Daily Pic | May Edition

Last day of the work-week.... last day of the month.  While I can't believe tomorrow will be June, looking back at the beginning of May feels like ages ago. 

We looked at more houses..... there was a ton of rain..... saw Foals at Terminal5 (10-star concert)... I went to the MMA with my dad and saw this... did a ton of design... listened to the new Vampire Weekend... saw The Flaming Lips at The Welmont (ah-mazing)... became utterly obsessed with a bird in my neighborhood (an atypical Baltimore Oriole)... and the local birds in general... experienced Frozen Yogurt on a whole new level (custom toppingssss)... and had good times with good friends.  I'm enjoying this heatwave.  Hoping to hit the beach soon.

Other than that, my thoughts are with you dear friend- you know who you are. < 3

May Day, May Day May Days:

Daily Pic | April Edition

What a LONG month.  Reviewing the beginning of April seems like ages ago.  Whew!

Items of note….
Worklife: I became obsessed with the goose living on (yes- on) our building.  I check on him and his 5 eggs regularly.  I had my 3 year anniv here, which boiled down to me bringing in the obligatory bagels.  And then the rest of the month was basically an insane blur of deadlines.  Peace out April!

Homelife: T and I started looking at houses.  Its been fun.  We aren't in any rush so, there's no pressure.  Anyway, we've been through LOTS of open houses and have started seeing specific ones in the evenings (possible post on h-hunting to come).  This also means that we've been back out there walking!  The weather has finally graced us with non-icy temps and we've been out there a LOT.  We checked out the cherry blossoms in Branchbrook Park and inevitably, I've been visiting more italian ice and ice cream/yogurt places than i'd like to admit. 
That said: Thanks to Jboo, I finally woke up from my multi-year exercise nap and I've been hitting the gym 4-5 days a week.  My stupid foot hurt me big time so unfortunately I'm sort of stuck on the elliptical for now, but s'all good. 

Kitchenlife: Lots of new recipes!  Sweet potato salad, lettuce wraps, all sorts of "asian soups" as T calls them, an elaborate pasta slad...  I ventured into the world of celery root…. etc…. Trying to gear up for more spring/summer cuisine.

Entertainment Life: WWE Hall Of Fame.  At the Garden.  It was actually awesome.  Like the Oscars of the WWE world.  Imagine lots of tuxes, sequins, and genuinely great speeches.  We celebrated my in-laws 40th Anniv (!) with a really fun family dinner out at Paisanos.  It was beyond delicious.  And, I gots ma teeths cleaned.  She said, 'I can tell you've been flossing!!".  Yes.  Yes I have!

Listened to: TV on the Radio (wow… had NO idea how amazing their entire catalog was), new album by the Flaming Lips (not a huge fan normally but this one is amazing.  Very NIN)
 
Watched: Game of Thrones :speechless:, Americans :speechless:, End Of Watch.  This movie that was on at Retro and as I'm seeing it I'm thinking: 'Laura- this movie looks a-mazing.  Take off your glasses, blare your tunes and watch this with T!' … and that's exactly what we did. And it was outstanding.
 
Designed: A LOT.  Like, a LOTTT.  Its been a very artsy month.

So many great times with my sis this month.  An evening at Midtown w/ our men yielded a ton of fun and also an awakening to my lack of attention to 70's funk. So, some pandora to cure that problem: Fantastic Voyage Radio! (my parents don't even read this blog, and I can still feel them cringing over this, lol)

Well besides getting SLAMMED with allergies since last weekend, that's about it I guess.

Nitty Grid-dy:

Daily Pic | March Edition

hi.  March is ending.  Can it be?  Maybe we finally have a shot at spring starting.  If the [hysterical?] birds are any indication, its here!  I won't be back at my desk until April, so the March Grid is being hatched today.

We had a bunch of snow (yuck!) and I had Jury Duty.  I'm one of those weirdos who likes it and I was kinda bummed when I eventually got released as Juror #12.  Womp. 

In entertainment news: Toro Y Moi, Divine Fits and Ra Ra Riot occupied my ears.  Totally digging on Toro.
Into the Darkest Corner & It's Kind of a Funny Story occupied my eyes.  The former was really good and the latter was, okay I guess.  Also, I finished watching White Collar and power watched Downton Abbey.  SO good.  Love me some early 20th century Brit-life.  I had a bunch of fun design projects which I guess you could say occupied my hands & brain?

