- Project: Broom -

LAST Halloween post, I swear.  [It's like Halloween is my favorite holiday or something?!]

But this pic...

I love it. 

Note taken!

Guess I will not be hiding my brooms in the closet anymore!

- Halloween: the Grown-up Way -

Reminiscing on the "Halloween in college" days is cool and chill and...ok, awesome and totally nostalgic.

I miss it a lot!

Although Halloween the "grown-up way" isn't all that bad.

But let's start at the beginning.

[1989-2007] -- My parents live in the middle of a corn field, so we usually only had ummm...anywhere from 2-10 customers/costumers per YEAR.  My mom handed out full-sized candy bars and homemade popcorn balls. And if she knew who the kids were, there were even more surprise treats waiting.  We could see the headlights coming up the 1/2 mile lane and would all be clustered around the door waiting by the time they got to the front door.  It's exciting growing up in a cornfield, I tell ya!  So for 18 years, I thought that's what Halloween was all about...

Then I went off to college and found out there was much more to be discovered. But we will not discuss that here on this nice family-oriented post. ;)  

And after four years of the most kick@$$ Halloweens ever ever ever, I moved to a third story apartment full of white hairs who were settled into bed by 8pm. AKA - no trick-or-treaters and no kids even in eyeshot. Whatever, though.

But NOW, in our first year of wonderful wedded bliss, we live in one of the youngest/hip-est/busiest subdivisions in Edwardsville.....

Holy schmoly, we got blown away with trick-or-treaters last night!!! 


TIMELINE:

-- 8:30am -- I get home from work crawl in bed for the day.  Zzzzzzzzzz x 8hours.

-- 4:30pm -- I wake up. And look online at the city website for ToT-ing hours. 4-9pm. [WHAT??? When I was a kid ToT-ing hours didn't start until like 9pm!!! #badassesofthe1990s] Quick mental note made that the porch light will not come on until at LEAST 7pm, because everything gets hotter when the sun goes down around here! ;)

-- 6:15pm -- Brian comes home from work and tells me I'm a "fun-sucker" because we're the only house in the neighborhood without our light on.........

-- 6:28pm -- ...so the porch light goes on...

-- 6:29pm -- ...and we are mobbed with one massive clump of at least 30+ dragons and princesses and Elmos and other masked unknown questionable things. 

Convos that crack me up:


Brian: Wait, did you just post on FB that there are ToT-ing hours tomorrow night, too???
Bridget:  YES, so stop giving every minion like 5 pieces!!!


*kid knocking on glass door*
Bridget: Awww, that Superman is so cute! Can I take your picture with him?!
Brian:  No, that is creepy! He is like 3 years old and his dad is right there!!!
Bridget: ...Oh.


With our TV in eyeshot of the door...
Pirate: Who's winning?!
Brian:  The game just started, it's 0-0!
Goblin: What game?

^^Really??? What kind of 10 year-old boy are you? Maybe next year you should be a princess.


Oh, and on that note...can we just talk about the Cardinals?! ...No, we can't. Too soon. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway, we had fun with our first Halloween in the 'burbs...but I am sooo downing a bottle of wine tonight before we turn the light on. It will be way better, right!?  

Note taken for the 2014 season: I cannot buy the candy more than a week early... Only Milk Duds and Whoppers were left to hand out because I've been downing all the good candy for the last 3 weeks! nom nom nom

Cheers to Halloween! Hope yours is spooktacular! ;)

- #tbt to Halloween in College! -

I have to post and oldie but a goodie...

#tbt [<---That means "throwback Thursday" for all you ancient readers...] to COLLEGE when Halloween was da bomb! 

When did we get so old and uncool?! Dislike.

Welcome to my college days where boobs were a thing and modesty was not..... 

But for real, it's holidays like Halloween when I really miss the good ole' days!! :( 

Happy Halloween! Hope you college kids are kickin' it tonight!! ;) 

- Mancave Meals -

Tonight I sent the husband grocery shopping without a list and opened the door an hour later to bags full of pork and beans and Manwich and weird-branded tuna!!! [Although I am now educated that this is not a weird brand, but apparently I am a tuna snob because I only eat Chicken of the Sea. Whatever though.]

So feel free to stop by the Fleming house for dinner over the next several weeks... I guess we'll be eating in bachelor/mancave style!

...Oh, forgot to mention that there are still two containers of leftover pork and beans and Manwich in the fridge from LAST week... [<---Brian's meal of choice when I work nights.]  Someone save me!

