You may have noticed that I didn’t write about last week’s episode of The Bachelorette. Well, I have some bad news: I won’t be able to write about it now for a few weeks. I’m terribly sorry but I’m also not because Mumbles and I have some jam-packed weeks of fun behind and ahead of us. Dr. Merrett was married in a beautiful ceremony on a gorgeous day in a stunning dress to a wonderful man and we were so thrilled for them and to be part of their day. We got a lot of compliments on the decor so I’ll be sure to share some photos later on. We had another wedding the following day and then we’ll be doing a bit of traveling before I return for BFOTBM’s baby shower which I also can’t wait for! Too much good stuff this summer! I hope you’re all enjoying great weather and times with family and friends. I’ll have lots to share in the coming weeks and hope you know how thankful I am for your support. Cheers!
Monthly Archives: June 2012
The Bachelorette Recap episode 5, season 8 – Emily
With a mere 10 gents left, the “H” word is starting to hover more and more but we can’t get to a proposal without a little bit of drama splashed in. I’m pretty sure this episode will be the climax so I hope you got your fill.
One-on-one date: Sean – “love takes no prisoners.”
With the pool of men quickly getting shallower (a la Emily’s personality), I have mixed feelings about Sean because he seems like a great guy and I find myself cringing, wondering how he’ll take it when she tosses him back to reality (where hopefully some dazzling, wonderful woman will scooop him up). This is Sean’s first one-on-one date and he’s feeling strongly for Emily, and she supposedly feeling strongly for him as well.
I should mention that it’s about that time in the show where the other boys start to get jealous and huff around all pissy for not getting picked to go out and play. Kalon is moping around, freaking out because he’s not in control while Emily’s calling all the shots. And then this happens:
“If you become part of her life pretty much any date is gonna be a group date…muahahaha.” -Kalon, clearly not a fan of single moms (despite the fact that he was raised by one). I estimate this gem of a line probably was said right before his tirade which included calling Emily’s daughter a bunch of baggage.
Back on the date, Sean passes the boyfriend test when he offers to carry Emily’s handbag and whilst they walk, they stumble upon Speakers Corner where Sean has the chance to say the most eloquent thing that may have ever been said on this show:
“I think loving someone is giving yourself completely to them. Loving them with an eternal type of love. A bond so much deeper than most people can comprehend. I’ve never experienced the type of love that I’m talking to you about, but I have been in the presence of it – my parents have shown me great love. My grandparents have shown me great love. I’m searching for that great love. I haven’t found it yet but I’m hopeful that I will.” – Sean, the romantic
For dinner that night, Emily and Sean dine inside The Tower of London and despite the fact that she clearly sounds sick, they make out a good deal and both seem pretty pleased with it all. Let’s hope the whole house doesn’t get sick, eh?
“I couldn’t imagine anybody being more perfect of a husband than Sean.” – Emily
Group date: “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Chris, Arie, Ryan, Doug, Alejandro. Travis, John, Kalon.
It’s not shocking that the guys are acting out Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet on today’s group date but somehow they all seem shocked after hours of rehearsing that they’ll have to perform in front of a live audience. While everyone is joking around, Kalon is taking it all too seriously and Arie looks like he could use some Xanax. Travis is having fun and Alejandro looks pretty darn good in his title getup. The whole thing is just awkward so I’m happy it’s over pretty quickly and they get on to the pub, where the following happens:
- It doesn’t take long for Arie and Emily to find themselves kissing again.
- Ryan gives Emily a gold and turquoise necklace (apparently turquoise is her fave), and then delights us with his wisdom: “When a girl tells you you’re trouble with a smile on her face it usually means she wants to get in trouble.” You know, I think he and Emily would be good for each other.
- Doug asks Kalon if what Chris has told Arie is true (whoa, still with me?). What he’s asking is: Did Kalon really actually truly call Ricki baggage?
- Ryan scorns Kalon and I like him a lot more in protective boyfriend mode.
- Doug safely secures himself in the friend zone when he tells Emily what Kalon said. Maybe you can call her after the show to set up a play date, bud.
- Emily finally shows her spunky southern belle sass when she proclaims to be ready to go all West Virginia hood rat backwoods (or some combination thereof) on Kalon. Fierce.
- I truly smile for the first time this season when Emily cuts off Kalon and spits his own line right back at him: “I love to hear you talk but not until I’m done…I learned that from you.” And then promptly tells him to “get the f$&! out.” Finger pointing to the door and all.
- Guilty and proud of it: “I did say it and I absolutely did mean it,” says Kalon on his way home.
