A Wedding to Drool Over

So I am a little late to the blog party about the amazing wedding of Max & Margaux this past summer. Max is none other than the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G wedding photographer Max Wanger. Being the highly skilled artist he is, it is no doubt that he picked equally amazing photographers Whitney & Jesse of Our Labor of Love to capture his own wedding.

I won't repost the photos here but I highly recommend you see them for yourselves at Once Wed and The Flash Dance and the videos as well at 100 Layer Cake and A Cup of Jo.

What I really wanted to feature today were the amazing invitations Anna at Rifle Paper Co. designed for them. I am absolutely in love with this style of invitations and look forward to trying my hand at it.

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You can find more of Anna's work at your local Anthropolgie or Paper Source.

The Essential Wardrobe List for Women Who Frequently Wear Skirts

So as part of my fall cleaning project and to finally unpack and sort all of my clothes, I have decided to do a massive closet purging down to only the essentials. One problem... As a regular pioneer as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I spend about 6 days a week in skirts. No women's essential wardrobe list is designed for women who actually dress up that much so I had to use about 7 different lists on the internet to come up with the following list. This is what I will be using tomorrow to organize and sort all my clothes.

Beware! Do Not Buy From Adobe Education Store Tonight!

This is a warning of how I almost got scammed tonight by a company I have long respected. I don't know what the cause it, a minor glitch, a malicious bait & switch sceme, or a outside scam like phishing or hacking but the Adobe Education Store is experiencing some extreme sketchiness tonight!

Since upgrading to Snow Leopard on my Mac I have been in the market for Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended and since I am still a college student, I qualify for an education discount. But I am up in the air about biting the bullet and purchasing the full Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium since it's an excellent deal. Well tonight I decided to see if Adobe had any special black friday deals on any one of these softwares. And I found something that seemed like a miracle...

The Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Standard for $199 shipped in the box, the same price as Photoshop alone. Of course I instantly clicked purchase and was about to complete the checkout process when I noticed a startling fact. Instead of nearly buying the Standard Design Suite, Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended was in my shopping cart for $199. But the really odd thing is that there was also a message saying I in fact added the Suite to my cart. What in the world!?


I decided to repeat this process, and it wouldn't repeat on every try but periodically it would and I took screen shots of the whole thing. I discovered that this changed price on a product page and switched product in the cart was happening with several different items.


I of course immediately wanted to call Adobe and see what gives but basically no one is available right now...

Adobe Education Store

1-800-585-0774

6am-8pm PT Daily

Product help for Acrobat and Acrobat.com

877-782-3623
Monday–Friday, 5am–7pm PST

All other product help

800-833-6687
Monday–Friday, 5am–7pm PST

Software activation

866-772-3623
Available 24/7

Installation

800-833-6687
Monday–Friday, 5am–7pm PST

Licensing, registration, web subscription services

800-833-6687
7 days a week, 5am–7pm PST

Omniture support

Omniture customers: Log into your Omniture product or visit the Omniture ClientCare portal.

Scene7 support

Scene7 customers: Visit the Client Resource Center.

TTY (Telephone Typewriter)

800-685-3573
Monday–Friday, 5am–2pm PST
Messages accepted after hours

But believe me I will be contacting them ASAP somehow. Until then try to make sense of what I documented in photo and make note of the product titles, url addresses, and time stamps. And steer clear of purchasing from the Adobe Education Store for the time being!

Is it just me or does this fall under that whole false advertising issue?

22 Before 22

Ok so I love the 30 before 30 idea but some of my to do items are impossible to even attempt for a few years so i wanted something more imminent. And since I considered a 3 month time frame for 21 tasks before 21 to be too tight I decided to just give myself 15 months to accomplish the following list in no particular order...

