hungry?

source

Here's a list of 10 tasty treats I'm eatin' up all around the blogosphere:

01. A great how-to from Redhead Recipes.

02. Just when I thought I couldn't love Zooey anymore, she goes and makes the cutest music video for 'In The Sun'.

03. Why doesn't anything this cool happen in Wisconsin? Guess I'll have to travel overseas.

04. These sweet, little "book belongs to" stickers will be perfect for future books for UJ.

05. Just when I thought I couldn't love my wedding colors {pink + orange} any more than I do...

06. Gives new meaning to the phrase "To have and To hold"

07. Hannah, this "dish" is dedicated to you :)

08. Last summer, my girlfriends and I went to the lake and hopefully in 40+ years our swimwear will be this cool

09. On Saturday, Chad and I watched "To Catch A Thief" and I couldn't help but love G. Kelly's style

10. Ree makes me want to go out and buy these 'people' colored pencils for my classroom...it was the first time that I had ever heard of something like this.

There you have it, 10 goodies from my Google archives. Here's hoping they give you ideas and inspirations like they've done for me. Hopefully, over the weekend, I'll be away from the computer and off enjoying Memorial Day weekend with my family. Oh, and starting up the long task of wedding thank-you notes.

Enjoy the sunshine, friends!

these colorful bowls of mine.

For one of my showers, I recieved this 4-pc. colorful bowl set from my godmother. It's one of those gifts that wasn't on my registry, but I'm so glad I have it. We've already used every single one and they are the perfect popcorn bowl.

It definitely livens up my popcorn + Real Housewives date with myself :)

a decor detail.

We've got our first pair of visitors coming over to the house tonight. Chad's cousins are stopping by for pizza, which means I've gotta go and make this place presentable. Before I go, I wanted to show you what they are going to see before they step into our apartment.

I got this welcome mat for Chad this year for Christmas and am so glad that I finally was able to put it out. It's everything I want people to see right before they come in: cheerfulness, color, and charm. Now, I have to find things that I can put around our house that feature the same 3 C's.

Doormat: from Modcloth. Unfortunately, it's not available anymore, but here are some more interesting mats.
Shoes: my wedding flats from Nordstrom. Find more REPORT flats here.

the one with the honeymoon recap

We're doing the wedding + honeymoon recap "Pulp Fiction" style {as Chad would say}.We'll start with the honeymoon and work our way back. We went up to Door County, WI and stayed in a charming little town called Ephraim, about a four-hour drive away from our city.

Before I start, here's a little throwback to my childhood {watch up to 0:30}:

I watched this with Chad last night, and he was giving me the "have you lost it?" look because I was laughing so hard. I used to say this to my sister whenever she would talk about her honeymoon :)

Starting off the picture reel is one of Chad and one of me, happy as clams. The whole week, you could tell we had just gotten married: we couldn't stop smiling. And it wasn't just "pose for pictures" smile that we had for some of the wedding pictures, it was "wow, we're so giddy and happy and in love" smiles.

Here are some shots of the signs around Washington Island that we saw while walking around. Yes, walking around. When we were boarding the ferry, we couldn't believe all the people that were paying 25.00 dollars to bring their cars on the ferry. Well, next time up there, we're going to be shelling out that car fee and doing the Washington Island experience right. The island is about 35 square miles and we just thought we'd go to the center of town and hang out there. The center of town consists of  the school, the senior center, and one open restaurant {which we of course ate at since the 2-mile hike there exhausted us}.  That almost 5-mile hike in nearly 8-year-old Puma sneakers caused the biggest blisters on both of Chad's feet. {Sorry if that felt like an over share, but hey, I want to give you the unedited version.}

Next I give you two of the most beautiful pictures I took there.
1st: the sun setting over Peninsula State Park.
2nd: the most calm lake I have ever seen in my life.

Note: we did more on our honeymoon than what these pictures show. We took 3 of our disposable cameras that weren't used up from the wedding, so a lot of our pictures are being developed right now. So in addition to this, I'll have to show you the most amazing pizza we ate, the quaint little coffee shop we went to, the fish boil we experienced, and the view of the trip up there.

Our four days in Door County was everything that we wanted out our honeymoon. Low-key. Relaxing. No Agenda. Jim Rome. Togetherness. Amazing views. Exactly the right time away. Fiestaware. Good Food. An easy first four days of married life.

Love,
Mr. & Mrs. H.

Amanda H. {the Mrs. version}

 Hello from Mrs. H!


My husband and I just got back from our honeymoon and we couldn't be happier about married life so far. The wedding was so much better than I imagined it all these years. I will recap our wedding in detail once I get the professional pictures, but for now, here's a shot of my groom and I walking out of the church, courtesy of my mother-in-law. I want to make sure all the details from the wedding are remembered, so you might get more information than you bargained for.

