Curiouser and Curiouser

Well hello!

These past two months have been crazy and exhausting, which is why you haven't heard much from my little corner of the world :P
It seems that at least one part of every year (if not more) I let myself get overwhelmed with life, which leads to me neglecting things I like to do. Blogging being near the top of the list. *sigh*

In my last post I believe I mentioned being in an Alice in Wonderland mood at the beginning of April. Well, you finally get to find out why!

I have been wanting to host an Alice themed tea party for like, EVER and I finally told my family that I would be hosting our Easter. With a twist :D

So naturally, I went all out.

Here we have the 'Drink Me' bottle which made Alice shrink, the 'Eat Me' cake which made her grow, and the key that magically appeared only AFTER she drank from the shrinking potion. Ironic, huh?

I read the 'Splintered' series during my party planning. I have to say I had high expectations for these and I was rather disappointed. There were a lot of things I liked about them, being Alice in Wonderland inspired and all, but the sexual innuendos and behavior of some of the characters made me not want to finish them. But I did, and I was very happy with the ending. By the way, I liked Morpheus better than Jeb in the end :) (I knew you'd be dying to know, Cait!) It was actually pretty tough to decide between the two, which I can't say the same for in other love triangles.

My collection of Alice books and decks of cards I found at a thrift store that reminded me of Wonderland.

THE FOOD! I made too much as usual, but it was gooooood. Lots of little tea sandwiches that Mom helped me make :)



I just made them up with ingredients I had. Here are the recipes if anyone is interested:

Cucumber Goat Cheese Sandwiches

1 loaf Gluten free or Regular Bread ,cut into fourths
8 oz. Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese (add a bit of water or milk to make it spread easier)
1 Cucumber, cut into thin rounds
1 bunch of Chives, cut into thirds
1 bunch of Dill, broken off into 1 in. sprigs

Take one of the bread pieces and spread on the goat cheese. Place the chive sprig first, then the cucumber, and top with the dill sprig.

Turkey Bruschetta Sandwiches

1 loaf Gluten free or Regular Bread, cut into fourths
1 pack of Turkey or another kind of lunch meat, also cut into fourths
1 jar of Bruschetta Spread
1 bunch of Parsley, broken off into 1 in. sprigs

Spread the bruschetta on the bread. Put the lunch meat on and then top with the parsley sprig,

Enjoy!

This was my second attempt at making petite fours and I was so happy with how they turned out!!!!!! They tasted AMAZING. I was quite sad when the last one was eaten. Definitely making more soon. Here is the recipe I used. I added vanilla extract instead of orange.

 

I found these plates, brand new and still shrink wrapped, at a thrift store a few years ago. I was saving them specifically for this occasion :)

         

I had a heck of a time finding these :P I looked everywhere EXCEPT the sugar aisle. I know. I figured they would be in the tea and coffee section but nooooo, they had to be in a logical place.



That's right, you aren't seeing things. Those are mushroom cookies, baby. A fellow blogger made a TON of Alice in Wonderland delicacies for a friend's party and she found this mushroom cookie recipe.

 

The dining room table. I made quite a mess! Also, my 'talking' flowers.



I had fun throwing them on the table :D

 

The 'Mad' Tea Party. I was so happy the weather cooperated with me! It wouldn't have been the same had I had to have inside. It was so warm being in the sun during the afternoon, that my brother actually fell asleep. At the table. I thought it was quite fitting for a mad tea party, and now I have blackmail pictures :D

 

 

My sister's contributed some of their dust collectors to complete the look :)

 

 

One of them even had this little dormouse-y fellow!

 

 

I made name place cards for everybody and I used my sister's collection of old keys to make it look cool. Did I mention some of my family dressed up for the occasion? *sigh* A dream come true!

 

 

I was Alice, of course. My sister, brother-in-law, and brother were 'cards' made from poster board. My Dad was the Mad Hatter. Mom was the Red Queen. My aunt and her friend dressed up as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. My nephew and nieces had bunny and mouse ears on. Everyone looked awesome and I'm so happy they agreed to dress up!!!! It's more fun that way.