1. Give 22 gifts within 22 days
2. Create a photography portfolio website
3. Read the Bible in chronological order
4. Read 22 books
5. Update MDTS from 5 different Apple stores
6. Snag a literary agent
7. Build 5 different chandelier/light fixtures
8. Get my year's service time by mid-August
9. Complete 31 days to a better blog
10. Spend a weekend in Austin
11. Take a weekend workshop or community class
12. Teach my own e-course
13. Lose 22 pounds
14. Master cooking a gourmet 5 course meal
15. Research the publishing industry
16. Write a non-fiction book
17. Make a large format artistic self-portrait
18. Make/Finish our wedding video
19. Make 22 different kinds of cookies
20. Be a better housekeeper by creating a cleaning schedule and sticking to it
21. Finish our wedding/newlywed scrapbook
22. Grow my hair out

The Montessori Child Bed

So while writing my Penelope room decor post, I realized I never talked about my adoration of the Montessori child bed on here. Instead of writing a whole new post here, I will share an email I sent to a friend who is expecting twins. As a note, their family ended up loving the idea too and will be using these in their nursery :)
"So this may come across as completely random but I wanted to share something I found interesting about nursery ideas...

I have been doing a lot of research and studying in the Montessori Principles of education, partly for future parenting purposes and partly b/c I'm considering pursuing a teaching career in that sort of environment. Anyways, although I have been familiar with the Montessori method for a while I just learned about the "child bed" this past summer. Since Montessori is based on creating independent children who learn from exploring their environment, cribs are not encouraged. I know that must sound crazy! But it suggests using either a crib mattress or a regular futon mattress directly on a carpeted or soft rug on the floor. Of course the same safety precautions of very fitted sheets, no blankets, etc apply but this way children have the freedom of mobility and exploration of their rooms on their terms. And because the average crib or futon mattress is only 3-6" off the ground, there is really no falling hazard. Of course this means making sure there's nothing near the floor level that could injure the child but I've found the long term benefits to be amazing.

By opting for a floor bed, not only do you have to worry less about rushing in, in the morning to take them out of the crib or worry about the safety hazards of cribs themselves, but the bed literally grows with the child. Parents who have used futon mattresses, can just move their kids to a futon bed when they are old enough, which of course equates to financial savings.

I don't want to come across as "offering advice"or anything especially since we're not parents yet... lol... but I figured this was probably something you've never heard of either and wanted to throw it out there. I have done a lot of research on the topic, and Luke & I are completely sold by the idea. I just figured it's something to consider while you guys are running through all the big parenting decisions that you must be facing.

Here's a couple links that explain the "child bed" way better than I ever could :)

http://www.squidoo.com/Child-Friendly-Bedroom-Design

http://swissmama.momaroo.com/662173307/no-crib-for-a-bed-a-montessori-approach/

http://www.growninmyheart.com/the-montessori-floor-bedpart-1

http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/04/finnians-montessori-room.html

Ok I just wanted to share :)"

Anyone here ever use the child bed? What were your experiences?

30 before 30

So I decided to jump on this bandwagon of creating to do list of 30 things I hope to accomplish before I am 30. With just under 10 years to work on this, hopefully I should work through them all (given this system continues that long). So here goes in no particular order:

1. Buy a house
2. Have kids - Minion was born on 3/26/14
3. Expand our service/ministry somehow - Luke started Pioneering with me in 9/11 so that counts for now :)
4. Travel historic route 66
5. Travel Abroad - We went to Paris, Latvia, and Amsterdam in 6/13
6. Study Montessori and implement it in our home
7. Publish a book
8. Relearn Swahili
9. Create my dream office/studio
10. Kiss in the rain
11. Maintain better sleeping habits
12. Manage my depression & anxiety
13. Refinish and/or build our own furniture - Refinished a dresser for Minion to use as a changing table
14. Maintain my "happy weight"
15. Update MDTS from 30 different states/provinces
16. Take Luke to Rockport, MA - We went on 6/15/13
17. Adopt a large adult house-trained dog
18. Maintain an emergency savings fund with 6 months expenses
19. Buy/Pay off a new car - We bought and paid off the Jetta in 2013 and are currently paying off the truck
20. Master coding
21. Own the Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium
22. Live Simply
23. Build unique, cool, functional bookcases and shelves
24. Live in either Colorado or Round Rock
25. Go to South by Southwest
26. Teach a Bible Student to the point of baptism
27. Make a map/scrapbook, Elizabethtown style
28. Go cranberry bogging
29. Give 30 gifts within 30 days
30. Write a DIY book

