Ghost of my Wedding Dress

I purchased my wedding dress way ahead of schedule.  So far ahead, in fact, that it lived on the back of a door in our living room for about 3 months, teasing Mike.  He refrained from peeking through the double garment bag, but admits that urge to do so was killing him.

So, I finally moved the dress to my dear friend (and bridesmaid) Kathryn's closet.

When I looked at the door again, I noticed something odd:

The dress left behind an imprint, or ghost, of itself!

Remember, the dress was double bagged.  The bags were the size of the door and one was plastic, the other a fabric. They spanned the entire width of the door - not the size of the ghostly shadows left behind.

Luckily the black dusty stuff cleans right up, but it's still really weird.

Does silk organza give off an oddly, fierce residue?

How weird is that?!

{photo by Yours Truly, Me}

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Don't forget to enter my Jammie Girl PJ Giveaway or the Simple Green Naturals Giveaway!

Birthday Giveaway: Jammie Girl jammies!

I love my jammies (bold, italics, underline).

It might have something to do with loving sleep, but nothing beats coming home from a long day at work to your favorite pair of jammies.  (Well, maybe wine, dinner on the table, and your man - but being IN your jammers is the icing on the cake!)

A few weeks ago I received and reviewed a pair of Jammie Girl jammies.  Jammie Girl's site is the mecca for cute PJs. I love the Munki Munki line, which has the uber cute nightgown "June Bug" tribute to brides:

The PJ Salvage Purple Pursuasion  cropped pant looks oh-so-comfy and stylish, too:

Jammie Girl sent me the Malabar Bay Sea Stars Blue Pajama Set in medium.  Check out my review for full details, but here's the skinny: LOVE THEM!

In honor of my birthday, you too can own a set of Malabar Bay PJs!
They are offering one lucky winner a pair of Malabar Bay jammies in Flamingo White!

Here's how to enter the giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:  Go to Jammie Girl's Site and comment below, telling me your favorite pair!

(**You must do the first entry first to qualify for bonus entries. Please leave a comment for each entry! If it says 3 entries then leave 3 entries! Valid for USA only. No PO Box addresses will be accepted. Please make sure you leave an e-mail address or have it in your profile! If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!** )

Bonus Entries

1. Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

2. Like me on Facebook (1 entry)

3. Subscribe by reader or email located on left sidebar to my blog (1 entry each)

4. Add my button to your blog or add me to your blogroll (2 entries each)

5. Blog about this giveaway. Leave me link. (3 entries)

6. Follow @CrowndVic* on Twitter and tweet** this giveaway (1 entry/tweet)

*Tweets protected.  I will approve you as long as you're not a bot.

**Anything appropriate or something like:  I wanna win the PJ #Giveaway with @CrowndVic and @jammiegirlstore http://ow.ly/2DgxZ

7. Follow @JammieGirlStore on Twitter (1 entry)

8. Like Jammie Girl on Facebook (1 entry)

9.  Vote for this blog*** (Crowning Victoria) for Weddzilla's Blog Guru award! (1 entry)
***Must be a new vote if voted previously.  Scroll through the pages to find my button (most likely on page 3 or 4). Click the arrow next to my blog logo to vote.

Giveaway will end on 9/24/10 (my birthday!) at 11 PM EST.

Winner will be chosen by random.org and will be e-mailed. The winner has 48 hrs. to respond to my e-mail or another winner will be chosen. I will announce the winner on my blog.

{personal photos by Yours Truly, Me}
{Photos of June Bug and Purple Persuasion PJs from Jammie Girl}

Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% honest and my own.  Jammie Girl provided me with the pictured pair of PJs for the purpose of this review.  I purchased an additional pair on my own because I love their selection.

Oh Honey(cake)

Happy New Year!

Tonight at sundown Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New year, begins.  And for me this is a very special Rosh Hashanah.  It's my first as a Jew.  There's a huge story I need to tell about how I came to my decision to convert, but that's not for today.  Although this is a day to celebrate as the anniversary of the day G-d created Adam and Eve, as we look hopefully towards a sweet new year, and we hear the shofar sounding - it is also a solemn holiday.  Rosh Hashanah marks a day of judgment, "On this day man is judged for all of his actions, and all that will transpire and occur during the coming year is recorded." {from Chabbad.org}

Alas, it is a holiday, so we gather with family, attend services, and feast!  (Also because it is a day of rest, I will not be found here on Crowning Victoria until the holiday ends, Friday at sundown.)

