THE GOOD WIFEY

Looking Back: Our Ceremony .. Written by lil ole me ;)

2014-04-22T16:47:00.002-07:00

Hey Everyone ...

A cookie cutter ceremony wasn't something we wanted. As you can tell by my previous posts (I hope you have read them) we wanted everything to have special meaning.

You will read the ceremony verbatim why we didn't have the traditional "line up" of the wedding party, why we didn't go with a typical sermon and that we wrote our own vows (those aren't written out here. I'll do that separate). We also didn't have my dad give me away. We had our families give US away ;) Again .. remember the theme .. TWO become ONE.

Since I write for a living I thought I would give writing our ceremony a shot. I googled formats and picked one and just started writing and writing and writing. Who knows how many times I tossed what I had and started over. But it took months. I of course didn't write the "reading" you will see .. but put a lot of thought into what it would be. You will see the significance ;)

My best friend and man of honor helped me fine tune and when it was all done Doug and I went to the park with him and read over it. It couldn't be more perfect for us.

While I had guidance from some poems, passages and scripture ... these are my words. From my heart. So I am asking anyone reading this to please not take it, use it, rip it off as your own. Not only would that be wrong. It would be super lame.

I am sharing because I want those not there to experience our day in some form. And for those that were to maybe remember that special moment in time.

I know it's not the same as hearing it being read .. Or watching as we stood in front of everyone. But maybe you can take your mind there ;)

Enjoy!

Mrs. Green

Ceremony

Our Ceremony

OPENING REMARKS/CALL TO WORSHIP

Good evening everyone! You can go ahead and take a seat.

Here we meet to celebrate not the beginning of a relationship - but the continuation of one.

A single moment in what will become two lifetimes, joyously intertwined.

Love brought Stacy and Doug here... and that love has brought each of you here to witness their union.

This is one moment in time. We will enjoy it as it happens, and treasure it once it has passed.

To this sacred moment Doug and Stacy bring a lot with them as individuals. They bring their gifts, talents and unique personalities. They bring the dreams which make them who they are – but at the same time – the ones that bind them together in an eternal commitment. Most importantly they bring with them the spirits which God will unite together into one being as they build their life together.

As you are looking around at the wedding party that stands beside each of them - you may notice things look a little bit different. You see guys that are listed as Doug’s groomsmen standing next to Stacy and ladies listed as Stacy’s bridesmaids next to Doug.

The couple chose this placement to signify the theme of this day – that "Two become One". Doug's friends now become just as much Stacy's support system as they are Doug's....and Stacy's friends will be there for Doug just as they are his bride.

If you have ever talked to Doug or Stacy in any length – then you know that their meeting was certainly a fate chance. But you don’t have to know their back story at all to know that they were put on this earth to be together. They really are the definition of soul mates.

Let us rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord for creating this union of hearts, built on friendship, respect and love.

OPENING PRAYER

Our Heavenly Father .... We who are gathered here, ask that you would take this couple into your hands. Help them lord, to keep firm in the commitments they are about to make. Guide them as they become a family and as they each change through the years. May they be flexible as they are faithful. And Lord help us to all be your hands if there ever be a need.

In Jesus name we pray - Amen.

GIVING AWAY OF THE COUPLE:

At this time we would like to ask Stacy and Doug’s parents to please stand.

((parents stand))

As Stacy and Doug's union brings together two different roots, it is their hope to plant a new family tree that will grow and flourish. Theirs is a personal choice and decision for which they are responsible in undertaking. Yet their life is and always will be enriched with the support of the families from which each comes.

"Will you Sue Bray and Bill McCloud and you Joy and Ben Hadden encourage Stacy and Doug in their marriage. Will you celebrate with them the decision they have made to choose each other and will you continue to stand beside them and pray for them with each passing year"?

PARENTS SAY IN UNISON: "We Will"

You may be seated.

THE CHARGE

In an typical ceremony this is the time the officiant would address the couple. Tell them what marriage is, what the vows they are about to make mean. Maybe I would tell a story about the couple and the love they share. But you see... love is the only subject that can never be taught. Love is like the wind or the Holy Spirit. You can't see it. You just know it's there. You can feel the effects of it. But only the people in it can understand the depth of what it really means.

Doug and Stacy know why they are here today. They understand the commitment they are making to each other. So instead of me telling you all what love and marriage is - Doug and Stacy have chosen to share with you the story of two people that many years ago - on this same date april 22nd - were joined together as one. They first heard the story of Danny and Annie about a year ago and never thought of it again until Stacy was writing the ceremony you hear today. Now, for many reasons, they want to share this couples story wtih you - because to them their story is what it means to marry the one that you love. After the first recording this couple made, as you will hear - Danny becomes very sick. As you are about to discover, the love they shared, the same love shared by Stacy and Doug, not only withstood the hardship of sicknesss, but blossomed and grew even in Danny's final days. To Doug and Stacy they are the epitimy of for Richer or poorer .. in good times and in bad .. in sickness and in health.

( PLAY DANNY AND ANNIE)

Stacy and Doug put a link in your program so that you can hear the story of Danny and Annie again from home. It's their hope that their marriage be just as plentiful and beautiful.

THE PLEDGE - (VOWS)

*writing own vows*

RINGS

May I please have the rings (to Rod)

(holding up rings) These are the rings that Stacy and Doug will wear for the rest of their lives.They express the love that they have for one another.

Doug and Stacy - The hand you freely give to each other, is both the strongest and the most tender part of your body. In the years ahead you will need both strength and tenderness. Be firm in your commitment. Don't let your grip become weak. And yet, be flexible as you go through change. Don't let your hold become intolerable.

Doug as you place this ring on Stacy's finger repeat after me.

"WITH THIS RING I THE WED. TAKE IT AND WEAR IT AS A PLEDGE OF MY LOVE, FIDELITY AND SYMBOL OF ALL WE SHARE"

(Doug Repeats)

Stacy as you place this ring on Doug's finger repeat after me.

"WITH THIS RING I THE WED. TAKE IT AND WEAR IT AS A PLEDGE OF MY LOVE, FIDELITY AND SYMBOL OF ALL WE SHARE"

(Stacy Repeats)

In addition to these rings, Stacy and Doug have decided that they will have permanent marks signifying their commitment to each other. Each is going to have a skelton key tattooed on their ribs .. reminding them of "The Key To Love".

(THIS WILL BE READ BY MY FRIEND CHASTITY)

The key to love is understanding …

The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,

but those unspoken gestures,

the little things that say so much by themselves.

The key to love is forgiveness ….

to accept each others faults and pardon mistakes,

without forgetting, but with rememberingwhat you learn from them.

The key to love is sharing …

Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;

both conquering problems, forever searching for ways to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving … without thought of return, but with the hope of just a simple smile,

and by giving in but never giving up.

The key to love is respect … realizing that you are two separate people,

with different ideas; that you don’t belong to each other, that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all …

It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients that will take you to its threshold;

it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work … but the rewards are more than worth the effort …

and that is the key to love.

FINAL PRAYER

Kyle prays

Nikki Williams sings "Answered Prayer"

The Pronouncement

Now that Stacy and Doug have given themselves to each other by the promises they have exchanged,

I am honored as their friend and officiant to pronounce them husband and wife.

(start exit music)

The Kiss

Doug, kiss your wifey!!!

(face guests)

Ladies and Gentleman - Mr & Mrs Doug Green!

***** Note*****

We did get those tattoos! One of Doug's best friends and groomsmen is a very talented tattoo artist in Franklin (Will Bledsoe at Lone Wolf). So of course we had him do them!! We didn't do them exactly as we planned. I went against the ribs and did a larger piece on my hip. The bird is in memory of my granny. She loves blue birds. The bird has the our key in it's mouth ... carrying it to the lock that Doug got in addition to his key (he did go for the ribs). They are forever on us .. they mark us with purpose .. these tattoos will always remind us of that day and the words that my dear friend Chas said ... The Key To Love :)

Looking Back: The Morning of "I Do" & Other Details

2014-04-22T10:02:00.001-07:00

Good Morning ...

