busy bee

Trippin'

2012-02-10T06:05:00.000-06:00

Lately I have been daydreaming of travel.

I absolutely LOVE to travel and see new places and revisit my favorites. There are so many places I want to go and so many things that I want to see.

Why does airfare have to be so expensive? And why do I have to work?

It would be so much easier to plan trips if I had an endless supply of cash and no responsibilities.

Let's have a little fun and pretend that I just won the lottery!

First thing I would do is quit my job. And then immediately get some trips on the books...places I've never been to but have always wanted to go:

GREECE!

I would want to spend time in Athens doing touristy stuff and then I would want to spend time in Santorini, Mykonos and Peloponnese {which is where my family is from.}

BORA BORA!

{I mean, who wouldn't want to stay in a glass bottom bungalow?!}

and while we were way down there we would hit up

Sydney, Australia!

after traveling across the world I'd be ready for some good old U.S. of A.

I want to check out...

BOSTON!

HAWAII!

SONOMA, CA!

{I'd like to go during harvest so we can hit up one of those harvest parties!}

and finally I'd revisit some of my favorite places...

NEW YORK CITY!

{husband's never been...dying to take him!}

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS!

{Tortola & Barbados are my faves!}

NASHVILLE!

{such a fun city! I could live there!}

DISNEY WORLD!

{Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM, thank you very much!}

Where would you go that you haven't been? AND, where would you like to travel back to?

OK, back to daydreaming.....

Tell Me

2012-02-09T07:05:00.001-06:00

I am once again linking up with Tracy from Then I Got To Thinking... for "Tell Me."

I just love this idea! It's so fun having deeper and more personal blog topics. Not that posting about my wedding and new recipes isn't fun because it is and let's face it, that's what I love reading on other blogs but sometimes it's nice to open up a little more and in return learn more about my beloved blog friends.

Anyways, on to the good stuff. Today's topic is

"Tell Me...What's an experience you've had in your life that has made you learn something about yourself?"

There is a three year period of my life that clearly stands out as the time that I not only learned the most about myself but also learned the most in general, and it was the time that Coffee Buzz was open.

To those of you newer followers, my husband and I owned a coffee shop, called Coffee Buzz. It took about a year and a half to plan and open the shop and then we were in business for another year and a half. It was an independent coffee shop that we built from the ground up; the concept was ours, the name was ours, the design, menu and decor were all ours.

During these three years I was challenged mentally, physically and emotionally. My relationship with my boyfriend/fiance were challenged {he proposed while the shop was open and we were married shortly after we closed} and my relationships with my family and friends were tested.

My daily life was completely different than that of anyone in my life, except my husband's. We worked 7 days a week for 13 hours a day, we were awake before sunrise every day and in the winter were home well after the sun went down. But, the business was ours. We met some of the most incredible people through Coffee Buzz and learned more than could ever be taught in books.

What I learned from the ups and downs, stresses and milestones, excitement and disappointment, pride and heartbreak that came with opening and then closing Coffee Buzz is that everything happens for a reason and you'll never succeed if you don't try.

For me personally, I learned that I am capable of way more than what I give myself credit for and also that failure is OK. The business didn't turn out how we'd all expected it to, but we did it.

What life experience taught you something about yourself?

Wedding Recap {The Families}

2012-02-07T07:05:00.002-06:00

I have to admit, the one thing I was super worried about was making sure that all of our parents {we have 8 of them} felt important and special on our wedding day. I also wanted to make sure we had plenty of pictures with our families. Even though it was a long and not super-exciting part of the day, I am thrilled that we have these pictures with the people we love most.

Jason's step-dad {Deward} and his mom {Lisa}

Jason with his mom, step-dad and sister Nicole.

The Whole Family!

JJ and his favorite girls. :)

Brother and Sister!

My step-dad {Steve} and my mom {Paula}

The whole family--step-sister {Natalie}, brother {Nate}, parents and Groom!

Me, my Mom and my Brother {The Three Muskateers}

Me and my MAMA!

My baby brother {Hips & Flubbo McGee}

The whole Fawver Crew! J's brother {Travis}, J's sister {Ally} J's dad {Kevin}, J's step-mom {Judye}, Bride & Groom, J's sister {Nicole} and J's brother {Christopher}

Fawver Siblings

New In-Laws {and they've known me my WHOLE life!}

J and his Dad

My sister {Kara}, brother {Nate}, step-mom {Denise} and dad {Tom}

My baby brother and sister! Love them SO much!

My parentals.

Me and my dad!

One of my favorite pictures from the day:

Whew, told ya we have a lot of family! Looking back I wish we would have done a photo with the entire enormous family--all the parents and all the siblings--but I don't think SJ has a lens wide enough for that.

I also have to share one of my favorite memories from the day. I asked my dad to come to International Market Square to pick up Jason and I to bring us to the church. There wasn't enough room in our limo for everyone and I really wanted to just have that time with my dad before the picture craziness. My dad came to IMS just as J and I were finishing our Bride & Groom photos. So I yelled down to him to stand outside the elevator.

My dad couldn't see me from where I was, so J and I rode down in the elevator together and when it opened my dad got to see me on my wedding day for the first time. It was a really special moment. My step-mom started bawling!

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography.

Meal Planning Monday & My Weekend

2012-02-06T06:05:00.001-06:00

A daily conversation between me and my husband...

Mrs: "Hey, what do you want to do for dinner tonight?"

Mr: "Doesn't matter to me, what do you want to do?"

Mrs: "I really don't care, do you feel like anything in particular?"

Mr: "No, not really. Do you?"

Mrs: "No, I guess I'll just figure something out."

Mr: "OK, great."

Well, it was a daily conversation until NOW! I have to admit after one week of meal planning, I love it! It was so nice to know what we were eating, not have to come up with something and to have all the ingredients already. After taking what I learned from week one, and using ingredients that I still have on hand here is what I've come up with for this week of meal planning:

Feb. 6-Feb. 10	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
BREAKFAST	Starbucks Latte & Veggie Sausage	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana
LUNCH	Mrs. Gras Noodle Soup	Amy’s Organic Black Bean Soup	Amy’s Organic Tomato Soup	Quinoa Cakes, Red Pepper, Chobani Yogurt	Quinoa Cakes, Red Pepper, Chobani Yogurt
DINNER	Grilled Chicken w/ Brown Rice	Dinner w/ Mom	Quinoa Cakes w/ Cheesy Broccoli	Dinner w/ Mom & Nate	Greek Turkey Burgers & Asparagus
SNACKS	Chobani Yogurt,	Chobani Yogurt, Larabar	String Cheese	Larabar	String Cheese

It's a pretty boring week meal planning wise. I have a bunch of stuff in the cupboards that I want to eat up and my mom will be in town from Arizona, so we're going out to eat on Tuesday and Thursday. I am really excited to try these Greek Turkey Burgers on Friday though!

Carolyn and I got such a great response from all of you in regards to meal planning, so we decided to make it a weekly post! If you meal plan or want to start, join us in posting your meals on Monday.

We even made this super cute button:

Not sure why the middle is blurry....I'm working on it.

As for this weekend, it was a good one! Friday night I spent the evening painting our guest room. If you recall, one of my goals for this month was to get the room cleaned organized and redecorated for our friends coming to visit on the 25th. I've made some great progress and am pretty excited about everything coming together. Here's a little sneaky peak of the color I chose:

Saturday I got to spend the entire day with my Beeb. We met for a morning yoga class at the gym. It was a great class and it was so fun doing yoga with a friend. After yoga we were off to cheer on my little sister and the Eden Prairie Dance Team at the Section Championship!

The girls got third place in Jazz and FIRST PLACE IN KICK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which means both the Jazz and Kick teams are going to State!

Obviously we had to go out and celebrate the victory with some cocktails.

I won't lie to you...I over indulged. Actually that's not true, I only had a couple of drinks but I didn't eat dinner and I ended up feeling not-so-hot. I was able to pull myself out of bed on Sunday with enough time to make some cookies for the super bowl.

White Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookies....so yummy!

We watched the Super Bowl with some friends at my dad's house.

We had a TON of great food

And of course we had a squares board. Our friend Jeff won ALL four quarters!

So not fair!

But the best part of the night...THE GIANTS WON!

I love Eli Manning and absolutely despise Tom Brady so I was a happy lady! I thought it was a great game and thought Madonna's halftime show was one of the better shows in the last several years! I was let down by the commercials though. But overall it was a great Super Bowl and another fun weekend!

What Unexpectedly Changed Your Life?

2012-02-03T06:05:00.006-06:00

Today I am linking up with the simply stunning Tracy from Then I Got to Thinking for her "Tell Me" series! This week's question is "What Unexpectedly Changed Your Life?"

I had a tough time coming up with a topic...the first thing that came to mind was when Jason and I started dating. But while it did change my life, and it was unexpected it was something I had wanted all my life {yes, I've known him my whole life} and I've already told that story...read it here!

Then I thought about something that has happened in my life that was completely unexpected...and BAM, there was my topic. My parents got divorced when I was ten and a little over a year later my dad got remarried. Neither event really shook my world. My parents were always really good about keeping their stuff separate and not letting it affect my brother and I.

What I wasn't expecting, however, was when my dad told my brother and I that he and my step-mom were having a baby. I didn't know what to think. I didn't really want another kid around...I was jealous, and nervous and worried about what this meant for my place in the family. The nine months flew by and it was fun watching my step-mom's belly grow. Because they didn't have a name for the baby we lovingly nicknamed her "boo" which stemmed into other nicknames like "booey" and "boodgie." I still call my baby sister Boodge.

