crafty

our wedding was a DIY wedding...everything from the food to the decor to the wardrobe accouterments were made by myself or my super talented friends. even the photographer is our friend. obviously, this was to cut down on the expense but i feel it also added the personal touch that i wanted. it's like receiving a gift that someone made for you...you instantly feel the love and thought that went into it. 
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all pictures by cami rawlings of hurricane camille photography:

seating arrangement tree

table numbers

tables

each guest received a hot chocolate spoon made by
summer of orange poppy bakery.
summer is a wonderful friend of mine, as well.

 

the centerpieces were baby's breath

                                            

name(card)jars were inspired by jordan ferney's of oh happy day!

typography jars tutorial

the bouquet was made by my friend and florist, taylor larue

   taylor made

the billy ball "flowers" out of yarn

chalkboard buffet labels

inspired by say yes! to hoboken

pies + cake for dessert

cake by my friend, suzanne, of let them eat cake

banner by our friend (& officiant!!) michelle

yarn pompoms for the

garland, birdcage veil, and marti's headband

inspiration & how to can be found here, here, & here

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our wedding was super special because of our family & friends.  marti, brian, alissa, chip, brenda, michelle, suzanne, cami, cat, kadi, summer, and taylor went above and beyond.  i absolutely loved creating things and cooking food for our wedding.  but i absolutely love the the happily ever AFTER more. 

wedding nesting

mike and i finally were married last friday, january 20.  it was an evening filled with the people we love showing us their love for us.   the weeks and THE week leading up to the big " i do" were mostly stress free and fun until we all caught a cold (weird, i know. we NEVER catch colds. insert sarcasm here) and then it wasn't so fun.  apparently, this how it works for every bride.  not the catching a cold but the not so fun part.  i find this completely ridiculous. 
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the most important things to say about our wedding and marriage so far are...

• our family + friends are amazing people.  words will never fully express the amount of gratitude we feel towards them.
• i love being married and love my husband.
• hendrix is a ham and should never have juice.
• our wedding was wonderful and was made greater by everyone there.

see what i meant about hendrix being a ham?  he was a total nutball the whole wedding. it was his party too. (whoops! all photos by cami rawlings of hurricane camille photography.)
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after a week of recovery, i finally feel like cleaning, organizing, nesting, and planning.  the whole house went to hell while i was crafting for the wedding.  i am going through every room and filling tubs with the stuff that doesn't belong there...for instance, why did i have two drills, 5 gallons of birdseed, and 5 egg cartons on top of the fridge? good lord.  i am also having dreams about spring and gardening.  pinterest isn't helping.  mike is continuing to clear out the overgrown brush and it is making gardens dance in my head.  i am considering doing more container gardening this year.  it is much easier to maintain and i am hoping to be busy growing a human come summer.  also, our town may be adding a community garden and i hope to be able to help with that...in addition, to consulting* home gardeners.  is everyone still organizing and feeling refreshed about a new year? who is busy planning their 2012 gardens?
*only i will be consulting this season and i still have a few spots available.  email me for more information or leave a comment below. xo!

leftovers

the contents of my fridge post christmas lunch & post bachelorette dinner party:
...chocolate cheesecake, applesauce chocolate chip bundt cake, ham, potato casserole, waldorf salad, chopped salad with salami & provolone, st. andre (!!!) cheese, mystery cheese, baguette, roasted brussels sprout salad, provolone, homemade egg nog with rum (!!!), blueberry raspberry pie, chicken sausages with onions...

my plans to revive the leftovers...
sandwiches (of course!), potato casserole with ham & egg scramble for breakfast, get the diabetes from all the sweets, salads for snack time (all the time), split pea soup, get drunk on egg nog, chicken sausages with egg noodles & cheese bits...

i love leftovers even if they do get me drunk and sick on sugar.