Two years ago today I woke up to my heard pounding ... in a good way :) I was hours away from marrying the man that God crafted just for me!!!!! What an exciting feeling!!!!

Just as I journaled before I fell asleep the night before (and snapped this screen shot above) .. I journaled as soon as I woke up. Here is what I wrote:

I woke up this morning with such a clear mind. No nerves. No stress. No regrets. Nothing but pure joy. I think I even have a few butterflies. The same ones I used to get when Doug would pull into my driveway when we first started dating. The same ones I stil feel from time to time when I walk in the door and Doug is standing in our kitchen making me dinner ;-)
My life isn't really changing much today. It's a piece of paper - I know. But it is. Today I make the mos beautiful commitment to the most beautiful man I have ever known.
As I sit here alone in my thoughts with a few of my best girls upstairs....I could not be more over joyed. I'm actually shedding a few tears!

Today is going to be the best day of my life.

And .. that .. it was :) The most best day of my life!!

Before heading to the venue to get ready (Thank you to the William Edge team), my girls and I went to a really neat local place called The Pfunky Griddle. I bought all my girls matching monogramed "men's button ups" to wear the day of! Mine said ... what else ... "Wifey" :) They I went to Starbucks. I was so excited to ask them to write "The Bride" instead of "Stacy" on my cup, lol! Can you believe they didn't give me my coffee free btw .. whhaaaaaat!? HaHa

As with every wedding ... Nothing wen't "perfect" that day. The venue still wasn't finished (see my first blog), my skin decided to freak out - literally WHILE my make up artist Katje was putting on my make up .. it was like .. hey where did this little guy (bump) come from, haha ... AND then there were things that I didn't even know about. My sweet husband kept (at least) two HUGE things from me until after the wedding so I wouldn't stress out. Good husband, haha :) We were both able to get ready for our big day semi stress free :)

I know people say it all the time .. but it is so true. At the end of the day all that mattered was that I became Mrs. Stacy Green. Regardless .. so much beauty surrounded us. So much LOVE!
I had my parents there. BOTH of them. I had family come into town from all over. So did Doug.

I the most gorgeous dress by the fabulous designer Olia Zavozina.

I had the most perfect Jimmy Choo wedding shoes ... given to me as a gift by my "Man of Honor".

My bouquet was made up of gorgeous bling given to me by friends and family. There were even pieces of jewelry from both mine and Doug's late grandmothers.

We had my niece Bella and Doug's niece Bri as our other flower girls. And Doug's niece Tasia and our sweet little fur child Stella as .... The Keepers of the Rings :) We decided instead of a pillow ... to tie our bands with twine around Doug's family Bible :)

I had all my best girls (and guy) by my side and Doug had his.
One neat note about that. You will see more about it when I post our Ceremony. But we did something very different. Instead of having all my girls stand beside me and all Doug's guy stand beside him ... we mixed it up. Again .. going with the theme of "Two Become One". My friends are his and his friends are mine. It was so perfect. So us.

A few raindrops fell just before our guests arrived. Someone told me that was good luck. As I gazed out the window ... I imagined it was our loved ones in heaven .. shedding happy tears .. celebrating that we found each other. Rejoicing that we were both so happy.

Speaking of them. We had an entire bookcase of pictures/poem dedicated to our loved ones that couldn't be there with us. Immediately after the ceremony Doug and I went there and had a moment with them.

Our entire wedding video is way too long and personal to post. But I do want to share it with you in some capacity. That is why I'm doing this. Later today I am going to post the verbatim of our Ceremony that I took months crafting from deep down in my little heart. You won't get the same feel as hearing it .. but hopefully you can take your mind there as you read it. We also plan to post our vows that we both wrote to each other and hopefully our music if I can get it all uploaded correctly! But right now .. I'll just share this. Our wedding video. I'm sure you have seen it before. Those of you reading this are probably our friends & most faithful followers. But I don't know about you .. I could watch it again and again.

CLICK HERE if you are on a smart phone or tablet and the video is not popping up!

XoXo,
Stacy

Looking Back: The last kiss, the reveal, man tears & a naked sushi girl?!

2014-04-21T21:38:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone ...

Earlier I posted about our wedding eve :) Since THIS is what was happening pretty much exactly this same time 2 years ago .. I wanted to post our "final kiss" before the big day!

My friend Kari was in the car waiting on me to say "good bye" to Doug (Several of my girls stayed at the house with me. Doug stayed in our honeymoon suite). We were standing in front of the car and she snapped this picture. Our final embrace before our wedding day.

I went home that night. Had a little wine with my friends and tried to sleep. My friend Shelly slept downstairs with me. I wrote a journal entry before I fell asleep. I wanted to remember what I was thinking. I actually blogged about it. You can click here to see that. Also make sure and look at some of my older blogs! I've blogged off & on here about our marriage/life :)

Okay. Back on subject. While this may have been our last kiss before our wedding day ..this wasn't our final embrace before "I Do". Doug and I decided to see each other before the ceremony. We went back and forth on this. Sure there is something magical about everyone watching you see each other for the first time. But everything about this day was going to be magical no matter what. So we decided it was more important to have a little time together before the "ceremony". But we didn't want to do it totally alone. So we lined up our family, wedding party and special friends on each side of the aisle. Doug's back was to me as I walked down. I tapped him on the shoulder ... and he turned to see his bride :) It was such a special/intimate moment. You can actually watch most of the reveal in our wedding video HERE :)

For those of you pondering what to do. It honestly didn't change the emotion .. the butterflies .. the excitement of seeing each other as everyone stood and I walked down the aisle. This not only made it more special for us. It was more intimate for those that meant the mot to us (and a great photo pop too, lol). Afterwards .. Doug and I went off to a side room together for some alone time. Honestly .. I don't remember what we said to each other. Doug is better at remembering those things than me. Maybe he can comment and chime in. But I do remember the way I felt. I remember feeling so at ease. Everything felt so "right". It was so calming to know there wasn't a single "doubt" coming from either of us. I was just ... so happy. Our photographer was allowed to be in the room with us. I'm sure glad he did. Yes .. my sweet Doug is crying :)

Since we had most of our photos taken then...it also allowed us to get to our cocktail hour quicker. And yes ... the talk is true. We did have a "naked" sushi girl as the centerpiece of the room!!! Why? Ummm, why NOT?! Our dear friend Gori created her as our wedding present. Pictures just can't do it justice. It was so bad a$$!!!

We wanted the cocktail hour to be more of a concert/party. We had several of our VERY talented friends perform a song of their choice. Nothing sad or sappy. Fun stuff! We asked everyone to kinda just leave us alone and let us enjoy! Afterwards (for a present for Doug) I had all the songs from both the wedding and the cocktail hour put onto a CD so we could listen to it anytime! I called it STOUG: Live at the Nuptials. I'm working on sharing all that with you tomorrow!! Can't wait for you to hear our talented friends!!

XoXo,
Mrs. Green

Looking Back: The story of Danny & Annie

2014-04-21T17:57:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone ...

As I continue to look back at our big day ... so many things cross my mind. But one of the things people talk about the most was the "recording" played during our ceremony.

We were very torn when it came to a "sermon". We are both Christians, we both love God, we both love to worship him .. but we weren't sure about how we felt about a true sermon being in the middle of our wedding ceremony. We both know pastors, we both grew up in church with pastors, have visited churches, etc, but we were not set on one pastor in particular. We didn't feel like anyone knew US as a couple enough to marry us and we felt very strong that the person that married us needed to know US. So after much thought we decided to have one of our dear friends marry us. He is a Christian man, he knows us and knows our love. Kyle was the perfect fit for us. He was totally down to do anything we wanted. I thought about it over and over. We just wanted something that told a story of TRUE love and what we feel love really is. What really defines "For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health". One night while I was falling asleep ... it hit me.