I will never forget the day my sister was born. June 12th, 1997, I was packing up my childhood bedroom. My mom had sold the house we grew up in and we were moving to another city. I was moving away from my childhood friends and would be starting a new school. To say that my world felt upside down would be an understatement. I was 12...think of when you were 12. 12 years old is not a fun age for girls and being that I have NEVER been good at change, this was all a lot for me. Anyways, I was pulling my Blossom posters off the wall {no joke} and the phone rang...it was my dad...I had a baby sister.

I absolutely hate to admit that I wasn't excited. I was too caught up in all the changes happening in my life.

The first few months were difficult, as I imagine they always are with a newborn. But as Kara turned in to a baby and then in to a toddler, it was kind of fun. Babies are cute and funny and it was cool to be a big sister.

It hasn't always been easy being 12 years older than my sister. I mean, we've obviously always loved each other but 12 years is a big age gap and has been frustrating at times.

But the past few years I have noticed a significant change in our relationship. While our lives are at completely different stages...hello, newlywed vs high school student, I have noticed that we have much more in common. We're closer than ever.

I have always loved my baby sister but I am so happy that we now get to have that real sister relationship. I have the opportunity to be a role model and set an example for her and that means more to me now than ever. I am so proud of Kara, I love her to pieces, I would truly do anything for her and will beat the crap out of anyone who hurts her.

A Night at the Theater

2012-02-02T06:05:00.000-06:00

Please hit PLAY before reading this post:

As you may recall, I made a Birthday/Christmas wishlist in the beginning of December and the number one thing on my list this year was tickets to The Lion King.

I have been lucky enough to see the show twice on Broadway and I am so in love with it.

2007

When I saw that the show was coming to Minneapolis I spazzed! Poor Jason did not hear the end of it!

My lovely husband is NOT a theater person. I love the theater! I've been to I think 8 shows on Broadway and another handful in town. While I would love to go to every show that comes to Minneapolis, I know that Jason would be miserable sitting through any of them. EXCEPT THIS ONE! He loves the movie and I swore to him that if he took me he would actually like it.

All the begging and pleading paid off because when I opened my birthday gift.....

...Husby not only got us tickets to the show, but they're in the second row AND got me the movie on BluRay!

Best husband ever? I THINK SO!

Only bad part about the gift...I had to wait 50 days to see the show!

After 50 not-so-patient days, January 31st finally arrived! It was one of the most fantastic date nights we've ever had!

We started the night at one of our favorite restaurants The Capital Grille.

We shared a bottle of wine and I ordered the ONLY thing I ever order at Capital Grille---the Filet Oscar!

Sooooo yummy!!!

After a delicious dinner we crossed the street to the Orpheum Theater.

I knew our tickets were right up front but I didn't really comprehend what that meant until we sat down and the show started. It was just as magical and incredible and memorizing and fabulous as I remembered it to be. And once again I cried during the opening scene...3 for 3.

AND, as I suspected, Jason loved it! During intermission I asked him what he thought and he said "All I can think about is how much Brody {his best friend's 2 year old son} would love this."

PULL AT MY HEARTSTRINGS!

While I realize that photos during a show are strictly prohibited, I couldn't contain myself and just had to snap this super quick picture of the cast at the end of the show.

How amazing are those seats?!?!

And finally, a pic of me and my hubby!

Thanks for an incredible birthday present and one of the best date nights of all time--let's do it again!

Checklist Check-In.

2012-02-01T06:05:00.006-06:00

Happy February everyone! How quick did January fly by? Sheesh! At this rate it will be summer before we know it... HALLELUJAH!

So remember at the beginning of the year when I wrote THIS POST about setting monthly goals for myself instead of lofty resolutions I never stick to? Well, the end of the first month is over, so it's time to check-in and see how I did and make some new goals!

Here were my January goals:

*Save $300
Yup, didn't happen. Actually we had the $300 in the savings account for almost the entire month, but hubby needed 4 new tires on his car, so $400 later the savings was gone. Shoot.

*Keep track of every penny spent
Nope. I did make a great budget spreadsheet to keep track of bills and spending...but I didn't go as far as keeping receipts. I really need to find a budgeting plan that works for us...any ideas?

*Go to yoga once a week

I did it and LOVED it! Getting back in to yoga has been wonderful! I can already feel myself getting stronger and more flexible.

*Go to the gym at least once a week

Nailed it! I am pretty in love with Lifetime Fitness and am getting to the point where I actually get excited to go to the gym!

*Go to Starbucks just once a week

This was a HUGE one for me! November and December I was probably going anywhere from 3-6 times a week! I am proud to say that I went every Monday in January and that's IT! Go me!

*Redo our master bathroom
So happy to have this done! In case you missed the big reveal, go HERE!

*Keep up on laundry

I'm giving myself a half complete on this one...I definitely didn't keep up like I had wanted to but I feel like our laundry situation was more under control than usual {hubby has been very helpful!}

*Try one new recipe a week (or 4 for the month)
I dominated this one! Check out all the recipes that I tried this month: Beef and Broccoli with Spicy Thai Noodles, Oreo Pudding Cookies, Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Beef, Honey Sesame Chicken & Fried Rice, Homemade Egg Rolls. I also made Enchilada Pasta, Olive Cheese Balls, Red Wine Spaghetti, Baked Potato Soup and Spinach Lasagna Roll ups, all of which I still need to share.

*Read one book
I read Room and absolutely LOVED it!

*Write and schedule all wedding recap blog posts
This took for-frickin-ever! But it is done! I hope you all are liking the recaps...cuz there's a lot of them! Here are the ones that have been posted, in case you missed them: The Outfit, The Morning, Something Old, New, Borrowed & Tiffany's Blue, and The First Look.

*Get started on wedding albums for us and our families

Nope, I'm like a third of the way done uploading them in to shutterfly and that's as far as I've gotten.

And now, some goals for February!

*Clean out, organize and decorate our guest room.

Our friends who we met on our honeymoon are coming to visit the 25th and I cannot have them staying in a room that looks like this:

Our guest room has been the dumping zone for everything without a home since the wedding. Hopefully Billy & Jackie's visit will be the kick in the butt I need to get this room up to par.

*Go to yoga twice a week.
I have been LOVING my Thursday night yoga class and am excited to keep up with it. I found a Tuesday night class that I am anxious to try, so my goal is to go to both classes every week this month {except Valentines day--maybe I'll do a morning class that day}.

*Meal plan.
The Beeb has somehow talked me in to meal planning with her this month. I don't have a whole lot of faith in myself on this one. I am hoping that posting it in my goals and doing it with Carolyn will make me more successful....we'll see.

*Read one book.
I want to make sure I'm taking time to read...I love it!

*Make a new button.
Now that I have a new and improved blog look I need to update my button to match.

*Not drink during the week.
I realize this makes me sound like a raging alcoholic, but my husband works in wine and I am in sales...so between the wine he brings home and the happy hours I go to I will usually have at least one drink at least three times a week. Those calories add up! So, this month I am going to limit my adult beverages to only Fridays and Saturdays. I am giving myself a pass on Valentine's Day though because we're going to my favorite restaurant!

*Make my in-laws a calendar.
Every year I make my in-laws a shutterfly calendar of the past year. Obviously, I'm making a wedding one for this year and have yet to do it. I NEED to get on this, like yesterday.

*Bake a fun V-day treat for my office!
I am getting more in to baking and definitely need some more practice. So I think I'll let my co-workers be my guinea pigs. I'm going to try and find a couple of fun recipes on Pinterest to try!

Alright, I think that's all I've got this month!

What are your goals for February?

Wedding Recap {The Bride & Groom}

2012-01-31T06:05:00.003-06:00

After our first look it was the Kristin & Jason show. We spent about 30 minutes making sure we had plenty of Bride & Groom pictures, and boy do we ever!

International Market Square {which is where our reception was held} was the absolute perfect backdrop for some amazing pictures of the two of us. Not to mention, it was blast kissing on my almost-hubby over and over and over and over again! :)

This one is one of my favorites:

The Groom!

So handsome!!!

The Bride!

I absolutely love these photos and am having a really hard time choosing which ones will be framed and displayed.

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography.

My Attmempt @ Meal Planning

2012-01-30T06:05:00.085-06:00

It's no secret that my goals for this year are to get healthier {eat better & work out more} and budget {save money & pay off loans}. When my Beeb threw out the idea of meal planning I immediately dismissed it thinking there's no way I could ever plan a weeks worth of meals in advance. I get cravings for particular foods all the time--I would hate being restricted.

Then, my wheels started turning. I thought that if I create a menu with a variety of foods I may eliminate those cravings and therefore won't devour unhealthy foods. On top of it, if I plan a nice variety of dinners we won't get sick of certain foods. I'm thinking one night Italian, one night Mexican, one night Asian, one night Beef, one night Turkey, one night Veggie...etc. etc. etc.

As my wheels started turning even faster, I realized this could be a great way to budget as well. The plan is to go grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday and get all the food we will need for the following week. This will help eliminate waste and help me keep track of exactly what we're spending on food....not to mention will prevent us from eating out or picking up dinner {usually unhealthy and expensive}.

Long story short, I agreed to join Beeb in the quest to be a meal planning maniac. I am still apprehensive so I made it a goal for February. If it sucks I only have to do it for four weeks and then I know that meal planning is not for me.

I know you are all just chomping at the bit to see what I'll be eating all week...
so I won't keep you waiting a moment longer.

