Minority Report 2.0 ~ Day 8

Today was great

Here is the cliffsnotes:

We woke up bright and early and had a fantastic breakfast

Thomas headed to his last day of work before vacation and 

his parents, Eli and I headed to the farmer's market =D

You know I love some caffeinated produce shopping sprees

We stocked that stroller well

Thomas' Father was a great sport

pushed that full stroller two more miles back home

We of course had to make a pitstop at the park

Eli wanted to run the bases today

And chase squirrels

He filled his belly with kettle corn

And when we returned home he filled 

it a little more with blueberries

While he napped, I answered the request of my ShiOmmoni
and prepared pasta
This morning, she asked me to cook for her
and she just wanted some pasta
So at the market I picked up some delish ingredients
and prayed for a recipe that would wow my in-laws

A recipe that will certainly grace this page one day,
but for now I will say it was quite a divine message I received

I "threw together" ..
succulent sage meatballs
citrused dinosaur kale
roasted and skinned basil tomatoes
and fresh mozzarella zucchini stacks
all in just under 45 minutes

As I cooked she watched everything I was doing
I made her a green smoothie to keep her happy as she overlooked everything
She hovered enough to make me 
nervous to even mince garlic

It was like an episode of Top Chef only
instead of being motivated by money
I was motivated by her appetite and taste for something different
Remember, this woman cooks everything..

Well different is what I prayed for,
and different is what I delivered
and they loved it :)

Thomas' Father even made me take notice of his empty plate lol

Mission: Accomplished



After that, I slipped off to work

my last day before wedding vaca as well

The kickoff:

A little something blue <3

3 more days!!

Minority Report 2.0 ~ Day 7

Wednesday, not much happened

As I mentioned yesterday, 

we are just awaiting the crazy weekend and

focusing on staying sane in the process

I headed out to run errands with Eli, 

leaving Thomas' parents with some free time.  

Same as Tuesday, I put Eli to sleep when we returned 

and busted out some more wedding stuff

This is my workspace

Not much organization at all

Just the machine, some scraps of fabric and a bunch of ideas swirling in my head

I did decide on this for the base of my table numbers

They'll just stick in the flowers :)

And this is the finishing of my vases

I really love the blending of textures in decor.  

Here, the shiny white glass and soft grey linen 

look homemade but still presentable.  

The daisy accent is from my Mom's veil, tying my dress into the decor 

And that's really about all I can show you.. 

I mean, there must be something to look forward to!

In this part of the planning and executing I didn't take a lot of pictures.  

I truly worked through a sort of daze, 

only to be pleasantly paused when I spoke with 

my girl Jessica about the cake.

So geeked.. she is going to replicate the one I fell in love with

and shared here

During the work, however, I have prayed a lot 

and reviewed the whole journey so far.  

As laid back as I thought I'd been, I really wasn't.  

I fell under the spell of the opposite of the bridezilla..

I was the BaaBaaBride

Though you may not be familiar with the term, she most certainly exists

Here are a few ways you can spot her:

She is the bride that says eclectic, when she really does have a theme in mind

She wants DIY but also for things to look high(er) end

She asks the question "what do you think I should do?" to the scrapbook department head at JoAnn's

She exchanges her shoes when someone says they don't look good... then cries about it

This bride is so desperate to please everyone that she forgets to please herself

She refuses the help of other people because, by this point, 

assembling 120 program fans is the only thing she has left to be in control of

She is a basketcase of emotion, but keeps saying everything is awesome..

Well, everything IS awesome, 

I've just put myself in a bad place by 

not sticking to my guns and saying exactly what I want.

In hindsight, I am remembering 

5 tips I received from caring friends and family, 

but blatantly ignored while planning,

and in the spirit of making my mess my ministry,

I'd like to save future brides the drama of making the mistakes I did

So if you are a bride, 

ever want to be a bride, 

or know a bride, 

read and save these on your brain.  

I've compiled them into one handy pep talk that can 

easily be spit out in an emergency.

Designing the day of your dreams does not make you a bridezilla...  

You are entitled to the day you desire, as long as it is executed within reason!  

Your wedding day should reflect you, not anyone else.  

Anyone concerned with decor or apparel is not truly concerned with your vows.  

Cheer up, chin up, and create a day you'll love because it's the only one you get!!

With that, I fell asleep feeling a bit better, yes

Everything is done for the most part

Sunday is right around the corner and the show will go on

But because of the route I chose, 

I will now spend my wedding day hoping that everyone is pleased with everything.