As far as being social is concerned: I ventured to Brooklyn for an awesome girls night with my fave Brooklynite.  I also tried fresh pasta for the 1st time and WOW.  Delish.

We had an amazing bday party for my mom, hosted by my sister.  She went all out in the food & decor dept.  The most insane mini-key lime pies I EVER tasted and the most heart stopping decor.  She rules!

We attended a re-housewarming/St.Patti's day party in Morristown (thanks Sar!!) where we had ridiculously good Guinness cupcakes and listened to awesome live musical talent. 

Also, since we aren't total social mooches, T & I hosted a really fun dinner party at Casa Ragu for our work besties.  We killed many, many bottles of wine, had a lot of laughs and thanks to Jboo, we all experienced 'beer wine' for the first time.  

We rocked out to The HIVES at Irving Plaza on a Sunday night, cuz we're still young and hip like that.  I felt extremely short and couldn't see much but they were awesome nevertheless.  And, we made our second trip to the BaoHaus where my AMAZING husband let me have his chicken bao after I ordered pork belly by mistake.  Even if they'd run out of most of their menu again, at least I graffiti'd the table this time.

Besides [finally] stealing the mayorship to 7 Farmers Market, I think that's it.  Oh, and apparently I liked wearing my lime cardigan a LOT this month….

Now…. LET'S GO SPRING!  

Daily Pic | February Edition

February
It was a month of cold windchills and some snowy days. We passed notes and had parties at work while enduing a roller coaster of building climates & conditions.  I got hooked on The Americans and power watched White Collar on Netflix.  We saw the animated shorts at the Clairidge and were blown away by Local Natives at the Bowery Ballroom.  

We battled colds, saw family, and celebrated Valentines day.  There were trips to HMart and new recipes with new ingredients.  We went to a restaurant with one of the largest selections of draft beers and had a waiter who'd never heard of a beer flight.  I had fun sister time and lots of good design.  

I rocked out to the new album from Foals.  I said goodbye to a pair of sneakers I've had for over ten years from a store that closed ages ago.  I declared the official opening to the season of jellybean and cadbury consumption.  

I'd say I made the most of a short month! Lots of fun things on tap for March.... so bye bye Feb!  Oh yeah, ZEE GRID!

Saving a Buck

We're newlyweds.  We're creatives.  We're lucky to have good jobs but... we are in that classic 'just starting out' time in our lives where one day, we'll tell our kids and grandkids about all the things we used to do to save a buck.  I know for a fact that my depression-era grandparents had an influence on me, whether it be genetic or just observed.  My dad's mother has even been known to wash ziplock bags and re-use them over and over.  I may not go that far, (even though Tom could talk you ear off about how insanely I conserve papertowels [those things are expensive!!]) I am going to share with you my top list of things that have really saved me a bundle. 
Now, if you are lucky and financially satisfied, then well, this post isn't for you.  But if you too are young and cash poor, starting out, or trying to save, read on! 
1) The number one EASIEST way we saved a TON of money in the past year was: committing to making our own coffee at home.  With cups at Dunkin or Quick Check costing around $1.60 a day (times two counting Tom's) we're saving a BUNDLE.  I buy large canisters of our fave blend, Maxwell House Original Roast.  I try to get them at Walmart where they are something like $8 but maybe as much as $11 at the grocery store.  I also go to Party Fair and buy disposable cups.  Now you may be wondering why I don't just use a thermos- even MORE savings.  The answer is... because I simple LOVE being able to throw the thing away and not have to wash out a thermos.  I cannot tell you HOW MANY thermos' I've had to chuck over the years because I start science experiments in them, due to my laziness.  NOT using a thermos is what led me to buying coffee at Dunkin or Quick Check every day in the 1st place.  So, anyway, the cups are $6 for like 100.  The lids are $5 for 100.  You can do the math, but over time.... this is big savings!!

2) Carpooling.  Well, this one I owe to my dear friend Jessi.  Back during Hurricane Sandy we carpooled to our remote office one day.  We only live a few miles from each other, so during that time of gas crisis, we met in the middle and drove together, then switched drivers+cars for the next day.  After Sandy we realized, 'Hey, we can save a buck here'.  It would make me too depressed to sit down and really calculate how much $ I dump into my 50 mile a day commute between gas and tolls but now, it's one less day a week.  We try to carpool on Tuesday and Thursday.  Its been great.  And again, it might not be a lot right now, but over time, it will add up to a nice savings.
 
