A Christmas Wedding

I was honored to design some decor for my friend Jen's Christmasy wedding this past Friday evening. The day was busy-busy-busy, but I made myself take a few minutes to photograph the auditorium and reception table decor...or I knew I'd be kicking myself afterward. =)

Everything we did was pretty simple but very festive - and it suited the couple perfectly. Both Jen and her new husband Jonathan love to read, so we brought some books in as part of the design.

We borrowed these hardback books and created dust jackets from tone-on-tone metallic wrapping paper.

I also used the wrapped books in the centerpieces for the reception tables. Instead of a poinsettia atop the stack of books, though, I filled glass bowls with coordinating Christmas balls and silver tinsel. Could it get any easier??

The auditorium pew markers also contained an element of the reading love theme. 

Using plain white (previously ugly) shatterproof ornaments, I modpodged strips of text from an old book (The Amy Vanderbilt Book of Etiquette, if you must know - and I totally enjoyed reading snippets of it while I was working on this project! Pretty hilarious.) onto them and then sprinkled clear and silver glitter to finish it off. It only took a bit of time - it wasn't difficult at all - but it was a great little touch, I think. Plus, they can be used for Christmas ornaments afterwards. I love that whole two birds/one stone thing. =)

Here's what the stage looked like. We taped icicle lights to the glass in front of the baptistry and covered them with white sheer curtains. I arranged a little semi-circle of poinsettias for Jen and Jonathan to stand in front of. I cannot wait to see the wedding photographer's pictures of the ceremony! The wedding was at 5:00pm, so the lighting was completely different than when I was snapping these pics. 

And here's one sneak peek shot from Starla Photography (she's fantastic - she shot our wedding, too!) I seriously cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures!

(Yes, I made that bouquet and boutonniere. Yay!)

Oh, and hey, here's another shot from Starla - I loved how the wedding colors turned out!

My friend Ashley made the wedding cake and it was both beautiful and so delicious. Yum! (Plus, she took this lovely picture of it.)

Happy Wedding, Jen and Jonathan! May God bless you guys with a long and very, very happy marriage! =)

Autumnal Cheer: There's a Tear in My Butterbeer

Yes, I made these cupcakes back in July, for tear-stained consumption after the premiere of the very last Harry Potter movie. No, I haven't posted about them until now - I didn't have time, for some reason or another. But - really - it's more appropriate even now. See, HP and The Deathly Hallows 2 was just released on DVD...and also, these cupcakes totally remind me of autumn. They were truly fantastic! Exceptional, even. I remember thinking the flavors would be perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving, even though they (gasp!) don't involve pumpkin. Our friends Bethany, Mindy, and Brad were big fans of these cupcakes also, and they don't hand out compliments easily. Or...maybe they do, but I'm just trying extra hard to convince you how wonderful they are. You should make them - even if you've never HEARD of Harry Potter. (Who ARE you??!) You won't be sorry. Also, you should read the books. You won't be sorry. And you should watch the movies. Warning: sometimes you'll be sorry. They definitely got better with each installment.

I definitely wore my owl necklace that my friend Sasha made for me. 

And Jeremy accidentally wore his Ooltewah Owls T-shirt; I pretended that it was on purpose.

Brad and Mindy. Yes, we saw the Deathly Hallows in 3D, with Harry Potter glasses. 

Yes, they made their own (awesome) shirts. Brad's shirt is the funniest HP shirt I've ever seen!

Bethany and me. Sorry for the totally awful quality of this picture. 

The lighting in the movie theater lobby was questionable, at best. Why couldn't they have had some 

of those huge umbrella things like wedding photographers have? It's the least they could do.

