DIY: Adding Succulents to the Centerpieces

Finally, I have another wedding project to post about... this weekend we decided to buy the succulents to fill our centerpieces with! I wanted to be able to let the plants fill out a bit and what better time to get them started than in a week that started with rain and is supposed to end in 106 degree weather! So we made our way down to Lowes Garden Center and lo and behold they had a special section just for succulents and cacti and had mini four packs of a HUGE variety of different types of succulents! I spend about 30 minutes picking out a variety of succulents in the right colors… I tried to vary them by not only color, but height as well. In the end we left with 15 four packs (enough to do 4 plants in 15 planters) and a big bag of cactus soil.

At $3.98 a four pack, plus a $4 bag of soil, the bill came out under $70. At about $4 a centerpiece (considering the planters we built were basically free) I consider this DIY project a success! They may not be the cheapest, but we plan to reuse/replant ever single succulent in our backyard after the wedding… and may I point out that succulents will eternally pay you back because you can always start a new plant off of a single leaf of an existing plant… in fact, we have 4 teeny tiny babies growing right now!

So here is the outcome… and keep in mind that they will fill out a lot more by September. (Also, before the wedding, I intend to use Spanish moss to fill in between the plants to hide the dirt) Sidenote: this morning, when I left the house for work I swear it looked like the plants had already had a growth spurt!

Insanity: Week 6

So week 6 wasn't exactly the "kickstart" of a week that I hoped it had been. We missed a few days but mostly I feel like our diet skills have been slacking (and I contribute this to the warm weather and our desire need for cold beer). We missed Tuesday to help my mom move, so I don't feel guilty about that... and Saturday James went to a dirt bike race while I stayed home, did a ton house work, cleaned out our garage (a grueling, 3 hour task) and walked my dogs... so, yeah, I didn't do Insanity, but I definitely didn't slack on burning the calories! And, I was super proud of myself on Wednesday and Friday when my workout partner wasn't around and I still did my workout for the day... it was really hard to get up off the couch and do it alone! So even though it wasn't a picture perfect Insanity workout week, I feel good about it and I look forward to this week.

As for our diet, we have still been pretty good during the work week. Our weakest points are still the weekends and doing the whole "5 small meals" thing. And although James has made his peace with the fact that alcohol sometimes accounts for half of his calories in a day, I'm still struggling... it's muscles vs. Miller 64.

James has lost almost 12 pounds (I think) and looks much thinner overall but he is still hating the workouts, I don't think he will ever get used to them. I, personally, haven't lost any weight but have still noticed many positive physical changes, specifically a major shrinkage in my love handles and the formation of teeny tiny abs trying to come to the surface (I just need to burn more stomach fat to let them show through more!)

Until next week, we are just trying to continue truckin' along... month 2 is rough, but we are surviving!

Insanity: Week 4 and 5 "Recovery Week"

Okay, so a double update on my Insanity journey! I didn't do an update after week 4 because it was basically just a repeat of week 3... as usual we were just trying to keep up! "Recovery" week consisted of a lighter workout that was supposed to be easy on us after a month of craziness, but let me tell you, Insanity's idea of a "light" workout is still harder than most other workout videos. So... the our first failure in this whole experience, we only ended up doing about half the days of the recovery week. I had started having severe knee pain toward the end of week 4 and that was definitely slowing me down, then, about half way through recovery week I slept weird on my neck and couldn't move my head at all for like 2 days straight. This all happened, conveniently, about the same time where James and I decided to take recovery week a little more literally... as in, we didn't workout for like 4 days.

I, personally, needed the break though... my body (especially my legs) just felt racked. At first I felt like a lame ass not finishing out the week, but now, in the aftermath of the break, I am glad we did it. My knees feel completely recovered and yesterday (our first day of month 2!) I had a lot of energy, contrary to how I thought I would feel.

Going into month 2, there are a lot of changes. I am really focusing on controlling my moves and landing softly... I can already see a difference in the stress on the knees just by paying more attention to them. I have also added glucosamine and zinc to my daily pill poppin' and I'm looking forward to seeing if the glucosamine helps with my joint pain.

Like I said, the first day of month 2 is in the books... look for the update on cuh-raaaazy month 2 in about a week!

A Thanks to the Swedish (IKEA)

So yesterday we made out with a fat haul from IKEA!