3) Ya know how on TV when a chef won't reveal a secret ingredient that makes his recipe so great?  Well, this tip is like that.  From me to you.  SALAD BAR.  I'm only cooking for two right now.  That means that, buying an entire bag of celery or carrots for a recipe means I'm either stressfully trying to think of how to use it up for the rest of the week or, I'm feeling guilty when I don't and throw it away cause its gone bad.  Like I've said in previous posts; I cook healthfully 99% of the time.  And healthfully means produce.  And produce is expensive and perishable.  SO, now I go to the salad bar and make little containers of carrots or cellery or mushrooms or tomatoes (you get the idea) for the just the amount we'll use.  It usually totals somethign around 3 dollars and there will be no waste.  This is HUGE when it comes to bagged spinach/lettuce/arugula.  Those pre-packed bags are a RIP OFF.  Fill a box at the salad bar with spinach- it weighs nothing and you'll pay $1 and change instead of $5+.

4) Not everything is at the salad bar...  some stuff I buy at my favorite produce Market (this should get a # of its own because produce there is SO cheap, but its pretty specific to my town).  If I haven't gotten to something, I'll often cook it up in the evening and then freeze it.  I KNOW you're seeing my Great Depression Era grandmothers in me right now... but what can I say.... I spend enough money on cute things for the house or treats.  I need to save somewhere!

5) I always, always, always check ebay first.  Sneakers, lamps, clothes, vinyl, you name it.  Check ebay first!

6) Never buy custom frames; ever!!  I ALMOST made this fatal error this year when I got a 65% off coupon to Michaels for a custom frame job and i wanted a 23ish" frame.  They quoted me $115 for the simplest frame they had with no matt.  NO NO NO!  Go to Home Goods!  Buy some ugly piece of framed art (I paid $39 for mine), paint the fame if necessary, take out whats in there and swap in the art of your choice.  Voila!

That's all I can think of for now... One day I hope to include saving $ at concerts by sneaking in our drinks in a flask, but I can't get the hubs on board with that one.  Sighhhh....
Until next time... or, we hit the lotto...

Let's Hear it for the... Girls!

So I thought I'd share some valentines lovin from 2013.  Let's be honest.... while valentine's day is a holiday dedicated to romance, it really is more of a holiday for 'da ladiez.  You're supposed to give her flowers, chocolates, fancy card.... reservations... etc.

I like to try to shower the girls in my life with the luv they deserve cause really, while i love doing something special for my man, its really the chicks that appreciate these things!!!!

This year, besides sending out some valentines and a cute care package to my nieces, I decided to do some crafting for my faves.  Unfortch, i knew my bff would be off in tropical paradise this valentines day so I just sent her a cute card for her return.

For my sis and work besties, mother nature gave me a weekend of snow and thus, crafting.
I made these lil wooden hearts with their names on one side and designy stuff on the other.  I was excited to get to use the power drill for this project!!  I just strung some bright thread through the holes and I guess they can hang them?  Not sure they serve any real purpose, but they're fun to look at!

For the work girls, who also happen to both be HUGE Disney lovers, I picked up the most random Disney asian cookie treats while we were at HMart the other night.  They were so weird & cool and I knew they'd like them.  They sold a chocolate & a strawberry flavor.  The packaging looked so dated in some way... but then again, all the packaging at HMark makes you pause.

And, for mi hermana, i got some of this and some of that.  I started off making a little garland for her based on this.  I went with, 'Be still my heart'.  It was a perfect snow day activity.  I also got a boring box from work and lined it in awesome paper then filled it with our traditional gift of an unmentionable, cool sunglasses, hello kitty cotton candy, and some twizzlers/tootsie rolls (her faves).  I SUCK and didnt get a picture of the final product which was sad cuz it looked really cool.  But she did take a cool picture of what she did with the little garland afterward!
 

 
Now, I was also the recipient of some awesomeness!!  Mere worked her magic with the washi tape and gifted me the MOST amazing bracelet that I adore. 

My work girl also sweetly gave me yummy candy with an adorable note.

It was a fun valentines day for sure; Sushi Ya was as good as always and we even sprung for 2 flavors of mochi ice cream.  Green tea & red bean.