Jan. 30 - Feb. 2	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
BREAKFAST	Starbucks Latte, Veggie Sausage	Chobani Yogurt, Veggie Sausage	Chobani Yogurt, Veggie Sausage	Chobani Yogurt, Veggie Sausage	Chobani Yogurt, Veggie Sausage
LUNCH	Black Bean Bagel, Carrots, Blueberries	Black Bean Bagel, Carrots, Blueberries	Black Bean Bagel, Carrots, Blueberries	Black Bean Bagel, Carrots, Blueberries	Subway Sandwich, Apple Slices
DINNER	Greek Salad w/ Grilled Chicken	Dinner Out: Capital Grill	Enchilada Pasta	Leftovers: Enchilada Pasta	Turkey Tacos
SNACKS	Banana, String Cheese	Banana, String Cheese, Larabar	Banana, String Cheese	Banana, String Cheese, Larabar	Banana, String Cheese

I decided to go balls to wall and plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the whole week. I planned the dinners for both myself and Jason and then we can figure out our own breakfast and lunch. I also am not planning weekend--we can eat up any leftovers and more realistically will be going out to eat.

Let's break it down, shall we?

BREAKFAST

I am in love with Chobani's Greek Yogurt, my favorite flavor is Peach. I love that they have a great variety, so I never get sick of them. They're low calorie, no fat AND filled with calcium! Score! I have also been loving Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Links. Only 80 calories for 2 links and SO yummy! This is the perfect breakfast for me because I can keep these in the fridge/freezer at work and make them when I get in in the morning {I like to sleep in until the last minute--so there's no way I'm getting up to make breakfast!}

LUNCH:

I found this Black Bean Bagel recipe on Eat Better America and am pumped to try it! I pre-made the spread last night and made myself a little bagel sandwich this morning. I am NOT a fan of tomatoes so I put cucumbers and onion on the sandwich and also used a whole wheat bagel. I also have blueberries and baby carrots to eat with it every day this week...except Friday when I'm treating myself to a Subway Sandwich {6 inch on wheat with Turkey, Pepper Jack Cheese (toasted!) with Spinach, Cucumbers, Onion, Black Olives and Honey Mustard is my new favorite!}

DINNER:

Greek Salad: one of my faves! I use lettuce, cucumber, red onion, carrots, low-fat feta cheese, kalamata olives, grilled lemon pepper chicken breast and a yummy vinaigrette!

{ignore those disgusting tomatoes!}

Capital Grille: We're going to see The Lion King tomorrow night and are going out to a nice steak dinner beforehand! NOM! NOM! NOM!

Enchilada Pasta: Jason works late and plays basketball on Wednesday nights so I wanted to find something I could make for myself and he could heat up later. I tried THIS RECIPE a couple of weeks ago and both me and Jason LOVED it! And it tastes GREAT the next day...so I figured this would be a good two-night meal option.

Turkey Tacos: Homemade Tacos just may be my favorite food on the planet. We've been substituting ground turkey for the beef for years and LOVE it. Tacos are a perfect Friday night meal.

SNACKS:

I usually need a snack or two to get me through the day at work.

I figure a banana and some string cheese are good healthy options. Then, on the days I go to yoga after work I'll have a Larabar for some extra energy!

Have you or do you meal plan? What works for you...I am dying to know!

Also, to see what Carolyn is planning for the week go to her blog: Life, Love & Puppy Prints.

Wish me luck!

What to Read?

2012-01-27T06:05:00.001-06:00

Winter months in Minnesota are my reading months, husband builds a fire pretty much every night and I'm not sure there's anything I love more then snuggling up by the fire with my nook and my puggle. OK, I love snuggling up by the pool in 85 and sunny with a twisted tea far more than the fire....but it's winter, I do what I can.

Anywhoo, while I LOVE my Nook I have this weird problem where I can't browse books online or on the Nook. Not because it doesn't work, it does, but I really love to pick the book up and read the back cover.

So, when I'm in need of some new reads, I head to the book section at Target and write a list of books that stand out. I created a new list and thought I should share it to see if any of you have read any of these and which you recommend!

A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

Expecting Adam by Martha Beck

Inside of a Dog by Alexandria Horowitz

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

Room by Emma Donoghue

Reading this right now!

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernsntein

What good books have you read lately? Have you read any of these? What'd ya think?

Bathroom MakeOver

2012-01-26T06:05:00.002-06:00

We have lived in our townhouse for three years and I am just getting around to the redecorating projects that I have wanted to do since we moved in. I can't lie...the wedding gifts helped quite a bit in terms of motivation.

The first project undoubtedly had to be the master bathroom....it was hot mess. Here are a couple of before pictures to prove it:

Yes that is what the sink looked like. And yes, it was almost always like that. And yes, it drove me absolutely crazy!

I started the make-over by completely stripping and cleaning the bathroom.

I taped, then painted, cleaned again, organized and the decorated! I am so happy with how it turned out AND thanks to some handy organization....

...the counter has stayed clear and clean!

So, without further adieu, the before and after photos!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What do you think?

Homemade Vegetable Eggrolls

2012-01-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

I mentioned on Monday that I made Homemade Eggrolls for a dinner party we hosted on Friday. I surprised at how easy they were, and I personally thought they turned out great! I adapted my recipe from For the Love of Cooking.

INGREDIENTS:

-1 tsp olive oil

-4 cups classic cole slaw mix

-2 cups bean sprouts

-1 can water chestnuts {chopped}

-2 tbsp green onions {sliced}

-1 tsp ginger {grated}

-2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

-1 tbsp corn starch

-1/4 cup water

-1 package egg roll wraps

-Sweet and Sour sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS:

-Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the cole slaw mix, bean sprouts, ginger and water chestnuts. Cook 4-5 minutes stirring often until veggies are slightly wilted.

-Mix corn starch and water, whisking until mixed well

-Add corn starch mixture, soy sauce and green onions to pan. Mix well until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

-Add two tablespoons of mixture to the center of egg roll wrap.

-First fold up the bottom, then the two sides created an envelope shape.

sorry for the crappy picture

-Then roll the envelopes up...line on a greased baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

-Cook at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, flipping the rolls halfway through.

Serve with sweet and sour sauce and ENJOY!

As always, adding this to Pinterest!

Wedding Recap {The First Look}

2012-01-24T07:05:00.002-06:00

The girls arrived at International Market Square just after 12:00pm.

After getting the veil in {not going to go in to that because it was the one point in the day where I thought I might kill someone}, it was time to go see my Groom. I grabbed my Maid of Honor and Personal Attendant and the three of us were in the elevator up to the 4th floor where Jason was waiting for me. I was so excited to finally see him, but so nervous and emotional as well. It's really hard to describe how I was feeling at that moment, which is why this picture is one of my favorites from the day, my face says it all.

Once I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Jason, his back was turned towards me.

It was hard not to just full sprint towards him.

They veil got fluffed and I took a deep breath....trying not to cry.

Then started the longest walk of my life. Our photographers could see me, the videographers could see me...but Jason couldn't. I remember thinking "There he is. My husband" and that's when I started to lose it.

The moment he turned around and I could finally see his face it was like all the air was taken out of me. It was one of the best moments of my life and I have never felt happier.

I seriously felt like everything was fine and it was always going to be.

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography.

Happily Boring

2012-01-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

{Kelly & Katie--that title is for you! :)}

Happy Monday everyone! Is anyone else NOT pumped that it's the start of another work week? I will say that I am starting to love Mondays more and more because it's my ONE day a week that I allow myself a Starbucks!

YUM!

This weekend was another fabulously low key one, although we had a lot going on. Friday night we had some friends over for dinner! I made Beef & Broccoli, Spicy Thai Peanut Noodle Salad, Fried Rice and Homemade Egg Rolls {I'll be sharing the recipe later this week.} I have never cooked for that many people before but all the food turned out GREAT and everyone loved it!

A shot of Sake to really bring home the Asian themed meal.

Saturday I got to sleep in and snuggle with the husby and the puggle and then spent nearly five hours at my sister's dance competition...and loved every minute of it! I was a dancer growing up and in high school so I absolutely love reliving the glory days! My sister, however, is about 10,000,000,000 times the dancer that I ever was! I am so proud and have so much fun watching her! She's on the Varsity Kick team as a FRESHMAN and on the JV Jazz Team.

Me, Kara, Kara's BFF, Bella, and Bella's sister Kendra after the meet.

They absolutely KILLED their kick routine. They got second place out of 23 teams! Although, they got screwwwwwed...and I'm not just saying that....they really deserved to win.

For those you dance enthusiasts like myself, here is their kick routine! Sheer amazingness! I wish I could point out my baby sister.

After the competition, my hubby met up with me and my dad for a drink and watch the T-Wolves game.

Sunday I spent the afternoon at a retreat for AOTT. I am the Social Advisor for the chapter and since they just had elections we had a meeting with all the advisors and all the new officers to discuss goals for the next year. The best part was going to lunch with two of my best college girlfriends afterwards. We revisited our old stomping grounds, The Library, for a Bloody Mary and cheeseburger. As always it's great catching up and reminiscing with these girls, they make me laugh til my stomach hurts.

Finally, last night my amazing husband brought me to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

As I mentioned last week, I am obsessed with Tom Hanks and it was absolutely VITAL that I see this movie opening weekend. IT WAS SO GOOD! I cried like a baby and Jason even teared up {NO JOKE!} but it was such an incredible story and of course had incredible performances from Tom, Sandra Bullock and the little boy, Thomas Horn. I definitely recommend it, but wear waterproof mascara!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Honey Sesame Chicken & Fried Rice

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

I could probably live on Chinese Food, and after trying the Beef and Broccoli recipe I was inspired to try more Asian cooking. These recipes were both winners and I will definitely be making them again!