Let's get back to the sweet stuff. This recipe came straight from amybites.com, who did a marvelous job creating it. I highly recommend that you go to her original post and follow all of her little tips and tricks. I usually have lots of extra notes on a recipe, but she was so thorough that I actually have nothing else to add! It's perfect, as is. =)

Butterbeer Cupcakes

Makes 18 

For the cupcakes:
.
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda
.
For the ganache:.
1 11-oz. package butterscotch chips
1 cup heavy cream
.
For the buttercream frosting:.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 16-oz. package powdered sugar
Splash of milk or cream (as needed)
.
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream your butter until light and fluffy. Add your sugars and beat until well-combined. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then beat in your vanilla and butter flavoring.
.
Alternate adding your buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch. Cool completely on wire racks.
.
For butterscotch filling: In a double boiler (heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stove), combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream and stir until completely combined and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow.
.
For buttercream frosting: Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. Add milk or cream by the Tablespoon as needed. Frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache.

Aprons and Awards

See this apron? The small one in the front? The one with the heart stenciled on it?

I made it YEARS ago, with lots of help (obviously) from my mother and grandmother, to enter in a contest for 4-H. I didn't win. It was because "it looked too perfect that an elementary school kid couldn't have possibly made it." Can you believe that?? Hahaha! Hooo boy!

Actually, I know I had a lot of help, but they didn't do it for me. They taught me how and I did it. I can't help that I did it so well! So perfect and without a stitch out of place. Anyway. I'm not still bitter about that contest. I'm not. I think it's kinda funny. Because it does look pretty perfect. ;)

I got it out to display for Valentine's Day. No, I don't have a Packers or a Steelers apron, so this one will have to do. =)

I may not have won that 4-H contest way back when, but I did get a sweet blog award (actually, two! one for this one and one for PrettySweet: Heaven-Minded) from my friend Heather at Yet To Be a few days ago. It made my day. =) Thank you, Heather! I think you're awesome and your photography is awesome and I think we ARE, indeed, kindred spirits in many ways.

To accept this award, I am supposed to do a few things: tell you seven things about myself. Also I need to tell you about some newish, stylish blogs in my own line of vision and bequeath them with the Stylish Blog award - and course, notifying them afterward. Woo hoo! I love to share! And lastly, link back to my bestower of the award, which I already did. (Note: I thought spellcheck was going to tell me that "bestower" is not a real word. But it is! It's real!)

First of all, to my friend Sarah, who tells us small-town folks about her adventures in New York City at A Georgia Peach in the Big Apple. I looove keeping up with her and hearing about her acting auditions and volunteer work and general big city life. I think it's awesome that she's pursuing her dreams. Someday we'll see you in the movies, Ms. Decker!

And to my friend Jennifer, who just started a new blog for her stationery business at Hart to Heart Stationery Designs. She has done digital scrapbooking for quite awhile and then got into making personalized party invitations and supplies for her three children. Her stuff is adorable! And she has the best party ideas. =) I think she's very reasonably priced, too. Check her out.

And now...the seven things:

1. I already told you about the heart apron that I didn't win a contest with.

2. And I already told you that I didn't have a Packers or a Steelers apron. (And that, my friends, is because sometimes I don't even watch the Super Bowl. Gasp!) But I do, pretty much, collect aprons. As you can tell. The one to the right of the heart apron was a wedding gift from my sweet friend Mindy (who is a pretty stylish blogger herself - but alas, her blog is not new.) She knows me well. =)

3. I hate to dust. And my house tells on me ALL the time. Big, heavy SIGH. But right now, it's nearly spotless...because we have company. The house looks awesome. =) At the moment I am highly motivated to keep it just so.

4. I'm not a phone person. I'd much rather email somebody and they can answer me anytime they choose to. Phone calls make me a little nervous, but they used to make me A LOT nervous. I'm much better than I used to be, but I still usually have to psych myself up for making certain calls.

5. I totally enjoy coffee, but it needs to be a light roast, like Breakfast Blend. Jeremy is the same way - the other stuff is too bitter for us. Also, CoffeeMates' Italian Sweet Creme is pretty delightful.

