my minor marital meltdown

Hey folks! So, our "Big Day" came and went, and after spending a week in perpetual and glorious relaxation, the Mr. and I are now back home getting settled in to...well...the rest of our lives and such. More pictures to come but for now, I'll just say that it was amazing and perfect and just as much of a whirlwind as they tell you it's going to be -- and it definitely would not have been possible without a lot of help from incredible family and friends.

However, now that it's over, I'm sensing the large task of just what it means to be a wife. As such...I have a rather ridiculous story to share (and please feel free to comment if you've ever had a similar experience so I feel less weird).

The day after Strider and I got back, we talked through our schedules for the week and discussed some food ideas and preferences. It's been a big topic for us since I enjoy cooking but rarely have time for it and during my single life often took a forage-what-you-can mentality. I want to actually prepare meals for us, so with a list in hand Monday after work, I headed to Walmart. Oddly enough, I was excited by the prospect of shopping for two, even at Walmart. Methodically, I went through each aisle. Slowly and sneakily, the excitement faded and began to transform into doubt. Somewhere around the time I'd spent 10 minutes staring at boxes of oatmeal, trying to determine which kind he actually likes, I started to lose it. I briefly considered and abandoned the idea of calling his mom (that's right, I actually almost called my husband's mom to ask about oatmeal!). 

Finally, I chose and moved on to the register. Trapped in a cattle queue and surrounded by beef jerky and overpriced magazines, my first marital meltdown overcame me. Suddenly, the contents of my cart became the yardstick by which my worth as a wife was measured. What if I spent too much, what if he didn't like it, what if I didn't get everything I needed, and worst of all...what if he hated the oatmeal?!?! I was literally on the verge of tears with seconds counting down till I had to rapidly reorganize everything on the conveyor belt moving towards the grumpy cashier (who already looked miffed seeing my reusable bags). All I could think was, "I really need my mom!"

Desperate for a way out, I awkwardly stuck up a conversation about Whoppers with the woman behind me. My hands started shaking as my turn was up. Going against my pride, I took a deep breath and looked at the two sassy ladies in line and said, "Can I just confess something a bit ridiculous right now? I am totally freaking out about buying groceries!" After I explained the newlywed thing, they both smiled and said kind things to reassure me. One even pointed out that how strongly I cared was probably a testament to just how good of a wife I am probably going to be. Hallelujah, thank you Jesus for providing wisdom even in the unlikeliest of places...Walmart.

I took a deep breath, paid, and walked confidently to the car thinking about just how great people can sometimes be if you are desperate brave enough to let them in. Naturally, I told Strider the whole story when I got home and he laughed a lot and told me I was being ridiculous. I'm sure this is just the first of many marital meltdowns to come, but it will forever be a landmark as the first. 

Any other wives out there have a similar early-marriage experience?

PS - I totally did pick the right oatmeal! Huzzah!

today's the day!!

Although I can hardly believe it, our wedding day is here and we're official! I am a Mrs. HA!

We're off on our incredible honeymoon but I'll be back in a week or so to share pictures, tutorials, etc. In the meantime, enjoy this super cute wreath I made for our front door (I still can't believe I get to live with a boy!). It was super easy - straw form wrapped in burlap ribbon then a bit of fancy lace hot glued. The middle portion is hand-lettered on kraft cardstock and pinned with straight pins into the back of the wreath form.

See you soon!

framed silhouette DIY

The world's shortest art history lesson: A simple art form dating back to the mid 18th century, silhouettes are an abstract way of representing a subject by illustrating only the shapes and figures essential for recognition. They originally gained popularity because they were easier and less expensive to commission than miniature portraits, which Victorians felt fancy-schmantzy carrying around.

Anyways - in addition to being lovely and a bit romantic somehow, they're also dead easy and make excellent gifts.

To start out: Take a relatively high quality photo of your subject in profile AKA to-the-side. (An infinitely complicated process when your subject is a squirmy almost-one-year old.) It should look relatively like this:

OMG is she so cute or what?!

Gather yo materials: All you need is a frame (I used an 8x10 for this project which seems to work nicely), a large piece of white card stock, a regular sized piece of black card stock, an x-acto knife with a very sharp blade, some bits of tape, and a glue stick. Resize the photo in Word (or Photoshop if you're a fancy bugger) to fit the dimensions as your frame and print it out.

Next, create the silhouette: Use some bits of tape to affix the printed photo to the black card stock. If you have problems with the picture, for example - not being able to see Reece's neck because of her jumper...use a pencil to create new guidelines that will make the silhouette more clear after cutting (sorry, no pic). Using your x-acto knife, very carefully and slowly cut around the outline edges of the picture and along any new pencil lines. Below is a photo of mine after cutting halfway around.

Keep going slowly and carefully till you've traced the entire printed photo. Personally, I like to add tiny little tufts of hair that stick up just slightly to give the back of the head more texture than just looking like a balloon with a face, but that's up to you (really really hard to show in a picture at this distance). Eventually - this what you get:

Lastly: Cut down the white paper to the size of your frame, then use a glue stick to adhere the silhouette to the white paper. Just make sure the silhouette is straight and where you want it to sit in the frame before you stick it on the background.

Optional snazziness: use a white or silver pen to date the silhouette in a bottom corner. Frame it up and ta-da!

Total cost is really no more than your frame and it makes a lasting keepsake that parents love. Plus, (as I intend to) it's really fun to go back a few years later and do another to see how the silhouette changes. 

**Photo model provided by my niece and flower girl, Reece. Happy first birthday tomorrow, sweet pea!**

P.S. Curious about the wedding countdown? Just 11 days!!!