Danny & Annie.

I'm not sure how long before that night that it was that I first heard the story of Danny & Annie. It was at least a year...maybe more. My friend Sully sent it to me and I bawled my eyes out! For whatever reason at that particular moment .. half asleep .. that clip he sent to me entered my mind. I couldn't even remember their names. But I remembered their story. I knew I had to hear it .. right then! So .. at like 3am I went on a mission to find it. When I finally did and I listened/watched it ... not only did I realize it was perfect ... within the "recording" there was a sign that this WAS meant to be in our wedding. As you will read/see/hear ... the couple in the recording got married on the SAME DAY that Doug and I were going to be getting married .. April 22nd!!!! This was it. It was a sign. The story of Danny & Annie was somehow going to be our sermon.

The only challenge was the recording needed to be pretty much as it was. There is a video that was made to go with it (that is the link I"m giving you all to watch). We couldn't show it during the ceremony and Kyle couldn't read it because it HAD to be the recording of them .. It had to be Danny & Annie's voices. So I had my co-worker Andy save the youtube clip as an audio recording. But we didn't play the ENTIRE clip. First of all .. it was too long and second there are parts of it that were just a little TOO depressing (You will see what I mean). So we cut out some parts.. spliced together the beginning and then added most of the end ... and there it was ... the story of Danny & Annie. THAT would be our "sermon".

Below is the link to the ENTIRE clip on YouTube. Grab lots of tissue and imagine the audio of (most) of this being played at a wedding ceremony. Was it different? Sure. Did I wonder what people would think? Yes. Did I care ... no. It was meant to be. It was so us. It was so perfect.

Leading into the "sermon" (sometimes known as The Charge) .. here is what I wrote for our friend/officiant Kyle to say (I'll be posting our entire wedding ceremony that I wrote at a later time)....

KYLE Says:

Doug and Stacy know why they are here today. They understand the commitment they are making to each other. So instead of me telling you all what love and marriage is - Doug and Stacy have chosen to share with you the story of two people that many years ago - on this same date of April 22nd - were joined together as one. They first heard the story of Danny and Annie about a year ago and never thought of it again until Stacy was writing the ceremony you hear today. Now, for many reasons, they want to share this couples story wtih you - because to them their story is what it means to marry the one that you love. After the first recording this couple made, as you will hear - Danny becomes very sick. As you are about to discover, the love they shared, the same love shared by Stacy and Doug, not only withstood the hardship of sicknesss, but blossomed and grew even in Danny's final days. To Doug and Stacy they are the epitimy of for richer or poorer .. in good times and in bad .. in sickness and in health.

For any mobile/ipad users having trouble seeing the video try CLICKING HERE!

Make sure you watched it before you continue reading ..... Okay ... are you still crying?!?! Told ya it was a tear jerker!!! Okay .. so here is something else that is really ironic. Hopefully you were paying attention in the video. Remember the part where she talked about being torn on who would walk her down the isle at the wedding. Well .. before I listened to this I was torn on if my dad would walk me down the isle or if I would walk down alone. Not because I don't love my dad .. but just because I like what walking alone stands for (again .. we aren't traditional and if you know me you know I am a VERY independent person). I thought about walking half way and having Doug meet me in the middle and walk me down the rest of the way. After all .. this was OUR journey. A journey where TWO become ONE. Not to mention that was the entire "motto/theme" of our wedding. From our invites (below), to our hatch print poster people could take home, etc. Two Become One. (One was also the name of our venue).

SO when I heard that particular potion of Danny & Annie .. it was like .. yes, yes, yes .. it's another sign. So that is what we did. I walked half way down and Doug met me and walked me down the rest of the way. We walked in together .. we walked out together and just like Danny and Annie .. one day when God decides it's the end .. that is what we will do.

This my friends is love. This is what I want for Doug and I. This is the love I hope for all of you.

XoXo
Mrs. Green

Looking Back: Not Your Ordinary Wedding Day

2014-04-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Doug and I both had rough starts to love. He was once in a miserable/toxic marriage. I was once in a miserable/toxic marriage. We both had very bad experiences with "love". But that is because we never really knew love. Not until each other. I know without a shadow of a doubt that he was the man God put on this earth for me to be with. He always was. He always has been. He always will be. My soul mate.

Two years today I was in the middle of the most magical whirlwind of emotion. I was 24 hours away from finally marrying the man of my dreams.

We decided not to do a fancy rehearsal dinner. It may be "southern" .. but that just isn't us. We had our rehearsal at the event space and then my wedding party and our families just took over a locally owned pizza place in East Nashville that has the best Gluten Free Pizza in Nashville. Then went to (what was) my husbands nightclub Mai. We all just hung out in VIP, had a few drinks and enjoyed each others company. It was .. perfect.

Nothing about our wedding was really "normal" in the traditional sense. Which made the entire process FUN .. not stressful. Okay a little stressful. But not because of the "wedding" or "planning". Ya see...our venue was brand new and not finished. In fact we were told we would have to change venues like 3 days before our big day. Yeaaaaa .. that didn't go over ver well. Let's just say we got married .. where we planned :) After the wedding I found out not everything WENT as planned. A photographer left early, our photo booth wasn't ANYTHING like what I wanted it to be, a DJ cancelled, our entire main menu had to be "altered" last moment, I lost a material item VERY precious to me, I also lost a BORROWED earring. I don't wanna think about all the hiccups...it makes me sick. haha. BUT no one knew and it is still to this day being talked about as the best wedding anyone has ever went to :) But it wasn't the "stuff" that made our wedding cool. It was the attention to detail that we put into everything so that it showcased just how much Doug and I really love each other. This was truly a CELEBRATION of love. Not some uppity wedding ceremony.

I wanted to do this "look back" for our one year anniversary but didn't get around to it. So this year I am. Over the next few hours, days, maybe even all week .. I'm going to post things about our wedding. For those of you that were there you can kinda relive it .. for those that were not .. you get to be part of some very personal moments of our very special day. From a ceremony I spent months writing myself, to vows we each wrote to one another, a "naked" sushi girl, EDM songs recomposed to be more "wedding like", our talented friends literally putting on a CONCERT for friends and more...I want to share it with you all.

First up ... remember how I said I paid attention to detail? Remember how I said nothing was "normal"?! Well that went for our programs too. I hate wedding programs. They are expensive, overall useless and end up in the trash. If we were going to have them .. they were going to serve a purpose. So we made little mini newspapers .. four pages of all the details of our big day written like newspaper articles! We of course were the lead story! Other stories included who made my cake, who designed my dress, who did my hair and make up, the celebrities that were expected to perform, the unique music (which is going to be it's own blog) and more! I called them the Music City Beat Wedding Edition because at the time I worked for Fox Nashville and my nightly entertainment segment was called "The Music City Beat".

The back of the program had "This Day In History", "Today's Horoscope" (Which was "Love is in the air") as well as an "Advice Column". I had everyone in our wedding party, as well as our moms and my (then) 6 year old niece write up marriage advice. Since it's hard to see in the pictures. I'm going to write out what everyones said :) This was my favorite part!!! They came in handy considering out wedding started like 45 min late. Apparently our valet line was backed way up .. well that and the drama of the day! Luckily we had plenty of alcohol! So we just had people gather in what was set up to be our "Cocktail Hour" space :) Since you wouldn't be able to read it in a picture. Here is the "advice" ... ENJOY!!! It's a good laugh!!

