Texan Mama Linkup: My Wedding Dress Story

Today Texan Mama from Who Put Me In Charge Of These People?? is hosting a linkup about "My Wedding Dress". I love to follow Texan Mama because we have opinions on most every topic that are complete opposites, despite the fact that we are the same gender, ethnicity, religion, and geographic location. I love to hear her viewpoint on things! So, shout out to Gretchen!

One of the ways in which we are different: she loves the television show "Say Yes To the Dress" and that is possibly one of my least favorite TV shows ever. I say this not to be argumentative, but because it pertains to my own wedding dress, or shall we say, my decision to pretty much opt out of the whole wedding thing. It's a long story, so bear with me. Lucky for you, this is the abbreviated version!

I can't tell you when it started, but I was never interested in weddings, or marriage, or getting married. Ever.
Never did I pretend to get married when I was a little girl, and never was I interested in the fiasco of weddings or dresses. My plan for my entire life was to live somewhere on my own, with a cat. I was living this very dream when I met Christian and we started dating in 2004. When we decided to get married  in 2005 (long story), I was 27 and he was 30. We were engaged with a diamond my parents gave us from their original wedding ring in 1975 because neither of us could afford a ring without going into debt (thank you, mom and dad!).

We each had a little money saved up and a little that my parents gave me with which to do this wedding thing. Let us just say the amount was in the middle 4 figures. For a Dallas wedding. We both had extended families and I knew a lot of people we would need to invite or feelings would be hurt. I nearly had a coronary trying to figure out how we would pay for somewhere to host this thing (our church did not have a building yet at the time), the flowers, the cake, and all the insane costs of a wedding on that tiny bit of money. There was literally no way, aside from going into debt. Even thinking about trying made me a nervous wreck for a week or so.

When it came down to it, the only reason I was trying to plan a wedding at all was because I thought other people wanted me to do it, not because I wanted to. What Christian and I both really wanted was just to say our vows in front of our immediate families and go on a honeymoon. So that's what we did. At the courthouse on Beltline Road next to Cottonwood Park in front of a judge, our parents, and our siblings, we said the standard vows. Christian's brother took the pictures with Christian's DSLR. Afterward, we went to Boca di Beppo and had yummy Italian food all together, complete with a wedding cake. The next morning we got on a plane for the Bahamas. It was perfect for us!

Christian wore a grey suit, I think he bought it at Express.

My dress.
It was the Sophia mid-length dress from J.Crew's wedding collection (they don't make it in white anymore, since it's supposed to be a bridesmaid dress at the shorter length):

I did get my hair fixed and carried flowers. Here is our most popular wedding pic, although you can't see the dress very well in this one:

Here are a few shots in which you can see more of the dress:

I have always been so satisfied with the way we planned the day, and have never regretted not having a "real" wedding. It was totally the perfect wedding for us, and the perfect dress for me - comfy and simple.

In December, we will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary!
I guess that just proves you don't need to spend more than $250 on a dress for a marriage to "work" ;-)

Don't forget to link up to your own wedding dress story!

Book: "A Year With God" By R.P. Nettelhorst

NOTE: As you know, I don't usually review or discuss religious material on this site, but as part of my agreement to review a book and the circumstances outlined below, I did choose a book that is specific to my beliefs.

Recently, a friend introduced me to a site called BookSneeze, where they send bloggers books to review for free and I chose this book "A Year With God" By R.P. Nettelhorst.

There is a story behind why I picked this book.

Recently, my husband and I have been volunteering as table leaders at a premarital class that our church offers as part of the TwoTogether in Texas program (the class is called Merge, if you are interested, there is another one starting in spring if you are engaged or seriously dating or know someone who is).

In December we will have been married for 5 years, and this class has been a great reminder to us on all the principles taught in the class: communication/conflict resolution, finances, expectations/in-laws, roles of each partner, spiritual intimacy, and of course, sex.

One of the areas we realized we've really fallen down on is the spiritual aspect of our marriage. We used to read a lot of books together that prompted conversations on spirituality and prayer, but after the first year or so, Christian got to where he really didn't like the books we were reading. I did not know what he would like so I quit trying to find stuff and we quit reading things at all.

So! Right when I heard about BookSneeze, we were deciding that we needed to pick a new book to read together. That's where this book comes in.