It is a tradition to eat sweet things to beckon a pleasant year.  I made a fantastic honey cake that I must share with you:

"Majestic and Moist Honey Cake"
Adapted from Marcy Goldman's Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup honey*
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs (at room temp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whiskey
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional) 

Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square pans or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 x 13 inch sheet cake (pictured at bottom).
Preheat oven to 350F.  Generously grease your pan(s).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.  Make a well in the center.

Add to the well: oil, applesauce, honey, white sugar, brown shugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee, orange juice, and rye/whiskey.  *If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be much easier to get all of the honey out!

Using an electric mixer (can't wait to get married so I can get my Kitchenaid!)  on slow speed stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter.  Take caution to ensure all ingredients are mixed and none are stuck to the bottom of your bowl.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s).  Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using.  Place cake pan(s) on a baking sheet to ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom baking at the same speed as the interior and top.

 
 Bake until center tests done (spring back to the touch and toothpick comes out clean).  
Angel and tube cake pans take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes 45-55 min, and sheet cakes bake for 40-45 minutes.

Allow to cool 15 minutes before removing.




Enjoy!
Shana Tova! 
(Happy New Year!)

 
{All Crown'd Vic photos: Yours Truly, Me}

{source}

PandAmonium

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway for 7 bottles of Simple Green Naturals!

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{Ailuropoda melanoleuca}  Giant Pandas.

{source}

Growing up I liked these black and white bears.  They're cute, cuddly-looking, fierce creatures.  Also, who doesn't love a bambo-a-tarian?  It totally helps the environment.

So when Thai Shan the panda was born the day Mike and I visited the National Zoo for the first time ever since moving to DC, I was ecstatic.  I knew baby pandas are the size of a butter stick, so it made sense that the cub's nickname was such.

Mike and I continued to visit Thai Shan when we found ourselves at the zoo.  I swear that bear hardly made it outside.  Still, we saw it, waved at it, and pretended to talk to it (or maybe we really talked to it, but we're totally sane).

Then the fateful day came to send Thai Shan back to China.  Did you know ALL pandas are on loan from China?  That's a strange deal if you really stop to think about it.  New York City's not asking for any rats back.  I guess rats aren't as adorable.
Maybe it's an adorable-factor.
The fact that they are endangered doesn't help extend their stay.

Back on topic...
So Fed-Ex gets the box ready for Thai Shan, China gets excited to up their panda numbers, and DC prepares the farewell.
Simultaneously Mike prepared his proposal to ask me to spend our lives together!
 
What ensued after Mike popped The Question, I call PandAmonium.
Panda'monium because the amount of panda stuff that found it's way into our home was astounding.

Don't get me wrong, I like the bears.
And my youngest niece will be dressed as a baby panda at our wedding (cute, cute, cute!).

But here's a fraction of our collection:

1.  Personalized panda mugs, a gift from the National Zoo in celebration of our engagement. (They also gave us a bottle of champagne!  Not too shabby, eh?)

2.  Pandora Panda charm! My mom bought this for me for my bracelet.  I love this one.  It's sweet and cute and carries such special meaning.

3.  Matching panda shirts, a gift from Mike's dad and stepmom.

4.  A stuffed panda, also from the National Zoo.  Penny Lane tried to get in the shot.  I love that my cat is black and white like a panda.

Do you have any collections that sprung themselves on you?


{All photos by: Yours Truly, Me}

Save the Dates: They're HERE!

They came!  They're here! My Our Save the Dates arrived!

It took me forever to decide.  Mike left it completely up to me, which allowed me creative freedom but at the same time I was left with my own indecisiveness.  We purchased them through my sister's friend, Julye, who has her own printing company.  This printing company gains her great connections, like to Carlson Crafts (where we ordered the Save The Dates).

To keep a bit of suspense for those who will receive these lovely STD's soon, here's the bloggy-reveal:

 Sorry for the tease!  After the recipients receive theirs in the mail, I'll post a "real" photo!

I chose a simple business-card-sized magnet (within our budget, finally) displaying a photo from our engagement photo shoot, our names, and the event date.  The magnet will be sent with an insert containing our "wedsite" info, hotel details, and other important facts.
I'm still working on that part, but soon we will be ready to send them out!

Um, also:
Why are stamps so expensive?
And why is it now that we are ready to send out the Save the Dates our guest list is suddenly in flux?

{contact me if you're interested in working with Julye too!}

{All photos by: Yours Truly, Me}

Rings, a second time around - Part 2

Please sign up for my Simple Green Giveaway: 7 Bottles of Cleaner! (easy to enter!)

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{For Part 1}

Over the weekend, Mike and I visited our favorite jewelers, commissioning him to create our wedding bands.  He drafted my magnificent creation, but we were over budget.

