The best thing I ever ate

While Chris and I were in Savannah for Thanksgiving, his mom took me and Daeon to a cooking demonstration at Kitchens on the Square downtown, which I mentioned in my post, Giving Thanks.  I also mentioned that our instructor made an amazing bacon-wrapped pork center loin with a brown sugar glaze.  I finally made it this week, with much success (I swear! ask Chris!), so I wanted to share the recipe here.  Try it! I promise you will love it!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Center Loin

Ingredients
1 (1-lb.) pork center loin (I used a pork tenderloin because that's all the store had)
2 tablespoons course stone ground mustard
3-4 bacon slices, cut in half crosswise

For the brown sugar glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I didn't have any dry mustard, so I substituted with a little more than 1 tsp. of the course ground mustard)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (this is really important--it gives the glaze its distinctive flavor, so don't omit it)


Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Using a silicone basting brush, evenly coat the loin with the mustard (you can do this ahead of time to marinate)
3. Place bacon strips on top of pork. Place pork on a silpat-lined baking sheet (I don't have a silpat, so I just covered my pan in aluminum foil)
4. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 155 degrees F (OR, bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes longer) (note: 165 degrees F is USDA recommended)
5. While pork is cooking, prepare the glaze: Combine brown sugar, flour, vinegar, mustard and cloves in a small sauce pan.  Cook on medium until sauce is thick and bubbly.  Set aside (if it gets cold and thick, just heat it back up)
6. Once the pork reaches 155 degrees F (or about 10 minutes before cooking is finished), remove it from the oven and evenly pour glaze along the top of the loin. 
7. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes longer.  Remove from oven, making sure thermometer registers 160 degrees F and let stand 10 minutes.
8. Thinly slice pork into 1/2" slices. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Center Loin with Brown Sugar glaze, served with steamed red potatoes and purple-hull peas

Side note: I bought all my ingredients ahead of time, and while Chris's parents were here for Christmas, I wanted to use the ground cloves to make the house smell nice, but I couldn't find that little bottle anywhere, so when I got ready to make this recipe, I had to go back to the store and buy another bottle of cloves (at $4.48!), and then when I started making the glaze I realized I didn't have the ground mustard either!  I think when I bought my ingredients, I must've left a bag of groceries (the most expensive ones, apparently) or accidentally threw them out in a bag I thought was empty!

Love,

Jillerina :*

Come see The Nutcracker!

Since September, I have been a rehearsal coach for the clowns in Tuscaloosa Community Dancers' (TCD) production of The Nutcracker.  I am also a member of the Board of Directors for TCD, a nonprofit organization.  This is the second year I have rehearsed the clowns, though last year Melissa Verzino, who choreographed the dance, actually taught them the dance and I just ran their practices after they finished learning.  This year, I taught them the dance and even had to make a few creative decisions because there is one more clown than usual; because there are so many partner sections, we had to make a few changes to accommodate the extra person.  I really have a lot of fun rehearsing them; I love The Nutcracker and the girls are always so sweet and eager to please.

On Saturday, we moved into the Bama Theatre, and the girls are finally getting to practice coming out from under Mother Ginger's skirt.  It's a little bit scary, because the contraption weighs several hundred pounds and has wheels that can easily crush little toes and fingers that get in the way.  It is basically a rolling platform with giant hoops that are covered with a massive skirt.  Someone stands on the platform and wears a big head and a blouse with built-in, basketball-sized boobs! The little clowns get underneath the skirt and push Mother Ginger onto the stage, one tiny step at a time, and then they pop out of the skirt in twos and begin a high-energy dance that is always a crowd pleaser.

The show is this week, with performances at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 8 and Friday, December 9, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 10, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 11.  I encourage you to come see the show, even if you have seen it before.  It is especially enjoyable if you bring a little girl with you, because they are absolutely enthralled by the magic of it.  This year, TCD partnered with the University of Alabama dance department, so you will see a lot of changes in the choreography and a few changes in the telling of the story.  For tickets, call the TCD box office at 205-752-4220.

p.s.  I will be playing the maid in the party scene!  I agreed to do it because I'm not particularly busy at the moment (ahem), and I thought it would be fun.  It's a tiny part, but you will get to see me dance a little bit!  