The format of the book is numbered Days (Day 1, Day 2, etc). I like that it numbers the days rather than having dates (January 1, January 2, etc) like some other daily reading books we've had. When you have dates, what do you do when you miss a day or days?? Do you just not read those days? Or do you read the next date in order, and then by March you are still in February? Or what if you start in the middle of the year - do you start in the middle of the book? Anyway, none of those issues with this book's arrangement.

Each day there is a passage of the bible that you read on the top half of the page, and then a short discussion of the passage beneath it on the other half of the page. We both liked this length of scripture passage. Our last book had only 1-2 verses and then used the rest of the page for a "devotional". We felt like that made it really easy for the author of the book to take those 1-2 verses out of context, and made what the author had to say overwhelm the scripture itself.

Another thing we like is the style of the discussion. Most daily reading books we've seen have used "cutesy" stories that, again, kind of stretched the scripture reading out of context and really drew more attention to the author's personal life or writing style than talking about the bible. We like how this book focuses on scripture and exactly what it says.

Finally, the other books and programs I've used have had "discussion questions" at the end of the daily reading. We actually like that this one does not have questions. We read this at night and at the end of the day, I tend to be half asleep and give sarcastic answers to "discussion questions". Mostly because they are usually kind of sunday school questions (i.e. "What does God say about how we love people?" to which I would answer "Uh, He says WE SHOULD DO IT. Good night!"). What this book does is quote the bible and explain what you just read, so that if you want to discuss it - great! You can discuss it on your own. Or you can go to sleep.

Overall, I would recommend this book for someone looking to get into a daily reading program. Either that or, Join the Journey. I do that too, on my own. But it does have "discussion questions"...

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of "A Year With God" by R.P. Nettelhorst in exchange for this review.

7 Quick Takes Friday #10

--- 1 ---

Haven't done this in a while! What is going on with me? I have resorted to reviewing a lot of books on the blog because I listen to audio books while working on weekdays. And the only other things going on are working, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and taking care of the toddler for a few hours in the evening when I get to see him. He's teething, if anyone cares. Which means we are back to being up every 2 hours all night long. We are currently on Day 3 of no sleep, which is partially why I haven't posted much.

--- 2 ---

Warning: I will be posting a review of a spiritual book on Sunday. I know not all my readers are Christian/Protestant so feel free to skip it if you're not, I'm not hurt. Just don't leave me for good!

--- 3---

In addition to the devotional book, I read "The Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler on audiobook this week. In my opinion, I don't feel that there is an inherent contradiction between feminist viewpoints and biblical ones. Sure, there are some areas in which the two collide, but they are far less than I think either side would have us believe. I could go off on a tangent about how, if you read the gospels, Jesus shows that He put a huge value on women and included them in his closest inner circle, which was completely unheard-of in His day and culture. But that would just be a whole other topic and I try to stay away from controversy on this blog. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and interpretations of those principles. If I see inflammatory comments on this post, I'm probably going to delete them.

On Twitter, I mentioned I would do a review of the V-monologues on this blog. However, I was so underwhelmed by this book that I can't think of anything to say about it. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. There was just nothing in it that I guess I hadn't thought of or was new information. I know most women aren't comfortable with that part of them, and that is unfortunate. I am glad some women went on a journey to be OK with their bodies. Yay for them! But I just can't either recommend the book or bash it. It's just there. If you are not OK with carnal knowledge or cursing (there is one entry from a prostitute that I would probably steer away from), I would not recommend it. It probably would shock or disgust a lot of people, it just didn't happen to shock me all that much.

--- 4 ---

It did kind of make me sad that childbirth was only addressed in one of the monologues, and it was not clear if it was natural or medicated/hospital birth. I mean, childbirth is one of the most amazing things that body part does. Oh well.

--- 5 ---

As far as Baby #2 goes, so far we've been SO green in our preparations (reduce! reuse!) that we've done pretty much nothing. That's probably not green so much as lazy. Things we have done so far: ordered more BumGenius cloth diapers, purchased a type of bureau configuration in which to put Little Sir's clothing from Ikea, so that we have somewhere to put the new baby's clothing, bought a few tiny t-shirts, opened some baby registries. I am still searching Craigslist for a bassinet I like so that the child has somewhere to sleep.

