Life Lately According to Instagram

So much has happened in the past few months and I wish I could keep up with all these posts! Here is what we've been up to lately. Follow along if you would like to stay in touch.

 

@abitofbeesknees on Instagram

 

~ Checking out a tree tunnel at a local art gallery

~ Cooking Vietnamese Spring Rolls with my love

~ Dinner in our backyard...finally invited the parental units over!

~ Attempting my first scarf on a weekend morning

~ Kumquat tea from China Town in Los Angeles

~ Celebrating our One Year Anniversary at Eat Chow

~ Surfing and camping in San Clemente

~ Daniel got to be a groomsman in our friend Ethan's wedding {More pics to come!}

~ We got to dig into that year old wedding cake and some special Champagne

~ Lots of cooking and artsy projects in between

~ A trip to Chicago to have dinner with our favorite chef Rick Bayless {More pics to come!}

 

And I'm still missing so much more! I need to catch you guys up on my trip to Israel, some fabulous road trips and our European adventures. Stay tuned! I'm hoping I can write a post on each country we visited and give some photos and a recipe from each. Oh I am so excited to get them started! Lately it's nothing but work, work, work and building these houses {I am extremely grateful for them, but this building stuff really does take over all your free time...hence the lack of posts}.

 

 

Healthy Almond & Banana Coconut Paleo Muffins!

Super easy recipe. You don’t even need to use bowls or spoons! Just mix all ingredients in a blender and pour the batter into your muffin pan. These were our go-to snacks when we needed to satisfy sweet cravings during the 30day paleo challenge. They are so tasty and moist!

 

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1/4 cup almond butter

1 tbsp. coconut oil

2 tbsp. raw honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

1 ½ cups finely shredded coconut

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour batter into muffin pan and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

My Fall To-Do List & Favorites

Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons {my #1 love still being winter} It marks the beginning of cooler weather and some lovely holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving...both of which I adore. The whole season makes me feel warm and cozy, it's a time when friends and family get together and celebrate. Here is a little list of things I hope to do this season.

1.  Apple picking at the farm my parents would take me to when I was young

2. A weekend in the cabin

3. Host a pumpkin carving party

4. Master a new soup…I’m thinking butternut squash.

5. Watch some old scary classics like Secret Window and Frankenstein

6. Try my hand at making pumpkin butter

7. Wine tasting

8. Make apple cider from scratch

9. Night walks around Balboa, bundled up with cinnamon tea

10. Knitting a huge scarf with super thick burnt orange yarn…we’ll see how that goes.

And here are some of my favorites that will get you excited to embrace the season.

Sweater / Lauren Ralph Lauren dark brown leather boots / KENNETH JAY LANE enamel ring / Mimco cheek bronzer / Tom Ford wood perfume / Blanket / DwellStudio brown candle / Wedgwood & Bentley tea cup / Michael Aram gold stand / OKA home decor

Words of Wisdom

Live life like the ladies in the front row, not the grumpy

ones in the third :)

Picture via media cache

Creamy Pumpkin Paleo Shake

Hello Fall!

I love autumn with all its colorful leaves, chunky sweaters, boots and scarves, cold nights with hot apple cider and decorating pumpkins. I secretly love it when it gets dark early, it gives us more cozy time indoors and Dan doesn't surf until 7:00 at night. What can I say? I love spending time with my Hub. I thought it would be fun to add to the fall festivities with a new recipe -- Creamy Pumpkin Spice Shake. And guess what!? It’s Paleo!

1/2 cup almond milk or coconut milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree {no sugar added}
1 banana
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon raw honey { I'm not 100% sure if raw honey is considered Paleo. I researched different sites and some say yes and others say no, so it's up to you if you want to add it}
5-7 ice cubes

Throw it all in a blender and that's it!

Our Wedding

I can't believe it's been one year since we said "I do". Thank you for being the greatest husband I could ever imagine. Being married to you has been the best year yet. You make my heart melt every day. We have so many exciting years to come. I am thankful for every moment we have together and I look forward to experiencing all that life will bring our way. I'll love you forever Danny. Cheers to our 1st year! Here's our story and some pictures from when we first fell in L-O-V-E!

