I'm Doing the Weekly Money Check-In...

This my first adventure in the linking game!

While blog hopping over the weekend, i came across this very cute blog called myprettypennies.com.  I started reading her blog and was immersed in her story telling about her financial journey and glimpses of her personal life!  Her writing is simple and classic and overall a good read!  Check out her website and give her some love!

I thought i would attempt to fill out the Weekly Money Check-In. 
First 4 questions are the same each week with the fifth being different. 

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on our airline tickets to Toronto, Canada
 2. Today I am thankful for health and my wonderful Mr. Pancakes
 3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was Mr. Pancakes and i cuddled in
4. I will consider this week a success if I can finish the Sandra Brown novel i started two weeks ago
5. This memorial weekend i went to bed extra early because i was traveling.

If you can please link up to myprettypennies.com. Happy Tuesday!

PS: Go Maimi Heat..let's do this thing (i love basketball)

This Makes Me Happy Monday...

This is commercial has definitely made my day today.  I hope it makes yours better too!

Ladies, i feel like a "beach angel!" I love his facial expressions! Doesn't he remind you of the guy from Hangover?

LongLazySunday: Public Service Announcement

I thought on this fine Longlazysunday I would give a public service announcement about bras! You see for many years I thought I was wearing the right bra. But during the wedding, I went for a bra fitting for my wedding gown and found a bra that fit me perfectly for the wedding day! This was an awakening because after the wedding I started looking at my bra sizes and realized they were all different.

So I made my way to Vicky's Secrets since I wanted to cover my secrets( I've always wanted to write that). The cute little girl measured me with her little bra measuring tape and told me I was 36C. Which totally excited me because I thought "ok now I know my bra size, I will forever be covered and supported!". I went to the dressing room (I love their dressing rooms)and tried on various 36C's. Come to find out that the 36C's left a gap in between my "secrets" and my skin. The 36C did not provide me with the right coverage and or support! It was so disappointing.

There are many of us ladies walking around not feeling supported and or appropriately covered. I ended up leaving Vicki's empty-handed. A few days later I was speaking with a friend of mine and she told me how she went to a speciality bra store to get measured. You see my friend is well endowed and so I thought since I'm average-sized I should be ok at the generic lingerie shops but come to find out at the speciality bra store (a la mode) they have special sizes for "average secrets".

I made my appointment to a la mode and they measured me (professionally not like the girls at VC's with their measuring tape!). I then tried on many bras, types, sizes and brands. Come to find out I was a 32DD! And depending on the bra brand, I may be a 32F. I know I had no idea! These bras had the coverage and support I have been craving for. There was no gap in between my "secrets!".

Love the cartoon because it is soo true..many of us are different alphabets but we don't go get it checked out.

These speciality bra sizes are a little on the pricey end but ladies I tell you, it was the best purchase I ever made. Even Mr. Pancakes took a note of how "perky" they are. I can actually wear my bra without spillage.
The brands that are ideal for me include Fantasie and Chantelle.  Love them!

In all my years i haven't paid much attention to bras but i definitely am now and it's liberating.

PSA: it is imperative ladies to get a professional bra fitting. It will change how you wear your clothes and carry yourself! Speaking from experience:-)

Did you ever have this issues or have i just been oblivious to my "secrets"?

PS:  this is so helpful!

I heart My So-Called Life!

I am reminiscing this thursday about My So-Called Life because sometimes it's just fun to reminsce about the good ol' times (on TVland)!

Remember when Jordan kissed Angela in the hallway and it was so exciting and then they walked hand in hand down the hallway (and the next couple of episodes Angela was cutting classes?!)Oh Jordan Catalano! I so wanted to be Angela, the angst of teenage life and the beautiful teenage guy band member who owned a red car and had dyslexia!

 i was never sure why they cancelled the show...i jsut remember it was too sudden and abrupt for my liking.  I believe like a lot of fans like myself there was no closure and i wish there was for my sake! Makes me wonder what Angela and Jordan are up to?

Did you watch Jordan and Angela?
Were you devastasted when it was no longer?

Official Congrats from the Obamas!