Advice Column

Today's Topic: Building a love that lasts

Given By: The Wedding Party

* "Love til it hurts, even when you drive one another crazy. Fight til you can't anymore, then make up til you can't anymore. Everyday isn't going to be a honeymoon.. However, that doesn't mean the every night can't be" Shelly Hartley

* "My grandfather always said the secret to their long marriage was two words: "yes dear". Jim O'Shea

* "Remember that at the end of the day it's Doug and Stacy versus the world. Your power as one can conquer the world." Stephanie Langston

* "Listen to each other. Share your feelings. Be kind & loving with your responses & always remember how special you each are & how together you are amazing. It is work to keep love alive but so well worth it!" Mama Joy

* "You can get mad at each other at times. That's normal. You can get frustrated with each other at times. That's normal. But always choose your words carefully, and filter them through the resounding truth that life is just too damn hard to face without them. That's not normal. That's love." Sully

* "Listen attentively, speak softly, love deeply, forgive freely and always remember that it's the little things that matter most." Melissa Fleming

* "Do you want to be happy or right? As long as she thinks that she's right you'll be happy." Rod Youree

* "Protect your marriage. Actively have your spouse's happiness as your number one priority. Also dance alot. " Jeremy Todd

* "Be patient and always talk things through, good and bad" Your decisions together will make you closer, because they are your decisions as a couple." Josh Collins

* "Be spontaneous and every once in a while, do something a little crazy. I think its easy to get into a routine and take for granted the time you spend together, but doing fun and random things every once in a while keeps things exciting and reminds you to appreciate and cherish both your love and friendship" Ak Savaria

* Say "I love you" everyday and never go to bed mad!" Kari Branum

* "I'm not necessarily the best authority on relationships, but when they have worked for me it has been because of four ideals. Honesty. Respect. Honor. And, Love" Will Bledsoe

* " Heaven grew you apart and brought you together after the time you were meant to be molded to fit each other. Remember who's you are, you're God's" Mama Sue

* "In all moments, from pure happiness to trying times, remember to stop and see how much beauty there is within the entity of your love for each other - despite everything else in the world." Laura Sweeney

* "The way you know who loves you is who will pick you up and hug you when you fall down" Bella Fleming (age 6)

Stay tuned as I reflect back on the most blessed day of my life :)

XoXo,
Mrs. Green

* All Wedding details were created with love by me and my husband. Feel free to get ideas for your big day. But don't rip of my stuff as your own (Yes .. people really go to sites and steal other peoples personally written vows, etc., and make them their own). Come up with your words, thoughts, ideas. Don't steal mine, ha *

The best part of waking up ....

2014-02-06T09:56:00.002-08:00

..... Is coffee and looking over and seeing my sweet husband by my side :)

Hey Friends ...

As I was scrolling my Facebook newsfeed the other day I saw someone (probably sarcastically) ask "who in the world has a perfect marriage. Please tell me and include all your tips"

I've been thinking about that, because while my husband and I have our down moments, our life together is pretty perfect overall. There are lots of reasons "why" ... maybe I'll blog about one every day next week leading up to VDay - but I saw this quote today and it is so true and it is so true ... especially since the hubs and I love our coffee :) haha. I'm enjoying my morning cup in my fancy Starbucks mug my sweet friend Faith got me.

Read it. Live it. Share it if you feel led :) Oh and comment with your fave marriage tips/advice! Can never have too much!

“Being in a long marriage is a little bit like that nice cup of coffee every morning – I might have it every day, but I still enjoy it.”

Xo,

Mrs. Green

Meat Crust "Healthy Pizza"

2014-01-24T22:45:00.001-08:00

Hello All ..

Instead of just posting them on one, I am really bad about posting some food posts here and then also some food posts on my other blog - - The only reason I bought both url's is because I liked the names .. haha. So neither one have real direction or that many posts. Many of the ones on here are old rants. So maybe this will be useful!

It's a Friday night. I was home by 5pm and in my PJ's .. craving PIZZA!! I try to eat clean unless it's a cheat meal and I'm saving that for Saturday .. so we googled several different healthy pizzas and came up with this one! I've tried cauliflower pizza and it's "okay" and I really like making pizza on brown rice tortillas. But this one had much more nutritional value .. so we gave it a try!

Since my husband is the real "chef" - I'll post this one on here :) But since it's a simple recipe and my other blog is all about keeping life simple - i posted it on both!

* for us this was enough for two people*

INGREDIENTS
One pound LEAN ground turkey
2 tbs all natural chunky salsa
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup Oats
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Oregano
1 tsp Paprika
1/3 tsp Basil (we forgot this and it tasted fine)
All natural - low cal - pizza sauce (to your liking)
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese & Low Fat Mozzarella (enough to cover)

TOPPINGS
We used turkey pepperoni. You can also use veggies, turkey bacon, any toppings you like. Also adjust the spices above to whatever you want on a pizza :)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350
Spray baking ban with non stick spray
In a bowl combine meat, oats, spices, salsa, egg whites
Roll out meat onto greased pan. TIP - roll out the meat thinner. We did ours thick and the edge was the best part! So it's obviously better "thin"
Bake for about 25 min
Take out and add your pizza sauce, toppings and cheese - bake another 10 min!

It was really good! Made about 6 "Pieces" of pizza. Certainly fulfilled my pizza craving!!

Enjoy fit fam!!

XoXo
Stacy

A Good Healthy Monday To Ya - Oatmeal Breakfast Bites

2014-01-13T09:04:00.003-08:00

Hello Strangers....

Yea, yea, yea. I know. I never write on here. I have another personal blog I never write on either. Soon I'll be getting a work blog and I WILL be writing there. One out of three won't be bad :)

I want to write more on here. I just always feel I never have anything worth writing about!

Today however - I made some really good muffins for my new work fam (I got a new job this year).

They are Healthy Gluten Free Oatmeal Bites. I thought they were great! I hope you enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 ripe banana (mashed)
1/4 cup honey (*i didn't have enough so I added one pkt of stevia to a little bit of honey*)
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
2 1/2 cups oats (I use regular oats because I don't get sick with them. If you have Celaic or are GF and do .. just use GF Oats)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp chia seeds (I buy Organic Nutiva)

Toppings of your choice. (I used dark chocolate chips .. 4 to be exact. 2 inside. 2 outside)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl: egg, vanilla, applesauce, banana, honey, milk.
Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, chia seeds.
Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Line muffin pan with paper liners
Spoon mixture into the cups so that they are a 1/3 full. Add a few toppings then cover completely with more of the mixture. Add more toppings to the top of each muffin.
This mixture made 12 full muffins.

Bake 20-25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).

Cookies In Bed

2013-05-22T01:20:00.001-07:00

Hey ya'll,

I made me and the hubs some amazing protein filled bedtime cookies that won't make you fill the least bit guilty, yes even right before bed! It's actually a myth that you should starve yourself before bedtime, especially if you are properly exercising your muscles! You just need to eat the RIGHT food! These also would be great post workout treats! They were delicious!

Mix Dry Ingredients:

*1 scoop Chocolate Casein Protein (I use Designer Whey)
*1/2 cup PB2. I mixed half regular and half chocolate.
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*1 cup oats
*2 pkgs Splenda

Add Wet Ingredients:

* 1 small tbs coconut oil
* Roughly 3 heaping tbs of Vanilla Greek Yogurt. I use yoplait because its lowest in sugar and high protein.
* 1/4 cup egg whites
* Couple drops vanilla extract

Mix well. Spoon onto non stick cookie sheet and bake 20-25min at 325. However our oven messed up last night and will only broil. So we broiled at 350 for about 15min.

Made about 9-11 small cookies. Unsure on nutrition count because I didn't calculate. But it would be easy to add up. Regardless they are made up of good fats/proteins/carbs! Enjoy!

Today I thank God - For Unanswered Prayers.

2013-04-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

There wouldn't be a "Good Wifey" blog if it weren't for this very day five years ago.

