Diamonds really are a girls best friend!

So I am so excited to say that two months from now I will be a Mrs. McCracken. I cannot wait.
Happy Tuesday everyone!
I had a weird and exciting weekend this past weekend and yesterday was still too upset to write about it all...
Friday night we went up to Lawrenceville to eat and have a few with some great friends! We had a few too many ( I didn't have too many) and then went next door to our friend Jeff's Jewelry store! Benton's Fine Jewelry and Repair ( Check him out at http://www.bentonsjewelry.com/) is the best place to go and shop for something new for your someone special!
We went there to look for some diamond wedding bands for me... but since JM had the ring custom made, nothing would wrap or curve around it! BOO! BUT he said that he had a guy who could make me one...
Well I am stubborn. I decided to go to the Apparel Mart the next day and continue my search... to find NOTHING that would work there either. I was SO UPSET I just wanted to cry... and I did a little... For some reason I thought that it was just going to be easy.

Fast forward to today... Jeff called in a favor and now we are having a diamond wedding band AND a new setting made for the Engagement ring too!!!!! So now I will have diamonds on the band of the Engagement ring as well!
Now for those of you that have seen my wonderful ring dont think that I am crazy! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my ring! It is a HUGE Cushion Cut Diamond with a plain band. The diamond is BEAUTIFUL. I love the ring and I am so happy that he will be able to use the gold from it to make the new one!

I promise to post picture of the current engagement ring and the new one! OF COURSE we are using the same diamond...

As for the wedding plans... Everything is coming along great! I had my first fitting yesterday! The dress is WAY too big now! Made me feel wonderful and we scheduled the next one for 3 weeks out! I cannot wait to see it fit me correctly... and I cannot wait to see JM's face as soon as the music starts playing, the doors fly open, and my Daddy walk me down the aisle to give me away to him. I know that I will have to remember that look, that feeling, what my Daddy says, and the excitement all around both of us walking towards JM for the rest of my life.

Count down has begun... 60 days.

Until them we will celebrate the love of Bryan and Whitney! We are going to their wedding this weekend on Smith Mountain Lake in VA. This couple could not be more perfect for each other.
I will never forget the moment that I met all of JM's friends on a trip to this very lake house last summer. I have never felt more welcomed in my life. Each and everyone one of them are so much more than I imagined, and they even sang me Happy Birthday day on my b-day! I love them all! With out JM growing up with all of them, he would not be the man that I love today. I love you all Greensboro Crew...

Here's to Bryan and Whitney... We love you both!

All about me...

So I have never told you about myself. What I do. Why I started blogging. Nothing. I just kinda started writing one day.

