A Weekend Worth Mentioning

Happy Sunday fun day everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm spending my Sunday night relaxing, watching my favorite t.v show (Once Upon A Time...if you haven't seen it you MUST watch it! However trying to type this and watch is proving challenging), and reflecting on what a fulfilling weekend I had.

I spent much time drinking wine and watching movies...catching up on the Twilight series (don't judge) and a sickly amount of wedding shows (yes, since becoming engaged I've turned into a wedding junkie). But while it sounds like I was unproductive I most certainly was not. I'm not sure where all the extra hours in a day came from but somehow I managed to get lots of stuff done in what seemed like an endless day(s). I managed to discuss wedding plans with my parents, meet a girlfriend for lunch, get engagement pictures printed, buy out a 1/4 of Hobby Lobby (ok not really....but close) and do some price checking on printing invites. Then I was able to make breakfast for myself, do dishes,  have a little girl talk this morning, went to the hardware store on a whim and bought paint, painted the dinning room and made homemade chili in the crock pot. Phew! It sounds exhausting but I'm so pleased with myself for accomplishing so much I'm actually feeling quite relaxed and complete! And not to toot my own horn or anything...but the chili was definitely the best I've ever made. And top it with some shredded mozzarella cheese and light sour cream...MUAH! Perfection.

I can't wait to share with you my dining room makeover. It's going to be a little work in progress but the paint was a huge first step. Funny how having new pictures to hang makes me have the ambition to finally start painting. It's only been about 2 years....yeah for changes!

Everyone have a great Monday!!!

Our Photoshoot!

Can I just start with:

I ORDERED MY WEDDING BOOTS!!!!

I'm so freaking excited I can't stand it. I just couldn't wait any longer. I didn't want to risk the chance of them discontinuing or not having my size. And I don't even get to see them until they arrive in November or December! I cannot wait to see them. Fingers crossed they fit perfectly and are as awesome as they look in the picture....

Secondly:

OUR ENGAGEMENT PICTURES ARE DONE!

Keith Weich from Weich Photography did a great job on our photo's. I'm so excited that Tony and I FINALLY have some nice pictures of us together. Not to mention, it makes it a little more real that we are actually getting married!

I love this man so much. He's my best friend and tries his best to make me happy. Best example to date: HE NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED ABOUT ALL THE OUTFIT CHANGES FOR THE PICTURES! Tell me that's not an honorable trait!! LOL

 

 

 

 

These are just a few of our favorites. Can't you tell I'm crazy about this guy? We had so much fun doing these.  I cannot wait to see what's in store for our future!

 

A Lazy Weekend

It was an icky weekend. Rain, rain and more rain. It was cold. And did I mention rain? But we did need it. And I welcomed it. I needed a weekend that would keep me in the house. So I could be lazy. And watch numerous episodes of Say Yes to the Dress (which didn't happen). I wanted to just have a totally unproductive weekend.

But then being lazy resulted in the urge to bake. Because that meant I could be lazy and eat cookies when I was done, right? I see nothing wrong with this theory. Except that never actually happened either. I baked and then baked some more. And then I made dinner. And after that it was time to go out for a couple cocktails with some friends (and one can't complain about that!). So I can honestly say after day one of my "lazy weekend" I was tired from standing and baking all day but I did get some pretty yummy cookies to share with you. AND I slept like a baby.

Our night out. (P.S. I gave myself a new look...bangs!)

Thankfully, today was a more successful lazy day. We went to a 3 year old's birthday party, which everyone knows....all you do is eat lots of food until you're stuffed to the max...and then eat cake. But at least I was able to relax. However, thanks to football I still didn't get to watch all my chick shows. But I did get to eat some cookies. So I guess I could call it a winning weekend. Even though it didn't go the way I had imagined, I can see the silver lining. Relax + eat cookies = successful lazy weekend.

On that positive note, here is one of the two cookie recipes I made this weekend: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I hope everyone else had a great weekend. Hopefully the rain helped you accomplish something on your "to do" list! :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon *
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips

* Recipe calls for 2 teaspoon cinnamon but after reading some reviews I decided to cut it down to 1 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon nutmeg as well as 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. I think I will add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice the next time I make these. It all depends on how much you want them to taste like actual pumpkin pie!  Also optional is 1/2 cup Walnuts.

Directions:

 Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil and egg in large bowl. 

Stir together until mixed well.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in.

If you want a more pumpkin pie flavor I recommend

adding pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg.

Now add the flower mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla, chocolate chips (and nuts if you wish to do so). 

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees for 

approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Mine didn't

turn brown but if you poke them you can tell when they start getting firm.

