Flat Belly Diet

Though it's probably going to take a knife, an operating table, and a experienced plastic surgeon in order for me to have a flat belly, the diet is definitely working!  http://flatbellydiet.prevention.com/  I have lost a total of ten pounds, and after fifteen more, I will reach my goal weight!  Everything fits better, some clothes are too big, and as Mickey D would say, "I'm lovin it!" 

Zumba is also amazing!  If you're like me, working out has always been a chore; a necessary evil.  But now I've finally found something I love!   In fact, I like it so much I attend at least three classes per week, and some weeks I attend four.  Zumba is my crack and those fantastic instructors are my dealers!  I'm telling you, if you haven't been to Studio 57 http://www.studio57fitness.com/, then GO!   Bren, Karen, Josh, Hillary, or one of the other wonderful teachers will have you shaking your booty and jiggling your jiggle right off!  Well, at least, the bad jiggle. :)

After much thought, I may just Zumba down the isle, and have brown rice and tomatoes served at the reception!  Go Zumba!  And Happy Flat Belly dieting.

~Truly, Cinderella

Boutonniere

Flowers=Money, and lots of it! 

As much as I would love to have Jeff Leatham http://www.jeffleatham.com/ do my flowers, I must be realistic and cut some of the blooming budget!  In a previous post, "Centerpieces, a true story of vintage," I sampled the centerpiece, sans flowers.  Today, I address the gentleman's adornment.  Where creativity is my muse, unconventional is my merit, thus bringing a fresh take on a old tradition, the boutonniere. 

Feathers.  Pheasant feathers, red feathers, and a button to complete the look.  

The groomsmen are wearing chocolate brown suits with ruby red vests, ties, and pocket squares.  Matthew will wear a champagne tux, vest and tie, but sport a red pocket square to match his men.  

And I believe the feather boutonniere will complete the look.  

Against the brown...

Also a lighter background, like Matt's suit.  

I think this flows with our theme, especially the old buttons, which came from my Nana's old button collection!  

What do you think? 

~Truly, Cinderella

48 Days

Countdown to the next chapter of my life:  

Marsi Married.

48 days /2 = 24

24 hours /2 = 12 hours

12 hours before our wedding= 10 pm

10 pm= current time

I'm doing so well in the area of commitment, I believe I will commit to blogging.  

Goal: Blog everyday until the big day.  

See you tomorrow,

~Truly Cinderella

Centerpieces, a true story of vintage.

Helen was born in 1909 on a little farm in Texas.  She was number seven out of eight kids and the older kids named her Bay because the youngest boy couldn't say baby.  Of course,  Daisy was born a couple years later making her the official baby in the family but Nana kept the name.  She moved to Los Angeles at the age of seventeen, looking for something more than the dust bowl.  She worked at the first drive-in, the Twin Barrels, which according to Nana, all of Hollywood's finest came to visit.   Not only did the rich and famous stop in, so did Wally, the first husband.  He came to see "his" Helen every day for months, and for months he asked Nana to marry him.   She said no until she couldn't say no anymore.  She was shy, and fresh off the farm, and didn't know what else to do.  The depression, a bleach job, a thirtieth birthday and a miscarriage later,  they divorced.   They were married thirteen years.  Once she had time to heal, she met her soul mate, Al.  He had been married twice before, and she would be his last.  Nana told him, "your stuck," and he was more than happy to be stuck with her.  At some point they left California, lived in New Mexico, and then made there way back to Texas.   They were married forty years and as he drew his last breath on this earth, she was there, holding his hand.  Today, she lives in the house they spent their days together.   In fact, the second story of her home is like a museum.  She has collected many things over her lifetime, things I use to see as junk but now I see as beauty.  Old pictures, and hatboxes fill the closet, while antique pieces fill the bedrooms.   It's a wonderland of vintage, and Nana was kind enough to let me use some items for my wedding/reception.  

In fact, Nana's picture is the inspiration for the centerpieces at the brunch reception.  Originally, I planned on using antique trunks filled with coffee beans, ribbon, fabric, and flowers, but now I want to use old pictures instead of the flowers.   Not only is this a more personal touch, it's also more cost effective.  Nixing some of the flowers will definitely save money!

I like it but it feels incomplete.  Maybe I should leave out the feathers....or arrange items differently.  I don't really know.  Any Ideas?  

One final thought; my Nana will probably not attend the ceremony because of the distance involved, but nonetheless, her presence will be felt.   She is an inspiration to me and my daughters, and she will be missed.  However, her essence, her history, and her era will be woven throughout our ceremony.   