- Closet Doors [Installed] -

The guest bedroom closet doors are up! Woohoooo! :) This has been a project that keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the "to-do" list, because, let's face it: the main part of the house is what we look at every day so that has to be prettied up and perfected first AND the guests we DO have don't give a flying rat's @$$ about doors on the closet! 

But now they're up and there is peace in the world again.

We looked at several different places for doors and quickly concluded that it would save like 4-digit figures of money if we just got the generic non-finished/non-framed/non-whatever else from Menards. So we did. And Brian stained them in the basement so that they would match the trim we already have up.

And after all that there was even more peace in the world.

[It's a little rough being married to a woman who likes everything matchy matchy! ...At least I can only imagine it is...]


Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Love them and the bars that Brian hung up inside! I already have them stuffed with off-season clothes! <---More progress in the un-packing department. Not sure what we are going to do if a guest actually needs to use them...OR...if...[God forbid] we ever have a kid and he/she/it needs clothes hanging space. ;)

But for now...

...The closet doors are up and there is peace in the world!!!

- Stairway Railing [Installed] -

I just found all these pics and can't believe I forgot to post something in August, because this project was a BIG DEAL...

So rewind three months...

...And...

Gone are the days of jumping over a giant hole + maneuvering around two ugly barn-dwelling sawhorses...

OUR RAILING IS IN!!!

Mark gets agitated and angry when important "big deal" there's-no-way-we-can-mess-this-up-or-your-house-will-look-like-piss projects are going down, so at first I was only good enough to hold the railing while they filled the holes with glue...

...and pretty soon after that I was only good enough to bake brownies.  Thaaaaat's ok, I'll gladly retreat to the kitchen to get away from the living room stress! #getmeouttahere He's all yours, Brian!!!

Break time snack time anyone?! My mom etched this glass pan as one of my shower gifts last year... Love it!

Here's the finished product! I'm super stoked about how the posts tie in the wire door hanging and clock so well! 

Best part about this? Well, two things:
1) It's way prettier than the sawhorses...
2) I can sleepwalk in peace without fearing a 12-foot fall!


Goodbye house, hello home! 

- Nikki's Wedding -

Nurse Nikki is murrrried! She and her brand new hubs tied the knot in St. Charles at the New Town Chapel! Such a sweet couple and such a fun day! Nikki, you are one WILD woman!!!

We decided to bring girls from work instead of our husbands [because seriously, big work parties are the bomb diggity! #workhardplayharder], so here is my super duper sexy mexy date for the night! ;) 

^^And Katie's freaking out a little, because she's goin' to the chapel in ONE WEEK! 

Some of my fave peeps!

Happy wedding day, Nikki! You were a beautiful bride and will be an even more beautiful wife!!! ;) 

Now on to Jamaica! 

- Go CRAZY, Folks!!! -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

WE JUST CLINCHED THE NLCS!!!

Booyahhhh!!!

Bye bye Dodgers, we'll take that pennant please and thank you!

WORLD SERIES BOUND!!!!!!!! 

We don't have TV (like we have an actual TV, but just an internet box and no cable/Direct/Dish/whatever), so we watched the game 6 winner at Buffalo Wild Wings!  Good decision, because the food and beer was the bomb and the energy in that place was a thousand notches higher than what it would've been from our couch.  AKA, it was way better than the fashion in which I was forced to watch games 3, 4, and 5... Heart tones on the left, fake animated game on the right. Super duper lame. If the World Series games fall on my shifts...I'M CALLING IN.  Thank God for epidurals which allow women to be simultaneously dilating and sleeping, because I literally cannot get out of this chair OR take my eyes off this game tonight! 

But back to BWW.

My parents came too...

...and they REALLY enjoyed the game as evidenced!

Just kidding, have to cut them a little slack... This photo was taken during a commercial break in the game, but I still think it's absolutely hilarious. So hilarious that I sent it to my cousin who is a lone Cardinal fan in Chicago-land. [Cubsville. Ew. But they stand strong and wear their red proudly!] Fifteen minutes later, I got this response...

Parents these days......... Sheesh!!! ;) ;) 

We [and our techy rents] are all sorts of stoked for the WORLD SERIES!!! Tweet text gram...ready set GO!

Go crazy folks, go crazy! 

Other week highlights: 

-- Happy birthday, Petey!

-- Happy birthday, Kaitlin!

-- Happy birthday, Anne Marie!

-- Happy wedding day, James and Nikki! 

- Maxis All-Around -

Brian cleaned out my car today [good husband!!] and eventually walked in the house looking uneasy and holding a handful of feminine products:

"If you ever get pulled over you're gonna be sitting there for like an hour digging through tampons and maxi pads!"

