Out with the girls the last few days. It was really good for me. I have been feeling really disconnected from everything. I just felt stressed and more of a wedding planner than a bride. This weekend it finally clicked. I am marrying the man I love in 8 days.  I will have a chance to have a wonderful long weekend with my family and friends.  I am starting to see this as a party and not a job or task.  I am starting to get excited!  Having my wedding dress safe at home makes me feel a lot better! 

Muwah

 Google image link

Today was not as long as I think it was, or maybe it was longer, but I'm not sure.  So much, too much!  My wedding dress is in limbo! Who needs a wedding dress right?!  I  am hand making everything.  Roland is helping, but he is a perfectionist, and not very crafty, but he's doing great!  We have just a few more things to do. It's hard only because I am forgetting to breathe!  Kind of a big deal actually.  Two weeks left.

Muwah

 Today was a nice breather!  We started our day with ripe mango for breakfast, Roland read while I worked on a puzzle on our new kitchen table.  The cats played on their new jungle gym. It was completely perfect.

 Today's project was to dye, roll out and cut the fondant for the wedding. We made  bunches and bunches!

 The rest of the day was relaxing!  Watching  movies with my sister and our cats! Daisy was ready for a good snuggle!

 Bard  was the best heat generator!  My sister's surgery has made her  so hot that everyone else is freezing!

Muwah!

click for diy link for this wreath

I have been so busy!  Roland and I got our marriage license today! I made 3 wreaths for our wedding and  we bought a table for $15!  just need some chairs so I don't have to do all my crafts sitting on the floor!  I can't wait till I can get back to blogging.  It's just been too busy to even sleep, literally! I have such a long list of things in my head that my subconscious is reminding me in my sleep! 

I'm so busy! Today was cupcake mania! trying out recipies for my wedding! I liked this pattern of icing best of all the ones I tried!

Sorry I haven't been able to update. All things have gone nuts since I have come home.  I haven't really been able to get over the jet lag either! Up every morning with the sun and staying up late. I haven't even cooked since I have been home!

I did take some time to walk around the neighborhood.  Spring is strarting to spread over everything.

 The dogwoods are looking spectacular!

We have a wall of whisteria growing on our pine trees out side our house.

The entire area hums with a constant buzz from huge bubble bees!

Along with the alergies. Poor Roland's nose has been loosing the  battle with pollen.

 I really am excited about being home. But the stress levels from this wedding stuff is really getting to me. Luckily we finished all the favors today.

I can see my parents huge trees from my house. It's nice to have them so close.

Muwah

Today was an early start as I finally went through and cleaned up all the boxes from moving and organizing.  Roland and I moved in some furniture  and picked out Kitchen supplies from my vast collection.  I think, what I didn't choose to use will be going to good will  When I get everything together I will make a big donation! I am excited to do so.  I can't have new nice things till I get rid of the old stuff from uni days! So I have been too busy to take pictures or do any projects or even cook!  But  in the next hour or so I will head to bed and it will be great!  The cats came over to the house for a little visit today, and they seemed to handle it pretty well! We won't move them in till Vickie and I come back from dress stuff on  Thursday.
Tomorrow I will go and change my license changed to this state and  we will go look at some suits for Roland and my brother!  The other goal is to seek out a cheap table and chairs and maybe a couch!

Oh and today was the first sunny day since we left  Australia.  I was happy to see the sun again.

Muwah

Today I worked  on wedding crafts. I got this pattern off MADE.

I used white and pink poka dots, dark pink light pink and white!

I tested out the pattern to see if I liked it and it seems that I do! I have several other patterns too! Though I will probebly  wait to  make any more till right before the wedding.  Don't want them to get eaten by cats!

Muwah

Our trip went fine! It started at midnight. We left Perth to Melbourne to Sydney to L.A to Chicago to Home. Long trip but so glad to not be on a plan or in an airport anymore.

Are lay over in Chicago was about 4 hours. Thankfully it gave us our first break on the ground.  We got some food and then huge coffees.

We plugged in the laptop and played some civilization. It seems to be our game of choice while in Airports. We couldn't play for long though. Sitting down was giving us little choice but to sleep.  Though Roland was still handsome! We spent the day just trying to say awake, but it will be an early night.

Muwah

 We leave in about 3  hours.  Most everything is packed.  And as soon as I get this post finished my laptop will be packed up as well.

 Roland's mom is a bit sad. She is making us Salmon for dinner. It's Roland's favorite. I will miss being able to talk to her everyday. She is such a fun person to be around.  I am so excited for the next month or so, but at the same time I will be missing everyone left on this big rock. Just the way I miss everyone at home while I am here. I guess I am just fated to have a heart torn in two directions. At least  with Roland by my side I can say I am home anywhere we go.

See ya on the other side
Muwah!

Taken on the flight out of Japan 2008

Roland I made the rounds. We went and really honestly got my last boost. We found a pretty big carry on bag that can take both our laptops and has wheels and back pack capabilities. I am pretty excited. I home my laptop fits!  We  packed our stuff and tomorrow we take apart our bed and store our dishes flat ware and table away and say goodbye to Australia for about a year. We have so much to do  before the wedding, and even more to do after the wedding.  I have a lot of new things for us to get into. My sister has gone to our new house and shot a video tour for us.  

