Kyle Lynn Hollander's Daily Design

My Little Models!

2011-10-19T09:03:00.012-05:00

It has been so much fun making, sewing and knitting girly things for all my friends sweet baby girls.

Izzy in her very berry pink baby scarf.
Gabs in the same scarf but in a lovely shade of teal.

Ceci in her BearKitty outfit.

Cora in one of my very first newborn sweaters.

Miss Cora also modeling one of my bibs!

In the mean time I have been busy working on loads of boy things for our new arrival. I will be sure to share them in the near future. Boys are so much harder to make things for......

October 9th ~ My Girlies Host My Baby Shower~

2011-10-11T14:58:00.023-05:00

Sunday, October 9th my old roommates and very best friends Rachelle and Kristen hosted a sweet baby shower with very personal touches. The invitation.

I am LOVING grey right now so it was a perfect color choice.

My handmade baby banner!

We still haven't picked a name, and won't until we meet him. Brad and I also need our name lists to match up a bit better too..... any suggestions?

Giant cupcakes and a lovely Bonbonerie cake. They also sang "Happy Baby Shower" to me!

Talk about personal, Don't you just heart my little pug cookies? I still have one at home because he is just too cute to eat even though they are quite delicious.

Piles of presents.

Old roomies!

{Rachelle, Me and Kristen}

One of the best parts about having showers is seeing all my girlfriends together! Miss Rachael made the trip down from Columbus with her sweet new peanut Cora! Can you see her past my bump??

{Gabby}

Gabby and Izzy made an appearance at my shower. They are looking forward to meeting their new friend.

{Izzy}

{Me and Beth and my giant belly}

{Rachelle, Lauren, Pam, Gabs, Kristen and Beth}

More of my lovely girls. Lauren also took the time to come down from Indy! It really is amazing to get together with everyone.

{Pam, Beth, Me and Lauren}

My belly looks so round here!

{Mom H. and Heather}

Spending time with Cora and getting a few new mommy tips from Rach.

Here are my lovely hostesses!

Ladies everything was beyond perfect. The food was delicious, the cake was yummy, my pug cookies were perfection, and of course the company is always special. I want to thank everyone for such lovely gifts and helping Brad and I to welcome our little nugget to this world. We only have a few days left until he makes his big appearance!!

October 8th ~Rachelle's Wedding Shower~

2011-10-11T13:02:00.022-05:00

On October 8th we hosted Miss Rachelle's Wedding Shower at Hugo, a very highly rated restaurant in Hyde Park that our friend Sean is the owner and executive chef. Sean opened early just for us! If you have not been there we highly recommend that you get there.

Invitations!

Here is her inspiration board called "Let it Bling!"

Hugo all girled up!

The table is set and ready for an amazing menu of homemade biscuits with fried green tomatoes, crisp bacon, lettuce and homemade mayo! We were also served several beyond belief egg casseroles, a sensational salad and chipotle honey biscuits.

Ring pop party favors.

Only Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting will do for this bride to be.

{Me, Pam, Kristen and Courtney}

The shower hostess!

Glowing bride to be Miss Rachelle!

Here's Rach loving on her very own Boston Terrier pillow, I am sure her Boston Lola will love it just as much.

Here is the apron I made for Rachelle to chef up dinners for her hubby to be Denny.

Rachelle's wedding plate...... ;) opps! You girls know what I am talking about.

{Beth Ann, Rachelle and Lauren}

Old roomies!

{Mando and Me}

Yep, that's ANOTHER double bump!

{mando, Me and Rach}

{Pam, Ashley, Blair and Abbey}

{Pammy and her Mommy}

Shower party!Rachelle we enjoyed showering you with lots of bling and hope you had a good time!

October 2nd~ Hollander Baby Shower

2011-10-11T12:53:00.016-05:00

Back on October 2nd, my lovely Sister in law Heather hosted one of the cutest, creative and very coordinated rubber ducky baby shower. Everything was beyond perfect from the invitations, to the punch, the decorations, yummy brunch and most of all her handmade bath time ducky cake. That's right she makes ALL her cakes by hand! They are pretty incredible.

Rubber Ducky cake, handmade by Heather. How special?

The cake even had little chocolate faucets and marshmallow bubbles!

Aunt Sharon made Rubber ducky punch.

How cute are the decorations?

{Allie and Me}

Another double bump. Allie our cousin is due about two weeks ahead of me. Her little nugget is going to be a surprise but I am guessing boy for her too!

{Karen, Mom H., Connie and Bobbie}

{Me, Courtney, Aunt Mary Ann, and Gretchen}

{Amy, Beth, Aunt Donna, Allie, and Aunt Sharon}

{Great Grandma Hollander and Me}

{Me, Mom H. and Heather}

The Hollander Women

Baby Hollander was once again showered with many many wonderful gifts and books. He is one well loved little man. Thanks again to everyone for making his shower so special.

September 25th, ~ Lori's Baby Shower

2011-10-11T10:16:00.024-05:00

Way back on September 25th, Brad and I headed north to Kent for Lori's baby shower. Sara hosted a wonderful shower for her sister at the old Kent Jail house. She included custom invitations themed "Look who's ready to POP!" with shades brown, blue and green. We played loads of games and enjoyed delicious food and handmade cake pops.

{Lori}
Sara hand crafted these cake pops, and even included a super cute lamb pop. Lambs were Lori's favorite animal when we were little.

Baby picture board of Lori and Dean.

Carter baby decor.

Grandma Lou with a big pile of gifts.

Aunt Terri's lamb quilt.

My mom knitted this little lamb for little Carter.

Sara says "where's mine?"

Kent state sweater also knitted by my Mom.

One-z to go with it!

Here are the gifts I made for Lori.

1. hand stitched dog bib

2. hand stitched little monster bib

3. knitted pumpkin hat

4. my first brown's sweater complete with orange buttons

5. hand painted Lori the lamb and Dean the goat paintings

Siefer girls

{Meghan, Lori, Sue and Sara}

Aunt Terri and the Preggos!

{Lori, Terri, Me}

Double Bump

{Lori and Me}

Cousins

{Lori, Sara and Me}

Siefer Sisters

{Meghan, Lori, Sara}

The new Daddy and Mommy to be....

What's your guess for Lori's due date??? I have October 31st!

Remeber When

2011-09-23T12:34:00.008-05:00

Remember when I told you Aunt Terri handmade the cutest invitations ever?

Well here they are.

So very cute!

Siefer Aunt's Host my Baby Shower

2011-09-23T10:32:00.007-05:00

On September 4th over Labor day weekend my family hosted my baby shower in Kent. Aunt Terri designed my baby shower around a family tree theme! Everything tied together from from the super cute invites, to the decorations, the food, the favors and even my baby gifts! Check out my family tree! Aunt Terri took the time to gather photos of all my grandmas, grandpas, Moms, Dads and even Brad and I as babies. It was such a sweet and thoughtful surprise!

Pretty peitfores decorated to look like bird nests.

The favors were hand painted and decorated tree themed picture frames.

Tempting tree treats; buckeyes, kiss acorns and walnut and Carmel covered pretzels. They were Delicious and I have never seen the awesome acorns before!

They even included my favorite baby craving chocolate, chocolate cake!
Grandma Lou's living room was filled with baby gifts. My Mother in Law had to tote many of them back to Cincinnati for me! This book is from my sister Kirsten, "Bear in Underwear" was a huge hit! I know baby Hollander will enjoy his Daddy and I reading this one to him.

Do see the rocking chair I am sitting in? Another refurbished present from Aunt Terri for my nursery. The height of this rocker is perfect for me due to my shortness of stature!

Aunt Terri said the tree pattern from my baby blanket was the inspiration for my shower theme. Of course the colors coordinate with my nursery.

One of the numerous handmade sweaters from my family. This one was knitted by Robin.

I also received a handmade diaper changing mat and diaper bag from Robin in my crib material.

Shower fun! Aunt Sue gave us HUGE bin of clothes, diapers, and all the baby could EVER need.

Packaging by my Mom!

My Mom made him this little orange and cream sweater complete with a pair of corduroys.

Hand knit bunny from my Mom as well!

Me and my Mom's!

{Pauline, Me, Debby}

{Grandma Lou and Me}

My Aunts

{Sue, me, Sabrina and Terri}

profile picture.

{Sara and I}

I just want to thank my family for such a thoughtful and unique baby shower. Baby Hollander is blessed to be loved by so many people already.

