exit, pursued by bear

that whole wedding "thing"

Over the next few days/weeks/however long it takes me to get my act together, I thought I'd post some more pictures/details/reviews from our wedding, seeing as that might be of some value to those still planning weddings, especially anyone in the Saint Louis area.

Cool?

In the interim, a picture of me and my dad (who rocks, btw -- have I ever mentioned that? Consider yourself lucky if you've had the pleasure of meeting him, lol):

{© 2008 Koch Photography}

You can't tell from this photo, but there should be like, blurred action lines behind me because I apparently completely booked it down the aisle. Hello? I have a cute husband, I was excited to marry him.

You'd hustle down that aisle too if you had this handsome man waiting for you:

{© 2008 Koch Photography}

He's so cute I can hardly stand it ;o)

just breathe.

{"More North York Moors countryside" Copyright Alan Clements}

"He said the pleasantest manner of spending a hot July day was lying from morning till evening on a bank of heath in the middle of the moors, with the bees humming dreamily about among the bloom, and the larks singing high up overhead, and the blue sky and bright sun shining steadily and cloudlessly."
-- Emily Brontë , Wuthering Heights

truer words were never spoken.

{Appropriate sentiment via someecards}

Do you ever have those mornings when you just CANNOT, for the life of you, wake up? Oof. I was up earlier than usual this morning, which typically helps in the alertness department ... but today is a struggle for some reason.

Pass the caffeine, please.

cheery.

I love the colors used in this dining room and just the general "look" and feel -- spied this over at MarthaStewart.com, while browsing for organizational clip art/templates (!):

{Martha Stewart styled dining room, via "Leather Place Mat How-To" feature}

Lovely yellows, greys and shades of aqua -- very soothing and cheerful. I'm really drawn to that china cabinet color, and the arrangement of pottery -- especially the cake platters. I love stacking cake platters like that :o)

I snagged this picture as an inspiration/design idea for my mom -- their kitchen/breakfast/sitting area is one long room -- with lots of white beadboard and molding. The room is currently painted in a similar yellow and I think adding these accent colors would look fabulous.

But you're hung up on the organizational clip art, aren't you? Here's what I downloaded:

• Freezer Labels
  
  
  
• Luggage Tags (where were these when I was looking for something cute like this for our honeymoon? And how much does this picture make you want to run right out and buy totally inappropriate baby blue luggage?)
  
  
  
• Cook's Helpers
  
  
  
• Keepsake Recipe Cards - I like this one the best:
  
  

Thanks Martha!

cowboy up.

I don't know why but I am really, really excited about these pajama pants that I bought last night at Target. Seriously -- it got to the point where I kept peeking under the covers to look at them. They are just that cute.

I couldn't really find a good picture on the internet -- this is what Target shows on their web site, but mine weren't part of a set -- just the cropped pants:

{Nick & Nora Poplin Cropped Pants Set - Girls' of the West from Target}

Here's a close-up of the fabric, so you can fully appreciate the cuteness factor:

Sassy, retro cowgirls sporting red lipstick? Please. How can you expect me to resist?

The poplin material is great -- nice and thin, perfect for the summer and will get me well-into the cooler months as well, provided I don some warm socks. It has a great, wide waistband (very comfortable) and ties with cute, pink ribbon -- it's not a skimpy little ribbon, either -- which is nice.

I'm not sure what inspired me to get a cowgirl motif -- perhaps it's all the Pioneer Woman blog reading I've been doing. Plus, I don't really have much pink in my life -- so this was another attempt to introduce some different colors into my "wardrobe." I will say that I was also tempted by the postcards and amusement park designs -- both very cute.

But ultimately, I just stuck to my guns.

to do: buy jumbo muffin pan

I've mentioned my love of pineapple before and I came across this recipe today, after being randomly inspired to do a search for pineapple upside down cupcakes:

{photo of Pineapple Upside Down Cupcake deliciousness via Taste and Tell}

I can hardly even contain my excitement for this recipe. Look how yummy!

After I tackle this one, more posts about some of the other recipes I've tried recently :o)

just because ...

{© 2008 Koch Photography}

By the end of the night, Jon kept teasing us to stop kissing because he "already had about a hundred other kissing shots."

We couldn't help it. I mean, can you blame me? ;o)

the couch I covet.

I have had a love affair with this couch for many years now. Just came across this pic today, while organizing some of my photos in flickr. I snapped this last December, during one of my visits.

One of my many visits.

I like to check up on it, see how it's doing, bat my eyes pleadingly at my husband, glare at the price tag and weep over the fact that there are reasons, reasons that I refuse to acknowledge, why I may never own this fine, fine piece of furniture:

{Petrie sofa from Crate and Barrel? You are a cruel, cruel mistress.}

:: sigh ::

Norman says, "couches are for drooling or goo-ing on, not for looking pretty."

french fries.

Thought it was time for a few more Frenchie pics -- all of these photos were taken by Lynn Terry, during a photo shoot she held at Pets in the City. I signed the boys up to these taken before the wedding because I needed some good shots of them for a wedding-related project. More on that later :o)

Here are some of my faves -- (NB: these are the raw, unedited shots)

The fact that we have any of these shots is a testament to Lynn's skill -- with Louis hopping around like the mad little man he is and Norman completely oblivious to the world around him, I was delighted to find that we were able to come up with several shots that didn't involve a) pictures of blurred fur, as the Lou ran, menacing, about the room b) Norm's butt, since he was apparently incapable of ever facing the right way, despite treat bribery and much encouragement.

The Lou enjoyed the treat portion of the day:

Norm liked when I rubbed his belly:

"Any more treats?"

"Wait ... I like treats, too!"

Some shots of Norm's bum were unavoidable ...

Awww ... a handsome Lou. He looks like such a good boy here (ha!):

Zen Norman -- he's kinda iconographic in this picture, very "let the little children come to me," no?

I don't know what this picture is, but it makes me laugh -- sorta a cranky/snaggletooth Lou and a resigned-looking Norm:

Slanty boys:

One more, so you can see the classic "bulldog" pose:

They may be stinky and snorty and menacing sometimes, but we love 'em -- our little "bubbas" :o)

:: squeal ::

This just about sent me into fits and spasms of giddiness:

{Frenchie goodness via Apartment Therapy}

And look -- Frenchie in front of fab Eames shell rocker -- like I needed another reason to covet one:

Clearly this is a very hip dog. Such a smooshy face!

Now I'm anxious to get home and snuggle some Frenchies of my own. Look, our guys like stylish furniture, too ...

{Photo taken by the super-talented Lynn Terry}