The Wedding

    Here we are.....the blessed couple getting married May 25, 2013. We have been engaged for two years and finally everything is coming together for the big day. We are both really excited about it. Which is really funny because neither of us thought we would ever get married again. After my divorce I would tell my friends it would take someone really special to change my mind about getting married. When I said it I truly believed there was not a man in the world that would treat me the way I felt I deserved to be treated. And then Mr. MM found me again. 28 years after we first dated in in High School and he still held me in his heart.  There is not a day that goes by that we are not aware of how blessed we are. We realize that most people do not ever experience this big amazing love that we share. We are so happy and content and we talk about how we wish everyone we love could have this type of love because everyone deserves to have it. Even if they don't think they do. 

As I am planning this special day wonderful things have been happening. People are giving us help both with their hands, hearts, time and talents. One of my very dear friends since grade school said she would photograph it for us. She is an artist with her photography. We are so blessed that we will view our wedding through her eyes. The day I called the florist she had just canceled a huge wedding for the same date as ours because the bride was difficult to work with. The next day I met with her and we hit is off instantly. We just fit. If that makes sense? The above bouquet is the inspiration for my own bouquet. Can not wait to see what one of a kind creation Sara at Blue Daffodil creates for me. She is so talented. 

Our wedding day is a holiday weekend so I was worried that the vendors I was hoping for would not be available due to being booked already. But everything is easily falling into place. We are having a small wedding with only 20 or so people- Mr. MM keeps adding people so that is why I say, or so. I have an appointment with The Cake Lady, Linda on Friday. I can not wait to do the tasting and designing. I only wish Mr. was with me. I love this cake above. We will do it with real flowers though. 

We needed to find a nice outdoor spot for the ceremony and Sara the florist recommended we look at Looney Bean coffee shop. It is right on the river and next door to the Pine Tavern where we will have dinner after the ceremony. Brent is the owner/operator there and a very kind person. After a few phone calls we worked together with a little compromise on both our parts and a lot of generosity on his part and we now have an amazing ceremony venue right on the river and an indoor back up plan in case it rains. If you are local and have not been there you must go. The coffee is amazing too. The folks at the Pine Tavern have been very accomodating and easy to work with also.The above photos are inspiration for our dinner table. 

It feels as if every step of the way we have been blessed while planning our special day. It all makes me think of this quote......

“If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times...........The more love you give away, the more love you will have.” 

I truly believe this in life and in love. My friends and family have always described me as lucky or that I have an angel on my shoulder watching out for me. This may be true, but I also like to think that sometimes, if you make a good and right choice selflessly out of love, that love and kindness come back to you. I also find that the more I let go of outcomes and trying to control how something happens the better the outcome is. Sort of like letting the universe have control or as some people would say God or a Higher Power. The older I get the more I let go and the better my life is. And it is just getting better every day.

Letting Go

     Today I have to do the most difficult part of our move. I have to adopt out our kitties. I am heart broken. I have been putting this off for as long as I can because the thought of saying good bye to them makes me so sad I just have not been able to face it. 

     It is funny how cats can drive you crazy sometimes and you think how easy life would be without the responsibility of animals to care for. But when the time comes that you actually have to follow through with letting them go an empty space begins to form in your heart. 

MER MERS- Almost 15 years old

     This sweet little girl has been a part of my life for almost 15 years. She was a gift from my ex-husband the summer before we married. Her mama was a stray Siamese cat that hung out at my ex's shop and she had a litter of 5 kittens. Mer Mers was the runt of the litter. She was a tiny, fuzzy, poof ball when I got her. She was so tiny when I brought her home that I would put her in my shirt pocket while I walked around my apartment because I was afraid I would lose her. She was perfectly happy all snuggled in my pocket, watching what I was doing. She used to snuggle up into my underarm at night to sleep. We named her Mer Mers because she used to make this little happy sound when was sleeping that sounded like merrr merrr. When the babies came along she would snuggle right next to them like she was their Mama. She seemed to want to protect them. As they grew into toddlers and started pulling her tail she was so tolerant and never got angry but would just walk away. 

