Thrifting and Hand-Me-Downs

So after the wedding Saturday (wedding post tomorrow) we were pooped! I couldn't open my eyes half the day and Shea kept trying to get me up! We were supposed to go to the beach for the first time this year, but it ended up being way to cold to do that.

So, I remembered that my grandma was telling me about a thrift store in the town over that I needed to check out.

It took a lot of coaxing, but I managed to sway Shea in coming, and boy did this guy have a blast! haha! The thrift store was messy (sorry no pictures of the disaster) But, thrift stores are supposed to be messy! What's the point of having all the hidden treasures right in front of your eyes?? You have to search for all the good stuff!

So our thrift store finds were:

• 20 old books in total ($1 each) for the wedding (more on that Wednesday)
• A old glass bottle for whiskey or some sort of expensive drink that Shea had to have! ($3)
• A painting in a gorgeous frame! That Shea once again had to have! (reminded him of  his vacations in Vermont!)($20)
• A dresser that I will eventually go back for since it was amazing! and perfect! (and only $150!!)

Soo all and all we did good! And we will be back very soon! It became my new favorite spot!

Hand-Me-Downs!

After Shea's dad passed away a couple years ago his Step-mom started dividing furniture. Shea's grandmother had given his dad a lot of furniture so most of their furniture was hers. We were asked if we wanted the bedroom furniture and after seeing it I could NOT say no! I am a vintage antique freak at the moment so I was in LOVE at first sight!

A dresser (has a another matching piece)

The bedroom dresser! LOVE love love it!!

There are 3 more pieces that come with it like 2 end tables so we have the full matching set! Now we are on the hunt for a mirror to go on top of the dresser above and a bed set that matches the style. (I am thinking sleigh bed as of right now) My comforter already matches!...i think (my one and only purchase from the Missoni target craze!!)

link

It was a good Sunday filled with Lunch at the diner....antique shops!...a movie! (5 year engagement very funny!) and yogurt to end the night : ) I LOVE my Sundays with my man!

Friday's Letters

Dear Friday even though I am soooo soo tired I am glad it's Friday! (at least the devils won!) Dear Shea thanks for thai food and Rita's mango ice on Wednesday it was much needed! Dear Chris and Stacey I am excited for the wedding tomorrow! Mostly, so I can figure out more about my wedding : ) But you guys will have a lifetime of happiness! Dear Sophie no matter what kind of day I am having I come home and you always can put a smile on my face! Dear Cleaning Lady sorry Sophie's butt was on your nice and clean counter Dear Fruit Loop Vodka I have heard about you and I will find you this weekend! Dear Shea can't wait to get all dressed up with you this weekend and have fun! Let's make sure we take a picture! okay??! Dear April I am kind of glad you're done...not saying I don't like you, but right now were in a fight!

Linking up with: Adventures of the Newlyweds

1, 2, 3, 4 - Quad Update!

I realized I have not done a quad update since they were born! So here we go! They are all 1 month and 2 weeks old now! It went by so quick and they are all getting sooo sooo big!

Above is Miss Bailey Rae and Mr. Shea! (The picture melts my heart every time I look at it!) Shea says that him and Bailey are "best friends" already! She would only grab on to his finger and she squeezed ever so tightly to him. It was so precious to witness. (Don't get alarmed by the tubing. They all had breathing tubes even if they were breathing on their own because they are so little. And it's the easiest to feed them through feeding tubes right now.)

Updates:

• All babies are over 3 pounds now (Xavier is over 4! And Bailey is right behind him!)
• Bailey, Avery, and Xavier are trying to be bottle fed now (Chloe is right behind them!)
• All are very healthy and breathing on their own
• All are wearing baby "newborn" clothes (to big for preemie! which is a plus!)
• All have lots of dark hair!

Cassie (the mommy) looks amazing and you would never think she had quads at all. She goes pretty much everyday to the hospital for hours on end to see them. She wants them home so bad! They are making such wonderful progress that some of them might be home before their due date! (which would be June 2)

I can't wait to have these four bundles home already! They are already showing their personalities and they all look completely different!

Happy Thursday! Check back tomorrow for Friday's Letters!