 

 

My sweet husband consented without (much) complaint to be the Cheshire Cat, his favorite character! He even climbed a tree so I could take pictures :) I told him to give me his biggest, toothiest smile.

 

 

"I'm afraid so.You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

 

 

I had a mirror and a clock leaning against a tree. The roses are actually from Picmonkey since some of my siblings were in the reflection who have requested to not have their pictures shared on my blog.

 

 

I found this awesome contraption at a local boutique. It was a tea cup attached to a distressed bed post. Adorbs.

 

My red and white 'rose' bushes. I just stuck some fake ones in for the party.

Me and Chessie :D

 

 

I love these socks!

 

We ate delicious food, played croquet, set up an Easter egg hunt, had fun being crazy at the mad tea party, and basically had a smashing good time :) It was a blast.

 

A Peep of a Different Color

Hiya pals,

Did everyone have a nice Easter this year? Ours was very low-key. I wasn't feeling too good, so we canceled our original plans with Robert's family (it was a ways away and I didn't feel well enough to travel). So we had a nice quiet day and then later on I felt a lot better and we decided to go over to my parents. It was nice to just  waste time with family. No worries, no obligations, just fun :)

Here are the pictures of our Easter this year:

I love this dress. Robert bought it for me in 2010 and I've worn it every Easter for the past five years.

Me and Robbie.



He's not much of a pastel or bright color person, but he humors me occasionally :D

We picked out Easter candy for each other when we went out shopping together :)

THEY HAD BIRTHDAY CAKE PEEPS!!!!!! BIRTHDAY CAKE. They are amazing. I love that Robert likes them too. Everyone in my family except one of my sisters dislikes peeps, so it's nice to be able to enjoy them with him :) (Lol, I totally just typed 'dislikes people' instead of 'peeps'! Good thing I caught that one!)

Mom and Dad bought me a fairy garden set! I can't wait to get started on my garden and build some fairy houses! It's been AGES since I've done that.

I found chalkboard eggs at Wal-Mart!!!!! I was thinking of painting my own, but this saved me a ton of time. I've been in a Alice in Wonderland mood lately, and you'll see why in some of the next posts :D Next time I might try chalk paint on the eggs 'cause it was difficult to draw with the chalk they provided.

So, that's that. Happy Belated Easter!!!!!

~Mary

Alice in Wonderland Blog Party via The Notebook Sisters - Day 2

Day 2!

In their second post for their Alice in Wonderland blog party, Cait and Mime shared an interview with A.G. Howard, the author of the Splintered trilogy! I am SO excited to read these books! I need to request them at my library A.S.A.P.

A.G. Howard also is graciously offering a giveaway of an audio book of Unhinged and a swag pack! To sign up for the giveaway check out Cait and Mime's post. There are LOTS of ways to enter, so get over there right now!

I don't claim to own this image.

Isn't the cover beautiful?! *squeal*

Alice in Wonderland Blog Party via The Notebook Sisters - Day 1

Hey people :)

Cait and Mime @theNotebookSisters are throwing a week long Alice in Wonderland blog party to celebrate their blog's 3rd birthday (which I think is pretty awesome) and there are prizes to be won, fun to be had, and a good dose of madness all around! I'm doing this. I'm a little behind, but oh well! Better late than never. If you want to join, check out their post through the link above, link to their post, grab their blog button, and have fun!

I don't claim to own this image.

So for the first day they started with a Tea Party Blog tag:


1. Just Alice: What book cover(s) has made you super curious?

Poison by Bridget Zinn. I haven't read it yet, but I want to! The cover is pretty awesome and it's what drew my attention to the book. I'm hoping the book is as beautiful as its cover.

 2. Mad Hatter: List the craziest character(s) you've ever read.

My mind has gone blank :P Okay,okay, I guess I can think of a couple.

Adeline and Emmeline in "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. Crazy I tell you.

King Leck in "The Graceling series" by Kristin Cashore. He was creepily crazy, I didn't like him at all.