On 4/4/08 - the weather was pretty much exactly as it is today. Rainy, a little chilly and gloomy. The only difference is that 5 years ago, my attitude matched the weather, haha. I had just recently ended a horrible marriage and didn't want to meet anyone. I was literally trapped in a relationship with a man that I did not love and was even scared of at times. Well, I shouldn't say that I never loved my ex. I'm sure at one time there was some sort of love, but overall I loved him in the way a little girl loves a lost puppy dog. I wanted to help him - but couldn't - and in the process I lost who I was. I was alone almost all the time. Even when we were together. So I'm not sure why I was SO adamant about being "alone" after my marriage ended, but I was. I prayed that God would allow me to one day experience love, but never expected it to come so soon.

I was having margaritas and mexican food with a few friends from work and swearing off going out or dating for 3 months. That's when my friend (who did some PR work for a new bar where I lived) asked me to run with her to work really fast. In a t-shirt and hat .. I said NO WAY am I going out tonight. She convinced me that it wasn't out. That it was 10pm and the bar had just opened and that we would be "in and out". So I went with her.

She was taking a little bit of time, so I decided to order a drink while I waited. I wasn't driving - so why not!! That's when I laid eyes on him. I instantly thought to myself - who in the world is this hot guy and why have I never seen him in my city?! I ordered my drink (which he gave me for free, ha) and went straight to my friend that managed the bar and said ... "He needs to know who I am". HaHa. A bold move for someone who was dead set on NOT meeting anyone, right?! Maybe it was the margaritas talking or maybe it was fate stepping in and taking over - I think the latter.

My friend introduced us and we literally talked ALL NIGHT. Luckily the bar was slow that night and he was allowed to leave early. We went to waffle house and literally talked and talked and talked until the sun came up! Come to find out, this guy didn't live in Knoxville, he lived in Nashville and was here working/helping a friend open a new bar. He was in grad school and this was his job while he was finishing school. We shared so much in common. He too had just gone through a divorce. It was like I had someone to vent with that "got it". For weeks we talked on the phone for HOURS. We looked forward to seeing each other on weekends, but that is really where I hoped it would stay.

Long story short - that weekend relationship/friendship grew. I fell so hard and experienced a love like I never knew was possible. That is because .. it was real. I had never experienced REAL love until I met him. God sent me my soul mate that day. I have NO idea why, but I certainly don't question anything now. I thank Him everyday for this gift. I know that so many people never get to feel what we do. It doesn't hurt that on that day - I also met THREE of my now best friends :) I had also prayed that God take away all the bad in my life. It's funny .. I lost a few "friends" .. but I gained those three. I love you Shelly, Kari and Rod!

In just a few weeks we will celebrate our ONE year wedding anniversary. Please stay tuned to this blog - I plan on posting some very special things associated with that day. I wrote our ceremony - I plan to post the verbatim. We wrote our own vows - I plan to post those too. God gave us a beautiful gift and I am proud to share it with the world!! My message to all of you on this day is DO NOT SETTLE! I'm not saying relationships/marriage don't take some work, but if it becomes a JOB, if it takes all your energy, if you find yourself unhappy more often than not, if you wake up, roll over and don't smile because you are perfectly content/happy/thrilled at the person laying beside you - then please rethink where you are and what you are doing. Life is TOO SHORT to not feel what I now feel. You will never know what is out there, the person you are MEANT to be with, if you stay in a miserable relationship out of guilt or habit.

To my sweet Doug.....5 years ago God sent me an angel. He had me cross paths with someone that would make my world a better place. Someone that would change my heart, my outlook on life/love and years later become my husband. I certainly didn't want to fall in love with you - but on 4/4/08 - God had other plans for both of us. I met my best friend and slowly and hesitantly I let you in my heart. I am so gald that I did. I love you. Thank you for making me a better person.

XoXo
Mrs. Green

Marriage Material

2013-01-11T00:31:00.001-08:00

Hey all ...

With every year comes resolutions. Other than weight loss, the one that fills my social media feed is - "This year I will "stop dating jerks" or "this year I will find a boyfriend".

Guys .. gals .. its simple. Here is my advice on picking a man as perfect as God can make them.

DON'T MARRY A MAN UNLESS YOU WOULD BE PROUD TO HAVE A SON *EXACTLY* LIKE HIM.

Now that gives ya something to think about. Doesn't it?!

Don't ignore red flags!!!!! They are waved at ya for a reason ladies (and gents).

Xoxo
Mrs Green

Settling

2012-12-01T20:51:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone,

We got so much done the first three weeks we moved in to our new house that I don't feel one bit guilty that things are basically at a stand still now!

We did get the wall to our music nook done. I am in love!!! I used hatch prints, show and theatre posters from things I have covered in my career or artists I have done a lot with. Still have a couple blank spaces to fill soon,
but I love how it turned out!! I love that my grandmas antique piano is displayed so gorgeously instead of stuck in a storage facility collecting dust!

Can't wait to do the other walls with other special stuff! Like pics with celebs, hand written lyrics and more!

What do you think? Cool - huh?

XoXo
Mrs Green

Fall Fun

2012-10-28T23:20:00.001-07:00

Hey,

Despite the CRAZY schedules we have had lately, the hubs and I have done some sort of "Family Fall Fun" both last weekend and this weekend!

Last Sunday we enjoyed a pup friendly patio dinner at Alegria Mexican Restaurant and then went to a pumpkin patch with our little pumpkin! Yes we are both in T-shirts!! It's crazy that it was so warm outside that wearing jeans made us hot! And yes Stella is wearing a cute lil pumpkin dress - courtesy of her Nana Joy Joy - a gift from her Birthday Party!!

This Sunday we were gonna do the haunted house thing, but its freezing outside (typical Tennessee weather) and so we decided to stay in next to our fireplace and make our award winning chili (we won a cook off last year) and carve our pumpkins! I wish we had cameras on us sometimes. It was funny. The hubs wanted to do everything freehand. I would rather not be so ancient and use a template. Me + "carving" a pumpkin just don't mix! But since the hubs is actually quite the artist, he won. Obviously his is the skeleton and mine and Stella's is the little paw. My pumpkin is so little that you can see the candle a little too much. Booo!

Stella didn't help much. She slept 99% of the time and then got up long enough to try and eat all the pumpkin we scooped out! HaHa! Had I been thinking I would have put her in her little skeleton sweater! But she wore it yesterday :)

Halloween is on Wednesday this year and I may be working an early shift. If so, we may actually hand out candy together for the FIRST time! We've always had to work or lived in a loft in years past! Our new house is in a nice neighborhood, in an area that I would expect to be pretty high traffic with trick or treaters.

Handing out candy is one of my FAVORITE memories growing up. Walking into my Granny's house after school and smelling the fresh popcorn she spent ALL DAY popping and bagging into little paper halloween bags. I can still smell it, still see her smile, still hear her complaining about how much work it was and how she "wasn't going to do it next year" (but always did), I can still see the silver mixing bowls she separated the candy into and sat next to the door. She always told me to make sure and give the older kids (that were too old and shouldn't be trick or treating) a piece of gum or smarties and save the "good stuff" for the little ones. Haha!

Oh how I miss her and her heart so full of love. She couldn't afford to buy all that candy, but did every year.
I also miss that time. When parents could trust a stranger handing their child freshly cooked homemade popcorn :-(

Here is to memories and the "good ole days"!! Happy Halloween from The Green's :)

XoXo
Mrs. Green

It's A Dog's Life ....

2012-10-26T02:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

If you saw my post last week then you know our little girls first birthday party got ~~rained~~ out. Despite my frustration with the inaccurate forecast that called for severe weather (it didn't rain - not even a drop) we couldn't have asked for a better date to re-schedule!! It was seriously the PERFECT fall day! A little windy, but upper 60's and sunny!