Honey Sesame Chicken

{originally from My Kitchen Snippets}

INGREDIENTS:

-3 chicken breasts cut in to pieces

-1 tbsp. Light soy sauce

-1 tbsp. cooking wine

-1/2 tbsp. sesame oil

-1 tsp. sugar

-2 tbsp. flour

-1 tbsp. cornstarch

-Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauce:

-3 tbsp. sweet chili sauce

-2 tbsp. ketchup

-1-2 tbsp honey {depending on how sweet you want it}

-1 tbsp. oyster sauce

-2 tbsp. Light soy sauce

-1/4 cup water

-Toasted Sesame Seeds

DIRECTIONS:

-Marinate chicken in soy sauce, wine, sesame oil and sugar for about an hour.

-Mix flour and cornstarch, coat over chicken {this would have been better done in a large ziploc bag, which I didn't have}

-To make the sauce, combine chili sauce, ketchup, honey, oyster sauce, soy sauce and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer until sauce thickens.

-Fry chicken in oil {350 degreed} until golden brown

-Toss chicken with sauce and top with sesame seeds

SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!

FRIED RICE

{originally from BlogChef.net}

INGREDIENTS:

-3 cups white rice

-3 tbsp. sesame oil

-1 cup frozen peas and carrots {thawed}

-1 small onion {chopped}

-2 tsp minced garlic

-2 eggs {lightly beaten}

-1/2 cup soy sauce {I ended up using a little less than 1/2 cup}

DIRECTIONS:

-Cook the white rice according to the box. Cool in refrigerator.

-In a wok, heat sesame oil. Add peas and carrots mix, garlic and onion and stir fry until tender.

-Lower the head and add eggs, stir fry until finely scrambled

-Add rice and soy sauce, blend well. Stir fry a few seconds or until heated through.

As usual, adding this to Pinterest!

Thought on Thursday

2012-01-19T07:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, you read that correctly, I just have one thought on this lovely Thursday morning. OK, that's not entirely true, I have about 30 million thoughts going on at all times which is why I am such a spaz.

Basically, I sat down to do a Thoughts on Thursday post and realized I am really only focused on one thing right now....being a grown up.

After getting married something sparked in me, something I'm pretty sure my parents have been waiting 9 years to spark. I need to get my life in order.

I'm 27 {no spring chicken}, I'm married and I have a full-time job. If that doesn't scream grown-up, I don't know what does. So I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what I want in life and what I need to do to get it.

In the immediate future I would like a new car, I would like to travel and I would like to buy a house. In the future in it's entirety I would like to be happy, healthy, financially stable and have a husband and kids who think I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread, I would also like to have a clean house. Like clean all the time.

So as of late I have been trying to get my big butt in to gear. Figuring out bills, creating budgets, eating healthier, cooking more, trying to exercise, reading more books, keeping the house clean, washing my face before bed. Ya know, little things that add up to a better and happier me. Things that will lead to a future of blissful happiness. Let me tell you, it's not all that fun! It's depressing to see how much money I still owe on my student loans, or how many calories are in Cheese Puffs from LeeAnn Chin or how much I pay to watch television every month, and it's way easier to just hop in to bed without washing my face.

But, I'm lucky. I have an amazing husband who makes me laugh harder than anyone has ever made me laugh. We're healthy, we have a great townhouse and we have great jobs that we love. It will take time to pay off loans, and save money and I may never be able to give up Cheese Puffs, but I think we can do this. I think we can get our shiz in order and someday have everything we've ever dreamed of...and I'm not talking about cars and TVs but healthy kids, a clean house, a clean face and bladder control problems from laughing so hard throughout the years.

Wedding Recap {Old, New, Borrowed & Tiffany's Blue}

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

I always knew I wanted to follow the tradition of "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue." I remember learning of the tradition as a little girl and thinking it was so cool, who knows why. But, it stuck with me and became something really important to me. I actually looked in to the whole meaning of the tradition to make sure I was honoring the tradition in the right way.

Do you know what the rhyme really means?

Something Old

represents continuity with the bride's family and past

I carried a glove that my great-grandma (grandpa's mom) wore on her wedding day as well as a handkerchief that has been passed down throughout the generations on my grandmas side. You can see there is a list of all the women who have carried this hankie and their wedding dates. It was such a meaningful memento and really captured the meaning of the Something Old tradition.

My mom showing me the list of our family who has carried the handkerchief.

Something New

optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead

My shoes were my something new. By now you all know my long time love affair with Jimmy Choo, and wearing them on my wedding day meant more to me than having designer shoes...it was a sense of accomplishment that after so many years of wanting a pair I was able to buy them for myself. Hopefully, they're a sign of more fabulousness to come in my life ahead.

Something Borrowed

an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride

I wore my mom's gorgeous earring for my something borrowed. She wore these earrings on her wedding day to my step-dad, Steve. It was so special to me to wear these earring and let's face it, they're GORGEOUS!

Something Blue

The color blue is a sign of fidelity

Jason gave me a GORGEOUS ring from Tiffany & Co. that I have been lusting over for at least a year. It's the "XO" ring by Paloma Picasso BUT we personalized it by setting blue topaz {my birthstone} in the "o." It's not only a reminder of our wedding day that I will wear forever but also my Something Blue. And, considering the meaning behind the blue is fidelity, I thought it was really special that my something blue came from Jason.

Did you follow the Old, New, Borrowed, Blue tradition? What did you carry?

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography.

I Heart Tattoos!

2012-01-17T11:13:00.002-06:00

I am linking up with the lovely and hilarious Raven from A Momma's Desires and Pacifers to share my tattoo.

I got my tattoo in college, I think it was my junior year. I had known what I wanted and where I wanted it but I was super nervous about making that lifetime commitment. Before I got my tattoo I drew it with permanent marker and would touch it up every day for a couple of weeks to make sure I really loved it and would want it permanently. I did! I loved it!

1. I apologize for the craptastic picture2. I don't know why it wont rotate
Anyways, it says "Agape" pronounces "AH-GAH-PEY"It means selfless love in Greek. I am Greek by heritage and by association (Alpha Omicron Pi). So it has double meaning for me. Agape was a part of our ritual in AOTT but more importantly I think selfless love is something that every hopes to receive and tries to give. I absolutely love it and don't for a second regret it.
I am excited to check out all of your tats!
Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone! :)

A Wonderful Weekend

2012-01-16T10:23:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday Morning everyone! I am here at work enjoying my one Starbucks latte of the week {and yes, I've stuck with it and am finally getting to the point where I don't crave one every day.}

This past weekend was simply wonderful. For the first time since I think July {no joke} we didn't have ANY plans on the calendar. It was so refreshing to be able to do whatever we felt like, not to mention spend some quality time together.

Friday, we both got home from work and debated on whether we should go out or stay in. We both agreed we were too lazy to do a damn thing, so sweatpants and Dominos pizza it was! And we finally watched Friends With Benefits.

It was super cute and funny but I have to say I liked No Strings attached better. After the movie we caught up on the DVR, and then I got a hilarious video sent from Columbus of my buddies Jess and Katie. From this Jason started giving me a hard time because I never send my girls (Jess, Erica, Steph and Katie) a video....and then this happened:

Yup, we're ghetto. And, no, we hadn't been drinking. I think I had one Twisted Tea and J had two beers. I suggested a rap video and Jason replies with "Let's put on outfits." It is this reason that I am so in love with that boy. The rest of the night was filled with a HIGHlarious text convo and tons of tweets {I know, we're awesome}.

Saturday we slept in and then I went to yoga. About halfway through the class (which was super hard, by the way) I find out that it's actually a 90 minute class. Needless to say I am incredibly sore but it felt great.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out at home with my favorites.

Yes, that is how Bailey was laying. She is a snuggle monster.

Saturday night we went out to dinner at a little Italian restaurant by our house, Bella Cucina. We have lived at our place for over 3 years and have never been there and it's only a mile away. It was pretty cute and super delicious.

My hot date. <3

After dinner we met up with my dad at Chammps to watch the Timberwolves game, unfortunately the Wolves lost by 2 to the Hawks but it was a great game!

Yesterday I had to work a bit in the morning but the rest of the day I read my book, took a nap, worked out, got Chipotle for dinner (thanks a lot Steph, I wanted Chinese) and watched the Golden Globes. This is kind of random, but Kate Beckinsale was my best dressed of the night. I thought she was flawless head to toe:

It was such a fabulously relaxing weekend! I hope you all had a great weekend too.

I've Been Tagged

2012-01-13T09:00:00.001-06:00

The gorgeous Megan from I Made My Bed... tagged me in one of these little "getting to know you posts." And, I have to be honest, I LOVE these! They're a fun way to get to know random things about fellow bloggers AND who doesn't love when a blog topic just lands in your lap?

So, here are the rules:

-You must post the rules

-Post 11 Fun Facts about yourself

-Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you in their post & then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged

-Tag 11 people and link them in your post

-Let them know you have tagged them

11 Fun Facts About Kristin:

I had a really hard time coming up with 11 facts...so I got in touch with the people who know me better than anyone and enlisted their help. I have to say, it was hilarious reading what they came up with.
Here's just some of what they had to say...

Husband: "You just learned how to burp."

It's true, up until a few months ago I didn't know how to burp, which made drinking pop and/or beer really difficult and painful....now I'm a beer drinking, burping machine. So ladylike.

Mother: "You can count in Greek."

