The Northwest Powell's

Being Happy

2010-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today I started my day as I always do, alarm goes off, make coffee, turn on NPR and crawl back in bed with my hubby and cuddle for a bit. I love this part of my day it is my time to think about what is going on for the day. Today I woke up happy, thankful, content and very excited about nothing in particular.

J is home after spending 3 weeks in Columbia, South Carolina working on a collaboration with another microbiology lab. His trip went exceedingly well and he was offered a post-doc position if he would like it. I am not sure how we feel about moving to the south, we have some big decisions to make in the next 14 months.

I am happy, giddy, smiling all the time happy. This is due to living in a town that I love, finding my passion, and loving myself and my family and friends. Being this happy has been a new concept for me. This past month has been full of MAJOR life changes for me. I am starting to see the physical changes and I am thrilled. I also discovered in the past month that I have the best support group of friends and family a girl could ever ask for. I mean knock your socks off loving and caring people. I am SO lucky. Don't get me wrong I have been happy....but not to the point of wanting to scream at the top of my lungs that I love my life. Which is how I currently feel.

Life.is.good.....lots of smiles.

My New Adventure

2010-09-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

After many years of working in the wedding and event industry with a local caterer I have decided to start my own business on the side. I am proud to present Raina Powell Events, based in Corvallis, Oregon and available for travel throughout the US. To keep up to date on all of my business events stop by our website for details!

A little help with hump day

2010-09-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

I watched this video on the blog dooce that I frequently visit. By the way Heather's blog dooce is a fabulous dose of snarky humor and tales of being a parent. She is also a terrific author.

Food For Thought

2010-08-19T12:01:00.001-07:00

Please think before you hate, and educate yourself. Each of us has our own unique values and beliefs, we should all learn to respect each others differences.

Current Book

2010-07-26T12:18:00.001-07:00

I just finished my latest book called "The Weight of Silence" written by Heather Gudenkauf. I finished this book in FOUR days. Seriously, this is a must ready summer book...I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through the book.

Little Fockers

2010-06-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ahhh the "Meet the Fockers" saga continues with Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. I know that this movie will be at the top of my to-do list this holiday season...that is once my Christmas shopping and baking is done!

The New Addition To Our Family

2010-06-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had you going there didn't I????...nope no small children are being added to our family.

J gave me the most amazing birthday gift yesterday. I have been looking and lusting after a new camera for a long time. While I like our simple point and shoot camera it lacks in aspects such as macro shots and the overall quality of the photos. I love to photograph my craft and wedding projects....as well as taking photos of events that I plan. J is always secretive about birthday gifts...but this year was one for the record books. He walked around the house like a cat that ate the canary for the past couple of weeks. When I woke up yesterday I asked about my gift....whether or not I would get to open it before leaving for work. Much to my disappointment I had to wait until I got home from work! WTF?...seriously I had to wait ALL DAY!

I am please to introduce you to our newest addition to our family, my Nikon d5000!!!!!!!

Isn't it pretty! I am so freaking excited to play around with our new addition! Of course we were crazy busy yesterday and we are leaving for a weekend away this weekend....don't worry it is coming with us!

I know this might be crazy weird....but I am looking for suggestions/ideas for names for our new addition....any ideas??

No Excuse or Apology Will Fix This

2010-06-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Bling Queen

2010-05-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Our family friend Karen is the creative force behind the fabulous Etsy store "The Bling Queen." Karen is a wonderful jewelry designer with a spectacular eye! An added bonus is that Karen is always open to creating your one of a kind item.

I love the color of this earring and bracelet combo:

Simple yet stunning earrings:

I am in love with these green earrings...hint, hint, hint J!

These would be a beautiful gift for bridesmaids

I would LOVE these in orange and black for the Beaver games!

Stop on by Karen's etsy shop and let her know who sent you!

Baking blog

2010-05-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to talk about the new blog that I found...well the blog is "new" to me! King Aurthur Flour has a fantastic blog that encompasses everything baking. So don't delay hop on over to their blog right now....and I mean NOW!

King Aurthur Flour Blog

Current Books

2010-05-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading the following books:

My book choice for our June book club gathering, I think I chose Eleven Minutes for book club last year...sort of a theme going on.

Yet another Laurie Notaro book...the last one was just so damn funny!

A tribute to my Grandmother

2010-04-25T22:18:00.001-07:00

This post has taken me a long time to write, I have many thoughts and emotions running through my body.

During the early morning on April 25, 2010 I received the dreaded phone call from my uncle that my beloved Grandmother Jane had passed away that morning. My initial reaction was shock, and then I asked if he was joking...my uncle tends to be a prankster, unfortunately he was not joking. Gran had spent the night in the hospital due to not feeling well and abnormally low blood pressure, she got up very early in the morning to use the bathroom and suffered a massive heart attack. My mom and I made plans later in the day to travel to Pekin, IL to be with my Grandpa and family during our time of grief.