So, I asked a question that will forever change how I look at jewelry.

No, it's not "Can we do Cubic Zirconium instead?"

Nor is it "Can I trade my first born for a good rate?"


 

It was a rather simple question:

 "Is there anyway we could reduce the cost?"

Keith said he would never make this suggestion, but when someone asks he knows that it's OK to put this on the table.
Normally this kind of thing scares people away, he cautioned.

He asked if I cared if the stones were new.
I didn't get it.
New as in fresh out of the mine?
New as in just born? Do diamonds/jewels do that?

He pulled out massive trays, one at a time.  Each held about 50 previously worn rings.  Either people's marriages failed, passed away, or needed the extra cash.  One way or another these wedding bands all had a history and now spent their days in a safe.

First we looked at the bands to see if there was anything exactly like I wanted.  Of course their wasn't, which made me loosen up to the idea a bit.  While I like the idea of the cost being cheaper, I was a little wary of wearing someone's old wedding ring.  I wanted my own.

Then Keith explained he was still going to create my own, unique ring.  He would melt down gold for me, to create the brand new band.  Then he would take stones from other sources and put them in my band.  These stones were from rings that we were looking at now - or random single pairs of earrings, broken bracelets, and forgotten treasures.  Keith said he needed to look into what he had in the back and would let us know the next day.

On Monday, we got the great call I was waiting for: Keith had all the necessary stones, of great quality, natural and not laboratory made, for my band.  Not only could he do it, but he could do it for half the cost of a brand new ring from the catalog.  All because I'm OK with previously worn stones.

See, the truth behind it is this:  these stones still retain their value, even for being sold a second time around.   They still have their same worth, even though they might not be "new." I'm giving these stones a second chance at love.
They are being used to create something special and new for me.  To me, their past doesn't matter - it's my new ring that will stand as a symbol of my unity with Mike.
If it means giving these old stones a new chance, to cut costs, then why not?
It's not like anyone's going to come looking for them.  It's not like anyone will know they are "gently used" either.  When you look at my ring all you will see is my love for Mike.

Old and new, somewhat-borrowed with a touch of blue: it's my ring, my love.

Rings, a second time around - Part 1

Please sign up for my Simple Green Giveaway: 7 Bottles of Cleaner! (easy to enter!)

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Mike and I both know which wedding bands/rings we want.  We also know our budget.  The major retailers shockingly manage to fall way beyond our means, but gave us good ideas and sent us in the right direction (away from their scary prices).

We headed out to the jeweler where Mike bought my engagement ring. If you had pointed out this little store, located in the corner of a strip mall on a busy highway and told me, "That's where your engagement and wedding rings will come from" I would probably run straight back to the scary major retailers.  The Diamond Exchange USA not only has a generic name but the hole-in-the-wall of a store surely screams "scam."  Except they are everything BUT that.  Why waste money on a flashy website, catchy store name, or ritzy store?  It's obvious this small, family owned store values their quality of work and staff more than all those other things.  And because of that, they were not only able to meet our budget, but create our one of a kind rings for us!
(Or at least we hope.... read on..)

In fact, Mike did exactly that with my engagement ring. First chose the stone: a diamond based on color, clarity, cut and carat.  Then Keith, the jeweler, set it in a band of Mike's choosing.  Essentially Mike designed my ring.

The best part about this store is their honesty.  Mike went into the store knowing he wanted to buy my engagement ring and did his online research first.  Keith directed him through the whole process and the good customer service and good people resulted in a great price and a very happy fiance.

But I digress: wedding bands.
We went back to The Diamond Exchange USA (the whole name is fun to say) and saw their variety of bands.  Keith is able to replicate almost anything on display, at a lower cost.  He's talented like that.  Mike chose a simple band, with no brushing (as he previously liked) but instead with etched rims on it.  It's hard to explain, you'll have to wait until June to see it! We ordered it in palladium, which is actually less expensive than gold now and better quality than tungsten and titanium.

For my ring, Keith will create my white gold, channel set diamond and sapphire beauty.  First we looked at the options in the store, none of which had sapphires in them.  The .5 total carat weight (TCW) seemed to overpower my size 4.5 ring finger.  The .25 TCW left me wanting more.  We decided on 7 stones (4 diamonds, 3 sapphires) of .4 TCW.  When Keith totaled both rings, we were shocked to find out we were over budget.

I was so sad.  I thought for sure everything would work out with Keith on our side.
Then I asked the question that will forever change how I look at jewelry.

 {source}

{Because this post is epic, please see Part 2 tomorrow for the conclusion}