Tag Time!

It's another *super* exciting Saturday night here in LuluLand... babysitting. Feeling extra spoiled though, as the baby was once again in bed before I arrived, and the family has the most deliciously fragrant vase of lilac on the coffee table. Every time I inhale I just want to close my eyes, it smells like the most relaxing spa in here! If only their dog would stop snoring, I could get some serious R & R going on here!

I'm taking this nice, quiet alone time to catch up on Google Reader instead of being productive with the wedding plans. I see that I've been tagged by Mojito Maven at Make Mine A Mojito, so I officially have one more thing to keep my procrastination streak going!

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people.

1. What were you doing​ and who were you with at 9:59 PM on Frida​y night​?​​​ Drinking a bottle of Smoking Loon on the couch, and probably watching something mindless on TV.

2. What is the last thing you read/are currently reading? I just started reading More than Enough: The Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny by Dave Ramsey, a Christmas gift from the future MIL.

3. Do you nap a lot? Oddly, I can only nap when I'm terribly hot. It's either when I've come down with some ridiculously knock-down, drag out cold and have a fever, or when I'm laying out in the sun all day on a lounge chair. Maybe I'm not really napping in either circumstance, but overheating and passing out? Hmmm...

4. Who was the last person you hugged? Mr. Wonderful, said goodbye to him before I headed out to babysit.

5. What is your current obsession/addiction? Ohhh, that's a toughie... Being unemployed has given me *plenty* of idle time to obsess over things. I'd say I'm obsessed with J. Crew right now, because I spend lots of idle time daydreaming about the perfect beach-worthy honeymoon wardrobe.

6. What was the last thing you said out loud? “Fer really though!?” Which in LuluSpeak roughly translates to "Are you serious?!". Said out loud (to myself, of course) in response to a text message I received.

7. What websites do you always visit when you go online? Google Reader, DListed.com, Facebook, Gmail, CNN.com

8. What was the last item you bought? A handheld one-hole punch, because the store didn't have any three-hole punches left.

9. What is your most challenging goal? To have the wedding planned in its entirety exactly 2 months prior to our wedding day. That gives me a total of 18 days left. Stop laughing.

10. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be? You and your tough questions... There are so many different places I'd love to be living right now! I'm going to go ahead and say here in NYC. It would be a lot more fun out here if I didn't have to pay my crazy rent!

11. Favorite Vacation spot? Right now, it'd probably be Mexico. Sun + sand + guacamole = Nirvana.

12. Say something to the person who tagged you: I booked my final dress fitting trip this afternoon... Do I hear a cocktail date!?

13. Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you: Shredded cheese. Can't keep the stuff in the house. I will wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it, and go eat it straight out of the bag. Shameful.

14. What is your favorite item of clothing? The winter white cape I got at the Burberry Outlet store in Dallas... It is sheer fabulousness. (and was SO inexpensive! God bless outlet malls.)

15. What would your American Gladiator name be and why? Mama. I'm going to go full disclosure here because I love you girls, and acknowledge my old alter ego. Let's just say that 'Mama' could be quite sassy after a few cocktails, and would definitely be able to hold her own against the toughest spandex-clad Gladiator.

16. Name one thing you can not live with out: Excluding the soon-to-be husband, I'm going to have to go with my BlackBerry. I was one of the many who never thought they'd get addicted... All lies.

17. Has a celebrity's haircut ever influenced you on your own hairstyle? Absolutely! I've had the Jennifer Aniston "Friends" shag, the Ashley Olsen "Nobody Should EVER Have Hair That Blonde" beach waves, and the Posh Spice bob, to name a few. I'm currently just channeling a look I like to call I Can't Afford A Haircut Chic.

18. If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be? A bird, for sure! How cool would it be to fly?!

I'm going to tag my eight newest followers…

According to Ashley

Legally Pink and Green

Confessions of an Enginerd

The Adventures of the Grosgrain Bride

Sassy McSasserson

Martinis and Pearls

Quite Contrary

The Preppy Gator

xoxo,

Lulu

Honeymoon Help!