~~xoxo~

Baby Palermos' Gifts

2011-07-28T12:48:00.011-05:00

Some of you have asked for a more detailed photographs of what I made for Rachael and her little girl to be. So here you go. The present. Wrapped with brown paper, twine from the thrift store and a mini tissue pom pom.
all together; mini pink leaf sweater, a little pumpkin hat, teal pin tuck dress and a hand embroidered hippo bib.

This is one of my first knitting sweaters in a 3 month size. How itty bitty?

Pin tuck teal dress for next spring complete with retro buttons.

Finally the back view.

Baby Room Updates

2011-07-25T13:22:00.013-05:00

We and by we I mean my entire family have been working hard getting the baby's room together. It's coming along so I thought I would post what we have completed so far. Way back during July 4th weekend my family came to visit. We put them to work immediately! Dave painted all weekend! We really appreciate all his hard work because he literally painted all weekend..... My brother and Brad cut down a gob of trees in our backyard but that is another post. While all this hard labor was going on my Mom and I shopped for Crib fabric.

Here are a few before pictures.

The long buffet table is going to be our changing table. I found this piece at the Burlington antique show in March. I can imagine this piece in almost every room in my house. It is by far one of my favorite finds. Dave and my sister Kristen diligently taped off the stripes while I acted as the foreman. They turned out so much better than I had even pictured in my mind. It really makes the room special and homey.

Aunt Terri came down a few weekends later to help with the curtains. They turned out way better than I had thought. The only place I could find teal curtains was online at Home Depot. With a bit of planning and a lot of effort we transformed these plain panels into designer curtains.

These two critters came from the Lawrenburg Antique market. They look so happy sitting in the window. It's almost like they are waiting for baby Hollander to arrive.

Canvases that I painted to go above the crib. Yep, they are a little crooked we need to buy some of those claw hooks to nail on to the canvas.... soon enough they will be strait and perfect.

My brother and I's old rocking chair.

Aunt Terri also made my crib skirt. We designed it to be adjustable so the skirt will always just kisses the ground as the crib is lowered. We also added a few box pleats that showcases a bright pops of green.

My Mom and I found all the fabrics for my crib at SEWN Studio in Oakley. If you live around the Cincinnati area check them out and like them on Face book. I could spend my entire pay check there.

CRIB BEDDING DETAILS

BED SKIRT: Helicopter in chocolate by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman

BED SKIRT PLEAT: Hugs & Kisses by Anna Maria Horner (I am also making a fitted sheet out of this bright green)

FITTED SHEET: Oliver + S ric-rak by Liesl Gibbson at Modern Workshop

The fitted sheet was so easy to make I might need to pick up a few more fabrics.

This is the tutorial I followed to make a perfect crib sheet. Its posted on Everything your Momma Made and More.

up close view.

Here are the $20 home depot curtains before. I removed the loops on the top, ordered an extra panel that we cut up and made into box pleats that go on the bottom of the curtains. This took quite a bit of time but the extra effort made my curtains look very special and not at all like a Home Depot purchase. A big thank you to Aunt Terri, I am not sure I would have had the patience to complete this project on my own!!

The pictures do not do my curtains justice. So what do you think so far?

Sweet Baby Palermo's Shower

2011-07-19T10:36:00.004-05:00

Sunday we celebrated the pending arrival of Baby girl Palermo. The shower has hosted by our good girlfriends; Lauren, Rachelle and Courtney at the Bonbonerie in Cincinnati. Delicious food, dainty treats, and tea were shared by all. Bubbly by some. {Me, and Rachael}

Rachael is due August 2oth and we can't wait to meet her little sweet pea!
Baby's first Tiffany's!

Baby bib made by me.

A sweet pumpkin hat for October chills. I have been putting my new knitting skills to the test. I even made a little newborn sweater!

Finally a teal dress for next spring, complete with a vintage button. This little pin tuck pattern is just too sweet from Oliver and S.

Shower time!

Between a few of my homemade goodies and all the designer outfits there is no doubt that Baby Palermo will be the best dressed little girl in Columbus. We are looking forward to meeting you in August!

What's It Gonna BEE?

2011-07-07T12:32:00.003-05:00

As promised here are a few pictures from our party. I am sad to say I did not take many and Kristen was nice enough to take a few for me. {Hollander family and me looking preggers}
Our friends celebrating that fact that we are having a boy!

{Rachelle and Penny}

Brad in blue for boys and pugs! :)

We started our dinner off with a nacho bar which tricked everyone into thinking that we were having a girl.... that was not intentional but was pretty funny. Then we had hot diggity dogs with a topping bar, loaded bake potatosalad, and baked beans. Grandma Pauline made a two fantastic desserts, pineapple pie and key lime. Now it is time to brainstorm some baby boy names. Any suggestions?

A Well Over Due Baby Post

2011-07-06T10:35:00.006-05:00

Last Monday (6-27) Brad and I hosted our "What's it gonna BEE?" party. Our friends and family came to celebrate our good news. Brad and I are having a boy! We coulnd't BEE any more excited.

Now Great Grandma Lou will have three little boys running around Stewart Lake!

How cute is his little profile?? At this point he weighs about 12 oz and is as long as a banana. They tell me he will double in size every month! I will post a few pictures from our party soon.

~xoxo~

What's it gonna BEE? Part one Harvey style

2011-06-20T16:20:00.003-05:00

UPDATE! the Harvey's are having a BOY!

My cousin Lori and her husband Dean find out today if they are having a boy or a girl. Not only are Lori and I both pregnant but we are both throwing gender reveal parties and serving either hot dogs or tacos.......

Kinda funny and kinda hilly billy but super fun!

I went ahead and created card for our party and Lori's.

Can you guess what they are having? boy or girl......

Meghan and Johnny Get Married

2011-06-17T15:01:00.029-05:00

Think back to June 10th, what were you doing? I was at Mr. & Mrs. John Siefer the III wedding. This is Meghan's Grandpas car. He restores vinatage cars and owns quite a few of them. I believe Meghan even worked on this one with him when she was little. How special?

Flowers. Meghans colors were a really deep purple and green.

Aunt Sue's purse coursage.

Newly Weds!!

Driving away.

{Grandma Lou}

{ Johnny's Grammy and Poppy}

They have been married for 60 years!

Sara was the only one enjoying adult beverages that night.

{Me, Mom, Sara, Aunt Sue, Lori, and Aunt Terri}

{Mom, Jeff and Me}

Family

{Aunt Cathy and Me}

{Aunt Sue and Uncle John}

Their last child married off and moved out of the house, what are they to do now?

Cake time.

{Jackson, Chritina, Me and baby Jrake}

{Me and Jrake}

Frist dance.

{Uncle John, Sara and Johnny}

Big boy straw.

Dancing the night away. Dance off!

{Meghan's Mom vs Jackson}

{Brad and Pier}

{Brad and Me}

Meghan and Johnny's wedding was really beautiful, dinner was amazing and we danced the night away. Hope you two are enjoying your honeymoon.

Baby On Board

2011-06-17T12:55:00.015-05:00

As some you may know Brad and I are expecting! Baby Hollander is due November 10th, the day after Brads' Birthday, the day of my Mom's Birthday and just two weeks before my birthday. November will defiantly be a celebrated month in the Hollander family. We are 18 weeks and feeling pretty good so far. This week the baby is the size of a sweet potato.

{Kyle & Lori; double bump}

My cousin Lori is also preggers and about 4 weeks ahead of me. This is a picture from last weekend at Johnny and Meghan's wedding.

I have been busy pulling together the design for the baby's room.

Here's what I have so far.

I am keeping the major things gender neutral. Two walls will be light grey color called gentile rain and two walls with be grey and white striped.

I am making over some plain teal Home Depot curtains to look like these. I love the pleats and the sheer ribbon curtains underneath.

I have already repainted these little cavas critters to go over the baby's crib.

I would love to install this unique book wall. Finally, I am planning making the crib skirt with material that is gender focused.

Do you have anything in your nursery that you couldn't live with out?

Art Show on Saturday

2011-04-01T14:52:00.003-05:00

Calling all art fans! Kim Massa is in town and has 15 pieces available for purchase.

Kim is a good friend of mine and a Chicago based artist.

Pam is hosting an open house at Dutch's Wine Bar and Bottle shop, tomorrow from 12-3pm. Stop in, say "Hi", have a glass of vino and purchase a one of a kind piece of art.

A Weekend At Jeff's!

