Love it

I love it when we get to photograph a bride in a veil. Check out the uber-stylish Joanna:

Garage news

We brought one big SUV-load of stuff to Goodwill, but then we were rained out. I hope to finish things up soon and will definitely take pictures.

We took a look at chest freezers and I can't wait to get one.

Olive green is the new black

Maybe I should say it's the new chocolate brown... But it's my favorite color to mix with brights right now. I especially love pink and olive, and pale blue with olive.

Garage update

See below for original post. We have walls! And a ceiling! A few casualties: some moth-eaten sweaters and a beautiful antique frame that was broken. Otherwise, everything's cool. We've found at least $40 in change that goes toward our Clean Garage Celebration fund.

Cleaning out the garage

This wasn't actually a new year's resolution (well, maybe it was from a few years ago), but we're taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to finally clean out our garage. I can't show a photo because it would be too appalling, but here is my dream garage...


Suffice it to say we've been in this house almost 4 years and have never even thought about parking in the garage. I'll show "after" pics soon! Wish us luck!

Word of the day

Obviate: [ob-vee-eyt] (from Dictionary.com)

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary

[Origin: 1590–1600; < L obviātus, ptp. of obviāre to act contrary to, deriv. of obvius; see obvious, -ate1]

We ask all of our brides and grooms to fill out a list of the family photographs they require, to obviate the risk of forgetting something on such a busy day.

The big reveal!

So I've been hinting around about this, but tomorrow (okay, tonight at midnight), we release our new packages. I think this is something really special:


For more details, check out our website.

And even if you're not in the market, feel free to comment on what an awesome idea this is...

Speaking of downtown

Decisive Moment is very proud to be a downtown business! For 7 years, we've had offices in downtown Toledo. Here we are, burning the midnight oil... I love the Christmas lights.

At home wedding

We photographed an at-home wedding at one of the coolest homes in Toledo (besides mine, of course!). Isn't this a great ceremony location?

Richard and Janet own this place in downtown Toledo. Here's an article on them and other downtowners.

Ladies and gentlemen...

the big bridal show is this weekend! Come see us at Gladieux Meadows. We always have the coolest booth, the coolest brides, and this year, we have some seriously cool packages to unveil.

If you have been waiting to book us for your 2008 or 2009 wedding, now is the time.


Pictured are Marianne, former bride and model and all-around great girl, and Joe.

DIY

Joe and I love doing stuff ourselves. I have a couple projects I'm looking forward to this winter -- we're putting in a half bath downstairs, completely rehabbing our old home office to make a snazzy 'family room', and then in the spring, we'll be gutting our full bath.

Right now, I have to finish up all the old projects before embarking on the new ones (if I could, I'd just start new stuff and never finish a thing). We installed a stair runner, which was quick, cheap, and easy, and I think it looks great. If you have hardwood stairs and want to do something similar, leave me a comment and I can give you some pointers! This cost less than $100 and took one evening. We did it several weeks ago, and it's held up beautifully, even beneath our many muddy paws and winter boots.

(That's my cute gumdrop Christmas garland on the banister.)

I miss summer

I really love winter, mostly because there's no weeding or yardwork to do, but when I saw this photo of my pretty dog in my pretty yard, I missed summer.

(This was shot the day after our big HGTV shoot for What You Get for the Money, which should be airing any week now! I will keep you posted, and will have lots of copies on DVD for those without cable.)

Any resolutions, anyone?

I resolve to:

1. Separate my work and home life better (or at all)
2. Cut down on my Diet Coke consumption
3. Walk Fat Heidi more
4. Clean out the garage. We've been here almost 4 years and have never parked in the garage.
5. Cook more, even during the wedding season

There are a whole bunch of goals I set for every year, too, but those aren't as interesting.

New look for the studio

I know, I know, I've barely finished the new studio (we moved in a year ago), but we're going to have a new look. The black and white damask is out, pink and green diamonds are in!

Here's the fabric that started it all:


We're adding drapes, crystal chandeliers, and a really dynamic mural! Stay tuned for photos.

Here's a "before" pic:

All that jazz

You may not believe it, but little ol' Toledo is known for it's jazz scene. Perhaps it's because we're on the road from NYC to Chicago, most of the jazz greats have stopped in town for a night or two. We lost Rusty's Jazz Cafe a few years back (now the place is called John's Korner Bar and I haven't been able to look inside), but we still have the venerable Murphy's Place.

We are finally slowing down a smidgen, so we took a little time to ourselves and visited. The music, the ambiance, and the food are deeply satisfying. I'm a foodie, and I'm telling you, the orange roughy I had there the other day was the best fish I've ever had.

Do yourself a favor and visit this Toledo institution. It seems that many of the best things about this town are struggling or closing, so it's important to support the local hotspots that make Toledo, um, Toledo.

LOL

If you've been living under a rock for the last year or few, you may not have seen the wonderful ICanHasCheezburger pets. Resistance is futile.

Ho ho ho

Not a creature was stirring...

Most of the stores are closed, but if you have an unexpected guest who needs a present, go to your nearest convenience store and pick up a magazine your guest would like. (We love Vanity Fair, Cook's Illustrated, The Bark, ReadyMade, and Domino.) Roll it up and wrap it, and add a card that tells the recipient you've purchased a subscription in their name. Be sure to stick the subscription card in your mailbox right away!