I am going to visit...

... this little lady this weekend in Montgomery, AL for Jamboree, and watch her perform her little heart out!

I love you, Mimi!

I know you're going to do a GREAT job!

Pray we all (my whole family) return home safely :)

I have jumped...

...on the twitter bandwagon!! This is easily going to be my new addiction once I get my blackberry in a few weeks! I'm following John Mayer, Jimmy Fallon, Vanessa Hudgens, Tina Fey... and many more. It's too much fun!

Join me or follow me... my tweet name is KatieElise (one word)!

Calling all brides and newlywed ladies...

... I need your help! I seem to have come down with a bad case of the "wedding dumbs." I can't remember things, I'll book 2 meetings at the same time, my words get twisted and turned around, I'll call one color a totally different name, and some of my "best" ideas are just stupid after second thought. So please ladies, help me figure out how to cure this. I hate feeling so disoriented and unorganized! It may just be exhaustion, but its driving me crazy!

Help!!

and for a good laugh... because I need one.

I'm making some changes...

... in my diet.

So, I completed my 30 Day Shred with Jillian, but have yet to work out since. I just cannot find the time and really don't want to start over with Jillian's workout... I might have time for it, but only in the mornings and that just wears me out! So, since working out isn't an option before the wedding, I'm making some drastic changes to my diet. Why so drastic? Because it has to be in order for me to see some changes. So here are my new diet stipulations {and I'm already having withdrawals}:

No fried foods

{This was a punch in the face when I pulled through the chick-fil-a line on my lunch break - hello chargrilled sandwich -yuck!}

No carbs after 4:00pm

{Hello meat, meat, and more meat}

No food at all after 8:00pm

{This makes breakfast more exciting... waffles anyone?}

The light at the end of the tunnel will be my reward! My love has promised to take me to The Cazbah after the honeymoon for some lobster cigars - DELICIOUS! They are my favorite... some kind of yummy, fried wrap rolled up around some lobster and cheese (sshh, don't tell). So that's what I keep thinking... lobster cigars. lobster cigars. lobster cigars.

So, hopefully I can keep this up... any advice or words of encouragement?

lobster cigars.

Pretty...

photo courtesy of Clint Richey Studio

Go check out my brother-in-law's art gallery and admire (or buy) some of his lovely pieces!

Yay for more...

... wedding progress!

Well, it's official. The invitations are in the mail and I couldn't be more relieved! Here are some final pictures... I was quite fond of them and LOVED how the Martha address labels turned out!

I also spent my entire day today (with a bridal shower inbetween... woohoo!) constructing these cards for my well wishes tree! Instead of a traditional guest book, my florist is providing a small tree (more branchy than leafy) and the guests will write little notes on these and hang them on the tree. I've seen this idea a lot on marthastewartweddings dot com and StyleMePretty so I hope it goes over well!

And now on to favors and programs...

Who doesn't have...

... a messy purse? I clean out my purse on a regular basis because I seem to collect all sorts of receipts, coupons, and little notes. I hate looking inside my purse and seeing a whole bunch of crinkled up paper. So I thought, "There has to be a solution to this!" And there is! While a little boredom* took over, I got a little crafty and constructed this!

I'm so proud of it. While at work, I'll pull it out of my purse just to look at it. Anyways, if you would like to make one of your own, here's what you do! I took 2 pieces of cardstock and cut them to the size I wanted it to be. I took the leftover scraps to make the inside pockets. Now, I cut all of these free-hand, so do whatever you think looks good!

I then glued the pockets inside with a glue stick and a little adhesive {I know, fancy}. I then printed the words I wanted {coupons and notes} and made cute little headers {you do whatever you want}. The binding is wraphia and I just poked the holes out with scissors {very sophisticated} and spirally bound it. I just had to work with whatever I could find around the office... very limited supply.

So, I just wanted to share my little craft - I was quite proud!


*this doesn't happen very often when you have an on-going wedding to do list in your mind

--- also these photos were made with my cell phone... sorry.

My newest obsession...

... is redtagcrazy dot com! If you haven't checked it out... do so. I just made my first purchase and I'm so excited to get these beauties in the mail!

So, let me explain. Redtagcrazy dot com lists an item (shirt, jeans, shoes, whatever) one at a time for a particular length of time (let's say an hour). They only have a limited amount of these items so you have to scoop them up as soon as they go on sale! Last night, I was watching the website and they put up some $250 Victoria Beckham skinny jeans for $50... you can't beat that price! That's the beauty of this website... you get high end items for a lower end cost! So I suggest you hurry yourself over there and treat yourself like I just did!

If you click on the widget on the right hand side of my blog, you get $5 and give me $5! So do it now!

And now for...

... your local Valentine's Day update. I would have to say that this was the best Valentine's Day ever, and I don't really make those claims very often. Why was it so great, you ask? Well, my day started out at church at our annual Ladies Day. We had a great turn out of 115 ladies representing 15 different congregations, and learned so much throughout the day from our speaker, Teresa Hampton.