2011-03-28T16:13:00.005-05:00

A few weekends ago I took a quick trip to Uhrichsville to visit my brother. Christina was on spring break with her sisters so my Mom signed up to babysit all week, and I drove down for the weekend. Aunt Terri also joined in the family fun for the first part of the week. It's amazing how big Jrake is! One his new favorite activities is to walk the stuffed frog on pugs leash. He pulled that poor frog around all weekend.

I am positive Pug was glad she was not the one being walked. Jrake didn't quite grasp the idea of feeding pug. He cried everything she "stole" his food.

Aunt Terri trying to feed him with a spoon..... He likes feeding himself.

How do boys know exactly how to play with knifes?

Wrigley also made the trip and survived the torture of a 15 month old.

Jrake playing with Grandma.

The weekend was full of cooking, knitting, cathching up with my brother, playing with Jrake and family fun. I departed on Monday afternoon while Terri and my got to stay for the rest of the week.

Grandma turns 93!

2011-03-16T07:55:00.003-05:00

Happy 93rd Birthday Grandma Can you even believe it? Last night the entire family meet for dinner to celebrate. Hopefully we will celebrate many, many more.

Meghan's Wedding Shower

2011-03-15T14:07:00.029-05:00

I made it to Kent safe and sound this weekend. The weather was not bad at, in fact I did not even spot a flake of snow until I hit 76W around Rittman.

Meghan's shower was a huge hit! Sara and Lori held her shower at the OLD Kent jailhouse. the setting was perfect for our little group. Check out the decorations and food below.

Pom pom garland and yarn wrapped letters.

Lori and Sara made a photo board.

The yarn balls turned out better than I expected.

See the Jail motif above the present table?

Aunt Terri made felted flower magnets for party favors, and decorated the tree with them.
How clever!

I wrapped my present with brown mailing paper and wrapped it with yarn.

Prizes for the games.

I also made thank yous. (I can't figure out why my photo won't upload the right way)

Yarn balls! I ended up using balloons, flower and water to stiffen the yarn.

table decor.

food table.

{Aunt Sue (Johnny's mom), Meghan's grandma, Kate (Meghan's sister) and Meghan.

Meghan's cake.

Sara and Lori hosting shower games.

{Aunt Terri and little Jrake}

Jrake found a new friend to feed him cake and Meghan's Grandma was happy to oblige.

Aunts!

Christina and Jackson.

Cutting the cake.

Hope everyone had as much fun as I did and send more pictures if you have them.

It's Snowing in MARCH!

2011-03-10T17:48:00.004-06:00

Can you even believe it's snowing still! It's time for spring, sunshine and the ability to be outside without a jacket! The icing on the cake is I get to drive to Kent tomorrow night during ANOTHER winter storm! fun times.....

Shower Inspiration

2011-03-04T09:34:00.010-06:00

Hello and welcome to my shower inspiration! My cousin Johnny is getting married and my cousins are throwing his fiance Meghan a shower next weekend and I have been working on a few decoration ideas. I love these colorful pom-poms, and they SHOULD be easy to execute.

I might execute this on a smaller scale, think kabob skewers rather than wooden rods.....

I found letters at Hobby Lobby but I am going to use "M & J" instead of LOVE.

I am also attempting these wrapped yarn balls, I let you know how they work out. Please advise any tips if you have done this before!

I have a lot on my to do this weekend! I will share the outcome with you next weekend.

Jackson and Jrake's Birthday Pool Party

2011-03-04T09:10:00.013-06:00

{Aunt Kyle and Jrake}

Last weekend Aunt Terri and I traveled to Jackson and Jrake's Birthday Pool party. Jackson is now 9, and Jrake turned one in December. Christina held the party at their local YMCA which was really nice. Do you like Jrake's curly mo hawk? I do!
Baby Jrake warming up after a dip in the pool with his Daddy.

Snuggle time.

{Me, Jrake and My brother}

P.S. He turned 30 yesterday! Happy Birthday to you too Jeffy. We are coming down to see you soon.....

{Jrake, Jeff, Jackson and Christina}

Family photo. I think I need to get Christina a Cincinnati Bearcat t-shirt.

Jackson turns 9!

and he gets a skateboard!

While Jrake gets a giant gumball machine.

It got late and evil Aunt Kyle made Jrake cry........

Daddy kissed him and he was all better!

See happy again.

Happy Birthday boys!

That's Knit-tastic!

2011-02-16T08:30:00.012-06:00

So you know how I have been ignoring my blog? Well I learned to knit over Thanksgiving and it has taken over my free time! My Mom is a patient teacher and I truly appreciate it. Please pray that I will have the same level of patience someday.Remember this cute bunny hat that I bought in NYC? Well it inspired me to learn how to knit.
Here are the hats that my Mom actually knitted. I did design them and add on the attachments. The Dino hat was a Christmas present for our nephew Ethan, he is five and looked at it like the kid in a Christmas Story when he got the pink bunny pajamas.... Yep, I am that Aunt. He doesn't have to wear it but I thought he would feel left out if he didn't get one.
The frog hat was for Ryan who by the way loved it! Ryan even likes wearing the Dino hat which of course make Ethan want to wear it. Awwww brotherly love.

Finally, the bunny replica hat for little Leah.

Now back to me learning how to knit. My first project was a simple dish cloth it turned out odd and loopsided but my Mom insisted on kepping it. My second attempt (pictured above) proved to be much more successful. These little beauties ended up being half my Christmas presents. Aunt Terri I did finish yours and I will hand deliver them next weekend!

Next, I learned to knit retro slip scarfs, these were also knitted as gifts for myself, friends and a few family members. I thought the clever slip design made for a perfect baby scarf. Gabby and Izzy love theirs!

When Aunt Terri came to visit for Christmas she taught me to croquet these pretty little pot holders. I have to be honest it took me quite a while to catch on but once I did it was a breeze.

Just last week I worked up a enough nerve to use double point needles to knit baby hats. This is my very first one, there are few mistakes but I am not going to point them out if you don't notice them. :)

This weekend I found a new pattern on Ravelry for a berry baby hat. I think they turned out really sweet.

Here's the purple version I finished last night. I am thinking I need to try a sweater next......

Does anyone have an easy pattern to recommend?

3 month recap

2011-02-11T15:48:00.032-06:00

Would you like a recap of the last three months?

I made up a new recipe for Smore's bark. It was easy and delicious.

In November I visited the Oyler's and their nice Grace was there too!

Katy and Izzy.

Gabby!!

Izzy

In December the Oyler twins visited our new home.

They were even sporting the bibs I made them.

Dave loves babies.

How cute is this bunny hat? I found in NYC for ten bucks!

Then in January the girls came over for The Bear Cat cross town shootout. Macy and Amy stopped by too.

Also in January my family came for a visit. This is Jackson with his new guitar. We filled up every room in our house with guests!

Aunt Terri and her handy pocket knife, Grandpa Siefer would be proud.

Christmas in January... my tree was so dead!

Jrake!

Brad playing with his new toys.

Uncle Dave with Jrakes dino!

Aunt Kyle got Mr. Jrake some Super Man jammies!

aww......

Jrake

Little Leah meets the Jrake.

Ethan likes the $1.00 store sword.

Jackson gets a tent for Christmas AND sleeps in it all night!

Next in January, Kristen's birthday sleepover party. Just like in grade school but with wine.

too much vino? never!

That's our Abbey! She won the coolest P.J. award.

The real reason I haven't been posting is that I have learned a new skill! I will post some pictures on what I have been working on.

What have I Been Up To?

2010-11-11T20:48:00.010-06:00

Well I have been stitching away making baby stuff. "Just snailing around" was hand stitched for Miss Karsen, Brok and Toina's newest arrival. I met her last weekend and she is only three weeks old and super sweet. Congrats Mommy and Daddy we couldn't be happier for you. I made this cute little hat,

and one of my newest creation the diaper wiper! Throw in a few diapers and a mini wiper and your all set.

Who else have I been working my fingers to the bone for? My Sales Director for Walmart is also expecting twins. She LOVED her "save money live better" one-z's. Her twins are due in December, and we can't wait to meet them.

Here are the twins' bibs, Emily is having a girl and a boy. This is my first ever peacock design and I love the fun teals and blues.

Of course she also got a diaper wiper. What are your favorite baby gifts to give? What would you want to receive?

University of cincinnat's Homecoming!

2010-11-04T16:15:00.007-05:00

Homecoming is one my favorite annual events, why you ask? Well, because all the girls come home to celebrate! We play all day and pretend like we are back in college. Most of the old Kappa Alpha Theta Kite Sisters!
Kristen and I with the new Bear cat statue thingy.