Lastly, just for the record, my man gave me THE coolest gift:

My first plan is to sprinkle some on kale chips.  :) And when I'm not using it, the colors are AMAZING to look at on my kitchen shelf. 
xxoo
 

DIY Faux Fireplace; Revisited!

So, I haven't checked in about the 'fireplace' in ages! Here's where we're at!

I'll back it up a smidge and start around Christmas.  I used the same reindeer stocking holders as in 2011, but added some candlesticks we got as a shower gift, a little toy car I attached a mini tree to, my new collection of reindeer and our Foldable Me's!  I got that little shelter for my mini-nativity from Dollar Tree for a BUCK! Ohh! And a lovely gold/white dipped pinecone from my dear sister. :)

After Christmas, during the January apartment revamp, I decided to keep the foldable.me's, my zig-zag painting, and our new fabulous faux-bois planter from anthro (amazing xmas gift from again, dear sister).  I nabbed an awesome fake plant for it at homegoods and luuuv it.
 

The other side still needed attention.  I had the twiggy photoframe for a while which I popped a pic of Tom and I into. The amethyst colored geode was my souvenir from the grand canyon while on our honeymoon.  [Tom's too nice to actually tell people exactly HOW many stores I dragged him into and HOW much time I spent looking at rocks and geodes on that trip.  yikes.]
It still needed onnnne more thing.  I stopped in TJ Maxx one day at lunch and found a cool black mini-globe.  I liked it a bit and it was $9.00.  I would have been over the moon for it if it was an astronomical map rather than geographical but, oh well!  I knew I needed something with a little height so I bought it.  Turns out, I LOVED how it looked in that little grouping.  I added my old white clay mini-campfire (from... guess who! lol.....) and voila!  A grouping I am so so happy with.  

I guess the last touch was finally getting to drawing the fire in the fireplace.  We had a party last year and all our friends signed it so it took a while to be ready to erase that.  But, luckily the drawing turned out okay and now we have a nice roaring fire to keep toasty with this winter ;)

For extra special occasions, (and for Hurricane Sandy) I've lit all those candles in the tray.   It looks AWESOME.  

 And, that's the update!

Good Eats...

We've been in our apartment for over a year now, and in that time of co-habitating, T has kindly eaten more than one dissapointing meal.  (My overcooked meat/undercooked rice night still leads the pack....)

I would say the good thing is that I really only cook nutritious, fresh meals and often attempt to execute recipes that I put together in my own head.  The bad thing is that.... these don't always work out awesomely! 

My two biggest problems are probably that we don't have a dishwasher (so sometimes I cut corners trying to save a dish or pan from becoming dirty), and I probably worry more than I should about food poisoning and will always err on the side of overcooking meat.  

Oh well.

Then again.... I've knocked a lot of dinners out of the park!!!   This recipe is one of them.  

I have searched all over for really wide rice noodles.  These worked really well.  I found them at an awesome local Asian market, which will be a post for another day.

It's kind of a throw-together-what-you-have stir fry.  Rather than let my veggies go bad when we won't get to them (HUGE waste of $ for youngsters like us),  I'll often cook them up and freeze them; then they're all ready to roll when I want to use them.  So this recipe was a mix of stuff from the fridge and stuff I had cooked before and froze.

Asian Wide Noodle Stir-Fry

3/4 cup shredded carrot

3/4 cup mushrooms

1 cup chopped parsnips (Earlier, I had roasted these in the oven at 400º with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 25 mins. Let some get brown)

1 1/2 cups cooked Fennel (I had sautéed this earlier in the week with onion powder, garlic salt, white wine & black pepper)

1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken  (i love this shortcut, esp with the high price of chicken. We can get 2-3 meals from one chicken and they're only $7)

2 1/2  cups rice flakes, or any asian noodle.  Cook per package directions. 

Sauce: Sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, 3 tsp Hoisin sauce, 1 T brown sugar, 1 tsp red wine vinegar. 
I eyeballed all these proportions but in the end figure you'll want about 3/4 cup of saucy goodness

Drizzle saute pan with a teaspoon of sesame oil. (its pricey but packs MAJOR flavor)
Add 3/4 cup of shredded carrot and let sauté until soft.  

Add mushrooms, fennel, chicken, parsnips and rice flakes.

