I'm Back! (And some lake fun)

I have been having a lot of fun with my wedding blog (A Marriage of Passion and Style), but I'm back to posting a bit about my every day life!

My summer has been a lot of fun but I am more than excited for Fall. Autumn in Montana is a dream! This last weekend marks the end to most lake activities in the area, so my sister and I joined my boyfriend's family for a day on the boat. I love boating (whether it includes a motor or a paddle), but had never tried tubing behind a motor boat. My opinion now that I have? WTF?! Soooo not a fan so far! LOL. My sister took to it and went back for more, but after two goes, I was good and done. Why do people think it's fun?! Of course my boyfriend, who has been doing this since he was a kid, loves it! He's good at it too, performing all sorts of tricks and shenanigans. I let him and the others take their turns while I enjoyed the boat ride and my carton of wine. Ahhh...bliss!

A New Blog Endeavor

Hello folks! I've been procrastinating on my blogs here for a bit. So much going on in my world! I'll update on St. Patrick's, Easter, and such soon. I have been dallying with a new blog idea though.

I'm obsessed with Weddings! So I have a new blog that will revolve around nothing but. Researching trends and looking up styles and falling in love with fashions keep me very happy, so I thought I'd put them all in a blog. Maybe a few of you will be interested too!

Find me here, at A Marriage of Passion & Style! And I'll be back around this blog soon too! :)

The Gatsby Gala 2013

Through an iron gate, down a tree-lined lane, past very noir street lamps, we made our way to the Daly Mansion. Marcus Daly purchased the property in 1886 and continually remodeled it until his death in 1910. His wife continued the process until it evoked a Georgian-Revival style. It's a beautiful home with more than 50 rooms. A perfect backdrop for a night of folly!

The Preservation Trust that keeps the house maintained and open to the public hosted the Gatsby Gala as a fundraiser. The ballroom held a live band and lots of room for dancing. (Or tripping and falling, which I used it for as well...LOL). The formal dining room boasted a huge spread of hour de'ourves and coffee. The gift shop was prepped for professional photos and the parlor hosted one huge coat rack of furs! Apparently everyone attending that night (a good 150 or so!) all raided their grandparents' closets for authentic outerwear.

Activities provided were bingo in the 3rd floor billiards room, 'horse racing' in the very masculine trophy room (complete with stuffed Grizzly and a tiger skin!), poker tables and fortune telling on the second floor and of course dancing! Prohibition couldn't touch us as we enjoyed a full bar too! My handsome beau got ushered into the costume contest, most likely due to a killer curled mustache. People just adored it! I garnered a lot of compliments with my bold jewelry and drapey dress. Felt good to get dolled up!

The Trust did a fantastic job of setting up this event. It was well organized, well decorated, and well attended! They even  made paper lanterns, adorned with 1920s poster images. Set atop mirrored tiles and peacock feathers. :)

My man and I had a roaring good time and I hope they host this annually, for I'll readily return! Until then, I'll try and hit all of their other events including their murder mystery dinners in October! Spooky! I can see how this place would be very eerie in the fall.

What a great night out!

A Roaring '20s Infatuation

I have long been in love with the 1920s era. Drop waists, short hair, beautiful art deco jewelry and art. The music, the dancing, the debauchery. I was in heaven with the movie Midnight in Paris! This Saturday, at a local mansion, a Gatsby-style gala is being held. My man will look like a gangster, and I his lady love.

An old '20s make-up ad

 There will be live music, gambling, dancing, and spirits! Period-clothing is required, 

so I am scrounging up my best flapper outfit as we speak. I can't wait!

I love those hair waves!

 What a wonderful night it will be, to pretend it's almost a 100 years ago, 

living it up. I can't wait to take part!

Art Deco is one of my favorite styles

The clothing looked chic AND comfortable!

I'll never get over the jewelry! I love the geometric shapes

I even have a tulip style hat to wear!