Mando and Rach!

Kristen and Brad!

Homecoming was blast, but I am getting old because it takes way too long to recover..... yikes! This weekend Kirsten, the twins, Pug and I are heading to Kent to play with Aunt Terri, Aunt Sue, Lori, Grandma Lou and a super surprise visit from my Mom.

Baby Date With The Oyler Twins

2010-10-18T09:35:00.016-05:00

This Friday Sarah and I had a baby date with Kristen, Izzy and Gabby. Mean while the boys traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to cheer the Bear Cats on to victory.

Mandi and Ceci stopped by to say Hi! Miss Ceci found a new seat.

{Mandi and Gabby}

Rachelle and Denny, the official baby whispers stopped by and calmed the girls down for us.

{Kristen, Izzy, Rachelle, and Gabby}

Yes, Denny is the baby whisper and a little protective..... He thought the baby swing might be a bit aggressive. :)

Twin time.

Pug stopped by.

{Me, Pug and Izzy}

{Smile}

Nighty, night.

We had a great weekend but I definitely needed a big nap on Saturday. Love you guys and thanks for letting us play with you.

Honeymoon

2010-10-11T14:15:00.007-05:00

Ask and you shall receive. I have been lazy, well not lazy but busy with other priorities like work, Bearcat football, cleaning and organizing the house for fall, work, homemade Birthday presents, and even a few early Christmas apron orders to fill....

How was our honeymoon? FABULOUS, let me show you!

We left Friday morning for Fort Lauderdale where we explored the beach and spent Saturday at Miami beach. Yep, this is a view from our hotel balcony.

Dinning outside in Fort Lauderdale. We had the best thin crust speicalty pizza I have ever eaten!

On Sunday we boarded the ship and took our own Bonn voyage picture. See you later land and all connections to the real world. One of the best things about cruising is no phones, not Internet and NO work!

Our first stop was Princess Cays, were we snorkeled and relaxed on a private beach.

We enjoyed a few beverages with the locals.

It is so easy to get lost on the boat and Brad LOVED the map, I think he looked at it every time we walked by, up or down the steps....

Hanging out at the bar and looking like a member of the Mad Men cast.

Formal dinner night. I was asked by one our fellow shipmate who designed my dress and Brad responded Bridget Jones.... what he meant was Betsey Johnson!

Dinner was something we looked forward to every night. Not only did we have the most amazing servers, Renee and Jose but the food was delcious! On our first night they snag "Happy Honeymoon" to us and brought us a special cake! Which we requested again for the last night. I dream about that cake.

Our second stop was Ocho Rios, Jamacia where we climbed Dunns Rivers Falls.

Then drank Margaritas at Jimmy Buffet's place.

Brad got taken at the Jamaican Market..... $35 bucks later he walks out with these beauties.

Ocho Rios port.

Our boat, pretty little thing isn't she?

Grand Cayman! This was my favorite stop by far! I am ready to quit my day job and get paid to swim with the Sting Rays!

Swimming with the Sting Rays.

They felt like giant protabella mushrooms and would rub on your legs like a cat!

Local wild life sunning themselves on the deck.

Brad's turtle from Jamaica, I think if they rob you of $35 you this guy free......

Winnings from a good night of gambling!

Shopping in Cozumel.

Fitting in with the locals, kinda....

We had an amazing honeymoon and I am still missing the maid service!

I do.....

2010-09-09T13:06:00.001-05:00

Hello Lovelies! I know it has been a while but this girl has been busy getting married! Yes, as of September 4th, 2010 I am officially Mrs. Hollander..... I can't even fathom how to begin posting all the details of my big day, so I am starting with my top ten, I mean twenty favorite photos from our AMAZING photographer Anthony Antal. Tony was so sweet, creative and easy to work with, any idea we pitched he was totally up for. Any prop or special request I had he did. Plus he made as all look like movies stars which is something you can't beat.

Check out his website preciousmemorycreations.com and become friends with him on facebook. He does a great job of posting all his new clients with a personal blurb about the photo shoot.

Our wedding was beyond perfection, the church was packed with family and friends. Our reception was filled with fun details that we have been planning for nine months. Our cake by Emily's Classy Creations was topped with our handmade birds by Aunt Terri was stunning and delicious. So delicious I been eating leftovers for breakfast everyday and loving it. The dance floor stayed packed all night long compliments our wonderful band Sapphire Express. The day went quickly and felt like a complete blur, did anyone else feel that way?

Getting ready with my Mom.

Pretty paper parasols.

All in a line like ducklings....

My flower girl Macy and I. She has been waiting forever to wear her dress and so has this girl. I wanted to wear it to my picnic the next day. I am already pondering a white wine/champagne party so we can all wear our wedding dresses again. Anyone in?

I LOVE these girls,

and these boys!

It's so nice to see them all so fancy together.

I heart this picture, it is a very Hollander shot with Pauline's flower in front.

I do......

Pastor Eric with the boys, he's a good one!

Mr. & Mrs.

The maid Rachelle Fine and matron of honor Kristen Oyler giving their speeches.

Even Dave the best man made it through his speech. I also love how you can see our slide show in a lot of our pictures. It's like two pictures in one.

First dance.

My nephew Jrake, my Brother Jeff and my Mom.

Cutting the cake.

Mother and Son dance. So sweet.

Picture this, happily ever after.

Our photo both was a huge hit!

The band kept everyone dancing ALL night long.

So much fun was had by all! Well Brad and I are off to our honeymoon. Stayed tune for more detailed posting about our wedding day.

~xoxo~

Kyle and Brad

Card Box

2010-08-30T08:54:00.001-05:00

One more detail.....Here is the card box that I was in charge of making. I found a large round hat box at Hobby Lobby for six bucks and carefully cut out a hole with my exacto knife. To top if off I used navy ribbon, added a bit of greenery and few fake Ranuculus flowers.

Did anyone watch the Emmy's last night? Can you guess what the top trend was? Yep, Navy dresses, the bridesmaids will be at height of fashion next Saturday! Stay tuned, the ring pillow is up next.

Invitations!

2010-08-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

Some of you have been asking about my wedding invitations, so here you go.

1. Yes, I designed them myself.

2. I printed them at work for a fraction of the cost. Thanks Galerie!

3. I ordered the envelopes and the folders from Jam Paper.

4. I had family and friends cutting them out for hours at a time. :)

5. Yes, I did add the ribbon and sticker by hand.

6. Of course I HAD to order custom pug stamps!

I am extremely please with how they turned out. Hope you all enjoyed them as well.

Wedding cake toppers!

2010-08-26T10:25:00.001-05:00

Aunt Terri Came through again! Here are our custom made wedding cake toppers!

I love them and can not wait to put them on our cake. I know it is hard to believe but they are even cuter in person.

Guest Book

2010-08-25T15:41:00.000-05:00

Did you have a guest book for your wedding? Did it look like this? How many times have you pulled it out and reminisced over the people that attended your wedding? I am assuming not very often. With that being said, I of course, want to do something different......

Check out this table cloth! My Aunt Terri pulled it out of my Great Grandma's attic. It is not seen the light of day in almost 30 years. It is bright pink, and hand stitched by my Great Grandma Wegman, Aunt Terri and even my Mom.

Instead of a book I am asking my guests to sign my table cloth. This way whenever I have a picnic I can pull out my table cloth and remember all the special people in my life.

What do you think? Too out there? Let me know your thoughts, and if you are coming to my wedding please make sure you sign my table cloth.

Have Pug-tastic Day

2010-08-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

I have been working like dog on the wedding and we are getting very close to the big day! I have nothing of real importance to share, so I am posting something silly. I stumbled across this photo and it made laugh. How cute is that happy little pug? Hope you are having a great day!

Girls Shower

2010-08-11T08:03:00.000-05:00

My lovely, and sweet girlfriends threw my wedding shower on July 31st, and I have been meaning to post about it for some time now. Unfortunately, I am extremely busy at work and when I get home I have a long list of personal things to do's. Needless to say my shower was a blast! It was hosted by my amazing girlfriends; Kristen, Rachelle and Pam. The venue was perfection, which was held at our very own Pam's wine bar and pony Keg, Dutch's. If you live in, or near Cincinnati you must stop by for a glass of and say Hi!

I walked into Ducth's where I was immediately greeted by my hostesses with huge hugs and a bubbly flute of champagne! Next, I saw all the cute and thoughtful decorations.