These wedding plans sure have been on the fast track this week, ladies! Mama Martini is mere *hours* away from putting her finishing touches on the invitation calligraphy (previews to come!), and sending them out to greet our wonderful wedding guests. In less than 7 days, the Mr. and I will be heading out to sunny Phoenix (YAY!) to taste our menu, design our custom wedding bands, perform our premarital counseling, *and*... secure our marriage license! HOORAY!

However, there is one *gaping* hole in our wedding plans thus far... The honeymoon! We have less than 80 days left, and no honeymoon booked! We have gone back and forth on the final destination countless times, before we finally solidified on a destination... Or so we thought.

I've spent the morning doing recon on our "finalized" wedding destination, until I came past these little nuggets of information (thanks to the reviews at TripAdvisor):

" The beach is in bad shape. The beach erosion has effected most of the hotels in Riviera Maya. The government plans to repair the beaches in March."

"The hotel's beach was small (maybe 150 yards long total) and had little sand, probably due to the strong currents. The small beach meant that the beach chairs were placed inches away from each other so the beach lacked privacy. I felt like I was in Miami or Boca. (See photos attached)"


This was a photo taken of the beach last month. I must say, I'm pretty disappointed. Nothing says romantic beach side honeymoon like elbow-to-elbow beach chair formation and a huge barrier of sand bags, right? Ummmm, notsomuch. My only requirements for said honeymoon were warm weather (no ski vaycays for me, thanks) and a great beach, since I'm not much of a hotel pool person. Looks like we may have a strike out here.

My question for you is this- If married or engaged, were did/will you go for your honeymoon? And for all my fabulous single friends, where would you want to go? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

xoxo,
Lulu

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I just read on A Cup Of Jo that Domino Magazine is officially folding... The last issue will be March 2009.


My. Heart. Is. Breaking.


Commence SERIOUS mourning.

The Big D, Part One- Mojito Maven!

One of the *best* parts about my week in Dallas was the opportunity to meet up with two of my favorite bloggers. I was so excited that these girls were able to fit me into their packed schedule, despite only having about 24 hours' notice of my arrival in the city.

The first "blog date" I had was with Mojito Maven from Make Mine A Mojito. We planned to meet up at a local Starbucks after she finished work for the day, which worked perfectly into our schedules. Sadly, I started coming down with something earlier that morning, and was SO nervous that I might have to cancel. After $60 in over-the-counter drugs from CVS, I felt ready to go for the big meet up.

My mom was sweet enough to drive me there, since I'm totally clueless about driving in D Town. You've gotta love trying to explain the nature of our little blog world to people... she kept saying things like "are you sure you know she's not some creepy old man?", etc. Pretty priceless.

I had soooo much fun! As soon as I saw her, it felt like I was meeting an old friend. She is just the *coolest*, so down to earth and easy to talk to. She bought me a delicious tea, which was so sweet of her (and what flavor was that again, MM? I loved it!) I felt like our meeting came at just the right time for me- she was full of great advice regarding all these looming questions I've had regarding the wedding, being a newlywed, and financial matters. I just kept thinking "Gosh! Why can't I move to Dallas?! This girl is so much fun..." Next thing we knew, 2 hours had flown by (with Mama Martini sitting in the parking lot, paying bills... Whoops!). I had such a nice time, I'd even forgotten I was coming down with something.

Thanks again for a great coffee date, Mojito Maven... Your candid advice on everything was appreciated so much. Thanks for laying everything out on the table for me, and being such an open book. Looking forward to seeing you during my next visit!

xoxo,
Lulu

Wedding Wednesday!

HELLO, lovelies! Goodness, how I've missed you! I have *so* much to update you on regarding my trip to the Big D and all the happenings that went on. I thought the best way to jump back into the blogging pool was to get all the big wedding updates out of the way, so here we go!