--- 6 ---

I just want to sum up this week by saying that I really hate insurance. Health insurance, mostly, but also car insurance. It's open enrollment time at both our workplaces, and it is really shocking that the cost of our health insurance each month is one of our highest expenses after rent and childcare. We are both completely healthy and so is our child, and the coverage isn't even that great. If I quit my job to stay home after this child is born,  the health insurance will more than double in cost and the coverage will be cut in half. I will never believe anyone who says this system is not broken.

In addition, some goober hit our nanny's car while it was parked on our street this week and the goober's auto insurance is refusing to pay for a rental for her, and will be taking 2 weeks to fix her car. In my viewpoint, that is NOT indemnity. That is illegal. But there isn't really anything we can do. Fortunately next week is a 3 day work week so that shortens the time that the 3 of us will have to share 2 cars.

--- 7 ---

This weekend I am really looking forward to seeing my BFF Millie, who lives in Kansas City and is coming through on her way to East Texas for Thanksgiving! We are going to eat some Twisted Root Burger (they have veggie burgers, but we also get Fried Everything!) and go to Ross to try on clothing that is very wrong for a number of reasons. If we take pictures, I will be sure to post them!


~~~

Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Cheap and "green" alternatives to buying from big retailers

Edit: Due to protests from consumers, Amazon has removed the offending book that prompted a proposed boycott of Amazon. Yay! I am keeping this post up for now because I still think these are great and "green" ways to save money and hope they are helpful in the upcoming holiday season! 

Original post summary: Due to an uproar against Amazon and their decision to continue selling a book which is basically a "how-to" guide for pedophilia, some consumers are considering a boycott of Amazon and it's affiliates. If you are participating in the boycott, I'd like to offer my suggestions on alternative online and offline sources for products frequently purchased on Amazon.

Cloth diapering supplies: I've been getting my Bummi's flushable/biodegradable liners and Charlie's Soap from Amazon, but as alternatives, I would suggest Cottonbabies.com and Nicki's Diapers. I think I might also try using Rockin' Green instead of Charlie's, just because I can't find Charlie's online anywhere else for a good price.
from my readers: Also try The Green Nursery, the online outlet of a small shop in Bloomington, IN. It's literally run by a husband and wife, so you're supporting small business!

Books, music, and movies: Go local at your public library! Christian and I have been getting our books and even music CD's from the library for quite some time and have been saving a lot of money. Most libraries now offer online catalogs where you can reserve a book, a CD, or a DVD and just pick it up when you get there. We have also borrowed quite a few Baby Einstein DVD's for Little Sir!

Save on shipping by shopping at your local Half Price Books, if you have one nearby! Please note: the Half Price book web site is "powered by Amazon", but not their physical stores. If you're interested in avoiding Amazon, don't buy online (it just takes you to Amazon...), but visit your local store instead.

iTunes is always a great option for music as well. Don't forget that on Tuesdays, iTunes offers a free single download from their main home page.

Audiobooks: Amazon owns Audible.com, so if you are extending your boycott to all Amazon-owned companies, you might be looking for a new source of audiobooks. Again, your public library offers tons of audiobooks for free! I actually listen to a lot of audiobooks and I get almost all of them from my public library.

You can download volunteers reading the classic works (which are no longer under license) for free at sites such as LibriVox or BooksShouldBeFree.com. I have used these services to read books such as "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells and the autobiography of Helen Keller.

Christmas gifts: For unique gifts, I love Uncommon Goods! They have all kinds of gifts made from recycled materials and gifts that give back. If you are looking for more traditional gifts, there is always RedEnvelope.com.


Ultimately, if you are considering an Amazon boycott, you might even find yourself saving some money, and giving back to your community and local artisans at the same time!

American Heart Association/Nintendo Wii Blogger Event

I was fortunate enough to be invited by Jennie at She Likes Purple and Holly from June Cleaver Nirvana to a special Brand About Town event on Saturday - a partnership of the American Heart Association and the Nintendo Wii.

We had a lot of fun trying out several new active Nintendo Wii games. I especially liked the Wii Sports Resort game, with the kayaking! It turns out, at the end of the event, I got one to keep!