What did I see next? My rehearsal dinner dress........ (insert super happiness here) This is the very same Betsy Johnson dress that I have been eyeing for months now. I have the best girlfriends, a girl could ask for. They all chipped in got it for me! Can you believe how thoughtful they are?

Of course they had little "H" cookies decked out in a few of my wedding colors. For lunch we enjoyed delicate croissants, home made pasta salad, cucumber salad and amazing scones from our local bakery.

A pretty pile of gifts :)

The party continued well after lunch.

Cheers Ashley!

Pam the hostess with the mostess, and owner of Dutch's! Stop in and see her!

Have you ever had cake from Bonbonerie??? You should, it is delicious! Thanks for such a sweet surprise!

Pink and orange roses.

{Me and my cake}

{Cheers!}

Kristen.......

Of course I received LOADS of great gifts including, stemless wine glasses, a few pieces of my china, wood floor mop, a personalize cooler, wine tools and kitchen things!

{Abbey, my bridesmaid and me}

Me modeling my rehearsal dinner dress....

I really want to wear now.....

{Me, Heather and Mrs. Lott}

{Abbey and Me}

{Pam, Rachelle, Me and Kristen}

All my hostesses!

{Jen, Me and Ashley}

Kristen and Rachelle taking pictures of each other..... we all use to live together and were this silly all the time!

{Me, Mrs. Rockenfield, and Pam}

There was a bit of dancing, and

{Me and Courtney}

even a bit of water.

{Lauren and Me}

{Lauren, Blair, and me}

Blair your up next Miss bride to be!

{All my girls}

Thanks for such a special shower! I love all and can't wait to see you at the wedding!

The Oyler Twins are here! 8-9-10

2010-08-10T09:50:00.004-05:00

Izzy and Gabby are here! They were born yesterday around 11:30.

Gabby is 5.1oz and 17.5 inches long, while

Izzy is 5.6oz and 18.5 inches long.

Scott and Kristen couldn't be happier, and both babies are doing really well! Mom and Dad are a bit tired today....

As for Carmen, she looks amazing and said she was feeling great. She looked like she had never even given birth, let alone to twins! How nice is that?

Happy Birthday girls!

Scott doing double duty already!

Aunt Katy (Kristen's sister) brought new hats for her nieces.

Aunt Mandi stopped up for a visit!

Dinner time!

Aunt Kitty and her new crafty friend Andrea. We are planning on getting together to sew a few more things for these tiny little girls!

Gabby in her one-z. (This one is for you Aunt Terri!)

A view from the Linder suit......

{Aunt Kitty and Izzy}

Has anyone noticed how many outfits/hats these little girls have had on in the matter of 8 hours?

{Carmen, her girls, Kristen and her girls!}

I had the great pleasure of meeting Carmen's family, and they couldn't be sweetier! Kristen is already lining them up to babysit.

Yesterday, when I emailed our friends the good news and they all replied with such wonderful comments I wanted to include their best wishes in this post. Hope you all don't mind!

So Happy for those two! They will be naturals!!! :) Ashely

absolutely precious!!!!!! can't wait to meet them! xoxox Courtney

Send my Congratulations to Kristen and Scott and Carmen!.... and to the lucky twins’ with many Aunts…..”give those cuties an extra hug from me”! Xo mom (Debby)

They are ADORABLE!!!!!!!!! Pauline

They are adorable!!! So excited to see them. Congrats!!! Abbey

So so exciting!!! Thanks for the updates Kyle! Kim

Super super super fun! That is so exciting! I cannot wait for my turn! Gorgeous girls! I find out next week! Emily

Awww I have goose bumps! Thank you for sharing the news! XO Jen

Oh my goodness… they’re perfect!!! SO happy for the Oylers!!! Keep the pics coming!!! Thanks! Lauren

That is so exciting. I am so happy for the both of them and their new little family. Hope everyone is doing well. They look adorable in their pictures. Heather

So flipping cute! Lauren

How exciting for your friend! Tell her I am very happy for her new family. Aunt Sue

So exciting! I will thinking about them all day! Amy

That's awesome. Pam

Hoot Hoot Hurray !!!! 8/09/10 !!!! AT (Aunt Terri)

Oyler Owlett Update

2010-07-22T12:21:00.003-05:00

Hello! Hello! Many of you are very anxious, as am I for our Oyler nuggets to arrive. As of this week Kristen has given us an update, and instead of emailing all of you separately. Kristen gave me permission to post it on my blog.
What to learn more about a selfless mother and my friends amazing journey into parenthood?
A Life Changing Offer

or here
6 Mom's Who Rock!

Hey guys!

I just wanted to pass along an update on our girls! We are definitely getting close! Carmen was put on bed rest today (Tuesday). Her cervix is beginning to thin out which means we are getting close! Sorry if that was TMI ; )
Poor Carmen is huge... she is measuring at 47 weeks!!! Yikes!!
Thanks for all the prayers and support!! I will definitely keep you guys posted!!!

XoXo,

Kristen & Scott

{Scott and Kristen}

The proud parents to be!

{Carmen, their surrogate and Kristen at her shower}

I have no idea how many weeks she is here?

{Carmen in June, I think....}

{Finally, Carmen in July}

All of us are looking forward to meeting Gabby and Izzy. Kristen and Scott, I know you are nesting and you will be amazing parents, so take a deep breath and try to relax. Carmen I hope you are resting and not too uncomfortable, we are thinking about you and your family.

Fab Find Of The Day

2010-07-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Pomplamoose Videosongs

Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn collaborate and this is what it sounds like......

I use to dance to Mr. Sandman with my Dad in the garage. Also check out Put A Ring On It, and Beat It they even make Earth Wind and Fire songs sound good.

More songs on You Tube

Mail Delivery From The Pugster

2010-07-20T10:48:00.003-05:00

My Mom and Dave received 37 RSVP'S when they got back from Kirsten's wedding! Thanks for replying so quickly everyone. Now just need the rest of you to turn them in!

P.S. We got our marriage license today. It's getting closer.....

Matt and Kirsten get MARRIED!

2010-07-18T20:53:00.015-05:00

This weekend my step sister Kirsten got married to a wonderful man. Matt has been around for years and now he is officially in the family! {Kirsten & Matt}

Just married.......

The hotel at Quaker Square, the rooms are built into the old oat shilos!

A view from the reception hall. You can shop, eat and see a bit of history at Quaker Square.

You can even ride a train. Guess who is the conductor?

Instead of the dollar dance, Dave made Kirsten a dollar cactus.

Present table.

Matt's Duke cake, complete with a signed invitation from the Duke coach. They invited him to their wedding :)

_2173.jpg"> Kirsten's wedding cake. Can you blieve it was had made by her Mom?

How cute are her favors? She asked each side of the family to make a cookie so inside the favor one cookie was from the Reide side and one was from her Mom's side.

Centerpieces.

The bride and groom.

Brad and I.

My Mom, Dave, Grandma and Grandpa Kilmer.

Cousin Peter and our Grandparents!

My brother and I.

The family.

My Mom and I.

Cutting the cake, Sam (our step brother) is so funny.

Brother and sisters.

The beautiful bride and I.

Dancing the YMCA. Do you recognize the man in green??

Father daughter dance.

Matt and Kirsten cutting their cake.

Kirsten and Dave.

More dancing.

More family shots.

25z0BSfJTk/TEOyP6sUaiI/AAAAAAAACvo/f5fW-Z5Nh1I/s400/IMG_2242.jpg">

Now we have everyone but Brad and I look werid...

The boys.

The new bride and our parents.

wlH_IGU/s400/IMG_2250.jpg">

Dave and I practicing for my wedding!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Riede, we hope you have fun on your honeymoon and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Put It On The To Do List

2010-07-15T12:00:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I have been busy at work and trying to get all this wedding stuff done. I have been dreaming about my to do list for months now, and checking things off makes me extremely happy. So what have I been up to, well..... invitations have been sent, dress fittings are going well, wedding favors are done, everything is booked and confirmed and time lines are going out soon. I promise. Wedding plans are certainly coming along and now I feel like I am in the hurry up and wait period.... weird, right?

Kristen's twins are still baking and should be on their way soon...... I am planning on a posting something soon, since so many of you have asked. :)

This weekend is Kirsten, my step sister's wedding. I am getting really excited to she her and Matt get married, by the way they have been dating since High School, I am pretty sure that really doesn't happen too often any more. Their reception is at Quaker Square in Akron, Ohio. The history alone makes her venue incredibly special along with all the other details. Her colors are Carolina blue and a bright leaf green, I am looking forward to seeing all her plans come together. I will be sure to post all the details next week!

