pumpkins

Fall is such a fun and festive season.  I'm living outside the U.S. right now - therefore missing out on football, the changing weather, scary movies, camping and Halloween.  That hasn't stopped me from thinking of ideas for PUMPKINS!  Last year, I carved a super cute haunted house into my pumpkin.  This year - I've got my eyes on some pumpkin painting.  I'm loving these:

Painted Pumpkins - From Creature Comforts Blog

And Glitter Pumpkins - From Made By Girl

chicken wrap recipe

Whew!  It's been too too long since we've blogged.  Eli and I have been on Spring Break, and didn't get around to ANY blogging.  It's about time we cook something delish!  I made these chicken wraps for dinner last night, and if you hate figuring out what to cook, try this.  It's pretty simple and yummy.

You'll need:
1 bottle of Italian salad dressing
1 package of uncooked chicken breasts or tenderloins
Sabra's Supremely Spicey Hummus
{don't let the "spicey" scare you - it's good}
Lettuce
Chopped onion {optional}
Shredded cheese {optional}
Tortillas

How to:
Marinate the chicken in your Italian dressing
{I usually do it over night}
Grill it the next day for dinner - the George Foreman will work just fine.
Slice it in smaller pieces for your wrap.
Spread some hummus on your tortillas.
Place some chicken slices in there.
Add some lettuce, cheese, & onion.
Wrap it up!

That's it!

meet me at the altar

Weddings have come a long way since the days our parents and grandparents were united in holy matrimony.  The traditional church wedding is now just one of many ceremony options for the bride & groom.  The key to finding a place to marry is to make sure that it represents the couple. Indeed, a couple can marry anywhere as long as they stay true to themselves, and add a little love and creativity to the place. :o)

Here are a few of our favorite altars!

N&E

twice baked potatoes recipe

Twice Baked Potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods.  Mmm!  They're just so good.  Here's my recipe.

4 or 5 potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 block of cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 pack of dry ranch dressing
crumbled up bacon
A pinch of salt and pepper
8 green onions chopped

First, put your potatoes in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees, or just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes until they're soft.  While you wait for the potatoes, get a large mixing bowl and mix all the other ingredients together.  Cook some bacon and crumble it up.  I usually heat the cream cheese up a little to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients.  When your potatoes are done cooking, cut them in half and scoop out the insides.  Keep the potatoes skins!  Combine the potatoes with your creamy mixture and mix the potatoes in thoroughly.  Now, put the mixture back into the skins and place in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes and you're done!  My family scarfs these down so quickly that I usually double the recipe.  Enjoy!

bridal shower etiquette

While we're on the topic of showers, it is important for every gal to know her etiquette!  Martha Stewart has a nice little slide show to explain what is expected of a maid of honor (or any hostess) and what you should do to be the best hostess.  If you have a big role in someone's wedding, be sure to do plenty of research on your responsibilities.  You'll get much better results and you'll have a happy bride and guests!  Check out websites like A - Z Manners and Etiquette for more detailed guidelines.

Party styling and photography by bloom designs via HostessBlog.

tea time!

Nothing is more fun and girly than a tea party themed get together.  This theme can work for bridal showers, birthday parties, or any gathering of ladies.  Our advice for any party or shower is to take some kind of theme and run with it.  Focus your theme on anything from a color scheme, to a holiday, polka dots, a movie... anything that inspires you.  For example, you could make your tea party super dainty and traditional, or you could make it more of an Alice in Wonderland theme.  There are no limits.  We love the idea of a tea party with vintage tea tins from thrift stores and tea houses.

Tea Tins

Using mason jars for your centerpieces is another easy way to add a vintage touch to your get together.  You can find them at thrift stores, or buy them brand new at your grocery store.  Etsy.com is a fabulous place to find mason jars, vintage straws, and gobs of other unique handmade and vintage items.

Mason jars have many uses.  Here they are used as little drinking glasses.

And of course, if you're doing the tea theme, you must go crazy with cute tea sets and tea bags!

 

  If you're looking to go a little less traditional, Hostess With the Mostess features an adorable Alice in Wonderland tea party.

Love it!

N&E

lollipop birthday party

Look at this darling lollipop themed birthday bash from Hostess With the Mostess.  So cute!!!  Go to their blog for all the pictures and charming details.