Music: Matt Nathanson : Falling Apart : Album - Some Mad Hope

Wedding Wednesdays!!

Soooo I have seen this on many people's blogs where they dedicate one day of the week to updates on their wedding progress. So I will start my blog series of "Wedding Wednesdays." This will make sure this blog doesn't become wedding only.

And hopefully when we start looking for houses by the end of this summer I will talk about that process since Shea and I are first time home buyers, and I know a lot of people out there our first time home buyers/are going to be.

Today I am just going to overview basic things:

My gorgeous ring for starters!

1. It has 5 diamonds on either side of the band
2. Two smaller diamonds on the front and back of the ring
3. One large diamond in the middle (which was given to him by his grandmother : ) LOVE that aspect!!)

I am still very surprised that Shea picked this out all by himself! I give the guy a lot of credit! (I might have sent a couple emails of rings I was interested in through the past year....here or there...come on everyone does it!) Always good to give little hints to your guy! There are TONS of ring designs out there so helping him out a little on what style would fit you best is always a help. : )

Other Typical wedding questions:

Size of wedding: Medium (not to big not to small hopefully around 125 people)
Month: May
Day of the week: Saturday
Time of Day: Afternoon into the night
Colors: Ivory, Celadon, and Wine (as of right now)
Number of Bridesmaids/Groomsmen: 8 Bridesmaids, 1 Junior Bridesmaid, and 8 Groomsmen (we come from big families it was going to happen)
Flower Girl/ Ring Bearer: None (no little girls old enough in both our families and there are too many nephews to choose from and they are all still too young)(and I only wanted one and I can't pick just one (there are 4) so that means none in my book!)
Venue: Hopefully a covered outdoor experience or outdoor ceremony indoor reception
Pastor: Pastor John (he was the pastor for Shea's brother's wedding and the pastor for Shea's grandfather's funeral so he means a lot to us!)
Church: No (Shea is baptist and I am Catholic so technically we couldn't get married in a church anyway unless one of us converted, but I always dreamed of an outside ceremony!)

Okay that's all I can think of right now. If you have any other questions just leave a comment and I will answer you individually or in the next post of the series!

Happy Wednesday!! : )

Recipe: Deep Dish Muffin Tin Pizzas

"If you want to drive a girl insane simply delete her Pinterest page. It's like destroying her memories, hopes & desires."

-Dane Cook

Soooo sad but soooo true. So about two weeks ago I made a date for Shea and I to meet my sister's new boy toy. (He is a wonderful guy! I am so glad she found someone that can keep her crazy self in line! And make her smile from ear to ear! : ) Never seen her so happy!)

So, I decided that for once I was going to try out a recipe that I saw on Pinterest. (link here) I always say I am going to and then I never do, but when I saw this I knew I had to try it because for one...Shea LOVES pizza! It's in his top ten favorite foods (but really whose top ten is it not in??!) And for two...it's super super easy to make!

The recipe is called: Deep Dish Muffin Tin Pizzas

All you need is....

1 or 2 muffin tins (depending on how many people you need to feed)

Pillsbury Dough Pizza Crust (or mini whole wheat pitas to save calories)

Tomato Sauce

Grated Cheese (in bag or you can grate it yourself)

Pepperoni or Turkey Pepperoni (to save some calories) (or any toppings you want)

and that's it!! Most of the items you have lying around your house already.

Directions: (preheat oven to 425 degrees)


1. Roll out your dough on the table

2. Cut or tear dough evenly in 12 or 16 pieces (depending on the slots in your muffin tin) (most annoying part of the process any tips welcomed!) 


3. Place dough in each muffin slot

4. Press dough down in slot so it covers the whole bottom but doesn't over flow at the top.

5. Place dough in oven and cook for 5 minutes at 425 degrees (this gets the dough cooked a little bit so it can rise and be easier to work with later)


6. Okay once they cook for 5 minutes take them out of the oven and then I used a McCormick Cinnamon canister to press in the dough to make the deep dish part. (turned out to be the perfect size for my muffin slot) You can use any item (or your hand but more difficult) that can push down the dough.