And then, I ventured into the paper world to search for the perfect response cards for my invitations.... and... I found them! The off-white cards match the off-white envelopes of my invitations perfectly, and I was so happy to conquer this very difficult task!

I spent the rest of my afternoon grocery shopping for our Valentine's dinner {Whole Foods was CRAZY busy!} and baking some yummy strawberry cupcakes {for my love and my parents}.

After an afternoon of baking yumminess, I went to my love's apartment to cook our heart-shaped pita pizzas that were oh-so-delicious! We didn't do gifts this year... he considered me giving him a card every day of the week leading up to V-day his gift, and I had one specific request.

If you don't already know, my love is a rockstar... for reals. But, he never plays anything I know {or really like} and refuses to play me any John Mayer or other girly stuff I love. So I requested for Valentine's Day that he learn a song that I like and know and play it for me. I wasn't sure which route he would take... actually learn a girly song for me or pick something that we both liked {and was still considered "rock & roll"}. So, I was very excited that he played More Than A Feeling by Boston... one of my favorite songs and my favorite guitar solo {yes, when you're marrying a rockstar, a favorite guitar solo is essential}. We only have 2 bands in common that we love - Boston and Electric Light Orchestra. He also gave me one of those music-playing cards with the song I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore because I love that commercial {I hope you've seen it}! So all in all, the day was a success and I couldn't have asked for a better one!

How was your day {if you haven't already blogged about it}?

Oh how I love...

...Valentine's Day. I'm really disappointed that I didn't get to really do anything for Valentine's Day. I didn't get to make everyone cards, I didn't get to make something crafty for my love, or do anything for my family. I would've at least liked to have bought some boxed Dora the Explorer Valentine's cards to put in all of my co-workers mailboxes... oh well. The reason I didn't get around to any of this is this crazy wedding stuff! This was my week:

Monday: Our monthly "9th" celebration - we do a little something special on the 9th of every month because our first date was on November 9th.
Tuesday: Pre-marital counseling
Wednesday: Church
Thursday: Future in-laws in town for dinner and to hammer out the finals details of the guest list
Friday: Meet with the wedding musician

See? I have had NO time to get a single Valentine done. I did manage to buy 7 Valentine's cards last week and am giving one to my love each day leading up to Valentine's Day... that's about it. As far as the actual day goes, we're playing it low-key and I'm making heart-shaped pita pizzas (oh how I love to be cheesy - and I will update with pictures and probably a recipe). We don't really feel like braving the reservations, fancy dinners, and super busy restaurants.

So next year, maybe you will get some cute, handmade card from me, I will decorate our apartment/house (whichever it may be), and I may even plan an annual V-Day party!

So, do you have any exciting plans? Playing it low-key or going all out?

sidenote: I don't want to forget that today is Friday the 13th. Have any scary plans? We're watching Silence of the Lambs, so PLEASE pray for me because I never, ever, ever watch scary movies and somehow let my love talk me into this.

I was interviewed..

... by the lovely, Candice! She posted this interview game on her blog, and I thought it would be fun to play along. Below are the questions she sent me and my answers. Enjoy!

1. If you could choose to have any career in the world, what would it be?

For some reason, I have always thought it would be really cool to work in an Embassy somewhere. Doesn’t really matter where, but the idea of living in another country for an extended period of time sounds so exciting. As far as the position goes, it doesn’t matter… I wouldn’t care if I was just the secretary! (and I'm entitled to say "just" a secretary, because I am "just" a secretary... administrative assistant to be pc)

2. What would you like for your life to be like in 5 years?

Living happily ever after with my love and living in our OWN HOUSE… maybe a kiddo thrown in there, too. Also, some sort of promotion would be nice.

3. What is your favorite characteristic about yourself (don't be modest:)?

Many see it as boring or not outgoing, but I love being the quite one. I hear a lot more than most people and learn so much more. This also helps with awkward silences... I don't ever have them (at least I don't feel awkward)!

4. What is your favorite childhood memory?

My favorite childhood memory would have to be any and every Christmas…it’s the most wonderful time of the year! My parents did such a great job providing the best Christmases ever.

5. If you could choose one personality trait to be true about yourself, what would it be?

Selflessness. This is hard for me, but I truly want to be more giving and helpful. I want to be able to read others’ needs and just jump right in and do it.

If you would like to play along here are the directions:

1. Leave me a comment & your e-mail address saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. (You get to choose the questions.) The first five 'askers' get the interview (if I even have that many out there reading)!

My 30 days...

... is up! Yesterday, I completed Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred... and it was a tough feat! Everyone has been asking me if it works, if it's worth it and so on. So, here's my long awaited review:

Pros: Endurance level through the roof, muscle toning, larger appetite w/ higher metabolism, higher energy level, sense of accomplishment

Cons: Gaining weight (probably muscle, but still), injuries (coming from an injury prone person), and the committment to do it every.single.day.