Finally, I am also dreaming of a lake house. What do you think about this one? I think this one says "Hi people, I don't own a car, just a boat!" And look it even has an American flag so I know Brad's in. If you are wondering what to get us for a wedding gift, this house is definitely on the list.

Aunt Terri Gets Crafty

2010-07-08T14:00:00.015-05:00

Aunt Terri got her new embroidery machine! Here is what she has been up to......

Her granddaughter turned two last month!

Halloween is Aunt Terri's favorite holiday, so the pumpkin is a perfect.

I personally like the colorful seahorses the best.

I haven't seen this new machine yet but supposedly it is amazing, and the most amazing thing about it you ask? Is I get her old one..... :) Great job Aunt Terri, Adriana is going to be the best dressed two year old I know.

Ryan's 3rd Birthday

2010-07-07T10:07:00.002-05:00

On Saturday we celebrated Ryan's 3rd Birthday.

It was a shark, alligator and fish themed party, all picked out by Ryan himself and excellently coordinated by his Mom and Dad. (see the keg in the back? Uncle Brad and Ryan's Daddy enjoyed that very much)

First the kids enjoyed a huge pool party, there was swimming, sliding and splashing involved.

Then alligator cookies,

A Shark cake made by Ryan's Mom and Dad. How cool?

The shells are chocolate and the sand was edible.

Sparkler candles!

and a few fish cupcakes.

{Grandma Connie and little Leah}

Next, on the list fireworks. Uncle Brad and Matt got a big box of fire works. Here is Ethan showing off his favorite.

Uncle Brad and Matt looking extremely happy.

{box o fun}

Popcorn and fire works were enjoyed by the entire neighborhood.

don't forget the the shark pinata!

And to finish off the night a whole bunch of sparklers!

Ryan's Birthday was a blast. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July.

Tiki Thursday

2010-07-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

{Me and Macy}

Every once in a while the girls and I get together for tiki night. We sit, chat and have a glass of wine. This week we went to Amy house, where Gretchen and her kids joined us. I have no pictures of Amy or Gretchen but I promise they were there.

{Hannah and Pug}

{Jackson, Gretchen's son}

{Hannah, Grace, Macy, Me and Jackson}

Grace is Gretchen's daughter. The girls played with a gallon of water and four cups forever!

{The girls}

Greek Fest 2010

2010-06-29T12:16:00.001-05:00

Greek Fest was even better than last year. We had so many more people meet up with us! The wine was warm and we had to keep getting ice but the Gyros were delicious, and the people are always fun. {Me, Amy & Kristen}

{Nicole & Me}

{Lotter}

{Amy, Kristen, and Brad}

{Bottles of Vino!}

Joe's parent even met us.

{Jeannie and Joe}

{Brad and Me}

The other picture of me is way better but Mr. Brad had his eyes closed.

The girls

{Amy, Me and Nicole}

{Me, Paul and Kristen}

Our friends Paul and Abbey were volunteering ALL weekend at the beer both and the water booth. I wish you guys could have played with us!

Kristen is pointing to the Giant stuffed monkey that she won.

This guy let Kristen,

ride this ride! She was sad because the Greek fest was shutting down.....

Panegyri Greek Festival

2010-06-25T11:25:00.003-05:00

This weekend is the Panegyri Greek Festival! This is the one festival we look forward to every year. Who wouldn't love gobbling up gyros, tzatziki, spanakopita, baklava and bottles of Greek wine? This is also the ONLY time of year I can get Brad to drink wine with me, double bonus! This year we have a large group of friends joining us.

Here are few snap shoots from 2008 to get you ready for 2010!{The big Winners}

{Kyle and Amy}

{Playing games}

{cheers!}

{who is this guy? I am not sure but I think he is Greek}

Come join us 7000 Winton Road in Cincinnati. Admission is $2.00 and FREE for kids.

You can also enter to win a trip to Greece or a cash prise of $3,500.00

(My friend has won before)

Shower and The Drama Of A Life Time Movie.....

2010-06-21T14:37:00.014-05:00

As promised, I have a drama filled story to share with you. I am typically not a dramatic person but this story definitely qualifies as a Life Time Movie. My story begins with an overnight work trip to Bentonville, AK (can you guess what customer we were selling to?). Emily (my sales director) asked me to go with her to assist with the marketing and design aspect of our meeting. I agree to go and joked with her saying, "I will go as long as she gets me back for my wedding shower, on Saturday at noon". To which Emily replies "No problem, we will be back Friday night." We have never, ever had a problem getting home so I happily agree knowing this will be an amazing experience to meet other buyers besides the one I currently work with.

At the crack of dawn on Thursday morning Emily and I flew to Bentonville for our sales meetings. We has three HUGE meetings, one on Thursday and two on Friday. All three meetings went exceptionally well and we could not have been more excited. Although we had a tight time line to get to the airport, we made it there safe and on time. Cincinnati USE to be a hub and there were tons of direct flights to choose from. Unfortunately, for us this is no longer the case. If you do not fly out of Bentonville airport by nine am you must take a connecting flight. That stinks, but no problem we connect in Chicago. Once we land in Chicago we find out our flight to Cincinnati is an hour late, again not a huge deal. As we are sitting in the terminal at 4:30 pm the sky begins to get dark, the wind begins swirling like in the Wizard of Oz and to top it all off it is raining sideways while huge bolts of lightning are crashing through the sky. Scary, I mean really scary. Luckily, by the time we are suppose to board the storm has passed. Happily we hop on our plane and we are both ready to be back home after two long days of traveling. Once the plan is boarded we taxi to our runway where we quickly learn that there are a million planes in front of us on the tarmac. We end up sitting on the runway for three hours, finally the time limit is up and the airlines have to get everyone off the plane before fines start setting in. So, we head back to a gate and get off. Big surprise our flight is officially cancelled.

Due to the storm numerous flights have been cancelled and the airport is otter chaos. This storm was so bad windows were literally blow out of the Sears tower, and some of the city was without electric. This is the point where I start to panic. Emily calls our travel agent and manages to get us booked on a 6:15 flight on Saturday morning. Next, Emily calls her parents, Mick and Grace who happen to live in Chicago to see if we can stay the night with them. What a tremendous relief to be picked up, feed, taken car of and have the comfort of a nice home and a warm bed. No sooner do we pull into Emily's parents house and the phone rings, it's Delta, our flight is cancelled..... crap, now what? I HAVE to get home by noon for my shower and Emily feels terrible about our situation. Now it is time for team work; Emily is on the phone with American airlines, Mick is on the phone with United, Grace is on the computer with Mega Bus and I am on the phone with our travel agent. Two hours later no luck, we are stranded with no feasible flights out of Chicago until Saturday evening. Our last resort is the Mega bus, which leaves Saturday morning at 7:30 am and gets us home at 2:00 pm. Yes, 2:00 pm not 12:00. I have never been that stressed in my entire 30 year old life.

I finally call Pauline, my soon-to-be Mother-in-law and tell her my story. I know how much planning goes into a shower and I don't want to disappoint anyone. She laughs and we soon come up with two options; call everyone and push the shower back to 2:00 or have Brad stand in and open all the presents. The second options is much funnier in retrospect. Shortly after 10:00 am Pauline calls and confirms that my entire shower can be pushed back to 2:00. Hooray! I do believe Brad might have been more relieved than me at this point, he was really worried about standing in for me. Meanwhile, the Mega bus really isn't so bad if you are not two hours late for your own wedding shower! The bus finally drops Emily and I off downtown just before 2pm. Rachelle my maid of honor swings by and picks me up. I am fresh off the bus with new layer of make up on and still need to change. We stop by a McDonald's on the way to Heather's house and I change into a dress that I thankfully bought in Bentonville, and we are wedding shower ready.

Despite all the drama, my shower turned out perfect. Friends and family got to hear a funny story, the food was delicious and the games were really fun. These ladies really know how to throw a shower.

{piles of presents} {cookies}

{cupcakes}

{Me and my maid of honor, Rachelle}

Thanks for picking me up, you are a life saver!

{Second cousins; Ella, Macy (my flower girl) and Ben} {The girls}

Me, Allisa (cousin) Andraya (friend) Courtney (cousin) Hannah (Jr. bridesmaid and second cousin) Amy (cousin) Nicole (friend) got it? {Nicole} {Me with a much needed glass o wine}

{Bridal Bingo}

I think Aunt Sharon won?!

