New Years Resolutions for 2013

What the pho is wrong with me? I can not keep up with a simple blog to save my life. So here's to starting up again with my New Years Resolutions. 

1.) On the top of my list is the ever most popular,yet the most unachievable... lose weight.

But mine will be more realistic. There is no set-in-stone number I need to get to. Just to be happy and proud of my body. I know I'll never be the skinniest, I won't have the body of a Victoria's Secret Angel, but if I can feel like a million bucks, then I'm golden. 

With that, I hate punishing myself for eating things that I think are DELICIOUS. I love bread. I love desserts.   I love me some damn potatoes. So why hate myself for being happy for a moment? I think my resolution for this is just to eat what I want, but control how much. It's all about proportions. So I will have my cake [and bread.and potatoes] and eat it too :)

2.) Walk my dogs more often. 

Since getting Cruz, I've realized a percentage of what having a baby will be like one day - a little monster that is dependent on me for everything. I hate letting the little guy down. So I'm going to try to be an even better mommy. 

3.) Cook more often.

Some how, as a kid, my mom worked 6 days a week, raised 4 kids and had dinner on the table every night. Realistically, I know that's not going to happen. Not overnight anyway, but I've got to start somehow! and 2013 will be my start... with probably 2 nights a week, and gradually work my way up to super-mom... but without the children. haha

4.) Stress less! 

 I'm just a big ball of stress that will one day implode. I need to find what will calm my ass down and do it more often. Yoga? Shopping? Getting my nails did? whatever, just do it and stop worrying about the little things//things you can't change. 

5.) Blog more

I would like it to be informative blog posts, but seeing how my last stint went, I don't see me keeping up with this one. If I can't think of anything informative, than I need to just post anything. Just as long as I keep in the groove of things, then things will come more naturally. 

6.) Take more pictures... and then post them! 

Once upon a time [about 2003] I was given my first digital camera. I took more pictures than you would believe. but then...who knows. Life got in the way and now it's rare that you'll find a picture of me. 

I do take a lot of pictures//videos for the Hurricanes, but not so much of my personal life. but when I do!! ... I don't post them -__- haha It's not just for my pleasure though. I have a lot of pictures of other people and their memories and I'm just a picture whore who keeps them all to myself. 

7.) Take more time to be Me. 

Last year, I came to the realization that I don't live my life for me. I live to make others happy. In the end, all I'll have is me, so I need to nurture myself like a delicate souffle. 

 8.) ....Be more of a Girl.

This one I actually am dreading. So I hang around probably 90% guys. I also co-own my own flower shop. I am the Team Mom to a highly demanding softball team. Who the hell has time to put make-up on, dress cute, have my nails done, hair did on a daily basis?? I certainly don't. but I think this will help with my self image. I'll definitely try harder. 

I believe that is it. Here's to 2013! Let's hope for health, happiness and a little more money in my pocket. [but not a little more. how about a lot more] 

Wedding Tips: Flowers in Season

I didn't post the next day like I was supposed to because I got caught up in my Android obsession again and was so tempted to write that instead... so I wrote nothing. haha Anyway, just a quick post about picking in season flowers!

The shape definitely does help with budgeting, but nothing means more than the actual flowers. The best thing you can do is choose a flower that is in season and readily available in your area. Not only is it more expensive to ship in the flowers if you buy off season, but they will be of lesser quality.

  The best example I can give you is the Kate Middleton frenzy. Last year, the world watched Kate & William's wedding and millions of brides-to-be decided they wanted to look just like the new duchess. She chose the English-grown Lily of the Valley and Lilac "so seasonal it could have been plucked from gardens on the way" as described by TheGuardian.
  Unfortunately, they are EXPENSIVE to get shipped in.
[Random Piece of Info:] In our region, most of our flowers are shipped in from California or Ecuador. If not shipped domestically or from Mexico//South America, they will be more expensive]
Lily of the Valley are beautiful flowers with the sweetest scent, but they are one of the most expensive flowers you can get. Not only are they extremely delicate, but there is only a 3 week gap that my wholesaler can get them. Like hydrangeas, these flowers easily wilt, so another thing for an unfortunate Texas bride to think about.