But yes, I would say that it was worth it. My injuries included a dislocated knee (if you don't know me, this is NOT uncommon) and a pulled ab muscle that was pretty intense. Jillian really means it when she says to push yourself! No, I don't have a six-pack, but my arms look pretty nice. {I also didn't follow the diet plan... kicking myself now!}

So, it's up to you! Are you up for the challenge? And if you would like to borrow it from me... feel free to, but there is already a waiting list!

and now moving on to my Dirty Dancing workout video!

This made my weekend...

If you know me, you know that I love all reality TV shows related to dancing {must be my inner dancing queen}. Well, I haven't really been able to watch America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC) this season just because of being busy and wedding stuff. So when I had a break on Saturday, I just happened to catch the most recent episode of ABDC... and guess what??? TWO of my favorites from So You Think You Can Dance season three are in one of the leading crews, Quest Crew. Dominic (who is oh-so hilarious) and Hok are so amazing and it totally made my weekend when I got to see them dance again (not to mention dancing to NKOTB). Enjoy!!!

Tonight, we judged...

... a chili cook-off!

Apparently my church has this chili cook-off every 3 years (random, I know) and this year my love and I were asked to be judges! So, we sat at a table with the 3 other judges including Ashley & Matt and Patrick (my wedding photographer), and one by one 11 different chilis were placed in front of us. We were given a little judge sheet that had the categories aroma, taste, and appearance. So we each tasted the 11 different chilis and rated them appropriately. Some were delicious, some were spicy, and others tasted like feet (yuck). After some full bellies, the scores were tallied and one of my favorites won! Yay! To be honest, I'm not really sure why I was asked... I am definitely no chili connoisseur, but I was happy to oblige!

These are our chili samples....

And these are the most attractive pictures we've ever taken, ha!

And to sweeten my night a little, I got to play with these cuties :)

My niece, Harper

One of my fave little girlies at church, Olivia

So, if you're looking for some great judges for ANY eating contest, we're totally up to the challenge... yum!

Finally...

I met with the florist!

Here's a sampling of what flowers I'm using... all compiled in a cool, funky, creative way by my most wonderful florist, Kristi, at Dahlia in Greenville.

1. Yellow Chinese Peonies 2. Blue Delphiniums

3. Blue Hydrangea bouquet 4. White Freesia

I'm so excited and happy to have this behind me! Hallelujah!

"Yummy...

...in the tummy."

-Michelle Tanner

Last night I cooked again for my love and it was quite a feat. The idea of the meal has been stirring in my mind for the past week or so, but I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. So, I took a cue from my gutsy co-worker, Gina (who dives into anything new head first with no fear), and just did it! So I present to you....

Chicken with a Sweet Chili Sauce:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or I like tenderloins because they're easier to cook)
a couple tablespoons of oil
1 red bell pepper - cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalepeno - seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat the oil in a pan, add the chicken, and cook until finished. {easy!}

Combine all of the other ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thickened slightly and syrupy, for about 20 minutes.

Pour sauce over chicken and you're done!

Chef's Notes: I had no clue how this was going to turn out. It was my first experience with peppers {I just had to wing it on how to core and seed them}. I served it with some Spanish rice, but that was so-so... not a blogworthy recipe. Also, I cooked it at my love's apartment, and he has absolutely NO measuring cups or spoons. So it was all done by whatever I thought looked right... and it turned out delicious! My love was quite impressed and surprised at my abilities (as was I, ha).

So I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as we did!

This is my handwriting...

And this is my handwriting on crack...

Pretty, huh? Well, I've been trying to decide what to do about addressing my invitations for the wedding. A calligrapher is too expensive, and I would have crack-crazy handwriting if I did it myself. As you can see, my print is okay (cursive = awful), but after addressing 15 or so envelopes not so much. See my dilemma?

Well, last night I had a message in my inbox from Martha (actually Darcy) with the wedding tip of the day. They gave this method with strict instructions on how to make them. I think they look pretty cool, but not very traditional (which is okay by me). So, what do you think? Is this unique addressing technique appropriate? Does it look too weird? I think if Martha says it's okay, then it must be! But, I need all of the feedback I can get. I really need to get this done pretty soon!

This is my day....

... and that is about to be the color printer in my office....

Pray for me.

It's time for...

...the superbowl!

Now, I'm not a huge NFL fan... I'd rather watch college football (when I even want to watch football). So, you can imagine, we (my love included) don't really get into the whole superbowl thing. But nevertheless, my parents got a group together and we had a good ol' time with some yummy food. I made my famous Apple Crisp {thank you, Jill} and my low-cal potato skins. Our group included me, my love, my parents, Abbie & Clint, and Andy & Lena. It was a really good game, we all had fun, and the Steelers won (shout-out to my co-worker, Ger)!

I'm going to recount for you my most favorite part of the night:

Lena: Oh! They're about to do the 3D part! Where are my 3D glasses?!?

Lena rushes to Andy's jacket in the other room, pulls them out of his pocket, and runs back in looking like this:

Bahaha! She always makes me laugh!

Do anything exciting for the superbowl?

Sidenote: Another wedding project is underway! Registering... a bit overwhelming, but we got the ball rolling!