September 2018 – Picking up the Pendricks

Fall Haul, Y’all!

Anyone that knows me knows that fall is my favorite time of the year (right behind Christmas of course)! I love the crisp air, jeans, sweaters, color changes in the trees, pumpkin and cinnamon scented candles, and most of all, BOOTS. Yes that’s right, boots. I vow to wear boots everyday until the snow melts and it hits 72 degrees again.

So this fall haul is a very special one, because it’s new hauls that are all very wedding specific. Also, since I have been unable to keep up on these posts due to wedding planning, school, etc, I’m going to shove it all into one and try to keep it short enough to not lose interest.

Let’s start with one of my favorite fall haul items: MY FLOWER GIRL(S) SHIRTS!

I ordered it from this shop, LolaLilyandMe and the link is attached if you need to get one for your flower girl too! The shipping was FAST, the sizes seem a little big (but nothing the dryer can’t fix), and it came with a hand written thank you from the shop owner, Kristina, for supporting her small business. Have I previously mentioned that I LOVE THE ETSY COMMUNITY?!

The next part of this wedding etsy haul is the “just married” glitter banner that I ordered to hang on the back of the chairlift as Brian and I ride down to greet our guests. I ordered this BEAUTIFUL banner from CrafalaCreative which is one of the cutest and reasonably priced stores I’ve found yet. PLUS the banner was on my doorstep two days after I ordered…

Not the best picture, the cellphone quality and my dirty carpet don’t do it justice. You’ll just have to see how well it looks hanging on the actual wedding day!

For the rest of my wedding haul, I finished the collection of makeup that I’ll be using for the big day look.

I am going to link each of these wonderful pieces that are going to be used to create my bridal look!

First we have Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation ($34). (Of course I didn’t put my primer in here, for the record I use the Matte Perfecting Primer by Estee Lauder). This foundation has been my favorite, even over the Estee Lauder because it matches my skin better, and feels light while also offering the full coverage I need. It blends so well and leaves to streaks or smudges. I am IN LOVE with it. Definitely worth the $34.

Then we have Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara ($27.50), I’ll never wear another mascara again. That is all.

Too faced Beach Bunny Bronzer ($30), I bought this for $9.00 at Nordstrom Rack. I’m not sure if they are even making this anymore but I really love any of the Too Faced bronzers because they smell so good and they are great for blending.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ($20), again, This is the first time I’ve tried this stuff and I would be willing to spend the $20 on this over and over again. It is precision eyeliner and the line is perfect. It lasts all day and can make your wings look AMAZING. Absolute favorite now.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick ($20), in the color “Pure Hollywood”. This is so beautiful and I CAN’T WAIT to wear this for my wedding day!

Tartelette In Bloom Palette ($39), I am beyond excited to use this palette. The colors blend so well and there are so many pinks and fall colors combined that it’s going to create the perfect wedding day look!

And last but certainly not least- The Cover Fx Setting Spray. I will be honest, I originally wanted the Urban Decay Setting Spray but NOBODY HAD ANY. So I bought this with some hesitation but it has definitely done it’s job. I was out in many climates with this, humidity, rain, etc. It has kept everything where it’s supposed to be. Love it.

So there we have it, my newest fall haul!

I’m getting married on FRIDAY. IN 5 DAYS. 5 FREAKING DAYS YOU GUYS. So I’ll probably be absent from posts with the exception of an updated weekend to Lewis Farms post.

Stay tuned for wedding posts to come next week and some updates on our Honeymoon. WE ARE GOING TO NASHVILLE, Y’ALL!

Until next time!

Emma

Weekend Recap: Birthday Party Edition

Good Monday morning! I hope everyone is off to a great, and at least somewhat productive week so far. So as if there isn’t enough going on right now between working out of town for a portion of this week, taming two wild children, wedding planning, and school, of course we had to add a birthday party into the mix because JAYCE IS SIX TOMORROW, Y’ALL. 6. Seis. Sechs. Seks.

Throwing themed birthday parties is my thing, I love it. Every year I have Bake My Day make the boy’s cakes, and she knocks it out of the park each and every year. They are not only very reasonably priced (I would say comparable to Meijer or any other mediocre grocery store bakery) but with DOUBLE the quality and flavor.