Giving Thanks

Chris and I went to his parents' house in Savannah for Thanksgiving this year.  We had a full house!  Chris's brother, Ben, his wife, Daeon, and their two girls, Kaelyn and Alayna were there, along with Chris's mom's sister, Robin, her husband, Gregg, and their two daughters, Kelsey and Taylor.  Chris and I came in late Tuesday night, Ben and Daeon came in even later Wednesday night, and Robin and Gregg got there just in time for our Thanksgiving steak lunch on Thursday.  I baked two sweet potato pies, even though there were only a handful of sweet-potato-pie-eaters in the house.  I just couldn't have Thanksgiving without a slice.  Thursday night, all the girls went to the movie theater to see Breaking Dawn: part 1 (that was my second time to see it!).  We had a blast without all the boys there to bug us.

Precious Alayna in her pink elephant pajamas

So, I made these Christmas Tree shirts for the girls.  I spent pretty much all day Monday sewing them.  I put them in a Walmart bag for the drive so that I wouldn't get them dirty.  Unfortunately, Chris thought the bag was trash, so he dumped them in a garbage can at a gas station somewhere between Tuscaloosa and Savannah.  

On Friday, all the golfers headed out for 18 holes, while Daeon, Chris's dad, Dave, and I went to the jewelry store to buy Chris's mom, LuAnn's Christmas gift.  Everybody had a late lunch of Daeon's famous jalapeno cream cheese stuffed shrimp kabobs (except me and Chris, who don't eat shrimp).  Taylor has taken up crocheting, so she stayed busy making scarves and hats for everybody.  She was working on a gorgeous green scarf for me, but she didn't get it quite finished before they had to leave Friday night, so I am anxiously awaiting receiving mine in the mail!  

Beautiful Kaelyn in her princess pajamas

LuAnn's baby boy, Moose, who I am pretty sure stayed in this exact position for several minutes.  

On Saturday, Daeon, LuAnn and I went to a cooking demonstration at Kitchens on the Square, a little kitchen gadget store downtown.  Our instructor showed us how to make a delicious bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin dredged in brown sugar, which I cannot wait to recreate for Chris (post to follow).  She also made a flavored butter that was delicious--just add chopped, dried cranberries and orange zest to softened butter.  She stored it inside a butter bell, which is a container that keeps butter fresh for spreading.  For dessert, we had carrot cake twinkies with cream cheese filling!  Of course, everything she used in the demonstration you could buy in the store, and we got 10% off of our purchase.  None of us had ever heard of a butter bell, but we were so impressed that all three of us bought one.  I didn't buy the twinkie pan, even though I was tempted.  I decided it was not in the best interest of my waistline.  I did buy a microplane, a precious elephant-shaped cream pitcher, a butter bell, and a hilarious kitchen towel for mother that said: "Let's eat, drink, and bond over shattered holiday expectations."  We shopped a little more downtown, and then headed home to watch the Crimson Tide roll over the Tigers.  Disappointingly, we came home to cold, rainy weather on Sunday.

Atticus was so happy to see his Macy

All in all, it was a good trip.  We got lots of family time in, Macy got to hang out with her best buddy, Moose, the weather was wonderful, and we got plenty of play and cuddle time with Kaelyn and Alayna.  I even learned how to change a diaper!  I think Alayna's still trying to get over the emotional trauma of it.   For some of the highlights of the visit, check out Daeon's youtube video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq2svRAQcjI&feature=email   (skip to the end for my elephant act).  I absolutely love going to Savannah, but it never seems like we have enough time in the city!  Sometime in the near future, I'm going to make Chris take me just to see and do touristy things!