I came home today to find a congratulatory letter from Mr. & Mrs. Obama. I had sent a wedding invitation to the White House several days before the wedding! Initially i wasn't going to send it but then Mr. Pancakes said to send it because it would be kinda of cool to have something back from the White House that we could show our kids someday. Therefore i sent it...i guess a little over a month ago. And in the midst of all the big events that has happened in the world...The Obamas took the time to sign a letter wishing us to have a wonderful marriage! That is kind of cool. Whether they "actually" signed it or it was stamped...it's a pretty neat factor to our wedding!

If you are a bride and interested in doing this. Send an invitation to the White House. For whatever reason if the First Family is unable to attend, they will send a cool letter:
Send your wedding invitation to:

The Honorable Barack and Mrs. Obama
The White House
Greetings Office, Room 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Jumping the Broom

I am originally from Ghana, West Africa but grew up in Canada and now reside in the United States.  I am all around girl but during the wedding planning process, there were certain things that we had to do because it was part of our cultures. 

The first was an engagement ceremony where the groom basically asks for the bride's hand in marriage.  We were going to do a semi-engagement party, the day before the wedding, however that was a disaster.  The food came late and my family was very late. Mr. Pancakes got upset because his family came early and waited around for my family who never showed up.  Needless to say mr. Pancakes eventually left and so there was no engagement party.  We hashed it before the wedding though! Obviously!

The second was jumping the broom! This is a ceremony dating back to the 1600s and derived from Africa.

The "Jumping the Broom" is a ceremony in which the bride and groom, at the ceremony signify their entrance into a new life and their creation of a new family by symbolically "sweeping away" their former single lives, former problems and concerns, and jumping over the broom to enter upon a new adventure as wife and husband. 

At first i didn't really understand this process however after i read more about it; and our pastor was perfectly fine to research and speak about it.  And in the end, it was fantastic because it was honestly one of the favourite parts of our wedding! 

It was definitely a great additional to our ceremony and so glad we decided to do it! 

Happy 1 month Anniversary Mr. Pancakes!

Our Wedding Details

In celebration of our one month wedding anniversary on 5.23.11..i thought i would share some of my favourite wedding details. 

Ahh...the wedding cake! i mean it was everything i wanted and then some! Our colours were blue and yellow and i wanted it in subtle places like the cake!  The cake topper was one of the best surprises of the wedding! It was so cute. Mr. Pancakes is holding a football and i was holding my iphone!  We also like to work out so we had dumbells and shoes! I loved the cake topper!  Note to bride: personalize the cake topper...you will love it later!

Mr. Pancakes' cousin made him a groom's cake: football on a football field! She did an awesome on the way it looks and the way it tastes! 

Note to Brides: Have a groom's cake! Make it unique to your man!

I loved how one of our engagement pictures  was framed behind our photo guestbook display.  I loved how they set up the display tables...so classy! I loved our photo guestbook which was a great way to display all our engagement pictures!

Another bride made the suggestion to tell people exactly what you wanted them to do in the guestbook since it wasn't a standard guestbook.  Such a good idea becase everyone did a great job leaving messages.  One bride reported her guests wrote just their names in the photo guestbook! 
                 

Note to brides: leave some direction for your guests about the guestbook!

I created the card box by myself because it didn't make sense to spend less than $20 for something i would only use one day.  I took a regular box and glued ribbons around the box in different designs!  You cannot see it of course however there are ribbons with our names on it in yellow!  I also made the sign and displayed around the table pictures from our engagement!

Note to Brides: Do a DIY...like the guestbook if you can!

I didn't want a regular escort table so my lovely co-worker completed a ribbon board for me using my wedding colours! It was so unique because i have never seen it before at a wedding.

Notes to Brides: Do do something unique at your wedding!

My 2nd photographer has the evening pictures so you don't get to see the lovely lights!  However i loved the reception hall.  The room was round and the chandelieres were beautiful! At first i didn't want a sweetheart/head table however on the encouragement of our photographer and others, we had one and i am glad we listened.  It helped Mr. Pancakes and i to actually sit and eat our meal.  Although i never did finish our dessert! Note to Bride: Have a sweatheart table! 