With that said....

If there is one thing I know 

will not be affected 

by any amount of influence..

it's the kiss

Thomas..  

Come Sunday,

you better have both of those fancy shoes 

planted firmly on God's green earth...

Because I plan on sealing this deal my way ;)

4 more days!!

DIY Wedding programs ~ fan style

As previewed in my post of the day for wedding week

I constructed my own wedding programs

Inspired by The Little Bridal Shop

I thought this would be the perfect accompaniment 

for our hot and toasty outdoor ceremony

With their pricetag reaching close to $200

I thought "dude, I'm so doing these myself"

Here how I copied them

First I prepared the layout and saved as a pdf for Kinkos to format

(I'm not good at that stuff)

I chose a mustard/green color

and Appleberry font

for our "logo"

I just used our initials in a large size

and printed them on basic white cardstock

Supplies

Cardstock

wooden "spoons" for handles

double-stick tape

corner rounder, if prefer that look

1

 tape your corners

I taped nearly all the way across the bottom

This ensures that I have a nice closed bottom to my fan where the handle will protrude

the tops I just made sure the corners were stuck

2

Once you have stuck them together,

grab your corner rounder

if you prefer you can edge or just leave them square

 Voila 

 3

Add your handle

I used the shaped end as the handle to give it a nicer look

I double sticked both sides of the narrow end

 Opened the small "pocked I created after sealing the front and back together

and gently centered the handle as I slid it between the two papers

You can see here how making that large seal with the tape 

has closed off the space around the handle

And you just repeat

It's tedious and time consuming, yes

but like I said it saved a ton

Altogether with supplies and coffee, 

I spent under $60, or $0.50 per program

I cannot wait to see them in action =D

Minority Report 2.0 ~ Day 6

today was a rather slow day

I woke up to an energetic baby demanding a big breakfast

only to leave it there as he danced frantically to Little Einsteins

We ran more errands

Hit Costco and the Korean Market

Then headed back in time to put Eli down for a nap

While he slept, I got busy on favors

I opted for the basic box with Jordan almonds because 

we are donating to our sponsor child as a favor for each guest

Still, everyone will have a little something at the wedding

black is so harsh, but it's the only color they had
I love the C's!!  

In the middle of this I ran out of a ton of stuff

so I headed out for more supplies

and came back with enough stuff to assemble 120 

program/fans

our ceremony will be outside, and the forecast, 

though it could be wrong, 

shows a whopping 88degrees for that day

so I thought it would be nice to construct something

that could be of use to the guests in keeping cool

this is what they look like

I will post the DIY for this as a separate post

It took a few long hours, and a fight with the double-stick tape,

but upon completion I saved us $150 by doing them myself!

During my time constructing these

Eli called me over for lunch

Grape Juice Soup anyone?  :)

After Halmoni and Harabogi fell asleep for a nap, 

we headed to the park to meet the Pastor's wife and their daughter Elise

She is one month younger than Eli

and certainly gives him a run for his money ;)

How stinkin' cute are they??

that was really about it for the day

we've got a crazy weekend ahead of us 

and we just want to enjoy the calm before the storm

after this we headed home for dinner and bedtime

i clearly had a ton of work to do and was ready to dive in

thanks to my Starbucks obsession

none of this seems impossible

only 7 more stars  until my gold card comes

Yay for being a caffeine addict!

 5 more days!!!

Minority Report 2.0 ~ Day 5

Another busy day of preparation 

and family time

Of course, it started with a hearty breakfast

after breakfast we headed into town for fresh air, the park and Starbucks

Thomas' mother prepared her signature

Gimbab for later

::drool::

another shot of the kimchi

it sat outside last night and it's in the fridge now

it's delish

So Thomas' Father needed to exchange something and while Eli napped, 

his mother and I made our way to the store

talk about a rough ride.. 

neither of us know enough Korean or English 

to have even a broken conversation

we drove in somewhat of a silence 

and listened to my latest favorite praise artist

even though she couldn't understand the words,

I hope her spirit was lifted

At the store she began to check out bedding and

asked me what I liked

it took a minute to understand that she was going to purchase a set for us

As hard as I tried I could not pry the large 5 piece set out of her little hands

So when we got in line, 

I leaned on my trusty Google Translate app to assist me

It was a pretty comical argument

she replied many times and I had no idea what she was saying

I just kept saying the same thing lol

good times

of course, she won

kamsahabnida!

