Band or DJ...does it really matter????

My dear friend had numerous weddings to attend over the past few months.....I think all said and done it was 6, and after each one we would have a fun evening which consisted of wine and sometimes dinner, and she would painstakingly go over the details of the wedding.... how beautiful it was and what each couple did to make their wedding unique. After the last wedding her phone call (from the road) was one of complete astonishment, "that was the most fun we have ever had at a wedding, I danced all night long (she also hyper extended her knee again ..... but once again that's a whole other blog!).....the band was unbelievable! Band, you said .... band, I had never even thought of a "band" for the reception....I thought DJ's were the thing to do?? I am so not in the "loop"!.... Apparently this "band" consisted of 12 members (which I do think included the "Supremes" that sang to the left of the band leader).....they led the bride and groom into the reception hall with a saxophone and drummer....they played Motown and all the wonderful songs we so lovingly remember, there was a lot of interaction with the guests.......so she set out to investigate this "entertainment venue" for us. She couldn't remember the band name, but she was sure someone told her they were from the Dallas area (even though this wedding was in Oklahoma City) perrrrrfect... they live in Dallas, no travel expenses.....how expensive could they possibly be, besides she could not remember the last time she had so much fun, and did I mention there was a lot of interaction with the guests....she was sure this would be great for Kadie and David's wedding!!!! We were both so excited, what fun this could be......I asked her to let me know what information she could find and in the meantime, I will do some investigating too! Well, I did my research and I located "Mr. Larry T-bird Gordon and his Orchestra".....and I called. Now what I am about to tell you still is unbelievable to me.....Mr. Gordon's "Talent Agent" (should have been my first clue) said he wasn't sure if "my friend" knew how expensive Mr. T-bird was, but for a wedding booking it would be.........in the ballpark of $27,000.....shut up!!.....$27,000 for a wedding band .... couldn't I get the Jonas Brothers for that type of cold hard cash?? They live in the area too for Pete's sake! I guess he heard my voice quiver when I asked him to once again repeat the price .....and that's when he ever so kindly asked what my budget was....well, it certainly isn't $27,000 .... can you recommend another band, maybe some high school kids looking for a big break???? Of course he could, and he did recommend several other "bands" that were in my budget and emailed me the list! But, before I went too much further with this "investigation" I figured I had better email FOB to fill him in .... after someone picked him up off the floor of his office, he very diplomatically said that if that Kadie wants a band at the wedding, she can certainly have a band at her wedding.....the guests can wear their jeans, BYOB and dance the night away, in the backyard.....around the pool! Well, after careful consideration, Kadie and I decided that maybe it's best to wait until the wedding gown and accessories are found, caterers, photographers, florists, bakers and who knows what else is decided on before we determine what is left in the "budget" for reception entertainment! I think I still have a box of old 45's somewhere and I am sure there is some Motown music among them! So Penny..... I hope the memory lingers, your knee will have plenty of time to heal...... because ole' T-Bird won't be making an appearance at this shindig!

Organizational Intervention.......

Over the past week I have started a very time consuming and daunting process. I have started to organize the house. Now its not that I am an "unorganized" person ...... a good friend of mine told me that ....... "You're not unorganized, you just have a lot of stuff"... and it's true.....there is an underlying illness here...I love stuff...not just any old stuff...but, beautiful things, cut glass, china, stemware....and I collect it...(again, remember that part of the 12 step program is admitting you have a problem.....Boy, I would be a show stopper in one of those meetings!) It started Friday morning when I went into the laundry room and just could not stand the clutter that surrounded me. I reorganized the shelves in the pantry (I refuse to go as far as FOB would like, and inventory the can goods.....NO!) made room for small appliances on the upper shelves and threw out things with long past "use by" dates and a miracle occurred.....extra space......it was bliss! So onto the shelving unit, consolidate, stack properly.....and another small miracle, more room! I am on a roll.....reorganize the cabinets above the washer and dryer.....unbelievable.....more available space!!!! (This next statement is for my dear friends who estate sale with me......Ya'll know what more space means to me.....more china and glassware......yeah!!!!) I even used the "label maker" and things are labeled.....(on a not so nice note, when I asked Kadie for her label maker.....there was an ugly comment that went something like....this is just wrong, Mom and a label maker, what's wrong with this pic....) again another unprovoked attack! Mopped the floor, dusted and a metamorphosis had taken place.....you can now do a 180 in the laundry room and not touch anything.....PTL, alleluia.....its the Miracle on Silverleaf.......joy! joy! joy!..... laundry room complete and on to the next area.....which just so happens to be ..... under the kitchen sink. You might ask yourself, why with so many other areas needing immediate attention, why "under the sink"???? Well....... because when I pulled the plug on the dishwater Friday night, water came pouring out from the cabinet all over the area rug and my new Christmas slippers (not very happy) ... thank goodness......Mark the Plumber was already home from work..... and discovered that the pipe was loose, he fixed it (my hero).....and to my complete surprise, it presented yet another area to be "organized"! So early Saturday morning off to Home Depot we go to replace the pipes under the sink....just because they were gross from more than 30 years of use and I wanted a new fresh look under there....(it goes with the reorganized Zen feel that we have goin' on) and I found the "Home Organization" aisle.....again BLISS! Purchase, purchase, purchase and yet another zone complete....this is just frickin' unbelievable! It's like some kind of high.....I LOVE IT! So it gets me thinking ....... I have 3, yes count them 3......cabinets devoted solely to spices....yes I do love to cook, but I don't even think Bobby Flay devotes that much space to his spices ..... so there it is, ANOTHER opportunity! Off to the Container Store {I will cover the topic of the Container Store in another blog, because that place is just amazing!!}...... OMGosh......I have available cabinet space in the kitchen.....this phenomenon has not happened since we purchased the house in 1990! Where else can I go.....junk drawers......yes, there are 3 of them!!