Link

7. Spoon in sauce, add cheese and any toppings you would like. (My method: sauce, 1 turkey pepperoni (save some calories), grated mozzarella cheese, another turkey pepperoni, and more cheese)


8. Cook for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees

And then enjoy!!

They got rave reviews and will have to repeated in the future! Follow me on Pinterest if you don't already : )

Happy Tuesday!!

Music : Mumford & Sons : Winter Winds : Album - Sigh No More

Soooo when is your wedding??!!

That is the question asked almost daily by everyone. It can be annoying and exciting all at the same time! Well after long thinking this is my mental reasoning: We wanted a spring wedding or fall wedding so that left the months of April, May, September, and October open. April is still too cold in Jersey so that left May for spring and Shea's brother was married in October (and we wanted to have our own special month) so that left September for fall. So, I would be happy with either May or September. When seeing that we got engaged in January I couldn't see myself waiting until September of 2013 to get married so we decided on May of 2013. (I know it's just months different but it will be years for me!) Which would give us a year to plan everything which is just enough time in my book! (even though we have friends getting married this weekend and I am secretly dying inside because I want it to be my wedding day already!)

So, then it came to dates.....We know we wanted a Saturday so that left....May 4, 11, 18, 25. May 4th happens to be Shea's step-sister's wedding and my cousins graduation so that was out. May 18th is the day before my brother's college graduation so having a wedding the day before didn't make sense. So, that leaves May 11 and 25. May 25th would be technically Memorial Day weekend that year and that was also out of the question since honeymoon expenses would sky rocket that week after! So, we come to May 11th!! Our official/unofficial wedding date. I really want to say it's the OFFICIAL wedding date, but I can't until I book our venue (it's all in my crazy mind). But, that's the date we have picked! 05.11.13 it's a pretty number combination and gives me lots of ideas for save the dates : )



We were in between waiting one or two years because of money, jobs, etc, but after a day of me crying over it Shea looked at me and said, "We are getting married next year because I don't want to wait any longer for you to be my wife." It was one of the sweetest things he has ever said! (well next to the proposal hah!) And now we have made it our goal to get married next year and if that means cutting some stuff out then that's fine with me. I want to marry my best friend and in the end it's just a day and a memory. The most important thing is being with each other and starting our new life together! : )

And I also can't justify spending so much on a wedding. We want to buy a house and I rather our money go towards that then a wedding.

I am currently looking for a wedding buddy who is getting married in May of 2013! I need someone to keep me on track with everything! Right now my timeline is:

June/July: Book Venue
July/August: Engagement Party
August: Send out "Save the Dates" and book photographer, and start looking at houses!! yay!
September; Wedding dress shopping!! and engagement photos (and book caterer if needed)
December: Book Honeymoon

383 days till our wedding!

Okay that's up until 2013 and then I go crazy in January. There are more little things that are in between everything up until December, but I won't bore you with that : ) If you haven't noticed already I make lots of lists and need every detail planned out month by month in advance because if I don't I will just sit here and do it all in one day (not kidding you) So, this way I can push everything around so I do it in a timely more spaced out way : )

Happy Monday all!

Friday's Letters

Dear Blog sorry I didn't post anything this week. I suck. Life is busy. Dear Shea I am sooooo glad you found out your to the next round of the hiring process! You deserve it my love! Dear Family I am so excited to celebrate Easter on Sunday! We always celebrate holidays late haha! Dear Friday I am glad you are not to cold and not to hot. Dear New York you are very beautiful when it's spring time, but during the summer you smell. Let's stay with spring weather for now : ) Dear Shea thank you for moving that big dresser to my grandmas house! My sister saw it last night and is starting plans to steal it from me in the future! Dear Ruby of Siam drink you were extremely tasty and needed this week. Anything Pomegranate is good with me!

Happy Friday!