Pour sauce over the top.  Toss and heat through.  I probably added 1/2 a cup of water and just let this bubble/steam covered with foil for about 6 or 7 mins over med heat.  

We sprinkled ours with Togarashi because we're obsessed with it, but hot pepper flakes would work, or cayenne.


I think the reason these ingredients all work so well together is because they are all inherently sweet. Carrots, parsnips and fennel are all sweet veggies and the saltiness of the soy/hoisin/fish sauce are just awesome together.  

Obviously if you don't have all the pre-cooked ingredients, just sauté them in the beginning and when they're the desired texture, add those rice flakes/noodles and the sauce.

Lastly, I didn't even bother taking a picture cause this dish isn't a looker and I take TERRIBLE food pics. BUT, it woulda been AMAZING with some fresh chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts on top.  Ahh, next time. . . :)

YUM! 
P.S. Kale or some type of leafy green would have been AMAZING in this.  Also could easily be a vegetarian dish.  

Life Changing Eats

 +

  

+

=

Your ice cream experience will never be the same again.

Drizzle maple syrup over chocolate ice cream.  Top with a crank or 2 of sea salt.

Oh.my.god.

Daily Pic | January Edition

Hello one and probably, just the one... It's January.  Actually, now it's February!  January lived up to its reputation and felt like a loooooong month.
Let me think on the highlights:

Rang in the new year with my hubby, a terrible dinner at Mamma Shitoria and an off beat flick called 'The Loneliest Planet'.  The trailer made it look insane but while it was beautiful, it was a little anticlimactic.  

I used taking down the Christmas decorations as my catalyst to revamping the apt.  New curtains, a cool record player stand, some rearranging, various DIY, an emotionally obtained craigslist bench, new art, new desk for Tom, and goooooodbye elliptical!  The only sad part about losing the elliptical is T's make-believe microphone is now gone.  
 
We saw Purity Ring at Webster Hall.  To say it was an AMAZING show would be an understatement.  It was actually T's bday present to me.  The opener, Young Magic totally blew us away, and I picked up their album on the way out.  (After chatting with & girl-crushing on their female vocalist).
The next night we celebrated a buddies bday at his place and had a blast.  It was a pretty kickbutt weeknd.

Other highlights of the month included a yummy bday dinner out for T with my in-laws at Que Pasta, a LOVELY girls night with a million mini-donuts and avacado blt's at my sisters, a totally indulgent night at Bistro 55 with a gal-pal, a jaunt to New Brunswick for a tat-touchup on the coldest night in history (where we hit up Brother Jimmy's BBQ [if you go, get the 'swamp juice'!]) and last but not least, hosted an awesome Old Skool 33rd bday party at home for T.  A good time was had by all.  

Well, when I sum it up like that, its been an awesome month!  I also think it needs to be said that this month boasted more beautiful sunrises and sunsets than ever!!!!

 And, for visual proof that I'm still kickin it....
***Note the scarf variety!  This is huge.

Top albums of 2012

This years list was hard for me to put together.  It was an interesting one for me music-wise.  I've been reflecting back on who I discovered this year, who dropped new albums and what I spent my time listening to.  I can tell you I spent nearly the entire summer listening to the MONDO BOYS playlists and they never got tiresome.  
However, that being said, here are my top albums/artist of 2012 and three useful descriptions:  

Grizzly Bear - SHIELDS
pine trees  ::  rod stewart ::  hiking boots

Hot Chip - MADE IN THE DARK
dancey ::  harmonies ::  boingy beats

Purity Ring - SHRINES
gritty ::  a creepy doll ::  sick bass

Cut Copy - ZONOASCOPE
full on danceparty :: 2012 roller rink  ::  zaney-bowie maybe?

The XX - COEXIST
sensual ::  a breakup story :: musical red wine

Tuneyards - WHO KILL
utterly ridiculous pipes::  adele who??  ::  party for your ears.



Lord Huron - LONESOME DREAMS
wait? who? WOAH ::  backwoods paul simon  ::  story-tellers

Crystal Castles - CRYSTAL CASTLES
acid+beats  ::  video games  ::  toughchick.

Arcade Fire - THE SUBURBS
too good for mainstream :: mature/developed  ::  a collection

LCD Soundsystem - ALL
soulmate. ::  perfection.  ::  late to the party. 