- Emily tells all the guys how utterly disrespected she feels and how disappointed she is in all of them for not telling her sooner, not fighting for her and Ricki, not standing up for her. Nd one gets a rose and Ricki is the only one sleeping in Emily’s bed tonight.
One-on-one date: Jef
I don’t know what the date card said, but I know it probably sounded like a good idea when it was planned out, but looked really awful to actually be a part of. During high tea with an etiquette coach you can easily see Jef is bummed he has to share his one-on-one time with an old stuffy lady who’s just bossing them both around – no touching, no talking. Not a fun date. Emily is pleased to learn that Jef came to her defense during the whole Kalon debacle when they ditch Mrs. Doutbfire to have pints of beer and fish-n-chips at a pub then head to the London Eye for dessert. Jef makes a promise not to ever lie to Emily and tells her that he’s serious about finding love and is hoping Emily will be his best friend.
“I just want someone to share the details with.” -Jef.
Despite seeming suave, methinks Jef isn’t all that confident but at least he knows it enough to tell Emily he screwed up, missing a lot of opportunities to kiss her and then tries to make up for it.
“This is definitely the most anticipated kiss of my life.” -Jef
Cocktail party:
Emily asks every guy why they didn’t stand up for her. I wish the producers would have just rolled back-to-back answers from the guys all edited together so we could collectively see all the blank stares and head scratching. Ryan takes Emily up to a balcony to recite some Shakespeare and she is just kicking herself because she’s falling for it. Here comes trouble again…
Emily says “I have butterflies in my stomach when I’m with Sean…but…this is gonna sound cheesy… more so in my heart.” aww…kinda cute.
Roses:
Sean
Jef
Doug (still in the friend zone)
Ryan, T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Chris, the young’un
John “Wolf”
Travis
Arie
Alejandro is surprised that he’s going home and he’s sad. I am too. He’s way better looking than Wolf.
Coming up: Croatia, hillsides, lots and lots of kissing, Emily walks out on a rose ceremony to ask Chris Harrison who’s not all about her, Emily gets too orange, swimming with dolphins, lots of crying.
Who do you think will make it to hometown dates?
My guesses are Sean, Jef, Doug (gotta have some time for the kiddos to play together, right?), and Arie. I think Ryan’s the wildcard here but she might let go of him to save herself the heated arguments down the road. They’re both fiery.
Spread JAM Here:
Love Birds Bridal Shower
Dr. Merrett is officially getting her doctorate this weekend and so I thought it would be timely to share some of the special details from her darling “love birds” bridal shower that the Merrett women hosted in her honor. I had such a blast making the decor and will soon be featuring some of it for sale in my Etsy shop so stay tuned or feel free to shoot me a message with any requests for orders.
I think maybe my favorite part of the shower was Pin the Bow Tie on the Groom. Usually I hate shower games but this was so much fun! (tip: I didn’t know this but a lot of copy places will make pretty cheap engineer prints in black and white, so something to think about if your large photo doesn’t need to be too high in quality or resolution.)
The Bride-to-Be pinning the bow tie on her dapper groom!
Even Baxter got in on the bow tie action! I definitely need to find him a darling little bow tie to wear on his collar. Too cute.
Decor included:
- Yarn wrapped monogram “T” from a craft wood letter found at Michael’s, along with fabric flowers that were leftover scraps from my DIY Wave Wall Art project.
- “Love” sign made of corks cut in thirds, mounted on cardboard.
- The ethereal Initial mug from anthropologie was a perfect compliment in red floral on the dessert table.
- T zinc letter from anthropologie on the gifts table, to be used as home decor in the newlyweds’ new nest! I love these because they are so industrial chic and go with everything! I think buying letters to spell out something would be stunning at any party.
- Jute wrapped coffee cans (up-cycled) from Trader Joe’s, painted turquoise, along with fabric-covered tea tins.
- Hemp balls and bowls to resemble nests
- Mason jars
- Red ranunculus and gerber daisies from Trader Joe’s (I could not get over how gorgeous the ranunculus were! What a find!)
- Cake topper made with bamboo skewers, burlap, cotton tape and rubber stamps.
- A pair of hot air balloons found at Goodwill (Deputy Tejeda proposed to Dr. Merrett in a hot air balloon – swoon!).
- Scrumptuous fresh strawberry-filled cake from Lindmair Bakery in Riverside.
- My mama made delicious goodies including cookies, macaroons, butterscotch bird nests (that’s my mother, so appropriate!), turquoise cake balls, almond butterballs, brownies, bon bons (and I grabbed some meringues from Trader Joe’s because they’re just so pretty) for guests to take home in little favor boxes stamped with a thank you and a darling little bird.