My favorites

The Adventures of Atticus the Cat: the Christmas Tree Catastrophe

Since we rescued him in May, Atticus has become the main character in the majority of our stories.  He is adventurous, clever, playful, affectionate, and a giant pain in the rear.  Our house is his jungle gym, our belongings his playthings.  No matter how many toys he has available to him, Atticus will always prefer to swat small things off of tables, turn drinking glasses over, and use our couches as scratching posts.  

In the first installment of The Adventures of Atticus the Cat, I want to tell you about Atticus's first meeting with our Christmas tree.  Though I plan to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas, I decided tonight to go ahead and put my tree together to make sure all the parts were in the box and all the lights worked.  Chris is gone on an audit trip to Gilroy, California, so I thought I would use some of my free time to get a head start.  Macy and Atticus were both very interested in the tree when I started taking it out of the box and unwrapping all the parts.  The tree is pre-lit and is divided into three sections. After I put the tree together, but before I plugged it in and started fluffing out the branches, my phone rang, so I stepped away.  When I turned back to the tree, Atticus's yellow eyes were peering out at me.  

What are you looking at?

I don't see what the problem is here.  

After laughing and taking a few photos, I started yelling, "No, Atticus! Get down!" I reached in to pull him out, and that startled him, so he started trying to find a way down.  You may know that cats are excellent at climbing upwards, but they are not so great at finding a way back down.  He reached out toward the mantel, knocking over picture frames (which I caught before they hit the ground and shattered, thankfully), and I used the opportunity to snatch him down.  I gave him a little spanking and put him down.  I thought that was the end of the story, but he immediately started right back up the middle of the tree!  I started yelling and clapping again, but he was perfectly happy perched up in my tree, and he would not be scared out again.  He started chewing on the cords for the lights and on the branches, so I knew it was not OK to leave him alone.  When I reached in to grab him, he tried to bite and scratch my hands, and then he moved around the tree where it was harder for me to reach him.  At that point, I flew off the handle.  I grabbed him around the middle (with no regard for my safety from his claws) and tossed him out the door--partly as punishment and partly to keep myself from beating him senseless.  I think he learned his lesson because he has not tried to climb the tree again, but maybe he just learned to wait until I go to bed.  

That sure is a strange looking Christmas ornament.

Welcome to my world.

On an unrelated note, I have deduced from his singed whiskers that Atticus has also recently had a close encounter with one of my candles.  He is lucky he is so darn cute.

Love,
Jillerina :*

Bama Glama Premiere!

It is official! Bama Glama will premiere on December 16th at 7 p.m. CT, with our wedding as the first episode!  I am a little nervous to see how it turns out, especially now that I know how much editing, scripting, and re-writing took place (see my earlier post).  While you are watching, please bear that in mind!  I can assure you that no matter what happens on television, from my end, there was no drama, and everybody was happy.  I am looking forward to seeing some of the technical surprises that took place during the processional and ceremony that I missed, and I also want to see our guests' reactions to everything, but I am not looking forward to seeing myself (I just hate hearing myself talk; don't you?).  Be sure and tune in!

Happy Halloween!

Welcome to your nightmare.  Enter if you dare...

I saw this lite-brite pumpkin either on Martha Stewart's website or in Southern Living, I am not sure, but I thought it was so cute, I had to try it myself!  I love the way it turned out!

To make this pumpkin yourself, you first need to cut out the bottom of the pumpkin.  I know you normally cut off the top, but I did not want the cord from my lights to be hanging out the top.  You need the hole to be pretty big because you are going to be doing a lot of work inside the pumpkin, just make sure the hole is not so big that it shows when the pumpkin is turned upright.  Second, you scrape out the pulp and seeds.  You'll want to scrape the "front" side of the pumpkin kind of thin, but you can give it a second scraping later if you want to be careful about making it too thin right now.  Third, draw out your shape on the front side of the pumpkin with a dry-erase/washable marker or grease pencil.  I did a W monogram, but I think the example I saw was a half-moon shape, so you can do anything you like.  Try to keep your design spaced out, with none of the lines very close to the next because when you drill the holes, you might break through.  I learned this the hard way, which you can see if you look closely.  Fourth, use a power drill to make holes along the lines of your design.  You could be really particular and measure these so that they are evenly spaced along your lines, but I just went for it.  I used a 1/4 in. drill bit for this.  Fifth, take a strand of lights and put one bulb in each hole.  At this point you might realize, like I did, that you need to scrape the inside of the pumpkin a little thinner so that the bulbs can reach through.  You will want to push the lights far enough in that they stick.  I will be honest, this was not easy work.  Because my holes were a little too close together, the wires kept getting in the way, and when I would get one bulb in, I would accidentally pull another one out.  Using some needle-nose pliers might help.  I used a strand of orange lights that have a flat end, but I think you could use regular white christmas tree lights as well.  Finally, turn the pumpkin upright and plug your lights in!  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Apple Soup and Cranberry Porkchops