Another tip about a popular flower: Peonies. Another pretty expensive flower that everyone loves. Florists can get these flowers any time of the year, but they won't bloom as big until the spring. If you do get them in smaller bulbs, you'll still pay a hefty price, if not more than in-season, and they could be confused with a carnation bouquet. [sounds crazy, but I've heard it]

If you love the look of peonies, but don't want to spend the money, go ahead and go with the carnations! Definitely a good year-round and budget friendly substitute.


I'll be back with more in-season tips soon!

Wedding Tips: Intro to Bridal Bouquets Part 1

  And I say Part 1 because I could write a whole book on wedding flowers, so I'll try to make this post as specific as possible so it doesn't go on FOREVER. 

One of the monumental events of your life is your wedding day. It's something I've been dreaming about since I got my first Barbie....though my mom would never buy me a Ken. Luckily for me, it just made Barbie's life more compelling. Well, now, on top of our life-long daydreams, we've got the greatest, but worst website - Pinterest. You gather so many ideas of exactly how you want it to be... until you see the bill.

According to TheKnot.com, the average cost of a wedding is $27,000 in the US. Bear in mind that the average cost is for an average wedding. Not that one that you were dreaming of, the one you've been pinning about. If you plan, prioritize, and plan some more, you can still stay in a decent budget, but have a bitchin wedding.

FLORIST TIP: PLEASE make an appointment if you are coming in for a wedding! As with most wedding vendors, they prefer you to set an appointment so we can put some time aside to work on your dream day. On average, I would say a wedding consultation lasts a minimum of 30 minutes. I've actually had consultations last up to 2 freakin hours...but who am I to complain.. haha
  If you come unannounced, you will most likely run into a flustered florist, trying to juggle things around to work with you, while running their shop, and won't exactly be in the greatest mood to see you. If you call in, we can have an idea of what you're looking for, so you won't be overwhelmed with all the options you didn't even imagine having... and you end up blowing your budget.

So let's start off with your bouquet. There's an infinite amount of ideas you can do with your bouquet. You can get them in any color and shape. That being said, PLEASE do some research before you come to a florist! Figure out a ballpark idea of what you'd like, and we can be your best friend.
Let's start out deciding what shape you want your bouquet to be.

The most common, is the Round Shaped bouquet. It's typically arranged in a round shape that is tied at the stems. This type can definitely the most versatile and comes in many variations. Some of the variations of a hand tied are a Round shape, Hand-Tied, Posy, and Nosegay.
 If you were looking for a bit of a more traditional look with the round shaped bouquet, then have the flowers bunched tighter, using one type of flower. Using one flower lets you focus on the beauty of that particular flower, but doesn't take too much attention away from the actual bride. To spruce up a traditional round shaped bouquet is to add brooches. You can either add them to the handle of the bouquet, or in between the flowers.

The more modern look is going to have more color and flower variations. If you do different shades of one color, it can give your bouquet so much more dimension. Not only would it be cheaper to have a bit of variation in your bouquet, color-wise, but it really does take the look up a notch.
A very popular trend is having pops of green to give it more of a modern and clean look. Looping bear grass in between flowers (like in the bouquet on the right) makes the arrangement look expensive without having to spend a lot of money. Also, another 'green' trend is to add succulents - which I LOVE. Adding succulents is going to be more expensive, because they are actually plants, so it takes more work to get them in your bouquet, but it will give you such a unique look, that will be leaving others green with envy. (haha corny.. I know)

Next we'll talk about Cascading bouquets. It's a very elegant style that fits an ultra-formal setting. That being said, you're going to pay a bit of a heftier price for that elegance. They take a lot more time and labor to assemble, so that's really what you're paying for.
Cascading bouquets are typically on the larger side and very heavy. I made one for my friend's wedding and she's so tiny! Everything would look big with her unless she wanted a Kate-Middleton sized cascading bouquet. She had a little trouble holding it, but it was dramatic and well worth the extra muscle work.
So if you are a very petite bride, I would suggest a very simple cascading bouquet, so it doesn't become overpowering.

I'll mention 2 other types of bouquets because even though they aren't typically used for the bride, they are common for other people in the wedding party. First is Pomander, a cluster of flowers arranged in a ball, using an Oasis foam ball and held by a ribbon handle. These are more for younger attendants in your wedding party, such as junior bridesmaids or flower girls. It's a great alternative for flower girls opposed to having them throw petals.