First of all, I had a hot date on Friday... with my dress! After tying on dresses last spring, it took 6 months for my gown to be created and shipped to the Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon. I must say, I was UBER nervous to go try it on! Since the sample I tried on was larger than my normal size, I wasn't sure how it was going to look "Lulu-sized."

After getting jostled into a bustier, stripping down to my unmentionables (and I'm sorry, but there are few things more uncomfortable to me than standing around in nothing but underpinnings and 4" heels while my sales gal and mother try to get the dress ready for me to slip into), and snagging the rhinestone-laden heels on my brand new dress twice (nice), I was zipped up and fastened in. I may have cracked a rib or 2 in the process, but isn't that the price of fashion?

I'm seriously at a loss for words as to how much I totally love this dress, Dear Readers. We're talking a borderline unhealthy attachment at this point. I'm just plain smitten. I felt positively Carrie Bradshaw-esque (sans bird-in-hair and super guns-of-steel yoga arms):

I've had to make the tough decision not to post a photo of it on the blog, because a) I want to leave a few surprises for my real-life friend readers out there who will be attending the wedding (hi, everyone!), and b) Mr. Wonderful and I have decided not to see each other before the wedding. I know he stops by the blog from time to time, so posting a picture here is just a disaster waiting to happen!

Even though we decided against doing the final fitting at this time, I was able to make another huge decision - the veil! I've made the leap, and have decided to become a 2 veil bride. I know that veils aren't for everyone (I had one close girlfriend nix the veil idea for her wedding because she thought it was "way too creepy" having that shroud-like thing over your face...haha). I've always been the traditional type to love the look of the full wedding getup. I've always loved the idea of being a 2 dress bride, but the attachment I've formed to my dress has taken that option out of the running. I figured that by switching up my veil post-ceremony, I could create a win-win situation by giving myself a slightly different look while still keeping a veil on. Mission accomplished.

I've saved the best for last by revealing the wedding shoes. Oh, ladies. These SHOES! You know that I've had serious Louboutin lust over the past year, but with nary a penny to save in order to quench the yearning. I have a strict 4"+ heel rule, so many darling pink shoes have been cast aside in my hunt. That is, until the goddesses at Stanley Korshak presented me with a bridal coupon. In a fit of insanity, Mama Martini ran over to their shoe salon, and purchased the MOST. PERFECT. SHOES. EVER.

I'd like to introduce you to the only pair of shoes I'll be wearing for the rest of my life:

I've always fantasized about getting a killer investment wedding day shoe, which I will subsequently wear on each wedding anniversary date night thereafter. These shoes are beyond my wildest fantasies and expectations! Not only are they the *perfect* heel height and shade of pink, but they are a dead match to my *favorite* purse of all time. I avoided shopping my ENTIRE semester abroad (no small feat when living only 45 minutes outside of London), just to save up my money for that 1 special thing... and here she is, the Louis Vuitton Reade PM in Framboise Vernis I purchased in Venice:

It's a match made in Lulu Heaven, girls. I feel like the luckiest little lady in the world!

After knocking these details out of the park, it's really starting to dawn on me... I'm getting married in less than 3 months!

Stay tuned to more wedding details as they unfold!

xoxo,

Lulu

HUGE Week!

Hi girls! I'm still in the big D, and can't even explain how much I have to tell you about! 2 great dates with some of my *faaaavorite* bloggers (who make me DESPERATE to move to Dallas just so I can become full-time non-blog friends with them), the most amazing retail therapy ever, great times with my MOH, and some great wedding updates (dress and shoes included!) are all just around the corner... I'm off to the lovely but CHILLY NYC tomorrow, and then will be back to full blogging force on Monday. Please give me Sunday to R & R and hang out with my love, as this is the longest Mr. Wonderful and I have been apart since he moved to the Middle East. Boo!

I cannot wait to share stories, photo, and video (!!!) with you soon.

Miss you all madly!

xoxo,
Lulu

Top Secret Mission - Revealed!

I'm right in the middle of my top secret mission, but I'm officially ready to blow my cover.


Drum roll please.....


I'm in Dallas!


