It (was) a nice day for a white wedding.

I know it's been a while, but I'm still recovering from the festivities.

Bubba & Beck are lounging on a beach in Florida. I've been up to my ears in laundry.

The rain broke about an hour before the wedding & the sun burst through the clouds giving us beautiful wedding weather just in time. A HUGE answer to a lot of prayers. Thank You, Lord!

Becky was beautiful in her dress & my brother looked like a grown up (not something easy for a big sister to accept) in his tux. The rest of us looked pretty good, too, if I must say. Especially the flower girl....she was a doll. But I'm not biased in her favor at all.

The wedding party walked in to Iris by the Goo-Goo Dolls & the bride walked in on her father's arm to a really unique version of the Wedding March. Bubba tried to talk her into using the march from Star Wars, but Beck wouldn't agree...the Wedding March she used was very similar, though. It was really cool!

When everyone turned to watch her come down the aisle on her daddy's arm, I turned to look at my baby brother instead. The look on his face was....I don't really have a word for it. The love, excitement, anxiousness, and awe were visible. He kept leaning towards the aisle like he was about to bolt down it to meet Beck & her dad half way; like they weren't walking fast enough for him. He couldn't wait for Beck to get to him.

Bucka preformed the ceremony. Bubba wanted our grandfather to marry them so badly, but we weren't sure Bucka would feel up to the task. The night before he announced this would be his last wedding; he can't handle it any longer. He married Husband & me nearly 12 years ago & Bubba wanted the same start for Beck & himself.

Very early on, Bucka got a bit tongue tied saying Bubba's name. He recovered quickly, but I think it threw him. Then he accidentally turned 2 pages in his wedding book instead of one & skipped straight to the exchange of rings. I've seen enough weddings preformed by my grandfather to know this was not how he did things. I immediately knew he'd skipped their vows, but hoped he'd right himself before it was all over.

After the exchange of rings, he started to close out the ceremony...I knew it was nearly over, so I glanced at QM & mouthed, "Should I?" She nodded emphatically & I slipped up the stage behind a candelabra to tell Bucka he'd skipped a part. Just as he turned to me he said, "Oh, yeah, I've gotten a little ahead of my self." He backtracked a bit & everything was taken care of. I know it upset Bucka quite a bit, but he handled it very well. More than once he had the entire congregation laughing out loud over it. My favorite thing was when he said, "They'll never forget their wedding!"

Bubba & Beck said the traditional vows and then shared ones they'd written themselves. I so wish I could put on here exactly what my brother said, but I wouldn't do it justice. He talked about how the phrase I love you now takes on an entirely new meaning to them as a couple. It's now a promise for forever....it was beautiful.

I do not cry at weddings. I may tear up a bit, but I don't really cry. I used to, but haven't in about 10 years. The look in my brother's eyes when I was walking down the aisle on the arm of one of his closest friends was enough to break down all my defenses. Princess & I cried through most of the ceremony...when we weren't laughing with Bucka & the couple.

After the reception (a simple affair with finger foods, cake, & punch) the entire family returned to QM & Daddy's to hang out in Deem's new Dradge House as HT calls the garage. There was enough food to feed a small army, enough laughter to drown out the cries of kids denied access to the hill of dirt behind us, and enough love to fill us all up for a long time to come.

Bubba & Beck stopped by to visit with the grandparents & aunts & uncles for a bit before heading out. Beck needed Princess to take off the fake nails Princess had put on her the night before. They were making her crazy. :)

Once most of the family retired for the night, QM offered to babysit my girls, HT, and Art's brood (my boys had already headed back to Illinois with their dad after the wedding) so we could sit & visit in the garage. Uncle Gick hung out with us & we sang & talked & laughed for a good long time....but of course it's never quite long enough.

Now I'm attempting to recover from a lot of running around, eating on the fly, and way to little sleep. All the laundry is washed & most of it's folded & put away. The luggage is stashed where it belongs & the massive amount of hand-me-downs Bitsy inherited this weekend has been sorted & put away.

I think I need a honeymoon.

A cry screech for help

Today is the big day. My baby brother becomes a husband. Princess & I get a new sister. The FarmHands get a new aunt. We're all very excited.

