my big announcement!

I've been hiding something from you.  I've been working on a project forever now and finally got it off the ground.  I knew it was going to be hard, and I ran into several setbacks, but there was something that I felt kept pushing me to move forward.  Finally, it's with so much happiness and excitement that I introduce to you...

Visit Etsy Shop

Visit Facebook Page ("Like" while you're there to see updates!)

It all started during wedding planning.  Flowers were something I knew I was going to be picky about.  Originally I wanted peonies, but after getting the lowdown on price and durability (outdoor reception in MO in June doesn't fare well with delicate flowers - thanks for bursting my bubble, Nicole!) I knew I was going to have to do something else.  I toyed around with the idea of a brooch bouquet, but I just didn't feel it really would have fit in with our wedding well enough.  The idea of a fabric bouquet popped into my head.  I found some inspiration online, sent examples to my Mom, and before I knew it she had created something absolutely amazing and beautiful...

I knew I loved our flowers on our wedding day but I've only loved to grow them more as the months have passed.  Having my bouquet on my nightstand is a beautiful reminder of our wedding day and I'm so happy that I have the same beautiful piece of art that I carried on that day for years and years to come!

If you know someone searching for an alternative to fresh flowers, I hope you'll let them know about Love & Kismet!  I understand that not every bride is the same so customization is available!

I have to give a HUGE shout out to a wonderful lady, Brittany, from Brittany Garner Design!  She designed the artwork for the shop and I'm over the moon in love with it.  She took the little info I gave her (I like pink and "pretty") and gave me something I'm so proud to have representing my shop!  If you ever need anything done - custom invitations, wall art, save the dates, etc. she's someone I highly recommend.  She was fast and made sure I was happy with the product before completing the order like a true professional.  She's taking a little vacation until June but you can keep up with her by checking out her Facebook Page and get ready for her Etsy reopening!  In the meantime, check out her blog - her little boy Harrison is such cutie and you can tell just by looking at pictures that he has such a fun personality!

just my two cents here...

It's Day 8 - the day I'm supposed to give you advice.  (I promise it won't be too painful!)
I am by no means an expert about life (although I'm sure my husband would say that sometimes I think I am - opps), I do like to think that I've experienced a few things in my life thus far that have helped me in being an overall, well-rounded individual.  I have a few up my in my arsenal (having divorced parents, working physical labor as a chore growing up, living in the country), but today I'll focus on one that I feel pretty strongly about.
My advice to you is...TRAVEL! 
Any opportunity you have - pick up and go!  Whether it's within the United States or abroad, I promise you'll return from your trip learning something new.  First time travelers may learn they pack too heavy (although as an "experienced" traveler I still do this) or maybe not enough!  More seasoned travelers may focus more on the people, food, or topography - it's up to you and what your interests are.  You can gain as much or as little as you want when you travel - it all depends on the effort you put into it.  So try it out! I promise you'll feel better and your trip will become one you remember for years to come!
I was born and lived in Italy for a good portion of my childhood and have since done many, many trips back and forth to visit my Dad's side of the family.  In addition, I've been fortunate enough to travel within the US as well - having Honeymooned in Oregon, visited Yellowstone and several cities while having lived in PA for three years I have done my share of long drives and flights.
With every trip and new destination I learn something new and while I don't get to travel as much as I would like (boo having a big kid job and bills!) I cherish the trips when they come around.
Side tip for international travelers:  Please, when you are traveling to a new foreign country, try to learn a few words. No need to be fluent but simple "please", "thank you", "hello" gets you a long way with the locals.  We of course sound silly, but trust me when I say that they will appreciate it much more and will probably be much more helpful if you at least try.  Side note: I may be saying that because of experience ;)

2013 Goals Update - April

Oh look! We're almost two weeks into May and I have yet to recap the month of April.   Guys,

