She Said To Add Everything I Could Dream Of....

I'm not sure if she* really knew what she was saying when she said this to me tonight:

"Add Everything You Could Dream Of...."

If that is really the case, I say 

"Dear Pottery Barn, Please just truck out your entire store and deliver it to the following address. Thank you. - Mary Anne"

And no, I am not kidding.

I will be registering at the normal stores everyone seems to register at, but I have a few favorite home stores (besides places like Home Goods - you can't really register there), that will have registry wish lists as I will refer to them. I am sure most of the things on the lists won't be purchased, but I will take her advice to add everything I could dream of.

Places like Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware hold a dear place in my heart. When I walk into Pottery Barn, I feel like I could be at home. When I walk into Williams-Sonoma, I just want to cook and bake and even... clean my kitchen. And at Restoration Hardware, well they stole my heart when I felt a certain little blanket they sell. Each place makes me want to have a very welcoming home. 

I want my home to be a place where when family and friends visit, they too feel like they are at home. I know that it's not what is in the home, but the love that fills your house that makes it a home... but these things do help set the mood, don't they? ;)

The process of registering has been all fun, exciting, a tad overwhelming and now proving to be quite dangerous. I am working with a few stores and am in the middle of editing my lists due to the lack of items in certain stores and the multitude of options on-line.

I am hoping to pretty much have my registries completed by the end of this week. Some tweaking may be made in Pottery Barn if I do end up making a list there. I would like to visit the store once more to scout out a few things to decide which of a few things I like more. I do have to limit my list a little, even if it is all dreaming. I mean, after all, I can't have 7 different sets of everyday glasses. I'd like to, but even I think that is a bit much.

*(she) will remain nameless in case her grand (and I truly mean that) advice ends up backfiring when she sees my wish lists. ;) You know who you are though. hehe- 

We're Registered... Almost!

Today we went to start registry for the wedding! It was a lot of fun, yet a little overwhelming! We got a good bulk of it done, but we are going to go back tomorrow and another day to finish and tidy up the list. We started at one store and had the greatest guy to help us get started with the process. I wish we got a picture with him... Usher. He really got into it and really was good at what he did. And no, he wasn't even gay! He'd talk to us, and when he got real serious, he'd lower his voice and continue on. It was quite funny, but honestly, we couldn't have gotten off to a better start. He's engaged too, so he was telling us stories of him and his fiance registering. He and Mono could really get the guy side of it! :) So we had fun. We took that little scanning gun and walked up each aisle and got the ball rolling! My Mom came with us too which was fun. She brought up good points and help us pick out certain things. The most overwhelming part was the linens. Oh. My. Gosh! The different types of cotton, the thread counts, the feel, how well they will wash, etc. Endless! I was so overwhelmed and I called Mono's Mom more times than I should have! She is the queen of knowing that stuff. I am going to have to have her teach me what she knows, because she is real good. I wish she could have been there with us too. Mono and I have such great Moms (and Dads!!) and I like having them all involved as much as I can. So, I am done with the first half of registering. Now I am going to go online and switch some things up that they didn't have in the store. Hopefully we made some good decisions for it!! Oh, and a random funny part: My Mom, Mono and I were walking out of one store through the mall and all of a sudden my Mom said, "OH MY GOSH! MARE! WHAT'S ON YOUR FACE!? WHAT HAPPENED?!" haha- I thought I had blood on my face or something was seriously wrong and then within seconds the two of them were hysterical laughing at me! I had black soot or something on my face. Who the heck knows how it got there, but it was there! It wouldn't just wipe off, and then my Mom gave me antibacterial sanitizer stuff from her purse and that just burned! haha- What craziness! Thankfully I got it off, but it certainly didn't help my already very tired look. I wasn't sure if I should laugh with them or just get mad at them for laughing at me. I think it was a little of both! ;) We also picked out invitations!! :) I have to go back next week though to finalize it. What excitement!!

Two Full Days Ahead!

So much has been going on these past few days! 

It's been kinda crazy and now I have a whole new area to work on ahead of me. 

Tomorrow and Friday are going to be completely full days.

I am going to have to drive down to B'ham for a meeting and also to look for invitations. I have to go to a few places to price around, see the style I'll want for our budget, etc. Lots to look at. 

After Mono gets off of work, we are going to go start registering too. When that is done, that will be a big load off! I am really excited to do that. I have a feeling we will be fighting over the little gun to scan things!! :) It will be an adventure for sure! Invitations and Registry are two biggies that we will soon be able to cross off! I am starting two DIY projects and I am working on some things for the bridesmaids. Lots to still do, but I think we are staying at a great pace!

Off to bed now!

It's All In The Details

Registering for our wedding/shower gifts has not been high on my to do list, but recently, I have begun to look at things here and there. Today I went to a few stores with Mono and we enjoyed looking around together. I am actually a pretty lucky lady. Mono cares enough about the details of a home, but not to the extent where he makes it hard for me to pick out nice things. 

Going into this, picking things out for our future home, I want to make sure everything is picked out tastefully. I want to create a peaceful, calm and cozy home. One that he cannot wait to come home to after a long day at work. One that family and friends enjoy visiting from day to day. I want an elegant and classic look, but cozy and kid friendly all at the same time. 

So today, as we shopped, we walked throughout a few stores (some fancier than others) and enjoyed taking a peek at what some of the rooms in our future home would like to hold. I had fun with him. Yes, ladies… Fun shopping with my guy! :) He liked the little details and noticed all of the other couples doing what we were there to do. I can't wait to go for a real date to register in the stores for our shower/wedding. I think it will be a lot of fun. Of course there are always things I have to explain as to why we would need them, but I think my Mon is pretty excited himself to see what the loveliness of our home will be like! 

Since I was about 10 years old I have been receiving gifts for my hope chest which is now turning into an entire hope room, but that is another story, and while knowing that, I figured I wouldn't need much. But today, as we strolled the aisles, I noticed a lot of random little things that would be very useful to us come October!! 

It's the little details that make a house a home. The frames, the nice canisters to hold your flour, sugar etc, so you can bake warm goodies for your family... Oh there are so many details. I always notice them too and that can get me into trouble... Like picking out everyday flatware. To most people, you might go and just pick something out, but not to me. I like to shop around, see what is good quality, a good deal and something that is different, unique with details all of it's own. Unfortunately that normally means it is more expensive, but there are places out there you can find unique things and bargain prices!!

I can't wait to have a little place of our own and decorate it, organize it and make it cozy! 

Come on October! :)