Ever my son, Baxter guarded the desserts for most of the day.
- The table settings were repurposed from our wedding two years ago – we got the turquoise and robin’s egg blue plates at Dollar Tree, the silverware at Smart & Final, and the polka dot napkins at Ikea.
Table with a view featuring StickGirlJAM’s handmade decor
Love Birds Bridal Shower with turquoise, red, and hemp, burlap and jute decor
We are so excited for the wedding which is just a few weeks away, and I’m busy at work on some of the decor which I’ll be sure to share as well. Cheers to love!
Spread JAM Here:
The Bachelorette Recap episode 4, season 8 – Emily
This week I find myself a bit bored by our Bachelorette (is that just me?) while they all find themselves in beautiful Bermuda.
One-on-One Date card: Doug – “let our senses lead the way.”
The guys are all joking around giving Doug a hard time about his nerves before the big date and clearly he’s worked up about it all and the possibility of going home. Emily says she and Doug have a strong connection, the conversation is easy, it seems like they’ve known each other for a long time, and that she’s utterly bored. Okay, she didn’t say that last part – that was me. They go to The Bermuda Perfumery and shop around town, . They walk through the moon gate and make a wish about love…Emily’s wish is life altering: please let me not be single forever. Oi…there is no hope for this woman.
Emily feels Doug might be hiding something and has suspicions that he may be a lot like Brad. When Emily asks Doug what his ex-girlfriend would say about him he gives a lame-o answer: “I spend too much time with my son.” and “I didn’t wash her car enough.” Emily is not amused by his stupid responses that clearly try to paint him positively. But then she goes and does the same thing by saying the worst thing about herself is that she goes out in public in her pajamas. Maybe they are a match.
It gets a bit weirder and even less entertaining when Doug tells the camera that he doesn’t ever make the first move with the ladies. Ever. In his words: “Emily will let Doug know if she wants a kiss.” I think that’s something the ex-girlfriend would have complained about.
Group Date: Charlie, Ryan, Chris, Jef, Sean, Arie, Travis, Kalon – “let’s set sail on the sea of love.”
During a team-on-team sailing competition that puts four against four, the yellow team — Jef, Arie, Ryan, and Kalon – come out ahead to go off into the sunset for more time to spend with Emily. During the group time together we learn:
- Ryan is the jerk, calling Emily the trophy, as in his possible wife/that night’s prize.
- Arie is the man to beat. Emily and Arie cozy up together like they’re already a couple.
- Jef is too nice. And probably too sincere to be on this show. He says he really likes who Emily is and he confesses that he is nervous to invest a lot of emotion. After that they don’t have anything to talk about so he offers to take her back and she agrees, disappointed he didn’t kiss her.
- Ryan is also pompous. He lets us in on his strategy, noting he’s taking his time this evening “not to impress her but make an impression.” A bad one, I’d say. He tries to flirt by giving her a hard time and she comes back full force repeating every single backhanded statement he’s said thus far. Like she memorized them writing them over and over in her journal or Chris Harrison has a mic in her ear and is reading them off line by line.
- Ryan is a lecturer, telling Emily she should be setting a good example for all the girls watching the show at home and that going around kissing Arie with other guys in the house is not a ladylike thing to do.
- Emily’s not as stupid as she looks and the only real impression she gets from Ryan is that he’s super judgy.
- Nice guys finish first [sometimes]. Jef gets the rose.
Two-on-One Date: John and Nate – “let’s explore this Bermuda love triangle.”
Ryan and Doug ruffle Chris’s young feathers when they guess that John “Wolf” will come home because Nate is only 25. The trio goes out on a yacht and jump off a cliff and not much more. For dinner they head to some caves for some awkwardness served up on a platter. It’s so quiet you can hear all the little droplets of water that also so badly don’t want to be there that they’d rather plunge into the ocean in hopes of being swept away to sea. I don’t quite understand why but John and Nate announce they’re not eating dinner. Maybe in protest? Too nervous to eat? Whatever the reason, it’s weird. Nate says he has a huge crush on her and she has a sweet soul. Emily asks what she should know about Nate and he cries telling her how amazing everyone in his life is. Emily calls him innocent, which in Bachelorette speak is never a good sign. He whispers the softest, weakest “cheers” ever to be toasted and it’s so meek and sad it makes me laugh out loud. John goes into his conversation with Emily confidently to tell Emily he’s not a loud “look at me!” kinda of guy. We don’t see much of a conversation or a connection with either of them so I’m surprised when she breaks it straight to Nate that he’s going home but still gives a rose to John.
