Koru Kate Finds: Gratitude

Give Thanks Always

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Today's Koru Kate Finds isn't a pretty something you can buy in a store.  Nor is it a beautiful something you can ask a florist to create for you.  Nope, this find isn't for sale.


With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I wanted to bring you my greatest Koru Kate Finds of all: Gratitude.  Gratitude is found in our hearts & souls.  Every day, usually during my evening walk with Bailey, I pause & give thanks for my beautiful, imperfect life.  It's all mine, my one & only.  I love my life!  I thank my lucky stars for my husband RZ, my pup Bailey, my family, my friends, my health & my happiness.  Depending on the circumstances, I add extra gratitude for things like a wedding booked or a new baby born.  I'm never at a loss for gratitude no matter how hard & trying or wonderful & easy my day has been.  Trust me, I have my fair share of problems & heartache but my blessings far outweigh them.  


Gratitude is a daily part of my life.  I hope you'll find the space for gratitude in your daily life!  

It's A Wrap! 28th Edition

TGIF!  I think we can agree that we're breathing a sigh of relief that Friday has arrived.  Finally.  

I'm changing things up for this week's installment of It's A Wrap!  I can pull moves like that because I'm the boss :-)  Ha.

Over yonder in Internet land, Liz of Happy Sighs started a fabulous series called Why We Wed.  Love is the main reason most of us get married.  Kim Kardashian excluded, obviously.  This series takes things a step further by asking you to go beyond your standard love response & search your soul.  Why did you get married?  What does marriage mean to you?

Bright, wise women in different stages of marriage weigh in with their varying perspectives each Wednesday.  I'm hooked!  I urge each of you to follow this engaging series.  Hint- you will see a familiar face there in the future!  

To get you caught up, I bring you the three post in the series thus far:  

Why We Wed: Jolynn: the viewpoint of someone who thought she would never get married

Why We Wed: Morgan: the perspective of a Soon-to-Be Mama as to why she tied the knot

Why We Wed: Sarah: a newlywed shares her reasons for a second marriage

Fascinating stuff, right?!

Make your weekend bright & beautiful!


Image via Martha Stewart Weddings

All You Need

Don't you wish you could whip up something Fall fabulous like this pumpkin centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table?

RZ & I don't have a Thanksgiving table per se as we travel to my in-law's home for the holiday.  There is no room for plates on their table, let alone decor.  Their table is a true bounty of a Thanksgiving feast, filled with delicious, abundant American & Filipino food.  We serve ourselves from the dining room table, then scatter about the rest of the house to eat & enjoy the family day.

My childhood Thanksgivings consisted of an adults' table & a kids' table.  The adults' table was a formal affair with pretty china & flickering candles while the kids' table was a folding table with festive paper plates.  Later, they trusted us with a real china but it was tough to graduate to the adults' table.  I'm still at the kids' table, sigh.  There's only so much room at a dining room table!

I suppose you could have a blanket picnic on your living room floor & it wouldn't matter.  All you need is family, love & gratitude for Thanksgiving.

Is your Thanksgiving table a formal, candlelit, place card type?  Or is it a more casual, mix & match china, food-filled type?        

Image by Heather Armstrong Photography via Inspired by This

Irish Wedding Bells

Maybe it's because I'm Irish.  Perhaps it's because I love green.  Or just because.  But I love Bells of Ireland!  Those perfect lime green bells have my heart.


I don't spot them much in the wedding world so I was absolutely delighted (I may have squealed!) when I stumbled upon not one but two, DIY bridal bouquets that included Bells of Ireland.  I did what any decent blogger would do & pinned my heart out so I could share them with you.  


This stunning beauty is a combination of orchids, beach grass & Bells of Ireland just perfect for a beach wedding in Maine:

Photo by One Love Photo 

via

& the sweetest part?  The Groom's Dad made the Bride's bouquet!


For a Fall wedding, this lovely is a combination of snapdragons & Bells of Ireland that is unexpected yet just right:

Photo by Cassandra Eldridge Photography

via

& that beauty?  The Groom's Dad was taking a snooze on his duties so the Bride & Bridesmaids made it!

The cherry on top of the stylish Bells of Ireland is that they are known as a symbol of good luck.  What Bride doesn't want to carry a little good luck down the aisle as she get married?!

Tell me, what are your favorite flowers?  Does their meaning play into your choices for your wedding? 

Hi, My Name Is . . .

Me, on my Wedding Day
I had no clue of the name drama that lie ahead for me!
Photo by the great Timothy Glenn Photography

My full name is Kathleen Ann Undecided.


Married women, I pop champagne & throw confetti for you!  Yes, you.  Whether you kept your maiden name, hyphenated your maiden name with your husband's name or took your husband's name, I whole-heartedly support & applaud your decision.  The simple, sad truth is that I can't make a decision.  


