ask me anything: the answers {part 5}

This is the end! Last set of questions… these are the randoms that didn’t exactly fit into another category.

Is there a story behind your engagement ring? It looks like it is estate…beautiful!

There’s not a story behind the engagement ring. We did go ring shopping and my setting wasn’t one that was on display. After about 30 minutes, the salesgirl came out and said, “Here’s one where we just set the diamond. What do you think?” I loved it. It was so gorgeous. I knew that I wanted a ring that was an estate replica and that’s what I found. I wanted a couple of things changed about the one in the showroom and Todd says it took a few months for the ring to get ordered, get made, and get back to him. I love it!

Now that you have Hudson, how do the dogs play out in your family dynamic? I’m kind of nervous about that one…

The dogs didn’t pay him much attention at first, but now it’s good. We have to tell them to get back or stop licking him every once in a while, but he loves them. He reaches out to pet them now. And he cracks up every time Boudreaux barks or growls at something outside. So funny!

If you could host your own show, what would it be about? (talk show, design, wedding, etc)

Hmm… such a fun question! It would be fun to a host a wedding show, but I think I’d pick a design show!

I think I may have noticed on twitter (maybe?) that you’re going to the Carrie Underwood concert in May (me too!)…so here’s my question. Who else would you love to see in concert?

We are going to the Carrie Underwood concert on May 1. I’m beyond excited. She is my absolute favorite and I just can’t wait. We’re also seeing Jimmy Buffett on February 23 as part of Todd’s birthday celebration. I’ve been fortunate enough to see most of my favorites in concert: The Eagles, Elton John, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Crosby Stills and Nash, DMB, Coldplay and many others that aren’t quite so “classic.”

I’d love to see U2 and The Rolling Stones in concert someday!

I would love to hear about your wedding registry! What is your formal china pattern and your silver pattern?

Our every day pattern is Juliska “Thread and Berry.” We got chargers, salad plates, and some serving pieces in green. We got all the other pieces in white. I love the contrast!

Our formal pattern is Vera Wang Wedgwood “Vera Lace.” We have Waterford Lismore with platinum rims for our crystal. I didn’t register for silver because my mom has a full set, Todd’s mom has a full set, and Todd’s grandmother has a full set. Someone will gift us with some silver someday.

Do you think y’all will stay in the Shandon area or move to the suburbs eventually? It’s something that I constantly think about even though I don’t have kids yet. All of our friends live downtown…but I would prefer my kids to go to school in the area I grew up in.

We absolutely love the Shandon area. More specifically, we’re in the Wales Garden area, but I do love our neighborhood. It’s great for walking the dog and pushing the stroller. We have great neighbors. We can stroll down to Starbucks on Saturday mornings. It’s close to everything. We do love the area and we do love our house.

We’re very well aware that we can get a lot more house if we move to the suburbs and it’s very tempting. We want more kids and we’ll need more space eventually. We’re zoned for great public schools and there are great public schools in the suburbs. There are also great private schools in Columbia. We don’t know what we’re going to do about schools yet, but we’re going to be prepared and make sure that we live in an area where we’re happy with the public school situation.

How do you get things done? That is a very vague question, but I mean do you have a to-do list and tackle things one at a time? Or just a general idea in your head of things you need to do this week? What keeps you motivated?

I pride myself on being very organized! Todd might say that I’m organized to a fault. I’ve learned to leave room for spontaneity.

I use my trusty MomAgenda to write everything down. I plan our meals and have running to do lists. Now that I’m so carefully counting points for Weight Watchers, I also keep up with this in my MomAgenda.

Hudson keeps me motivated. I want to be the best mommy that I can be and the best wife that I can be.

What are some of your favorite hostess gifts? I know you’ve mentioned candles before, but I’d love some other suggestions as well!

I think a bottle of wine, a yummy candle, or a bouquet of flowers are a great hostess gift. My only issue with flowers is that the hostess usually has to stop what he or she is doing to properly care for the flowers. I prefer low maintenance gifts like some dessert, a bottle of wine, or a candle.

I love your blog! I was curious if you are selling any of your maternity clothes? I am in need of some chic expecting mommy style and didn’t know if you would consider parting with your trendy mommy threads? What were your favorite maternity items? What are your must-have items?

I’m not selling any of my maternity clothes because I plan to wear them again with the next pregnancy. But I think the best thing to purchase for yourself while you’re pregnant is a pair of your regular jeans in maternity style. There’s nothing that makes you feel more like your usual stylish self than a great pair of jeans. I got my 7evens and Citizens of Humanity jeans in a great maternity pair and they lasted the entire pregnancy. Such great buys!

My question is if you ever receive any negative comments on your blog and how you handle them? I struggle with making our blog private and leaving it open because very rarely i will get a weird annonymous comment that is border-line rude. Does this ever happen to you?

I do get the occasional negative comment. It’s never fun. I’m a very sensitive person. It never makes sense to me why someone would take the time to tell me I did something wrong in my pregnancy or delivery. Or to tell me to “get over myself.” Someone emailed me once just to tell me that I was “self-important and hedonistic.” That one really hurt my feelings. Then there was the comment that said that one of Hudson’s newborn photos looked like we were neglecting him.

