Mr. A-Z

Hi friends!
I just got back not too long ago from my trip to Annapolis/ DC! It was really wonderful and fun. I will tell you all about it tomorrow probably, but I wanted to do a quick post because Abigail and I went to the Jason Mraz concert in Columbia and it was amazing so I wanted to share. This was my third time seeing him in concert (he also holds a special place in my relationship with husband). He played a lot of new tunes and I haven't listened to him in a while so the concert really renewed all those happy fuzzy feelings his music gives me. For example:

From the show yesterday


Not from the show yesterday, but he did perform this song


Gosh. So. Good. More to come.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Saturday Cats 15

- Mrs. M

Autumn is Arrived

Happy First day of Fall!

People who love fall really love fall, I've come to notice, as I have counted myself among them for the last few years. The foliage, clothes, colors, Halloween, crisp cool temperatures, smells and tastes. Scarves, pumpkin spice, pumpkins, pumpkin everything, sweaters, boots, hockey, comfy cozy, apple cider, roasted pumpkin seeds, skeletons. I only wish I could spend my favorite season with my favorite person, and have him home to cozy up to when it's chilly out. 

all images via Pinterest

I'm off early tomorrow morning to drive down to Annapolis and Washington DC for a little visit! I'll be spending time with my friend/bridesmaid Abigail, checking in on my little brother at Georgetown, going to a concert and exploring a bit. I'll come back with pictures and stories to share. Have a good first fall weekend, friends! 

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Dexter Music

I don't have much time or energy for a post today, but I thought I'd quickly share this cool Dexter music video (Thanks Melaura!). Because, well I love Dexter, and the show returns October 2, and I don't get Showtime so I can't watch it on the TV, and Kyle has been watching the series over in Iraq, and the Dexter intro song is my ringtone.



And the original intro from the show...(it makes Kyle hungry for breakfast)



Have a nice Thursday! I have med training 8-12, then work 1-8ish. Much to do.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Photos of the Day or My Name is on an Apple

I just noticed today at work that I have my name on an apple! It kind of made my day. 

 scallops, beets, orange, goat cheese salad at American Ale House for lunch with the fam

tree outside of work is changing colors...

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Wednesday Wedding: Shoes

One thing I do know about what I will be wearing at the wedding is that on my feet will either be flats or kitten heels. Heels are fun, but I'm so used to being at the perfect height next to Kyle to fit right under his arm, and wearing high heels messes that up and makes me feel weird. And I'm more of a flats kind of girl anyway; I also like the peep toe. I'll have to find the dress first, though, to know what color and style will work best. Here's a look at some fun wedding-worthy flats and kitten heels, and maybe a pair or two I wish were flats.

one two three four five six seven & eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen

Which do you like?

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Wedding Development

First off, I got my ring back! Shiny and sparkly like new. It's weird that this is the first time they've both been on my finger, complete and not-broken (I noticed my engagement ring was missing a diamond the day before we got married. womp). Luckily it's pretty grey out so I won't get distracted by the sparkles while driving.

Secondly, I found our wedding photographer!
The lovely and talented Jana Scott. I saw her work and instantly loved it. Mom and I went to meet her last Thursday and we both really liked her. She is artistic and organized and will be there from start to finish! She had a little packet all ready to go over with us and had a lot of samples to show us. The wedding pictures are definitely one of the most important puzzle pieces of this event, in my opinion. There is hardly a photographic trace that Kyle and I actually like each other, and zero pictures from the day we got married.  I've wanted good pictures of Kyle and I for a long time, and knowing I will finally get them makes me really happy! I am also glad to check something off the wedding to do list.

 

You can find much more of here work here at her website. I am so excited!

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Monday Movie: The Kids are All Right

In The Kids are All Right, the children of two moms seek out their sperm donor father, who starts to become more and more a part of the family's life, causing friction and whatnot. It was a pleasant movie (I guess pleasantly troubled), good for a Sunday afternoon while multitasking. The actors and characters they played were quite good; it was a nice look at what a family is. Though maybe it is because I watched Mad Men a little while ago (but let's not get started on the reasons why I mostly hate Mad Men), but the story line where spouse cheats on the other spouse is kind of old and haven't we learned the lesson yet that bad things come of it? The humor kept it from being too depressing with all the self destruction, though I don't know that I believe things would fall apart so quickly. Maybe? It was a predictable movie and probably ended at the right time though I wanted it to go on a bit more.

here

I watched the movie while enjoying some Dunkin' Donuts pumpkin spice coffee (and the kittens a little bit too), and a maple donut. Fall has officially started for me. Get ready to hear about it a lot on here.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

DIY: Map of Love

Corny title, I know, but that's what I made this afternoon, finally, look! 

I got the idea from a Pinterest find, which took me to this website, lolly jane boutique. This is what they made:

Of course I had to put my own spin on it. Here's how I made mine:

1. I am a huge fan of using paint samples for just about anything. They are great because they are free, the perfect size for bookmarks that you can scribble notes on, and come in so many fun colors. I've made a couple projects with paint samples before (a mother's day gift many years ago, and a heart I have on my bookshelf), so it seemed to make sense to use them to form the background for this project as well! 

2. I started by cutting up the individual tiles of whatever samples I had left in my drawer. You could always use specific colors and shades if you wanted it to match with the rest of your decor or something. 

3. I then arranged and taped them on 5x7 pieces of paper (the frames I had were 5x7). Cut around the edges, repeat, and I had my two backgrounds. (I had this nice two-picture curved frame lying around with no pictures, so that inspired the project, really.)

4. I found outlines of Texas and PA online, resized a bit to fit, and printed them out. I also have a big stack of origami paper, excellent for projects as it has all colors and patterns, so I used that to cut out red hearts (I didn't have any red paint samples due to said earlier heart project). 

5. Cut out the states. This was probably the most challenging part because of all the little ins and outs, but it was pretty successful. 

6. I taped the hearts down at their respective locations. State College- where we met, Pittsburgh- where we fell in love (I guess?), Killeen- where we got married. I decided to do it a bit differently from the original project, because I liked the idea of marking special places for us rather than the places we were born (though I will probably do a project with that sometime too). 

 7. Place each on a background...

8. Glue

9. I don't know about you, but I always sign and date things I make or write. 

 10. And voila! The finished project. I quite love it. :D

- From the desk of Mrs. M