It's just a quick two min tour. I already have ideas floating around in my head! I am so excited I love the charming 1950's style.  The kitchen confuses me a little but I can make anything work! I am pretty darn happy! All that  sunlight! I can't wait!  I know I get plenty of sunlight in Australia, so you say what's the big deal?! In America I always seem to get dark  cave like  homes that suck the ambition out of you. This looks like it will do the opposite, and the big beautiful windows will make our  cats so happy!

   Thanks Vickie for putting that video together for me I am  super happy now! I am not sure if I will be able to post tomorrow, but I will try!  I am so excited to see everyone, but so sad to go. How confused  I am!

Somewhere in the Pacific 2008

Muwah!

So much to do. Roland and I leave in on Wednesday night to get our 12:30 am flight to Melbourne.  So tonight and tomorrow we are making the rounds to see all the people we need to see. 

Our engagement cake was sweetly cake wrecked by my soon to be adorable sister in-law. Well she already is adorable, but soon she'll be a sister! The cake topper has been picked out by Roland's mom. It's so sweet. Roland and I were looking at them for a long while.

Roland and I actually after the party. Durring the party  no one really thought about taking pictures.

Roland's parents bought us a wonderful set of  flat ware for when we come back to Australia. It's so exciting to think about setting up a home when we get back.

I hand made the thank you card for Roland's mom and sister.  I think they are pretty cute.

I used the left overs from our wedding invitations, and a free to download image from Free pretty things for you.

We went to the boost stall and got what I thought was going to be my last boost for a while.  But when I was handed a scratch card for the purchase, I won another boost! I will have to get it tomorrow!

I went to check, but the grapefruit is still green.

But the lemons are turning yellow!  Just as I am about to leave! I am excited to go home, but I have so many thoughts and worries going around in my head that its really hard to put them all in order. I feel so rushed, and at the same time I want everything to hurry up!  How confusing.

Muwah!

I was going to post some pictures, but Roland has stolen my computer to play Sims Medieval.  That's ok!  See you tomorrow!

Muwah!

I'm kinda busy tonight. Tons of pictures for tomorrow! I love you!  Muwah!

A year ago I was getting all excited about my first trip to England.  It just so happened it was around the same time that all the flights were canceled because of the volcano in Iceland.  We had to postpone our trip for a week, and in doing so lost out on our train tickets to France.  Then when trying to go back home, they canceled our flights again and we got a couple more days more to enjoy Roland's family.  I had a great time. The only time it rained was when we were actually in London.  Touring isn't as fun when you are cold and wet, but we still made the best of it.  Roland couldn't believe how fast the time has gone.  But that's the way it goes when you're having fun!

Ok time for Lemon bars!  When I told my friend that I made lemon bars she was not very impressed.  I then mentioned not from a box.  It was from scratch, I went out side and picked lemons from the tree  kind of scratch! She then had the reaction I was expecting, from a girl who loves lemons as much as her. I tripped this recipe today for our party tomorrow!  I found if you take the  lemon mixture and  increase by half again it's super  yummy!

For the crust, it's just a short bread recipe. This can be used again later for Christmas cookies of  make a few and  cover in chocolate. There is a lot you can do if you get this basic recipe.

1 cup of flower
1/2 cup icing or powder sugar
100g of butter (US 1 stick)
1/8 tsp of salt.

The butter should be right out of the fridge.  We placed ours in the freezer for about 8 mins because it was so hot out today.  Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix till its small and pebbly. The flower and sugar should be well incorporated into the butter, but not smooth. The butter should still have clumps.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F 180C.  Grease and flower your backing pan then press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Try to press the sides down as much as you can. Also try to make it even. This will help evenly distribute the  lemon mixture. Bake for 10-15 mins or till the edges are slightly golden.

I may have over done it a bit, but it's still ok.  This is what happens when the oven is taller than you!  I can never see in to check!

Lemon stuff. (remember our ripe lemons are green we don't know why.)

1 cup of caster sugar
2 eggs
2tbs of flower
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp of salt
2 or so tbs of lemon zest (yellow is a better color than green for this recipe... sigh)

Mix it all together and pour over the short bread crust. It's ok for the crust to still be hot. Give it a shake to get it all over the crust and then  right back into the oven for another 15 mins. Once finished the lemon mixture should  be still when the pan is shook.  Now the hard part is DON'T TOUCH IT!  It has to cool before it can be cut or dust it in powder sugar.  It doesn't cut very well other wise.  Mine took about 20 mins to cool, but it was a hot day.  After all the waiting is done cut into squares move to a cooling rack, that is sitting on top of wax paper. Take a sieve or a spoon and just dust them with powder sugar. If you want to be fancy and have a paper doily or cut outs you can make shapes on them as well.  Be creative!

Mmmmm this is using the half again on the lemon mixture.  I am really happy with how they turned out, but not as happy as Roland's dad!  Enjoy!!

Muwah