Well my name is Katie. I am a 26 year old girl, living in sin with my fiance, JM. We live in Dunwoody, GA. I love that we are so close to everything that there is to do in Atlanta! We are so close to both of our families it is great. (Will be great one day when we have kids too!) We have two fur babies, our kitty children, Baby Girl and Tilly. We love to redecorate the house and seem to always have too many projects going on at once.
I work full time. I am a Buyer Relations Director for SIX SHOWS. The Company I work for runs and hosts a ton of Gift, Souvenir, and Resort Trade Shows all over the country. I really love everyone I work with. It is such a laid back environment. I can wear whatever I want to work! Jeans and t-shirts everyday! I dress up sometimes... rarely.
BUT I dint get to this job right out of college. Out of college (I went to Georgia Southern University and got a BS in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design) I started an Internship with Nordstrom. It was a great experience. So great that they thought I would make a great Department Manager.
When I started the Management position, my best friend Kerry and I moved into an apartment in Brookhaven about a mile from work! It was a great experience... taught me that I hate working retail. HATE IT. My feet always hurt, I worked nights and weekends, and it was getting to the point where the job consumed my life, my social life that is. I had to get out. FAST.
I did. One of my neighbors in our apartment building asked me if I wanted to give him my resume to give his boss. Wouldn't hurt right... I knew that the job was in outside sales. I knew that it was selling Copiers. I thought that I could do it, but little did I know that I would pretty much have to sell my soul to do it! That job SUCKED SO BAD. I am sorry if you read this and sell copiers! I was not good at it at all. I really liked everyone I worked with and it was great that I only had to work until 5 and had my weekends back...
While I worked there I made some great friends. One of them, Mike, thought that I needed to meet his roommate that we would be a match. Then another friend, Erika, thought that I needed to meet Mikes Roommate too! This went on for a WHILE. Finally we met on Halloween. I was a "Sexy Queen of Hearts" and JM was an Ex-AIG Employee Looking For Work. ( Yes he had that written on a sign and he wore it out with a suit on.) NO he did not work for AIG. Ever. BUT he is an accountant.
We starting talking that night and never stopped...
We dated for a few months and then he left his job in Public Accounting. (THANK GOD) He traveled all the time... was ALWAYS working. So he went over to Private Accounting. He loves his job now and is great at it. Bores me to death, but if he loves it then SO. Do. I!
That summer I was fired from my job as a copier sales girl. That was such a great day! I didn't know whether to cry tears of joy- OR jump up and down in my old bosses face and say THANK YOU! I just couldn't bring myself to quit. That was one of the best days of my life. Getting fired from a job that I hated so much that my eyes were red and puffy every day I walked in because I was crying on the way to work every day. I hated it that much.
So I had a summer off. I cooked dinner, I cleaned, and of course looked for a job. I have never heard of a stay at home girlfriend have you?
Then I found the job doing what I do now! All thanks to a great friend from college that I interned wtih and worked with at Nordstrom. Thanks Elisabeth!
So here I am 3 jobs after 4 years of college... but I think that I found the right one. It is great, by far my favorite job ever...

The reason that I started blogging in the first place was because I read someone Else's blog every morning with my coffee. Mrs. Southern Belle thank you so much for the inspiration to be able to write it all down! Mrs. Southern Belle and I were roommates in College and she even did my engagement pictures!
After much encouragement from my mom, who is my best friend for life, I decided to write about our crazy year that is all about weddings. We have 2 more left now. BUT before I started I had already been to 5 of them! They have all been wonderful. Every Bride has been beautiful! I have taken SO many notes on what I like and don't like for my own wedding. Not that I would be copying ANYTHING that anyone did, but I just took notes about random stuff... (IE.do high or low center pieces so that people can talk)

I am planning my own wedding. I started the minute we got engaged and I cannot wait to see all of it come together! All the flowers, music, food, decorations, etc. I promise to post all of the picture that I have or just post the link to the photographers website after the big event...

BUT WE have one last shower before the wedding! All of my parent's neighborhood and family friends are throwing us a Fall Fair or Carnival Themes shower... that means funnel cakes, cotton candy and fun games and dancing!!!! I cannot wait! I promise to post some pictures from that one!

I think that is enough about me... for now...

PS Sorry I write so much... I write a little then stop and save then come back and write more. I am shocked if you have made it this far...
Have a happy Thursday!

To be happy or sad....

Happy...
My family threw me a shower this weekend. It was all family and a few of the Bridesmaids could make it too. This shower was so nice because it was JM's family and mine too! They had not all met before so this was the perfect way to introduce everyone (ladies ONLY) all at once. The food was wonderful! They even had a chocolate fountain! YUMMY! Mimosas were flowin too. Such a great time!
Happy... We got wonderful things for the kitchen. AND it was a Recipe Shower too. With every gift there was a wonderful recipe attached. I cannot wait to try them ALL- after the wedding of course! I mean do you actually think that I can eat Caroline's Recipe for Krispy Kream Bread Pudding with a Butter Rum Sauce and stay on this weight loss plan!? I don't think so... but we will have that for Christmas FOR SURE! We even got rid of the old stuff in the kitchen to make room for all of the new!
Happy... That I was measured by my trainer at the gym today and lost a ton of inches... I mean 4 from my bust ALONE. (For those of you that know me... the girls are huge. Thank you to my Grandmothers for that!)BUT I am sure that this is from my back too!
Happy... I still have an hour-glass figure... (Yes I have a bubble butt too!) AND I feel my whole body is tightening up too!
Happy... I get to go home to the most wonderful family! There is always someone (or some kitty) waiting to be loved when I walk in from work! (Read the previous post about them!)
Happy... The laser treatment on my face went wonderful! and is healing more and more every day (Insert Music... "you're so vain...")
I had a wonderful weekend... but also a sad weekend as well...

