January 26, 2012

Meet the foster pup!

We’ve taken in yet another foster dog that was left at the pound. The shelter contacted the Golden Bone Rescue, who we’ve fostered with before, to say that they had a small dog and they wanted him out of there. When I was asked to foster, it was mentioned that the ladies at the shelter were not a fan of this dog which made me a little apprehensive. Any dogs that display aggressive, fearful, or obnoxious behaviors don’t have a long life span at the pound. But imagine if you will being put in a cold, strange environment with a ton of other barking dogs, you’d likely be aggressive, fearful and/or obnoxious too. Generally once the dogs are in a safe and calm environment, they are just fine. So, I’m a sucker, and I said sure. What was the alternative really?

This skinny little dog weighs all of ten pounds and I can feel just about all of his bones. He is scrappy and scrawny but as sweet as can be. Now, I will say, I may have figured out why they didn’t like him at the pound. He makes this amazing noise that is the mixture of Chewbacca and a Velociraptor. If you forget the noise a raptor makes, watch Jurassic Park. The noise though is so impressive I can’t even fault him for it.

Did I mention that he has a mohawk? A few people have asked me about fostering, is it hard to give them back? Do you get attached? We do get attached but we know we are a means to an end and we have never felt bad about giving a dog to a home that we know will love it to pieces. When you get a orphaned dog they have the saddest most distant look in their little eyes. They are essentially lost. My favorite part of the whole process is watching those eyes change from lost to happy, comfortable and safe. There is nothing better than coming home and seeing that little dog wag his tail and jump on you, thrilled to see you. Dogs are so amazingly forgiving, they don’t hold on to their pasts, they move forward and live in the moment. We could all learn something from these little pups.

Now that you’ve met, you should know he doesn’t have a name. As the foster parents we get the privilege of naming the little guy. So help us out! Here are some of the suggestions so far, and feel free to send us some more!

  • Scrappy
  • Scoop
  • Conner
  • Doug
  • Fritz
  • Spike
  • Yoda
  • Benson
  • Baxter
  • Rex
  • Buster
  • Bacon
  • Riley
  • Wiley
  • Jack
  • Nigel
  • Skip

What else?

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January 20, 2012

A little DIY for your Friday

In case you missed it, I had a guest post on A Paper Proposal this week! I got a little bit crafty with some of my favorite things… chalkboard paint, wine glasses, and burlap. Head on over and see the final product!

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January 18, 2012

We’re Walking for Life!

You know on the movies when wives spend a ton of money on shoes or shopping and their husbands get the credit card bill and freak out? Well, we have that similar situation. Except Kyle finds random print outs or gets emails– donation receipts and I hear, “What did you donate to NOW?!” I’m addicted. I can’t stop. But I consider it the best possible problem I could have. Minus that I also really like shoes… It doesn’t take much, a sweet little puppy face and we are fostering, a child with diabetes and we are spending our weekends fishing and crafting, a group of Mom’s who have children with cancer get to go on a shopping spree and I think, they’ll probably need champagne (Kyle doesn’t know about that one yet), or this…

All it took was this line…

Help the American Cancer Society create a world with

less cancer and more birthdays.

I was sold. Cancer affects so many lives and it is guaranteed to affect your life at some point whether that be a friend, a family member or even yourself. No one is safe, not the young, not the old, it doesn’t stay away from the otherwise healthy or even babies. Cancer is a major issue and if we can help do our part to create more birthdays, especially for the people we love, we’re going to do it! Right, Kyle?! He agrees, don’t worry.

We’ll be walking for 12 hours to represent the fact that cancer doesn’t stop or sleep, those 12 hours are from 6pm-6am. But it seems like a small sacrifice really. Our goal is to raise at least $1,500. If you’ve been touched by cancer we’d love for you to donate in someone’s honor or memory and we’ll walk for them too.

You can help support our team here. All donations are tax deductible. You may also want to see if there is a Relay for Life event in your area.

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January 12, 2012

Burlap Thursday: What to do?