The other type of bouquet is the Pageant Style - Flowers arranged to be cradled in your arm. If you do like this style, I would suggest it for the bridesmaids bouquet, so it would differentiate from the brides bouquet. This is for flowers that have beautiful stems, such as calla lilies or flowers that are more of a stem full of blooms such as stock or orchids. The pageant style is really good for your budget because you wouldn't need as many flowers and it takes the least amount of labor.


Haha so NO JOKE, I spent the whole work day writing about shapes of bridal bouquets... I'll definitely finish bridal bouquets tomorrow!

First Post... and it's about Dog Food?

So I've tried blogging about a billion times but I'm definitely inconsistent with my posts... and then the ones that I do post, I feel are too self-centered, and not productive to read, which is what twitter and FB are for! so here's another attempt!

Danny told me that seeing me with a puppy is a reflection of how I will be with a baby one day. Who knew I'd be such a crazy OCD mom?

This is my baby Cruz :), the day I brought him home [some people think he's got a wonky eye in this picture, but he's precious], April 17th, 2012, when he was 8 weeks old, so he's... 18 weeks?? [wow, didn't know he was that old!] He's a black Pomeranian and as of right now he's a little over 2lbs.
A lot of my posts will be about this little guy and our adventures  to making him more awesome everyday :)

Anywho, a big part of keeping him healthy, is having him on a healthy diet. The thing is, Cruz is a PICKY EATER. If he doesn't like his food, he won't eat it. So I'd have to hand feed him, but even then, he'll slowly just not eat anymore. When Me and Danny first brought him home, we got him fancy food that looked healthy. Actually we got him Bil-Jac because it had a picture of a cute puppy his size on it...

Even though a lot of pet owners said their dog loved Bil-Jac, it's like the fast food for dogs - it tastes great but it's not too healthy. An easy way to tell how good the dog food is, health-wise, look at the first 5 ingredients. Bil-Jac's first 5 are: Chicken, Chicken by-products, Corn Meal, and Chicken by-product meal and Oatmeal.
By-Products are left overs of whatever. "Meal" is pretty much a condensed version of X. So you've got left-over chicken parts and condensed left-over chicken parts. Corn is also known to be the least nutritious veggie for dogs...I decided I didn't want to spend money on stuff that wasn't that good..

So I talked to my vet to see what would be good for him, and they suggested to ween him off Bil-Jac and get him on Purina Pro-Plan. Thinking vets know best, I went ahead and bought it. He liked it at first, but then he started getting diarrhea and again.... picky eating syndrome. I looked online, and some people were saying that some vets only promote what they sell... Great. Did some more research and the Purina Pro-Plan, recommended by vets, is also mediocre. [Reality: It only takes ONE vet to recommend a product for them to advertise it on their package]

There are many things that the USDA wouldn't allow for human consumption, but allow animal consumption - such as the ingredients in the "by-products". I don't ever want to see by-products in his food, and here it is.. 4th on the list. 2nd is Brewers rice, small left over fragments from milling regular rice. 6th on the list is what really made me roll my eyes...Animal Fat. Dogfoodadvisor.com explains that "Since there is no mention of a specific animal, this item could come from almost anywhere: restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle - even (although not likely) euthanized pets." Though it's not one of the main ingredients per-se, but I'd rather pay a couple extra bucks for it to not be in there.

So as of right now I'm weening him onto Castor&Pollux Organix. It's a little on the pricey side, 17.99 for a 5.25lb bag, (almost as much as a 36lb bag of Pedigree), but it takes Cruz about 2 months to finish a bag, so it's not so bad. You really are paying for quality. USDA inspects all the ingredients, most are organic, and enforce the quality required for human consumption. Top 5 Ingredients in Organix is: Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Peas, Organic Millet.They also advertise their lack of corn, wheat and meat by-products.

I fed Cruz the mix of Pro-Plan and Organix, and he made a MESS. haha He pretty much picked out all the Pro-Plan out of the bowl so he could eat the Organix. Then I put straight Pro-Plan in one hand and straight Organix in the other and it's he's definitely loving the Organix. I'm worried that he's going to try to eat only Organix and get the case of the mudbutt.

I got a lot of my info from other puppy-moms on boards, reviews, and www.dogfoodadvisor.com. It's a website with unbiased opinions that give you detailed info about all different foods.

I'll post again soon on longer-term affects :P