This is an intensely fall-themed meal, and it is colorful and delicious.  I am not sure if Chris enjoyed it as much as I did, because he does not love cranberries, but he certainly didn't go hungry!  Enjoy! 

Cranberry Porkchops

I made a few small changes to this recipe, including reducing the number of pork chops, so be sure and read my notes!  Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops (I used 3)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (I used about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup white sugar  (I used about 2/3 cup, maybe a little less)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (I love fresh black pepper, so I probably used more than this, and I also added some red pepper flakes for a little kick)
• water as needed (I used about 1/2 cup of chicken stock and about 1/2 cup of water)
• 
  
• Directions

1. In a skillet, brown chops slowly in oil; drain.
2. Add cranberries, sugar, salt and pepper to chops with water. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes or until tender but not dry. Add water if necessary to keep chops from drying out. 

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

On our honeymoon, we ate at a french restaurant where I had this amazing squash soup with apples in it.  When I found this soup recipe, I was pretty sure I would love it, and it definitely reminded me of our honeymoon.  

Rather than peeling and chopping my butternut squash, I roasted it beforehand instead, not only for convenience but to add an extra layer of flavor.  Once you roast it, the flesh just comes right out of the peel into the soup pot.  Also, I had some bread cubes in the freezer, so I toasted those up with some olive oil, salt and pepper for croutons, which made the soup extra special!  Recipe courtesy of SimplyRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)*
• 1 cup water
• Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper (I didn't have any cayenne, but I added a pinch of chili powder and cumin; it would also be pretty good with some sriracha added instead)

*If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.

Method:

1 Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and heat the butter for 1-2 minutes. Do not let it turn brown. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, taking care to turn the heat down if the vegetables begin to brown.

2 Add squash, apple, broth and water. Bring to boil. Cover, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash and carrots soften. Puree, and return to a clean pot. (I poured my soup in batches into a traditional blender, but if you have an immersion blender, that would be very convenient!)

3 Add salt and spices to taste, and garnish with chives or parsley.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

The finished product! Yum!

Love,

Jillerina :*

All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up

Me with Morgan, one of the show's producers, after we finished shooting

Our Babies

Macy and Atticus were being so sweet tonight, and for once I was able to pull my phone out quickly enough to capture it before they started acting like little devils again.  Chris and I were sitting together on the couch, and both Macy and Atticus were piled up on top of us.  Atticus started snuggling up against Macy, and I thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.  

Updated: Wedding television update!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Morgan from NorthSouth Productions, the company that is producing Scot's show, called me yesterday to let me know they want to do some additional filming for the show, so it looks like the show will not premier anytime soon! However, it is listed on the Food Network local schedule with the official title "Bama Glama" here: http://www.coxmedia.com/localMarketGrid.jsp?localmarket=11&network=36.  They're coming down to Alabama at the end of this month, and I'll be shooting a new "planning" scene with Scot.  So much for reality television!  Morgan said that Food Network wanted to add a few scenes and that they wanted some more face time with me!  So that's exciting!  They want me to bring my dress and show it to Scot, but that's about all I know about it.  I will let you know how it goes!

Much love,

Jillerina :*

Happy Birthday, Victoria!

