Ouchy backs

This weekend Keith and I did a lot of yard work. More Keith than me. He used the pickup to pile in large tree branches to throw in the woods. He also cut the grass. I went and bought a bunch of flowers and planted a little sceene. We bought shepard hooks on Thursday and wanted to hang flowers, but the baskets were too heavy. Boooo. We also painted some stuff for the wedding ceremony and Keith put up a fence around our very large compost pile. Keith ended up with four ticks in total. Me... zero. I really think my skin is not attractive to bugs. I'll keep it that way! Oh yeah, Keith's back hurts.

Dress

It fits. It fits. It fits.

6 weeks ago my hips were a tad too big for my dress. My dress zipped up alright but you could see a tiny stretch. Well Keith and I have been running and we both can run over a mile straight. I am happy to say the dress looks the best it ever has. I have my pre-bridal portraits this Monday with my hair and makeup trials too. Right now the dress is living in the closet. Keith asked for a little reminder to let him know NOT to go in there. Do you think I did a good job?Note: 53 days to the wedding. 117 replied yes, 5 no = 60% coming.

No, it's not Halloween

Keith becoming Wolverine. He actually let ME shave his chin. But here you can see how long his beard actually got.

His mustash is now gone.

Beard is trimmed down. Hair is styled, slight pose.

Grrrr baby grrr. =) Black and white very dramatic.

Gotta love it!

But worry too much; its only going to last a few days and then he will go back to being clean cut and shaved.

Grilling for the first time

Keith has had a strong determination NOT to use the gas grill his dad gave us a while back. (It was a hand me down after he got a new one.) For about a month Keith was on this kick that he wanted a charcoal grill. I said whatever. I grew up with burgers on the grill. It took about another month for him to actually take it outside. So tonight was the night we tried it out. Keith was SUPPOSE to grill. He set up a pyramid of coals, lit them, let them turn to ash, then spread them out. But there wasn't a lot of heat. So we stacked them back up again. Not enough heat again. We took the burgers off, and put more coals in the grill and heated them up. Now we're cooking, literally. The burgers he made were thick and about the size of your palm. He became upset when they were getting skinnier but not thinner (the circumference was getting smaller but the height of the meat remained the same). Oh well, not a big deal. They soon enough were "Kimmie satisfactory not pink inside" so we brought them in to eat. After taking a bite, they tasted a bit salty. Keith read that salt helps keep the juices in the burger. I'm not a fan of juices to begin with since they make the roll soggy... I do not do soggy. I asked how much salt he used... 1 teaspoon. For a pound of meat. He asked if that was too much. Duh.

Getting a new...

Kitchen?

We went to Lowe's tonight and designed a kitchen to replace the one we have now. This is the one room Keith hasn't touched in the house during the renovations (ok the upstairs bathroom too). After the shower, we have tons of stuff that will live in their boxes if we do not add more cabinets. More than likely we will be ordering before our trip to DE this weekend with it arriving in 6 weeks. So for two weeks before the wedding we will be living out of the laundry room. But I doubt it will be that big of a deal. Esp if Keith's brother is home during that time because his mom will be cooking for more anyway. Ahh. I won't have to make popcorn in the dryer, haha sike.

Speaking of the shower, it went very nicely. I feel totally dazed though. Open card, give card to bridesmaid, give bow to other bridesmaid, give trash to cousin, lift and show, get new present from another bridesmaid and repeat. We got a lot of good things. I think I did pretty well opening. I had 30 minutes to spare after opening all the presents and cards. From what I heard though all the ladies had a good time. I heard my aunt said it was the nicest shower she has ever been to. Awesome! I just really hope the wedding isn't so much of a daze.

Spooky

I had a tough time sleeping last night due to the humidity and the fact we still have our flannel sheets on the bed. While tossing at 2 am, I noticed the room was brighter than usual. I looked into the living room and out three bulb lamp stand had two bulbs on. (It adds another bulb after each rotated click of the knob. Meaning it was twisted twice.) I laid back down and tried to listen. Listen to ruffling or for Keith to turn. When he did turn, I woke him up. "The light is on in the living room." He got up, and did a quick inspection. He even went into the bathroom and pulled back the shower curtain. Nothing. Weird. I know for a fact we turned it off before going to bed. This better not be a ghost.

My Consumer Reports

I sometimes buy into "As seen on TV" stuff. While the item is brand new, I am very skeptical about it. However, as time goes by and the product is offered in the stores, I tend to try it out. Here are some products I have tried recently.