Some people probably think I'm crazy for going "all out" for a dog, but the hubs and I aren't sure if we ever want kids, so this may be the only "1st Birthday" we ever throw. Actually I know I'm totally not crazy. For a while now the market for dog anything has been huge!! I mean, my dogs tutu dress she wore in our wedding cost just as much (if not more) than my bridesmaids dresses! We have several places to choose from in town that make doggie baked goods - the one I went to - that is ALL they do! There are thousands of websites, etsy pages and locals that dedicate their designs - totally to dogs!! Our favorite at the time is Baxter Boo! You can find great coupon codes online and if you sign up for emails you get all kinds of deals sent to you! However, I will say her Pawdicures, like the one she got for her party, are cheaper than mine! Only 5 bucks at Petsmart :)

For the party, I knew I wanted to have an overall "Dog" theme going on. I was torn between pink and red and sassy or sweet. I ended up going with a little splash of both. I used several shades of pink and mixed some animal print in with princess themed items - it was a huge hit! To keep with the dog theme, we had everything from a "hot DOG bar", to snacks labeled "puppy chow - DIG in" and a spiked human punch named "Toilet Water!! I tried to think about every detail without being too obsessive and overboard (Yes .. I wanted to do even more).
Here are a few more pictures! I hope you enjoy, ~~steal~~ pin some of these ideas and pamper your pooch on his/her big day too!!

FOOD
Using very simple decor (an 8 foot table draped with a simple plastic table cloth and pink zebra print balloons) I pulled off a cute little "dog themed" food set up. A Hot Dog Bar being the main "food" item, followed by Rawhides & Cheese (Mac & Cheese) and Puppy Chow (Chips and Dip)! Each food item had a dog theme name and was marked with home made signs. The signs were made using really think glitter paper, pink sticky notes and a pink sharpie. I would recommend using tent cards (or folding card stock), pre-cut labels you can print on and your computer. Unless you have a steady hand, paper cutter great handwriting and lots of time - it would just be "neater". That is what I wanted to do, but we moved into our new house 3 weeks before this party and didn't have our printer hooked up yet. I did the best I could on several lunch breaks at work!

One end was for the humans and the other for the VIP's (Very Important Pups). The VIP end had a bowl of Stella's Favorite Snacks and special dog friendly pupcakes made at the dog bakery mentioned above. There was one for each guest and one big one for the b-day girl! To put emphasis on the Stella's cupcake - I put it in a cheap silver dog dish! The display was a cake stand I already owned.

DRINKS AND SWEETS
The adults had their own "pupcakes". I ordered them in pink and white from our local Kroger (by the way everyone said they were better than a certain designer cupcake joint in town). To give them a little something, I then added some little princess themed toppers I found at a craft store and put a baby pic of Stella on pre-made card stock that said ""

Erika & Aaron enjoying cupcakes!

My favorite part about this was the cupcake display! Instead of buying one of those cheap looking cupcake towers for 20 bucks or more - I bought some cute wrapping paper and wrapped one medium shoebox and one printer paper box lid and - - voila! You could add as many layers to this as you want to make it even more grand! All for less than 4 bucks!

We decided to give the human punch a kick and a name! To go with the theme, we named the UV Vodka based punch - "Toilet Water"!

We also served Stella's Speciality Puptini Shots!! We found a great recipe using Pinnacle Cake and actual cake mix!! Since I have to be Gluten Free we used Betty Crocker Gluten Free White Cake Mix. We literally couldn't make them fast enough!!

BIRTHDAY CAKE MARTINI RECIPE (Per Shot):
1 oz PInnacle Cake Vodka
1 tsp. dry vanilla cake mix (we used betty crocker gluten free)
1/2 oz. chocolate liqueur
1/2 oz. half & half

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass. Top with whipped cream and/or sprinkles

DOGGIE BAGS
Each VIP (Very Important Paw) had a "doggie bag" to take home. Inside was a cute little tennis ball, a rawhide, milk bones and another treat! We used a picture frame from our house and put baby pictures of our dog in it, with a sign thanking Stella's guests for coming to her PAWty :)

HUMANE SOCIETY DONATIONS
Instead of bringing Stella gifts, we asked that everyone bring a donation for our local Humane Society. We found out what their urgent needs were and asked people to bring those specific items. People brought everything from dog or cat food and kitty litter, to peanut butter, treats, collars and even cash!! We can't wait to walk in with all this stuff!!

The dogs ran around our yard like crazy, the humans socialized and played corn hole and aside from a few people stepping in hidden poo from one of the dozen guests - it was an overall good time!!! I'm not sure who had more fun at this DOG Birthday party ... those with two legs or four?! Here are a few more pics of the Birthday Princess for you to enjoy! I also want to give a HUGE shout out to for her pink birthday tutu. You will see it in several pictures below! Erica normally only makes tutu's for non furry children and this was her FIRST attempt at a doggie tutu! I think everyone should hit her up with requests! She is so good!! Stella's shirt and "necklace" come from the fave store I mentioned above - Baxter Boo!

XoXo
Mrs Green
**None of these pictures on this blog can be taken from this site without linking my blog as the source**

Stella with her mommy, daddy and yummy pupcake! And JUST LOOK at that tiny little custom tutu from our friend at Tiny Diva Tutu's! Order one for your furry or human baby here: http://www.facebook.com/TinyDivaTutus

Dad & Daughter - hehe

Uncle Sully, Mrs. Green and Stella

She didn't want anything to do with that hat!

Trying to hide her bone from all the other guests :)

This picture cracks me up! Playtime with a couple VIP's

This picture is extra special. This is Stella with her birth mom and dad and their human parents :)

Crystal and Mona

Stella's birth mom & dad

Aunt Shelly, Molly, Mama & Stella

Last - but not least - Stella's cousin Tuff sent a picture with a sign from him (and her cat cousins) since they were not able to come to town :)

You Dip, I Dip, We Dip

2012-10-25T18:22:00.004-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I am the MASTER at pinning yummy recipes from Pinterest and then never making them!

I've tried a few and they have all been great, but the one I made for a snack today was SO easy, healthy and delish, I thought I'd blog about it quickly!

Excuse the ugly "desk" pic - but that is where I was trying to grab a quick bite!

This is Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip! I am dipping bananas in it but apples would be amazing I bet! I only wanted a little bit, so I used a small cup of vanilla greek yogurt (just the larger individual ones you get in the store) and 1 tbs peanut butter and mixed well. But here is the recipe for if you were having a party or something.

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
2 cups assorted fruit (bananas, strawberries and apple)

Mix well and enjoy!

MUCH lower fat than just using peanut butter and can you imagine how much more protein because of the greek yogurt!

Yummmm,
Mrs. Green

And the most challanging part of marriage is .....

2012-10-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

"Talking about problems calms women down -- but for men, it riles them up". - Exert from a study on marriage.

Raise your hand if you can relate to that one?!

In our vows, I told my husband that I knew that every moment wouldn't be as perfect that one, but I'd sure try. I'd say any and all of you married people out there agree. It's your wish. It's your goal. It's your desire...to always be as happy as you are in that moment that you say "I Do". But so is life I guess. The devil attempts to get into our hearts or minds, stress causes harsh words, you get comfortable, etc. Even the most "perfect" couples bicker. But what do most people even fight about?!

I read on a webpage (that asked their readers) - What are the most challenging part of being marriage? Here is how it broke down.

Do you all agree with the results? What do you and our significant other "fight" about and how do you reach a conclusion? Are you like most women.. and talking helps? Or are you like most men..and it only makes you angrier?

I have to say I agree. My husband and I really do get along and see eye to eye on just about everything - but any issue we have ever had have centered around Communication. And it's true - I like to talk about it - He does NOT.