You see, my maid of honor Roey's birthday is January 20th. She had a big trip to Texas planned, to attend her parents' college reunion and to browse for wedding dresses. Roey and her mother were going to be staying at my parents' house for a few nights, before her father came into town and the reunion started.

Secretly, her younger sister Chels had planned to come as well, as a nice birthday surprise for Roey. Mama Martini called me on Thursday night, and wondered if I wanted to fly in for the week to surprise them all! I didn't want to ruin the surprise by blogging about it, since Roey visits the blog from time to time.

Roey was touched to tears when she saw her sister and me at the airport, and knew we'd get to spend her birthday together!


We've been having a blast, catching up on the latest and just enjoying each others' company (and some serious shopping too!). I have some other great plans I'm very excited to blog about, but need to go get ready for another exciting day!


xoxo,
Lulu

Chirp, Chirpy Chirp!

Great goodness gracious! The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm even less than a fair-weather fan, since today's game (well, the last 5 minutes of today's game) is all I've watched of the entire football season.

What makes me feel so warm and fuzzy about this win is that the biggest Cardinal fan I ever met, one of Mr. Wonderful's dearest friends and former roommate DJ, passed away unexpectedly last year. We've thought about DJ often throughout the planning our wedding, as his absence as a groomsman is sorely felt.

Mr. Wonderful loves to share stories about DJ with me, as I was just getting to know him when he passed. One of my favorite tales was about how much of a die-hard Cardinals fan DJ was, no matter how poorly they did (which was quite often). DJ would call people to wake them up on game day and just sing "Chirp, chirpy chirp! Chirp, chirpy chirp!" to the tune of the Ukrainian Bell Carol.

I'd like to think he's chirpy-chirping up there in heaven right now. This win's for you, DJ!

Top Secret Mission - I'll Be Back!

First of all, I can't tell you how proud I feel to be able to say I'm a member of our wonderful blogging community! It feels so wonderful to be surrounded with like-minded individuals, all working together to rally in prayer and give hope during a fellow blogger's time of need. First with NieNie (who's *back*! Have you seen!?!) , and now with the Stamps family from Kelly's Korner. All of your love and faith is such an inspiration to me.

I wanted to let you know that I'll be MIA for the next few days, as I'm working on a secret mission. If you know what I'm up to, *please* no comments! I may be lurking around and commenting for the next few days, but no posts from me for the time being. I promise, I have good reason! Just in case you're curious, it doesn't have to do with any of the following : a) a new job, b) a big elopement (though that does sound kind of nice right now, a warm Caribbean island!? *Swoon*), or c) big "family" news of any kind. Just know that I have good reason, and that I'll be back again soon! Very, very, sneaky... hehe

Hope "y'all" are having a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,
Lulu

Please Pray

The baby I posted about earlier today, Harper Brown Stamps, is in very critical condition. Please send prayers out to this precious newborn and her mother!

Updates can be found here: Kelly's Korner

Free Makeup... For Real!

Man, does Friday just keep getting better or what!?!? Thanks to a class action lawsuit settlement, department stores across the nation will be giving away free (full-size!) goods!

Here's the info on the products that will be available (first come, first serve, of course):

http://www.cosmeticssettlement.com/

and here's the back story (its from a regional news channel, but the offer is nationwide):

http://www.wisn.com/cnn-news/18483869/detail.html

ENJOY, and let me know what you end up getting!

xoxo,
Lulu

Exciting Friday!

Happy Friday, ladies! I don't know about you, but I'm certainly feeling extra blessed today after that emergency landing ordeal... What a miracle! God is good.

There is another miracle going on right as we speak- a baby is being born today! I subscribe to the Twitter feed of Kelly's Korner, and found out this morning that she's in the hospital! I hope Miss Kelly doesn't mind me blogging about her, but I just can't tell you how excited I am!

