitude!!! post them here, or you can find my e-mail on my profile.
Here's the wedding colors, and the wedding is the end of Aug, so I have to plan on higher temperatures. I dislike long sleeves, The blue or green is out, I don't wear suits...
I googled "mother of bride" dresses, and went to nearly every page. I also checked out "dressy" which is more along my line of thought. Long or tea length is fine...
Another one of my problems is that I don't want to look like I'm wearing something for a 60yr old,...but not 20 yr old either. Not picky....NOT ME!!