When I had asked Jayce what kind of birthday party he wanted this year, he told me “camping”. That one had me stumped for a bit. Last year he wanted a Lego themed birthday which was fairly easy for me to plan, and especially easy for me to have a cake made for. So, I did what I do best and I went on Pinterest, followed by a trip to my favorite site, Etsy.

What we ended up with was just the absolute greatest…

Don’t mind the dirty feet, they had been outside ALL DAY LONG.

The AWESOME banner that is hanging behind him was one of my favorite finds. It was from an awesome little shop on Etsy:

If you want a banner of your own, the banners can be found at this link!

Here are some of the cool gifts he got, and some of the amazing people that were in attendance to help us celebrate such a cool (almost) 6 year old.

Yeah the laser tag hasn’t stopped in our house….

Even letting his brother help (I’m almost positive Marek ISN’T picking his nose…

Overall it was a great party. Rather low maintenance in comparison to the last 3 that I’ve helped with but that’s because I’m tired of having 50 guests over for our children’s birthday parties. No need to cook for that many people, and it always ends up with an excessive amount of gifts (which honestly I’m not even sure where we would put them).

Jayce and Marek both had a great time, and I was sleeping on the couch at 9:15pm on a Saturday night after cooking 6 large pizzas and heading the hostess role.

This week we have crazy schedules since I am out of town for 2 nights and 2 days due to work but we will make it.

Wishing everyone a happy week!

Until next time,

Emma

Handmade Heaven! CAKE TOPPER EDITION

Hi guys! Ever since I was introduced to Etsy I’ve been slightly in love with the entire site. I’ve also been incredibly envious of anyone who can make such beautiful creations and sell them from a cute little shop online, some of them from the comfort of their own home! I’ve had a lot of experience with Etsy ever since we’ve began our wedding planning since, duh, I’m not making anything homemade.

I’ve ordered everything from our guest book alternative to our cake topper and all of the gifts for my bridesmaids on Etsy from one shop or another. I’m going to start a little series here (can’t promise or foresee how long it’s going to last) with reviews and suggestions of the cutest little shops for any event possible! Weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, home decor, personal items, etc!

First on my hit list: My wedding cake topper.

I didn’t want your typical cake topper. I searched for DAYS to find one that struck my fancy. Then I thought about something that would incorporate both of the boys as well and I just COULDN’T FIND ANYTHING. When I thought I found one that would have been a silhouette of the four of us with our last name underneath, I read the reviews and they were terrible. Some people had paid for theirs and hadn’t received it over two months later. Some received them broken and were unable to get another one in time. So, after having only 2 of 5 stars I decided against it.

Let’s be honest here, I wasn’t about to use the “Precious Moments” cake topper that my parents used 26 years ago. It’s heavy, and wouldn’t really compliment the simplicity of our cake. I definitely didn’t want anything gaudy or too large as there are already flower arrangements on the cake.

So I finally decided on this!

Where did I get this from?

alphabetcanvas is the name of the store. I will link them right here!

They were quick, they were polite, and the packaging that the delicate topper came in was between two cardboard pieces wrapped thoroughly in bubble wrap.

Honestly it’s one of my favorite pieces for our wedding, and it was easily the best $18 I’ve spent thus far!

Tune in next week for our next review of the various Etsy shops I’m in love with!

Emma

Weekend Recap: Bachelorette Edition!

Hey everyone! I know it’s Thursday but I figured I better catch up with these weekend recap posts before I go into yet another fun filled weekend that I need to fill y’all in on. So last weekend was my bachelorette party, and it exceeded my expectations to be honest… Let me fill you in on our activities and I’ll share some of the less embarrassing pictures!

Friday night only half of us were there, which was totally fine by me because it gave me a night to be low key before a really fun party the next night. Myself, my mom, her best friend, my sister, and my sister in law all drove up to Traverse City to meet my best friend Kalee at the house that my mom had rented for us. I walked in the door to find THE CUTEST decorations everywhere.

Kalee had made me the cutest banner, and filled those cute little cups with beads for everyone to wear, hair ties that said “to have and to hold your hair”, a REALLY FUNNY GAME on the piece of paper, and a little individual bottle of champagne that had a label on it that said “Emma’s last fling before the ring! Sept 8, 2018”. There were balloons, and cute little signs everywhere! I was immediately excited.

So we got dressed and went to the casino. (Some of us to gamble, but me mostly to eat).

Here is a picture of me being mad at my mom for winning while I lose every dollar I put in… This is why I don’t gamble.

