Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Something random for a gloomy Saturday:
Holy moly are these good! They taste so much like pumpkin pie and I mean, who doesn’t love a Pop-Tart?
My husband, that’s who. It’s all good – more for me.
I have the most outstanding husband in the world. I should know because this is my second one, so I must get good at figuring out what works by now.
I had to give a shout out to him because he is my biggest supporter and without him, I couldn’t be the super mom/wife that I try to be. Because I truly believe that behind every great mom/wife is an even better husband/dad.
*2020 Kari is GAGGING.
I wouldn’t be able to cook meals and organize grocery lists if I didn’t have a husband who didn’t help with the kids or clean up after said kids. He knows just what to say to me and when to say it; he puts up with my mood swings and just parents our children in such a beautiful way; it makes me want to cry.
But above all else, he makes the best chocolate chip cookies.
*2020 Kari says it’s the real reason I married him WHAT?
Everything was done with the help of my mom, sister-in-law, or friends. From the decor to our flower arrangements, nothing was more expensive than $10.00 a pop AND it looked so pretty if I do say so myself.
So I am officially hooked on the show My Big Friggin’ Wedding.
I know, don’t judge.
My television viewing habits have always been questionable.
But, I saw that one couple was spending $1,500 on invitations and I was all, really??
My sister-in-law, who is crafty, offered to make our invitations as part of their wedding present to us and all I had to do was pick out the colors and style, fonts, and what I wanted the invite to say.
Here is what it ended up looking like:
I love how these turned out.
I also got to help her assemble them, which I think just makes them even more special. I love that someday my girls will look at these and I can tell them how their aunt and I sat around her kitchen table and gabbed while cutting and gluing.
I actually bought my faux flower wedding bouquet online; I think I got this and all the bridesmaids (and Annie’s) bouquets (five in all) for $50.00 total. Not bad, since it would have cost me over $250.00 at the florist. Plus, I can keep this forever and my maids could keep theirs too if they wanted.
*2020 note- $250 for wedding flowers is a steal now.
Flowers are a big part of the wedding and I love some flowers but fresh flowers are BIG BUCKS.
Maybe if I had a bigger budget, I would have rethought the whole fresh flowers thing, but I still think my fake flowers did a good job that night.
For the tables, I got my inspiration from Martha Stewart Living magazine:
I found the pots at Dollar General literally days after reading this article for only $1.50 each! I bought the hydrangeas at Hobby Lobby during a 50% off sale and a coupon from the Sunday paper. I would probably say I spent more on the fake hydrangeas than the pots and the candles that I put on the tables, but it was worth it.
This is on my nightstand now, and every time I look at it I can think about that wonderfully romantic May evening.
*It’s no longer on my nightstand, but I saved it.
I adore this picture for many reasons, but the biggest is that generations after Rebecca and I are dead, our ancestors will think we hated each other.
Listen, after a long day of putting together the centerpieces, candy jars, and bouquets (thank you, Rebecca, Mom, Kristy, and Laura) we were a little tired.
Also, I am sure at this point I hadn’t had a cigarette in several hours and that Diet Pepsi wasn’t cutting it. You’re lucky I wasn’t flipping off the camera.
Next time, we are eloping.
KIDDING.
A Grace Full Life 
I was just looking at those candles tonight (they sit on our kitchen windowsill after all – nice repurpose!) and thought how gorgeous your reception hall looked with hundreds of twinkling candles. It was a beautiful night for a beautiful couple. 🙂
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What lovely memories! It was a beautiful wedding! I wish I had a picture but I actually re-purposed my bouquet. I have it in a sage green ceramic vase and is now part of my decor!
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Thanks girls, without the two of you and your help this wedding definitely wouldn't have been as pretty as it was. 🙂 And Rebecca, I think I remembered the bouquet in the vase and yes it looks soo cool!
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Reblogged this on .
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I am so enjoying reading these old posts!
I had a wedding that was way overpriced and it didn’t last! Ha! But it was fun so I guess that’s all that matters.
Those flowers look so real and I’m not normally a fake flower person.
And the invitations were really adorable! You can tell a lot of love when into that wedding. 💕
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I’m glad you are enjoying them! It honestly makes me happy to relive the memories that I associate with the writing of the posts, so it’s a win-win. 🙂
Those flowers were amazing and still look good to this day.