So, this morning I am off, yet again, to the kitchen.....projects need to be completed! I will have the reorganization complete.....finish painting the cabinets and house looking very tidy before this wedding.....I have a list of "honey do's" that could compile a small novel......FOB's only comment was to look at David and say.....see what you have done to me???

Diet and Exercise......sigh.....

Ok, I have got to do something.....my midlife crisis is not the middle age crazies or acting younger than I really am....trying to dress like I did when I was a 20 something or even a 30 something, its weight gain! I'm not going to sugar coat this, plain and simple, I have allowed myself to get fluffy (not obese fluffy, just enough to be uncomfortable fluffy) and boy am I! So when Kadie and David announced their plans, I had one too.....lose weight! Who wants an overweight MOB, or even more so I DON'T WANT TO BE AN OVERWEIGHT MOB! There I've said it....I'm overweight....they say the first step in the 12 step program is realizing you have a problem, well I do! So since both MOB and FOB could stand to lose a few lb's..... I have started to instruct Mark on how to lose weight. I make sure he exercises daily, he is so diligent about the 2 miles he does each day on the treadmill (weekends its 3)....I make sure he eats a healthy breakfast, has a calorie conscience lunch and I prepare a great dinner, without the buttered rolls :( or bread that we so love and even have cut back on having a glass of wine after dinner. I offer encouragement constantly, and being the good wife is paying off.....he just told me at the breakfast table today that he is losing a pound a day.....Dr. will be happy with his progress too! I'm so proud.....my loving encouragement is actually paying off......the happy dance was taking place in my heart.....until....he looked over at me and asked how my walking and attempt at weight loss was coming........that's not nice.....that was an unprovoked attack...don't burst my bubble, God doesn't like ugly and we're celebrating a small victory...I'm doing a great job at gently nudging you into your weight loss program! I've been watching the Biggest Loser.... doesn't that count for something???

OK....I'm going to keep this brief....

I just have a few random comments about something that is taking place in this house right now. Kadie and I thought it would be fun for the 3 of us (FOB, MOB and Bride) to watch the movie, Father of the Bride with Steve Martin.....we all "love" this movie! However, FOB is beginning to think its funny to pull at his shirt collar and roll his eyes just like George Banks (aka...Steve Martin). He's NOT! Ok, I'll give him this much....the first couple of times he did it, we laughed....however, it's getting old!!!! Kadie is being sweet about it, she smiles and gives him one of those "oh, Dad" looks and moves on .....but, I'm warning him, the "funny" is going to wear off.....much sooner than he thinks and emotions are going to come into play..... and it won't be pretty! He also thinks its funny to suggest to David that Las Vegas is a really nice, fun place.....lots of little "wedding chapels" there too.....(I think he thinks, that just because he has his "fat Elvis" costume from several Halloween parties ago that this would be proper attire for him.....of course....no tux rental costs incurred either!) David plays along with him and to FOB's absolute amazement.....he overheard a conversation that David jokingly referred to LV as a destination wedding.....which brought on the next "not so funny" stunt.....He sits in "his" chair and when wedding planning is being discussed.....he starts to hum YMCA by the Village People and his arm movements make a L and a V!

Help!.....this is going to be a looooong 18 months...

MOB....Oh my gosh....