I have seen family & friends take different paths when it came to changing their names, such as my sister who has kept her maiden name & my best friend who took her husband's name.  Both are in happy, healthy, loving relationships.  Clearly, the decision to change or not change my name has no impact on my marriage.  It's a matter of following my heart & doing what's right for me.  Throughout our happy engagement, I had no doubt in my mind that I would follow tradition & become Mrs. Husband's Last Name.    


We got married last January, officially becoming husband & wife.  I changed my name on Facebook.  I proudly wore my Mrs. Husband's Last Name hoodie during our Hawaiian honeymoon.  I printed business cards with my married name.  And the name game stopped there.  What had seemed like the best decision for me now filled my mind & heart with doubt. 


I still want to take my husband's last name.  We are a team, we are partners & our shared last name is an important way for us to reflect that.  Agreed.  Hyphenation is not in the cards for me, just a personal preference.  Agreed.  Here's where it gets hard.  


The way I see it, I have two options: drop my maiden name & take my husband's last name or drop my middle name, make my maiden name as my middle name & take my husband's last name.  Both my middle & maiden names mean the world to me.  Ann is my middle name & I was named after my Mom who has the middle name Ann too.  I don't want to drop it.  Sullivan is my maiden name & it's my Dad's last name (obviously).  My Dad died when I was 13 years-old & my maiden name is a connection to him.  I don't want to drop it.  I have done nothing to change my name in the past (almost) year but that doesn't feel right either.


About two weeks ago, I mustered all the courage I possibly could & filled out the HitchSwitch paperwork to begin the process of changing my name.  I decided to go with my first instinct & follow the traditional path of dropping my maiden name & taking my husband's name.  As kind, understanding friends & family reminded me, I would always be a Sullivan & my last name has nothing to do with a connection to my Dad.  I felt so brave & confident.


And then I cried & cried.  The easy, detailed HitchSwitch paperwork arrived days later & I cried & cried some more.  Epic meltdown. 


Hello, my name is Kathleen Ann Undecided.


Do you plan to or did you change your name?  Any advice for an undecided married girl like me?  

Koru Kate Finds: Holiday Tree Alternative

Forgive me, Koru family & friends, as I have Christmas on my mind.  I blame Pinterest.  While I can successfully & willfully ignore store Christmas displays until after Thanksgiving, it's really, really difficult to pass up the enticing holiday crafts, decor & recipes on Pinterest.  I caved & pinned an idea for our handmade Christmas cards weeks ago.  Last night, this simple Christmas tree wouldn't let me pass it by: 

Idea & Image via

Today, this Christmas tree alternative comes to you as my latest Koru Kate Finds.  Can you guess what this Christmas tree is made of?  A tomato cage!!!!!!!!  


Yes, that's right: a cheap tomato cage.  You can find them in your nearest garden center or garden aisle of a large store like Home Depot or Target.  Simply flip it upside down, cover it in lights & you have a festive Christmas tree.  


I wouldn't use this alternative tree to replace my actual Christmas tree but I can think of a million & one fun ways to use them for my holiday decor.  A few cage trees in various heights would make for a very pretty lawn or front porch display.  Or perhaps place an alternative tree to add some Christmas love to an empty tabletop or foyer.  Bay windows are the prime spot for alternative trees to be enjoyed from inside &  outside of your home.  


Winter Brides, these cheery Christmas trees are perfection for winter wedding decor!  A few grouping of these alternative trees are a fabulous winter touch for your altar.  Place a few on the floor by your head table or sweetheart table to make a twinkly statement.  Add a few of these alternative trees to make your photo booth backdrop wintery.  Maybe put a few at the front entrance of your church &/or reception space for a winter touch.  Just use your imagination!  


Can you forgive me for bringing up Christmas so early?  Pretty please with a cherry on top?   

Wedding Day is Here Again

Oh So Pretty: Rose & Baby Breath Garland

Image by Leo Patrone Photography

via Style Me Pretty

Brides estimates that 46, 200 happy couples will say "I Do" tomorrow, on the lovely 11.11.11.


Check- this wedding planner has a wedding tomorrow at the grand The Ashford Estate.  I'm particularly excited because I will be working with my former co-worker & my own wedding planner, Eileen of An Affair to Remember.  She needs an extra hand & I'm always happy to help her.  I love weddings (have you noticed?!) & I love working with Eileen so this is a real treat for me.


Although I'd hoped to keep up with my blogging this week, I'm a tad crazed & something's got to give.  A Wedding Day is here again & I must give that top priority!


May the rest of your week be bright & beautiful!  We'll meet again next week~