Happy Thursday! The weekend is near, can you feel it? I’m excited for a few reasons, we have no plans on the books and I just received a huge roll of burlap from my MIL as a birthday gift. The roll brings endless possibilities of crafting but the question is where do I start? If you had a giant roll of burlap just waiting to be crafted into something amazing, what would you make?

Let this gorgeous apple adorned cake atop a burlap runner inspire you….

Via Martha Stewart Weddings

Who would have thought apples could be so lovely on a cake?!

Ok, back to crafting…

Curtains?
Pillows?
Wreaths?
Burlap wrapped candle holders?
Placemats?

I don’t know where to begin.

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January 11, 2012

Real Wedding: In A Gorgeous Oregon Park

I am convinced that this couple could not have picked a more beautiful place to host their summer wedding. The lush green surroundings are one of the things I miss most about living in Iowa. Although I love the desert, I miss fields of greenery, wild flowers in bloom and rain! All of which this wedding included. This sweet wedding was not only beautiful but the couple included boat rides, games, and a little lounging into their big day. It honestly looks perfect to me. Thomas of Sikora Photography sent this Oregon wedding over and it was just what I needed on this cold Wednesday morning.

Venue: Bridal Veil Lakes

Images submitted via Two Bright Lights.

 

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January 10, 2012

Newlywed Recipes: Sushi Rolls

Just an update for anyone who was wondering, Kyle did not make the cake I posted last week. However he did ask me if I really wanted him to try. I thought about what my kitchen might look like and I said no thanks. It’s the thought that counts anyway, right? He said, “Good, because that looked really hard.” Part of me wished he tried only so we could have seen what his version looked like! My birthday was really nice and relaxing. I spent the weekend with my best friend who came to town for the weekend. With the actual day being on a Sunday I got two dinners out of it, one on Saturday night and one on Sunday. We went to two of my favorite places, a little family owned Italian restaurant and Pita Jungle. For those not lucky enough to have Pita Jungle in your area, you are missing out. They have amazing, healthy food for a super great price. Win, win. So overall it was a great day, I have another birthday in the books and a whole year of being 28 to look forward to. How were your weekends?

It’s been awhile since I posted a recipe and this one became an instant hit in our house. Kyle loves sushi, I’ll eat it but it is rarely my choice. I do enjoy a veggie roll every now and again but I am not a fan of any raw fish. Plus sushi is crazy expensive so it doesn’t always fit in a newlywed budget. So we decided to try our hands at making our own.

You can find specific instructions and precise ingredient measurements here. However, depending on how many you want to make and your preference, you can easily alter the amounts or the ingredients all together.

For any sushi you’ll need:

  • Sushi rice
  • Sea weed sheets
  • Sesame seeds
  • Fillings: veggies, shrimp, crab, cream cheese, etc.
  • Soy sauce
  • Wasabi
  • Ginger
  • Wax paper
  • Sharp knife
  • A bit of patience

While the rice is cooking, lay out a sheet of the seaweed and start filling with your ingredients. Start towards one side. I used cream cheese, avocado and cucumber.

Tightly roll the seaweed around the ingredients and set the roll aside. Put half the rice on a sheet of wax paper and flatten into a square.

Top with sesame seeds and then carefully flip it over. The sesame seeds will be on the outside of the roll.

Place your rolled ingredients on the rice and roll tightly using wax paper. Slice with a sharp knife and enjoy!

Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger! They take a bit of time but they are easily just as good as any restaurant could make and they may save you some cash too! Again, you can find more specific instructions including some tips on how to avoid having sticky rice stuck to everything, here.

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January 6, 2012

Real Wedding: A Flower Filled Vineyard

Anyone have any fun weekend plans? This Sunday actually marks my 28th birthday. It is hard to  believe that I have just two years left of my twenties. When I was in college I had a pretty set plan for my life which included having kids before 30. But then as you approach 30 and really get to the point where kids are actually part of the conversation you realize that 30 isn’t all that old. We’ve also realized that in terms of having kids 30 isn’t old at all and we are enjoying just being a couple, for now. I’ve always considered my birthday to be a bit of a downer, just two weeks after Christmas, it often gets lost in the post holiday hangover. But in a way it is nice to start the new year with a new age. It’s almost as if everyone should be born in January so that we all get a chance to truly start fresh. I’ll report back on how I feel about that after I see how many people forget this year… I’ve requested that Kyle make me this cake:

Photo from Erich McVey Photography via Style Me Pretty

If he does it, you can all admit that I do in fact have the best husband ever.