Yup, I can count to 10 in Greek. My grandpa was very patient with me one summer when I decided it was my goal to learn to count in Greek. I also spent a summer trying to write left handed.

Father: "You had 2 jockeys as childhood imaginary friends, Jimmy Alarco and Trotter Ray."

I wish so badly that I remembered what those two looked like.

Brother: "The ability to consume more Twisted Tea than any human should"
Both my husband and brother brought this one up, so I had to include it. I really LOVE Twisted Tea. It gives most people gut-rut after 2-3 but I can drink those babies like water! Not necessarily something to be proud of, but it's the truth.

Best Friend: "You like it warm and sunny and are handy with a bedazzler."

Two facts, I know, but both are very true. I LOVE summer, the hotter and sunnier the better.

And, I used to LOVE my bedazzler.

Husband: "You're afraid of birds."

A lot of people think it's dumb but it is a legit fear. Birds absolutely horrify me! It's bad. They're scary.

Father: "You peed on the doctor at birth"

Yup, that's me. Came in to the world with a classy bang!

Best Friend: "You're an expert on 'Friends' trivia"
Beyond obsessed with that show and know more about it than one person probably should.

Brother: "You eat baby food"
Yeah, it's true. I love baby food. Not the gross kinds like turkey or peas but I love the fruit ones. Bananas and Hawaiian Delight are my favorites.

Mother: "You were a photographer for the University of Minnesota newspaper."

This is one of those experiences that I am extremely proud of. Got hired by the MN Daily as a Freshman!

Husband: "You're obsessed with Tom Hanks."

I really am soooo obsessed with Tom Hanks. It's hard for me to even describe how much I love him.

11 Questions from Megan:

1. If you could travel anywhere for 10 days, would spend all 10 days in one location or 10 days at different locations? Where?

I would hands-down go to Greece. I would stay in Greece all 10 days but travel around the country.

2.Favorite accessory (don't say phone)

My wedding ring. Sorry, boring answer,but it's true!

3. Favorite Breakfast food?

Eggs Benedict! But I sub-out the ham for a sausage patty. SO good!

4. Do you really use recipes/ideas from Pinterest?

I have made probably 15 recipes from Pinterest. OBSESSED!

5. Biggest pet peeve to fellow bloggers?

Not having your e-mail set up! I hate seeing noreply@blogger cuz then I can't respond to your comments!

6. Favorite US City other than your home area?

Easy, NEW YORK CITY, hands down. Obsessed.

7. Do you use cash (daily, not event related?)

Almost never.

8. What celebrity would you like to be and why?
This was tough...but I think I'd be Carrie Underwood. She's uber-talented, uber-gorgeous and seems super down-to-earth and sweet.

9. If you could have a chef cook all your meals would you use him/her or still cook yourself.

I LOVE cooking! I would still cook, but could I use the chef to grocery shop and clean up afterwards?

10. What website (other than GR or Blogger) would you say you never go a single day without viewing it?

Facebook. Lame but true.

11. Single or Married ladies...what is your best advice to the single ladies?

Don't get involved with committed boys....it's wrong and if they cheat on their current wife/gf they'll cheat on you too.

OK, now that you know every little thing about me...here are my questions for you ladies:

1. What's your middle name? Any special meaning behind it?

2. If you could have one special talent {that you don't currently have} what would it be?

3. Where is your dream vacation? {Don't cheat...somewhere you've never been!}

4. If you had to get rid of ALL of your makeup except for one item...what would you keep?

5. Guilty Pleasure? {Movie, Food, TV Show, Song?}

6. If you could banish one celebrity to an island where they would never be heard from again, who would it be?

7. Who is your favorite 'Friends' character?

8. Do you have a lucky number? What is it?

9. If you could meet one blogger in real life, who would it be?

10. Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?

11. What's your greatest fear or phobia?

AND, finally, coming to a close on the longest blog post in the history of the world...here are the girls I am tagging!

Carolyn @ Life, Love & Puppy Prints

Katie @ Keep Calm & Carry On

Jess @ The Kentucky Priss

Erica @ Young and Fabulous

Steph @ A BEAUtiful Mess

Ruthie @ The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart

Caroline @ Simply Smithwick

Holly @ Running in Stilettos

Brynn @ Being Brynn

Miss K @ Love, Lipstick and Pearls

Jessica @ Heart on Homestead

Slow Cooked Pulled BBQ Beef

2012-01-12T09:00:00.001-06:00

Hi pals.

It has been an absolutely crazay week at work, which is good! Keeps me out of trouble. Moral of the story, I haven't had too much time for important things like facebook or twitter or this blog!

So, I apologize but today is another recipe, but it's a good one!

I tried out this Slow Cooked Pulled BBQ Beef for NYE. It was SO good! I served it with little dollar buns, cheese and onion. YUMM-O!

INGREDIENTS:

-3 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into pieces

-1 package McCormick's "Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork" seasoning

-1 (6oz) can of tomato paste

-1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

-1/3 cup cider vinegar

-1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

-Place beef in slow cooker

-Mix seasoning, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar and water until blended, poor over beef

-Cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high

-Remove beef from crock pot and shred using two forks

-Return shredded beef to crock pot and mix with sauce. SERVE!

So good and super duper easy! This would be a great Super Bowl food!

Putting on Pinterest (of course)

Oreo Pudding Cookies

2012-01-11T09:05:00.001-06:00

Last week I made cookies. All by myself. No help! This is HUGE.

I found these Oreo Pudding Cookies on one of my favorite blogs, The Girl Who Ate Everything and knew I had to try them. They were so easy to make and were SO DELICIOUS! They are super soft and oreo-y and I ate probably 90% of them, so glad they're finally out of the house, except for that I now want to make more of them. Anywho, here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

-1 cup butter, room temperature

-3/4 cup brown sugar

-1 (4.2 oz) package of Instant Oreo Pudding mix

-2 1/4 cups flour

-1 tsp baking soda

-2 eggs

-1 tsp vanilla

-1/4 tsp salt

-2 Hershey's Cookies N Cream candy bars broken into small pieces (I used one 4.2oz bar)

-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only used one cup and was really glad I reduced the quantity)

DIRECTIONS:

-Preheat oven to 350.

-Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

-Cream together butter and sugars.
-Beat in pudding mix until blended.
-Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
-Add the flower mix and blend well.
-Stir in Cookies N Cream bar and Chocolate Chips, batter will be thick.

-Using a cookie dough scooper (or tablespoon), place gold ball sized dough balls on a baking sheet.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. You DO NOT want to over-bake these! Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

Best cookies I've ever made--not that I have a whole-lotta cooking baking experience. But, they're really good!

Adding them to my Recipe Board on Pinterest!

Wedding Recap {The Morning}

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday November 5, 2011 at 6:45am my alarm went off but I was already awake. I remember laying in the dark just thinking "Today is my wedding day." "I am getting married today." It was so surreal, and exciting and nerve-racking. Once the alarm went off I hopped out of bed with butterflies in my stomach. I took a shower, washed my face and brushed my teeth. Once I heard the floors above me creek I knew my mom was awake....I ran up the stairs and as soon as I saw my mom and step-dad I started to dance, which was immediately followed by my step-dad serenading us with "Going to the Chapel."

After our mini-dance party my mom and I loaded up her car with all of my wedding day necessities and were off to the hotel to meet my girls. My Maid of Honor and Best Friend, Libby entertained us all buy wearing a Justin Bieber hoodie/snuggy.

All the girls were on time...which is beyond impressive for our group, and we were off to the Smart & Chic Beauty Lounge for brunch and some glam.

After a morning of dancing, eating and hanging out with my best friends it was my turn to get in the chair and get beautified for my wedding!

As I have mentioned a few times before one of my bridesmaids, Courtney, was diagnosed with Lymphoma in September and was going through chemo at the time of our wedding. I really wanted to do something so that she knew how appreciative I was to have her as part of my day, and for the fact that she didn't skip a beat during all the pre-wedding festivities even though I'm sure resting was something she would much rather be doing. So, I found this adorable Lymphoma Ribbon pin on choosehope.com and had it pinned on to my bouquet.

One of my favorite memories from the day was showing it to Courtney.

Then it was time to finish my hair.....

Meanwhile, the boys {who were way more rested} met at International Market Square to get ready...

Putting on the Arizona cuff links I gave him for his birthday.

The watch was my wedding present to Jason.

All dressed and ready to see his Bride.

Back at the Beauty Lounge it was time to put on my dress. Getting that dress on was not only a group effort but a huge wake up call...I was a bride, I was getting married, in a few short hours I would be walking down the aisle. It was definitely emotional and gave me a bit of a tummy ache. Thanks to my amazing mom and friends I was able to keep it together.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go we did a quick champagne toast.

Then we were out the door

and off to see my Groom.

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography

Our Holidays

2012-01-06T06:00:00.005-06:00

It's been a super busy and super fun couple of weeks, but man am I worn out. Here's what we did to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year.

Christmas #1- We went up to Milaca to see Jason's mom and step-dad on the Friday before Christmas. We normally go up Christmas night but it worked out so great going up early, we may just have to make that our new tradition. My sister-in-law, Nicole, was in town from Florida and joined us. It was a great night with family, laughs and a drink or two.

Bailey's stocking...a Chicken Tender!

She loved it!

Husband, Sister-in-Law and Me :)

Family <3

Christmas #2-On Christmas Eve afternoon we went to my dad's house to open presents, play the dice game and eat way too many yummy appetizers.

The most gorgeous Christmas tree ever! I love it.

Husband, Bailey, Me, Little Sister, Shiloh, Brother, & Brother's Fiance

Bailey straddling the arm of the chair while we were opening gifts--such a lady.