3. Red Queen, Off With Your Head! What book have you felt like beheading?

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I didn't even finish it I was THAT fed up. I wasn't expecting this book to have trashy stuff in it, because the movie was so cute and lovely, but I guess that proves how different books are from their movies. Yick. It was very behead-able.

 4. White Rabbit: What books or series have been insanely popular but you've been "late" to pick them up?

Um....everything? :D I haven't been in the loop lately. I've been trying to read all the books I have in my bookcase that I haven't read yet, so trips to the library have been almost nil. But I did recently read the hunger games after they had been out for quite awhile.

 5. Caterpillar: What's the most confusing book you've read?

Well, I might have to say Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because absolutely nothing made sense! And I just read it for the first time this year, so yeah. It's fresh in my mind and all.

 6. Dormouse: What was the last book that sent you to sleep?

I seem to like falling asleep while reading any of the Lord of the Rings books. Maybe I was just too comfy, Idk.

 7. Cheshire Cat: Book that made you laugh and smile?

The Penderwicks! I was smiling and laughing hysterically throughout :D

 8. Knave of Hearts: Most recent character who stole your heart?

Percy Jackson? Idk. I was rooting for him and Annabeth, but I don't think he stole my heart...

 9. Jabberwocky: Best villain you've read this year?

Count Olaf. Always has an evil scheme cooked up.

 10. Down the Rabbit Hole: What's the latest book/series/author that's completely swallowed your interest?

Splintered and Unhinged have captured my attention and are on the top of my books to read next list!


Happy 3rd birthday Cait and Mime!!!!

Cheers :)

Our Wedding (Part 2) - The Pictures!

Here they are!

These are most of the pictures that just have me and Robert in them, since the majority of my family don't want their pictures on here. *sobs*

There is still quite a lot, though! At least you'll get a good idea of what our wedding was like :)

We had the perfect kind of weather, not too hot and not too cold! I was so glad. I've been to some weddings where it just poured the entire day :/

 

MY DRESS!!!!!!!!!!

Me, while my train was being tied up :) Ugh, that blasted thing took forever to figure out. I just wanted to be able to move around! If trains weren't so pretty I definitely would have gone with something more practical for movement.

This is why I wanted to move around so bad. There was decorating to do! For my flowers, I just told the florist my favorites and let him design the arrangements. I was blown away by what he came up with! I loved everything about them :)

I bought the candles for our unity candle at Meijers, the stand on Amazon, and the ivy at Hobby Lobby :) 

The Memorial Table. My mom's parents (Paw-paw and Maw-maw), my dad's father (Papa), and Robert's dad. I only met Robert's dad once. He died of cancer the year we  met. We wanted to remember all of them in a special way and this is what I came up with. The flowers in the silver pot are from Lowes, I forget what the curly grass was called but the blue flowers are blue moons, I believe. At least that is what we've always called them!

The pew decorations! I found the music sheet cones on Etsy and the flowers and ribbon at Wal-mart. I LOVE how they turned out!

Another cone. I did lilacs and hydrangeas with a variety of different ribbon for these.

Our programs, designed by a dear friend! She did an awesome job! She also took our engagement pictures, which we used on our invitations, programs, and wedding website :) (The random flowers were put on this picture for privacy) The basket was found at goodwill :)

When the flowers arrived! I had my florist glue hydrangea blooms onto clips so I could put them in my hair. They were perfect :) Pssst! Notice the evenstar?! GAH! Geeky-ness was must on my wedding day, obviously :)

My dress again! And my bouquet, which was my favorite out of all the flowers :) I found my dress on Ebay for $152 with free shipping. And they custom made it at that price! My mother-in-law and I added the lace sleeves, lace at the neckline, (it was a sweetheart neckline originally) shortened it (cuz I'm short!), and added the bustle hooks. It was just perfect! It reminds me of Rose's "Heaven Dress" on Titanic.

 

The back with the bustle up. I don't think I have a picture of the lace up back now that I think of it! Darn. If you look closely you can see that I am wearing a chapel length veil. I also bought that on Ebay. It didn't spread out as much as I would have liked, but oh well, it was pretty :)

My sister did a braided crown with my hair and then I curled some of it. It takes forever to curl my hair, so I did just a few strands here and there.

