It's the small things...

That make me deliriously happy. And by small - I mean small! Stamps to be exact. I have always loved the look of vintage stamps on the invitation envelope. A cluster of randomly beautiful stamps that grace that envelope is what I wanted. Getting it is a completely different story.

A nod to my Wrangling days

The sad state of affairs with Georgia's water supply

A nod to the industry that brought J and I together

Um...a pretty simply blue stamp?

The Elk....those who know..just laugh.

The most frustrating thing is to find one stamp that I really love - and can only find 100 of them out there in cyber space! 100?? That isn't even going to cut it. So at this point - I have a plethra of stamps which may or may not make it into your mailbox.

The magnolia doesn't really constitute as a vintage stamp - however it is quite beautiful, extremely close to my colors, and represents the south! What is more southern than a magnolia?

This one was definitely tricky to find - and therefore might not be on everyone's envelope. On January 2, 1788 - Georgia became the 4th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. A little history lesson for everyone! It features our state tree - the live oak - with the Atlanta skyline in the background! (And it also has my lucky number on it!)

I felt I need to also find a stamp that represented J. He was a little trickier - because all of the neat ones I found were also $300 per stamp. After searching for a couple weeks - I quickly ordered the following. You think this is an accurate representation?

I have also have some surprise ones heading your way...that might represent you. Look for it in the next couple of weeks!

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A little closer to 30

How sad that I couldn't actually post on my birthday! Oh well -- My birthday was Sunday and I had a great time down in Florida! Thanks to everyone who sent their well wishes and love! Here's a another exciting year!

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What is this card for?

My father asked when he opened his mail. I had to explain that they were STD's and he could put it up on his fridge. He replied (after making a funny comment on the STD's Acroynm)- I know when the date for the wedding is - I am paying for it!! But it is now on the fridge ;)

As of now - everyone should have received your Save the Dates. They have been a little bit of a process since the company I dealt with to print them really messed them up and took two months to ship. However - water under the bridge because people have received them!

My dear friend Jenny helped collaborate with me on the design. I absolutely love how they turned out! Jenny is a Graphic Designer and if you need some creativeness - please don't hesitate to contact her! Her website is http://www.jcthompsondesign.com/

And I had such a darn time finding stamps that matched and refused to spend a lot of money creating them. Therefore - I scavanged up these old True Blue stamps -- which I think are adorable!

Hope you guys enjoyed!

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Phew...We can now rock and roll!

As with everyone, the holidays got a little crazy around here. However we are back to the grind and I have some updates on our latest finds (love a little rhyme).

Something that has been a point of concern lately is the music. I loved a band and the band was booked (as luck would have it), therefore I needed to find a new source of tunes. While I was distracted with the idea of finding an identical band to the one I love, I realized that that could simply not happen. Everyone has their own groove which makes them popular. So I switched to Gigmasters to see if they had any suggestions. Talk about a wealth of information...I was suddenly getting quotes left and right and tons of CD's in the mail. I eventually booked one based on their amazing lead singer's voice and the energy that I felt when I watched their video.

A couple of months later, I was still worried. While most of the bands had been very prompt in responding to my emails - there were pauses of communication sometimes spanning a week. I grew more worried and started to research new bands. J convinced me to give them a chance and let's check them out.

Check them out we did...this past weekend and boy am I glad! We drove to Birmingham, AL and stayed the night just to watch them play at Cafe Firenze. (If you are ever in that area, the Crazy Cajun next door has excellent food!) I am so glad that we had a chance to chat with them and everything helped reassure me that we picked an excellent band to get our people dancing and laughing. They explained why there was a disruption in the emails and that it will get better. They were so down to earth, J and I talked to them for quite some time. Then we sat back and listened to them bring the bar to their feet.

So ladies and gents -- we can now rock way into the night!

If you want to check them out further - click away! Nationwide Coverage

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I give to thee...

The Favors.

Actually - they were suppose to be the favors -- my ingenious idea for incorporating a family recipe into a edible and delicious treat. However - one flaw in my plan.... accumulating enough supplies to make these wonderfully sweet pear preserves.

J's grandfather used to make pear preserves and we are still enjoying his last batch from 2001. Sadly when he passed...he didn't leave behind his secrets. Therefore - yours truly tried to replicated these pears and give them as favors. That is..until I realized that in order to make 200 favors....in 4 oz jars ... will require some 60 lbs of pears. Where in the world will I get 60 lbs of pears in Georgia??

Surprisingly, a friend of ours grabbed appromately 40 lbs of country pears from her dad's farm in Mississippi just for this mission. Ladies and Gentleman...we are in business!

Until I made my first batch....and realized that it would not be enough for 200 favors. So instead - they are now going to be Christmas presents!

I want to first thank Mrs. R for all of her help in teaching the basics of canning and letting me borrow her equipment!

I used this recipe for the preserves:
4 lbs pears (whole, halved or quartered)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
2 lemons, (I didn't use the slices like they advised - simply the juice)
Canning Jars (I used 8oz and 4oz bought from both Big Lots and Ace's Hardware Store)

For Beginner Canners (like myself) - I will show a step by step. Directions courtesy of Mrs. R's tutorial :)

First an foremost - Take the lids off of the canning jars. Put the jars in the dishwasher and turn it on (you can or cannot put in detergent) and leave them in there until you are ready to pour in the preserves.

Place the lids in a saucepan and fill with water. When the preserves are close to being done - boil the water with the lid on and sterilize the lids.

Peel the pears, core, and cube them. (or have your wonderful fiance do it)
Using a scale - measure out 4 lbs of pears. Boil 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar for 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the pears (I remove the actual lemon before pouring into the pot) Pour the pears into the pot and cook for another 15 minutes then add the rest of the sugar (2c.) and water (2c.) This is the fun part. Waiting :) Stir and boil...but make sure the sugar doesn't burn. The sugar will carmelize and you will get a lovely auburn mixture.
When your pears look like the picture above and the syrup is thick - they are ready to pour in the jars. Carefully remove the jars from the dishwasher (using a mitt) and pour the mixture in the jar leaving a 1/4 inch from the top. Tap your jar on the counter in order to remove the bubbles and wipe the mouth extremely clean. Place first the seal and then the ring on the jar and twist shut (not too tight). I use a hot water method to seal my jars. Simply place the jars on the rack over boiling water (see below) and put the lid on top. When there is consistent steam coming from the lid - start your processing time (20 minutes). Remove jars from the steamer, place on the counter on a towel, and leave them be for 12-24 hours. You will hear a popping sound which signifies that the lid is sealed and your product is safe from spoilage! If it doesn't pop - remove the lid, clean the mouth really well, and try steaming again. *Let me warn you before you try and double this recipe that it will take longer than you can imagine. I started around 7 p.m. and they were not done until 3 a.m. Just a word of caution.

Last but not least -- decorate them and pass them out to all of your friends!
The tags were bought from Design des Troy and are super cute!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

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