Has anyone ever had to ask a Bridesmaid to step down? Even though it hurt so bad and didn't want to do it at all? Well that was my weekend... and it is consuming my thoughts into Tuesday.

Sad... She didn't show up for a single thing... and I never got an answer as to why.
What if she didn't show up for the wedding? Rehearsal dinner? Isn't that really unfair to the other 11 of my Bridesmaids who have been at everything?
Sad... that I feel that 11 other bridesmaids were thinking "I told you so". Even though no one would say it out loud because they don't want to see me hurt. This is a much watered down version of the events leading up to this... believe me.

Happy... am I happy about this... No. No I am not. I am sad, angry, frustrated... BUT I do know that I have 11 amazing friends who are willing to fly or drive to be with me. AND that they are only a phone call away. I love all 12 of them, even though only 11 can be by me when I marry my Prince Charming.

I wish that things were different... but I know that they are not. I do not know what the future holds at all.
I do know that I am in love with the most wonderful man in the whole world, and I get to marry him in 67 days. And that we have wonderful friends who love and support us both.

Neither of us are perfect, and we don't think that we are. We know that when anything is going wrong or I'm just having a stressed time, all I have to do is call him or think about him and what we have and I cheer up or I realize that nothing is that bad b/c we have found each other and no matter what happens there will always be us...
and there will always be people that love and support us too.

Thank you to both of our families and friends who were at the shower this weekend... or there in spirit. We love you all and couldn't thank you enough for all of the wonderful love and support that you have given us both... Only 67 days until the big party!

Comments... if you are nice enough to comment and follow on my blog, thank you. Thank you all for reading and keeping up with me on this journey of madness... And no one has before, but please don't pass judgement. I don't need any blog drama too. BUT if you do want to make a suggestion... then what would you like me to name my blog? I want to change it once we are married... since I will no longer be living a "Grigsby Life" Think of something clever... McCracken will be my new last name!

Thank you for always being there blog world!

Friday I'm in love! Pictures!

I just love Fridays! They are my favorite day of the week (next to Saturdays OF COURSE).

This particular Friday I am a little nervous. At 1:30 I am having a little laser "surgery" ON. MY. FACE. Now please listen there is NOTHING wrong with me or my face... but there is a little pink spot that came up two years ago and every time I look in there mirror I see it. It is NOT dangerous at all ( I have had it checked out by a Dr.)- so please no comments on that. I am just simply THAT vain to where I want it gone and NOW. Getting married in 71 days really makes me want it gone and HEALED. Now I take very very good care of my skin and hope that one day there will be no signs of aging AT ALL. My mom doesn't even have a wrinkle! Since I was blessed with her skin I hope that one day to look as wonderful as her! AND Oil of Olay is my secret- Moms too... I think that I have used that since I was old enough to wash my own face... a bar of Dove Soap (Yes a bar of soap- I dont give a sh*t either.. I have never had any acne either) AND Noxema... Love that smell...

These are a few of my favorite things... my loves.


Introducing... My Fiance, JM! I just love him so much... brings tears to my eyes to think that we have found eachother...


The sweet way that JM proposed! We were set up on a blind date on Halloween 2008, and he proposed a few days before Halloween 2009. Getting married on 10-30-10! I cannot wait! How cute is this! Thanks to JM's sister (YES she carved the pumpkins!) and his mom for getting this all set up before we came home from dinner... and yes he did get down on one knee, AND said my full name when asking me to be his wife! I love him!


Baby Girl. Yes that IS our kittys name!


Tilly... She is our crazy kitty! She is so sweet though, just wants to be loved and petted by anyone. She is our dumpster baby!