• Smooth Away - The product is a hand held, very soft sandpaper thing that claims to remove unwanted hair while exfoliating. Ok, so it does take the hair away, but it takes forever to get those results. I was scrubbing my leg with this thing for a long time. Legs are really soft afterwards. But the hair grows back at normal speed. It's easier and faster just to shave.
• Aveeno Positively Smooth Shaving Gel - I really love this product. It claims to reduce the amount of shaving needed. I totally agree. I am usually a girl that needs to shave everyday to escape stubble. Not so with this gel. Also, it leaves legs very smooth. I do not always remember to use lotion after shaving and it is ok with this. The price is a bit higher than other brands of shaving gel but it is worth it. P.S. the bottom is also rust proof!
• Leg Magic - Exercise equipment targeting you buns and thighs. The apparatus is in the shape of an upside-down T (the math geek in me calls it a perpendicular sign). Your feet go on these pedals that slide in and out on a curved track. I did not feel any of my muscles working. I watched the DVD with it and it sucked. The sequences included a few reps on the leg magic, then get off and do a traditional squat, get on, get off, do another kind of squat and so on. My legs get more of a work out by doing the normal squats.
• Dyer Balls - These are two blue balls with a bunch of spikes that go into your dryer with your wet clothes. It claims to softer your clothes so that you do not need dryer sheets. I like the smell dryer sheets give clothes so I still you them, but our clothes are fluffier. The towels are really nice.

Missing now found

Keith found the squirel... dead in my snow boot. My nice, designer snow boots. Not my "I still am a kid when it snows and like to play snow boots from Payless." grrrr and still gross. The sunroom still smells.

Stuff you can do with Beards

Keith's beard is now 3 months old. Many people keep asking "Are you going to have it for the wedding?" Of course not; that would not be formal. Truth be told, it doesn't bother me. I actually like it. I grew up with my dad having a beard so it is no big deal. Also, for further note: Keith will NOT be wearing his wedding ring 24/7. He could lose his hand, arm or even life at work if it were to get caught on something. This also does not bother me... my dad doesn't wear his for the same reason. So back to the title... What can you do with a beard?

• fro it out. In girly terms this would be teasing the hair. However now it needs shampoo/conditioner to stay neat & soft.
• use it as a bib. Keith is forever getting stuff on the corners of his mouth. He can't feel it because it is not on the skin. Leading to the next...
• chew the long pieces that are on the corners of your mouth. Imagine trying to bite your own ear. The hair is just closer by.
• put it into dreads... beard dread.
• pet it.
• recite the words "Four score and seven years ago..."
• wear a beard net.
• make the pieces by his side burns curl into ringlets.

And my Favorite...

• Trim it into Wolverine like in the razor commercial

Keith says he will do it before he is ready to shave it all off. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Guest List Annoyance

As our guests RSVP, I record their attendance in an excel spreadsheet. Yes, I am that organized. And since I am a math teacher, I have many formulas running. Today we had more responses... and there is a trend happening, yet again I fear. Of our 65 guests attending, 12 are for me, the remaining are for Keith. However, the guest list was set up nearly 50/50. I am fearing that my people are not coming (and if your are from out of state, trust me I understand. I talking about the ones who live with in 15 miles). I fear this because it seems like that is what always happens. I have a gathering for both sides, only his side attends. Other gatherings are organized for just my side, it gets cancelled or many do not show. It sucks. How are you to stay a family when the members refuse to see each other. Not to mention, it's a wedding! I guess I'm just tired of trying to be there for others and they are not for me. I know Keith's side favors me so it's not like I'm alone, but it would be nice to be represented.

Big Example: My birthday was this weekend- I spent it with his family. Sure my mom, dad, and brother called (my sister sent a card and texted me and my Aunt Sandie sent a lovely card) but no one else of my side did anything. No one else even tried to make plans. Thanks.

Keith's Car

... is almost dead. It was rejected at the state inspection 2 weeks ago. He had 45 days to fix a big crack in the winshield and the driver's side door to go down. It is either that or buy a new car. It looks like he is getting a F150. First time truck! It is green, which is the primary color of his union. So fitter stickers will coordinate nicely. I have had my own little nickname for the steam fitters, inspired by Grey's Anatomy: McSteamy. When he gets this truck, and adds the stickers, I'm calling it the McSteamy Mobile!

Wedding Updates

• 30% of our guests have responded to attend!
• All the tuxes are ordered
• I have pre-written out addresses on shower thank yous
• The programs are 50% completed. Been working on them during bathroom duty at work.
• Final dress fitting & pick up in few weeks.
• Bridal portraits are scheduled, along with hair and makeup trials. Personal day granted from work.
• Gifts for all the girls are bought/made.
• Wedding day timeline is scheduled.
• Started running, both of us are losing weight & toning up.
• Outfit for shower selected.
• Some shower gifts already arrived.

I'm sure there's more. I do not feel stressed, just ready to go. I swear my organization insanity has been the key. 76 days to go.