     Needless to say, with all the snuggly love that I gave her she has turned into a really cuddly, loving cat. She will stare into your eyes and you can feel the love in her heart. She would sit on your lap all day long if you let her. She loves kids and small dogs too. At this age though she needs to be an only child. She gets annoyed with our 2 year old cat when he tries to play with her. She is old now. Which makes her slow and she can not hear well anymore either. She has to take thyroid medication once a day. I just crush it up into some wet food for her. She is really quiet and easy to have around. Every once in a while she will get crazy and run around playing, but it isn't often anymore. She is still really tiny and now with the thyroid trouble she is skinny and fragile. 

     I am looking for someone that needs a companion to sit on their lap. Someone that has a lot of love to give her during the last years of her life. I am also really hoping that someone would share custody with me. So when I am home in Bend for my 2 weeks we can have her at our place and then when I am in Alaska for two weeks you would have her with you. That would be the ideal situation for her too as I can not imagine how stressed she would be not having us in her life after so many years with us.

JACK- Almost 2 years old

     And then there is Jack our 2 year old. We adopted him from the Humane Society thinking that it would help Mer Mers to have a friend around while we were at work. We had just moved into our current house and she was feeling out of sorts and sort of acting strange. We went to the Humane Society and picked out different cats to bring into the play room with us. We didn't connect with any of them so we decided to try another day. As we were walking out my oldest daughter Claire begged us to look at just one more cat. His name was Jack and he was really sweet. The funny thing was that both my fiance and I had noticed that he was the only cat in a cage that was facing out and watching everyone walk by his cage. All the other cats had their backs turned or were not interested in the people around them. When we went up to his cage he looked us in the eyes just like Mer Mers does. We brought him into the play room and he immediately connected with us. Playing and loving on the girls. Jumped up to sit next to my fiance. We were done for. We put in a request to adopt him and brought him home the next day. 

     We did a slow introduction with Mer Mers and they get along okay. She is just too old to tolerate a kitten anymore. Jack is full of energy yet he loves his naps. He has his own kitty bed that is near the fireplace and when you are wondering where he is you can usually find him there. He loves to go outside and watch the birds. He does hunt too. We have had a couple of birds make it inside and one or two mice. He would love to have a companion to play with I think. He tried so hard with our old lady, but to no avail. He also is quite cuddly and love to snuggle up with us when we are watching TV at night. He would make a family very happy. He is really sweet and cute too. 

     Well, that is my sadness today. I hope that I can find good homes for both of our lovely kitties. They deserve the best. If you live in the area and are interested or know of someone who is please leave me a comment and I will get back to you. We move into our new place March 31st so I need the new homes sorted out by then. Now off to do some more packing and crying.

The Outhouse in Alaska

     I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of our outhouse in Alaska. People have preconceived notions about outhouses. I know I did. So one of the biggest changes that Mr. MM made for me was making a nice outhouse. We house our generator in here so it is always warm. Yes, even the toilet seat. For some reason I did not get a photo of the inside once it was finished. So picture a nice counter top over the barrel with a rounded edge on it. And a toilet seat attached to the counter. It is pretty comfy really. I have a toilet paper holder attached to the wall. We keep a box of Charmin wipes out there and Clorox clean-ups to wipe the counter and seat down. We put cat litter deodorant down in the hole so it doesn't smell bad like most outhouses you use. This summer I am going to paint the inside of the door, and possibly the walls, with chalkboard paint so everyone can sign the door or leave funny little sayings. I am also going to leave a little book with funny sayings or inspirational quotes in there for quick reading. 

During the Building Process.

Summer View

Winter View

Morning View from the Outhouse Window

Afternoon View From the Outhouse

Moon In the Door

Where the Outhouse is Located Near the Cabin

     Eventually the cabin will be shingled with white trim also. But first we want to have a wrap around deck put in. The stairs are temporary until the deck is in. Eventually the windows will be replaced with larger ones and the door will be painted the same blue at the roof. It is going to be such a nice looking, cozy little place when we are done with it. It is quite the slow project but it sure is fun planning the improvements. 

     That is our little 4 wheel truck that gets us into the cabin during the summer. We have to park up at a gravel parking lot with our regular truck and switch to this heavy duty 4 wheel truck to get in to the cabin because the trails are pretty rutted and sometimes muddy. It is actually easier to get to the cabin by snow mobile in the winter. 