Both kitties were rescues! BG- from Humane Society... and Tilly is from Animal Control! Can you imagine these two kitties in Kitty Jail???... I think NOT! These are my babies... for now...


This is me and JM. I dont think that I have ever posted a picture of me! He took me to NY this past fall- was amazing! And I am much blonder now...

This is our little family... What do you love on this Friday???


I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Feature on Mrs. Brandi Nell's blog AND Wednesday's Random thoughts...

So one of our friends (REAL world friends and blog friends) Brandi decided to feature my last post on her blog!!!! You must check it out! She is so creative- check out some of her previous posts about her and her Husands DIY journey though their house- it is BEAUTIFUL! I just love everything that they have done!



http://brandinell.blogspot.com/2010/08/home-makeover-katie-jm-edition.html

So... today is Wednesday. Boring. I cannot wait until Friday, and it seems that everyone week I am counting down until Friday. This week is no different... and the countdown began on Monday... Ok more like Sunday night!
BUT this week is a little different! I have something wonderful to look forward to! My Kitchen Shower! We love to cook, try new and old recipes, and have people over for dinner so this is very fitting for me and JM. All of my wonderful cousins are throwing me the shower. And I will never be able to thank them enough!! Thank you so much Kay, Lynn, Sissy, Trixie, Lisa, Aunt Nanie, and Aunt Jackie! I love you all so much!
This shower will be a little different though... All of my family will be there, and so will all of JM's family! LADIES ONLY of course! I had decided that I wanted a shower where all of the family got to meet before the Wedding Day! So all of the ladies will be getting together for a shower FOR ME! I am so excited I cannot wait.... and one thing that is SO EXCITING (since we are really really into cooking) is that all of the Invitations had recipe cards attached! So everyone will be bringing me a recipe from their kitchen! AND I have just the place to put them!
My dearest and one of my oldest friends, Lauren Rose,(who si also a Bridesmaid) gave me the most wonderful Recipe book from Anthropologie! She and I share this love for anything Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People... she also gave me the most beautiful measuring cups at the last shower too! They look so great in the new kitchen! I cannot wait to bake something so I can use them! The Recipe Book is so perfect- (she knows me so well- even our moms are best friends!) I will be able to tuck all of the new cards in to the perfect little slots I CANNOT WAIT. Thank you Lauren Rose! Love you!

BUT there is ONE LITTLE PROBLEM... Since the 1st Shower, thrown by all 12 of my wonderful Bridesmaids, we still have not moved the gifts to the kitchen... they are all sitting in front of the fireplace! It looks like Christmas in the summer, but we have not had anywhere to put anything... SO this Sunday we will replace all of the old with all of the NEW... This I am even more excited about! I cannot wait for the first dinner party on all of my wonderful "Everyday China" by Lenox Butler's Pantry... it is to-die-for pretty!

I cannot wait to see both of our families meet and get to know eachother this weekend! I will let you know all how it goes... until them VISIT Brandi Nell The Southern Belle's Blog! Thank you Brandi!!!

Have a happy Wednesday!

While you were out...

So this weekend, as you know, JM was gone at a wonderful Friends wedding in NY. Congratualtions to the new Mr. and Mrs. Cox!
While he was out I decided to do a little makeover. I have to thank my WONDERFUL Parents! Without them it would have never gotten done... and to be honest it would have looked like sh*t if it were just me... AND I cannot forget to thank Caroline too! With out her in the dining room, it would have been a disaster!
Now I said before that this was a "little makeover" this was more like an overhaul... The house went from a Bachelor Pad to a Home... a home where grown ups live... which is fitting since we are getting married in 75 days! So here are some before and afters of ALL 4 ROOMS that were redone this weekend! I hope that you all enjoy them... I cannot wait to have people over for dinner now!


This is the former Pool Table Room... See Bachelor Pad.



AFTER... Beautiful Formal Living Room! (NOTE: All of the chairs will be recovered by my wonderful Future Mother-in-Law! So this room had only begun!)



BEFORE: Ugly Kitchen... this picture even has the old floors and everything!