Once done, let stand on cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove to cooling racks. Look at these babies. (I couldn't wait to try them and let me tell you....they are just as good as a regular chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven!)

Trust me, you will not be able to stop eating these. Plan on having someone to give some too, so you don't find yourself eating the ENTIRE batch...

Wedding Update

Wedding Ceremony/Reception Venue...CHECK!

Caterer...CHECK!

D.J...CHECK!

Photographer...CHECK!

Dress...CHECK! (which leads to the next...)

PRE-WEDDING WORKOUT....CHECK!!!!!

I just joined a local gym because trying to become a sexy bride just wasn't going to happen in the basement along with my DVD's. Sorry Jillian Michaels and Jackie Warner. You two are GREAT....SUPER GREAT, in fact. But truth is, I'm lazy. I figure if I'm half a quarter as in shape as those two are, I'm doing fantastic. Seriously...pain? No thanks....BUT I know that's not going to get me where I want to be. Soooo...my super, duper, terrific fiance' added me to his gym membership. I've gone 2 days in a row and I feel terrific. Now to keep this up for the next...mmm...11 months! Bahahahah....that's almost funny. No. I WILL do it. I will NOT have office arms or a twinkie roll on my wedding day! I think I read on someone else's blog that they wanted to have the super power of eating anything and never gaining an ounce. Yeah...I want that too.

Things are slowly but surely coming along in our wedding plans. I'm excited to say that we are at the 11 month mark so time's a tickin'! It's time to start planning out the small stuff and working on those DIY wedding projects. The only reason I don't mind this cold weather is that it gives me a good reason to stay inside and get busy on these things. My horses miss me but for once I have a legit excuse. (I DON'T really not see them....I feed and clean their poop every day. I just don't get to enjoy the benefits much lately). One of these weekends I'm planning on attacking our invites. I have plans for making a garter. I have to do some tweaking on a veil. I have to get crafty with some signs. I have lots o' little projects to get cracking on!

Next on the big list is florist. I already know I'm using my aunt but I have no idea what I want. Take that back. I have too many ideas of what I want. Which makes things really confusing. Do I want field flowers? Or am I going for more romantic? What about roses? Oh but I like those succulents! If I were to create my own it would probably look like the garden threw up a bouquet. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Although...I may be on to something...I can never make decisions so it may be appropriate....hmmmm. No. Let's leave that to the professionals. I have no doubt they will make anything look beautiful.

And that, my friends, is my current wedding update. I cannot wait to start working on those projects!

Crafty Sunday

Do you ever look around your house and see all these changes you want to make but you know it's just not feasible to do it all at once, or possible, for that matter? That's how I feel all the time. There is so much I want to do it gives me a headache. I don't think I'll ever get them done before we decide to make our move back into the country. BUT...I'm trying to make the most of it and make what we have cozy.

For starters...making your home have a fall vibe always helps make it feel homey. So this weekend, I pulled out some of my old fall decor and then decided to tackle a crafty project to create a new piece of my own.

After a trip to Hobby Lobby (AGAIN! I could live at that store!) I came home with some burlap (a little nicer than the stuff from the hardware store) and some yarn and was determined I could make something with it. I keep trying to come up with my own creative projects and stop relying so much on Pinterest. But let's face it. Pinterest is GENIUS. So I took a little of my own idea and combined it with what I've come across in some pins. So there....I can take a little credit.

I have a cheap canvas painting that I picked up at Goodwill a long time ago. I have it sitting on our bookshelf just to add some height and color to our dining room (I told you I make the best of what I have). But quite honestly it's not exciting and additionally, Tony HATES it. So what better canvas to test out my idea. It was soooo easy and it turned out really cute. MUCH better than the painting itself.

Afterwards, while cleaning up and getting the rest of my decor in it's place I thought "Oh wouldn't a little jute vase be cute right here...oh...hold up. I've got jute!" Then I ran downstairs and for the first time ever, Tony hadn't thrown out my saved bottles. Hallelujah! I sat down and 15 minutes later (ok maybe longer, I wasn't actually timing myself) I had a cute little vase. Score for me! Make that TWO crafty moments in ONE day!

Cute little jute vase!

And other than Tony thinking that I had incorporated a backwards J into my masterpiece, he liked my creations. (Seriously, we don't have a J in either of our names.....bahahahaha...I love that man!) Not to  mention, I wouldn't hang it backwards!!..... ;)

The odd T ;)

If you want to know how I made my cute creation check out Burlap Art here.

Tony even complimented my table centerpiece. It makes me happy that he notices these little touches. I'll even share these fall touches with you!

I added some textures for a fall centerpiece.