~Truly, Cinderella 

What a Deal! Dancing, Donuts, and a DJ

It was a gorgeous Sunday in Hickory Creek; the sun, bright and warm, beamed down on our smiling faces.  Crape myrtles, bursting with vibrant white blooms welcomed us around the neighborhood, all the while birds provided the melody for our early afternoon stroll.   Matt and I, holding hands, basked in our true love in passing train tracks, shady trees, and main street.  And in the parking lot of retirement home, we danced.  Yep, in the middle of the day, in front of a busy street, time stopped and transported us to an empty dance hall where Matt and I were alone, together.   We hummed our song, She's Everything by Brad Paisly and practiced our two-step for the first dance.  It's the kind of moment a person never forgets, including the drivers passing by!  They must have thought we were crazy, and maybe they're a little bit right.  We're crazy in love. 

This began my fantastic Spring break week!  I had many a task to cross of my wedding to-do list while I was in the Denton area.  First of all, I wanted to check with the baker making my doughnut cake.  To save money, we are not having a traditional wedding cake.  Instead we are having donuts placed on a tiered cake stand, but to give it a unique twist I ordered a specialty knot topper. (Cake something like this:)

I called Chris at Gourmet Donuts (Denton) to see if he would make a model topper for me.  Basically, I want two donuts linked (like rings) to place on the top of the stand.   Chris and his dad, Yung are the nicest guys, which is why I picked this family owned donut shop, and they agreed to make the sample, free!    Here is what they made:

Great job, but not exactly what I want.  I really like the knot in the middle but it looks more like a noose than wedding rings.  I think the sides should be more round in shape.  Next time I'm in Denton, I must remember to run by the shop to discuss.  At least we're on the right track.  For the groom's cake we are going for a more traditional style.  It will be a squared two-tiered cake made of red velvet with Bavarian creme filling.  Matt is still deciding on the toppers.  Maybe golf, maybe a monogram, not quite sure, but Stephanie at the Candy Haven  www.candyhavenandcakes.com is making it.  They are known in the North Dallas area for making beautiful, delicious cakes.  Yummy!  My mouth is watering while typing this.  Hmmm, maybe a cupcake is in order this afternoon.  Oh, i forgot project thin is still underway, so I better not continue the cake talk.   Moving on...

I found a remarkable deal for DJ services.  Loren Norris for That guy Rocks http://www.thatguyrocks.com is providing the music and announcements for our brunch reception.   He agreed to do the three hour reception for a very reasonable price, which frees up my ipod for pre-wedding primping only.  Thank the Lord.  I can just see the nightmare unfold as I try to control the music, while greeting our guests, sipping mimosa's, and dancing with Matt!  No go.  Using this DJ, we can choose our play list via the web!  Perfect for control freaks like me!  Sign contract: check.   


And the wedding plans continue on...

~Truly, Cinderella

Bridal Countdown: PROJECT THIN!

3 months. 

  Three months of bridal, get fit, tan, and tone before the big day!  Why does every bride insist on losing weight before their wedding?  Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Adkins, South Beach, even the cookie diet give hope to all those betrothed to the fitted, strapless dress.  Believe me, the list of diet plans are endless and I've done them all!  In fact, this last week I created my own combination of South Beach/ popcorn/ chai tea diet.  I call it the Miami Movie Latte diet.  Brilliant. 

  In my dreams, or Marsi's World as my friends refer to it,  I will be a size 2, complete with boob job and tummy tuck.  I will pause outside the chapel door, before gliding, without jiggle, down the isle in absolute skinny perfection.  After seeing my rockin, hot bod, my sweetie will pick his jaw up off the floor, just before he faints across the alter.  Right?

  You know, it's not like our guys are Shallow Hal and haven't seen our true bodies.  I mean, I know I must look like Kate Beckinsale through those goggles but when the goggles come off Matt still loves me, for me.   Nevertheless, all confidence is forgotten when I put on that strapless dress, complete with complimentary back fat!  Back to Jillian's 30 day shred for me!  http://www.jillianmichaels.com/

 Along with Jillian's grueling work-out routine, I'm doing Zumba!  I flippin LOVE Zumba!  It's a great work-out and so much fun.  For those of you who may not know, it's a combination of Latin dance moves, like the merengue, cumbia, and salsa, along with other rhythmic dance moves.  I'm taking classes at Studio 57 http://www.studio57fitness.com/ with the talented instructors Bren,  Karen, and others.

