Spotted!

So while troving wedding sites, I came across a post on weddingchicks.com that caught my eye.  The decorations were lovely, the shoes were gorgeous, and the bride was absolutely beautiful.  She was wearing this adorable dress with the perfect neckline and details.  Her hair was just how I want mine to be on my wedding day, too.  Then, I noticed something very important: she was wearing my dress!

Did I mention I bought a wedding dress? In January, I went with my mother, sister-in-law and best friend to just try on dresses to see what they would look like, just to have a little fun.  The last dress I tried on (the eleventh one, I believe) was one that I picked out myself on their website.  It was also the one that I fell in love with.  Instead of going to another store to see if I might be able to find something I liked more, I decided that this was my dress.  It felt right. 

Since Anthony has made it very clear that he does not want to see my dress, I'm hesitant to even post the link to this wedding but here it is.  If he can resist the temptation to peek into the garment bag that is hanging in our bedroom with the dress, I think he can resist clicking on a hyperlink.  Let me know what you think.  Jordan, the featured bride, looks so good that I have fallen for my dress all over again.

Now if I only look half as beautiful as this girl, I think I will make Anthony a very happy groom next April. 

Photos courtesy of The Wedding Chicks; our dress is from David's Bridal

Looking Passed It All

Sometimes days are hard; sometimes weeks are hard.  This has been a hard week. 

When I'm low, usually all I have to do is look at Anthony and I'm cheered up (I guess I'm marrying the right person!).  He's been in Indiana for work since Tuesday and it'll be so nice to see him on Sunday.  And I'm happy that the weekend is finally here.  I'm planning to meet up with an old friend (and roommate!) in New York for a gossip-filled lunch, see my future mother-in-law for dinner and then celebrate my grandmother's 80th(!) birthday with my family.  I'm trying not to let all the recent yuckiness and frustration get in the way of enjoying all of the wonderful things around me.

Have a wonderful weekend, loves. xo

P.S. Daffodils make me happy. 


Image from Bridal Musings via Laura Murray Photography

Cookbooks Galore

There are so many great-looking cookbooks that have been recently published and even though I know most of them would wind up on a shelf barely opened but once a year, I still want them all.  Some of my favorites:

 Pie It Forward by Gesine Bullock-Prado: I have Bullock-Prado's Sugar Baby book and I love it.  This one looks just as good.

Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson: This is such a great food blog that I just know that this will be a fantastic cookbook.
 

Cupcakes, Cookies and Pie, Oh My! by Karen Tack: This book is from the Hello, Cupcake! people and I have fallen in love with the sheep cupcakes covered in marshmallows.

 

Marshmallow Madness! by Shauna Sever: I've wanted to make marshmallows for a while but the stickiness factor has always deterred me.  This cookbook features so many varieties of the fluffy treat and I kind of want to make them all.

Hello, Jell-o! by Victoria Belanger: Although Jello grosses me out a bit, how kick-ass would it be to make miniature versions of fruit out of this jiggly substance?

 

Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson: This cookbook doesn't even come out until August 2012, but it's filled with recipes that were popular in the 1950's aka 'vintage.' I'm a sucker for nostalgia and classic desserts.

Do any of these cookbooks look good to you? Am I the only collector of cookbooks?

Randoms

It's amazing how just a few pictures can sum up an entire week.  Well, some of the week, like when we weren't working or sleeping, which leaves very little time to do anything worth sharing. 

The Girl Scout cookies that I ordered two months ago finally arrived.  Now that I have them, I kind of wish I ordered more to freeze.

At JoAnn Fabrics, I bought stuff for our wedding (the giant 'C' and 'A') and for Easter cards (the orange felt).  Plus, I had a killer coupon that I finally got to use. 

I've been eating Healthy Choice meals for lunch while at work about three times a week.  I think that there was a mistake when these boxes went to the printer; shouldn't it be 'NEW' not 'NOW' in the left corner? Or is Healthy Choice forcefully telling people to buy, like 'NOW?'"

We're going to a St. Patrick's Day parade this weekend and I'm bringing brownies with whiskey aka Irish Brownies.  Anthony had to go to the liquor store and buy mini bottles for me since we definitely don't have a large supply of whiskey in the apartment. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Any big plans? Any small plans? Sometimes having no plans is the best. xo

Everything's Better with Popcorn...

 
We went to the movies last night to see 21 Jump Street, and I'm going to be honest here: it was much better than I thought it would be.  It's a buddy comedy, and not so much a big-screen version of Law & Order like I thought it would be (although there is a crazy chase scene at the end).  It doesn't hurt that Channing Tatum is extremely good-looking; he and Jonah Hill make a good team on-screen. Next time, we won't eat dinner right before the show so we can get some of that horribly unhealthy movie theater popcorn to snack on. 

I also just finished watching An Affair to Remember, which I can't believe I've never seen in its entirety.  It was enjoyable for sure, but I found that I either loved parts of it or hated parts of it.  I didn't like the end, but I loved the entire first half when they were on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean.  I've seen Sleepless in Seattle over 100 times and finally, I'm able to see the similarities between the two films.  One thing is for certain though: Cary Grant's appeal has not faded.  He is still dreamy on the big screen.

I'd love to see Jeff Who Lives At Home this weekend.  Seen any good movies lately (legitimate question, not a pick-up line)?

Getting to the Bottom of Macarons

Truth: I've never tasted a macaron.  You know the ones that I'm talking about, those beautiful round treats that come in every color imaginable and are displayed in front windows of French bakeries.  In fact, for the longest time, I thought they were coconut patty-type treats (those are apparently a different type of macaron, aka macaroon).  According to this Martha Stewart recipe, they mainly consist of sugar, egg whites and almond flour.  Sounds too easy for such a beautiful result, right?

Macarons are the 'newish' thing in New York City, and even though I've seen them at a bunch of different places, I love the ones from the Macaron Parlour.  They are so cheerful and the flavors are really interesting (I'd love the try the 'smores or tiramisu variety).  The Macaron Parlour is opening up a shop on St. Mark's Place this summer but until then, their goods can be found at the Hester Street Fair, Lily O'Brien's or even on Etsy.  The next time I'm in the city, I'm going to track down one of these macarons and try them for myself.

Images courtesy of Macaron Parlour

Remember the Time We Pretended to be Rangers Fans?

Anthony and I went to a NY Rangers hockey game last night with friends.  I'd never been to Madison Square Garden, and I'd never been to a Rangers game since Anthony is a huge Islanders fan and I've become one too since we have been together.  New York City was crazy because of St. Patrick's Day, but we had a great time (and yes, we cheered for the home team, which kind of hurt a little). 

Our seats were awesome.  We were in the front row of the mezzanine where the seats are cushioned and there were televisions right in front of us so that we could watch the replays.  I shared beer with Anthony (so deliciously cold) and we chowed on popcorn.  Also, Cuba Gooding Jr. was in the arena and hyped up the fans during the second and third period. 

Final thoughts: I wish the home team won, and I wish there were a few more fights on the ice, although the crowd was pretty rowdy itself.  And I forgot how much I like the smell of an ice rink.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  What did everyone do for St. Patrick's Day?