My groom :) We found his suit at Men's Warehouse. He already had the dress shirt, shoes, and tie so that helped :) I still find it funny that his suit cost more than my dress, but at least he can wear his more than once! I made the blue handkerchief sticking out of his pocket from some sari material I had in my stash. For Robert's boutonniere I had the florist do a white rose tinted with blue, with some purple flowers. 

*swoons*

This is the flower girl basket! I found the basket at Jo-ann Fabrics, the ribbon from Wal-mart, and the grape hyacinths in my parent's yard :)

My nerves were starting to sky rocket at this point! I had to hide away in the bride's room at our Church while guest arrived. Yipes, I'm glad I don't have to walk down that isle again :D

Just look at it!

My sister's bouquet. You can kinda see her dress in this picture.

Peek-a-boo! The pic before venturing out to the front of church.

Going in.

Almost there. Thankfully you can't tell how nervous I was! Of course then Dad made me cry before going down the isle, which kind of helped because then I was more worried about trying not to cry instead of thinking about that long isle :D

His face while I was walking down. So serious. I think he was just as scared as I was! We don't like being up in front of a lot of people :D We also memorized our vows instead of having Father say them and then have us repeat them. So both of us were just trying to remember everything we had to do beyond this point.

Lighting our unity candle.

I really like this picture :) The rose behind us is for our Blessed Mother.

Presentation of a rose to Mother Mary. I chose "Ave Maria" to be played during this time.

The Kiss! People thought it was funny that I had to stand on my tiptoes :P I'm short, okay?

It's over! YAY!

There are only a few kissing pictures, I promise.

See my pretty train? I love the lace on this dress.

We made it through! I'm so glad I wore those blue shoes :D

Our church had some leftover pink flowers from Easter which I gladly put to use :) That's always the nice thing about getting married after Easter!

The train was worth it after all :)

Cutesie :)

It was bright outside!

We had to do a peek-a-boo picture for Robert too.

I love this picture!

Besties.

This is my favorite picture of us :)



I love how well my blue hydrangeas and his rose went together!

Our getaway car :D

Pictures on the reception grounds.

They have a lovely gazebo there that has been used for weddings before. I had my train hoisted on my arm because there was unfortunately a lot of duck poop on the ground :P

For some reason this reminds me of Tangled.

Our photographer was thrilled when Robert spontaneously kissed my forehead. It was so funny how happy she was about that :D

Blue shoes, hehe :D

I had to have a picture of Robert holding my bouquet, of course. :)

Just before going into the reception.

The people at our reception venue were SO sweet!

Our Cake Topper. I still cannot believe I found this!

I loved my cake lady. She has the same name as my mom and she also homeschools here kids! She is an awesome lady :) Her cakes are unbelievably tasty and she even did a gluten-free cake for us! I had a picture of what I wanted my cake to look like and she matched it perfectly. I bought the flowers at Hobby Lobby for the cake, the paper butterflies I made using a Martha Stewart butterfly punch, and I made the Eat Me sign out of poster board and sharpie :)

Our Entrance :)

Pretty presents!

Mingle, mingle. :) It's so difficult getting to everybody! People were already started to leave when we started going around to each table :P

The Blue Rose.

Our head table décor.

This was either my brother's (the best man) or my dad's boutonniere, I can't remember. 

The guest book table.

The beginnings of eternal servitude! Hehe, just kidding :D The food was wonderful.

Cutting the cake with my Medieval dagger to the "Blunt the Knives" song from The Hobbit :D Perfect song, right?

Ready, set....

.....stuff! We were nice, I promise :) I was eyeing him suspiciously in this one though!

"U'm mot fimished wif mwa cake!"

Our first dance to "Lottie Lies Among the Flowers" by The Willis Clan.

I think one of us might have stepped on the the other's foot in this picture :D

Throwing the bouquet! The girl in green right behind me caught it :)

And they all lived happily ever after :) The end! Hehe :)

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! It was a wonderful, happy, and amazing day :) It went so fast though! :(

 I have a couple more wedding related posts in the works so stay tuned!

Tootles :)