AFTER... BEAUTIFUL Kitchen!!!! Look at the beautiful new Chandelier!! Thank you so much Daddy for putting that up!!! AND the new Kitchaide Dishwasher! So quiet and pretty!



Before... Bright Blue Dining Room. I love it but only for a year. When I couldn't find ANY fabric to match... I knew that it had to go!



AFTER... New Dining Room! Brighter, lighter, and makes the space seem so much bigger! (Excuse the crap on the table!) ALSO Replaced all of the shades on the Chandelier!



BEFORE: Old Foyer... Look at that tile! and the white walls had to go...



AFTER... NEW Foyer.. SO much more inviting dont you think???


PLEASE Let some comments below! I just have to know what everyone thinks!!! IF you would like the paint colors I have them, just ask! AND I am sure that my Mom will want to know what everyone thinks too! I am so happy that it is all done!

Can you believe that we got all of this done, AND did some wedding stuff too! We picked out the music for the Church! We met with the Organist on Sunday after Service. After that we went to the "JV" OR some know it as The Junior Varsity. The location on Lindburg (Buckhead) is closing next Sunday... SO SAD. Our Grandparents used to take us there all the time! Thanks PaPa for all of the wonderful memories! I love you and Ema!

Now for the fabric in the New Living Room! and some curtains on all of the windows! The house will be transformed... BUT... We have two bedrooms left, the master bath, and of course... the outside of the house and finishing the basement! Those are NOT one weekend projects... So follow me to see what happens next!

P.S. JM absolutely loves the house too! He got in so late but I stayed up just to see his reaction after all of our long hard work on our house! HE loves it and he wants to thank Dad, Mom, and Caroline too!!!

Taping, Priming, and Painting...

So as you know by now... we love to do home projects to make the house look new and updated. BUT this time I may be biting off more than I can chew. I am seriously painting all of the rooms in the downstairs of our house. BY SUNDAY. BY 10PM Sunday night! I really want it to be a surprise for JM. He doubts me! and THAT I cannot have... plus that is the deadline I have given myself. I have some help coming over which will make the project fun, but I think that even they think I am crazy. BUT before I forget... thank you Mom, Dad, Will, and Caroline! It is going to be a very fun family affair!
I am so sick of the yellow/ gold kitchen ( I love it last summer when I painted it) and the very blue dining room (ditto). What was I thinking painting the rooms those two colors? I have no idea now. It looks like some serious Georgia Southern people live there. OH wait they do... we both went to school there! That is not what I want the house to reflect though! Did I mention that the living room is mint green? IT IS SO GROSS. Whay in the world did I think that all of those colors would lok good together!?
After searching through every Southern Living I have had my Mom hold on to for me, we (no it is just me) decided on ALL NEUTRALS! I figure with some very light tan in the kitchen a Suede tan in the dining room and foyer, and a cream in the living room how can I go wrong!? I can always accent with colors in the rigs, pillows, fabrics etc!

I have already taped everything... I HATE TAPE! AND how EXPENSIVE it is! But the blue painters tape is the only thing that will work! Tonight I will prime all 4 rooms and finish some of the taping I left for tonight (I might be up all night!) and then tomorrow the color comes in... I also have a little surprise up my sleeve for the fiance too! Cannot tell you now- he might actually read while he is away!
BUT he will love it!

I hope that I am not too crazy in taking all of this on in one weekend! I promise to take some before and afters! Then I can post all of the wonderful redo pics of the house!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Monday, Monday

