Congratulations Graduate!

My baby sister, Asha, graduated from high school on last Thursday, May 28th! I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished and the women that she has become... She has a full scholarship Marion Military Institute and will start school in the next couple of weeks. I could not be a prouder Big Sissy!

Class of 2009

Asha and me

Mom and Asha

Mom, Asha and SIL Stephanie

“I hope your dreams take you... to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.”

Congratulations, Asha!

The Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony was simply.... indescribable. I could say that it was beautiful, but aren't most weddings? I could say that it was precious, but that doesn't quite capture the essence of that day... If I had to describe it, I would say that it was heavenly... Yeah, that's it. The presence of God and the peace that filled the room was just heavenly and I am honored that I was a part of this beautiful union.

{wiping tears}

The ceremony decor was regal... Not overdone and fussy... Just elegant and regal....

Also during the ceremony they opted to do a water unity instead of the candle unity. It was truly one of the most beautiful {unity} pieces that I have ever witnessed.

Here is a photo that was taken during water unity ceremony. Because of her faithfulness to God, He rewarded her openly and everything about this day and this union was sealed with God's stamp of approval.

It was {worth the wait}.

The Wedding Ceremony Venue

The wedding was held at a beautiful church in Florence, AL. This venue was perfect for my bff. I can't formulate my thoughts fast enough to type them because I am so ready to post the pics of this venue... I think that the pictures will aid me in parading the {true beauty} of this church.

So without further adieu:

Can you see the stained glass windows??? How beautiful!!!

And if that did not sell you... what about the piped organ shown here? {yes, they were played during her wedding}

And these beautiful chandeliers made their debut in the sanctuary and the vestibule... Can you say breathtaking????

This was my bff's dream venue and I am so elated that she was able to locate and secure it. It just made the day extra special...

Did you find your dream venue for your wedding? Where was it and what attributes were you looking for?

The {Eyes} Had It

The make-up artist for the wedding was a long-time friend of mine. She is a MAC pro artist and has been working in the make-up industry for as long as I can remember. As you can see below my bf was already beautiful without the make-up, but once it was on.... PRICELESS!!!!

Before:
Sylvia working her gift:


Bringing it home:


The Grand Finale: I really think that this year's Holiday Barbie should look just like this...

Mother of the Bride (left). Doesn't she look dashing????

Mother of the groom (right). Isn't she stunning???

And the bridal party. I am on the left and her SIL is on the right...



Overall, we were really pleased with our make-up. We are currently on the prowl for another event so that we can have an excuse to look like this again....

The eyes truly had it!!!!

Put a Ring on It: The Bachelorette/ Lingerie Shower

We wanted to throw a bachelorette party/ lingerie shower like no other... We did not want a stripper (uuugh!!! I think that it is something VERY wrong with male strippers) and we definitely did not want any one selling pornographic items. We wanted it to be classy, fun, enlightning, and memorable. Simply put... we wanted the shower to be Tastefully Entertaining ( we will settle up on the plug later, lol).

The shower was held at a community cluhouse. It was recently renovated so we did not need a whole lot of decor. The colors were the ever so popular pink and black and to add to the theme all of the wedding party wore pick and black as well.

The theme of this shower was centered around Beyonce's hit single "Put a Ring on It." One of the hostesses is a choreographer and she put us together a really cute routine {see pics below}. We have a video, but I had problems trying to upload it...but I disgress...

Yeah, we put her in the front... LOL!

We did not want to do any of the traditional and boring "shower games" so we (dexim) things up a little. First off, on the invitations we asked the guest to give their lingerie a name. Once a name was chosen, it was written on two different cards that we provided. One of the cute little cards were placed with the garmet and the other was placed in a nice silk bag as a gift to the soon-to-be groom. On their honeymoon the groom could draw a name out of the bag and the bride would wear the lingerie that corresponded to that name. For example, I gifted her with a fun piece of lingerie that resembled a referee's attire. I named it {Time Out} and yes it came with a whistle!!!! (blowing whistle: flagrant file) LOL!

Another hostess for the wedding, just so happens to be a wonderful cook/caterer. So it just seemed fitting that she did a segment entitled, "An Appetite for Love" and enlightened us on the top foods that puts us in the mood. Among these were chocolate, bananas, almonds, and sour kraut. Yeah, that's right SOUR KRAUT!!!!! Okkkkay..... moving on......

To end the party, we formed a panty line using a panty poem that I found on the Internet. {I am sure that you all have seen that one before. If not just leave me a comment and I will be more happy to send it to you}.