Natural textures. My jute vase looks right at home!

So there you have it. My fall accents to cozy up our home. I have a few more ideas in store to add for Halloween. I'll keep racking my brain and I'll be sure to share my ideas with you!

Happy Halloween Month!

Can you believe it's October already??? So hard to believe!! With wedding on the brain and our crazy hectic schedule the last month I almost forgot my October tradition. I am a huge fan of scary movies and I heart Halloween, so what better way to kick off the holiday than watching many of the best movies for an entire month!

Example: Hocus Pocus. Need I say more? I watch it every year!

Not to mention the other classics such as: Halloween, Friday the 13th (ch ch ch ), Psycho and Nightmare on Elm Street. There are just too many great movies to try and watch in one weekend before Halloween so I've taken to enjoying them for all of October. It's become my Halloween Month!

I also enjoy reading more of the mystery and thriller books throughout the month of October. I realize I can read them anytime but there's something fun about saving some of them for the beginning of fall, snuggling up on the couch and enjoying the early dark nights. After a full day of work it lets me get to a fun, dramatic place. Sometimes its the childish, magical part of Halloween that gets me excited. While other times it is the mysterious persona that goes along with that haunted day.

It also leads me to realize I have NOT even started to set up my fall stuff inside the house.  (Well...besides the leaves/tin pot I have as a centerpiece on the dining room table. That's been the extent of it. Whoop-de-doo...) So I'm now on a mission to get some new pieces to add to my decor'. I want to start having a more grown up and crafty looking holiday display.

My first big purchase was my little witch! She's perfect for keeping the door open and she was a whopping $2.00 at Goodwill. All I had to do was hot glue her spooky little hat and hair back on.  I love finding steals at that store! (And I'm pretty sure she's happy to be fixed!)

Isn't she adorable?

 I hope everyone had a terrific Tuesday! Tomorrow is hump day already! Yee Haw! ;)

Oh! I almost forgot to share my DIY wreath. Here it is folks! Let me know if you like it!

Boy Meets Girl

Our engagement photo session was an absolute blast! I had so much fun spending a gorgeous afternoon parading around The Little Farmer and Hobbs Woods with Tony and our personal friend and photographer, Keith, from Weich Photography. While I'm fairly comfortable having my picture taken, Tony is not, and therefore needed a little more guidance. We certainly had some good laughs while trying to come up with some of the poses! I'm so glad that we were able to use a friend to take our photo's. It made it a very memorable day and we felt completely at ease. And I'm SUPER thankful for Keith having the patience to deal with us!!! I cannot wait to see the photo's!

Now do you want to hear how Tony and I met?

If you don't, you can leave now.

If you do, continue reading!

Let's see...where do I begin?

From December 2008 to April 2009 I had a part time job at a local horse feed and natural pet food store. I had been training horses full time for the past 4-5 years and with the economy taking a hit, so did the horse business. This was just a temporary job until I decided what I wanted to do next.

One day towards the end of March a woman came in and was chatting with me. As I was checking out her purchases she asked me if my husband and I showed horses together. I chuckled and said "Um, no, I'm still single." What followed next was an "OH REALLY??? Because I have a good looking son and you are JUST his type." Oh brother. Everyone knows that every mother on the planet thinks her son is good looking. I just laughed (and pictured a skinny guy, with glasses and bad skin. And blonde hair. Sorry all you blonde guys. Nothing personal or anything). As she was leaving she said he had a motorcycle so if I ever saw a guy come to visit on a motorcycle, he was probably stopping to check me out.  FAAANTASTIC.

Fast forward two weeks later. I remember specifically that I didn't care what I looked like that day and had thrown my hair into a ponytail. What are the odds that was the day I heard a motorcycle pull up? Who else could it be? Who would show up at a feed store on a motorcycle? (Seriously...these are 50# plus bags we are talking about here It's not like they have a trunk).

In walked a young guy (he actually did try to look convincing by browsing the feed section) who I thought was indeed good looking. After a minute of pretending to be there for something else he came up and asked "are you the girl my mom told me about?" I laughed and said yes, that would be me. He asked me if I wanted to go out for drinks some time and then asked me for my number. I gave it to him but was convinced he was being polite and I would never hear from him again.

An hour later he sent me a text message and we text each other the rest of the day and for the entire next day. Two days later we went on our first "date". I guess it wasn't really considered a date since I met him at a place where he was hanging out with friends. However, we had such a fun time that he asked me out to dinner the next night. I said yes. (I later found out that he wanted me to say no just so he could give chase! Hell to the no! I was 26 and done with those games!) Needless to say we went on our first real date and the rest is history. We became inseparable. Through the last 3 1/2 years we've had our ups and downs but through everything we've only gotten closer. He is my best friend and I am his.