It makes me happy to see these old styles still pop up on runways :)

Four Steps to Recovering Surgery

Ha, you'd think I didn't 'kick the flu' judging by my absence in blog land! I'll have to fill you in on my lovely Valentine's day, but right now I'm focusing on fully recovering from my latest surgery. My sweet mom posted about it the other day, and got some very lovely comments back wishing me well. Thanks! If you find yourself in the same situation ever--where they have to remove large screws from your jaw bone--here's the best recipe I've found for getting over it and getting on with life:

Step 1: Lots of fluffy TV. This means a Say Yes to the Dress Marathon. Nothing can put a crooked smile on a half-numb girl like Randy at Kleinfelds talking of satin, chiffon, silks and sashes. Swoon!

Step 2: Magazines in bed. Magazines are like candy to me. I could buy them all. I was treated to a new Real Simple magazine the other day and spent a lazy afternoon, cuddled under blankets, flipping through it. Nice and relaxing. And that glossy cover absorbs much less accidental drool than, say, a newspaper.

Step 3: Cake. Yep, if there's one thing I crave in my Perocet-laden haze, amidst tooth pain and stiff jaw, it's cake. White cake. Plain frosting. Easy to eat and soothing to the soul.

Step 4: The most important step. Have your Mom near by. She is the BEST nurse I've ever known. She picked me up from the doc's and drove me home to the Mommy hospital. I slept in the guest room with vomit-bin nearby, pain meds on the night stand, and stuffed animal cow to cuddle. She supplied me with lots of liquid foods and DVR'd all those wedding shows I mentioned above. And watched them with me. She cleaned my wounds, and cleared my mind. She makes this so much easier. 

Four Steps to Kicking the Flu

They might not work for anyone, but these following steps got me through last week--which was rough!

1. HOT TUB! Nothing bakes out the germys quite like a good hot tub. I got to relax at my parents' house and enjoy theirs while they were on a winter vacation. Me and my rubber ducky lounged under the stars, near the snow drifts in 105 degrees of wonderful-ness. It shortens any illness I've ever had!

Ok, not my parents' hot tub....but this one sure is dreamy!

2. Faux fur blanket! Curl up, be warm, and feel fabulous. Though I had to drag this particular blanket away from my cat (which resulted in a few fights) it kept me cozy to sleep off that flu!

My favorite Black Friday purchase last year

3. Trashy TV! I turned my parents' TV to TLC and let it wash over me. Reality TV at it's weirdest and finest. My faves of course? Wedding shows! But in lieu of these, I pretty much watched whatever else came on. Sisterhood? Um, sure. Starter Wives Confidential? Weird....Toddlers & Tiaras?! I just wanna laugh at the absurdity!

4. Make yourself feel pretty! Amongst the mountain of tissues, the bags of cough drops and the sticky bottle of nyquil, I start to feel pretty unattractive. Nose turns red, hair just doesn't lay right, and it looks like I haven't slept in eons. My fix? New fingernails! Might sound silly but acrylics always make me feel a little classier so I threw on a new pair to transform my mood. Did the trick! Kept my mood up! :) (And they matched my bagel from yesterday morning. LOL)

Valentine's Excitement

I get so excited this time of year! Valentine's Day is coming, and it means I get to switch out all the decor in my home for fun pinks, reds and mauves; hearts, flowers and glitter. I have always adored this holiday since I was little. Since tiny valentines were put into tiny boxes at school parties. Since my Dad would buy me a heart of chocolates every single year. Since I felt like I always had a valentine (be it my friends or family) every year to celebrate with.

At the end of January, when I feel like I still have enough time, I'll start making valentines. I go through the stockpile of frilly scrapbook paper, doilies, stamps and glitter. And then of course forget to remember to consider the size of a standard envelope, and then have to make my own envelopes and then pay a crap ton for postage... Will I ever learn?! :)

I thought these were really cute handmade valentine tags

Simple and sweet!

  When February 1st finally rolls around I will hang the pink swag on the mantel, the Valentine's wreathe on the front door, and add all of my little holiday touches. I love searching the internet and the magazine stands for decorating ideas...

Isn't this lovely?

I can't get over this darling swag

Lots of wonderful red!

 My sister is not a big fan of this holiday--never was. So she has a few decorations I'll put in her room that reflect her distaste for the holiday. Anything to make her laugh!

Are you folks just as excited as me for the next holiday?!