For Myself:
- drink more water: I'm continuing to do well with this task. I'm kicking it up a notch by working on getting into the habit of drinking a bottle of water on my drive home from the gym as well to help re-hydrate.  I always have water with me at the gym, but a separate bottle waiting in the car helps motivate me to continue to drink since I can't drink too much during a workout without feeling sick.
- read at least 2 books per month:  I can finally say I'm back on the reading train!  After a much-too-long hiatus I read (and thoroughly enjoyed!) two books: What Alice Forgot and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I realize I'm behind on the second, but better late than never, right?  
- make three vegetarian meals per week, one of them being carb-free: This definitely hasn't gone as well.  With all the outside work we've been doing I haven't had time to prepare meals like I was earlier in the year. We're still working on eating healthy choices, but sometimes, a pizza is the only thing I'm willing to do when it's 9PM and I'm sweaty and exhausted (delivery, please!) and want to go to bed asap.  With summer approaching I know it will be easier to reach for and have healthier, fresher options.
- try a new recipe once a week:

• Buffalo Chicken Cups: I made these as one of the dishes for my Dad's Retirement party and they went really, I mean REALLY, well.  Everyone loved them and while I made plenty, none were left by the end of the party! 
• One-Pouch-Feast: One of the rare crazy busy nights we grilled this up and it was so delicious! Easy to prep, eat and clean - which is exactly what I was going for.  
• Pasta Fredda: While I wasn't over the moon excited about this dish (I wanted more flavor and would have had to use twice the amount of olives and cheese to make me happy), it was still good. I brought it into work for a pot-luck style baby shower.  It was easy to whip up and went over well since it wasn't anything "too" risky for people to try.
• Tiramisu Cupcakes: Another dish used at my Dad's Party - I wasn't in love with these cupcakes - although people ranted and raved about them.  They weren't tiramisu-y enough.  I think a big portion was due to the fact there wasn't any alcohol in them, but I had reasons for not including the alcohol when I made the cupcakes.
• Baci di Dama Cookies: If you're going to make anything off this list, make these.  OMG you guys - these cookies...they were absolutely delightful.  Made again for the party they disappeared so fast! People were intrigued, tried one, then went back for more!  I wish I would have made more because these little buggers went fast.  Definitely a delicate cookie - so be prepared.  But if you get it right, there is nothing like it.

- start a savings account: My Saturday mornings have been spent working outside so I haven't had the chance to get to the bank.
- practice yoga at least once every other week, if not more: I've been keeping up with this (going weekly) and I honestly believe it's helping me keep my sanity some days.
- become more patient: Probably hasn't been my best month for this - we had too many projects going on for me to stay level-headed and patient enough for me to say I did well on this in April.
- become more comfortable with allowing things that shouldn't bother me roll off my shoulders: Due to the non-stop schedule, I've had to force myself to let certain things go.  While it's been hard, it's such a relief not having that weighing me down once it passes!

For our House:
I'm just going to start off this section by wrapping all these into one recap:  None of the items on the list below happened.  Outdoor work has taken over our lives.  On a positive note, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the outdoor projects we are working on, so that makes me hopefully that we'll soon get some time to work on the items below.
- paint all the trim white
- paint the kitchen cabinets
- finish painting the doors
- finish the laundry room
- install new shelving in the laundry room

Conclusions:
For Myself:
Time management has been tough, but I'm working through it.  I'm looking forward to having my evenings back again so we can get back into schedule of dinner, gym and maybe some relaxation thrown in there!  Maybe even with a dog walk in there ;)

For our House:
While the items listed aren't being done we are getting huge projects finished which feels just as good.  Also - these projects were definitely more "time sensitive" over painting.