Christmas #3 was spent with Jason's dad's family....and there is a lot of family. I believe there were 35 of us there this year and we were missing a few people! We played the dice game with Gift Cards {which was a super fun idea}, ate way too much food and even got a game of beer pong going with all the cousins.

I'm super sad this is the only picture I took...Jason with his cousin Evan

After the celebration with the whole family, we went back to my father-in-law's for their family tradition. Every Christmas Eve Jason's step-mom gives all the "kids" new pajamas. We all got comfy right after opening them and the boys played cards while us girls snuggled up and watched Miracle on 34th Street.

My sister-in-law, Ally

Christmas #4 was back at the in-laws on Christmas morning for breakfast, mimosas and gifts.

Christmas #5 was at our house! It was our first time hosting a holiday and I was so excited!

Our tree may only be three feet tall, but it's adorable!

My table! Trust me...red place mats are a big deal for me.

Apparently I was too busy running around making holiday martis, I mean hosting, to take any more pictures. But it was a great night and I LOVED hosting...wondering if I could talk my mom into passing the baton for good?

New Year weekend was another busy and fun couple of days.

Friday night J and I went to the Timberwolves game against the Miami Heat.

It was an awesome game, even though we lost. The Heat beat us by 4, which for the Wolves is awesome AND we had a chance to win, it came down to the wire. BUT, the best part was after the game when I got a high five from MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PLAYER (sorry Kevin Garnett), DERRICK WILLIAMS!

LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE YOU!

After the game we obviously had to go celebrate the high five...and yes, I held my hand up like that the whole night.

Finally, it was time for New Years Eve. Last year we had some friends over to my dad's house and it was so fun we decided to do it again! We a great gang of peeps to ring in the new year!

MIDNIGHT!

Such a wonderful time of year! It's hard to believe it's all over and we're starting fresh with a brand new year! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday season as much as I did!

Wedding Recap {The Outfit}

2012-01-05T06:00:00.005-06:00

Whelp, today is my two month anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly these first months of marriage have flown by. Jason and I are having the best time and are proud to still be happily married two months later {hey, that's more than a lot of people can say!}

I figure my anniversary is as good of time as any to start the WEDDING RECAP POSTS! Wahoo!!!

All brides-to-be dream about what they will wear on their wedding day. The bride is the center point of the whole wedding and must look perfect! The perfect dress, the perfect shoes, a gorgeous veil and the most perfect jewelry to tie the whole look together. A look that will knock her groom off his feet.

For as indecisive as I am, I was shocked at how easily my wedding day look came together. My wedding dress was the third I tried on, all the jewelry came together without a second thought and the shoes....well, you all know about the shoes.

My dress was a white, trumpet shape, embroidered Swiss lace design by Jasmine Couture.

I wore black sequined peep toe pumps by Jimmy Choo.

One of my Bridesmaids made me these adorable "Something Blue" undies with my new name and wedding date on them.

In my hair I wore three acrylic flower clips adorned with pearls and gems.

I don't typically wear a ton of jewelry, but I couldn't resist this giant cuff bracelet to bring a bit of bling to the ensemble.

My mom was sweet enough to let me borrow her GORGEOUS diamond drop earrings, the same ones she wore on her wedding day.

You all know I couldn't go down that aisle without some sort of Maroon and Gold to honor my University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, this garter was the perfect way to show my school pride and honor our engagement.

I originally wasn't even sure I wanted to wear a veil, but when they put this cathedral length, white veil with tiny gems spread around to add the perfect amount of shimmer on me....I was sold.

All the details and one of my favorite wedding day photos.

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography.

Beef & Broccoli with Spicy Thai Noodles

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

I am a major lover of Asian cuisine and we received an electric wok for the wedding which is exactly why I was mega pumped to find both Beef & Broccoli and Spicy Thai Noodle recipes on Pinterest.

I made these together a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved both of the recipes! We're having a dinner party the end of January and these recipes solidified the fact that it will be Asian themed and both of these will be making an appearance.

BEEF & BROCCOLI

INGREDIENTS:

For Marinade:

-1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

-1 tsp. Sugar

-1 tbsp. Cornstarch

-1 tbsp. Soy Sauce {low sodium}

-1 tbsp. Water

-2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil

-1 1/2 lb. Flank Steak, sliced in to thin strips

For Sauce:

-1/2 Soy Sauce {low sodium}

-2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

-4 cloves minced garlic

-2 tbsp. Flour

-1 tbsp. Sherry

-3 tbsp. Vegetable Oil

-2 heads Broccoli {heads only}

DIRECTIONS:

*Whisk together baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water and vegetable oil in a large bowl

*Toss steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

*In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.

*In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat until simmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.

*Carefully add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to wok. Add marinated meat and half of the sauce. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink.

*Stir in broccoli and remaining sauce, saute 1 minute more.

{I added water chestnuts bcs J and I LOVE them...next time I will probably add carrots and onions as well.}

SPICY THAI NOODLES

INGREDIENTS:

-1 box linguine or spaghetti noodles

-1-2 tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper

-1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

-1/2 cup Sesame Oil

-6 tbsp Honey

-6 tbsp Soy Sauce

Green Onions, Cilantro and Peanuts to taste {I hate Cilantro...so i didn't use it.}

DIRECTIONS:

*Boil noodles. Drain.

Like that colander? THANKS BRYNN!!!!

*Chop Green Onions, Cilantro and Peanuts

*Heat both oils and red pepper in a small pan over medium heat

{2 tbsp makes the dish VERY spicy...I used 1 heaping tbsp}

*Strain out pepper and reserve oil

*To oil, mix in honey and soy sauce.

*Toss sauce with noodles

* Refrigerate over night or until cold. Garnish with Green Onions, Cilantro and Peanuts.

Such a yummy dinner!!!

No Years Resolution

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Every new year I set super lofty unattainable resolutions that I don't stick with...then I feel like a failure. So this year I've decided to try something a little different. I am always wanting to do things to improve my body, mind, home and finances. So instead of creating these ridiculous resolutions I am going to set easy and attainable monthly goals. I figure the monthly goals will be like baby steps which will hopefully lead to the larger end goal. AND, I'm going to copy my Beeb and blog about my goals each month to keep myself accountable. At the end of each month I will check-in with all of you to see how I did and set the next month's goals. Fun, right?

So, here's what I've got for January's goals.

*Save $300.

Now that I'm an old married lady me and Mr. need to start putting money away to eventually buy a house and start a family. Not sure where this extra $300 is going to come from...but it will be a good budgeting challenge.

*Keep track of every penny spent.

I've created a very impressive and comprehensive budgeting spreadsheet that I want to use to see where all of our money goes. For one month I want to track every cent spent so that next month we can evaluate where we can save.

*Go to yoga once a week.

I love yoga, and I used to go on a regular basis. I figure one time a week is easy.

*Go to the gym at least one a week.

Sure I'd love to be one of those people who goes to the gym 5-7 days a week...but remember? Baby steps. So if I go to yoga once a week and the gym one other time it will be a good stepping stone.

*Go to Starbucks just one a week.

I love getting my latter in the morning, but let's me honest those bad boys add up financially and calorically. So I'm going to cut back and save myself some money and calories by treating myself just once a week.

*Redo our Master Bathroom.

I've got plans, I've got all new stuff, now I just need to DO.

*Keep up on laundry

This past week I did about 16 loads of laundry to get caught up. My plan is to do two loads of laundry two nights a week...I figure I can do sheets and towels on night and clothes the other. This should help prevent a major pile up.

*Try one new recipe a week (or 4 new recipes for the month)

I am really starting to love cooking and with my Pinterest addiction it shouldn't be hard finding new things to try...plus it give me blog topics! Whoop!

*Read one book.

I love to read, but lately I haven't made any time for it...so I want to read at least one book this month.

*Write and Schedule all wedding recap blog posts.

This is a daunting task!

*Get started on wedding albums for myself and our families.

This will take a ton of time...but it needs to get done before the excitement wears off.

What are your New Year's Resolutions or Goals?

2011

2011-12-29T06:00:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year where everyone reflects on the past and looks forward to the future. Looking back at the past year, I can't really believe all that has happened. It was truly a year to remember!

I have been working long and hard coming up with my
Top 12 Memories from 2011!

I tried to be cute and pick 11 but I couldn't narrow it down any lower than 12.

Wanna hear 'em? OK...

12. I purchased my first pair of designer shoes!
I had dreamt of owning a pair of Jimmy Choos most of my life and if getting married wasn't a reason to buy a pair, I was never going to find one. Read the whole story HERE! And see my shoe shoot {yes I did a shoe shoot} HERE!

11. Scottsdale
In April I got to go to Arizona to spend a weekend with my mom and get some much needed R&R. It was a great trip and I loved spending some quality girl time with my mom.

10. One Year Anniversary!
Our coffee shop, Coffee Buzz, celebrated one year in business on March 1st. Unfortunately, we closed 6 months later...but hitting that one year mark was a huge feat and I will be forever proud of what we accomplished.

9. Friend's Nuptials!
2011 was the year of love, let me tell you! Between showers, bachelorette parties, weddings and engagements I was really feeling the love this past year!

8. Britney Concert!
It was my third time seeing Britney {i am OBSESSED} and was probably the most fun I've had a Brit Brit concert! Our seats got upgraded, the show was the bomb and I got to spend the night with my best friend and sister!
{full story HERE}

7. Arizona vs Duke
Husband and I are ENORMOUS Arizona basketball fans {read why HERE}
When Arizona was matched up to play #1 seeded Duke in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament we knew it would be a tough game that would be hard to win....but as it said in a Sports Illustrated article, "In barely more than four minutes, the damage was done and so was Duke. Arizona hit the defending national champions with an offensive barrage so swift and surprising that the Blue Devils had no answer."

