Finally…an Update!

Dear readers:

What a terrible blogger I’ve become! I haven’t updated since mother’s day and let’s be honest…it was a good attempt but nothing to write home about.

So what have I been doing? Well, I just had my FIRST YEAR anniversary 10 days ago! I know! So exciting! We took a romantic vacation up to Lake Muskoka and stayed at a resort where we sat in the hottub, ate cookies in bed, had an AMAZING steak dinner and then finished the weekend with the most relaxing couple’s massage I have ever had. Am I a lucky wifey or what? On the actual day, I made Christopher his favorite dinner and chocolate cake. He seemed very happy with that idea. Men are a lot less difficult to please though. Free food? They’re there.

So what have I learned over the past year? Well, looking back this year has been incredibly difficult. A lot of changes have occurred, so it’s hard to pinpoint one take-away. Mostly I think I learned that it is very important to give 100% of yourself to the relationship. It isn’t 50/50. It’s 100/100. If either partner is giving any less than 100% of themselves to the relationship the other person feels cheated and rightfully so.

One of the biggest changes we’ve had to make is deciding to move to Boston for Christopher’s MBA program! We are both thrilled about the move and more updates will follow. If any of my readers are familiar with Boston, please let me know your thoughts on where to live. We will be looking at places starting in July! We can’t wait!

Here are a couple photos we took to honor our First Year as a married couple! Enjoy!

For My Mother

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

I love you…
Every day.
All the time.
No matter what.
Even when I’m mad.

Counting down the days ’til I get to see you next! June can’t get here fast enough!

Love,
Dolly/Lerry/Dolly Wally Kadoodle/Dolerno

Whoopie Pies are the New Cupcakes

If I could get married to my husband again, something tells me I would be substituting this amazing red velvet whoopie pies for the cupcakes I had the first go around.

My mouth is watering already….

To-Do Lists – Gotta ♥ ’em!

When I was planning my wedding the hardest part was prioritizing. I couldn’t organize everything I needed to do in my headed, and random notes were put in various journals to help me remember. It never worked. My planning process was the epitome of unorganized.

I was reading through an old notebook of mine from seminars I had attended in the past one night when I came across one called “How to Get Organized”. It’s no wonder why I took this seminar. However, did I actually retain anything from it? YES! In my notes was the most beautiful to-do list I have ever seen!

 

 

 

Ok, so I realize it seems basic, but breaking down the standard running list of “to-dos” was extremely beneficial to me. I still continue to plan my day this way.

Here’s how it works:

1. Every morning, at the very beginning of your day, print out this template or make one of your own.
2. In the first box under “Top Priority” write down everything you need to do immediately (I use noon as my deadline).
3. In the second box under “Important” write down everything you need to have finished by the end of the day
4. In the third box under “Should Do” write down all the things you need completed by the end of the week
5. In the fourth box under “Getting Around To” jot everything down that is more long term…monthly, yearly goals.

This list should grow and change through out the day depending on external forces of which you can not control. Not only did this list make my wedding planning process MUCH more productive but it has contributed to the every day productivity of my job and home life. Give it a try! I think you’re going to LOVE it!

Always,
Dolly

 

The Paper Flower Project

Yesterday I was thinking about elementary school. Every year we would have a carnival called The Wildflower Festival where we bought tickets to play games and do crafts. One of the crafts offered was a paper flower station. A teacher on the other side of he table would hand us our favorite color tissue paper. Then we would follow her directions to make the most beautiful, soft looking rose. Because the stems were made of pipe cleaners, we could tie them around our wrists and wear them around all day long. All of the little girls loved them and looked forward to making them every year. (Or at least I did anyway) 🙂

Then it dawned on me – this kind of flower is perfect for any flower girl. Not only is it safe for girls with allergies, but they can also take part in the process of creating these beauties. It’s an inexpensive way to create a lasting memory. The image above is a flower I created last night. I didn’t have any “soft” tissue paper so I used the remainder of some packaging paper from Crate and Barrel. Instead of pipe cleaners I used a maroon ribbon to give it a dressier, classier feel. The rose came out to about 5 inches in diameter with 8 layers of petals. Keep in mind that traditional tissue paper will give a more whimsical look to your flower. Also keep in mind the bigger the tissue paper, the bigger the flower. Perfect for outdoor weddings. You can even let the flower girl choose a scent she likes and have her spray a bit on her new keepsake.

Here’s a tutorial video on how to make these blooms:

Another option for paper flowers is for the bride. On 100 Layer Cake a bride decided she wanted her day to have an Alice in Wonderland sort of feel, creating this amazing flower to use as her bouquet. You can find directions on how to create one of these yourself here.