I don’t ever leave negative comments. My general thought is to just move on if you don’t like what you’re reading on a blog. I especially don’t like the anonymous negative comments. But, what can you do? WordPress doesn’t have an options for you to block anonymous comments like Blogger does.

Sometimes I respond to negative comments via email and sometimes I just ignore it. Most of the comments are personal and I can get a little defensive.

I absolutely love the photos that Tracy Turpen did of your family! I looked at her website, and I am blown away! How did you find her? I am looking for a photographer in the Raleigh, NC area to do some pics this summer, and I am having the hardest time. I am spoiled now that I have seen Tracy’s photos! If you could give me any tips on finding a photographer, I would REALLY appreciate it.

All of the photographers that I’ve ever hired have traveled to come to where we are. That is always an option!

We used Kelly Moore for our wedding and engagement photos. Kelly has a friend named Millie Holloman who is an amazing photographer out of various cities in North Carolina– including Raleigh. She has a team of four or five photographers. Millie came to Columbia to take our newborn photos.

I was talking to Ami at Elizabeth Anne Designs one night about local photographers and she told me about Tracy Turpen out of Charleston. We were beyond impressed with Tracy!

Some good resources for searching for photographers in your area are the EAD Vendor Guide and the Style Me Pretty Little Black Book. You can look for all kinds of vendors with these resources.

What’s your favorite cookbook?

Wow! So many. I’m in love with Junior League cookbooks. My favorites are from places that I’ve lived: River Road Recipes, The Cotton Country Cookbook, and Down By The Water.

I also love all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks. Right now I’m living out of the Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook because it’s good for me!

How long have you been blogging and how did you build such an amazing community…I just started and I am curious how to build it because I love the interaction and suggestions of making “blog” friends…

I started blogging in September 2007 because we were planning a wedding. About six months later I got my first comment from someone I had never met!

I began commenting on other blogs that I found and then people start linking back to your blog when they read comments and eventually come out of hiding. I also submitted some boards to Style Me Pretty and Abby linked to my blog. That’s how I met Cyndi of Southern Daze!

Eventually others started reading, there was mutual commenting, and friendships were born. Comments lead to emails, g-chats, and tweets and before you know it you’re flying to fun cities to hang out with your blog friends!

(This one is from my best friend!) If you had to pick ONE song that brings you back to our Columbia (or college) days together, what would it be, and what were we doing? NO you can’t pick Sangria Wine!

We used to dance around our house and apartment to Sangria Wine! So much fun!

My one song– I’m going to pick two– is Man In Motion (St. Elmo’s Fire) or The Finer Things!

So when do you and Todd plan on having another child? How close together would you like to them to be?

We’re not sure yet. We think about it, but then I just think I’m not ready to try to handle two of them! I’d like for them to be close together in age, but I also don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. Maybe when Hudson is 2 years old…

Were you and your husband on the same page as to WHEN to have children? I see so many women who are ready, but their husbands aren’t quite there (especially when they are within a year of the same age). Did you and your hubby discuss this before marriage?

We discussed it a little bit before marriaged. We had planned to wait two years before getting pregnant, but…. Y’all know we got married in May 2008 and Hudson was born in June 2009. So we didn’t wait two years.

I’ve asked Todd before, if our little miracle accident hadn’t happened if he ever would have told me when he was ready to have a baby. He said, “Eh. Probably not. I’m not sure I ever would have thought I was ready.” I think it’s just a guy thing. He’s ready now and he’s an amazing Daddy.

I have a random, for fun question: if your house was on fire, what 5 things would you run out the door with? Humans and pets not counting!

I’d grab our camera bags (video and Canon Rebel) that hold our cameras and all the memory cards. I’d grab my baby book and a box of photos in our closet. Everything else is replaceable, but those photos and memories are completely priceless.

As a fellow Erin, what is your middle name? And what sort of names do people incorrectly call you over the phone, email (probably either telemarketers or working world emails.)

Hilarious. I’ve been called Ernie and Irwin before. People often misspell it and write “Aaron.”

My middle name is Elizabeth, but I dropped it in favor of my maiden name as my middle name.

How did you meet your husband? How long did you date? How did you know that TC was the one?

Todd and I met while we were both working at the law firm where he worked before going out on his own. He came by my desk and we talked and I thought, “Hmm. I’d like to see him again.”

We started dating in December 2005 and got engaged in April 2007.

I know it’s cliche, but I just knew that he was the one. I knew before our first date. He was so kind and funny. He’s the wittiest person I’ve ever met– and I’m not the only one who thinks that. I knew we had a lot in common before our first date because we spent months emailing before going on our first date. The night of our first date, I said to my friend, “This is the last first date I’ll ever go on.” And it was.

I would love to know where you get your bedding, I really like your style! Where did you go to college and how did it decide it was the right place for you?