    Well, I hope you enjoyed this little peak of where we spend some time when we are in Alaska. I will be flying back up there April 23rd for another 2 week adventure. I wish everyone could see Alaska atleast once in their lifetime. It is even more beautiful and majestic than I ever imagined. I am so blessed that Mr. MM chose me to share it with him.

My Two Favorite Teas- Tazo and PG Tips

      There is nothing like an afternoon cup of tea. The British have a tea time and so do I. My tea time is always around 2:00 in the afternoon. This is the time of day that I start to fade. I am a morning person- early bird gets the worm- sort of girl. I generally can not sleep past 7:00 AM so by 2:00 I have been working seven hours and really need a pick me up.

     I had an amazing coupon for Tazo Tea and decided to take a risk on the Cucumber White flavor. Oh my goodness it is good. It is a little minty, yet crisp with a hint of citrus. Dare I say like being at the spa? This is my new favorite herbal tea.

     Black tea is one of my comfort foods. My mom used to give it to us when we were sick. Always with cream and sugar. My favorite black tea is PG Tips. I find it less bitter than the American Lipton tea. It is sometimes hard to find in the States but we have a Cost Plus- World Market in my town so I can always find it there. 

     

    I hope that you will give them a try and pour a cup around 2:00 so we can enjoy tea time together. 

    

 

Facebook Business Page Now Open

Today I opened up my Business Facebook Page. And in honor of the opening I wanted to offer everyone a glimpse of some of my creations so you will have an idea of my style and get some information as to what the future holds for My Tangerine Chic Etsy Shop. Enjoy your visit!

Handmade Tags

I call these fortunettes. They are vintage spools and each one has an inspiring quote
wrapped around it. Great for a little gift for friends or family.

More Handmade Tags

Hand Sewn Paper Bird Ornaments

What the top of the spools look like

A bit of everything

     This is just a portion of what to expect in my shop. Of course I also have my vintage treasures, buttons, seam binding, cabinet cards, and other lovely vintage items to choose from.

     I am also setting up a shop to sell prints and cards of my original drawings. Both shops are still a work in progress but you gotta start somewhere. Have a joyfilled day!

Love As I Know It

     I woke up this morning thinking of Mr. MM.....as usual.

     As I was lying there with my thoughts it occurred to me that one of the differences between soul mate love and the love I have had in the past is that love with Mr. MM brings out the best in both of us. We cheer each other on during difficult times instead of blaming each other for the difficulties. Even when times are tough and there are lots of scary changes in our future we still tell each other we are grateful for our relationship. We do not go a day with out saying I love you. Even when we may be irritated with each other.  We are grateful to have each other as it would be much more difficult if we were not together and going through the same experience.

     We tend to take turns having bad days. If he is stressed I am cheering him on and looking at the bright side. If I am stressed he is telling me everything is going to be better than okay once we get through to the other side of it.  The foundation of our relationship is that we are best friends first. We want the best for each other. We want to see the other person happy and are willing to do what it takes to get there.

     Don't get me wrong....we have had some extremely difficult times in the last 2 years. And I mean the kind of times that put your relationship to the test. But we passed the tests with flying colors. We learned that no matter the circumstance, we will love each other through it. The difficult times have made our trust in each other deeper and our relationship and love for each other even stronger. We both know that the other will not run away or get angry at the first sign of trouble.

Me & Mr. MM= Soul mates

   This soul mate love is new to both of us. We are both in awe of it all the time. We talk about how blessed we are to have it. Neither one of us believed that this type of love existed outside of fairy tales and romantic movies.But here we are....together....living it out....best friends...taking on the world. 

   

Pinterest Addict

    Hello, I am Christina and I am a Pinterest Addict. I have almost 5,000 photos "pinned" and just over 500 people "following" me. It is the first place I go when I wake up in the morning after I make my coffee.  I would like to invite you to a glimpse of my addiction today. I hope I am a bad influence on you and you get the addiction too. If you would like to follow my account go here, or click on the titles below and they will take you to a few of my boards-but be careful you may never leave.

  1. Simply Lovely Board

2. DIY Board

3. My Creative Journey Board

4. Inspiring Journal Page Board

5. Eat Dessert First Board

6. Thoughts On Life Board

7. My Jake Board