I have interviewed several elderly people (still married) in my career and I'd always ask them the secret to a long marriage. Almost all would say "Don't go to bed mad". But then again when I think about it .. I'm pretty sure all of the elderly people that said that....were women, haha.

So what is the perfect "meet in the middle"??

Geez ... couldn't the big man upstairs just have wired us to think the same? haha.

XoXo
Mrs. Green

Weather Woes = Birthday Party NO's

2012-10-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone ...

This weekend our little girl Stella (our dog) turned one :) This was her as a baby. Omg .. I tear up every time I see that tiny little face!!

Since Stella's birth mom and dad are our friends dogs - we were lucky enough to be able to start visiting her the week she was born!! This was sweet Stella before her little eyes were even open! I know, freaking precious, right?

Obviously we are those people that treat their animals like real kids. I mean - the first two weeks we had her, I taught her the ropes. You know, who the important designers are, I.E. - What we NEVER chew on under any circumstance, haha! (I love this picture .. look how it looks like she is totally paying attention)

Yeah, I know people may think we are crazy, but I honestly don't understand why people have animals and treat them any less?

Anyway, if you know me, then you know I wanted to throw the cutest little puppy party that my "just moved into a new house" budget could handle! After several nights of little to no sleep, I had it all ready to go! The majority of our house was free of boxes and organized, I borrowed outdoor tables & chairs, bought or made all the dog decor, ordered special pupcakes, planned dog themed food, Stella even got a fresh PAWdicure....

Then .. it happens. The weather man calls for rain. Not just rain, but scattered "down pours" and even severe weather later in the day. First I moved the party up three hours because it looked as if it wasn't going to start until late afternoon, then with MUCH hesitation (umm, isn't October suppose to be the driest month of the year) I decided to postpone it because I was told that the rain was going to come earlier. Dogs, rain, mud, at an all outdoor party - does not equal much fun.

Wel...what happens?! I wake up on Sunday to wet grass from a MORNING shower, but an otherwise perfect day! Seriously, the closer it got to our original 3pm party time, the prettier it got! They cancelled all warnings for "severe weather" or any rain at all for that matter.

I guess the entire day wasn't a loss. We ended up on Taps pup friendly patio with four of our great friends for an amazing "stuffed burger". Stella's "Aunt Steph" bought her a doggie cake (thankfully the dog bakery said we the pupcakes we bought for the party will stay fresh in a fridge) and Stella got to wear part of her bday party outfit :)

I can't wait to post pics of the pup party next week! Rain chances or not - it's gonna happen! Looking on the bright side, this just gives me more time to plans some more cheesy puppy themed stuff, right?! :)

XoXo,
Mrs. Green

Hard In The PAINT

2012-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Finally - last night I was able to attend DAYGLOW - the world's largest paint party!! I am always proud of my husband. He works soooo hard to throw some of the BEST events Nashville has ever had. This is the second time he has been one of the people behind this particular party. The last time time he had DAYGLOW - I was here - get painted in a different way, haha!

Ya see, the last time he hosted DAYGLOW, it was the weekend of our wedding! I didn't want to take the chance of all that neon paint NOT coming out of my blonde hair. Not to mention I had friends and family in town and a pretty long to-do list to take care of!

This time around I wasn't going to miss out on the fun!! DAYGLOW actually came to Nashville two other times before I finally "got it". I always wondered what would be fun about being smashed into a crowd of kids and getting covered in paint. Well .. let's just say .. I totally get it now!!! It was one of the most fun nights I've ever had in Nashville! It was freezing and it rained - but no one cared! To give you a tiny idea ... this was me and one of my best friends Adam at the beginning of the night ...

This is me after one paint blast ...

These are from later, after plenty more paint was blasted out into the crowd!

And when I saw crowd - I mean CROWD! Some 6,000 (ish) people came out for this. My husband worked nearly 30 hours straight. I'd say it was worth it!! Seriously, check out this video! I'm somewhere in the crowd!

The result?! This is me at the end of the night .. after the last blast and when I finally got home. Look at my hair?!?! It literally felt like it was going to break off it was so stiff!!

The good news - I only had to shower once - and not a drop of paint left on my body :) I was back to blonde and snoozing with the pup in no time :)

Have you ever gone "Hard In The Paint" - if not - you are missing out!!!!!

XoXo
Mrs. Green

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2012-10-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll ...

My hubs is by far a small man. He is 6'1'' 218 pounds to be exact. (Not gonna lie I kinda fell in love with his muscles first, hehe) Anyway, you would think that a guy of his size wouldn't be scared of much - and he's not - except one thing. Spiders.

Tonight he went downstairs to our finished basement to spray for bugs before we start unpacking boxes down there and I hear him yell for me in a not so masculine voice. Okay, okay, it wasn't "girly" but it was a tad frantic.

I went downstairs and he's literally standing on one side of the room - bug spray in hand - and just pointing to the OTHER side of the room. He said "Stacy, there is a spider somewhere over there and it jumps really high". I tried to ensure him that it was likely a grasshopper and that they are suppose to be good luck in your house (right?)

Regardless, we both wanted to find that little sucker to make sure. One of us would move furniture while the other stood with bug spray in hand. The hubs "moving" furniture was more than amusing. He would literally push it like 2 inches and jump back 2 feet - or jump up ON our couch. Seriously?! A 218 pound man is afraid of a spider. This wasn't going to well. Finally I took on the task of moving furniture and handed the spray over to the hubs. We saw the little guy (I say little but in the hubs words he was HUGE .. seriously he wasn't) but he literally just vanished the second we sprayed in his direction (to hubs credit .. it did jump). We are hoping that we sprayed enough bug spray that no matter where he is hiding he can't survive.

The hubs of course took to Google afterwards and pointed out to me that there are jumping spiders - but they aren't poisonous. Not sure that gives me any more relief. Considering I have a jumping spider .. and a jumping husband.

XO,
Mrs. Green

Panic Attack

2012-10-02T21:27:00.001-07:00

Well .. we've been in our house less than a week and the hubs almost got his stuff thrown out on the lawn already!
In a house, especially one fairly close to a busy road, I obviously have more fur mom concerns than when I was in a loft and their great escape was a hallway. I'm more cautious than ever! I am checking at our feet when we open doors, making sure people understand I will kill them if they let my babies out, etc. So imagine my panic when tonight my oldest child Gizmo is literally NO WHERE to be found.
He almost always greets me. When he doesn't I can usually find him snoozing in one of his cozy spots. Not tonight. I was on the phone with the hubs and instantly went into major freak out mode. I looked everywhere, even rooms we haven't really gone in yet! I frantically went back to our finished basement. We aren't using it yet, but the hubs had been down there getting our mount ready for our TV to be hung and there was one place I hadn't looked... the crawl space.

I open the door and out he runs. I was beyond relieved. Who knows how many special forces I woulda called in for this one had he been missing! That's my boy!! And did I mention they have never been outside? 110% indoor cats.
As much as I appreciate the hubs productiveness....a very dusty and tad grumpy Gizmo and I say ... the hubs is grounded ;-)

XO,
Mrs Green

@#&#* ... Curtains

2012-09-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I am a minimalist, so I don't always love curtains in a room, but in some cases they are just needed. We really tall ceilings and a gorgeous formal living room and formal dining room that I found the perfect modern/simple curtains for. I ordered them, left them in their packing for the move and pulled them out tonight to start the hanging process.

The hubs and I broke up the "curtain roles" and were ready to put a dint in our very long to do list. As much as I hate to iron (seriously, I am not sure I've done it in years) my role was to wash and iron. Meanwhile, the hubs role was anything involving patience and power tools, meaning he got to hang the fixtures and curtains.

This should be easy enough, right? WRONG!! From the get go this wasn't a smooth process. I heard a few "choice" word come out of the hubs mouth several times and I was called to pick up dropped brackets and screws several times - and that is just for starters.