6. I have been designing my first book cover. Not for a book I wrote, though I would like to write one. But for my dad's small printing/publishing business. I am working part time for him and I am really enjoying it!

7. The craft room renovation is sooooo close to completion. Woo hoo! One more step! Hold on and stay tuned...

Happy Tuesday!
Kristen

A Weekend Guest

Jeremy and I puppysat this adorable little one this past weekend. Her name is Lily - she's a Maltipoo and she belongs to our good friends Sasha and Jared. She loves to snuggle and sleep and play with her squeaky toys. Especially the ones that are as big as she is.

She's such a good, super smart dog. Never chews on or bothers things that don't need to be bothered. And she's great for people with allergies...you can hardly ever see evidence of shedding. It's awesome.

She's totally against PDA, though. While she was here, I was getting ready in the bathroom and Jeremy came up to give me a hug. She was trailing right behind him and we looked down at her...and in the most perfect display of comedic timing...she literally gagged. I am not even kidding.

Lily is the best. We always miss her when she's gone. =(

Friends and Weddings

So, a couple of my friends have gotten married lately and my cousin is getting married in a few days, so weddings have been back on the brain. While a good elopement has its place (amen!), that doesn't exactly make for good blog postings...we're going to talk weddings. These southern weddings have been beautiful, even during the stifling weather. (And boy, has it ever been stifling! We've finally gotten a little reprieve and it's been more than delightful.)

Our friends Nicole and Michael got married on July 31st. He got her flowers for their one-month anniversary...isn't that cute? Love it. There was this one time that we had Nicole and Michael over to eat dinner and we talked wedding plans all evening. We consoled them when there were some things they couldn't agree over. And we all realized that Nicole and I are pretty alike...and Jeremy and Michael are pretty alike. It was a little scary and a lot hilarious. Then I served everyone peanut butter pie and promptly found out that Michael hates peanut butter. But that's neither here nor there. Let's get back to weddings!

One thing I always look forward to in weddings is the music. Do you know how hard it is to pick the right music for your wedding??! Really. I mean, if you want something a little non-traditional anyway...as in, not an organ-heavy rendition of the wedding march. I spent hours on the music for our own wedding. And I know Nicole and Michael did the same. There were some songs I hadn't heard before and then I ended up loving! And that's always happy to me. Especially since the songs will always remind me of their wedding.

This is one of those...I think it's super beautiful and romantic and perfect for a wedding! The first time I heard this song, it was in the movie Hope Floats way back in whatever-year-that-was. Don't judge me, but I really disliked that movie. It was sooo depressing. And I generally love Sandra Bullock - she's funny and brilliant! And I love Harry Connick Jr. - he's dreamy with a remarkable singing voice. BUT. This movie did not showcase any of that for me. It was O.K. for a one-time viewing, but I've never been able to stomach it again. Wait...how did a bad movie review highjack Nicole and Michael's wedding post?

Ooops. Moving on...

Oh, dear, one more thing. This version (by Adele) of Make You Feel My Love outshines Garth Brooks' version from Hope Floats. There, I'm done. I hope.

To make up for all that pent-up negativity, I will post some lovely pictures from the wedding. ;)

These were so different and cool-looking. 

Absolutely loved ALL of the flowers!

A very natural shot of the groom. Probably checking 

some sports scores...

Are these not gorgeomous??

The bride wore green shoes. =)

"Back UP! You're totally crowding me."

Just kidding. Kristi-the-photographer is pretty laid back. 

And her pictures are way better than these.

Coordinator Betsy threatening the bride to cool down...

or ELSE.

My friend Nicole is funny. 

She ALWAYS makes me laugh.

The sun was in all of their faces, but I like to think of it as 

God blessing their union.

Cake!

This dude had a cool hat. 

And despite the heat, Nicole got to have the 

outside reception she'd always imagined. 

Love you guys! And I'm so glad I got to have a part in your special day!!