{Leah and Heather}

{Me and Heather my (SIL)}

{Me and Hannah}

{Little Leah}

{Leah and Rachelle}

I had an amazing shower with an amazing story to go along with it! Thanks to everyone for being so flexible and caring enough to put your entire day on hold for me. I love you all and appreciate it. If anyone has more pictures of our Aunts please send them to me and I will post a Holland Shower part two!

~xoxo~

Kitty

Girls Weekend On The Lake

2010-06-21T13:18:00.012-05:00

Well hello! I want to apologize for taking so long to post this. (I know it has been highly anticipated by Aunt Terri) I was waiting on photos from Beth Ann plus I had sales meeting in Bentonville at the end of the week, which is a long dramatic story that I will save for the next post. Stay tuned.

Girls weekend was simply amazing! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of girlfriends. Even though they promised not to they ended up surprising me with loads of bachelorette details. What nice, thoughtful friends! The girls picked me up on Friday afternoon and the six of us; Kristen, Rachelle, Mando, Abbey and I headed south towards Kentucky. Lake Williams town is only an hour away, which makes this a perfect get away. Once we arrived at the lake house Kristen and the girls began organizing and setting up while I was banished to the outdoors. So sad right? When I was allowed back in the house was decorated with pictures of me and my ladies. Some of them where almost ten years old. On the chair they had pink and orange towels wrapped up as party favors and the refrigerator was STOCKED with food, snacks and booze!

Here is the lake house, it had 3 double beds, two large couches and the livingroom was big enough to hold a few air mattresses. We quickly changed into our swimsuits, loaded up with sunscreen, packed the cooler and headed down to the dock.

Later that night Nicole and Lauren met up with just in time for dinner. The girls bought a Servati pretzel sandwhich and we enjoyed Mando's pasta salad for dinner. We spent 90% of our weekend on this very dock. It was perfect, half in the dock was in the sun and half was undercover. We stayed up late relaxing on the dock, looking at the stars and catching up.

{Rachelle, Kristen, and Pam}

Saturday morning Pam and Beth Ann met us for a day of couldy, rainy weather. For the most part the day was crappy, but we made the most of it and sat under the covered deck and had a blast! Finally, around three in afternoon the clouds dissappear and the sun showed up to the

party.

Our friends, the Kenkel family (Linda, Dave, and their sons Eric and Nick) own a house on the lake and graciously offered to give ALL of us a pantoon ride. Linda is so sweet, she planned a little booze cruise with cocktails and even appetizers! The boys took the brave ones, (Mandi and Abbey) tubing.

{Linda Kenkel, Kristen, Mandi, Me, Cousin Ben and Nicole in the front}

Cousin Ben couldn't have picked a better weekend to stop by his Aunt and Uncle's lake house.
{Beth and Pam} {Me, Linda, Rachelle, Kristen, and Pam}

{Lauren and Abbey}

{Swimming at the Kenkel's}

{Rachelle and Beth Ann}

Once our tour of the lake ended we headed back to our dock for dinner.

When we arrived back at our house and Nicole had a surprise waiting for me.... my very own Hello Kitty Pinata!

{Kristen and her pinata winnings}

{Pammy}

For dinner the girls prepared salad, lasagna and garlic bread. Nicole's mom even made a homemade batch for us. So, so, so good! Next my sweet girlfriends surprised me shower gifts.

{Abbey being Abbey}
{Beth Ann and Mandi}
{This pretty much sums up our weekend}

Ladies, I want to thank you for the best weekend ever. You are the most thoughtful friends a girl could ask for. Let's make this an annual event.

Thanks again for a great weekend.

~xoxo~

Kitty

Girls Weekend

2010-06-11T08:54:00.001-05:00

We are headed to Lake Williams Town for a girls weekend! A few of my close college friends and I have rented a lake house for the weekend. It is suppose to be HOT, HOT, HOT so we will defiantly be floating in the lake all weekend. I am looking forward to relaxing, catching up and getting some sun. I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend! Go get herself a rainbow snow cone!

Getting It Together

2010-06-07T15:15:00.018-05:00

The inspiration board.

Here are few details of how Kristen's shower came together.

I went for an Anthropolgie feel and sewing the invitations is something I have always wanted to try.

Coordinating thank yous. Of course we pre-addressed them.

My test run. About three months ago I started shopping for the shower and pulling a look together.

Here is what our centerpieces ended up looking like.

Cleaning the ball jars. I had a really hard time finding canning jars. I am wondering if it was because it was an off season for canning. I finally found them a Meijer and guess what I saw in the Sunday paper right after I bought them? Yep a coupon.

Making the baby banner. Plain pink would just not do.

The newspaper was from Kristen's husbands 30th Birthday!

Talk about scary. This is how my chalkboard started out, super creepy but cheap.

The finished project.

I was inspired by a chalkboard at Fresh Market. For some reason I remember it being a lot prettier.

sewing the invitations.

My only tip is to go slow but otherwise I was really happy with the results.

Covering match books.

I used tacky glue and paper scraps from the invitation. All these projects were really inexpensive to execute.

Emily's Cupcakes

2010-06-07T15:10:00.008-05:00

I wanted to follow up and show you how stinking cute Emily's cupcakes were. Her cake flavors are to die for!

I also scored these bright pink peonies at Kroger's for five bucks! Aunt Susie do you spy my new cake stand? I love it!

Kristen's Baby Gifts

2010-06-07T14:55:00.005-05:00

Some of you have have been asking what I made for Kristen, so here you go. 1. Coordinating alligator bibs; "after awhile" and "see you later"

2. Matching teal corduroy owl jumpers. This is my favorite.
(I ended up making three of these so I could keep one)

3. For the fall little cupcake outfits.

4. Bright floral skirts . I added a tulle ruffle and a fancy stitch just for Kristen. These little skirts only take 1/4 yard to make. The best part is you can do little alterations to make each one special.

5. Little birdie outfits. (this fabric matched her invitations)

up close shot of my hand stitched onez's.

6. Finally little hats, this is the first time I have made these, so I hope they are not too big.

Let me know if you need customer orders. I am thinking about opening an etsy shop sometime after the wedding. What do you all think? Would buy from me?

Oyler Owlett Shower

2010-06-07T08:56:00.007-05:00

So the big day finally came. Kristen's baby shower was amazing. Mandi, Megan, Katy and I hosted the shower in the tea room at Bon Bonerie in Hyde Park. These ladies were so easy to work with and each played an important role in making this shower so successful. Good food, fun and great gifts were shared. The chalkboard menu was fun to make and added a whimsy personal touch to the tea room.
Custom baby shower banner, it was much cuter in person. I promise.

The table scape included potted plants with chalkboard place settings, flowers planted in mason jars and mini tea candles in mini mason jars adorned with jute rope.
I tried the Martha Stewart doilie concept, and I think it matched the theme perfectly.

See the meringue cones? They are easy to make and were a huge hit at the shower. Rachelle came over on Thursday night to help me put them together. We added pink Sixlets inside the cone so that they would rattle. With a thank you hang tag and pretty pink bow we ended up with a stellar shower favor.

Beth Ann, Lauren and Sarah.

Shelby and Prissy.

The girls! Sorry I didn't get picture of all of you...

So sweet! Kristen received loads of sweet, thoughtful gifts from all the girls. I definitely had competition at this baby shower. Debbie even got Maddie (Kristen's dog) a shirt that said big sister. Let me just say these little nuggets are going to be dressed in pink until they are forty!

Here is what I have been up to all spring. Carmen (her surrogate) and Kristen the mommy to be. How cute are they??

Little twin nuggets I am ready for you to come play.

Kristen, Megan and Sarah.

Afterwards we went next door to Obrians' to continue the baby celebration.

Me and Kristen.

Kristen and Megan.

Tammy and Kristen.

Rachelle and Kristen.

Abbey and Kristen.

Thanks Ladies for all your help, the shower was a huge success.

Let Them Eat Cake

2010-06-04T09:21:00.004-05:00

Tonight we are meeting with Emily from Classy Creations to talk about wedding cake. Emily is a friend I met a long time a go in college. She now makes amazing cakes, so go check her out on face book at Classy Creations by Emily. She is bringing two yummy cakes for us to try, chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and a lemon cake with Raspberry filling.