Kelly's blog was one of the first I followed when I was introduced to this wonderful blogosphere. She and her husband had a very difficult time conceiving, and had such a compelling story. I was so enthralled that I spent an entire afternoon reading her archives, and found her faith in the face of adversity and disappointment so inspiring! Her faith has inspired me to develop a deeper relationship with God. I just think she is such a great role model and strong Christian woman! (I also love that she's naming her daughter my *favorite* baby name EVER!)

Congratulations to you, Kelly! The blogging world can't wait to meet Harper!

xoxo,
Lulu

Prayers Needed!

A US Airways commuter plane just crashed into the Hudson River (the river on which we live), about 40 blocks south of our home. It's frigid outside, and they're trying to rescue everyone out of the water. Deafening sirens everywhere outside, it's tragic.

Please send your prayers!

A Day In The Life Of...

Scene: The local grocery store, which is somehow more crowded than it was the day before Thanksgiving. (Seriously, what gives with that?) Our young(ish) heroine Lulu has just spent the last hour skillfully navigating the tiny aisles, with only a few minor bumps due to crazy old people on Rascals wielding carts.

Act I

After filling up her pathetic little granny grocery cart full of the week's goods, she stumbles upon the find of the century- Progresso Light Soups for $2.79 a can. Our heroine has never before seen that soup below $4.69 before (and seriously, who charges $5 for a can of soup?!?), so she carefully chooses her flavors, loads up her cart, and heads to check out.

Checkout Girl, yelling over 3 checkout rows: "Mariaaaaa!!! How much is this soup!?"

Lulu, thinking to herself: "Um, each and every one of these cans have price tags on them. I checked."

Checkout Girl and 'Maria' proceed to have a loud 4 minute conversation back and forth in Spanish about said soup, while the line piles up behind Lulu and a single item has yet to cross the scanner threshold.

Finally, 'Maria' trudges over to Lulu and says: "You can only get one flyer deal of 'buy 2 get 1 free' with this soup, miss"

Lulu: "Oh! Um, that's fine. I didn't realize it was on sale, I'm sorry. Can you just ring them up at the normal price on the tag? I'd like to get them all, I don't need any 'buy 2 get 1 free' deals. I'd just like to buy all the soup."

Maria agrees, tells Checkout Girl what to do (again, in Spanish), and Checkout girl proceeds to (finally) ring up the goods. After she calls 'Maria' a foul word under her breath. In English.

Things are now back to normal in the checkout line.

Until Checkout Girl takes 7 of the soup cans and puts them under her register.

Lulu: "Um, miss? I'd like to buy ALL of that soup today. That's why I put it in my cart. I'd like all of it. I don't need the buy 2 get 1 free deal, I'd just like the soup please."

Checkout Girl: "Okay, no problem." She keeps ringing. The soup stays under the counter.

Lulu: "Miss? That soup you put under your register? I'd like to BUY that soup please."

Checkout Girl: "Ok." (Rings up last item, yet leaves soup under the counter.)

"Will that be cash or charge?"

Needless to say, Lulu did NOT go home with the soup today.

Unreal.

End Scene.

xoxo,
Lulu

Book Tag!

I've been tagged by blog friend (and real-life sorority sister) Sweet Bea! Shes my first real-life friend to join me in BlogLand, which I think is such fun.

Here are the rules:

1. Grab the nearest book.

2. Open to page 56.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.

5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!

6. Tag five other people to do the same!

The closest book I have to me at this moment is the following:

A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux

Here's the passage, contained in the section titled 'Gestures', under 'Garments you should ALWAYS AVOID':

"- sleeves so full that they sweep up everything in their path; and sleeves so narrow that is impossible to raise your arms high enough to comb your hair or to remove your hat.

- skirts so narrow that you have to pull them up to your thighs in order to climb into a bus: and skirts that ride up when you walk as if they were activated by some strange and diabolic mechanism. (Moral: try moving about and sitting down in your clothes before you buy them).

All of those should be ruthlessly banished from your wardrobe if you wish to be as elegant in action as you are in repose.

Do I dare go further and mention those unsightly gestures which immediate obliterate any image you may create of being well dressed?"

LOVE that book!