My Gran meant more to me than I will ever be able to express in words. Her kind and gentle manner, her desire to know each and every little thing that was going on in our lives. Gran and I would e-mail each other frequently, she would visit this blog on a weekly basis. I would look forward to the sweet cards she would send me in the mail just to tell me that she was thinking about me. She was a cheerleader for J's decision to get his PhD and loved hearing about his research. We have our bi-annual family reunion coming up this summer and she was looking forward to spending time with J and I. I was so happy that Gran and Grandpa made the long trip out of visit us for J's 30th birthday last year.

Above all Gran loved to travel, she would e-mail me from various foreign destinations to tell me about her latest cruise she was on with her daughter and friends. Gran's passing has left a gaping hole in my heart.

Bon Voyage Gran, may you continue to travel forever...you are deeply missed but we are fortunate to have had you enrich our lives.

Cover Recipes from Magazines and Cookbooks

2010-04-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

I found a great blog today called Cover Recipes from Magazines and Cookbooks.

Here is a snippet about her blog: Culinary Covers is a blog created by Lori Lange of RecipeGirl.com.

The premise of the blog is to take a look at the recipes that are featured on the covers of various publications. Are the cover recipes really worthy of the spotlight, or are they just a pretty picture? Culinary Covers will be preparing the cover recipes, photographing them and sharing them with you. Honest opinions are shared. What is written is the sole opinion of the author, having prepared the recipe exactly as written.

I love this website, I don't know how many times I have purchased a magazine or cookbook because the photo on the cover grabs my attention. I can tell I will become a dedicated reader of her blog!

Date Night

2010-04-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight J and I are going out on a date night to see the new movie "Date Night" I can't wait! We both LOVE Steve Carell and Tina Fey, I hope it is as good as we are expecting it to be.

Happy Friday

2010-04-02T09:37:00.001-07:00

I can't wait for our date night tonight, we are heading to the big city! We have never stayed at this hotel! Photos and review to come. Happy Friday!!

Raining Buckets

2010-03-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

It has been raining buckets here since late Saturday night. Raining so much that we have a small pond in our backyard. I looked at the forecast and it has and 90% chance of rain for the next SEVEN days. Yup you read that correctly....rain for the next. seven. days. Where is spring?

Source

Current Book

2010-03-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am reading one of the funniest, witty, knee slapping books I have read in a long time....and trust me I read TONS of books! It is so good J asked me to go read in the living room because I kept giggling and waking him up in bed last night. This book is a quick read and I am thoroughly enjoying it!

The Idoit Girl's Action Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro

Sex and the City 2

2010-03-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the trailer for Sex and the City 2....

RSVP....Please

2010-03-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

The brides that I work with always have one major complaint. Why don't people RSVP anymore? I find it hard to believe that people have now accepted that RSVPing to an event is optional.

This is a an article from about two weeks ago that ran in the New York Times Op-Ed Section. I'm sure that every bride or person planning an event can relate!

It’s My Party, and You Have to Answer
By RAND RICHARDS COOPER

Hartford

HERE’S an etiquette experiment for you: E-mail an invitation for a party, one month out, to 45 friends. Request an R.S.V.P. Provide a follow-up e-mail message, two weeks later, politely reminding them to get back to you.

How many will?

My experiment arose from plans for an evening of food, drink and literature, with readings by myself and two other writers, at a restaurant. Not exactly a drop-in-if-you’re-around kind of thing, so I asked friends to R.S.V.P. My initial message brought in a dozen responses, and the follow-up a few more, but days before the event I had a paltry 23. Not 23 who planned to come, but 23 who had bothered to respond. Half my invitees had blown me off. Why? I wasn’t peddling life insurance, after all.

Asking around, I discovered that the phenomenon is widespread. One friend of mine e-mailed invitations to a baby shower, and a third of the recipients failed to respond. Another announced a happy hour at her house and received a dozen yeses — only to find her party besieged by 35 people.

What’s preventing us from executing this basic social task? Is it the medium? Do Evites somehow not feel like “real” invitations? Is it our busy lives, so overbooked and overwhelmed we’ve drawn up the castle gates? Don’t invite me out this month, I’m ensconced! Or is it simple rudeness? Try as I might to understand, I kept feeling dissed.

What’s clear is how hard the R.S.V.P. rubs against the grain of contemporary life. In requesting people to anchor a plan in the distant future of a month hence, you are demanding a kind of navigation that Americans increasingly do not practice. We prefer to remain flexy, solidifying our plans incrementally as the date approaches. Let’s talk tomorrow. I’ll call you when I’m on the road. Cellphones in hand, we microadjust our schedules as they unfold around us. We’re like the air traffic controllers of our own lives.