To end the week on a high note, I’ve saved this sweet vineyard wedding filled with bright flowers. This one was sent over by Melissa Dunstan (our own wedding photographer) and I am in heaven. I love the gorgeous vineyard, the perfectly placed flowers, and the huge  smile on the Bride’s face. Consider this a bit of sunshine during these cold winter days. By cold I mean high 60′s, low 70′s but I am sure some of you are much colder!

Thanks so much Melissa for sharing another gorgeous wedding!

Images submitted via Two Bright Lights

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January 4, 2012

Real Wedding: A Sweet Backyard Affair

When I saw this wedding on A Low Country Wedding a few months ago, I thought it was super sweet and I loved that it took place in one of my absolute favorite places, Flagstaff. When it popped in my inbox a few days ago, I was excited to find out more about the day. The wedding was simple and took place in a backyard and it seems like those weddings always have the best stories behind them. It seems like often the couple wants to skip all the fuss and just have an intimate gathering their own way. Well this story, while not so much about the wedding itself, didn’t disappoint.

Michele of Michele Koechle Photography sent over this backyard wedding filled with DIY details and fun. The couple married in their own backyard, she is a lovely J.Crew frock and he in a dapper suit complete with a perfectly striped tie. One of my favorite things about being a wedding blogger is getting a glimpse at such an intimate moment in people’s lives. I love the emotion, the love, but every once in awhile you read a great back story that makes you realize that fate is always in play. For more on that, I’ll let the bride take it away.

So to get down to the knish. Tom and I met at work, I was his manager and let this be clear…we did not like each other. We had thought each other had an air of pompousness for different reasons. It wasn’t until after he had accepted an invite to rent a room at my best friend’s house that we really got to know each other. Then finally the day came that I (Carmen) fell in love. I had a few friends over. At the party I was sitting between my then love interest and Tom. I was experiencing this rubber band effect my mind was telling me that I wanted to be with this cute mohawk haired guy and my heart and soul had Tom in mind. The rubber band as I like to call it was pulling me towards Tom. The next day I asked Tom out. I have been mad in love ever since.


Our first “I love you” actually happened a few times. Around one month into our relationship Tom had become my ride to and from work most days and on the first occasion he let “I love you” slip. I was leaving his car to enter my home. Simply, like one might say to a loved one in whom one is familiar with this particulate phrase. Of course, at this time I was also in love but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I felt that he might have said it out of habit so I said nothing and acted “normal”. This happened the same way again and again I thought it might be a mistake so nothing. Then on the third time of this “habit” I said “did you just say I love you”? He looked at me just a bit sheepishly and said “aaah yeah I guess it was what I said”. I responded with “well do you?” In which he said “I do, do you?” At this time my heart was pumping like crazy I then replied with “I love you too”. We spent the rest of that day together in loving bliss.


We were engaged for 1 1/2 years and I was the one who asked Tom to marry me. Our wedding was planned in three months. We wanted to keep it simple, just like our relationship, and we only had a limited budget.

No backyard wedding is complete without a few fun games, am I right?

Thanks so much Michele for sharing!

Images submitted via Two Bright Lights.

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January 3, 2012

Real Wedding: A Light-filled Dreamy Day

So I’ve made a few resolutions, some simple, some more difficult but I think it is always beneficial to have goals to aspire to. If you are planning on setting a few be sure to write them down and read them daily. Yes, daily. There is a reason people give NY’s resolutions such a hard time. By February first most of our goals and aspirations have been buried in the pile of life not to be looked at again until next year. Writing them down holds you more accountable. It also helps to share them with someone whether that be publicly on a blog or to your best friend or your spouse. Just the fact that other people know what you are trying to do makes you more likely to achieve them. So today, I am going to share a few of mine.