I'm going to go ahead and leave this one an open tag- anyone feel free to do this if they're so inclined! Please comment back to me if you decide to do so, I'd love to read it!

xoxo,
Lulu

Wedding Catch-Up!

I know that it's not Wedding Wednesday yet, but after Mr. Wonderful and I spent an action-packed weekend plowing through the wedding to do list, I couldn't help but share! We *finally* received the last of the addresses from our guests (and yes, I know it's only 4 months away...good grief this took a long time!), the invitations were safely delivered to Mama Martini's house (*squeal*!), our church-to-reception transportation was booked, and we FINALLY knocked out my current high-priority stress point - the tuxes!

As you may remember, we're throwing a traditional Anglican wedding, with the ceremony beginning at 12 noon. Since a proper tuxedo is wildly inappropriate for that time of day, we opted to go for the most formal dress option gentlemen have during the daytime- the morning suit.

Now I know the morning suit can look a little "costume-like" to some people, with the whole ascot, top hat, and cane situation going on. But never fear ladies, we're only doing this in the most tasteful (and palatable) manner! No ascot, no top hat, and certainly no gloves (it could be in the mid-80's by that point, for goodness' sake!) We'll be replacing the ascot with a tie for Mr. W and his entourage, which will most likely coordinate with the bridesmaids' dresses.

In fact, the gents will look most similar to one of our favorite grooms of all time:

That's right, ladies! You can imagine my excitement when I realized that JFK donned the same morning suit and tie combo that our wedding party will be wearing. I figure that if the Kennedy clan did it, we can't go wrong!

We also settled on the groomsmen's gifts (which I won't disclose, need to keep a little element of surprise here), which we're quite happy with.

Have any of you been to a wedding with morning suits before? I'd love to hear all about it!

Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Lulu

Productivity Be Damned

In my spare time (read: any opportunity I can *possibly* get), I babysit for 2 different families here in the city. It's a win-win for us all... Both families need a reliable on-call babysitter for busy Manhattan weekends, and I obvi need some extra cash to survive here in the Apple.

I came to Family 1's house tonight to watch over their *darling* little one while they met some friends in the city. I always use my babysitting time as my window of ultimate productivity and "me" time because, let's face it, sometimes it can be hard to get things done and find quiet time in a 1,000 square foot apartment filled with 4 people. I planned my entire wedding registry here, created my personal budget spreadsheet, and have even sorted and filed over 500 pages of magazine clippings into . I think i get more done in *this* apartment than I do in my own!

I packed my giant Coach tote full of all my babysitting essentials for the night- laptop, planner, plastic coffee tumbler, and 5 bags of my newest addiction- Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice tea (no caffeine, 0 WW points, can't get better than that!). After playing with their pooch for a bit (the baby was asleep when I got here, natch!), I bunkered down on the couch to watch some football (Go Cardinals!) and do some serious WW recipe recon for the upcoming week.

And then I spotted it. Sitting on the gorgeously distressed shabby chic coffee table.

It was taunting me. Calling my name. "Lulu! Please don't be productive tonight... Just ooooopen meeeeee..."

And I did. And I will never be the same.

Ladies- I cannot impress upon you enough just how much you NEED to go out and get the latest issue of Domino (Feb 09). I can't remember the last time I felt so giddy flipping through a mag. The article about labeling alone is sure to make any organization-savvy prepster do a little jump for joy.

I'm warning you now- you may never be the same...

xoxo,

Lulu

Martha, Martha, Martha!

Sorry for the delay, ladies! Here's the long-overdue breakdown of the fabulous visit Nina and I had to the Martha Stewart Show!


Wednesday morning's weather brought us a *terrible* rainstorm, but we still managed to have an amazing time. After huddling in line to be admitted (go figure we BOTH forgot umbrellas, and were forced to wear our scarves over our heads like little Ukrainian grannies), we finally made it in. After grabbing the tickets, going through a metal detector (no weapons for Martha! haha), we were ushered to a waiting area. We signed release forms and watched clips of Martha on HUGE big screen TVs.