I love how the invites turned out, especially because we included Annie on there. So special.
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This is cool because since I haven’t been here since the beginning, they’re new to me! I want one of those chocolate chip cookies. What are your favorite flavors of non-seasonal Pop Tarts? My faves are Brown Sugar and Cherry. (Two tarts…not one nasty flavor.) The hubby likes the chocolate ones but they make me gag. 😛
I love how you did all of that stuff for your wedding! It’s so nice to be able to make some of the stuff to save money but look just as nice! Mason jars are always a good favor! I made my flowergirl’s basket and I think that was about it. Mine was scandalous because my maids of honor wore black dresses before it became acceptable. It was an evening wedding, the dudes were in tails and we had a classical trio at the ceremony so simmer down, Karen. *rolling eyes*
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I love that you love the old posts. Psst- I do too. 🙂
It was a lot of fun to make it but it was WORK. There is a reason people pay a shit ton of money to the wedding industry.
I LOVE THE BLACK DRESS IDEA! I bet they looked so good against your light color dress! I say light color dress because I never wore white to either of my weddings because let’s be real.
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I don’t like Pop-Tarts either.. of any flavor. I made a lot of stuff for our wedding too and we managed to have a really nice wedding for a small fraction of the cost of most other people we know.
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I love Pop Tarts, which is probably why I can’t lose those extra 50 pounds. 😂😂
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Isn’t it fun to go back and read your old posts? Ten years ago…”Ellie was napping”…she was a baby! (Insert heart.) Too bad those bridesmaids dresses didn’t turn out. They look really pretty from the catalog page.
xoxo
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Right?? I was like SOBBBBB.
They did look pretty! That’s my defense. It was before we used the Internet for stuff like this. 😂
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This is fun – still need to get around to sharing the details of our first meeting – wink, wink! This reminded me. 2020 resolution.
Love the 2020 Kari wanted to puke. I think that when I started my blog I never complained about Coach (nor did I gush about him – ha), and lately I have noticed that the gloves are off. I have been much more open about sharing my wifely frustrations. ‘Download the dam app’ post will be forthcoming and will explain much on this. I think.
I chose our bridesmaids dresses in 1996 at Lord and Taylor. Liz Claiborne on sale plus a coupon. One bridesmaid had to buy two dresses and sew a panel in them because she was bigger than a size 16 which was a bummer, but still the dresses were only like $40 a piece. Your wedding pics are so cute.
I worked at a baseball hat manufacturer when I got married and they embroidered pieces of fabric with a celtic cross and our names and the date. I printed up the rest of the programs and we glued the fabric to the front of the folded cardstock programs. I went to my since-2nd grade BFF’s house and her folks helped us glue them together in her basement – a better ventilated area would probably have been idea. THEN I noticed that I printed up the program with my future sis-in-law’s maiden name and not her married name. I feared this would tick her off and I didn’t want any fallout over my oversight cause she had been married for a few years. (known her since high school and she had a tendency to look down her nose at people). Tore the fabric/embroidered covers off, reprinted the cardstock, and re-glued with same friend. Good times.
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$40 a piece at Lord and Taylor is AMAZING.
Yes! Let me know when you’re going to write about it and I will as well and link to your blog. ❤️
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Also, 2011 me had my company manners on which is probably why I gushed. I adore my husband but I also have no problem saying he drives me insane. Probably also because 2011 me had only been married to him for five years at that point. 😂😂
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I enjoyed reading this, but I gotta say that I’m way more into 2020 Kari. You have definitely come into your own as a writer in the intervening years. More real and more funny. I love real Kari. Glad we’re not company anymore. 🙂
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I feel the same way! Which is fun to read the old stuff because it shows me that, yes I have evolved. ❤️
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We had a DIY wedding too, and even though it was way too stressful, and way too much time was spent making things, it was the best wedding I’ve ever attended. Plus we had carnival games, so that was a bonus.
And wtf? Pumpkin pop tarts?! Is this still a thing? And why aren’t they in my mouth?! Good god.
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Carnival games at a wedding makes me mad I didn’t think of it and that I’ve never been to a wedding that has had them!
They are still a thing! They have them only in the fall though. 😞
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