What I think is more ironic than anything else is that I never mentioned to Tony's mom that I only worked two days a week at that store. (Tony used to say he was embarrassed and that he didn't need his mother to help him find girl. Clearly, he did. ;)  ) But had he come in any other day he would never have met me. Also, I was starting a new job two weeks later. If Tony would have waited any longer, he never would have met me. I think there was someone much bigger than Tony's mom wanting us to meet. I would have to say that thanks to the big guy upstairs, we were both in the right place at the right time. God knows, we didn't know what the heck we were doing. Literally.

I'm so happy that Tony wasn't afraid to listen to his mom and came to find me. It only further proves, what's meant to happen will happen. I cannot wait to be his wife!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

And hey....what about those Packers, huh??? :)

Tony and I the first year we were dating.
My caption to this picture said
"With the love of my life"
This was 4 months after we met.
This still seems like yesterday.

And the Highlight of the Week is?

Can I share what I had for dinner last night? (I meant to show you last night but I got tired. And went to bed. At 9:30. But truly it's the most exciting thing I did all week!)

No, it's not homemade.

But it's still picture worthy....

Num num num.....

SUSHI! I am now in love with it. My VERY first time ever trying sushi I was not such a fan. I tried a piece of my friends one night and it was just ok. It was not something I would order.

Fast forward a year. There is a new Japanese sushi and habachi restaurant near my work, that just opened.The owners recently moved here from New York and they are authentic. Tony and I decided to have a date night there. I had met the owners from their many visits to where I work. Our company had helped them get their phone/internet/tv up and running while they were trying to open. When we walked in one of the owners recognized me right away and within a few minutes of sitting down, he brought us a plate of sushi. I had wanted to try sushi again but I didn't know what to get. I'm NOT a fish girl. But I will try new things. So needless to say, I was worried. When I asked him what it was he said "not on menu". Oh boy.

Tony wasted no time in trying one. I was afraid he would gag or spit it out because he does NOT like to try new things. But the moment it was in his mouth, his eyes got huge and he said..."oh..my...God! That's good!" To this day I still have no idea what it was but it got me hooked.

For the last two weeks I've been getting the sushi urge. I finally decided what better way to spend my last night alone!? I got brave, dialed and ordered something new. (The Oshkosh Roll was shrimp tempura, avocado and spicy kani crunchy on top w. special sauce) It. Was. AWESOME!!! (sung in a high note) I could eat it again. Right now. (So everyone in the surrounding Oshkosh area...go to Sakura's right now!!!) ( I wonder if I can get commission???)

Now for the real reason behind my random babbling...we are getting our engagement pictures taken tomorrow! I am super excited. I'm not sure if other people get this excited but for me it means we are a little closer to getting married. I have been trying on outfits all week long, second guessing myself, over thinking things. I can honestly say if Tony knew this, he would be very glad he was gone all week! I just want them to look perfect. And look like us. It's easy to get caught up in the thought of what engagement pictures should look like...but then you have to step back and ask, "is this something I would really wear?" That being said, I'm now very excited (have I said excited enough???) because I know we are staying true to us. Like I said...I do over think things. :)

With us getting our pictures taken, it made me realize that most people do not know the story of how we met. Stay tuned because that, my friends, is next!

I'll share with you, the ring. It's perfect.

Just Stay Busy...Bake and Blog!

If you are friends with me on Facebook then you are already well aware...I miss Tony. He's gone to training for work all week. I do believe it's the first full week we've ever spent apart since we've started dating. Normally I can make it through the first couple days just fine. But he's been gone 2 whole days (technically I did see him yesterday morning before he left) and I miss him like crazy. But I guess that's a good thing, rather than thinking "Phew I'm glad he's gone!" 

Since I have alone time I find that I like to keep myself busy with little things. Like...BAKING! I made a recipe that I found, once again, on Pinterest. Banana Bread Brownies. Everything I like rolled into one. Banana bread. Chocolate. And a brownie! HOLLA!! I happened to have everything on hand and they were super simple to throw together. Mine took a little longer to bake than the suggested time but they still turned out fantastic. Now, the goal is to NOT eat the whole pan...by myself. I just wanted a couple little pieces to cure my chocolate craving and to magically make my night into no ordinary night!