I also picked up our wedding bible

I planned to have a bible for our family's future

and set it out at the wedding for guests to mark up for us

Here she is ready to lead us through life!

 Once Thomas got home from work they headed to the mall

and I headed to Vista Maria to serve with the Princess Posse

Vista Maria is a shelter and safe haven for victimized young ladies, 

and centered on growing these women in faith, hope and love

It's a large campus-like place

with many divisions full of different girls

They live, attend school, receive medical attention and learn social skills

Today, we served some Princesses at the Myriam House

A pamper party was in store for our special ladies

bowls for facials, cloths for scrubbing, 

and a tiara to remind you that you're a Princess; the daughter of the Most High King!!

 Equipped with the Word, 

some good tunes, 

and a healthy supply of shockingly lovely nail polish

we began our night

Samantha was our resident nail tech!

There will be no wrinkles on these royal eyes!!

Scrub a Dub!

It was really a great night

Considering the history of the establishment

it was hard to remember that these girls have lived

more pain in their short lives than any one person deserves

ever

They have been made to feel less than worthy

they have been reminded of failure

they have been struck by society and often cast aside

but not tonight..

Tonight they reigned higher than all..

They were the Queens of the Universe

We served their skin; lovingly directing them to care for their exquisite faces

We painted their nails; showing them the beauty their hands carry

We served them plates full of snacks, answering any demand with a smile and a "you got it Sister!"

We served their souls

Nikki and I played Apples to Apples with a group of girls

and it was wonderful to hear them boisterous and confident in their opinions

They were taking charge of their minds,

and putting thought into their statements

They possessed a strength that only comes from conquering something

They are some of the most brave women I've ever met

I feel that these women have so much to offer the world

as long as the world is ready to accept them

In these pictures, you cannot see their eyes

It is a strict policy and so, they cheerfully cover up their identity

And I guess that is the most amazing gift I was given tonight; 

I got to meet these Princesses 

and look into their eyes and know them

They were grateful and excited for us to be there

They had fun comparing skin type and nail color

and sharing smiles and laughs

I cannot even wait to get to them again

God Bless those lovely Ladies

Minority Report 2.0 ~ Day 4

Woke up bright and early for church.  

I was flying solo since everyone went yesterday, 

but I threw together a quick breakfast and headed out after.

The service was great. 

Pastor Brad led the final talk in the series 

on relationships called "Family Circus"

I'm sad for it to be over.. I really, really enjoyed this series!

I was pleased to bump into these beauties on the way out.  

Stephanie and I were in bible study together for a time, 

and are also baptism buddies. She took the dunk right after me :)

Her daughter Amelia.. Well, need I say anything she cannot convey herself?!

Absolutely precious.

Baby #2 is due in November!

After church we headed to the mall.  

Thomas' parents needed to pick up some things 

and we had some exchanges to make for wedding items.  

The list of things to do for this party just never ends..

We had pizza for lunch

And Eli took Halmoni for a ride in a space car

Even Harabogi went for a ride

Eli was beyond tired after this..

Even the couches in the mall were starting to look inviting.

On the way home we stopped at the market for a few things.

Yeah, a few

That's enough cucumber, onion, radish and cabbage to stock up on kimchi for months.

I planned to be highly caffeinated and ready to copy these valuable recipes tonight!!

Another nap and we were ready to go.

I'm now going to take you on a crash course through kimchi making..

enjoy

whole cabbages, quartered
soaked and salted
wilting

Pickle Cucumbers
sliced to be stuffed
wilting in salt water

Korean Radish

Cubed and salted
wilting

Essentials
salt, onions, Korean chives, ginger
my pen and paper
trying to copy everything

Julienne radish and carrot
sliced by hand..

Garlic
and we used just about all of it
yeah..
process that

stuffing for cucumbers

See the little slits?
there are four and you
stuff them with the onion/pepper mix 

Add caption

cabbage is ready!! 

seasoning for cabbage kimchi
onion, green onion, chives
garlic, ginger, fish sauce
puhl, carrot, radish 

learning to "dress" the cabbages
then you fold them into little bundles and fill those jars

Radish Kimchi and Cucumber Kimchi
Homemade with love

And she still made a huge dinner

It was quite a day

Eli is snoring and I'm left to finish 

these last sentences before a quick bible study and then bed

As for DIY, well, it's on hold for the night

I have had my fair share of hands-on activity for the day

7 more wake-ups <3