Beach House -  BLOOM
girl crush  ::  sinking into a warm bath  ::  home

Yeasayer  - FRAGRANT WORLD
wonky :: upside down-inside out ::  unique


Well, there you have it. I'd say Yeasayer, Beach House and Arcade Fire are my real 'Album of the year' candidates, but that's just too hard for me to call this year.  
xxoo

Daily Pic | December Edition

Hello to one and all... It's December pics time!  I usually have more to say, but, I'm going to keep it short and sweet.  Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year too!

Daily Pic | November Edition

November Nutshell
Hurricane Sandy • satellite offices • BoweryBallroom • meeting up with old pals • a super-fun wedding • a Nor'easter • epic Boardwalk Empire • no cable for over a week • free brunch • more warbys • thanksgiving • finally getting inked • finally getting a smartphone • art projectz • The XX • Lord Huron • Crystal Castles • homemade soups • pizza dough disaster • RetroFitness • McLoone's date • guess those are the highlights... Till next month...

Fennel and *Chicken* Soup

I managed to come up with a good soup recipe last night.  It really hit the spot, and while happily we're healthy in our house, this would be a perfect 'under the weather' soup.  Super fast, healthy and satisfying!

Fennel and *Chicken* Soup 
• One huge carrot or several small (about a cup), cut into coins/moons
• 2 ribs celery sliced into moons
• ~2+ C chopped fennel.  Use stalks 1st, then however much of bulb, cut into coins/moons.  
     Use as much fern part as you want. 
• 2 small shallots diced
• 2 TB olive oil
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• Dash of garlic powder
• 2 C wagon wheel pasta
• Chicken or turkey (I used pre-cooked light meat turkey) About 2 cups or 1 package
• 3 cans low sodium chicken broth plus 1 3/4 cups water

2TB olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven or heavy pot. 
Saute carrot, celery, fennel and shallot in oil until they begin to soften.

Add chicken stock and bay leaf and let simmer (covered) 5 minutes.  Add pasta with additional water and semi cover.  Allow to simmer until pasta is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
Add meat at the end and let simmer together for a minute or two.

Served with crusty bread.  Any and all substitutions encouraged ;) 
Serves about 5?

Daily Pic | October Edition

Good Morning.
What a month!  October flew :)  I cannot believe this was the same month that we came back from our honeymoon!  Seems like ages ago.
 
Lots of activities, excitement, and even frustration! 
We had.... A MOUSE!  That was the low-point probably.  We never did catch it, but we still have a factory's worth of traps around.

We saw Delicate Steve @ the Historic Blairstown Theater, and they were totally awesome.  The stars out there were more incredible than any I have ever seen, ever.
  
We had two dept birthdays at work: So.many.balloons. And 5 family birthdays as well.  Libras all around!
  
Hurricane Sandy was not overplayed at all and we've all spent the last week going somewhat crazy.  Living between two gas stations has meant waking up at 4:30 in the morning to the red glow of break lights through the curtains and a soundtrack of fights and angry horns.  SO glad its passing.

Besides that all, I managed a teeth cleaning, a trashy book trio, a trip to the Papermill Playhouse for 'A Chorus Line' two (!) trips to McLoone's, a fun Halloween Party in Chelsea, a pumpkin carving sesh with my man, and several trips into the boonies!    Even if it went out on a weird note, October was a good month. 
And, now the 'Tobes Grid!

Daily Pic | September Edition

The month we've all been waiting for folks!  Well maybe not all of you- but certainly the two of us in our little household.  To say this month was over in the blink of an eye would be an understatement!! 

We were so incredibly blessed this month with the generosity of our friends and families.  I was thrown the most amazing wedding shower at McLoones Boathouse.  [Technically in August] My sister and bridesmaids truly blew me away with how lovely it all came together!

No less awesome was my Bach party, again.... all my girls are just amazing.  I had the most fun night :)  Couldn't rain on our parade!

As if I wasn't being spoiled enough, my great co-workers threw me a shower too.  Cake, beer [of course] and an afternoon of doing no work.  Who could want more than that!

Tons of last minute crafting and prep all came together by the 22nd for the most perfect wedding any couple could hope for.  Thank you so much to everyone who celebrated with us!!  And of course, thank you to my new husband.

I'll have to come up with a honeymoon post some time soon.  Stay tuned for that one.
 
And last but not least, well in this case, maybe the least.... September Daily Pic!