I promised Victoria a special birthday blog post.  : )  She was not quite as excited about it as I was.  Victoria's birthday was Saturday, September 9, so on Friday, I went up and met Victoria in Homewood for lunch.  We had Saw's barbecue, one of our favorite barbecue places, and Dreamcakes, our absolute favorite cupcakery!  

Chocolate peanut butter for V, and strawberry for me!

Yummy strawberry cupcake

On Saturday, we all went to dinner at The J. Clyde for burgers and a beer selection that reads like a novel.  I am not a beer drinker, but I am pretty sure the others enjoyed their choices.  The lighting was not so great, so my pictures are not the best, but thankfully, the pyromaniac Colin was able to set fire to a napkin and enhance the ambience while everyone made arson jokes.

Victoria, with Riley ignoring me

Colin and Lauren

The birthday girl

Ryan didn't want his picture taken

Chris and Drew

It's That Time Of Year Again! Roll Tide Roll!

Chris and I are fortunate to have season tickets for Alabama Football, so we never have to miss a game (well, except that we missed the first game because we were up in Murfreesboro meeting baby Alayna!). Chris is even going down to Gainesville this weekend to cheer on the Tide against Florida!  Here are a few photos from the games so far:

Bama vs. North Texas
Mother and Rita had tickets for The Zone!

Bama vs. North Texas

Bama vs. Arkansas
View from our seats

My Favorite Potato Soup

It has been a little chilly this week (c'mon, it's all relative), and I have been craving some potato soup.  I absolutely love this recipe, so I thought I would share.  I usually add a few carrots and some shredded cheese (either in the soup or on top of your bowl).  Make sure to add lots of black pepper--even better if it's freshly ground!  I sometimes use about a cup of french onion dip--yeah, like you eat with potato chips--instead of the chopped onion; you can add it after you've added the milk mixture in with the vegetables.  DO NOT use onion soup mix!  I tried it once and the soup was the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth.  This soup is great with fresh bread or a sliced and toasted baguette.  I'm making it for dinner tonight, so I'm currently using my bread machine to make some bread to go with it!  
Enjoy!

Here's the delicious finished product!

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

  from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes  (I leave the peel on! More nutrients and less work!)

1/3 cup diced celery

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup diced cooked ham

3 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

Directions

1.  Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

2.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

3.  Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 195 | Total Fat: 10.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg

Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Labor Day weekend

Chris and I had a great Labor Day weekend!  We went to the Alabama tornado relief concert on Friday night and we loved hearing some of our favorites.  They played "Dixieland Delight" with "Will the Circle be Unbroken" in the middle, and they played all of their biggest hits.  Then they brought out the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and performed a song they wrote about the April 27 tornado called "Raising Alabama." Also with TSO, they played "Christmas in Dixie" and "Angels Among Us," and ended with "My Home's in Alabama."  For an encore they lined up and played each other's instruments for a part of "Wildwood Flower," and then they finished the show with "I'll Fly Away."  It was a wonderful show, and the band repeatedly reminded everybody that they were here to raise money to help Alabamians and thanked the sponsors of the show and the audience for being there.  

At the Alabama tornado relief concert at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

On Saturday we headed up to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to see Chris's brother, Ben, his wife, Daeon, their daughter, Kaelyn, and their new baby, Alayna.  Chris's parents, David and Lu Ann came to visit too!  We had a great time playing with Kaelyn and watching Alayna do cute baby things.  On Sunday afternoon, Chris's mom and I went to Old Time Pottery to look for a pot for her and we made the poor guy load and unload 3 different giant (and very heavy) pots before we had the one we wanted!  He earned his pay that day!  The boys spent most of their time out in Ben's garage/workshop/man cave, building storage cubes for Kaelyn and a step stool for Kaelyn's best friend Reagan (or so I thought!).  Sunday evening, Chris asked me to come out to the garage, and they showed me the finished step stool and said it was for me!  Ben had built a step stool for Kaelyn to use for her bathroom sink and I told Chris I needed a step stool to reach things in my kitchen cabinets.  After they finished the storage cubes, sweet Ben started working on the step stool for me.  I still have to paint it, and I plan to use stencils, so a post on that process will follow!   Take a look at a few pictures from our visit:

Grandmama with Alayna

Me with Alayna

Sleepy baby

She's so long!