Linking Up With: Adventures of the Newlyweds

Fridays Letters

Dear Friday It was very mean of you to have me wake up on Thursday and think it was Friday and be extremely disappointed when I suddenly realized. Dear Sophie you have to stop jumping on Molly's back it is not very lady like! Dear Shea I am feeling like next week will be a really good week for you and I! I can just feel it! Dear Seth and Cassie thanks for letting us go see the adorable little babies last night and going out on double date nights needs to be repeated every week! Dear Shea I am sorry I am not good at sharing my food, but that red velvet cake was amazing! Dear April where is all this happiness and joy you promised me!!?? Dear Head please stop hurting! I promise I will sleep a lot this weekend!

Linking Up With:

Adventures of Newlyweds

Sophie Untitled

Since i don't have my Easter pictures yet (yes I forgot my camera again don't remind me I am already mad about it) since I used my sister-in-law's camera. I am posting pictures of my favorite furry friend. Hopefully she brightens your day as much as she does for me! : )

Friday Letters

A day late but........

Dear Friday I am glad I have you off! Three day weekends are always needed! Dear Grandma I am so glad the surgery went well and we will come visit you on Easter Sunday! Dear Shea your interview went sooo well! Now, we have to wait and waiting sucks! But, I am glad we have a 3 day weekend to relax! Dear Phone Buddy not picking up your phone is not acceptable! Dear Easter I will celebrate you this weekend and next weekend and I can't wait for great family, food, and fun! Dear Credit Card I am sorry for all my clothing purchases this week. I don't regret the purchases at all (3 new dresses, hair clips, bracelet, necklace, and new shirt!), but I will try and not use you as much in the future. : )

Linking Up With:

Adventures of Newlyweds

197 to 3

So this past weekend we had Shea's sister's 30th birthday party which I failed at taking any pictures at. (I promise I will get better at that) So, that took up our whole Saturday. (But, not before I went to get mani and pedis with my grandma Saturday morning!! So much fun!) So, Sunday we were tired so I slept for like 10 hours straight and then got up to make us breakfast and figure out what we were doing that day.

I had been nagging Shea over and over that we should go register because it would be a lot of fun. He kept saying "That is only fun for you. It will never be fun for me." Which, I guess maybe I have to agree with. Men do not feel like they get anything when they register it's all for "the bride." I just keep saying "No it's for our home and it is for us!" But, I lose the argument and just move on.

So I convinced him to go to Bed Bath and Beyond and register. Now, I picked Bed Bath because you can get EVERYTHING in one stop! Every kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, everything! We ended up registering for 200 items. (whoooo!!) Which calculated to 3 full hours. Shea was a trooper and never complained! We ended up trying to make it as fun as possible with loads of high-fives and how many items can we scan. I even got extra points when I said we should register for a serving tray for football sundays. (ooooo yess!) Shea picked out the silverware and dinnerware which I have become obsessed with! They are so unique and I can't wait to use them! (Shea end up registering for these special spoons he wanted, a really cool vacuum (he was so excited) and a razor! So, I guess I got 197 items and Shea got 3. )

Below is a picture of us after 3 hours of on our feet scanning. I mentioned it was for my blog and Shea said, "Don't put it up! People will be jealous of your sexy looking husband to be!" Hahahah I LOVE him! He even surprised me with going to our favorite yogurt spot after dinner that night! : ) All and all it was a perfect day!

I came home last night and was thinking that I never talked about my dogs on my blog. Which is a SHOCK! Because I am totally obsessed with them. They are 2 poodles. Molly who is 13 and Sophie who is 5. We had gotten Sophie once my mom went back to work because we wanted Molly to have a friend. Boyyyyy were we wrong. Apparently Molly did not want a friend and was perfectly fine by herself. Sophie just became the "annoying little sister" that Molly deals with. haha! But, they love each other in some weird way. You won't find them cuddled up next to each other, but you will find Sophie jumping on Molly's back or sticking her nose in her face. (Soph has got a little attitude if you didn't catch on) But, they are my pups and they can always make me smile after a long days work.

Molly was sleeping so I didn't get a picture of her nor does she appreciate pictures. So, Sophie will be the one getting all the glamour shots! : ) She can just make you smile!

Also, need prayers for my grandma! She is going in for hip replacement surgery today! I can't wait for her to be free of pain!

Song: Peter Bradley Adams : Emily's Rain : Album - Between Us