An Ode to Kindergarten

I'm pretty sure it was never quite this hot each fall when I started school. I suppose it's a combination of the fact that we actually started school later in August back in the "good old days" (I think, right?) and the fact that it's consistently hotter outside now than I've ever remembered in my life. I mean, I've always known the summery feeling of climbing inside a hot car. A car that's been parked outside in the sun for awhile. It's hard to breathe because the air is so thick with heat. It's difficult to even touch the steering wheel for fear of getting burned. But this year seems so much worse. How is that even possible? I don't know, but the miserable heat is going to be super fun on the playgrounds, I'm sure. Bless their little hearts! They're going to have to have a snowcone truck parked outside and require two mandatory trips per play period.

Thoughts of school always come back each fall. There's no two ways about it. And I miss it, in a strange and wonderful way, each time. Jeremy and I have lots of little school-age friends and nieces/nephews, especially those going into kindergarten. And I've been alternating teaching/helping with the kindergarteners at church on Wednesday nights in the last few months. These kids heading to school all been on our minds a lot lately. We wonder how they'll react...how they will like it...what will be their favorite part(s)? And we think back to our own days of starting school.

My friend Ashley's daughter Ella is starting kindergarten...she's been praying all summer to get into the "castle room." A room with a huge castle inside it - where the children go inside to read their books. Tell me that doesn't sound awesome. Well, simply put, prayer works! She, lover of all things Disney princess-related, was thrilled to find out she had, indeed, been assigned to the teacher with the castle room.

By the way, this is the same Ella who was ecstatic to find out that they would be having music lessons. She said, "I've been wanting to learn to play the violin!!" =)

Ella's mom Ashley has been known, through the years, to say, "I smell kindergarten" at random moments. I think it's a mixture of aromas found in a kindergarten classroom that conjures up such a memory for her: crayons, markers, glue sticks, construction paper (wait, can you smell construction paper?) And it's a good memory. These kids heading to school now will, hopefully, have some wonderful memories of their own of kindergarten someday.

Here are a few of mine:

1. My teacher - Mrs. Cherry. Isn't that the perfect name for a kindergarten teacher? I still marvel at it. She was always very sweet and liked me. I did get in trouble once, though, because I was under one of the tables, trying to get the markers. Or something. Memory is very fuzzy on the details but somehow she reprimanded me and said I wouldn't get to go outside to play that day. I think she either forgot she said it...or maybe remembered how sweet and good I was 99% of the time and just decided to let it slide. ;) And I never got in trouble again! In kindergarten anyway. Not that I remember.

2. I remember my new friend Andrea (that I haven't seen in YEARS and I'm blanking on her last name) and at some point syncing my breathing with hers...we thought we'd always breathe exactly together from then on. Both of us are rocket scientists now, oddly enough.

3. My first crush was on this boy named Cam. He was never my little boyfriend, though. I was too shy. But I had chicken pox in kindergarten and Mrs. Cherry had everyone in the class draw me a get-well picture. I remember looking through them and looking at Cam's picture longer than everyone else's...

4. We had a Christmas play and I was a doll. I had long curls, so I guess that Mrs. Cherry thought I was perfect for the part. My grandma made my dress and pinafore. My cousin Beth was in a different class...I think she was an elf.

I've heard that our favorite little kindergartners are excited about school and are loving it so far. I've been excited and nervous for them. And for their moms, who report tears or almost-tears on their part.

May kindergarten bring the kind of good memories...of craft projects and reading castles and new friends and playtime...that they will think about fondly for years to come!

A Relaxing Tea Party

Remember when I talked about tea parties quite a lot? It was back in the month of May and I had been absorbed with this particular tea party...there are quite a few posts about it. Well, I want to tell you about a different tea party. This tea party took place several weeks after the BIG one. And it was completely different.