Stretch!

Long legs and toes! 

Teaching Kaelyn the art of the one-handed self-portrait

Kaelyn decided to give it a shot.  It's a steep learning curve when you're 2.

We watched Dirty Dancing, and Kaelyn and Uncle Chris decided to give the lift a try.   They gave Johnny and Baby a run for their money.  

Alayna sleeping

This girl was so hungry, she started sucking on my finger, and boy is she strong!  

Our Wedding

Our wedding was perfect.  Chris had the good sense to let me have my pink ballerina princess wedding, and it was more amazing than I ever imagined.  I was never one of those girls obsessed with having a wedding getting married, but like every other southern girl, even I had a dream about what my wedding would look like.  Chris understood that, and he let me run with it!

Scot Wedgeworth created the overall design and arranged the gorgeous flowers.  Kathie Simpson of One Stop Weddings deliciously catered the reception.  Barb Sullivan (who you may have seen on TLC's Ultimate Cake Off) created both amazing cakes.  The Lamb Family provided ceremony music, and both Joseph Summerlin and Blue Denim played for the reception.  Cloth Connection and Atlas Party Rentals provided table linens and chair covers.  Rita Hyche coordinated the whole fabulous shindig!  These and countless others worked for months to make my dream wedding come true!  

Here are a few photos, taken by Rob Culpepper of 509 Photo:

My dress was by a tulle ballgown with intricate beading at the bust and dropped waist by Kenneth Pool, purchased from Bridals by Lori in Atlanta

Me and my girls
left to right--Matron of Honor, Jamie Gardner; Bridesmaids Devin Khoury, Holly Simpson, Rhyse Nance, Victoria Smythies, and Molly Tomberlin
Dresses by Lula Kate, Bella Bridesmaid

Chris and his guys
left to right--Best Man, David White; Groomsmen Michael White, Randy Rossignol, Benjamin White, Ira Hill, and Josh Tyson
Ties by Vineyard Vines and Tuxedos by Burch and Hatfield

Us in front of the marquee

In the '52 Thunderbird we borrowed from Dennis Gurganus, a coworker of my Daddy's.

Precious ballerina flower girls on their tippy toes (2 of 13!).  Tutus created by my cousin Robyn Lunceford.

Here comes the Bride!

Ceremony

Rose petals fell after our kiss!

The marquee

Our Playbill program, designed by Meshell Tingle

Ballerina ice sculpture by David Bromley

Chris's cake (you can't really see it, but the numbers on the jerseys up top are 6 18 11, our wedding date)

My ballerina cake

Our first dance, to I'll Be by Edwin McCain

Victoria, Riley, Drew, and Jamie dancing!

Pink cotton candy!

Too much fun

It's proof! Will Joslin DOES dance!

My girls!

Get ready single ladies!

Leaving!

Just Married

In addition to the design, one thing that was very important to me was thanking our guests, and I put a lot of emphasis on the food and entertainment, so I hope that everybody had a wonderful time!

Beware, there is a lot of stress involved in planning a wedding, and there were quite a few days that I wished that we had just eloped, but the wedding could not have turned out any better, and we were so happy with everything (but mostly just happy to be married!).  Most importantly, you have to keep your priorities in check.  As my new sister-in-law (check out her blog at benanddaeonwhite.blogspot.com) reminded me every time I got stressed out, the wedding is not the important part; the marriage is what matters.  I still recommend eloping as an alternative unless you have your heart set on a big wedding at home!  ; )  

In other news, our wedding was filmed for a new Food Network show that follows Scot Wedgeworth as he designs weddings and other events.  As far as I know (subject to change), the show is titled Bama Bash, and will air on October 23 with our wedding as the first episode (and it's supposed to be a full hour episode too!).  

Film Crew

More film crew

All my love,

Jillerina : *