I love our new china!

Perk #948 of getting married: receiving beautiful china! A couple of months ago my fiancé’s grandparents had us pick out a style of china we like, and today it was delivered! We had a blast opening all the packages and discovering the gorgeous pieces.

Boxes full of china

My fiancé opening one of our packages

Me opening another one

Don't you love the pattern?

Better close-up of a teacup

Holding a plate

Opening more

Table covered in china

China in our cabinet

I can’t wait to use it!!!

A successful trip to Syracuse

Not only did I take care of some wedding planning, but I brought back some awesome stuff.

A Chevrolet shirt in honor of my Chevy Cavalier

A mixer from some friends of the family (they had an extra one lying around)

An orchid from my mom

A haworthia cactus (also known as a zebra plant) from my mom

Easter chocolate

An old painting of mine

Take that thief– I’m getting new things!

Almost a month ago my car was burglarized by an unknown meanie. As I mentioned in this blog post, I lost a lot of valuable items. Well, I have a small sense of relief knowing I can replace some of these possessions. My insurance company has given me some money for new purchases. Here’s what I’ve bought so far:

Flower flip flops from the Dress Barn

Somewhat-funky socks from the Dress Barn

Silver and gold earrings from the Dress Barn

Capri pants from Kohl's

A dress from Kohl's

New Balance sneakers from Filene's Basement

My friend Jeannie helped me pick out the first five items, and my fiance helped me pick out the sneakers. I look forward to getting a new GPS, some shorts, and some short-sleeved shirts (all items that were stolen) in the near future.

Wedding dresses that didn’t make the cut

I got my wedding dress a few weeks ago. Here are some of the dresses that didn’t make the cut:

You will have to wait until after the wedding (Sept. 17) to see the actual dress I bought!

Wedding dress shopping

My mom and I showed up to my dress fitting 20 minutes late. I hadn’t anticipated it would take so long to get there (Note to self: Boston-area strip malls are a hot destination on Saturday afternoons). We walked into David’s Bridal only to find ourselves surrounded by dozens of frenzied engaged women, family members and friends.

Half of them had dresses on while the other half scoured the racks, admired the soon-to-be brides, and asked questions of the employees. A check-in table was set up at the door, yet no one was there to greet us. After a few minutes I was very worried our appointment had been canceled as a result of our tardiness.

But fortunately, a minute later, Roseanne came over. I apologized profusely for being late, and she insisted it wasn’t a problem. We moved over to the dressing area; she asked me to look through a book of dresses and pick out the ones I liked. I was a little dismayed she declined to look at my list of product ID numbers. I had compiled it after picking out my favorite dresses on the David’s Bridal website.

Roseanne ended up bringing three strapless dresses over. She helped me put each one on, and led me out to the mirrored area where my sister and mom were waiting. The first dress wasn’t bad, and I especially liked how the back looked, with its laced-up closing. But when I tried on the second dress I realized how much I preferred a dress with a sweetheart bodice (an example of a sweetheart bodice).

I liked how both dresses had a lot of shape on the bottom, but I didn’t like how the second one made my midsection look a lot bigger than it is. After realizing the third dress wasn’t my size, Roseanne had me pick out a few more dresses from the racks. She ended up choosing one for me. It was a new arrival with a more “earthy” or “organic” feel than the other dresses. I tried it on. The top was the perfect shape, and the bottom had ample body. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the ruffles on the bottom, but once the dress was on I fell in love with them.

In addition to having the perfect shape, it had some nice touches (including a slightly off-white color, cottony material as opposed to a satiny material, a flower set toward one side of the waist, and two ribbons that tie in back). The dress perfectly matched the flower in my hair (which I ended up getting). The only issue was the dress was a little wrinkled (the fabric slightly lends itself to wrinkles).

