My Best Friend's Wedding

My best friend got married to her Navy man a few months back! I've been holding off on the post, because I wanted to share some of their gorgeous wedding pictures too! Thanks for letting Danny and me be a part of your special day! We love you both so much and wish you all the happiness in the world.

A little MOH love to her best friend and groom. 
A small slice of my cheesy speech... 

"It is impossible to not see the love, respect and friendship between you. It is the kind of relationship we should all aspire too…one that pushes you to be your best, to trust in your partner and to live by the motto -- home is where your heart is / or home is wherever I'm with you. 

Love is powerful – it’s the virtue that holds all others together. Whatever plan God may have for your future, you will know with certainty that he gave you each other to get there as a couple

to love each other 

to support each other 

and to make each other stronger 

Cheers to Justin and Shannon and their greatest adventure yet.  May you both grow more in love each day and be surrounded by the support of family, friends and God’s immeasurable love.  Cheers to a lifetime of happiness."

A little wedding clip I put together:

"All I Do Is Dream of You" by Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van {S and J's 1st Dance Song}

 





Photography: jmfoto photographic co.  | Invitations: Minted  |  Venue: Twin Oaks Garden Estate  | Catering: Twin Oaks  |  Floral Design: "Petite Bouquet" | Linens & China: Twin Oaks | Wedding Dress:Allure Bridals 9121 | Suit Rentals: Men's Warehouse & Navy Dress Whites  |  Hair & Makeup: Annie Mergenthaler & Camille Smith 

Springtime in Paris Bridal Shower Watercolor Invitations

My Mom and I are throwing my best friend Shannon a Bridal Shower in a few weeks. Shanny and her man Justin are planning on honeymooning in Paris so my Mom and I thought it would be cute to throw Shan a Springtime in Paris Bridal Shower Brunch. We thought it would be fun to paint the invitation with French-esque scenes to make things extra special. As I was searching for some Frenchy inspiration I stumbled upon the Michael's Springtime in Paris Contest. What a coincidence! So I entered the paintings into the #Springtimeinparis #Contest. Cross your fingers! I hope it wins! 5 glorious days in Paris -- cooking, sketching, florist lessons, and a private tour of the Louvre. Awwww swoooooon.  Oui se il vous plait.

Here is a fun little blurb that I sent to Michaels:
I’m in love with France and everything Parisian – the culture, food and art etc. It would be a dream of mine to take my Mother to Paris with me. She has always wanted to travel but has never had the opportunity to do so. I would love to be by her side as she experiences her first overseas adventure (and to Paris of all places); to one of the worlds most exciting and beautiful cities -- the crème de la crème for 1st time travel. We are both very creative people and this trip would be absolutely dreamy. I could picture us having the best time exploring the Louvre, admiring art, cooking French cuisine and arraigning gorgeous bouquets. These artistic classes are right up our alley. I would love to take a stroll through Montmartre, buy some crusty bread and cheese from a local fromagerie and some bubbly champagne. We could sit in the park by the Eiffel tower, enjoy our goodies and watch its lights twinkle.  I know that Paris would bring out the best of our creativity and friendship and give us memories that could last a lifetime.

*Any visible addresses are fictitious.

Ok, so it's a few weeks later and I didn't win. Bummers...but congrats to all the winners. You guys did a fabulous job! Here is the link if you want to check out their amazing work. 

Lemon Velvet Cream Pie & Tarts

I would have to say that this is my favorite pie/tart recipe {you can either make 1 pie or 6 tarts}! The texture is perfection...smooth like a velvety custard with a tart refreshing taste and a creamy finish. I like mine served cold with a glass of milk!

Ingredients

1 refrigerated 9 inch pie crust {or 2 9inch for tarts}

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons cold water

6 egg yolks

2 cups sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup whipping cream

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup fresh lemon juice

For Decorating:

Whipped Cream

Lemon zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line your pie pan or tart pans with premade pie crust and place in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes. Be sure to prick the bottom and sides of pastry with a fork so the crust won’t bubble up when baking. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small bowl mix 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in 2 tablespoons of cold water for 5 minutes. Then heat in microwave for 10 seconds and set aside.

In large mixing bowl combine 6 egg yolks and 2 cups of sweetened condensed milk. With an electric mixer, beat on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined. Add gelatin,  1/4 cup whipping cream and 1/4 teaspoon salt on low speed. Add 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Pour into prepared crust {pie will be full}.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until center of pie if firm when gently shaken; cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate until time to serve.

Top with whipped cream and lemon zest

Frosted Rosemary Sprigs with Cranberries {Drink Garnish}

I made these for our Christmas party this year. They are so easy to make and they look really pretty. I paired mine with a Brut Champagne (but I'm sure they would work with a variety of drinks}. The rosemary is very aromatic -- a lovely little surprise that lingers in your glass. 

Here's what you'll need: 

5 inch or longer rosemary sprigs {= to # of glasses you'll be serving}

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 bowl of water

1 cup of sugar {for dusting}

 ^^^ strip the rosemary so that just the top needles are left. Spear each cranberry in the middle and push it up towards the top.

 ^^^Dip the Rosemary needles into the water bowl and then into the sugar. Tap to get any excess sugar off.

^^^Then put them in the freezer and take them out just before your guests arrive.

Our Thanksgiving!

 

^^^I know it's a tad on the late side, but I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving! We had Thanksgiving with my Parents and our HUGE extended family. So, I might have gone a bit overboard with all these pictures of the table, but I think my Mom did and amazing job -- she should be a party planner...right?

 

 

^^^We reused the candle holders from our wedding. What a great investment...I think we've used them for every party since then!

 

              

                        ^^^Mom...you are killing me with the bitty butterflies and acorns! Too cute!

 

 

^^^ My cousin Charlie and hubby Dan. Dan teases Charlie for being a frat boy and Charlie teases Dan for being a surfer...basically they love each other. 

 

 

^^^My Dad is the turkey master. Our family loves to have potluck style dinners -- everyone brings their favorite dish. We have a huge family, so having one person cook the entire meal would be insane. I was in charge of bringing pureed candied yams and rosemary potatoes and carrots. I really got into it and sprung for the fancy multi colored carrots at Traders. Is it weird that I was excited about carrots? 

 

 

Because no Grams party is complete without a coffee station and butter cookies...^^^ Nice Mom ;)

 

 

^^^Meet my Family. Mom is up front and Dad is at the other end. Everyone in between is an Uncle, Aunt or cousin + about 20 more not pictured! My mom was the youngest of 8 kids and Dad was the oldest of 3 kids...who all grew up and had 2-6 kids of their own. So family holiday parties are of epic proportions.

 

 

^^^One of my Aunts always brings a box of See's Candy. It's sort of a tradition for family gatherings...one that I take full advantage of {I secretly snuck the rest of the box home when everyone had left}. And on the right is my Danny. This is what his face permanently looks like. ^^^

 

^^^And then we had a Friendsgiving with all of our friends who were still in town. We originally were going to have it in our tiny house {in the backyard},  but it rained all day, so my parents offered their house. How nice :) Well that made things super easy....everything was still set up from Thanksgiving, so we just cooked a new turkey and everyone pitched in with leftovers.

 

 

 

^^^The table looks so different at night! I love me some ambiance and candles!

 

                                          And then we had hot cider and beers in the backyard^^^

It was a great Thanksgiving! We have SOOOOO much to be thankful for! I/we couldn't be more blessed.

P.S. It is now officially CHRISTMAS TIME!

Woot Woot. Lets go get a Christmas tree!