merry & bright

merry everything from all of us at the farm.  we are so very thankful for this blessed christmas we are having...the past years have certainly not been without adversity for our family and we realize that this year, this month, and even this week has been rough on some of our closest family and friends.  we hope that for just one day that everyone can enjoy a day that is merry & bright.  weather that day is today, new years, or another holiday...we wish you all one day during this holiday season where there is just joy. 
as we come upon 2012, we wish many days that are full of laughter, fun, and joy...as many as your heart can handle. xoxo, always.

woman's work

never underestimate the power of woman's work...cleaning, comforting, cooking, coordinating.  most of the women i know are in charge of making the house operate, keeping the kids alive and well, coordinating the little events in life, making their worlds go round....they wear many hats.  perhaps those hats on their own aren't particularly special, but together they make up the driving force behind their family. 
i am lucky to have a fiancee who appreciates my work and a family of women who are ready to pick up the pieces should i fall and need help back up. for this i am truly grateful.  most of the women i am friends with will swoop in at a moments notice and help make things happen.  for this i am truly grateful. 
our close family friends are dealing with an unknown illness and hospitalization right now.  their son and ours are bffs.  our community of friends has come together to offer prayer, dinner, and childcare.  i am seeing with my own eyes...the power of woman's work.  as you celebrate this weekend, please keep my friend's little family in your thoughts. xoxo.

food is love

the PLaiD foundation is hosting a soup drive for patients at UNMC tomorrow.  here is a little bit of what co-founder, jenn timperley, had to say when recruiting help:

Becki, my partner with PLaiD, spent last Christmas in the hospital as her daughter Abby had received her transplant just days before. There are many families stuck in the hospital over the holidays and although it's never easy to be in the hospital it is especially hard over a holiday.

One thing we thought PLaiD could do to make one day easier for these families would be to provide a meal for one day. It is so hard sometimes to get the chance to leave the hospital room and grab something to eat. You rely on family and friends a lot to stay with your child so you can run and grab something or you rely on them to provide you with picking up some fast food. I know from experience with Joe being in the hospital multiple times that something that seems as simple as grabbing something to eat...well its just not simple! 

Luckily our longest stays were only two weeks, we have a 2 parent family, are local, and have a strong team of family to help when we call on them. So many families are inpatient for extended periods of time-months or more and do not have family support. It is difficult for them to get away take care of themselves and grab a meal-not to mention very costly to eat in the cafeteria for an extended time.  
i absolutely love this awesome idea and the opportunity to take part in such a kind act.  i believe food is love. i know the families will appreciate eating a cup of home cooked soup that was lovingly packed for just them.  the PLaiD foundation is planning on doing more of these events in 2012, so i will keep in you updated on ways you can participate.  in the meantime, check out their website for more info. about what they do: http://pediatricliveraid.org/
in the meantime, we have some family friends that are going through a (unrelated to the above) hospital stay.  so please send lots of prayers and positive energy out into the universe for all people and their families that are dealing with illness and hospital stays over the holidays.

tartiflette improvised

this is a lovely recipe that i found on pinterest.  i had to improvise it a bit since i was out of wine and wanted to "meat up" the meal a bit.  bacon won't do as dinner for mike...bacon with another meat? just fine. bacon alone? not so much. 
this makes a wonderful cold day dinner.  mike had three helpings...so it's good for the hungry man in your life.  i would serve it next time with a salad to balance the richness.   i used golden potatoes, but yukon or red would work great, too. it reheats well the next day and tastes great for breakfast with a poached egg and fruit. 

tartiflette done easy....
saute 1 chopped onion in olive oil until softened, add 3 italian sausages (cut up) & cook through, add about 4-5 waxy potatoes (skin on/cubed) & 1 - 1 1/2 c. chix broth--cover with lid and cook for about 10minutes or until potatoes become tender. stir in 1/2 c. cream and cook until thick (about 1 min), season with salt & pepper. layer 1/2 the mixture in greased pan top with cheese (i used a bit of leftover ricotta, brie, and parmesan) top with other 1/2 of mixture and more cheese. bake for about 15-20 min. in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. serve with salad.

*a great place to find more dinner ideas made by real people who love to cook is this facebook page some girlfriends of mine started...it is really fun.  check it out!