We are going to be pretty busy for the next couple weeks getting the house put away and the names changed. Hopefully, I'll be able to get on the ol' blog and share some details about life around here.

XO,
Chad's Wife :)

5 {tiny, 24-hour} days.

That is all that stands between me and the wedding day. We are rolling with any and all things that happen from here on out.  I have missed writing the blog, but I will be back with pictures, stories, details that I know we all want to talk about after the wedding.

I've been practicing writing my new name...it's fun:)

the cake monster.

We came. He saw. He devoured.

What do you get when you give a one-year-old free range to destroy a chocolate cake?
 See pictures for the answer. 

He started out very gently patting the cake wondering why mom and dad gave him something so big and then once he figured out they weren't going to take it away--he conquered that cake.

The funniest part was when he got to the second layer of frosting.  He looked up at us like "Wow, I really get more?!"

Going to a one-year-old's birthday party made me rediscover simple things: the wonderful taste of cake, how exciting presents and parties can be, and the joy of children books {he got The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle--beautiful illustrations, don't you think?}. Such a perfect little party.

Happy Last Day of April!

confession: i've always wanted to be a bride.

This is how long I've dreamed about being a bride. I think this picture was taken when I was about 7. Let me break down it down for you:

I wore that white play dress for probably two years straight in the summer. It had rips in the hem and a big stain on the side, but I didn't care...I was a bride. To me, it was a gown, in my imagination, it had a train and was made of satin + sparkles. I loved that dress so much I remember getting up in the morning in the summer and having my mom zip me into it. I wouldn't take it off again until I had to change into my pajamas at night {or when I would change into shorts to ride my bike around the block}.

I definitely had the details down. I even had my arm sticking out so that I can walk down the aisle with my dad {my aisle back then was a diagonal line in the living room}.  I think for those two summers I had maybe a dozen weddings. Some were simple, between me and my imagination, little made up weddings that I'd have when making my bed and using the blanket wrapped around me for a train. 

Others were more elaborate--for one, my sister printed out a program and also played piano as I walked down the "aisle". She would sit me next to the computer in the kitchen and we'd decide what font to use, what hymn we should sing, etc.  Another wedding of mine had a reception of Kool-aid and graham crackers downstairs after the ceremony. I went so far as requesting that everyone dress up in their finest clothes in order to witness my blessed event. {My dad even wore a tie, which I didn't realize back then, but that was a big deal--he's not a tie wearer.}

I remember once my father said he wanted to invite his friend, Steve. I, of course, was mortified thinking that a person outside my family would come into my little world and watch me get fake married. My dad even went as far as pretending like he was of the phone inviting him to the wedding {With me hollering in the background "Dad, hang up the phone!!"}.

I am ready to be a bride. I'm ready to wear the white dress and have my father walk me down the aisle to my future husband. I've been dreaming about the wedding, evidently since I was 7.  Some of the details have changed...like,

Instead of:

*Playing the piano, Laura will be the matron of honor proudly standing up front next to me.
*Being the pastor or best man {never the groom, heaven forbid}, Kyle will be playing the role of groomsman and brother of the bride...the only one who can fill that role.
*My living room, I'll be walking down the aisle of my church overwhelmed by the sight of all the people surrounding me and the sight of my groom.
*Kool-Aid and graham crackers, we'll be serving our guests an actual meal {chicken breast and beef medallions, to be exact}.
*a make-believe groom named Seth or Matt, I'll be marrying Chad. A man who I know is real and who will always fill our marriage with love.

My 8-year-old self thought that the wedding was the perfect day. The day I'd get to wear white, walk with my father, carry a bouquet of flowers. My 21-year-old self now knows that the wedding is just the beginning of our life together.  I can look past the one day and realize that we are building the foundation of our life as husband + wife.

P.S. The smile that is on that little 8-year-old's face will be just as big as the one I'll have two weeks from now--I will have all my teeth though:)

Dear UJ: 12 months ago...

{our first meeting}

Hey little boy,

That's what you are. Practically. You are no longer my sister's little peanut who loved curling up into a ball when you slept in my arms. You are one year old. Today. I know it's just another day to you, but to your family, it's an event. Our lives changed so much when you made your appearance. We love having you here in our world. You light up our faces and souls just by smiling and laughing with us. We love seeing you get bigger and seeing you discover your world.

I can't wait for your birthday party tonight...your mom knows how to be the perfect hostess.

I love you, UJammer!

wishlist: spring purse

I would like all three of these please.

Since that's not a possibility {no Daddy Warbucks living here, you know}, I'll say these are my inspiration for finding the perfect spring purse. I've been carrying around my boring {albeit practical} black winter purse, but now it's time for a change. I'm on a mission to find one that will work for spring and fall.

