For the Blushing Bride

Here are just a few excerpts from my last two weddings.  I'm especially fond of the "blushing" bouquet above.  Seriously, have you even seen anything more exquisite than a garden rose?  They look like roses and peonies got together and made a lacey, delicate, amazing little baby.Adore them.  Mix that with peonies and spray roses - be still my heart.  Love this job.

 
These bridesmaids' bouquets are so simple, and so elegant.  Single stems of garden roses nestled along side a single stem of spray roses.  Throw in a little minty burst of dusty miller, and voila! Adorable.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Lemon Meringue Pie

Cream and Sugar and Coffee Stains

Since Shabby Chic Vintage Loveliness is all the rage, you might find yourself wishing your linens, bedding, and maybe even clothing were a little softer, more subtle, more antiquated in color. Well, good news, brew yourself a cup of coffee - or maybe even a pot or two, or eight, and let me show you how easy it is to transform the fabrics you already own for pennies (seriously, Publix runs coffee as the Wednesday Penny Item all.the.time. Take advantage!)

About a year ago I bought this duvet cover from Target.com.  

Autumn's Finest

Bridal bouquet

Sweet Sunshine

Southern Porches

Peach Preserves

Best Oatmeal Cookies Ever!

 

 

So, yes, these are oatmeal cookies - but don't dismiss them so quickly!  Simply put, these little gems are A-MAZING!  Sweet.  Chewy.  Heaven.  Do yourself a favor and bake up a batch of these asap - you will never look at an oatmeal cookie the same way again!

Pillowcase Bags

How is this for a darlin' little bag?  Not only is this a great over night bag for girls, but it also makes a very cute bridesmaid gift because it is just the right size for make-up AND curling/flat irons, etc.  And let me tell you - SUPER easy to make.  I do a lot of things, but sewing isn't one of them, yet I was still able to pull this off - which means you CAN, too!

Dreamy Creamy Creamed Spinach

This post is for one of my very best friends, who happens to LOVE spinach artichoke dip.  I know there are thousands of recipes out there, but this is mine, and I can make it anytime I have fresh spinach (which is every time it's on sale) because all of the other ingredients are staples in my house.  This makes an excellent side dish, or of course, appetizer.  Seriously, people who think they don't like spinach just haven't eaten it the right way!  Hope you all love this as much as we do!!

Roast Beef Rolls

So if you've been wondering what you're going to take to that up-coming Christmas potluck, wonder no more! I make this recipe for nearly every potluck, and no matter how many I bring, they are always one of the first things to go.  They are even easier than their ham-and-cheese counterpart that you're probably familiar with - only 6 ingredients! And even more delicious :o) I also always make these to serve with my Loaded Potato Soup (recipe to come). Promise you'll love 'em!

Darlin' Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

 

If you're looking for a super delicious and easy dessert for this Thanksgiving, I definitely recommend giving these darlin little pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese icing a try! They are heavenly! I adapted this recipe from a bundt cake recipe I found on www.cdkitchen.com. I added the cream cheese icing, which I think kinda makes them, but you could easily leave the icing off and just call them Pumpkin Muffins (which is EXACTLY what I did when I ran out of icing.)

 

It's Fall Y'all

These pics are a compilation from my last few events.  Hopefully it will inspire you for Thanksgiving - just a few more days!!!  I LOVE Thanksgiving - it just might be my favorite holiday.  I'm kind of a food fanatic, so of course, that's at the top of the list, but I also love that it's the beginning of the Christmas season.  It gets me excited about decorating, shopping, baking, listening to Christmas music, eating on Christmas dishes, watching the 25 Days of Christmas....I'm giddy just thinking about it!  You know I'm looking forward to an entire month of Christmas posts ;o)

First, a fall-themed wedding.  Those bright-colored nosegays would be precious nestled in some white pumpkins sitting all in a row down the center of a table!

For Better or Worse

Ok, so let me start with a disclaimer - what you are about to see are NOT before/after pics, they are only progress shots.  Things have been moving slowly around here lately.  There's just so much for two of us to do, and really my poor hubby has been doing the bulk of it alone for the past few months.  But, hooray - back to work today!!  We piddled around, caulking, fixing gutters, hanging hooks and toilet paper holders - nothing big or exciting, but enough to motivate me give you all another little peek into the chaos that is currently our life ;o) 

So, let's do this.  If you will remember, here is the "before"

Stuffed Shells

If you like lasagna, you will LOVE these shells. They are so much easier than their layered counterpart, and AMAZING!  I'm salivating just looking at the picture, and can only assume you are, too - you might want to make these right away!

Something Old

I'm sorry to say these pictures don't do these flowers justice - they really were lovely. Simple, clean, elegant, just enough color. I say it all the time, almost everytime actually, but this really was one of my favorite weddings.

Oh, Vanity!

I refinish quite a bit of furniture - not enough to open a shop or anything, but certainly enough to furnish a house.  This little habit started out of necessity, but I think even if I won the lottery that I don't play I would still try to make treasures out of trash just because I enjoy the challenge. 
When we bought this crazy house it came with some equally crazy vanities that had been retrofitted from dressers.  You might be thinking, "oooh, that sounds great!"  No, it wasn't great.  They were too short to start with, the finished was ruined, the sinks were too small, the faucets were akwardly off-set, the drawers were broken, and to top it all off, none of them worked because all of the traps had been removed - just crazy!

I Scream, U Scream

So I have been puttin my new kitchen to good use this week, as it is the 10 year anniversary of homemade ice cream cakes for the hubby's birthday.  I combine all of his favorite treats - ice cream, oreos, Reeces, and cake - for a dessert that is in no way healthy, or even "lite," but quite delicious and I always say, "everything in moderation." So save up for a moment of indulgence and treat yourself to this little delicacy (but do it when you're feeding a crowd, because this recipe makes 2 cakes)!  Keep in mind, you could alter this to any number of flavor combos, but of course, I'm gonna give you the recipe for this little taste of chocolate-flavored heaven.

What's Cookin'!

I have been lookin forward to writin this post for over a year - seriously!  Now don't go gettin too terribly excited, the kitchen is NOT finished, but it IS functioning - so no more cookin in the laudry room (and that's not some crazy joke you're not privy to - my super-resourceful Daddy installed a 2-burner cooktop in the laundry room.  The microwave and coffee maker were stacked on top of the dryer, and most food prep occurred on top of the washing machine).  But no longer!  We now have a fabulous gas cook top, a dishwasher (probably my favorite part!  I can't tell you how many sippy cups we lost during hand washing - just couldn't get those little plastic parts clean enough), and a HUGE farmhouse sink.  We are still working on hardware, lighting, a backsplash, and more drywall touch-up and paiting, etc etc etc.  Also, keep in mind we are still under construction, so random tools, ladders, and supplies are in the pics, too.  These aren't true "before and after" pics, but enjoy these progress shots!