I got the bedding for our bedroom from Eastern Accents. It’s part of their limited edition “hotel style” collection. I love its simplicity while still having gorgeous colors!

I mentioned that I went to Louisiana Tech. I chose it because it felt like home. It sort of was home. We moved around a lot, but Ruston is the closest thing to a hometown for me. We lived there for five years when I was growing up. My parents also attended and met at Louisiana Tech. And my grandmother went to Louisiana Tech. It’s truly a family place for me.

What is your favorite “everyday indulgence” while you still stay healthy? I recently discovered dried figs; they are like candy.

I love snacking on the Mister Salty 100 Calorie packs of chocolate covered pretzels. So satisfying!

I have a legal internship in Columbia this summer…do you have any ideas on fun things to do, or good restaurants I must try while I am there?

You must visit the Riverbanks Zoo. My favorite restaurants are Mr. Friendly’s, Garibaldi Cafe, Rockaways, The Gourmet Shop, Rosso, Ristorante Divino, and many, many more! You must go shopping in Five Points and on Devine Street.  And I’d love to hang out while you’re here!

What is the best vacation you have been on/what was your favorite vacation? Where would you go if you could go anywhere?

My two favorite vacations were our honeymoon on Maui at the Grand Wailea and when I backpacked for 40 days around Europe with my best friend. So many countries and cities in such a perfect amount of time.

Hopefully we’ll go to Greece soon! It’s near the top of my list. And Napa Valley.

What is your least favorite holiday? What is your favorite holiday?

I’d have to say that it’s New Year’s Eve! My favorite is either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I love family-centered holidays.

Do you make money on this blog? How so?

I signed up with Share a Sale a few months ago. All the “ads” you see in the right sidebar are from Share a Sale. If anyone clicks on the images, they are taken to that company’s website. If you buy something during that visit, I get a percentage of the sale. I have made a very minimal amount of money in the last couple of months, but it’s good to make some money.

When signing up with WordPress and purchasing my domain and paying a company to host my blog, I have had to pay a good amount of money to do all of that. The sales help cover that a little bit. I still haven’t made enough through the “ads” to pay for all of that, though, so please don’t think that I’m bringing in the big bucks!

What is your favorite diet food?

I love Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones. I can’t help it!

What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own other than your engagement ring?

Probably my David Yurman pearl ring that was my “push present.”

What do you love about your hometown? What do you miss about your hometown? What do you love about Columbia?

I miss a lot about Ruston. There are some wonderful little restaurants there like Ponchatoulas, The Dawg House, Papa Joe’s, and Monjuni’s. I miss the food. I miss the people. A lot. Some of my good friends (some that read this blog) stayed there after college and I miss them so much! I msis the times that I had there in college with my friends.

Columbia… I love the blend of the capital city with the college town. It’s a good mix. I love having college students around. I think it keeps the city young. I love our church and there is a lot of good food here, too. I wish my family was a lot closer, but it’s a good place to live.

What is your favorite book of all time? Favorite character?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Can you give me info on moving from Blogger to Wordpress and having your own domain?

I am definitely not an expert and I got a lot of help from Mojito Maven of Make Mine a Mojito. But the first thing I did was purchase my domain. Then I went to BSP Hosting to select my hosting package. Through there, you register your domain and there are WordPress plug-ins to turn your dot com into a WordPress blog. Then, there are theme options with WordPress and we chose the “Thesis” theme. (You can get more info and purchase the Thesis theme at Make Mine a Mojito.)

Lots of steps and I know nothing about HTML. The Mojito family did a lot to get my blog set up and running. The talented Ashley Brooke of Ashley Brooke Designs did my header.

But once it is all set up and running, WordPress is great to use! There are so many options for your blog and you can have many pages. It was great timing for me because I wanted to do so much more when Hudson was born.

How and when did you get involved in Junior League? What do you love about it?

I joined the Junior League of Columbia in 2006. I absolutely love my placement (committee). I’ve made some great friends and I was fortunate enough to find a placement that I loved. I’ve stuck with this placement for three years and will do it again this year for my fourth year.

I love that we’re able to give back to Columbia in such a big way. I love that each woman is able to find a way to use her talents to give back through various placements.

Did you make a wedding album of photos or stick to framed shots around the house. If you DID make an album- did you go through your photographer, a separate graphic artist, or do you own online? If so, any hints, tips or suggestions? I’m a little overwhelmed with my 3000+ photos, the choices & the costs!

We got such an amazing deal. My wedding photography package included everything: our engagement session and an album, my bridal session and an album, and 6 hours of wedding coverage and an album. The included album had every single photograph in it–printed on the page. None of this “proof” size photo nonsense. What do you do with that many proofs anyway?  We ordered a more coffee table friendly album that was beautifully designed. I featured it on the blog abotu a year ago. It’s truly a masterpiece. Kelly Moore (our photographer) designed that one and had it printed, too.

Our package also included a handful of prints in various sizes from all of our sessions. Then I just ordered more for the wall.

I told you we got a great deal!

This was fun, friends!