Our Home and Family

                             

Monday, September 16, 2013

My Sons Wedding with a Rustic Charm

Mike, Amanda, Kevin and Myself

On September, 7th my son Kevin married the love of his life Amanda. They got married in the back yard of Amanda's parents house in Mexico, NY. Amanda's parents have a large piece of property behind their house which made a perfect setting for the wedding.

The Reception Tent

The inside of the tent 

Vintage Doors

My husband Mike made an Arch out of 18 Century American Chestnut barn beans. We went on the hunt finding the beams on Craigslist in a town near where I grew up.  Lets just say it was an adventure!! Once we got them it took him about a week to create the arch so it wouldn't fall over and kill someone. I decorated it with fall colors of hydrangea's, mums and other flowers which gave it that final touch.

The Arch

I then found some antique vintage doors that we made the entrance to ceremony. We drove about an hour and a half to Watkin's Glen, NY to get them but they were absolutely beautiful! We loved them so much we ended up buying them and plan on renting them along with the arch next season.

Sign made from old barn wood - This way to the I Dos and "the kiss"

Dog run to the right covered in grey and white plastic table skirts

Amanda's mom did a great job covering the little things in the yard like the dog run, the propane tank and because it was an outdoor wedding we needed port o potty's and you of course needed a place to wash your hands. The only thing we forgot was a light in the Porto Potty's after dark oops! Well, it made for interesting conversation! Ha! Ha!

Propane Tank

Outdoor sink made from pallets 

Come as you are, stay as long as you can, were all family here, so there's no seating plan.

Kevin and Amanda had Dinosaur Bar-B-Que as the caterers and my daughter Liz and myself being vegetarian's all we could eat was corn and salad which was probably just iceberg lettuce which has no nutritional value. So I asked them if I could make a few vegetarian dishes for those who don't eat meat.
It was a huge hit! I will share the recipes and some more photo's of the wedding in my next post. The recipes are amazing and easy to make.

Candy

XOXO

      My Nephew Drew and his Kissing Booth!

I just love this picture of my nephew Drew. His mom writes a great blog called Migonis Home. Drew loves the camera! I wish I lived closer to him because I would be first in line. He should hang on to that booth it may come in handy in a few years!! LOL

          A Letter to My Daughter Erin on Her 33rd Birthday!

It was 33 years ago today that I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that we named Erin. Dad was in the Navy, and we were stationed in Charleston S.C., dad was out to sea for three months and was expected back in 2 weeks. I went back to New York to have you and to be close to family. Well you were very comfortable and came 3 weeks late. When we went to meet dad the Red Cross had never notified him to let him know that you were born. Needless to say he was beside himself with worry!  One of our neighbors on the other crew told him that he had a beautiful little girl. When he finally got off the ship and had you in his arms there was a sign of relief that all was ok. It was a great moment, that I will never forget.

Erin as a baby

You being the first born were the one that we made many mistakes on I am sure, trying to be the best parents that we could. But we were young, and had no idea how to take care of a baby. But you were swimming at 10 months, then ended up swimming in college, you were and still are always smiling.

Erin with her brother Greg

I will always remember when we moved to Oswego, you were starting the 6th grade, on the first day of school I made you wear a dress because where we had lived before, that's what they wore on the first day of school. You begged me to take you home to change. Liz was a newborn, it was to far, and it was the first day of school! I am sorry I should have taken you home and let you change into shorts like the rest of the kids.

Erin's 4th Birthday - Look at my blonde hair...Wow!

Erin's High School Graduation ( Erin on the right)

 The day I took you to college was so hard, I  cried all the way home. That Dixie Chick song made me cry every time I heard it! But you survived and made many lifelong friends.

Erin on the right with the glasses (Erin with roommate Debbie)

Now you are grown, have a great job and can support yourself but, I will always have the urge to take care of you. I just want you to know that I have always meant to do my best to be a good mother. Many time I wish that I could be with you when you need me. I just want you to know how much I love you! Happy Birthday!!

Love you,
  Mom

Today we celebrated my Great Aunts 99th birthday

Today we celebrated my great Aunt Florence's 99th birthday. We hired a DJ and had a wonderful lunch at Bishop Common's the assisted living where she lives. She loved being the center of attention!! We had Champagne, Cake and they decorated the dinning room on pink and purple balloons her favorite colors. I just hope and pray that I can live as long as her, and to be able to be as full of life that she is! Happy Birthday Aunt Florence!!