I seriously don’t understand how people think this is fun, but hey, to each his own.

After the casino we went back to the house for some drinks and some games. We laughed until we couldn’t laugh anymore and then we went to bed. We needed some good rest since we had to wake up for the mimosa bar that Kalee had planned and the Pancakes and Panties breakfast that my sister in law Katie planned for me! If you don’t know what pancakes and panties is, it’s where she makes me her delicious homemade pancakes, and then everyone there brings me a new pair of super cute, (sometimes inappropriate) underwear.

Aunt Jen got me some super cool bloomers… Can’t wait to show Brian.

Then Kalee had to leave because she had another wedding to attend. The other half of the crew showed up shortly after. We exchanged some gifts while sitting outside around the fire ring enjoying the beautiful sunshine. We had some drinks, talked for hours, and then began to get ready for our GATSBY THEMED PARTY!

The party bus picked us up at 7:30 and had us home by 10:45. We went to one winery, and two breweries. Let me just say, singing at the top of your lungs with some of your favorite people on a bus with cool lights is probably the most fun you will ever have in your life. I’ve spent all week back in reality wishing I could go back to last weekend and do it all over again.

My stomach still hurts from laughing.

Anyway, if you want a bachelorette party done right, you just hit up Kalee and Katie, and Mary. They know what they’re doing.

PS: 22 days until the wedding, and I’m sort of FREAKING OUT!!

Until next time!

Emma

I’M BACK: Updates on our lives

Hi guys! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything and I promise I have a good explanation (or two).

First off: SUMMER IS COMING TO AN END. That means we’ve been making the best of summer with the kids before they started school (which was yesterday morning for the biggest and today for the little one). Getting them to pose for pictures isn’t always an easy task at 7am, but hey, we got the job done.

Of course little brother had to get in for the first day shots…

Secondly: I’ve been incredibly sick. Yes, moms do get sick. I thought it was a myth too, but let me be the first to say it’s wrong. I missed 4 out of 5 days of work last week due to an ear infection that was mistreated from the beginning. I first went to our walk in clinic (I don’t recommend those at all) to get ear drops that in turn made my ears WORSE, then to an ENT who cleaned them out for me which also caused severe pain and dizziness, and then finally to my doctor who saved me with oral antibiotics and steroids. After over a week of pain and suffering I am finally able to say I feel better! My ears are still plugged, (I’ll blame that on my ridiculous seasonal allergies which are also in full swing).

Third in our series of events: I’m not sure where everyone else on here is from, but we’re from the Midwest (Northern Michigan) and we were HAMMERED with storms and strong winds. Our county was without power for at the least 2 days, and most of them still don’t have power. There are trees uprooted everywhere, buildings with the roofs and siding ripped off, and various other damages reported. Please continue to keep them all in your thoughts and prayers while they continue to restore their lives to normalcy. So while I was sick, our power went out. I was feverish, and in a lot of pain, and our house was 84 degrees inside. I was less than pleasant (sorry Brian)! After day 2 with no power, thankfully Brian went to Home Depot and met a delivery truck to purchase a generator that can power our entire house. People were searching for generators like vultures and I am still counting our blessings that he found one. We ran the generator for almost 24 hours and then the power came back on, thank you God!

This was a tree that split and landed right between our house and our neighbors

Fourth: I’ve started school again after my two week break. Of course that two week break didn’t feel like two weeks at all. So now we are back to homework, readings, and exams multiple times a week between work and raising boys! JOY

Fifth: We went to my cousin’s wedding. Pictures below. It was beautiful, emotional, and just overall wonderful. It was a great time spent with family. Brian couldn’t go because of work but I enjoyed the time spent with my sister and parents.

Yes, the only stand up mirror I have in my home is in my garden tub… I dress up nice sometimes.

Sixth: I painted my dining room. The hideous navy blue is behind us to welcome a more neutral Joanna Gaines styled dining room. More pictures to follow once the rest of the decor is put in place. We’ve been slowly transitioning our home to be more cozy and I think this took it a step in the right direction!

So yeah, as you can see there have just been endless smiles, laughs, tears, etc the past few weeks which has left me unable to create the posts that I was before. I promise to be better about this in the upcoming weeks, but with our wedding approaching in just 31 days I cannot promise that it will be weekly.

Coming up I have some sweet mom posts as well as some of my favorite small shops (mostly Etsy) for review.

Until next time!

Emma & Fam