My Brad, mother and father in law are also joining me for this tasty adventure. We are not having a rainbow cake but how cool would this cake be for a birthday party? It makes me want to put on a party hat and stick a sparkler in it. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wedding Post

2010-06-03T15:07:00.002-05:00

For my (I mean our) wedding I have a few people lined up to make things for me. This is a friendly reminder! We have less than 93 days! Can you believe it? And why in the world would your wedding registry remind you of this? By the way Lowe's if you are listen get your self a wedding registry! You could make tons of money..... Aunt Terri is making my cake topper.
My Mom is making my ring pillow, which will be made from her ring pillow.

I am making a card box. (I think I got the easiest project)

Wedding Shower Koerner-Siefer Style

2010-06-01T15:02:00.007-05:00

It's official, I had my first wedding shower was on Sunday. It was hosted by all my wonderful Aunts and cousins! The biggest treat was seeing everyone and spending time with my family. I live so far away that we do not get together as often I as we would like.

All the thoughtful details made this shower very special for me. I am going to give you the who's who in this post, just in case you wanted to know.

Aunt Terri (my Mom's sister) and litte Jrake.
Aunt Patty (My Dad's sister) and Jrake.

Aunt Cathy (my Dad's sister) and Jrake.

Aunt Sue (My Mom's sister in law) and Aunt Terri.

Hostess gifts all wrapped in my wedding colors! What a thoughtful detail.

Handmade kitchen scrubbers for shower gifts! These things work really well. I need to learn how to croquet them.

Special recipes from everyone. They all sound so yummy and many of them are passed down from other generations including my Grandma Koerner. I really can't wait to try them all and use all my new cooking supplies.

Gifts galore. I recieved so many nice gifts from everyone. The Jeep was filled to the brim on the way home to Cincinnati. Poor pug and Kristen were packed in like sardines.

Even the cake was in my wedding colors. You can see the coordinatng invitation in the back.

The cake shop was a bit confused when they asked for "Congratulations Kyle and Brad". I have been getting that reaction all my life and I like being different!

Jackson, me and Jrake.

Mom, Me and Jrake. Thankfully Jrake was the center of attention!

Christina, Jackson and Jrake.

Koerner Aunts!

(These are my Dad's sisters and sister in laws) Aunt Patty, my Mom, Aunt Susie, Aunt Cathy, Me and Aunt Patti. Can you see where's Waldo in the background?? :)

It was too bad my step mom Judy couldn't make it, she and my step sisters were missed.

Three generations! Mom, Grandma Lou and Me.

Four generations! Mom, Grandma Lou, Christina, and Jrake.

Thanks for all the great pictures Miss Kristen, your career in photography will go a long way.

Thank you so much for throwing me such a nice shower. I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the wedding! Love you guys.

Here are a few random pictures from our picnic after the shower. Grandpa Dave and Grandma Debby with baby Jrake.

Aunt Terri got out the family quilts to hand out and pug thought they were all hers.

Memorial Day weekend turned out to be one of the nicest weekends I have had in a long time. We enjoyed relaxing on the lake , crafting baby things, cutting out invitatios and eating tons of food at parties all weekend long.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T13:55:00.005-05:00

Friday Kristen and I packed up our things including Pug and headed due North to Kent, Ohio. She is a good friend to spend an entire weekend with me and my family. Thanks for coming with me!

We arrived in Kent just after eight pm and met up with my parents for dinner at Twin Lakes Country club. We dinned on Crab legs, Chardonnay and caught up on the latest gossip. Once we cracked the last crab leg and finished the last sip of wine we headed back to Grandma Lou's. She and my Aunts had card night so we had planned to meet up with them after dinner.

Friday night we chatted and cut out invitations until one in the morning! The Siefer crew are defineatly night owls.

This is Grandma Lou's lake! On Saturday we took the liberty of doing nothing but floating, swimming and tanning ourselves.
Friday and Saturday night I had my family working like a little sweat shop cutting out our wedding invitations! It is such a relief to them all cut out. I can not thank all of you enough!!!
Even my cousin Johnny cut a bunch out. I am going to owe him when his wedding rolls around next summer.
Saturday night Aunt Terri brought over her embroidery machine and taught Kristen and I how to use it. Here are our results. I am pumped to borrow it later this summer. Etsy here I come!

Onez's for Kristen's sweet little peanuts to be.

Of course we couldn't forget about my nephew Jrake.

Burp cloth!

Kristen is planning on bringing the twins home in these snugly little wraps. * Ignore all the blue limes I was simply lining everything up, it all comes out once you wash it.

Can you believe we stayed up until one in the morning working our fingers to the bone again?

On Sunday before my shower Jackson, Jrake, Christina, and Ashley met up with us at Grandma Lou's. I can't believe how big Jrake is. I hope his onez fits him....

He can roll over all by himself! He also has curly hair?!

Great Grandma Lou and her first Great Grandchild.

Jackson warmed up to Kristen right away. Who would have guessed?

Next post is all about my shower, stay tuned.

Heading To Kent

2010-05-27T08:52:00.005-05:00

My Matron of honor, Kristen and I are heading to Kent for my first wedding shower. My Mom's family and my Dad's family are getting together and throwing on big Koerner-Siefer shower! Which means this will be a huge, huge celebration. I am looking forward to spending time with my family and enjoying a relaxing long weekend.

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Baby Moblies

2010-05-27T08:38:00.006-05:00

I adore how creative baby mobiles are! Here a few images I have collected over the past few years. This one will be in Kristen's nursery.

How cute are these little birds?

Supposedly babies can't see color, so this one is perfect.

This is cute as a mobile or party decoration.

How cute would this bee?

My friend, Michele at work is throwing her sister a baby shower. Her and her husband have decided NOT to find out what the sex of the baby, so her theme is "What's it gonna Bee?" What a great gift this would make for her shower.

Finally, felt woodland creatures.

The Wonder Of Onesies

2010-05-27T08:18:00.004-05:00

One of the most customizable gifts you can make for someone is a onesie. As I began my research on Etsy I was amazed and sometimes confused by what people create. Check out a few of my top picks. You be the judge cute or creepy?

Can you pick out which onesie is mine and not on Etsy?

Not Your Mama's Baby Furniture

2010-05-25T10:45:00.003-05:00

Pretty, modern baby furniture for your viewing pleasure. How nice is this if you have a small house, apartment, live in a big city or are a Grandparent?

Stool highchair.

This looks super comfy.....

Another space saver!

Swings, weather anchored to your ceiling or on tripod would be a nice way to take a nap.

Baby Clothes

2010-05-25T09:37:00.004-05:00

I have been drafting a few new patterns for baby clothes. I really feel like the patterns out there right now are dull. My biggest challenge is I don't have a baby to make sure they fit... I may need to borrow one. Here is some of my inspiration. This is so cute and I love the belt detail.
I actually like this piece for me!

and this one.

How cute and easy.

The monkey pattern is so much fun and the organic feel makes it even better.

Cute, colorful and simple.

Anyone have cute boy patterns?

Baby Week

2010-05-24T13:49:00.003-05:00

I have decided this week will be baby week! With Kristen's baby shower quickly approaching I thought I could share a few things all about babies. Today's topic is nurseries. I have had this first image for a very long time. The first time I saw this nursery was at the Atlanta gift show in 2008. I apprecaite the retro look and could see this in my brother's nursery.

Birds are all the rage and I love how they have utilzed mixed prints and patterns.

This is one of my absolute favorites! I imediatley fell in love with the simple anmials hanging over the crib. (Maybe I am bias since they have pug up there)

This more sophisticated look seams to be a hot trend. I think the pink and teal make an eye catching room.

You don't get much richer than a golden baby room.

Here is a simple concept that draws the entire room together no matter what color or theme you choose.
For all you Mom's out there what was or is your favorite element of your babies room?

Engagment Pictures

2010-05-21T12:26:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday, Brad and I had our engagement pictures taken at Ault Park. Neither of us are very photogenic, so when Anthony from Precious Memory Creations send us our initial pictures (the very next day) we were was ecstatic with how well they turned out. Anthony was flexible and loads of fun to work with. I had specifically asked Anthony to do a lot of natural poses and antiqued finishes.

After a bit of convincing Brad let Wrigley come our photo shoot.

I love the finish on this one!

My matron of honor, Kristen showed up to pug sit while we had the rest of our pictures taken. She is a good one! She brought a few adult beverages, which were much appreciated and resulted in cute props.

I heart this picture!

If you need a good photographer, make sure you check out all of Anthony's work on his website Precious Memory Creations.

Pugtastic Saturday

2010-05-20T10:15:00.002-05:00

Today this little snuggle pug turns four! Happy Birthday Wrigley, sending you pugs and kisses.