Jan 2013
Feb 2013 Update
March 2013 Update

The Thing I'm Most Afraid Of

I'm almost my positive my response to today's writing prompt will be fairly popular throughout blog land.  I'm of course terrified of losing loved ones - thinking about it makes my stomach instantly knot up so I didn't want to devote an entire blog post to it.  I would probably end up crying alone on my couch.  So in order to take a "lighter" approach, I thought I would share something that still is one of my top 3 biggest fears....
- I'm ridiculously afraid of snakes.  I had a not-so-pleasant encounter with a Viper when we lived in Italy which scarred me for life.  *Mom, where is that photo so I can show people and they can stop thinking I'm crazy when I tell them it was the biggest snake, like, EVER. Not just for a 5 year old but for an adult, too.* On our honeymoon Russ and I hiked a lot.  We were on the Oregon Coast and for whatever reason I convinced myself that snakes didn't live there.  That "convincing" went well for our daily hikes except on our last day and last hike, when we came across a snake in the middle of our trail.  I refused to turn around since we were hoping to get some pretty amazing views at the end of the hike (there were!) so Russ scared the snake away and I sprinted across.  The rest of the hike I walked with two walking sticks (overly large tree branches that would have only slowed me down in the case of an emergency) and walked with high-knees. There weren't many people at all we encountered, so I made sure to talk EXTRA loud along the way to warn snakes of my arrival.  There were portions of the trail where I felt somewhat safe, such as on dirt paths, but there were portions where there was no trail at all.  Just fields of waist-high grass.  THAT was awful.  I sprinted like a fool through those areas and left Russ in the dust.  Poor Russ.   The kicker?  When we were walking back, that same darn snake was back on the trail!  In the same exact spot!  I made Russ carry me across - there was no way I was going to face that snake twice! Once I dig out and scan that picture I'll post it - you'll understand where this fear originated!  *As my sister (Nicole) mentioned below - clowns. Oh my gosh I hate them.  Also, the dark and I have never gotten along.*

what do I do?

Day 6. I'm behind and I'm completely OK with it.  In the past if I would have fallen behind I would have called it quits, becoming frustrated with my inability to keep up and set aside some time for this blog.  This time, it's different.  I'm so busy it's a little bit insane.  I'm the busiest I've ever been at work and at home we're drowning ourselves in home projects.  Plus, we only have 1 computer at home, and Russ was using it last night and I just didn't have the energy to ask for it (or stay up later than it already was).  Getting back to the challenge... "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question 'what do you do?'" - I love our dog Miley as if she's a human-child, even making sure her birthday's are celebrated.

- I try my hardest to be the best wife, daughter, sister, employee and friend that I can be.  I'm by no means perfect, so I realize my efforts my sometimes fall through the cracks, but I do honestly try.
- I work to better myself every day on a personal level.  Working to take care of myself physically has become increasingly important to me within the past year.  I'm more aware of what I'm putting into my body and work hard to get rid of those not-so-good-things that I enjoy on occasion ;) 
- Along the same lines, I'm also working to better myself emotionally - there is a project that has been in the works that is just about ready to finally come to light - and I cannot wait to share it with you!
- I make cupcakes whenever possible and enjoy expanding my talents with every batch. I love eating, baking and decorating them so much it's slightly obsessive.  

confessing my love for...

It's Day 5 of the challenge and today I'm supposed to profess my love for a fellow blogger. (Not creepy at all, right?)

Kasey is a wonderful lady that I adore, and I believe that her and I would easily be best friends in real life (although I feel like she's already my friend - I just can't get together with her for wine nights).  Some similarities that we share include both having gotten married this past June (two weeks apart!), our love for TV shows (reality TV is our weakness), our love for travel, our husbands, and animals and vino nights.  I call her my long lost (but now, found!) soul sister.  She's as sweet, caring and honest as they come.  You know how some bloggers get the opportunity to have blates?  Well, I would absolutely love nothing more than to have a blate with Kasey.

photo taken from Kasey's blog - go over and say Hi!  

Day 4 - My favorite quote

Day 4: My favorite quote and why I love it.

I don't have a single favorite quote - I have several.  With the power of Pinterest, my love for quotes only continues to grow.

I love finding quotes that inspire me and motivate me to become a better version of myself and for that reason, my list is ever-growing.

E.E. Cummings "I Carry Your Heart With Me" - an extremely popular quote, but it's been a favorite of mine for many, many years (I didn't adopt it during wedding season).

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Anything by Julia Child is profound, but the below just makes me smile.  I love all aspects of food - preparing it, serving it, eating it, enjoying it and discussing it.  Having people around me that enjoy eating my food or making it with me?  Well, they are my favorite people.

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Mumford and Sons have a slew of wonderful quotes within their songs, but I really love this one.  With Russ and I approaching our 1 year anniversary in June (already?! Where did time go!) and turning this house into our home, this quotes especially rings true to me.

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