Our tea party steering committee worked hard during our tea party, so we went in search of a tea party where we could sit down and relax. Have you ever heard of Halls, TN? Maybe not, even if you're from Tennessee...it's a teeny-tiny place. Much smaller than Henderson, whose population is 6,600 or maybe a little more. Probably about 37 people lives in Halls and I'm only slightly exaggerating. But! There's a pretty cool place that exists in Halls...Charlene's Colony of Shoppes. It has a tea room (The Just Divine Tea Room - partly made from on old church building. Get it?) and an antique shop and clothing shops and an enormous and very fabulous home decor store. And it's truly out in the middle of nowhere. It's awesome. There's always lots of people there...it's a destination, meaning that a ton of people drive aways to get there...and just to go there.

Six of us on the committee were able to go on the field trip that day and we had a most excellent time. I think the drive was about an hour and a half, so we had plenty of time to talk and catch up on either side of our tea party/shopping time.

That's Sasha (left) and Laurel (right). Sasha and I walk and talk together most weekday mornings and we gather on Wednesday evenings with our husbands after church to watch Psych. I got them hooked. (If you've never watched it, check it out. But only if you like to laugh.) Sasha is very good at crafty stuff, as are all of these ladies, in fact...now that I think about it! She especially likes to make jewelry and is learning to sew. 

Laurel is a former First Lady of Freed-Hardeman. She and her husband still stay extremely busy with traveling and raising money for the school. They also have a lovely fig tree in their backyard and when she learned that I had never before tasted a fresh fig, she took it upon herself to bring me a bowl full when they became ripe a few weeks ago. She also invited Sasha and me to harvest some more figs from their tree, which we gratefully did. And now I'm addicted to figs! They're brilliant! (They may get a separate blog post later.) Laurel is also very witty and smart and I'm looking forward to her speaking at our church ladies' day in October.

Ah, yes, and this is when Laurel accidentally put the teapot lid on her cup instead of back atop the teapot. And she reenacted it, a little sheepishly, and let me take a picture. She's a good sport. =)

That's Margaret sitting beside me. She loves the color yellow and books and kittens and fun rainboots and she teaches English at FHU. Very quippy, that Margaret. =)

That's Rhonda - she speaks Spanish (teaches it at FHU, in fact), does a lot of Latin American mission work, and is a creative and hard-working Bible class teacher for the kids at our congregation. She has three adorable blond-headed grandsons under the age of 6 and they love her lots. She's a good one!

This is the Queen Bee - Debbie. She's the starter of our tea party and runs the show every year. Equal parts CPA and crafter, which is pretty amazing in and of itself! We love our Debbie. Her husband is John, who teaches English at FHU - and they have two smart and entertaining sons.

She used to be in plays in college. I'm not sure you can tell. ;) Hee hee.

The special of the day at the Just Divine Tea Room was a Tuna Nicoise Salad (pronounced ni'swaz - and there's supposed to be a little French marking somewhere in there, but I do not know how to make that happen). It was very different and very delicious! I've had a nicoise salad before, a few times in my life in fact - but it had been awhile, so I was due another. (Especially since I cannot make tuna anything at home...Jeremy would run far, far away. Since he jokes about everything, sometimes it's hard to know when he's kidding or not...he had told me about his hate for tuna, but when we were first married, I kinda thought he was exaggerating for comedic effect. So I made a salad one time with tuna in it...he was a good sport by barely choking some of it down before he completely gave up. Bless his heart. We then had a serious conversation about tuna and I've never served it to him since. And I promised I never would. The end.)

Is this salad not beautiful? Very pretty. And the dijon vinaigrette was excellent.

And I'm kinda giving you the recipe right here, just by looking at the picture: a bed of spinach topped with hard-boiled egg wedges, sliced black olives, diced red onion, chopped red bell pepper, tuna and capers. And they're kinda hiding in the back, but there's green beans and chopped boiled potatoes there, too. Cover it all with a lovely dijon vinaigrette and you're set. Pretty healthy!

We all went and shopped for awhile and then went back for dessert at the tea room before we left that afternoon. Rhonda and I shared a chocolate cobbler. Sigh! It was a good day with good friends.