  • Eat breakfast daily (Easier than it seems for someone who is completely okay with just having coffee)
  • Keep work hours to 9-6pm, no exceptions. (SOOO important when you work for yourself. It is easy to sit at my computer long into the evening and it’s time for me to start treating this more like an actual job. It also explains the reason my post is going up so late, I didn’t get to it by 6pm yesterday. Hopefully I’ll also learn to manage time better…)
  • Complete my re-branding. (This is a biggie and something I have struggled with but it is time for a change. More on this later.)
  • Improve my food photography (As a writer for a food site, it is imperative that I have better photos. I am determined to improve. However that means reading and practicing… I bought 2 books several months ago and have barely opened them. This year I will.)
  • Write one research heavy article per month. (As a free-lance writer it is easy to make excuses, get lazy and not finish projects. When you work for yourself there is no one there to hold you accountable or get you in trouble if you don’t do something. I love to write but actually having to research reminds me of when I was in school and the fun of writing goes away. My mission is to stop being lazy and push myself more.)
  • Be a better boss. (For the reasons mentioned above. I am the only one that can hold myself accountable so it is time to do just that.)

Ok- tell me what yours are. Or tell someone and be sure to keep working on them long past the end of January!

If you need a little lovely to get you inspired, you are in for a treat today! This gorgeous light filled wedding from Lavara Photography is absolutely dreamy. What’s even better is that this wedding took place in New Zealand and so it will be like a little mini-vacation for your eyes!

A few words from the lovely bride:

We were so excited to celebrate our big day with our beautiful family and our closes friends. We loved Markovina as a venue, so rustic, beautiful, simple and best of all we could have our ceremony and reception at the same place so our guests could just sit back and enjoy the day! I designed my dress by myself. Pretty nerve racking really but LOVED how it turned out. It was simple, flowey and I think suited our whole theme”. We had a friend who made our cute mini cupcake cake, and another friend put our flowers and table settings together. Just brilliant! I walked down the aisle to “Eyes for you” by Nathan King. Just represented our deep feelings for eachother. Walking down the aisle with my dad was such an amazing moment and seeing Alex at the end with tears in his eyes was so overwhelming and soooooo special! I thought “YES!!! Can’t wait to start our lives together”. We just had the greatest time. At one point we both looked at eachother and said… “Wow all our planning, our family and friends who have helped us plan this day and look…everything is just PERFECT and everyone is just having an amazing time celebrating with us” Mission accomplished!!! My advice to anyone planning a wedding is to let the groom help and have input. Many of us woman think they wouldn’t be interested or want to have there say on the tiny details. But they do!!! And doing the planning and the hard work together is the best!! Brings you together. Also on the special day ENJOY IT!! The day goes soooooooooo fast and I think its so important to try and take in everything as much as you can so you can remember how special it was. Alex and I still talk about the day when we look at photos or drive past the venue…the memories are awesome.

Don’t you just feel a bit warmer looking at all of these sun kissed images? Thank you so much to Lavara Photography for sharing this gorgeous day with us!

Images submitted via Two Bright Lights.

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January 2, 2012

Cowboy Boots and Blue Skies

Happy New Year friends! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I sit here in slight amazement that it is all over and we have another full year to look forward to. Kyle and I celebrated the new year with our neighbors and a 19 year old bottle of Dom Perignon that my grandparents gave us. We weren’t convinced that it would still be good after all that time but it was and we drank every last bit of it. I know we all say we will be healthier in the new year but we are in some serious need of a detox. I feel like we have been eating for the last two weeks straight and part of me is truly looking forward to eating normally again and working on being healthier in the new year. Do you all make goals or resolutions?

I plan to fill this first week of 2012 with lots of lovely and I am thrilled to start with a beautiful Utah wedding complete with cowboy boots and gorgeous red rocks. The scenery reminds me a lot of where we got married which made me love this sweet wedding even more. Thomas of Sikora Photography sent this one over and as soon as I laid eyes on the portraits of the Bride and Groom in cowboy hats, I knew I had to share.

 

Thank you Sikora Photography for sharing this beautiful country wedding with us!

Images submitted via Two Bright Lights.

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