I would bake again tonight but really....I don't need any more sweets. I'm already gifting some Banana Bread Brownies to family and friends tomorrow when I see them. They just don't know it yet. Yep, that's right. I'll bake the night away, indulge in a few pieces of banana/chocolate bliss and then kindly give the other 3/4 of the pan away to my loved ones, where they can then deal with the issues of calories and sweet temptation. They can't say I've never done anything for them... ;)

While nibbling away on my little scrumptious brownie, I decided to Google wedding invites. I really want to make ours personal and create them myself but I need some inspiration. After some brief searching I quickly realized that I can't just get started and create a masterpiece. Did anyone else have a clue that their were A-7's and A-1 sizes???? WHAT??? I had never even thought about what size an invite should be. I'm usually one to hop into a project and think about the details later. That definitely won't work this time. They have to be able to fit into these things called envelopes. Who knew? I guess I forgot about that step. Sigh....I must. Do. Research. This is why I am starting now. It's will take me a few times to figure out how to proceed. And I had thought this would be easy...HA!!!

Thank goodness I have 347 days left until THE Big Day!

Have a great night friends!!

I'm in love with these delectable little bars.

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray, set aside
3. In a medium sauce pan, combine butter and chocolate chips. Over medium-low heat, melt together, stirring occasionally. When melted, set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl combine the mashed bananas, sugar and vanilla. Stir in beaten eggs until evenly incorporated.
5. Stir in flour and salt until just combined.
6. Pour all but 1/4 cup melted chocolate into the banana mixture and stir.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and drizzle remaining 1/4 cup melted chocolate on top, and swirl it into the batter.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Brownies will be very dense.
10. Cool completely and cut into squares.

***store in an airtight container for up to 3 days***

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Fall

It definitely felt like fall this weekend! I had a wedding to attend and I actually wore pants. Yes, pants. (And I didn't have to worry about shaving! Bonus!)

It was a weekend full of friends, old and new. We started out attending our friends' wedding reception and seeing many faces we hadn't seen in quite a while. The thing with growing up, having a house and now planning a wedding, is that we just don't have the time to go out and "party" as much as we did in that first year of dating. We don't get to see some of our friends as much as we would like. I did make sure that all of Tony's friends realized that our lack of tavern appearances is NOT due to me saying "no, you can't go out" or "I don't want to go out tonight" but due to Tony preferring to SLEEP. Yes...he's only turning 26 and he chooses sleep. What I didn't mention was that since I'm a book worm and also now addicted to (and record on DVR) My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, that most Friday nights I'm totally OKAY with this decision. Ok, so maybe I'm partially to blame since I don't actually encourage going out....but wait...that's not really relevant. :)

So anyways...

After socializing and getting to see a very happy newly married couple, we decided to go out and see some more friends. Might as well do it all in one night, right? I mean...we don't get all gussied up for the heck of it! We might as well prove that we do exist! Out we went to a local bar where Spitfire, a local band, was playing and we danced the rest of the night away. It was such a great night. And it went by way too fast. We finally made it home at 2:30AM and boy, did I collapse. I don't remember seeing 2:35. I. Was. Out. Goodnight.

It will take me a week to catch up on sleep. Gosh...the perks of getting older. But live like you are dying, right?

Speaking of dying...JUST KIDDING!

Well, kind of. This is for all you hunting fans. Tony shot a buck. And not just any buck. A 14 pointer!! He's been on cloud nine. (Probably why he did a little dancing this weekend. Well, that and beer) But he can't believe after 7 years that he finally shot something during bow season. The best part of the story is that he lucked out on his first night out. He had missed opening weekend but with it being a little on the warm side yet, he wasn't too concerned. Then on a whim he decided to head out after work one night. It was cool and had been rainy and he had the hunting bug. He hadn't even anticipated seeing anything. He just wanted to get into his stand (which I will never understand but to each his own!.)  I guess he was in the right place at the right time! Now he's getting his first shoulder mount (that will go in his MAN CAVE) and I'm getting a freezer full of meat. Because, you know...I like meat. (Thanks mom for forever making this an inside joke ;)  )

Tony and his 14 pointer.

 Since Tony no longer needs to go out and find a mighty buck (until gun season, anyways) he has more time to spend at home now. It was so nice having him around today. I love setting up decorations for fall once the season rolls around and normally I do it myself. But this year I got to have my best friend come along to pick up some corn stalks and pumpkins AND help me set it all up. It's just a start but it was fun doing it together. I love that he takes the time to do these things with me and never thinks I'm being silly. It's one of those little things that one should never take for granted.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend. Did anything exciting happen for you??

Are you starting to put fall decor up yet?  I'm not done yet but I was excited to share what I got up today. I'll make sure to show you what it look like when I'm done!

The start of our front door decor.
(P.S. My first DIY wreath.
I'll be sure to get that up soon!)

Our back patio has been prepped for fall.

My flowers just needed some pumpkin companions.