I have been searching the web for the best prices on a ton of items for the wedding and so far, I haven't had any luck with any one store or site in particular. Lunabazaar.com has great deals on paper lanterns and Quickcandles.com definitely has the cheapest votive candles... but no one place has been able to satisfy all of my needs. I mean, shopping online is the way to go if you want to save money but the more places you shop from the more shipping fees you are paying! So anyway, I stumbled upon an IKEA ad somewhere and saw these adorable galvanized looking lanterns... then, after perusing the website for a while, I realized they had a TON of stuff I could use (and we all know IKEA is super affordable)!

So I made the trek to IKEA since they don't really ship small items online and I took the fiance with me (IKEA can be intimidating alone and for some reason, his manly sense of direction helps me out... I would literally get lost in that place without him). And here's the haul...

Candles, the large ones were $2 each, the small were $4 for 4, it's hard to tell in this picture, but the small ones aren't votives, they are larger... and the larger ones are for inside the lanterns...

Lanterns. We got 2 at $8 each (they are about a foot tall) Even Marshalls and Ross didn't have lanterns this cheap, plus these ones are way cuter...I'm not 100% sure what we will be using these for but I am thinking some sort of arrangement on the guest book table and maybe the dessert table? How cute will these look with some moss around the bottom of the candle?

Napkins. I just had to snag these, 100 jumbo napkins for $2! I think these will be great for the bar and the dessert table!

A 3 tier serving tray for the dessert table...cupcakes maybe? This was $20 and the best part is that I will totally be using this puppy all of the time (not just for my wedding)

Just one more cake stand, I had to get this one because it was really short (the stand is only about 2 inches high) I needed some varying heights in my cake stands... this came in at $15

A few more flat serving platters for the dessert table, the large white one was about $5 I think and the small one was $3...

These cute little serving dishes were about $2 each, I thought they would be perfect for some after dinner mints or something?? Who knows... but they were $2 so I swiped 'em!

 So my total IKEA haul was somewhere around $90 which isn't bad for how much stuff we got! But I want to take this opportunity to also show off a few other sweet finds that have found their way into my wedding pile...

So... a tiny back story... I found these really awesome women at the bridal show I went to and basically what they do for a living is rent out adorable vintage wedding decor to brides. They have everything from furniture to mason jars that you can rent. Well I was super excited to use them, but after I got a quote, their prices just weren't in my budget. But then I realized that a lot of their stuff, although more valuable because of the "vintage" aspect , I could probably just buy (and own) for the same price (or cheaper)... so here are a few of my finds...

Lace tablecloths, they don't look so cute in the packaging, but they are pretty and they are a pretty good size. The vintage rental place charged $15 each to rent, I found all 3 for under $28

Found this 17 gallon galvanized bucket for $23, and although the rental gals only charged $20, once again, I get to keep this puppy... I am going to use this as an ice chest for water bottles during our ceremony... and THEN for beers at our many future barbeque's!

I needed a few larger chalkboard for a few of my ideas and although the rental gals' chalkboards were cuter (more intricate frames), these were way cheaper. I got the 23"x35" for $19.99 and the 17"x23" for $11.99, the vintage rental place wanted $30 each for smaller boards... so I saved almost $30 and I can keep these chalkboards for some non-wedding projects I have in mind!

So that is it for now, I just had to share my good deals, because for the most part when it comes to weddings, even a good deal is ridiculously expensive... and plus, it's nice when I can spend my money knowing that I am buying something that I can use for a long time and not just one day!

Insanity: Week 3

The workout:

This last week James and I have really started to realize the “catch” of the Insanity workouts. On week one you say, “Just wait until week 4, we will be so good at this!” but here is the truth (or at least my truth):

Week 1: you are just trying to not pass out. Week 2: now you have more endurance so you can actually keep up  with some of the exercises but you still need a ton of rest. Week 3: you need less rest but you still struggle with some of the tougher drills AND Week 4: Now that you are stronger you can actually do the exercises correctly and with good form, which makes the workout harder on a whole different level.

And after this week, we get a “recovery” week and then “Month 2” begins which is raised intensity and a longer workout… Insanity veterans say month 2 is like starting all over again! (not looking forward to that)

So we are still truckin’… I got some new training shoes (which has helped with some foot and knee pain I was having) but overall we are just LOVING it!!! (that was total sarcasm) Insanity doesn’t get easier like you think it will. After this week though, we will have our 3^rd Fit Test and 1 months pictures to take! EEEK!