Now for the icky part: it won't quit raining. Daddy said it's been raining for the better part of three weeks down here. The FarmHands & I made the entire trip down in the rain (pouring rain, most of it). This morning, the sound of water cascading off the roof woke me. It's coming down in sheets.

This is not good.

Beck is already a walking panic attack. Toss in gallons of water & she may be catatonic come time for the ceremony. The reception is being held in a hall about 50 yards away from the doors of the church building. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want her dress soaked during the sprint across the parking lot.

It's not like I'm asking for you to pray away rain from a county entrenched in drought, I'm asking you to pray rain away from a county under flood watch. Please. Begging is more like it.

Oh, and then there's the fact that my husband is going to be on the road in this mess....for 250 miles.

And while you're praying, could you toss in a few for the Bride, Groom, Wedding party, and their families? Thanks so much! That's what's going to keep us afloat today....literally.

B.B. on the importance of marriage.

This time tomorrow I will be loading up the van & preparing for a 5 hour trip south.

This morning B.B. decided he's not coming with me. He announced his plans very calmly over spaghetti & bread sticks. When I asked what he was going to do instead, he said, "I'm just not going, so that means you can't go either, and that means no one is going." I told him that wasn't really an option. I have to go therefore he has to go. "But why do we have to go? We see them all the time! They come to our house."

I told him that Uncle Bubba's wedding was very important & we are required to attend (not to mention the $150 worth of perfectly tailored, cornflower blue, bridesmaid dress hanging in my closet & the fabulous floor length white flower girl dress QM is putting together as I type).

His real concern? "You're going to have to drive the van all night long!" Whoops. In an attempt to squelch the eighteen thousand times I'll be asked, "How much longer till we're at Grammy's house?", I told the FarmHands it would be dark before we're there. To B.B. "Dark" means "We're driving all night long."

He's a bit happier knowing that we'll be there around bed time, but he's still not sure it's worth all this trouble. I should really let him take this up with his uncle.

Football, Goofy, Birthdays, and Paint.

There's a Titans/Steelers game on TV tonight. I may actually watch an entire football game without my husband present....either that or the next installment of Heroes we got from Netflix today.

The FarmHands are watching Classic Goofy sports cartoons on DVD. I love Netflix.

Tomorrow is Friday. I've been ready for Friday since Tuesday. This week has taken far too long. Next week should keep me hopping. Children's Church on Sunday, B.B.'s birthday on Wednesday, snacks for B.B.'s class Wednesday for his birthday, snacks for #1 Son's class on Friday, and many more things I know I'm forgetting right now.

If I lived about 240 miles to my south I'd be hard at work painting & moving furniture at QM's house in preparation for Bubba & Beck's wedding & all the guests coming to town. Instead, I'm calling daily for updates on the progress. Princess may take up permanent residence at Mama's until all the work is done. I'm wondering if I can find a sitter for the weekend & convince Husband that I need to go help my sister paint my mom's living room.

So, what was I saying?

A thistle. We were collecting seeds & plant pictures for BabyGirl's first real project for school: the third grade seed collection. It should be assembled this weekend.

I've been perusing the posts I've left for your enjoyment over the past few weeks, and all I can say is, "Can you find it in your hearts to forgive me?!" The drivel is making my head hurt. Do you really care that I shampooed my carpets? Does it lift your spirits to hear that I defrosted my freezers? Is your day better because I shared my need for exfoliated heels? I highly doubt it.

In an attempt to revive my blog to its former glory I will share a few exploits of the FarmHands & a few mildly interesting things that have happened lately.

BabyGirl cut her bangs. Eight years old & this is the first time she's ever attempted such a thing. I was so far beyond aggravated with her. At first I didn't think it was too bad; it was only a half an inch above her eyebrows. And then I got a good look at it....there's a tuft of hair about 1/4 of an inch long surrounding her cowlick right in the middle of her forehead. Have I mentioned she's going to be the flower girl in Bubba's wedding in 3 weeks? Creative hair styling has been taking place around here & I think we'll be able to hide it....I hope.

The spread at the wedding shower I hosted for Beck 2 weeks ago. I tried posting this picture then, but blogger hated me.