Waiting to be admitted into the studio

They had their warm-up guy tell us all the different segments Martha would be taping today (Steamed fish! Garden tours! Scones!), and then he taught us all the different cue signals he'd be giving us throughout the taping - clapping, standing ovation, "oooooh!" , and "mmmmm!". So funny! He also told us that our taping would be live, which we didn't realize! It was funny to see everyone frantically pull out their cell phones and start calling people to tell them to tape the episode. After going through the whole speech, it was finally time to go to the actual studio.

It. Was. Breathtaking.

!!!!

I don't think words can describe how much I fell in love with Martha's set. It was like a preppy girl's dream come true! It was bright, cheery, neat, perfectly staged! Gorgeous dove grey cabinets, shelving with gorgeous dishware (and plenty of Martha's signature robin's egg blue cooking appliances and serve ware). I won't lie to you- after an hour in that studio, I wanted to redo my entire wedding registry color scheme. (I hope that, by admitting that, I'm not the only one out there that color-schemed her entire registry? hmmm...)

Even that greenhouse in the photo above? All live plants! (Like we're so surprised there. I mean, it's Martha.) I guess they even have a full-time horticulturalist on staff to tend to them! Unreal. Nina and I ooohed and ahhhed the set, as well as the fabulous outfits some of the MS staffers were wearing. I've never seen leggings and wellies look so chic!

Check out all the lights and flatscreens hanging from the ceiling!

After pumping up the crowd with some seriously loud dance music, The Mistress of Domesticity herself came out. She looked impeccable, and put on a great show. We were even lucky enough to win some serious giveaways! A $60 gift certificate to GameStop, 2 trivia books, and a Martha Stewart crafting knife. Such loot!

Adorable Miss Nina after the show... Always impeccably dressed!

After the show finished taping, we were allowed to pull out our cameras again and snap away at Miss Martha. She did Q & A time with the audience for about 5 minutes, which I thought was cool. I even taped a little video on my camera for posterity! ha Sadly, my camera takes terrible photos when it's zoomed, so here's the best shot I have of MS herself:

All in all, it was a fabulous experience! I highly recommend that you apply for tickets (a month or so in advance) if you ever plan on coming to NYC. Maybe you can visit Martha too!

xoxo,

Lulu

Dinner Date with Nina!

I just returned home from an awesome dinner date with the lovable Nina from Nina Knows Best. I knew that we'd get along like gangbusters, considering we already chat via BlackBerry Messenger (henceforth BBM) quite frequently and have a lot in common.

I had *such* an great time with her! We met in her hotel lobby, and had a chilly stroll over to Lasagna Restaurant in Midtown. We chatted up a storm, and stuffed ourselves on 4 cheese lasagna. Delish! I feel like I've known her forever. She had so many great things to say, and gives such great advice. She even helped me iron out some much-needed wedding decoration details- there is nothing this girl cannot do!

It has been such a blessing to meet such great friends through blogging! I can't wait for our visit to the Martha Stewart Show tomorrow!

xoxo,

Lulu

Online Photo Question

Which website do you use to archive and send photos? Shutterfly? Kodak? Ophoto? I'm currently using Shutterfly, but am just not in *love* with the service.

Any suggestions?

xoxo,
Lulu

Mondays Child Is Fair Of Face...

Happy Monday girlies! Do you remember that nursery rhyme? It was one of my favorites as a child. I was born a Tuesdays child, and thus "full of grace"... Too bad I was the clumsiest kid on the block, and the most unathletic of all my friends. I guess I'll have to hope that it meant inner grace. Ha!

Today has been a wonderfully productive day for me thus far. I woke up at the same time as Mr. Wonderful, and didn't go back to bed after he left for another hour or 2 (a definite first in my book since I lost my job). Man, have I been missing out on those 2 extra hours of productivity every morning! Since rising, I have hit the gym, cleaned our room, cleaned out the fridge and freezer (it was a sad goodbye to all the yummy leftovers Mama Martini cooked for us over Christmas), organized my calendar for the week, *and* cooked tonight's dinner. Phew! I hope the rest of my week is as productive as this morning was!