One of the best basketball games I've ever watched! I still get wound up just thinking about it!

{Moment for Life, JJ}

6. Wedding Planning!

It's hard to group all the planning and parties in to one memory, because I could come up with 12 favorite memories just pre-wedding related. I loved every minute of planning and felt so celebrated the whole year. Between showers, bachelorette parties, meetings with vendors, shopping for my dress and the BM dresses and our Wedding Party Party...every little thing was something to be remembered.

Read all about the wedding planning adventures right HERE!

5. The Beeb's Wedding!
On September 30th two of my best friends got married! After two years of helping my Carolyn plan her wedding the big day was finally here! And I was lucky enough to be in the wedding {and my hubby was the best man}. The whole day was so fun and special and all of Carolyn's hard work came together perfectly!

Read all about their big day over at Carolyn's Blog: Life, Love & Puppy Prints

4. Bachelorette Lake Weekend!

My best friends {and bridesmaids} and my mom took me up North to Cook, Minnesota for an amazing Bachelorette Weekend! We had so much fun and it was one of the best weekends of my life! Read all about the whole weekend right HERE!

3. Honeymoon!
We went to Mexico for the first time on a week-long honeymoon. It was the most fun I've ever had and could not have imagine a better way to spend my first week as a married lady. The highlight, however, was swimming with the dolphins! Something I've always wanted to do.

{Read all the honeymoon details: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6}

2. Remission!
September 13th 2011, I was shocked, scared, heartbroken and shaken to the core to learn that one of my best friends and bridesmaid, Courtney, had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. After 3 long months of chemotherapy and radiation we learned that {just in time for the holidays} Courtney is IN REMISSION! Court has always been a pillar of strength and support in my life and in so many others and this is exactly why all of our prayers were answered!

1. I GOT MARRIED!
Everything from the week before to the rehearsal to the wedding day was sheer amazingness. I loved every minute and will look back on that week of my life with nothing but fondness and joy. It was without question the best day of the year and my entire life!

I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE New Year's!
Here's to a fabulous 2012!

2011-12-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

The day of me and Jason's first date my fish at the time, Pablo, passed away. I was devastated and afraid that it was a horrible omen for the date to come. Turns out there was no omen and the date was amazing. About a month later, after Jason and I had become serious he surprised me with a new fish who I named Manhattan Tinkerbell {we called her Manny for short}.

After nearly four years, my beloved Manny has passed away. I know she was just a fish but she meant a lot to me and my heart is aching. She lead a wonderful life and I hope she is up in fish heaven hanging out with her big brother Pablo.

Egg {Not} McMuffin

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Yet another amazing recipe found on Pinterest, these homemade Egg McMuffins are so easy, so convenient, so tasty and just a tad better for you than the real thing.

All you do is take a muffin tin and crack one egg in to each slot.

Preheat your oven to 350 and bake these bad boys for 20-25 minutes.

After the eggs have cooled stack them with a Whole Wheat English Muffin, a Turkey Sausage patty and a slice of Fat Free American Cheese.

Wrap your sandwich in a piece of cling wrap and toss it in the freezer.

Then, each morning before work you have a fabulously easy {and healthy} breakfast sandwich waiting for you. Simply wrap it in a napkin and microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

As someone who doesn't like to wake up even a minute before I have to, these have been a great way for me to make sure I eat breakfast and make sure it something healthy {only 250 calories}.

Give 'em a try, I think you'll like it!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

I hope you all have a merry, safe and healthy holiday with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

The Great Bake Fest of 2011

2011-12-22T09:47:00.003-06:00

Please hit play before reading this post:

This Christmas marks three big firsts for me:

1. My first Christmas as a married lady

2. My first Christmas {and holiday for that matter} hosting

3. My first Christmas volunteering to bring desserts to our family's Christmases

If I'm being honest, #3 is the biggest deal. I don't bake...I'm an appetizer type of girl. You need a snack? I'm on it! Dessert? No way Jose. Thanks to my new love of Pinterest I have been inspired and motivated. When asked what I would like to bring to all four Christmases I excitedly and nervously responded "dessert!" To which all four families responded, "Are you sure?" Thanks guys. Anyways, the SECOND I knew I was in charge of dessert I turned to the one and only person who could help me in such situation....THE BEEB.

Last night my beloved Carolyn came over and helped prevent me from a nervous breakdown, provided essential baking instructions and stained her palms red in the process. We were two little Baking Bee Machines! In terms of our productivity...I give our Mint Martinis full credit.

We experimented with five different Pinterest recipes and of the five, four of them turned out....which I consider to be an enormous success! Hey, these were made in my kitchen, it's a miracle any of them turned out.

The one recipe that did not work out was the Angel Bite Mints found HERE.

I think the problem was that I added way too much powdered sugar...we followed the recipe exactly, but it got way too clumpy. I tried to salvage the recipe by adding more cream cheese, but then it got too soft and sticky. Eventually I had to let it go. Huge bummer.

My attempt at Angel Bites.

Now, let's get to the good stuff...the recipes that worked!

Yup, check that out! Baked it all! WHOOP!

I think my favorite to make were these ADORABLE reindeer cookies that turned out exponentially better than I was expecting!

How cute are they?! I think they're going to be a hit! They're Peanut Butter Cookies with mini-chocolate covered pretzels as the antlers, chocolate chips for the eyes and a red M&M for the nose! Check out the recipe HERE!

We also made Mini-Oreo Cheesecakes, which after accidentally trying one for breakfast turned out AMAZING!

These were shockingly easy....find the recipe right HERE!

Then we made these adorable little chocolate dipped marshmallows!

There wasn't a set recipe for these bad boys but all we did was melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and then dipped the tops of the marshmallows and then sprinkled them with festive sprinkles! The inspiration for these little guys was found HERE!

We had a last minute addition when I saw Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies on Pinterest!

WARNING: Red Velvet cake mix gets EVERYWHERE and stains everything red. When you sample the cookies you may end up looking like you were part of a murder crime scene.....Exhibit A.

Though incredibly messy and a little scary these cookies turned out amazing...I will say though, they are HUGE! The recipe yields 10, we doubled it and made the cookies smaller and still ended up with only 16 cookies, granted a couple broke on the sheet and a couple ended up in our bellys.

We decided to skip the white chocolate drizzle due to the fact that they are already about the sweetest cookies I've ever tasted. Find the recipe for these HERE!

It was such a fun night filled with Christmas music, adult beverages, a HUGE mess and a successful first bake session! Thanks Beebs for being there to hold my hand...when everyone "oohs and ahhs" over my amazing desserts I will take full credit, but I will be thinking of you and your red hands! :)

After 4 hours of baking you tend to look a hot mess.

What are you baking this Christmas season?

Recent Purchases.

2011-12-21T07:00:00.003-06:00

Tis the season of giving, and let me tell you...I LOVE shopping for Christmas presents. It might be one of my all-time favorite things. Sure, it's great getting gifts during the holidays but my favorite part, truly, is giving them.

Nonetheless, I just got married and just had a birthday so it was sort of inevitable that I would grab a thing or two for myself and our home {thanks to some pret-ty generous peeps}.

Here's the recent goodies I have treated myself to:

ALL NEW MAKEUP!

My incredible mom and step-dad got me new Smashbox makeup brushes for my birthday along with a very generous Macy's gift card so that I could upgrade my makeup, which I so desperately needed to do. I've mentioned several times my love for Smashbox makeup and my homegirl Misha at the SB counter hooked me up!

I got Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer {to use as my foundation}, the Brow Tech Trio {to shape and beautify my brows}, Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder, Powder, Fan, Contour, Angle Brow & Shadow brushes, Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio, my favorite product the Photo Finish along with the Finishing Powder, HyperLash Mascara and my go-to Bronzer! Now I can look like this every day:


My husband is not cool.

NEW RUGS!

I am redoing our master bathroom and am PUMPED about it! We got all new towels and a shower curtain for the wedding but I forgot to register for matching bath rugs. But, no fear, thanks to a return and a super sweet gift card from Katie & Billhead I was able to snag these:

NEW CARD HOLDER!

I need a place to keep my business cards, and they take up too much room in my wallet so enter Michael Kors and this adorable Logo Card Holder.

POT ROCK!
Space and organization is a major issue in our kitchen, so I got this Bookshelf Pot Rack from Crate & Barrel to give us some extra storage.

I love it! It's been working out great!

NEW DUDS!
I am in desperate need of some new clothes, so I probably should have spend a little more time and money looking for pieces to enhance my wardrobe. But, I found a couple of great things from Express and that was enough, for now.

Wide leg slim fit jeans, chiffon overlay shirt and a leather and rhinestone cuff bracelet.

NEW WALLET!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys....I have wanted a Coach wallet for as long as I can remember. I have a couple of little Coach wristlets but I have always wanted a beautiful Coach purse and luxurious Coach wallet. I have never had the means to buy either r if I did have the means I would talk myself into something more practical. Well not this year! I'm 27, I just had a birthday and dammit I deserve a new wallet! So ladies and gentleman please let me introduce you to my new friend, the Madison Gathered Leather Accordion Zip Wallet in Midnight!


swoooooooooon!

The Gifts.

