thoughts from an almost 4 year old.

"Mommy, when I have a wedding, I want just one ring, not two like you. My dress will be red. And I'm gonna marry Phoebe."

"Well, you can't marry Phoebe because she's your sister."

"Then I'll marry you, Mommy!"

"You can't - I'm already married, and I'm your mommy!"

"Then I'll marry Daddy."

"You can't - he's married to me, and he's your daddy!"

[throws up hands in despair]

"Well then who CAN I marry?!"

(future brides)

wordy Wednesday: wedding wisdom from Shakespeare

At my brother's wedding on Saturday, the bride and groom had several friends and family members do readings, which is pretty typical ceremony practice. But they also asked four of us (me, my husband, and two close high-school buddies of my brother's) to do something unusual: speak for about two minutes each about what marriage and commitment means from the perspective of our different disciplines (English and literature + philosophy for the two of us, science/medicine and business for his buddies). We didn't get any other direction than that -- oh, except my brother saying "Don't tell me what you're going to say, because I want to be surprised."

No pressure, right? It was a really tough assignment! But we managed to pull together something we were all pretty proud of -- and we were all feeling good about it at the rehearsal the night before. That is, until I found out that my little flower girl was terrified of the wedding venue!

It wasn't her fault, really. We were in an old converted factory with high ceilings and giant windows so it was really bright and really loud -- not to mention filled with people she didn't know who all wanted to touch her and get right in her face. She cried through most of the rehearsal and was very agitated and whiny during the first part of the service on Saturday afternoon. So when I got up to make my little speech all about what Shakespeare has to say about marriage, standing a mere three feet away from her, it was too much for her to handle, and the waterworks started.

Typical: stay-at-home mom who craves intellectual challenges finally gets the chance to do something that satisfies her old self but is thwarted by her clingy little baby. ;) Lorelei ended up on my hip, Jason held the microphone for me, and my speech turned into quite the family affair -- much to my chagrin, and the delight of most of the wedding guests.

a stolen-from-Facebook pic of our little comedy act

Considering the "take-away" message of my speech, it ended up being rather appropriate in the end after all. Interested in reading it? Click here.

where I've been (wedding preview)

Hope to do a more detailed post eventually -- but for now, a few pictures from an amazing wedding weekend in Chi-town. Happy wedding day to my brother and his beautiful bride :)

some of the amazing details -- a labor of love from the families of both bride and groom

shots of the happy couple, plus a picture of me with the flower girl at the start of the ceremony

seven years -- not itching yet.

Love you, J. 

image via Cheryl Neuharth Photography 

our wedding was shot on film just before the switch-over to digital, so apologies for the poor quality of the scanned image

I'll be back in a bit with my regular post for the day (including a giveaway!).

a literary bridal shower {DIY/how-to post}

My shop has been totally neglected, I've been skipping my regular posting schedule, and sleep has been minimal -- but my almost-sister-in-law's bridal shower was a smashing success!

My brother and his beautiful fiancee are getting married this July (remember them?) and their wedding will be all-things-book-related -- Meredith is an elementary school teacher who is working on a degree in literacy, Ross is an aspiring filmmaker who could never turn down a good mystery or Heinlein novel, and it will definitely be totally "them." My co-host and I wanted to make sure the party was in keeping with their wedding vibe, so we jumped on the book bandwagon and drove that sucker home. :)

A few more pictures from the event -- and then click on the jump for all the how-to details!

what we've been up to: a post in pictures

Why haven't I been on my regular posting schedule? My mom's in town! I'll be back tomorrow with details and news, but for now, here's what we've been up to lately, including a birthday photo shoot, a book-themed bridal shower, and enjoying the beautiful summer weather:

(first picture Chrissy Deming Photography)

burned.

I don't normally do the "angry ranting blogger" thing, but I'm making an exception today -- probably in part because Lorelei woke me up at 4:30am so I'm already cranky.

I'm throwing a bridal shower on Saturday for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, and I've had an unbelievably terrible experience with an online vendor. To my surprise, it's someone from Etsy -- a place where I've never had any issues before. In fact, I make an effort to always check Etsy first when I'm ordering just about anything because I find that the customer service there is unparalleled and I'm happy to pay more to support a local artisan or small business owner than to place an order from a cheaper online warehouse.

Until now.

(image -- from an Etsy seller who I'm sure is fabulous and is in no way related to the story I'm telling)

I placed an order for shower favor supplies with this seller on May 26th and sent a nice little note saying that, if she thought her standard shipping would result in a delivery after June 5th, I'd be happy to pay for an upgrade. Four days later after another attempt at contact from me, she assured me that they'd arrive in plenty of time.

Today is June 5th. I haven't heard from her. And her shop is no longer live on Etsy.

The worst part about it is that I'm not even the one assembling the favors -- I farmed out the labor to the bride's mother (she asked to be involved; I was prepared to do it myself), and she's been waiting and waiting to receive the supplies so she can get started. At this point, even if I order a second set of everything today and pay for overnight shipping, there's still a chance that one of those online warehouse stores won't get the order out in time before she needs to start driving to get here for the shower. She probably thinks I'm the most disorganized person ever.

I know that this isn't a typical Etsy transaction, but I'm feeling awfully grumpy about the whole thing. It's especially frustrating because I spend so much time checking a seller's reviews and policies before making a purchase (just like I hope customers do for me!) to make sure I'm dealing with someone trustworthy and reliable, and this shop seemed perfectly lovely. Guess I learned my lesson!

Who has a cheerful blog post up today that I can read to brighten my spirits? Send your links my way! Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on this post if you'd like to enter our latest Baby Book Club giveaway -- the deadline is 10 tonight (CDT). Two lucky winners this time -- and one could be you!

wedding fever.

I've never been one to have baby fever like many women seem to even after (or more so after?) having babies of their own, but every year at the start of wedding season I get awfully nostalgic for all the hustle and bustle of planning my own wedding 7 years ago (right at the dawn of digital photos, so mine were all taken on film -- someday I'll scan them and share!). I'm feeling particularly that way this year because my baby brother is tying the knot!

Aren't they cute? He and his lovely bride-to-be will be getting married this summer after dating for 9 years and our own little soon-to-be-toddler will be scooting down the aisle as their flower girl.

I loved my wedding and wouldn't have wanted it any other way. BUT...if I were getting married this summer, here's what I might do: a garden-party brunch wedding!

(All images from Etsy sellers -- top to bottom: strawberrykoi, houseofistria, beccaandlouise, LittleSparrowPress, visualingual, Fairyfolk Weddings [bottom two])