Roseanne and her coworkers assured us that the dress wouldn’t be wrinkled on the big day. They said it would be steamed before wear, and that one day of wear would not result in wrinkles. I believed them. My mom, however, was a bit skeptical, and she didn’t think the dress was formal enough (and wished it was pure white). My sister, Roseanne, and I loved it, however, and I got lots of compliments from others in the store.

Roseanne and I went back to the rack– this time with my sister and mom, and we picked out a few more dresses. None of them pleased me as much as the “organic” dress. I tried to convince myself I liked a dressier sequined satin dress more, but then I realized I was doing that just to satisfy my mom. I tried on my top two dresses again. When I put on the one my mom didn’t like as much, and walked into the mirrored area, my sister started crying. I asked her why, and she said it was because I looked so good in the dress.

She said it was perfect for me. I ended up getting that one (actually– my sister bought it along with a bra, petticoat and veil for my wedding present), and I think my mom is warming up to it. So that was clearly a successful dress shopping outing. Next I need to get shoes, and decide on bridesmaid dresses (I’m thinking a green color).

Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/psit/5379626811

Hi blog!

Just wanted to let you know I haven’t abandoned you. I’ve been pretty busy the last week with work, visiting my parents, etc. Anyway, I’m off to Vermont today but I’m sure I’ll have pictures/entries to post when I get back.

I do have a minute, however, so I will just a note  a few observations I’ve made over the last week:

• The political ads being shown on Syracuse (NY) television are quite hostile.
• Refrigerated chicken sandwiches from rest stop mini marts aren’t good.
• Babies sleep through anything (I guess they don’t need rapid eye movement sleep like we do).
• Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham is a great interviewee (heard him on the radio).
• The Syracuse newspaper has become very locally focused.
• You can get a great meal at the Little Falls (NY) Veterans of Foreign Wars post (the squash soup, salad, roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots with cauliflower and broccoli, cherry cake, coffee and wine were to die for!).
• Some people never age (what’s their secret??).
• The Olive Garden’s bottomless salad doesn’t taste quite as good as it used to.
• The Manlius Art Cinema (independent movie theater in Manlius, NY) may have uncomfortable seats but the hospitality is second-to-none.
• Opening an old box of photos, letters and knickknacks can be quite an emotional experience.
• One of the best places to shop for household items is the LaFayette Apple Festival (in LaFayette, NY).
• Homemade apple donuts are fabulous.
• Some people I saw at church 15 years ago still stand in the same pew.
• You can rent a large four-bedroom house in East Rochester (NY) for $1,800 a month.
• You can rent a charming two-bedroom apartment overlooking the beauteous Cazenovia (NY) landscape for $800 a month.
• New York State is still talking a lot about government “consolidation.”
• The Shoppingtown Mall (DeWitt, NY) still has a lot of jewelry stores.
• Those Chilean miners looked awesome coming out of that mine (I’m sure many other people noticed this, too).

Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/mattcarman/218943199

Pictures from the LaFayette Apple Festival

Yesterday was a gorgeous day for the LaFayette Apple Festival (a huge annual apple festival taking place south of Syracuse, New York). Here are a few pics I took at the event:

That's some beautiful fall foliage, huh?

People looking at crafts inside one of the many tents.

Unusual clocks for sale

Children's author Richard Mickelson signing books

Another shot of foliage

I thought this was funny.

Cute slippers for babies

I love this.

For dog lovers

This kind of freaked me out lol.

The line for the apple fritters

Apple guy

Isn't this a cool shot?

I’m so domestic

I went to both Ikea and Jordan’s Furniture this weekend. Here’s a breakfast tray I got from Ikea. I’m so happy because I can now have breakfast in bed!

My breakfast this morning

I also got this plant:

Jordan’s Furniture had the coolest showrooms. I especially loved the French-themed one (included Eiffel Tower lamps and numerous bicycle-themed decorations). Here are a few pics I took inside the store:

A nice bar

Kitchen area

Table for little kids

My pictures don’t really capture the awesomeness that is Jordan’s Furniture. I will have to go back someday and take some more!