01. Flower Ruffle Purse in Sandy Brown from shop ruche
02. Bea Shoulder Bag from piperlime.com
03. Sailor Knot Bag from downeast basics

All three have the features I like--functional and pretty with the must-have handle length {they all look like they would hang just right} and the enclosure I'm looking for {I'm not a fan of the one-snap closure}.

on realizing.

{Happy Earth Day to you! I love that little ones are already learning how cool it is to grow a garden.}

Over the past couple weeks, so much has been going on. You know the drill: wedding planning, school, car shopping, packing.  All these events have lead me to realize some things.
I've realized:

:a v-6 engine will give you more acceleration, but not very good gas mileage. Chad and I are deep into car shopping and compare everything to what Edmunds says or the Kelly Blue Book Value is. {Oh, all this car talk...} The car that is the front runner at the moment is a Ford Escape--it has everything we need at a price that is appealing, but it's a Ford. Ford's have never tickled my fancy in the past, but we'll see.

:I only get to see my kindergartners 4 more times before I graduate. Will soak up every minute of those 16 hours. I will miss walking down the hall like a mama duck leading all her babies.

:this time last year my sister was still pregnant. Now, I get to look forward to UJ's first birthday party next Wednesday. I can't believe how fast a year of life can go.

:speaking of birthdays, it's my older bro's birthday today! 28 Birthday wishes go out to him.

:the reruns of Gilmore Girls on ABC Family is getting to one of my favorite episodes, They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? (I like watching those GG ladies when I'm doing homework or cleaning: my alone time.) This is the one with the dance marathon--the beginning of Jess + Rory.

Today, I'm conquering the wedding to-do list before it conquers me. I've got to go to Michael's and Jo-Ann Fabrics {I'm surprised we're not on a first name basis yet} and get paper, gift bags, and ribbon.

And would it be so terrible if I used a Target gift card that I got from a bridal shower to buy shampoo and conditioner? I hope not.

photo source

hopping on the bandwagon

Allow me to introduce said bandwagon I'm hopping on: 30 Rock.

With the help on Instant netflix {seriously, a great investment}, I started watching 30 Rock and I haven't stopped. I know that I'll be the only one in our house who will watch it {Chad has a disdain for Alec Baldwin}, but at least I will be able to watch and enjoy. It's the perfect thing to have on when I'm cleaning, or doing art projects for kindergarten. Plus, I think Kenneth is hilarious.  


30 Rock also gives me a chance to watch Tracy Morgan, a.k.a. Brian Fellow. Laura showed me a video of Brian Fellow's Safari Planet a couple years ago, and we laughed so hard when it was on. Haven't seen it? Below is a SNL segment featuring Mr. Fellow courtesy of hulu:



Thanks for brightening up my day, Netflix!

5.15: jane's salsa and sandy's jam.

Today, I thought I'd share one of the parts of the reception that I'm looking forward to the most. The favors are so special to me because they are something that is meaningful and truly took so much effort to produce. My mom and Chad's mom made their signature foods: my mom made her strawberry jam, and Chad's mom made her medium salsa.

I love the idea of giving our guests something homemade--something that truly comes for our hearts. I've had my mom's jam for the past 15+ years of my life and it is so so delicious. Jane, too, was amazing by buying all the ingredients in order to make the freshest salsa {seriously, she went to the farmer's market and picked out everything}. I've got some very prime examples of how wives should act when I look at these two women.

I put the finishing touches on the little 4 ounce jars by putting our colors {pink + orange} on the top of them and trimming them up with my mother's pinking shears. I never knew the power of pinking shears until project wedding came about. They are the perfect scissors for people like me who rush through projects--they just have a way of correcting those little mistakes. The good thing about the favors is that they are done. Totally. Now they are just sitting on the dining room table, waiting to be brought out to the reception site.

We're cooking now, though. All that's left is getting our marriage license, wrap the wedding party gifts, contact the baker, ... we'll get it all done. 25 days left!

5.15: can there really only be 30 days left?

That's it. There's only 30 days left in my Knot countdown. It's gotten to the point where I want the wedding to just be here. All the gifts I have for my bridesmaids--I want them to have. All the paper lanterns I have sitting in a box--I want them to be hung up. All the things still on the list--I want them checked off.

But, there are still bridal shower thank-yous to be written, fabric to be cut, jelly beans to be bought, programs to be made, schedules to be created, dress fittings to attend,...among other little tasks. 

Honestly, I would be ready to get married to Chad in two days if I had to. No, I wouldn't have my dress or his suit, no people but our families would be there, we'd be eating at my in-laws house....but I'd be okay with that.

Past brides, how did you get through these last 30 days with your sanity, patience, and focus?