DIY flowers

Here's a lovely idea from Style Me Pretty - DIY flower bracelets!  It would be super cute for your special wedding guests (like grandparents and mother of the bride and groom).  See SMP's website for the full tutorial.

homemade honey wheat bead recipe

This is delicious if you have a bread machine and SO EASY.  Throw a few ingredients in and let the machine do the rest.  It takes about 3 hours, so plan accordingly.  

1 ¼ cup warm or cool water

2 tablespoons of oil

½ cup of honey (or agave)

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 cup oatmeal

3 cups flour

(you can do 1 ½ cup white/ 1 ½ cup wheat flour)

2 ¼ tsp yeast

DIY Wall Art

You don't have to go spend tons of moolah on expensive art.  Just make your own!  Here's another slide show from The Nest with some DIY art ideas.  It's fun and more personalised. 



your perfect doggie match

If you and your significant other want to get a puppy together, here's a fun little slide show from The Nest to help you decide on the perfect breed for the two of you!

adorable easter egg

Just when you thought you had gotten rid of all the Valentine's Day candy in your house, Easter comes along.  This idea of a message inside an egg comes from the lovely Oh! Crafts blog.  It's oh so cute and thoughtful.  We would like to give it a try!

kitchen obession

I've been obsessed with kitchens lately.  I suppose after you get married and no longer obsess over your wedding... babies or houses are next on the list of things to dream about.  As always, Martha Stewart has gobs of kitchen ideas on her website, but this is a slide show of her own personal kitchens.  She seems to refrain from decorating much, but her kitchens are immaculately organized and functional.  I enjoyed viewing it and I hope you do too.

a precious gift

This is so so SO cute!  You can make gem shaped candies and a jewelry box for your sweetie on Valentine's Day.  Fancy Flour makes a mold for your chocolates.  Wrap them in bright colored foil and you've got semi precious gems {maybe made with semi sweet chocolate *wink wink*}!  The whole tutorial is on marthastewart.com.  It looks like Martha even mixed in some plastic jewels with her chocolate jewels.  Love it!





N&E

Martha Martha Martha

You may not know this, but Martha Stewart has a plethora of crafts and freebies on her website.  The amount of content on her website can actually be overwhelming {in a good way}.  One of my favorite things on her site is the free printable stuff!  And right now she has all kinds of Valentine's Day themed printables -- for free.  You can print chocolate wrappers, custom CD decorations, cards, and secret messages.  It's an easy way to make something for a special someone on Valentine's Day.  And it's FREE.  Take a look on Martha's website.

N&E

DIY décor

Most girly girls love flowers.  These flowers from Dana Made It are darling, inexpensive, and will never wilt!  Plus, they could  be used for everyday decoration, or for a shower/party.  We haven't tried making these yet, but they look pretty simple and cute.  Visit Dana for the full tutorial! 

 

N&E

valentine's day cuteness

February is getting so close... and that means Valentine's Day is near!!!  This valentine themed party from Hostess With the Mostess is absolutely ADORABLE.  Obviously, we had to post it here!  Here are a few photos.

N&E

oldie, but goodie

Rice Krispy Treats are an oldie, but still a goodie.  If you're having a sweet tooth craving or are hosting a get together, this simple recipe is always a reliable crowd pleaser.  They're also not too heavy on calories :o) 

taco pie recipe

Hi everyone!  So I have another recipe {courtesy of my Aunt Gail} that is delish and packed full of meat.  It's called Taco Pie.  I made this for a bunch of guys and they gobbled it up.

Ingredients
1 pkg low fat or regular Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
{I used two pkgs.  One wasn't enough for some reason.}
1 lb lean fresh ground turkey breast
1 16 oz medium thick & chunky salsa
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Brown ground turkey in skillet until no pink shows.
Drain and add jar of salsa.
Let simmer while you put the dough in a pie plate.
Press onto bottom and sides to form a crust.
{I had a little extra dough, I wove it over the top}
Add turkey mixture.
Sprinkle all the cheese on top.
Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.
You may want to protect the crust from browning too much by putting foil around the edges.

And here's your finished product :o)

wonderous wreath

Wreaths can be used year round as decoration {not just the holiday season}.  This is so very cute and also cheap.  Gotta love that!  If you already have a glue gun, you only need a few things that can be purchased at the dollar store.  We made this entire wreath for just $2 with a wicker wreath {$1} and a book {$1}.  For the full tutorial, visit Living with Lindsay.  Eli loves languages and collects dictionaries, so we bought a dictionary at the dollar store, and voila!  Hope you guys give it a try! 

Here's Lindsay's version.

And here is the Elizabeth & Nicole version.

Isn't it cute?

N&E