It wasn’t always so. A while ago I made a lunch date with an elderly couple. As the day approached with no subsequent corroboration, I felt a strange excitement. Would all three of us just show up? We did, and I realized that what I felt was a small nostalgic thrill over social arrangements that seemed straight out of Jane Austen.

But back to my party. The day before the big event, I sent a final e-mail message, thanking “the half of you who responded for helping keep the dying art of the R.S.V.P. alive.” This irked missive flushed out a final 10 hangdog respondents. But there remained a gang of 12 — the dirty dozen, the truly hardcore, fanatical nonresponders — who couldn’t even be shamed into R.S.V.P.ing.

In the end, perhaps they were merely following the French literally: Respond, if you please. Left over from a time when graciousness couched demands as requests, the R.S.V.P. no longer functions. I therefore propose an update, something still French but a bit more ... frank — the R.V.O.M.:

Répondez Vite — ou Mourez!

For those friends of mine who plead a lack of high school French, allow me to translate. Respond Quickly, or Die!

Rue La La

2010-03-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

I was invieted to join Rue La La over the summer by one of my college friends. Rue La La is a fabulous website that features 2-day-only Boutiques, filled with the designers items at private sale prices. It's free, fabulous, and invitation-only. Here's your invitation and happy shopping!

http://www.ruelala.com/invite/rpowell10

Tuesday Inspiration

2010-03-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wedding and decor inspiration for a rainy, overcast Tuesday....a little color for a pick-me up! Enjoy
All photos are from Ruffled

Letters From a Pissed Off Bride

2010-02-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

I love the concept of the website Letters From a Pissed Off Bride. Two lovely ladies who are planning their weddings and blogging about their experience found that it was challenging to complain via their blog because everyone was reading it. They created a completely anonymous blog where brides can write a letter to them to vent about their future mother in-law, mom, bridesmaids or vendors. Head on over to their blog to check it out!

Love this.....

2010-02-11T21:46:00.001-08:00

a little inspiration for the end of the week. I am ready for summer!

Somtimes you need a flash mob to get through your day....

2010-02-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

Letters

2010-01-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

I would like to make some letters like this to hang on our front porch or in our bedroom.

Source

Homemade Granola Bars

2010-01-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

This recipe has become a favorite in our household, they taste great and are very filling!

I have experimented with a bunch of different dried fruits and nuts and they all work really well, so feel free to make this recipe your own!

Granola Bars - Recipe from Barefoot Contessa
* 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
* 1 cup sliced almonds
* 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
* 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2/3 cup honey
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
* 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Just call us the Sickie McSickersons!

2010-01-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

Well the New Year has brought us SICKNESS! Ugh!

I was under the weather with walking pneumonia/bronchitis, some antibiotics cleared things up for me...finally after being sick for almost two weeks. It was a miracle to wake up this morning feeling 100% better! I hope this teaches me that I need to slow down and let my body repair...probably not though I tend to have the "Lawton" gene that makes me think that if I keep powering through life my cold will go away! Ha! Josh has had a typical head cold and I am happy to say that he is feeling much better. However this cold has not kept Josh from watching his fair share of cheesy movies and TONS of football on TV the past couple of days. Here's to hoping we are healthy the rest of 2010!

Congrats Amy and Garrett!

2009-12-29T11:54:00.001-08:00

Our good friends Amy and Garrett are recently engaged and planning their wedding for mid August of 2010. I am so honored to be working with Amy as her wedding coordinator for their fabulous country chic wedding!

A farwell to the blog: a $10,000 wedding

2009-12-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

The following blog post is from the blog a $10,000 wedding

Sadly this is her last blog post. This blog has been one that I enjoy reading, it covers everything I love in a simple wedding....focusing on what is important to the bride and the groom. Too often as a wedding planner I see couples get lost in the planning and insignificant details, thus the easiest decisions become mountains. Enjoy her last blog post.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#687: my last post.

so. what's really the best way to do this? i'm clearly not planning my wedding anymore and without any personal wedding goals, it's been tough to keep this blog going.

clearly.

i'm not very good at ending things, especially when i'm kind of like really attached. i just sulk. and think about it. and then think about it some more, knowing the inevitable, still hopeful for another outcome.

this blog has treated me kind for so long and i've been writing without pretense for a few wonderfully fun and enlightening years. can i say grateful. and super attached.

there are things i'll remember forevs. like my first post on TTO (toads clueless) and how like 500+ posts later i'd somehow become like this bonafide wedding blogger (me. bonafide. ha.)

the blogger friends out there who are some of the strongest, wittiest women i've ever met.

the loads and loads of creativity and encouragement this little world here has to offer to blogger brides.

and now i have to say goodbye? WHAT.

but this blog was about my journey, my successes and failures as i tried to plan a $10,000 wedding. and now that i've been there and done that (like 7 months ago), i don't have much to say anymore.

lame. so that said, here's the last bit.

weddings, no matter how you slice it and dice it, will tug at your heart strings and push your buttons. you're emotional because you're thinking about your families and what this shabang will mean for them, you're emotional because you're excited about the new family you're about to build, you're emotional because all of your besties are there to support you, you're emotional because there's a lot to do and you're kind of like just stressed the eff out, you're emotional because you find yourself walking that fine line between keeping everyone happy and being true to yourself...