To all of you who read A Bit Of Bees Knees, this past year has been a busy one... we got married, honeymooned in Europe {awww so amazing}, settled into our little rental house, tore down our own house and started building 2, I traveled to Israel, switched jobs from nannying to manufacturing medical devices {how does that happen?} and tried to find time to write in-between the craziness. We were so busy that I never found time to share pictures from our wedding or honeymoon! Here are some of our favorite moments from our wedding day. We hope to share  some pictures from our honeymoon in the months to come...10 countries and 17 cities in 30 days! We've got pictures galore! What a wonderful year. We have so much to be thankful for.

{My lovely Bridesmaids}

My bridesmaids arrived at my parents home for makeup and hair at 6:00AM! Wow that was early, but we used every bit of time. My Dad made us breakfast and a few of our groomsmen surprised us with coffee...how sweet was that!? These girls are my support system. They make my day. I've known some of them since I was 3 years old! I can count on them for anything. I love these ladies.

{A pile of bridal essentials!}

Makeup, camera, cellphone and chargers, garter, perfume, letter for the Pastor and Wedding Planner, sunglasses, Family Bible with fake rings for the Ring Bearer, signs for pictures, fancy wedding shoes and my ballet flats for some seriously groovy dancing. Check and Check! 

{My Dress}

My Mom, Grandma and bridesmaids helped me get ready.

{The Studly Groomsmen}

Meanwhile, the guys got suited-up at our little house. Apparently they only needed 30 minutes to get ready. I heard there was a lot of relaxing, video games and food involved. Nice.

{It's almost time!}

  

{Here we go!}

{Bring on the tears!}

I was so excited that my heart felt like it was going to explode. I had waited for this exact moment for so long and it was finally happening! Many brides had told me that they didn't remember walking down the aisle -- they were so excited and nervous that it all seemed foggy when they tried to remember details. I used the last 3 minutes before I walked down the aisle to pray. I wanted to collect my thoughts and be thankful for all those years that had led up to this special moment. I wanted to remember every detail; the way Danny looked at me, all our friends and family in the church and holding on to my Dads arm. I wanted to be present. And I was. It was a really beautiful moment. Sure, I was crying...and it wasn't the pretty kind either {it involved chin quivering and a red face}, but I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

{Our First Look}

 {We do!}

 {The whole crew}

All the littles in our wedding were kids that I have nannied over the years. I love these babies!

{While we were taking pictures, our guests were at the cocktail hour}

So many neighbors, friends and family helped decorate our wedding. It was a team effort!

{My Mom used baby pictures of Daniel and me on our table numbers. Too Cute Mom.} 

{Getting ready to make our entrance with our wedding party}

{Our First Dance and Mother Son and Father Daughter Dance}

{Our beautiful cake made by a beautiful friend}

{White Sangria and Tea}

{Cutting the cake! Proceeded by smashing the cake into each others face. Real classy. But that's how we roll...we try not to take life too seriously}

{I made wooden silhouettes of us on the band saw. They came in handy as décor  for our wedding table}

{We made an horsd'oeuvres display with the picnic basket that Dan used when he proposed to me.}

{And we used my late Grandparents military suitcases as a card box and placed a picture of them next to the table}

{Some of our funny friends and family}

 

{Time to dance!}

{Someone looks really happy}

{Some of my sassy nanny babies on the dance floor}

{Bouquet toss!}

 {Too much fun}

{The Garter Toss!}

Photography: Dennis Tom | Invitations: Christina Pecora | Church: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church  | Venue: The Oasis Center | Catering: Stonefire Grill |  Cake: Katie Wahrenbrock  |  Floral Design: "Flowers by Becky" and my neighbor Ernesto | Linens & China: Baker Party Rentals | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero {Beatrice} | Veil: Handmade by my Aunt Cheryl Ohlhaver | Tux Rentals: Friar Tux |  Hair & Makeup: Kenya Haynes   |Videography: Riley Hayes, Connor Luckey and Jake Carroll.