A part of my brain is being unleashed that I really didn't know existed! I have had a little time for the whole wedding "event" to settle in. I am well aware that this is Kadie and David's wedding, and they will both be very involved in the planning and will absolutely have the final say in all decisions (as long as it stays in the budget!) but....I for the most part will be the "Wedding Planner"! Not that this task overwhelms me.....for pete's sake I merchandised a large retail store for 13 years... I have been known to take trash worthy Christmas decorations and breathe new life into them...ask my sister ( that's a whole Blog in itself!) But, this new arena, new playground so to say .....is making my head go ninety to nothing. It has unleashed my inner creativity like never before.....I'm losing sleep! I can make this wedding memorable (and stunningly beautiful) without breaking the bank.....this will keep the FOB delightfully pleasant throughout this whole planning process....we will not have to use a month's salary on fresh flowers alone....I CAN DO THIS!!! I have put together bridal showers, baby showers and retail store events with a sense of style and elegance....surely I can handle my own daughters wedding!!

But here is the kicker....that's just it....it's my daughters wedding! I want the fairy princess thing for her, I always made sure her dress up trunk was filled with everything fussy, pretty and pink....all things that glittered and made her look like the absolute doll she really is. I find myself randomly getting teary eyed while remembering all the special times....how absolutely adorable she looked on the first day of school, in a hand smocked dress that her grammy made with the socks that matched and the backpack that hung to her knees.....I cried like I would never see her again when her dad and I dropped her off. All her handmade presents (and there were a lot of them), her determination....to give 100% for everything that she wanted....her devotion to her dad and I. She is like a little sponge that absorbs all life has to offer. She makes us proud of her everyday. So I want this to be a "you are special celebration"! Her dad had only one request of David when he asked for Kadie's hand in marriage....he made him promise that he would treat her tomorrow like he treats her today.....special! We have never watched her make a decision lightly, so we are absolutely sure David is the right man for her and ... We like him too.....so this will be a welcome to the family celebration ....a celebration that says thank you Kadie....for being an absolutely wonderful daughter. You will be an amazing teacher, wife and someday mother too....and I pray that God blesses you as he has your Dad and I. xoxo

A Little History...

I am a mother of 3 and I consider this to be my greatest achievement. Two sons and a daughter. I have been married for 30 years (to the same wonderful man) and life as we know it has been pretty darn great! We actually thought that we were a complete family after our two sons where born....so much so that my husband thought he would buy a "sports car"......loan in place, ready to pick up when I started not to feel so well.....yep, you guessed it, baby #3 was on the way. So for many years and even occasionally now, we refer to Kadie as my husbands little 300 ZX. College is "almost" complete for us, Kadie only has one more semester and then a year of student teaching to do and we are home free.......or so we thought! Mark has longed for a lake house....he loves to fish and life would be complete if he had somewhere to go and park it for the weekend! So he began to look.....even took the oldest son with him over the holidays....scoped out beautiful lots that would provide lakeside sunsets, great fishing and restful weekends ....... life is once again looking as though things might work out as he would like...... I don't know why he thought a lake house was in the picture anytime soon.....college may be almost complete but don't most kids end up wanting to get married? Well apparently my better half didn't think that would happen anytime in the very near future.....HA.....jokes on him! Kadie has been dating "the boyfriend" for two years now.....graduation was at the end of the tunnel, "the boyfriend" already graduated and has a job....what was he thinking???? Well, over the holidays (and only days after the excursion to view the lake lots) he got the call......you know what I'm talking about ..... "the call" the one where "the boyfriend" asks if he could meet him for dinner...... I know the blood pressure medicine did nothing for the spike he experienced when "the call" came in...... Most of the time Mark doesn't call me during the day from work....if he has a brief lapse of time at the office, I may get an occasional email but rarely calls. Well, I was busy with holiday decorating and an urgent text dinged in on my phone......call me at the office asap! Thinking something terrible happened I did just that.....immediate pick up and sounding exasperated on the other end....he says, "the boyfriend" just called and wants to meet for dinner......do you know what this is about......with only a brief moment of silence, we both knew what this meant.......goodbye lake house......it will be a few more years before we will meet again...... my husbands only daughter and best friend is going to get married...... Now there is something to be said about the relationships between a father and his daughter. There is a very special one in our home and all of our friends and family know this.....he loves his sons, but he "loves" his Kadie. The proposal was to be kept a secret and we didn't tell a soul until the day before it was to happen....and only then because I wanted to celebrate just a little when they returned home. We both love David (aka..."the boyfriend") and he is well aware of the bond between father and daughter...... let the fun begin......