I have a *big* week planned, and couldn't be more excited. I'm finally going to meet Nina this week! She's coming into town for business, but will hopefully squeeze in some Lulu Time for dinner or cocktails. We do have one definite plan up our sleeves for Wednesday morning, and here's a hint:

We're going to see Martha!!!!! We'll be attending a taping of the Martha Stewart Show on Wednesday morning. I applied for tickets a few months back, and completely forgot about it. I was approved for a taping visit a few weeks back, but found out that it would be the same week as Nina's visit. How could I not try to get Nina tickets as well?! She's like my mini-Martha guru. The kind people over at Martha Stewart freed up a ticket for Nina, so now we have a hot date to go visit the Mistress of Crafting herself. Joy!

Back to the grindstone for me now. Laundry to do, bills to pay, a job interview to prep for... And a wedding to plan!

Hope your Monday is lovely!

xoxo,

Lulu

Happy 2009!

First things first, Happy New Year girlies! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and are having a great start to 2009. We had a wonderful New Years Eve, as my Maid of Honor Roey and her fiance came to stay with us. We had a great time catching up, and she had a wonderful belated Christmas present for me - she asked me to be her Matron of Honor! She's getting married in October of this year, so I'll officially be Matron status by then. My impending matron-ness is a good segue into the most important thing of this new year...

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!

Ok, this is obvi old news around here, but it is *so* exciting to finally say "I'm getting married this year"! When all is said and done, we will have had a 16 month engagement. As you can imagine, 2009 seemed pretty far off at the time. Now here we are, rushing to make bachelorette party plans (*beyond* excited for that) and tie up loose ends from a wedding perspective (shamefully, too many to count at this point).

While the focus in the new year will be on the wedding and the job hunt, I've decided to go ahead and create a few New Years resolutions. Here they are, for all of you to see (and keep me in line with!):

1) Start a Gratitude Journal
I first heard of a gratitude journal from our wedding guru Liene at Blue Orchid. The basic premise is to write down 5 things each day that you are thankful for, no matter how small they may be (you can read more about it here and here). These past few months have obviously been a bit rocky for me, but have really taught me to be thankful for the little things in life- a roof over my head, a bunch of great friends (and bloggers!) in my life, and a man I can call the love of my life. I think it is *so* hard to focus on all the negatives right now with what's happening in our economy and the world abroad; taking just a few minutes each day to write what you're grateful for should be a must for everybody.

2)Read One Book Per Month
Again, this idea comes from Liene, who I think is the most savvy person I know. She also runs a blog called The Smart Planner, which caters to professional wedding consultants. I obviously don't fall into that category, but I think the information she imparts on that site should be read by everyone. She recently did some blogging and Twittering on reading business books, and it really made me think about how much I love to read (and how little I do it). I've decided to conquer one book a month, no matter the genre. Any reading done at all is probably good reading, right?

3) Manage My Papers
Ladies, I am drowning in paperwork. I'm going to fully admit here that I can be the type to let the mail pile up, however neatly it may be piled, until it takes over my desk (and our TV stand, and our couch... You get the idea). I've decided to implement a 1-touch rule on any papers that come into the house. I'm only allowed to touch it once before it goes in its designated spot- filing cabinet, bills paid and put in the mailbox, or recycle. No more paper disorganization.

4) Stay In Touch
I've been behind on correspondence these days, be it e-mails, letters, or just quick Facebook messages. I hate being "That Girl" that's always delayed on the response, so I'm stopping it post haste. There shall be no room for bad manners in this household any longer.

5) Become an eBay Guru
I'd love to *finally* get that eBay store off the ground, in order to unload unneeded items for a little extra cash.

6) BE HAPPY!
Not much more explanation needed. I'm in love, I'm getting married, I'm healthy, I have awesome family and friends, and I live in a great city. Time to live it up!

I can't wait to see what 2009 brings for you!

xoxo,
Lulu