On my end, the darn things just wouldn't de-wrinkle I had to leave and get starch hoping that would work. Two loads of laundry, two hours and a bottle of starch later, things were "going" ... until I noticed that some of the curtains were wider than the others. I thought maybe I was seeing things. After all I still haven't had a full nights sleep and this was my view for what seemed like days!!

The hubs started noticing the same as he would hang them. One would drag the ground, one would be an inch off the ground, etc. I got all one size, for sure. To make sure we checked the tags on the curtains, the receipt, everything. We thought maybe our windows are uneven? Maybe the rods were crooked? Let's just say, he hung the rods, took them down, lowered them, hung them again, etc., but it was not our eye or our walls - it's the darn fabric!!! Whoever cuts, sews, measures, whatever at WEST ELM - we curse you!! Literally - we cursed you A LOT! 48x108 is 48x108 .. not 47 x109 or 49 x 111 **yes, we measured the fabric and some of them were that off**

We aren't taking them back - it's just more trouble than it's worth. However they will be hearing from me! So if you come to our house and notice the curtain length is "off" - don't you dare say a word! For someone with OCD about things being "perfect" - this was NOT a good night!

XO,
Mrs. Green

Closet Case

2012-09-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Believe it or not, we ALMOST didn't get our house because of one ~~teeny tiny~~ major thing - the master closet.

We had a list list of "musts" and this was basically number one on MY list. Of course the house we love - has a crap master closet. I am not sure what the former owners were thinking when they built it. I suppose they are clothing minimalists, but it was NOT going to work for us. We loved the house and decided it was "the one", so I was willing to TRY to make it work.

Doug was automatically booted to the guest bedroom closet. Even then I knew my stuff wasn't going to fit without some major help. We took the measurements and enlisted inThe Container Store and their ELFA closet system. They worked their magic and we came up with something that would work. It wasn't going to be perfect and I was give no choice but "let go" of quite a bit of my wardrobe, but I took a deep breath and got to work. It wasn't the end of the world because most the stuff I haven't worn in forever or shouldn't wear again anyway. It's just the mental process of letting go, it was so hard but I dwindled down - some.

The closet situation is so important to me that we convinced the sellers to let us in the house a day before closing to allow ELFA to install my closet system, that way I wouldn't have to pick outfits out of bags/boxes for weeks. So you can imagine my *gasp* when the hubs sent me this picture of my "finished" closet!

Ummm, what is this?? Shoe racks hanging into the entry way? No!!! The guy shad to literally turn sideways to get in, not to mention it just wasn't what I was expecting. They look so pretty in the store and my little drawing looked so perfect?! I called The Container Store and basically what happened is somehow the doorway measurement got put in the system wrong. This meant we had to do a total closet re-haul AND re-install! After going back and forth with the designer (thinking I was going to have to lose even more space) she came up with some solution to still keep my most my shoes and almost all the hanging space that I needed. Bad news - I had to wait until today to get someone in to fix it!!

Finally the hanging process has begun. Guess what - another issue. When I gave them the number of shoes (non boots) I owned, I included flats and wedges in that number. Umm, wedges do NOT feet on heel racks!! Thankfully my husband is a handyman! He removed a gliding shoe rack or two and we are returning them for shelves. After that, all should be well in my closet world.

In the meantime I will continue to pick outfits out of plastic bags and hope for the best. So if I repeat outfits or look like a homeless person - don't judge.

Xo
Mrs. Green

Settling

2012-09-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, thanks to all the dusty boxes (and the severe allergy I have to dust mites) I lay here on the first night in our new home - sniffling, sneezing and feverish.

Boxes and black trash bags are in every room and around every corner for as far as the eye can see .. I am living on 3 outfits in a suitcase .. it took me 10 min to find toothpaste .. I showered with no shower curtain .. my cats won't stop hissing at each other ... and my bed still reeks of that horrible "new" plastic smell - but I'm the coziest I've been in months, maybe years!!

We are in our first HOUSE together!! The hubs and I bought a loft before we were married when I first moved to town, but this is our first home as a married couple, as The Green Family! I've missed living in a house- with hallways, corners, rooms and lots of walls. Loft living is great and certainly has it's perks but there are things I've missed about having a house, that is for sure. One example - silence! As you read in my last blog, silence wasn't something we had much of where we lived before. In addition to the arguing going on next door, our neighbors upstairs walked with heavy feet to say the least. That combined with an OLD building in which your ceiling is their floor - not good. So I am enjoying the sound of NOTHING as I type!

Today has been a whirlwind of go-go-go-go! So much, that I realized we never took a picture of the move, of us in front of our new home, nothing! What kind of wifey am I, haha!! Oh well, there will be plenty of pictures to come! Besides, they didn't put a cute little "SOLD" sign up anyway - so I mean really - what difference does it make :)

XO,
Mrs. Green

PS - Exactly one year ago the hubs and I were in the middle of the ocean on our yearly vacation. Doug's heart was racing and meanwhile I had NO CLUE that he was about to ask THE question that led to everything we are experiencing today. What better timing, huh?! Spending the "one year anniversary" of our engagement closing on our first "home" together :) You can read all about the big proposal here. (*That link is to our wedding webpage, no clue how long they stay up. Hopefully a long time*)

Farewell

2012-09-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Goodbyes are usually not one of my favorite things. But today the hubs and I were ALL SMILES as we said bye-bye-bye 👋 to our loft at Historic Werthan Mills.
We lived there happily for over 3 years and we really did love OUR loft. It was unique, totally us (industrial modern), we designed and put in a sick addition - it was a place where people walked in and said 'wow'. We had some great times there .. emphasis on WE. I cant say the same about our nearby company. Our neighbors must be two of the most miserable people I know. All they do is fight and we could hear them crystal clear. I'll never forget one valentines day we were trying to enjoy ourselves and WW2 broke out next door. Someone else must have noticed too because the cops even came. Then there is our "property manager" - don't get me started on her. To this day I am not sure what we pay her to do. I am guessing be lazy and complain when she is asked to do something. Lastly - three letters - HOA. In a loft you have to deal with them A LOT! And I mean, when you get a group of ALL Type A personalities together ... enough said.

We were in such a rush to get out (we kinda had the closing from hell) and get into our new place all under a time crunch, that I am surprised we even had one second to pose for this picture! Needless to say - we were happy to say bye loft and move on to our new HOUSE!

XO
Mrs Green

6 Minute Smile :)

2012-08-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone ..

Sometimes - in the middle of a crazy day - it only takes 6 min and a smile is back on my face :) I know this isn't your special day, but maybe it will make you smile too!

XoXo
Mrs Green.

PS
I can't wait to share SO much more of our big day. I plan to post the verbatim of the vows we wrote each other and of the special audio clip we played, etc. I wish I could show you the ENTIRE video of our big day but it's 3 hours long, ha! We are trying to figure out a way to export only certain clips so you can see - for example - our vows.

THE GOOD WIFEY

Looking Back: Our Ceremony .. Written by lil ole me ;)

Our Ceremony

Looking Back: The Morning of "I Do" & Other Details

Looking Back: The last kiss, the reveal, man tears & a naked sushi girl?!

Looking Back: The story of Danny & Annie

Looking Back: Not Your Ordinary Wedding Day

The best part of waking up ....

Meat Crust "Healthy Pizza"

A Good Healthy Monday To Ya - Oatmeal Breakfast Bites

Cookies In Bed

Today I thank God - For Unanswered Prayers.

Marriage Material

Settling

Fall Fun

It's A Dog's Life ....

You Dip, I Dip, We Dip

And the most challanging part of marriage is .....

Weather Woes = Birthday Party NO's

Hard In The PAINT

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Panic Attack

@#*&*#* ... Curtains

Closet Case

Settling

Farewell

6 Minute Smile :)

@#&#* ... Curtains