So this weekend the tile in the kitchen and foyer was finished!!!! Thank you to my wonderful Fiance! John Michael... or of course the one who did all of the work... Roberto! He was wonderful and did the most amazing job on the floors! We could not be happier with them.
I even got a brand new dishwasher!!! It is so pretty and shiny... I cannot wait for it to be installed this weekend! Hopefully it will come on Friday! IT is a black (all of the appliances are black) Kitchenaid. IT is so wonderful... and I NEVER in my wildest dreams would have thought that a new dishwasher would make me so excited... but it does! All of the new little washing features... steam clean and sanitize! Wow... that is sad that I am so excited.
Here is the kicker of home renovations... tonight we get to go home and clean everything... and I mean EVERYTHING. The tile was cut IN THE HOUSE!!! Everything... I mean EVERYTHING is covered in dust! It is on every glass, dish, fork, spoon... table top... the list goes on... EVEN the cats are covered in dust! IT is gross and I cannot wait to have a clean house again.
AND I am counting down the hours until this weekend!!! I am sad that JM is leaving me to go to a wonderful friends wedding in upstate NY, but I get some alone time... Every now and then it is nice to have the house to yourself. (Even though I am scare of the dark and hate being home alone) BUT that is not the real reason that I am excited about having JM gone... I have recruited my family to come and help me paint! The kitchen is going to be "Coffee and Cream" by Valspar (even though we bought Behr Paint and had them match it)The Dining room will be a darker tan and the formal living room (formally the Pool Table Room) will be a cream color... WITH a gold-ish ceiling!

Is is sad that it is a Monday and I am excited to go home and clean and start prepping for the weekend? Since JM will be gone, and not coming home until late on Sunday... I am hoping to get house cleaned and back in order before the weekend... but there is a ton to do! Next week I will post some pictures of My DIY Weekend!!!

Hope that everyone is having a good Monday! (Even though there is really no such thing)

New floors and more!

Happy Thursday everyone!
I am so glad that this week is almost over, but at the same time... I cannot wait for this weekend to be over!!!
Now don't get me wrong I love love love my weekends... but this one is different! We are getting new kitchen and foyer floors! Which means that the house is a disaster! John Michael started getting the house ready on Tuesday night by moving the dishwasher, the fridge, and the stove... which means that we cannot cook this week! BUT I am so excited about getting a new dishwasher as well as the new floors. I cannot believe that I am excited about a dishwasher! I used to be so excited about a new pair of heels, new dress... but a DISHWASHER? Come on! Ours is really really loud and sometimes doesn't get everything clean... so today I get to look for a new one and I am so excited about it!
And I am even more excited about the floors. Right now we have, or now had since I am sure that it is all ripped out by now, some 1970 looking tile in the foyer. (it is at the top of the picture above) and we have wonderful linoleum in the kitchen- white with green faux tiles (bottom of the picture) BUT what I didn't realize is that you just put linoleum over linoleum... they had just layered it all on there! We got a wonderful surprise when we saw all of the past years of CRAPPY FLOORS!!!! I really do not get the golden maize color floors... or tiles... it is gross to me! I guess that it was wonderful in the 70's, but since I am a product of the 80's I just don't get it.
We- (I keep saying we, but really it is JM and a guy named Roberto doing all the work) are getting some porcelain tile that looks just like slate tile... it is a light tan with some white going through it. Almost giving it a marble-ish look. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!I will post a picture of the final product in the future...
AND once the floors go in... I have to start taping and painting! I painted the walls a golden color yellow last summer and regret that color choice! From now on I will wait to paint the walls almost last when re-doing a room! I hate that I have to repaint a room! IT will be worth it in the end!


ON A WHOLE OTHER TOPIC....
I had my first shower this past weekend!!!! It was SO MUCH FUN! We drank punch.. some really strong punch! I got to see so many of my friends that I have not seen in a long time and even their moms too! It was so nice! Thank you so very much to all of my bridesmaids who threw the wonderful shower! I got some wonderful gifts... and that is really why I cannot wait for this weekend to be over is that we are going to clean out the kitchen of all of the old stuff and start using some of OUR new stuff!
I really like that it will be OUR new kitchen stuff! but now I have to think of where we will put all of the old stuff until we are done with the wedding! Thoughts??? We plan of giving it all to our families who want or need it... for example Chip and Will (my brothers) they will both be moving sometime soon, and they don't have kitchen stuff... and I am sure that Rachel and Sarah (JM's sisters) would love to have some of it as well...

Ladies- when you got married, what did you do with all of the stuff? OLD and NEW??? HELP me out here???

Hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!!!