Bitsy just peed on my kitchen floor. Yeah. Fun. She's all about the potty training. Let me tell you. Mostly she likes running around naked (sound like anyone else we know? BabyGirl?) & sitting on the potty without producing anything noteworthy. Believe me, if there were noteworthy things in her potty, you'd have heard about it. Isn't that what blogs are for?

#1 Son & BabyGirl checking out the cacti in BabyGirl's class room at the school open house last week. BabyGirl was standing right in front of the sign that read, "Do not touch cactus," while she was poking the plants.

The three older FarmHands have an ongoing super hero game. No less than 15 times a day I hear one of them ask, "Hey, guys, remember our game?" followed by a brief argument about which child is the possessor of which super power, what everyone's name is, who their parents are/were, and who's already dead "in the game." Currently BabyGirl is wearing head phones & pretending to be deaf. The boys keep asking her, "What kind of super power is that?"

B.B. is now the proud owner of 2 Iron Man mini-frisbees. He got both of them from the treasure chest at school in exchange for "being good tokens." I cannot explain the relief I feel. I had convinced myself we'd be at the top of the Principal's speed dial by this time.

I picked up The Chronicles of Narnia at a second hand store today for $6. They're in excellent shape. I was thrilled. Yeah for winter reading!

Husband has had to work every Saturday for the biggest part of the summer. It's not been much fun. It's only left us Sunday afternoons to spend with him & he's had to spend most of them mowing our massive yard. Yesterday he sent me an email from work telling me he has today off. Today, Tomorrow, and Monday! I am so excited I could pop! I can't remember the last time he had 3 days off in a row....maybe July?

And with that, I'm off to enjoy my weekend clean my house. Should have thought of that earlier in the week....oh well.

There were showers of blessings

It's all over & everything went well! Beck was thrilled with all her gifts, the cake, the games, and the guests. QM, Princess, Grandma M&M, Unkie Di, and Grandma B all came, so along with Beck, my girls & myself, we had 9 people. Just the right size for a bride who doesn't do so well in crowds.



Busha didn't get to come because she & Uncle Gick were at the ER with Bucka. He's come down with pnemonia! He gave us all a pretty good scare Saturday morning with some confusion, a fever, chest pains, chills, and other issues. He's going to spend a few days in the hospital, but the good news (so far) is that his heart doesn't seem to be part of the problem.



Unkie Di & QM loaned us their antique snack sets. Unkie Di loaned us her candy dishes & Grandma B loaned us her punch bowl. Husband's Aunt C loaned me a fruit plate. QM brought her vintage lace table cloth & I hemed a lenght of bright pink fabric to put underneath it. The napkins were white with large pink & yellow flowers & the cake was white with blue boarder & bright pink letters. I thought it all looked very pretty & Beck loved it, so that's all that matters.



We played a memory game first. I made Beck an apron & Princess & I covered it with little things you need in your home that a bride might not register for or think to pick up. Beck wore the apron for a few minutes while everyone checked it out, then the guests had a few minutes to write down everything they remebered. Unkie Di won by remembering 17 out of 22 items. Here's a run down of some of the items: pot scraper, stapler, styptic pencil, sewing kit, rubberbands, post-its, shopping list, ladle, spatula, slotted spoon, mixing spoon, measuring cups, measuring spoons, tape, scissors, tweezers, saftey pins....and a few more.

Next we played Bride & Groom True/Fasle Trivia. 50 statements ranging from "Bubba likes Green Beans" to "Beck was a pool shark in college" to "The couple plans to move to Montana to run a small bed & breakfast" that everyone had to decide if they believed or not. QM won by only missing 7 questions.

After cake & punch, Beck opened her gifts. She was thrilled with everything they got & was repeatedly shocked to find she'd registered for certain things. "When you're shopping with Bubba, it's hard to pay attention," she told us. They got a toaster, lots of kitchen utensils, dishes, flatware, Rubbermaid containers, hand made dish cloths (that nearly left Beck in tears because it reminded her of her grandmother who passed away a few years back), magnets & pot holders made by the FarmHands, and a beautiful set of Noritaki stemware. She could not have been happier.