Cocktail party:
• Alejandro: Emily swears she can see that Alejandro has a lot of passion in his life and I believe she may be intrigued by him. A mushroom farmer! Who wouldn’t be?!
• Ryan feels like God has really blessed him and he doesn’t want to fall in love with the wrong person. He pretty much asks Emily why she’s worthy. He tells the camera he should be the next Bachelor. Ugh, the way this usually works out, he could be. I revoke him as a pick.
• Arie steals her away and fishes for compliments asking how she feels about him. Emily says that when she’s by herself he’s the person she thinks of.
• Sean and Emily have a cute kiss and I’d like to add him to my pick list. He is super sexy and doesn’t know it.
• Chris is insecure because the other guys are on him about being young so he opens up to Emily about it and she seems to be on his side. He confronts Doug about it and Doug just laughs and says he doesn’t feel threatened by Chris. Chris says he doesn’t believe Doug and thinks he is hiding something but he’s not very articulate so he just walks away looking like a fool.
In a shocking turn of events, this is the first time I’ve appreciated a conversation with Chris Harrison. Emily talks disappointment about Jef not kissing her, trying to figure out what’s wrong with Doug, not being able to stop kissing Arie, and what a manipulator Ryan is and how silly he is to think he has her fooled. Good stuff in that little chat!
Roses:
Doug
John
Jef
Sean
Arie
Travis
Chris
Ryan
Kalon
Alejandro
Going home: Charlie and Michael.
Next week: London. Double decker buses, palaces, city lights, acting, lots of kissing, someone calls Ricki “baggage,” Doug tells Emily someone called Ricki “baggage,” and then what’s likely to be the most exciting thing to happen this season: Emily tells that guy to “get the f&$! out.”. Oooh! That’s gonna be a good one! Any guesses on who it’ll be? Instincts say Kalon, who I’ve now modified not only to look like Ryan Phillippe from Cruel Intentions but also Jude Law from The Holiday.
Spread JAM Here:
The Bachelorette Recap episode 3, season 8 – Emily
I didn’t get a chance to watch this week’s episode of The Bachelorette on Monday but I was still giddy to sit down and watch it all play out – for some reason, I’m really invested in this season and I’m still hopefully optimistic despite Emily seeming like she’s not willing to get too deep, thereby making it difficult to truly connect with anyone. In any case, the dates were super fun.
One-on-One Date: Chris – “Love is a steady climb.”
Out walking the streets of Charlotte, Emily notes feeling unbelievably comfortable with Chris despite his intimidatingly dashing good looks. They climb the wall of a tall building to get to their dinner spot with a view. Mid-climb a storm starts. Thunder. Lightning. Crowd forming below them. Emily freaking out. They make it to the top and feel a huge sense of accomplishment but Chris thinks he missed his moment for a triumphant kiss. I agree.
Later plying Chris with compliments (likely to try to get some in return), Emily says taht he’s a confident, manly man and “if I saw you across a bar, I would not talk to you…I mean, I would be too nervous to talk to you.” Chris gives a little eyebrow raise and makes it pretty darn clear he’d run across the room to talk to her.
But, there’s trouble on the horizon when asked about past relationships and Chris shares his last significant other was his high school sweetheart. She’s not the problem; it’s his age. Emily is clearly saddened to learn that he’s only 25 (a whole year younger than her…gasp!) and now he’s so nervous that he spills out words to prove he’s mature and ready to be a husband and father. Emily says she likes Chris a lot more than she thought she would.
They stroll down the street and happen upon a Luke Bryan (yummy!) concert in downtown Charlotte. Chris really wanted a kiss and out of respect for her asks if he can kiss her at the end of the song and she tells him to go on and give it a try. Looked like it went over pretty well to me but gosh, I sure hate it when they ask for a kiss. Isn’t it proper ruling that if you have to ask it’s probably not okay?
Group Date: Charlie, Alejandro, Stevie, Ryan, Alessandro, Sean, John, Michael, Doug, Jef, tony, and Travis – “Let’s play.”
Emily introduces the guys to her best girlfriends so the girls can grill ’em to weed out the suckers. It seems like they are getting some pretty good info from the guys, including what some of them look like without shirts. We don’t learn until later in the show that Alessandro made an interesting subject. Cheated? Yup. Had a one night stand? Yup. Sean, Doug and Ryan are the friend favorites.
“Sean is a genetic gift to the world.” – Emily’s friend, Wendy getting a little saucy.
Emily blows a whistle and lets a bunch of kids loose in the park (seriously, whose kids are these?). While the guys entertain the kiddos, Ryan saunters over to the gals and somehow manages to mention Emily better not get fat because he’d still love her but maybe wouldn’t love on her as much. Ooh ouch. No brownie points for you.