  However, all of this exercise doesn't really matter if I continue to cheat on my diet, oh wait... I mean healthy living lifestyle program.  In 2010, diet it a bad word, but come on, really... let's just call it what it is.  Seriously, do you know of a "healthy living lifestyle program" that allows you to eat Burger King croissant sandwiches?  Yeah, me either.  But that is precisely what I did yesterday.  

Confessions of the slightly chubby (sounds better than fat) bride-to-be;

  My daughter's school is near the fitness center.  After dropping her off at 7:40, I decided to wait in the gym's parking lot until class started at 8:30.  I had my TIME mags ready to keep me occupied, and then it occurred to me.... I have panty lines.  Yep, I was wearing tights with full coverage Vicki's (Victoria Secret) briefs.  I forgot to put on the appropriate panty choice for tight clothing before leaving the house!  I didn't want to drive all the way back home  just to turn around and come back.  What's a girl to do?  I must take the panties off.... but where.  The gym wasn't open yet, my car does not have tinted windows, and there are not a lot of businesses open at 7:45 in the morning. 

  After contemplating the problem, I came up with this TERRIBLE solution.   Drive across the street to Burger King, use their restroom to change, and return to gym parking lot.  Now, I don't like using a business restroom and not purchasing something.  I think that is rude, and of course, I can't be rude.  I approach the counter to buy a bottle of water, and walked away with a bottle of water and...

a croissant sandwich.  

  OK I think, mistake made but my dear friend Natalie will meet me soon and we'll half it.  Then I ate it, ALL of it.  Immediately, I felt regret, and entered the gym with a loaded belly, a guilty conscious, and a happy heart.  Happy because I burned off the calories of the croissant sandwich in Zumba.   I'm not perfect, but I'm trying, and that's half the battle.  

Keep trying,

~Truly, Cinderella

Honeymoon Wishes

Our honeymoon is booked! I told my teenage daughter this morning and she asked, “Maui, Europe?” And I said, “Braces. No we can’t travel to Europe, we have to pay an orthodontist. Fort Lauderdale! And I’m so very excited about it!” And she replies, “Cool.”


Not quite the response I was hoping for, but what more can one possibly expect out of a teenager. At least I got a cool. Cool is actually pretty good. A nod would have translated to ok. And an “oh” would have meant no bueno. I’ll take cool. And yes, when I think Fort Lauderdale I think Golden Girls, or worse yet, Girls Gone Wild. But I think they really have spruced it up down there in the Sunshine state. I’ve been to Miami and absolutely loved it, so I think Fort Lauderdale will be nice. And how did we choose Fort Lauderdale, you ask? For all you money savvy brides out there, I’ll dish.


Like I’ve said before, we are paying for the wedding ourselves. {wedding + money= 0 honeymoon} After making our wedding plans we thought a honeymoon simply wasn’t in the budget. But we realized that we needed that time to bond, without kiddos, and relax after all the hubbub of wedding. And we knew it would be a very long time before the just two of us take a trip again. So the question became, “how can we make this work?” And if there is one thing I enjoy, it’s problem solving.


First problem solved: Free flight anywhere Southwest flies.   Matt and I both have frequent flyer miles. http://www.southwest.com/


· We want surf, sand, and sun, leaving us California or Fort Lauderdale.
· Matt called his travel agent at Drifting Sands Travel for ideas. http://www.driftingsandstravel.com/  Marianne  was wonderful and worked with us to find many great resorts with good prices.
· We booked four nights at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa http://www.diplomatresort.com in Fort Lauderdale for right around $700. FABULOUS!
· I registered us at http://www.honeymoonwishes.com/  We both have plenty of stuff, so this is a great option for guests who would like to buy us a gift. Maybe we’ll get an extra night, or amenities from our registry. Some couples have had their entire honeymoon paid for by gifts from friends and family. Super!


Honeymoon, check. One more thing we can happily cross off the list. I hope other brides on a budget will find a way to have a special honeymoon with their sweeties.


TIPS:

1. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! You can’t just book the first thing you find; you really must shop around and do your homework. 
2. Always utilize those connections. If we couldn’t make the beach thing work then we planned on heading to a friend’s lake place for the week. She was very kind to offer it to us, and then we still could have our sand and sun. 
3. Just Ask.  Whether your speaking with your travel agent or a wedding vendor, don't be afraid to ask for a great deal.  The worst thing they can say is no.  

Most importantly, remember what matters, you’re celebrating your beginning. As long as your together, enjoying each others company, then your honeymooning. Whether that may be a beach, a city, Europe, or Maui. Happy planning,


~Truly, Cinderella 

Westin Diplomat Resort