I keep trying to load pictures for you, but Blogger hates me today. I actually wrote this post a few days ago, but it hated me then, too & wouldn't publish. Grrr.

I get by with a little lotta' help from my friends

I am feeling rather productive today, despite the fact that my house resembles a refugee camp. Why do you feel productive when all you're doing is sitting on your keister, pecking at the key board, you ask? Because I purchased wedding shower stuff this morning!

I did not get to make my shopping trip unattended, but I did get to make it less encumbered. Only Bitsy made the trek with me. She needed shoes & Husband needed the opportunity to nap a bit (he's been working 11 1/2 hour days for weeks now). Bitsy isn't a bad companion on shopping trips. She loves to shop, visit with other shoppers, and point at merchandise & holler very loudly about baby dolls. She's entertaining.

My goal today was to get plates & napkins. I came home with wedding ring stamps, plates, napkins, game prizes/door prize depending on what Beck's opinion on games is, Thank You notes, index cards & a box to hold them. I am going to use everyone's suggestion about the envelope addresses. I did that for Princess's baby shower (not that they were ever sent out, but oh well), and wish it would have happened for mine. (Side note: Inkling, don't feel too bad about your thank yous. My wedding ones were never sent & only about 10 were ever written. All my baby gift notes were done, though.) I'm also going to tuck 2 note cards into each invitation; one for a favorite recipe to share and one for a recipe for a good marriage.

I even had a fabulous thought for the shower Princess & the MOH Maid-of-Honor) are throwing Beck in Tennessee. I guess Beck's family is throwing her a shower too, so Princess wanted to do something different. She called me this week & asked what I thought of throwing Beck a lingerie shower. I vetoed the idea because Beck would die a thousand deaths before she'd admit in public that she's naked under her clothing. She's VERY modest & not at all the slinky teddy kind of girl. I think the idea of a "personal shower" would be enough to induce a panic attack.

Instead, I suggested Princess & the MOH throw her a pantry shower. I've never been to one, but would love to sometime. The entire point of the shower is to stock the couple's pantry. Dry goods, canned goods, household cleaners, paper towels, toilet paper, kitchen staples....any household item that would be helpful to have a stock of. Princess loved the idea. I hope MOH does too. You can borrow my idea if you like. I don't mind.

Now I need slightly more specific help. Does anyone have any suggestions for games that do not include things like dressing the bride in toilet paper or unscrambling "wedding" words? Something that won't embarrass Beck or any of our three grandmothers would be nice, too. I have asked Beck how she feels about shower games, but haven't heard back from her on that topic just yet. If she doesn't answer me soon, I'm going to find the most inappropriate shower games I can & make her play them.

Yeah, OK, so that last bit was a lie.

There shall be showers of....kitchen ware.

Have I mentioned that my baby brother is getting married? Have I mentioned that BabyGirl is the flower girl? Have I mentioned that I am a bridesmaid? Have I mentioned that I adore my soon to be Sister-in-law? OK, well, yeah. That's the deal.

As a bridesmaid, I feel a tad responsible for helping in the planning of the wonderful event. Unfortunately, I live too far away to be of any real help. I'm mostly the on-call bridesmaid who answers odd questions like, "When should Beck start the pill?" (from Bubba, believe it or not) and, "Do you have a heat gun?" (from Princess), and, "What color would look good with cornflower blue?" (from Beck).

Our family is scattered around the country. Cousins in Chicago, Springfield, Tennessee, and Canada, Aunt in St.Louis, Grandmothers & Aunts spread about Illinois, and me in a somewhat central location between them & Beck. So in August, I'm hosting a small shower at my house for Beck...oh, and Bubba too, but he's not invited. I'm sending out 16 invites & expecting about 10-12 guests.

Here's the dilemma, I've never hosted a wedding shower before! I've hosted a baby shower or two, but never a wedding shower. I've got invites & they're filled out waiting a final bit of info from the bride. Unkie Di has offered up her help. I'm going to order a small cake (1/4 sheet should do for 10-12 people, shouldn't it?). Punch, mints, nuts, fruit/veggie tray.....past that I have no clue what to do! Games? What kind?

Please, dear readers, help a FarmWife! I need suggestions!