After playing some of the games, we had a healthy lunch and got to listen to Hank Wasiak, a motivational speaker and co-author of "Change the Way You See Everything Through Asset-Based Thinking". He talked about making positive life changes, in conjunction with the efforts of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7.

As some of you may know, I worked for the American Heart Association for around 3 years. When I left, I was a little burned out. I think now that I've been gone for 3 years, I am ready to be passionate about the cause again.

I haven't been so great about working out during this pregnancy. Maybe I can use the Wii at some point!


*NOTE: Disclaimer, I was given lunch, a free Wii game, a Wii hoodie, and the book "Change The Way You See Everything Through Asset-Based Thinking" for my participation in the AHA/Wii event.

Home Depot Christmas Light Trade-in

A friend told me about this amazing special going on at Home Depot now through November 14!

Home Depot will take your old, used, or broken Christmas lights and recycle them, then give you a $3 credit toward new LED Christmas lights for each strand. 

Not only that, but their LED lights are on sale right now.

It's not to early to start thinking about a green Christmas!!

Conscientious Confusion on Twitter: now with more focus!

I am excited to announce that Conscientious Confusion is finally officially back on Twitter!

I started a placeholder account (@sometimes_me) right before BlogHer 2010 so I could follow all you blog people and communicate with you at the conference even though we don't have each other's phone numbers. Since then, I didn't use the account for much except following other people, interacting with brands I love (@cottonbabies! @bumgenius!), and to know what is going on in the blogosphere.

After trying for months to come up with a good blog tie-in, I've finally found an available Twitter username that fits in with the blog name!

Now, follow @_conscientious on Twitter for:

• links to news articles on green living, health and nutrition, cloth diapering, natural birth and parenting, and environmental issues
• links to upcoming Dallas-area green events and specials
• notifications on the latest Conscientious Confusion blog posts
• all the drama in the blogosphere...retweeted for you :-)

... and more, as I think of it!

Message me any time and I'll be happy to message you back! Are there topics you'd like to see addressed on this blog? Send me a tweet!

Can't wait to see you all on Twitter!

We finally joined a CSA

Our family has been meaning to do this forever, and I am excited to say that we finally joined an organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) co-op (what is a CSA?). In truth, this particular co-op focuses first on organic and seasonal produce, and secondly on local. Therefore, not all the produce is necessarily 100% local. Nevertheless, I think this is an awesome step in more directly supporting farmers who are committed to organic production by eliminating the store distribution system, while at the same time getting great fresh produce for our family at a good price without having to go from store to store looking for organic items every week.

Here's how it works: every 2 weeks we pay $50 to get a crate of organic fruits and veggies.

Here's a shot of our first crate!

One reason I put off taking this step for so long is that most of the CSA's or co-ops I had looked into previously would have required me to drive a long distance and would only allow pickup during the day on a weekday. Since I work 9 hours a day on all weekdays and only get 60 minutes for lunch (we have to send notifications to our entire team when we leave and when we return...so it's not flexible), I was sure my schedule would make it impossible for me to participate in a CSA or co-op.

I was excited to find Your Health Source has pickup areas all over the Dallas/Fort Worth area, many that have Saturday pickups! So we signed up for the Saturday morning pickups in Lake Highlands.

Here's a list of what we got this week:

• Broccoli, 1 bunch
• Carrots, 2 lb bag
• Celery, 1 ct
• Romaine Lettuce, 2 ct Changed to Romaine
• Spinach, Cal Organic, 2 ct
• Squash, Hard, Sweet Dumpling, 1.75-2 lbs
• Squash, Hard, Pie Pumpkin 1 ct  Info below
• Tomatoes (Regular), 2 ct
• Apples, Jonagold, 3 lb bag
• Avocados, Hass, 2 ct
• Banana, 3.75-4 lbs
• Kiwifruit, .75-1 lb
• Pears, DAnjou,  3 lb bag
• Valencia Oranges .75-1 lb

During the week, the co-op sends out emails about the upcoming food and includes links to recipes. With our  2 Sweet Dumpling Squash I made Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash Saturday night! I would recommend the recipe! It also made use of some of our spinach and celery.

We got the pumpkin just in time for Halloween, but I'll probably be cooking it since it's a pie pumpkin.

So, I've got a ton of spinach and lettuce right now. Also a pie pumpkin - I have never made pumpkin pie.

Anyone got any good recipes?