The tables were fantastic! I wanted to save some money so i opted to using the framed pictures of us (pix of Team Pancakes was everywhere!) and framed table #.  It was a good idea and simple and so worth it.  I loved how it turned out.  I added napkins that said Eat, drink and Be Married with our names and wedding date on them in blue and yellow! 

Note to Brides: You do not need to use flowers for your tables! Be creative!

I made a list of our favourite things including one of our quotes from the wedding.  Our fav things like movies, food, activities, sayings and tv shows! This was a lot of fun to do and display! 

Notes to Brides: Do something fun!

The church..i love our church! It's been around for 100 hundred years! So much history and we were glad and honoured to be part of the history! Since the church is already beautifully decorated, we chose to use some flowers on the pews! I did not want tulle but since this was done without my knowledge, i let it go and did not make a big deal when i saw it walking down the aisle...i was a little mortified but then i saw Mr. Pancakes and nothing mattered but our love for each other! 

Note to Brides: Do use some flowers in the church! Don't fret the small stuff!

The programs were truly my favourite part of the wedding planning.  It was very time consuming but it was so worth it for me to do these! It was like a mini book with thank you page, our two readings, ceremony layout and some fun tidbits!  And i am so glad i preserved and finished!                             Note to Brides: Channel your inner creative diva! Trust me she is there!

And just because i loved how these turned out, i wanted to add a pictures.  For our cocktail hour, we used small napkins with Mr. Pancakes initial on them! I  was so excited when i saw displayed like this!   Note to Brides: Do have cocktail napkins and Do get them to fancy it up like so!  You never really know how the details of your wedding are going to turn out in the end but they do all come together beautifully in the end!

I hoped you enjoyed some of the details of Team Pancakes wedding! I will attempt to share some things once a week! (Dress and flower details to come later!)

Secret Newlywed Behaviours!

My name is Mrs. Pancakes.  I am a newlywed! And my secret newlywed behaviour is reality-tv!

  

I secretly enjoy watching Khloe and Lamar on E! i know... i know but we all have our secret newlywed behaviours.  Mr. Pancakes is always making fun of me when i watch them because he thinks Lamar is a little on the slow side! But i find them so endearing because i think they are cute and passionate with one another.  They are quite adorable when it is just them (without her overbearing mother and fake sisters around--i always found her to be the most normal and smart one!)

I hope for their own sake that their marriage and relationship last. 

Although i believe a lot of things are made for tv...i hope for the sanctity of marriage and their marriage...they make it work forever! Apparently their love is unbreakable according to their perfume (which i have never tried!)

What is your secret newlywed behaviour?

(i am canadian so most of my words will have the letter u's...i really can spell!)

 As newlyweds there are many things that Society tells us we should do in order to have the American Dream! The following are: 1. Have a big wedding 2.Go on a big honeymoon 3. Buy a bug nice house 4. Buy brand new cars 5. Go On Fancy Dates Weekly 6. Have a baby 7. Go on Family Vacations Annually 8. Have another baby 9. Get a bigger nicer house  10.  Oh Don't forget to pay your debts!  This list is fine for some but not for others.  Mr. Pancakes and i have chosen to go against society and do things our way.   We are currently residing in a studio apartment--yes all of our clothes fit into our closet.  Although we did have a wedding and honeymoon...medium sized versions...we paid off our cars before we got married.  We have decided to do some things differently including: 1. Getting Out of Debt first2. Saving 6-8months of Emergency Fund3. Save 25% or more down payment toward a house4. Move south because DMV is expensive! These four steps are what we have decided to commit ourselves prior to tackling other goals.  The two financial gurus we follow right now are dave ramsey and suze orman.  Both have differing views and Mr. Pancakes and i are on opposite ends sometimes with financial goals but like our Pastor reminded us to do: Communicate A Lot! which we do on a regular basis. Going against what Society tells you sometimes can be very unpopular however it is important to do what is right for you and your family! Here is keeping up with yourself and your spouse/family and not with the Joneses even though their house is fabulous! 

Saying Goodbye to Wedding Blogs and Sites...