Hairspiration

So I have been very restless about my hair lately :-/

I am really in the mood for a change or a goal of what I need done and I think I finally figured out what's got to give. I need my bangs back. My straight across easy maintained by myself bangs that make my hair look cute even when I wear it pulled back.

So my mission is to get my bangs back and grow my hair out so that it will wind up looking something like the lovely do's of Zooey Deschanel and Alexis Bledel. 

It's a style that I rocked for several years not to long ago and I think suited me well so it's about time I go back to it.

Any winter hair changes in works for you?

Penelope Inspired Bedroom

Remember my mention about how I believe a child's room based on the bedroom set in the movie penelope would be the cutest thing ever? Well I decided to find ways to actually execute my idea into the perfect child's bedroom based upon my own fantasies of a bedroom when I was growing up.

Setting aside my long standing belief that an attic bedroom with a barn door access in the floor and spiral stair case and fireman's pole as the coolest room setting ever, here are some neat real life applications of the penelope set.

Apartment Therapy wrote an article a couple years ago featuring some screen shots from the movie that are great for finding the elements that made Penelope's room so great.

The first thing I notice is the color scheme which while a tinge on the dark side features some amazing jewel tones. So using my favorite old color scheme tool Adobe Kuler, I created this color scheme as the basis for our room.

Starting off with a bedroom that features a lot of hard wood surfaces would be great...

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Then I would install an amazing bookshelf like one of these to hold all the books of my child's life without them ever having to get rid of one to make room for another (this has been a life-long problem for me).

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Now having a two-way mirror in your child's room might be a little creepy but what about a cute bench seat under a nice big window. I especially love the ides of using this bench to be a basket storage station which is also quite popular in Montessori rooms.

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Next I loved the furniture used in Penelope's room. You could totally find antique and similar style armoires and furniture pieces on craigslist that with a couple coats of white paint and some minor distressing would look stunning. Or even decoupage one of them with squares of origami paper a painted red trim like in the movie.

{$100 on craigslist}

{$75 on craigslist}

{$40 on craigslist}

Not crafty? How about this already finished armoire for only $200...

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And don't forget the gorgeous filigreed Victorian mirror painted glossy white...

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I can't remember if I've raved about the principles of the Montessori Child Bed here yet, if not stay tune for a post on that later in the week. Anyways we are planning on using a futon mattress directly on the floor for the first few years. But as our child grows what about setting it up as one of these amazing suspended bed?

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Penelope's art desk puts me in hog heaven as does this recycled wood desk. I think we could build something like this ourselves.

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Now for decorations and toys...

Who can resist a vintage style tricycle?

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Or an indoor bench swing hung from the ceiling?

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And what about all those terrariums that can also serve as a wonderful science project for home schooled kids? Why not use apothecary jars?

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Which you can get on the cheap from places like Save on Crafts, Sears, or even make your own with dollar store items.

I especially love this grass terrarium or the bottle ones.

Lastly, what about that gorgeous red tree in Penelope's room? I researched various ways to create your own and the best idea I found was to make a tree sculpture out of something that was in fact once trees: coffee cups!

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Don't you just love the idea of creating a drama filled wonderland playground for your children while still teaching them valuable lessons on recycling and reusing items in their bedroom?