Okay, this post has gotten long enough... Perhaps I should have broken it down a little more... But on second consideration... I am ready get on with the wedding recaps!!!

Enjoy!

Are you a Teacup or a Teapot?

While searching the www, I came across this beautiful tea devotional. I knew that it was serve as a perfect and cost friendly party favor. It was printed on some nice cardstock and tied with a beautiful bow. Enjoy!!!

Are you a Teacup or a Teapot?
{A Tea Party Devotional}
Characteristics of Teacups:
Beautiful
Delicate, yet strong
Unique
Offers relaxation and soothes the spirit
Holds what is put into them with no outlet

Characteristics of Teapots:
Beautiful
Delicate, yet strong
Unique
Offers relaxation and soothers the spirit
Pours out what is put into it

2 Corinthians 1: 3-5
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

When you compare a teacup and a teapot you will notice they both have fine qualities, yet one holds onto what is put into it, while the other pours it out again. Which would you rather be? A Teacup or a Teapot? If the ‘tea’ is left inside, it will become old and stagnant, so it is with us. If we hold onto blessings and not pour them out onto others, we to become old and stagnant. We will remain beautiful on the out side, but what is on the inside will become displeasing to the Lord and ourselves. If we pour ourselves and our blessings out over others, we remain fresh and rejuvenated. The Lord will keep us filled with His Spirit and His Love as we go back to Him to be strengthened and encouraged.

The Lord is the one who fills us each day. As we do our daily devotionals and prayers we allow Him to encourage us, teach us and comfort us. We are being filled with His Spirit. What are we doing with all this love and wisdom that he has filled us with? Are we pouring it out (of our teapots) onto others each day, or are we holding it all in our tea cups?
God comforts us, so we in turn should comfort those around us in need.

Bridal Tea Games

I was gifted with the task of picking games to play at my bf bridal tea. Now, I like to consider myself the {Queen of Games}, but this one...well, let's say it caught me off my {game}.

I spent several weeks searching for the perfect games to play at this very formal hat and glove tea, and finally I decided to give up my search and create a game of my own...

Thus my very own bridal tea game came into {play}. I called it "Fit to the Tea." Please see the directions and a few examples of the questions that were included in the game below.

Fit to the "Tea"
{please read each definition and enter the word that fits the definition. Remember each answer must contain the word "tea"}

1. The quality or state of being popular; especially, the state of being esteemed by, or of being in favor with, the people at large; good will or favor proceeding from the people. Populari "tea"
2. The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely: Serendipi "tea"
3. An adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty: Bea "tea" ful
4. An event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community: Festivi "tea"
5. The practice of benevolent giving: Chari "tea"

To warm up the crowd we played the familiar left/right game, but of course I added a little personal touch. It was a sight to see at least 100 guest sitting at about 15 different tables trying to determine their left from their right. {insert giggle} Especially the older ladies from church!

I did not want to make the game segment of the tea too long, so I incorporated the last game into the gift opening portion. It was bridal bingo... You may have seen something very similar at a baby shower or another bridal shower, and if you have not it works wonders on the crowd. To play you just create a standard bingo card and place a ring in the middle for the free space. Leave all the other spaces on the card blank. The guest should write a the name of a different gift in each box according to what they think that the bride will receive. When the bride is opening gifts and she opens something that they have written then they will mark an "X" in that box. As the bride continues to open gifts the guest will continue to cross mark out the corresponding items on their bingo cards. {This game keeps the guest alert and watching with enthusiasm as the bride opens her gifts}.

In the end, I was really pleased with the way that the games turned out for the tea and for the crowd. Have you ever had to created a game for a bridal shower? If so, how did it turn out?

Where was I?

Or better yet, where do I begin? It is very hard for me to believe that it has been nearly a month since I last updated my blog. Life is funny... Way before I started my blog, I use to be an avid reader of various scrapbook related blogs. One of the things that I disliked most were bloggers who did not update their blogs regularly...

For a while I avoided blogging simply because I felt as though I would not be committed enough to blog regularly and I did not want to disappoint my readers. Well, little did I know.... I am a lot busier now and up until lately, I was able to update my blog regularly....

But then.....well, life happened and somthing had to give.....

You guessed it...... My Blog....

So to all my readers, I apologize for everyday you visited my blog in search of an update only to be find that I failed to deliver...

But you won't be disappointed for long.... Why?

Because all while life was happening... Posts were popping up in my mind....

So sit back, relax and enjoy as I present to you my life...