The diet:

This week has definitely been a weak one for us. We did good during the work week, as usual, but totally splurged this weekend, we drank wine and ate pizza and ITALIAN FOOD! It’s hard to say no to such delicious food when you are 6 glasses of wine deep! We got right back on track though… I think that for the most part we are used to the diet now, we are just struggling to find new recipes that we like to break the monotony of the same old healthy meals we are so practiced at making. Our newest invention is homemade flatbread pesto pizza on lavash bread, we love it!

Overall, although I am dreading the beginning of Month 2, I am excited  to see some results (they say is is ALL about month 2) I am also stoked about the release of Shaun T.’s (Insanity creator) new video “T25”… apparently it is like Insanity but shorter (only 25 minutes a day!)  This could be an awesome follow up to our Insanity adventure?!

Insanity: Week 2

The workout: This week, I felt so much stronger, mentally and physically. I find myself telling myself to “pull through” each exercise because I know there is going to be a 30 second break soon. (or Shaun T. in the background is yelling “dig deeper”, that can be either really motivating or really annoying, depending on the day). In week 2, my stretches were a little deeper, my knees were a little higher and I am actually starting to maintain form throughout the workouts, instead of being a pile of Sloppy  McSlopperson but the end of the video.

It is rough though maintaining the 6-day-a-week schedule (when it comes to the weekend). This last weekend we went stayed a night in San Francisco for a Giants game… we came home Saturday,  tired and totally unmotivated, but somehow, James dragged me from my comfy spot on the couch and we powered through… it really sucked.

The diet: Still going pretty strong, but we do have a weakness for weekends and social settings. This weekend we definitely had a cheat day… Cuban sandwiches and a few beers for the Giants game and amazing gruyere and pancetta breakfast sandwich the next morning. As of right now, gin and tonics and Miller 64’s are what we consider “diet liquor” and we are sticking to our guns! But like I said, for the most part, we have been good. The hardest part this week has been really sticking to the “5 meals a day” thing, we have been trying but mostly we get in about 4 meals.

Other Fun Stuff:

• The end of week 2 meant our second fit test, and although I don’t have the numbers in front of me, James and I both did exceptionally better than Day 1!

• I haven't lost any weight yet but I have noticed teeny changed in my body... looking forward to more! I especially want a tighter tummy for my super tight wedding dress so I can't wait to see some real results!

I am that mouse...

I don’t want to turn my wedding blog into a fitness blog, but this is taking over my life at the moment… especially since I am at a momentary pause from the chaos of planning our wedding. All of our deposits are in, save the dates are sent and the next couple of months should be pretty mellow (and then of course, shit will hit the fan). So other then finishing designing our invitations and spending the lot of our “decoration” funds online, I am basically focusing all of my energy on finalizing plans for my bachelorette party and the honeymoon. And other than plane tickets and hotel reservations, my main concern is getting my body ready for Vegas and Cancun, baby! I want to be able to look proudly back at all of the pictures and tell my future children, “Look sweety, I was hot before you ruined my body”.

So with that said, I’m going to do a mini update of my Insanity journey. This week, Week 2, I have noticed a significant different in my workout abilities. I feel stronger physically and mentally, I definitely have more endurance on both levels. I am really realizing the power of the food I am putting in my body and how it affects my workouts every day. On the other hand, the cravings are hitting us hard. While James is craving foods like cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizza, I am dying for sweets. We do each eat one square (yes, one square) of dark chocolate a night, after dinner… but other than that, the closest thing I’ve had to refined sugar is the quarter packet of Stevia sweetener that I’ve been putting in my iced green tea. Wait, I take that back, I had a Jameson and Ginger Ale last weekend and that obviously had sugar in it… but still, my point is, one teaspoon of simple syrup doesn't compare to a freakin’ cupcake! Yesterday, I made it a point to not wear my glasses into the break room at work because someone had put 3 boxes of assorted mini muffins and red velvet Lofthouse cookies (Lofthouse cookies are my absolute favorite cookie). I figured, if I couldn’t see the frosting clearly, then I wouldn’t crave them as much.

Hi, my name is Sarah, and I am addicted to sugar... and salt… and naps.

Okay. I actually feel a little better now…  is there a such thing as Desserts Anonymous, cause I feel like it might do my some good.

P.S. I know that one cookie won't hurt me, but it doesn't work that way... haven't you guys read "If you give a Mouse a Cookie"? (I am that mouse)