...you're emotional because you're committing to f.o.r.e.v.e.r with that one amazing person...and want the wedding to be that kind of perfect...

it's just one day. but it's significant, you know?

so amidst the flurry, should things ever get a little hairy or overwhelming, take a step back and remember what it's all about. (hint: it's not about cake flavors or wedding dresses.)

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - maya angelou

i had to remind myself every now and then...what mattered to me, who mattered to me, and what the day itself meant to me. in the end, not everything made sense to everyone, but it absolutely made sense to me, to my husband, and to our loved ones.

and on the day of, we were fortunate enough to experience tender love, true joy, and hours of uninhibited dancing.

so this is me, wishing all of you the same and more during planning and on your wedding day.

and in life.

ok?

photo by max.

it's been real.

xo

Brilliant

2009-12-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

I ran across this save the date invite on one of the wedding planning blogs I read frequently. The video is spectacular, I can only imagine how amazing their wedding will be!

Where in the World...

2009-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

...will the Powell's end up in September of 2011?

T-minus two years and counting and J will officially be finished with his PhD in virology which is a spectacular accomplishment. This is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it means J will be finished with pursuing the career of a professional student...just kidding he will be done with school and moving on to greener pastures as a post doc. By the way if anyone is keeping track (because I am) the end of his PhD will wrap up 27 years and counting as a student! Now to the curse part, we have to move when he is done. As in leave. our. beloved. C-town. Ugh. Can you tell I am not looking forward to the move?...I am seriously struggling to be the supportive wife on this one.

Our hope is to try to travel to our prospective locations in order to find out if they are livable or not. The reality of the situation is that due to the lack of a magic money fairy we will most likely only make it to two or three of the prospective locations. Bummer. We want to make an educated decision concerning where we end up and we have strict guidelines as a couple as to what will make a place livable.(If you would like to know the guidelines leave me a comment and I will share them with you)

So without further ado I bring to you the places that are on our travel list in the next two years in no particular order:

Ithaca, New York

(source)

Bloomington, Indiana

(source)

Boston, Massachusetts

(source)

Bozeman, Montana

(source)

New Haven, Connecticut

(source)

Columbia, South Carolina

(source)

This whole process is exciting and scary at the same time. I am so proud of J and his accomplishments. It will be hard to leave the Northwest, our families, friends and a really great town where we currently live. But moving will be an adventure and my hope is that we will find another place to live that is just as great as where we are now...at least one can only hope!

The Obama's Marriage

2009-11-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

(Source)

I recently read a phenomenal article on the NYtimes.com about the Obama's and their marriage. I really appreciated their candid discussion about their marriage. I think it is spectacular that we finally have a President who is dedicated to making the White House and the Presidency "real" and "approachable" in my eyes. It must be so inspiring for young kids....I know it is for me. Here is the link to the article Obama's Marriage

Oregon Photography with Kacy Kizer

2009-11-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

I met Kacy Kizer a couple years ago when she was the photographer for my good friends wedding. Once I saw the stunning photos of my friends wedding I knew I would always pass her information on to my clients. Kacy's relaxed personality, great sense of humor and talent is unparalleled. She is loved by each and every client that works with her!

As a thank you for all of the clients I have passed on to her she graciously offered to give Josh and I a photo shoot as a "thank you"! Here are some of the photos from our evening with Kacy!

Thanks for everything Kacy!...your work is spectacular we love our photos!!!!!

The Northwest Powell's

Being Happy

My New Adventure

A little help with hump day

Food For Thought

Current Book

Little Fockers

The New Addition To Our Family

No Excuse or Apology Will Fix This

The Bling Queen

Baking blog

Current Books

A tribute to my Grandmother

Cover Recipes from Magazines and Cookbooks

Date Night

Happy Friday

Raining Buckets

Current Book

Sex and the City 2

RSVP....Please

Rue La La

Tuesday Inspiration

Menu

Letters From a Pissed Off Bride

Love this.....

Somtimes you need a flash mob to get through your day....

Letters

Homemade Granola Bars

Just call us the Sickie McSickersons!

Congrats Amy and Garrett!

A farwell to the blog: a $10,000 wedding

Brilliant

Where in the World...

The Obama's Marriage

Oregon Photography with Kacy Kizer