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Guess who got her wedding pictures back??? That's right folks, THIS GIRL! I got the discs on Friday night and me and the husband snuggled up on the couch with a fire blazing in the fireplace, a drink {or ~~two~~ three} in hand and popped those bad boys in to the PS3 so we could go through the pics on our TV. All I can say is Sara Jayne did not disappoint!!! Because we're real life buddies and she knows that I am a picture spazz she gave me a little bonus and gave me 1673 AMAZING images! Seriously...SOOOO many pictures, all of which are FAB, except of the ones of me laughing, I am not a cute laugher. AN-Y-WAYs, I have a lot of sifting and organizing to do before I can start composing these beloved wedding posts, so you're going to have to wait a little longer. But, to tide you over, here's what we did for Wedding Party gifts.

The week leading up to the wedding the thing I was most excited about {besides the whole getting married thing} was to give our wedding party and our parents their gifts. We spent a lot of time trying to come up with creative and meaningful gifts, and I was beside myself to give them.

The boys were actually really easy. We knew instantly what we wanted to give them. All of the boys in the wedding have a team {most college football and a couple baseball} that they are just obsessed with, like obsessed to the point where it's ridiculous. So we decided to get them all grill sets with their favorite teams on them.

Our best man is a die hard Buckeye fan.

The boys loved them! And hopefully they'll get a lot of use out of them.

For the girls, it took a little longer to decide on something. I knew I wanted to get them tote bags and I knew I wanted to get their jewelry for the wedding.
After a lot of searching, here's what I came up with:

I got all of the girls a zebra tote bag and had it embroidered with their first name. I chose a different font for each of the girls to really personalize it.

Obviously, I had to get myself one:

Then I got each of the girls a b&w polka dot makeup bag and had it embroidered with their first initial in the same font as their bag. Cute, right?

I also grabbed a bunch of day-of essentials to fill the make-up bags:

Gum, Lotion, Deodorant, Lint Rollers, Aleeve, Keelex, Chapstick, Shout Wipes and Bandaids

As for the jewelry, I was working at Mary Kay's Bridal and found these in one of the designer's catalogs and HAD.TO.HAVE.THEM!

horrible pic...these are way prettier in person.

They looked AMAZING with the bridesmaid's dresses and I think they girls all liked them.

Finally, my most favorite part of the gift were these personalized champagne flutes by FizzyArtist.

They were a huge hit and we used them the morning of the wedding to have a little champagne toast!

Our parents, were definitely the trickiest. We really wanted to get them something personal and meaningful but seeing as there are eight of them we had to be budget conscious. We decided we wanted to get a gift for each couple versus each individual parent. The hard part was coming up with a gift that all eight of them would love and appreciate. After a lot of thought we figured that the one thing all eight parents have in common is that they love to cook and are really good at it. We decided to compile a list of all of our favorite recipes and combine them in to a family cookbook. The hard part was getting all of the recipes...turns out our parents don't to like to share their secrets OR like to write down actual recipes. BUT, after A.LOT of begging, plotting, some stealing, cursing and cooking I was able to put together all of our favorite recipes with pictures {that was a feat all it's own}. Then we personalized each of the books by adding family pictures in between the chapters. Here's a preview of the book we did for my dad and step-mom:

Our parents absolutely loved them. All of the hard work was totally worth it once they opened them.

What did you do or are planning to do for your wedding party?

Bizzy. Bizzy. Bizzy.

2011-12-19T09:52:00.000-06:00

It seems like December always just flies by! With my birthday and the holidays it seems like we are running around like crazies. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way during this time of year. Anywhoooo, here's a little recap of what we've been up to lately.

We went to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar to celebrate my birthday with some friends.

My darling husband took me out to Bar LaGrassa for a delicious birthday dinner!

On my actual birthday {December 12th} we met my mom, brother and his new fiance for a birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant, Rosa Mexicano!!!

My baby sister is a Freshman in high school and is on the dance team! We are in the heat of dance season right now and I am absolutely LOVING going to all her meets to cheer her on! It brings me back to the good old days when I was on the dance team.

Anyways, Kara {my sister} is a fabulous dancer and her team is incredible. They've been bouncing between second and third place at all the meets and this past week they got their first big WIN in their Varsity Kick routine. I was one proud big sissy.

This past weekend J's best friend {Colin}'s little boy turned 2! I absolutely ADORE Brody. I met him the day he was born and have loved watching him grow up into the darling two-year-old that he his now! Here's my and my Brody Bear the day he was born and on Saturday at his 2nd birthday party!

Saturday, after Brody's birthday party, J and I went downtown fore the Timberwolves first pre-season game. As I mentioned a while ago {in this POST} we are HUGE Arizona Wildcats fans, they're best player from the past two years, Derrick Williams, was drafted #2 and now plays for the T-wolves so we HAD to go see our boy in his first ever NBA game. It was a BLAST, we won and Derrick had a great game!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Can we believe it's almost Christmas?!

The Thank Yous.

2011-12-16T07:00:00.002-06:00

This is my friend Brianna...

...and she is the bomb!

Her mother-in-law works for MagnetStreet.com who manufactures high-quality magnets for businesses, weddings or personal use. They also have a HUGE selection of wedding stationary such as design your own Save the Dates, Wedding Invitations, Thank You Cards and everything in between. Brianna was able to get me the hook up and her mother-in-law was sweet enough to offer me 50% off of any merchandise!

It was really hard for me not to go absolutely crazy and spend a million dollars, they have such cute stuff! Check out all their wedding related merchandise HERE.

When I came across these Thank You cards I knew I had to have them:

You all know I'm not a very colorful person, and since our wedding colors were Black & White, I customized this design to make it my own (another amazing thing about MagnetStreet---and no, they're not paying me to say any of this). I wasn't a huge fan of the names on the bottom or the pre-written note on the inside, so I scrapped those and came up with this:

Our Thank You notes!
Our names and address are on the back of the card as well.

Because of Brianna I saved $119.50 on these bad boys!!! And, thanks to a super long plane ride to and from Mexico, I am happy to say that I had them all written and sent out within two weeks of the wedding! :)

Healthified Beef Stroganoff

2011-12-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

While desperately searching for something delicious and not uber fattening to cook for my darling husband I came across this Healthified Beef Stroganoff recipe on Eat Better America. The recipe was pretty simple and J went as far as to say it was "the best thing you've ever made." Not so sure about that...but it was delicious.

Here's the recipe and, of course, I am sharing it on Pinterest as well.

INGREDIENTS:

-1 1/2 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak {I just used stew beef, cutting raw meet grosses me out}

-2 tsp. Canola Oil

-1 large White Onion

-1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

-2 cups Beef Broth {I used Low Sodium Progresso}

-4 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
-1 tsp. Dried Basil Leaves
-1/2 tsp. Salt
-1/4 tsp. Pepper
-1/4 cup Flour
-1 Jar (4.5oz) Sliced Mushrooms {drained}
-1 tbsp. Ketchup
-1 cup reduced-fat Sour Cream
-6 cups hot cooked Egg Noodles

DIRECTIONS:
*Start by chopping your onion.
I really only added this as a step so I could show you this sweet picture...yes, those are onion goggles! My best friend got them for me as part of a shower gift and while they are completely nerdy, they are totally AMAZING!
I get serious eye-watering-issues while onion chopping but these bad boys block it out completely.

*If you get a sirloin, cut the beef with the grain into 2-inch strips, then cut the strips against the grain into 1/8-inch slice {this is precisely why I just bought stew beef}. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, cook 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown.

*Add onion and garlic to skillet; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

whoopsies! finger!

*Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the broth, the Worcestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender.

*In a small bowl, mix flour and remaining 1/2 cup of broth with wire whisk until blended.

*Add mixture to skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.

*Stir in mushrooms and ketchup; cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

*Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until well blended.

*Serve over warm noodles.

1 serving {3/4 cup noodles and 2/3 cup beef mixture}: Calories 370 (Calories from Fat 90)

So yummy! Give it a try...you'll love it!

The Trailer.

2011-12-13T07:00:00.002-06:00

I am sure you are all just on pins and needles waiting to see wedding photos, right? I know you're sitting at your computer hitting refresh just praying to get a look at the goods.

C'mon...I know you are.

Well, to tide you over I have a little sneaky peak of our big day!

Ladies and Gentleman....The Wedding Trailer!

We worked with eMotion Media and they were a complete dream. I actually started to kind of panic that they didn't get anything on film because they were so discreet, I didn't even notice they were there.
If this little 3 minute trailer is any indication, then our wedding video is going to be FABULOUS!

I cannot wait to see the finished video and of course share it with all of you!

Nananananana....They Say It's Your Birthday!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

On December 12th 1984, this was me:

27 years of awesomeness later....

someone poor me a cocktail!

Happy Birthday to Me!

AND, everyone make sure to head over to Simply Smithwick to wish my gorgeous Birthday Twin, Caroline, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Step-Dad is 60.

2011-12-09T10:25:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was my step-dad, Steve's 60th birthday! My mom through him an incredible party at his office. It was a wonderful night filled with family and friends celebrating Steve's first 60 years.

My mom had gorgeous flowers from Arts & Flowers {who did my wedding} and fabulous food from D'Amico and Sons {who also did my wedding}.

My gorgeous mama with her hubby, the birthday boy!

Guest book picture and playing card favors!

My company designed and printed these custom playing cards as favors...they match the invitations that were sent out. How cute are they?

Me and my honey.

Me and the birthday boy!!!

Me, my mom and Steve.

It was a great party! My mom put so much hard work in to it and it was a great success! I hope Steve had a WONDERFUL birthday! Here's to 60 more years! :)