March Goals

As March is ending, I present to you... my monthly goals. =)

Our Whimsical Outdoorsy Engagement Shoot

I've been aching to get my hands on our Engagement photos from the moment we took them! I was a little nervous about the photo shoot, what do I wear, what location am I choosing, what style do I want, will I love my photographer's work??

We contracted with a third party agency for our photos, so they set us up with a photographer that they felt matched our style and personality. They did a wonderful job. We absolutely love everything about our photographer, Alicia. For more of her work you can look at her gallery here. She made the shoot so comfortable, she was easy to talk to, she had an easy-going personality, but was still professional, and she has an amazing eye. She captured the essence of what we were looking for in an engagement shoot, and I truly could not be happier with the way these photos came out.

 

yay! So happy. I can't wait for the wedding and the photos to come =)

Success!

 February was a busy and productive month. I actually accomplished all of my February goals! yay yay!

I've spent months looking for wedding shoes to no avail, but taaddaa! I found these beauties at... you'll never guess... PAYLESS. My mom, Jessica, and I went in not really expecting to find anything when .. BOOM! These had a ray of light shining down on them as angelic music played. So happy. They're classically beautiful but still have a little bit of personality. Just what I was looking for. 

I was in such a hurry to find my shoes, well because my wedding is now less than two months away =X, but also because I needed them before making my alterations appointment. Which I made. My dress will be ready to take home next week! 

This month I also wanted to bake something new and have an indoor picnic. For Valentine's Day I baked Oreo Cheescake Cupcakes for a romantic indoor picnic. To read more about our Valentine's Day extravaganza you can look here. 

I made these Valentine's Day crafts as part of my Project life. Love my tic tac toe stamp!

We sent out our Save the Dates this month! We had a disastrous time at the post office trying to send them out. As you can see I used a piece of washi tape to adhere a golf pencil so our guests could  "pencil us in."Cute right?? It wasn't so cute after we had to add 20 cents to our postage only to find out that they wanted us to pay a little over $2.00 per card o_O! We sent them out, only to have some ripped and damaged come back! However, after all the hassle, we shipped them and I love the way they turned out. I might rethink the pencil for next time though ;)

I read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" this month, which I loved. It was heartwarming in a heartbreaking sort of way. It's definitely a book I would recommend.

So happy with all the productivity this last month. Now it's on to March! =)

Valentine's Day 2013

I love Valentine's Day for so many reasons. The colors, the presents, the cheesy love songs, the decorations, and all the romance....

But nothing beats the treats, the delicious treats!!

I love making chocolate covered strawberries... for every occasion. I made them for my parent's anniversary dinner, for valentines day, for Tuesday. I just love how pretty they look and the fact that they're delicious doesn't hurt.  

One of my goals for this month was to bake something new. Oscar loves Oreos and Cheescake and sweets in general so when I found this recipe I knew I had to try it. 

The result: DEEELICIOUS! I will be making these again. 

Another one of my goals for this month  was to have an indoor picnic. I've been wanting to have a picnic since early October when I first spotted Mini Martinelli bottles in the 99 cent store, but hesitated because the weather is waaay too cold to have a picnic. I really wanted to plan a picnic for Valentine's Day but thought it still might be too cold in February to be sitting outside, so I planned an indoor picnic. As luck would have it it was a perfect 70 degrees that day, but hey, I'm happy with the way everything came out. 

For the appetizer I made a cheese platter with pepper jack and sharp cheddar cheese, flatbread, and fruit. For the main course I ordered soup and salad from Olive Garden and brought it home with me. Mmmm. so delicious. 

My dad used to be a florist so we always have beautiful arrangements in the house for holidays and special occasions. I used them as part of my decor for the picnic =)

I also used throw pillows, a black blanket, Chinese lanterns, twinkle lights, and candles for decorations.

He was completely surprised! It was so fun to see the look on his face when he walked into the house. 

I loved every aspect of this picnic, but the day wasn't over yet! Oscar tricked me by saying he might be working that night, which is part of the reason why I planned the picnic for the afternoon, but he was lying. After the picnic he said he had something planned at his house.

He prepared steak, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and pecan pie ( I mean do we celebrate Valentine's Day or do we celebrate Valentine's Day??)

 It was delicious. I'm full just thinking about all the tasty food we had that day.

After dinner he surprised me with Boys II Men tickets!!

 That Saturday night we went to the concert and we had such a great time. They provided the option for a sit down dinner while watching the concert and the band members were so entertaining!!

It was truly an unforgettable Valentine's Day! I wouldn't change a thing about it.