Later on, Sean gets some alone time with Emily. He sure is shiny! He says he hasn’t dated anyone in a year because he’s really selective and looking for what his parents have. He seems too good to be true in all regards but I don’t know that the family card (aside from being a father to Ricki) really wins over Emily – she doesn’t talk too much about any other family than her daughter.
Doug the dad gives his 10 minute life story, tells Emily his dad had epilepsy, his mom left. He has a sister. They were in and out of foster homes. Emily tears up (too much depth, I think).
“You have bad days so you know when you have good ones.” – Doug, the profound father.
Tony is visibly upset, missing his son while he’s out playing with other people’s kids. After tearing up talking to Emily about his son then breaking down after calling his son,Emily finds him and tells him to go home. In the nicest possible way. But really, get outta here.
Date rose goes to Sean for being true to what he made himself out to be. [super hunky.]
One-on-One Date: Arie – “Love is a wild ride.”
I’m sure that Arie was stoked to hear that phrase on the date card. And I’m also sure he was pretty disappointed to find out they flew all the way to Tennessee to go to Dollywood, a big, southern theme park. They head into a theater to write love songs to each other and surprise, surprise! Dolly is there! She sings a song she’s written just for them. [no, it’s not good in case you were wondering.] They dance horribly. I mean wow, that’s bad. But Emily is all smiles. Dolly and Emily have a little girl talk and then Dolly plays them a love song she wrote for her husband of 46 years. “From here to the moon and back.” You can bet you’ll be hearing that song again sometime this season.
At dinner that night Emily asks Arie more about the girl he dated with two kids (they lived together and it was serious but the relationship didn’t work. Yes, he misses the kids). Arie asks Emily about Brad and why that didn’t work. Moving on quickly, Emily says she likes her own space so she’d be welcoming of Arie’s busy schedule. [read: I want a man to provide for me, but I don’t want him around …maybe why Emily never made the move to live with Brad?]. Emily tries to trick Arie into believing she was sending him home. They make out on the carousel and Emily confesses she’s scared by how much she likes him already and by how much he reminds her of Ricki’s dad. I see a top contender, folks!
Cocktail party
When Emily gets alone time with sad boy Kalon who didn’t get a date this week, he dominates the conversation, repeatedly cuts her off and talks over her. He doesn’t help when he starts in on the “I always believed that my first child would be my own…” speech. And then, the best part comes when Emily tries to partake in the conversation…
“I love it when you talk but I wish you’d let me finish.” – Kalon, getting feisty
“I do like tall, skinny and funny but I do not like tall, skinny and condescending.” -Emily, getting real
Most importantly: I figured out who Kalon looks like. Any guesses?? See below.
I thought the egg spashing scene would be a lot more cathartic. Turns out, no. It wasn’t.
Alessandro confesses he doesn’t have experience with kids and digs a deep hole he can’t crawl out of by informing Emily that becoming a dad and a husband are compromises because he’d be tied down…the conversation went a little like this:
Allessandro: “Yes, being a dad and a husband is a compromise. I can’t travel, I can’t go anywhere….[Emily interjects to make sure she’s understanding correctly] …wha? No. Aah, no no. We’re not having language barrier issues. I’m expressing myself.”
Emily: “And now you’re going home.”
Alessandro: “I’m living like a gypsy king with freedom.”
Emily is upset for all of 30 seconds until Arie consoles her with a big hug and kiss. And now the other guys are fuming. Front-runner competition for sure! Plus, he’s got the whole racing thing on his side…I can see why the guys are freaking out.
Arie may have come in with a kiss and a hug, but Sean comes in as a knight in shining armor, telling Emily that his father taught him how to be an amazing father and that he would feel blessed to have Ricki as a daughter and if they were to get married. Furthermore, he proclaims (without even having met her yet), that if he becomes a stepdad to Ricki, she can call him whatever she’d like but to him, she’d be his daughter. Aww…a little too soon, but sweet.
Roses:
Chris
Sean
Arie
Jef
Charlie
Doug
Michael
Travis
Alejandro
Ryan
John
Kalon
Nate
Stevie goes home. Ryan is a little heartbroken about seeing Emily kissing Arie so he’s ready to get competitive.
Next up: In Bermuda for cliff jumping, fireworks, bonfires, yachts, boats, racing, cliff jumping. Chris and Doug get in a tiff (a two-on-one date, perhaps?), and the guys question Ryan’s integrity.
Who does Kalon look like? Ryan Phillippe. Like Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions, right?
Stick Girl JAM 