Baby Names I Love

I love the idea of naming our kids after family. I myself was named after my great-grandmother and have always taken great pride in carrying that badge of honor with me where ever I go. But like my parents did, I like the idea of modifying the name to be unique and individual to our children.

Here are a few of my current favorites for our future little ones...

Boys:
Jaughn Sidney (pronounced like John for every firstborn boy on Luke's paternal side, spelled like Vaughn for my dad, and Sidney for Luke's maternal grandfather)
Gaeric William (following the tradition of "ric" ending names on my paternal side and William because it sounds cool and there were a Wilhelm or two on my German side)
David Anthony or David Allen (David for Luke's dad and Anthony for my maternal great-grandfather or Allen for my paternal grandfather)

Girls:
Jackilyn Helene (Jackilyn for my grandma Jacqueline and Helene for Luke's paternal grandmother)
Margaret "Maggie" Aida (Margaret for my paternal great-grandmother and Aida was the name of one of my maternal great-grandfather's sisters)

A long running boy name on my maternal side is the Spanish name Pedro which just so happens to be one of my favorite English names, Peter. Unfortunately naming our son Peter, given our last name, would directly associate him with a certain comic book super hero. Although I still argue that if Peter was his middle name and he hated it, no one would have to know, but if he was cool with it, then he could totally rock it. I think I might have won Luke over with Joseph Peter.

Luke is really pushing for Molly just because he likes it but it doesn't fit with our whole "family name" thing so it would definitely have to paired with a family inspired name. The problem is which one? Here are a few other family inspired names we can play off of or use with Molly:
Norah
Caroline
Cara
Christie
Christine
Everly
Cherilyn
Marie or Maria
Dante (for a very cool boy)

I would also love to honor my maternal grandma but need help thinking of pretty modern variations of Dominga.

Are we completely crazy for talking baby names when we are still 5 years out from having a baby?

Book Haul

So my absolute favorite non-fiction publisher, Chronicle Books, is hosting an amazing contest to win a $500 shopping spree of their books. As soon as I heard that, you all know, book worm me was jumping to find out how I could get a chance at this wicked awesome prize. Well turns out all I have to do is create my "Want List" of Chronicle Books valued at $500. One blogger and one commenter on the winning blogger's post will receive the entire list! How cool is that?


So here are all the books I'm lusting for ;)


1. The Big Book of Appetizers by Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder   $19.95

2. The No Plot? No Problem! Novel-Writing Kit by Chris Baty   $19.95

3. Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by Kip Fulbeck   $19.95

4. Creative, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco   $16.95

5. Craft, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco   $16.95

6. Design Diaries by Lucienne Roberts and Rebecca Wright   $40

7. Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton   $24.95

8. Indie Publishing by Ellen Lupton   $21.95

9. Secret Lives of Great Artists by Elizabeth Lunday   $16.95

10. The Art of Dale Chihuly by Timothy Anglin Burgard   $27.50

11. The 1000 Journals Project by Someguy   $22.95

12. The New Artist's Manual by Simon Jennings   $29.95

13. The Journey is the Destination by Dan Eldon   $35

14. DIY Fashion by Selena Francis-Bryden   $24.95

15. 52 Creative Craft Projects by Lynn Gordon   $6.95

16. Designer's Notebook by Andrew Schapiro and Brad Mead   $19.95

17. Music Listography by Lisa Nola   $16.95

18. Cupcake Kit by Elinor Klivans   $19.95

19. 1,001 Ways to Live in a Moment by Barbara Kipfer   $9.95

20. City Walks: Boston by China Williams   $14.95

21. Village Walks: Ireland by Etain O'Carroll   $14.95

22. Skinny Dips by Diane Morgan   $18.95

23. See Jane Write by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs   $14.95

24. Penny Saving Household Helper by Rebecca DiLiberto   $12.95

25. All My Friends Are Dead by Avery Monsen and Jory John   $9.95

Grand Total of my Wish List: $498.40


Which of these books would you most love to receive?