Ummmm...what else is a glovebox for?  Sorry I like to be prepared... And why stash on McDonald's paper-thin napkins when you can have the Kotex super absorbers?! 

Yeah, exactly.  Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?! Tampons for the win! And Maxis all-around!

- Nikki's Unity Candle -

Finishing up Nikki's unity candle today...  Love that we could use her and James's favorite quote and also tie in the ribbon from their wedding invitation! [So authentic, I know...] 

Six days until she gets to light it! Can't wait! The countdown is onnnn. :)

Have a wedding coming up?  I would love to make your candle, too!  Or check out the DIY post from OUR wedding!

- C & E: MARRIED! -

Congratulations to Chris and Elizabeth, the newest bride and groom on the block!  They had a flawless wedding at St. Francis Xavier College Church and an equally spectacular reception at the Top of the Met. Holy schmolyyyy, these two sure do know how to get married in style! 

...And I have to say, it was pretty nice to sit back and enjoy the wedding...I wasn't nearly as calm walking down that aisle a year ago! ;) 

Photobooth ready...

Never a dull moment with these crazies!!!

Happy wedding, Chris and Elizabeth! Cheers to your marriage being as beautiful as your special day! :) 

- NLCS numba 1! -

Ben and Brittany are out-of-towners, but we are turning them into St. Louis lovers!  We celebrated the Cardinals' first game (and win) of the NLCS Friday night at Paddy-O's. Love the St. Louis energy! Tonight was B&B's induction into Cardinal Nation... I think they dig it.

One game down and 3 to go! 

- Fall Fun at Eckert's -

Fall fun at Eckert's today! Anyone wanna come over for some apple crisp or a pumpkin carving party?! :) 

Quote of the day:  "How are you gonna carry our kids if you can't even lift up a pumpkin?" 

^^Yeah, true dat, I have no idea...

May the apple peeling and pumpkin aerobics commence! 

- LGB! -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

Beer for breakfast?  Ok, as long as I get to see some legit fights, too! Bring on dis fierce rivalry! 

Piero and Dionna invited us to the hockey game Wednesday night; it was a neck-in-neck matchup against Chicago until we killed it with the winning goal in the last minute! WOOHOO! Yeah, that's right, walk out with your heads down little Blackhawkies. Booyah, Blues!!! *honnnnnnnnnnnnnnk*

Oh, and we managed to rope in the WORST PHOTOGRAPHER EVER... He might've ruined our photo but he didn't dent our Blues spirit! 

Not only did we witness an epic Blues' victory, BUT we alllllso saw the Cardinals' last three outs and VICTORY over the Pirates! Yeah, that NLDS? We'll take it, thanks! 

St. Louie is on FIYA!

We have the best fans!

Great night all around!!!

Other week highlights: 

-- Cards clinched the NLDS! 

-- ...and NLCS games are starting! We celebrated game 1 at Paddy-O's with Ben and Brittany.

-- Apples and pumpkins were a hit today at Eckert's! Stay tuned for photos from our carving party...

-- Happy wedding, Chris and Elizabeth! 

- Ladies' Lunch -

Living closer to home AND having a legit kitchen that cooks more than EasyMac has opened up some great doors for entertaining opportunities! Brian and I love to put our new pots/pans/dishes/glasses to the test and invite people over for dinner, dessert, drinks, or even all three! ;) Some of my first guinea pigs were these lovely ladies last weekend [because you know moms, grandmas, aunts, and cousins are always the most forgiving!]. We shared spaghetti and salad and lots of laughs!  LOVE having family close...it's the best!!!

Thanks for driving down, ladies! Let's do it again soon! :) 

- Bachelorette Binging -

Sum-It-Up Sunday

Just another September L&D bachelorette bash in the books, but this time celebrating Nurse Nikki! We started at Molly's in Soulard and ended up somewhere where the wind blew us... I think the pictures can do the rest of the talking! ;) 

Happy bachelorette, Nik! We love you! 

Other week highlights: 

-- Happy wedding, Chad and Val! 

-- I'm turning into quite the hostess...at least TRYING to! ;) My mom, grandma, and aunts came over for lunch on Saturday, and we had so much fun!

- October Love Commences! -

Three cheers for for this fun-loving, spunky, completely FANTASTIC couple who just tied the knot!  Chad and Val's new marriage is already so radiant, and I'm in love with their love!

We happen to be semi-neighbors, so as soon as all the wedding business settles down we have plans to start double dating it up! And the Bootcamp part........? Well, we'll see. ;) 

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs.! 

One wedding for this month in the books...three more to go!  Let the October love commence!