Now that the wedding plans are completely over and i have started my life as a newlywed...i cannot help but think it is time to say goodbye to wedding blogs and sites.  During the wedding planning processes, they were my go to sites for innovative ideas and themes, however now that i've accomplished the wedding of my dreams, i am saying goodbye to them.  I do not want to waste time going on wedding related websites in the hopes of finding out what the newest wedding ideas are or what the next bride is doing to make their wedding amazing...i need to live my life now in the here and NOW and not fantasize about other people's wedding ideas and thoughts.  Life is meant to be lived and i am going to do just that, live my life and not other people's lives.  That also goes for celebrity blogs...as much as i love the gossip, i will stick to only reading about them in the tabloids at the grocery store and occassionally at the bookstore.  Here is to living my life without wedding blogs and sites.   But i am glad that i am continuing my journey on blogger.com! That part of my prewedding days is definitely stay behind!   

My 2 Photographers...

I always knew that our family photographer would be the main photographer of our wedding!

We are definitely not the Royal family or the President however we do have a photographer that has taken most of our family events and functions. However, a friend of mine also knew a photographer that we used for our engagement pictures!

And i have always wanted a photographer all to myself and of course i felt that Mr. Pancakes should have his own photographer.  In the end i am glad we did this because each photographer had time to spend with us separately and was able to capture some amazing moments during our wedding. There was of course some tension because i did not have time to introduce the photographers so i think there was some tension during the ceremony.  I believe during some moments they were in each others way however needless to say, there were some amazing pictures taken! 

If you chose to use two photographers (from differing companies):

1. Have them talk to each other before the wedding!

2. Tell each of them the shots you want both of them to take.

3. Use their time wisely

4. Enjoy being photographed the whole day!!!

Wedding Finances...

One of the best things about planning our wedding was the finances! Mr. Pancakes and i were on opposite ends of the financial spectrum.  I am the free spirit in our relationship while he is the nerd, as daveramsey.com would refer to us.  I like to spend, he likes to save. In theory and most of our daily activities, it works fine, however planning a wedding was a little difficult.  However as the wedding planning started and months trickled away, he convinced me to move toward the center.   And am i glad he did.  He told me that if we had a budget...a lower budget to start of with then we can spend a little more if need be.  And you know what ladies? it actually worked.  By starting off with  a lower budget, we made out in a very decent way.  We did not over spend and if anything, we came out ahead in the green and not the red! Glad that i listened to Mr. Pancakes on the budget.  Not only were we able to pay cash for everything for our wedding, we also paid for our honeymoon.  I am glad to say with a lot of team work, some coaching financially from Mr. Pancakes, we came on top! And we still have some money in the bank! As i like to say GOooooo Team Pancakes!!!! What financial decision have you made recently that made you say GO Team _____________(fill in the blanks)?   

Mrs. Pancakes

Random Question...

Where you excited when you found out you were on someone's BlogRoll? I just randomly found out someone had put me on their blogroll and that made me smile!  As a social worker, i wanted to analyze the reasons for my happiness and excitement but i didn't allow myself to go there...i just smiled! Were you excited when you found out you were on someone's blogroll?

Mrs. Pancakes

Most Question Asked After I Do...

Since saying i do, the most asked question has been: how does it feel being married? I am sure every bride has a different answer and depending on how long the newlyweds are in their marriage, they will answer differently.  For Mrs Pancakes, i know i am speaking in third person but i haven't addressed myself as such until now...i digress. 

My answer to the question: how does it feel being married? is that nothing much has changed from our day to day.  However, the more serious long term, Godly things has changed, including everything we do feeling MORE LAWFUL..and PERMANENT.  I think the reasons that nothing much has changed in our day to day is that we were already living together before marriage.  I know this is frown upon by many, however for the Pancakes, this was the right decision for us. 

The first day back after the honeymoon, we came back and cleaned the entire house together.  I think having lived together before the "i do's" we had a routine and we returned to it.  However, there is definitely a level of stability and permanency to our relationship.  Mr. Pancakes came home the other day and said to me "Thank you Mrs. Pancakes for making me want to come home!" I mean he has said this before however there is a level of stability that we have never felt before and it is FANTASTIC!

I don't think we would have done anything differently in terms of living together before the "i dos." It worked for us, it may not for everyone.  It does feel really good to be married though!

What was the question you received right after you were married?