my sweet valentine

It's been said that Pixar created a better love story in 8 minutes, with no words, than Stephanie Meyer did in four books. Now, I don't want to start a debate on film versus print, but I have to agree with this particular statement.

A super cruel nice person put together the two most touching parts of the movie into one video. If you haven't seen it (or want to watch it again), click here.

I just watched it and spent the last 15 minutes with tears rolling down my face, so let's move on...

I wanted to do something special for hubs for Valentine's Day, and when I found this mailbox in the dollar section of Target, I knew just what it would be.

You guessed it: UP themed Valentine's Day. We had just sobbed through watched it a few weeks before so it was fresh in both of our minds. Here's my inspiration:

I decided to settle with the paint colors that I had on hand, rather than run out and buy more. I drew our names in dry erase marker on the mailbox, then painted over it (my name still needs a second coat... you can see the marker right through it!). I had to cut my crafting short because hubs was on his way home!

If you watched the clip, you remember Ellie's Adventure Book. I knew I HAD to make one for Mitch and I to write in (especially because we plan on taking many adventures in the next few years). Here's my version:

We exchanged Valentine's Day gifts before he left for training, and now I just can't wait to have him back so we can go on another adventure together : ]

Oh, and we also decided that we would display the mailbox on one of our many bookshelves. When one of us puts something inside, we raise the flag on the mailbox and wait for the other to notice it.

So there you have it. My $1 Valentine's Day gift that's worth a whole heck of a lot more to us.

Adventure is out there, folks.

pumpkin love

I don't care that it's not fall anymore, I have to say this.

I love everything pumpkin.

pies, breads, muffins, bagels....

...I think I just drooled on the keyboard.

I especially love Twisters Frozen Custard's Pumpkin Pie Twister. It's frozen custard blended with an ENTIRE PIECE of WARM pumpkin pie. And it's topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, of course.

Seriously, it's the best thing you'll ever taste.

And it's roughly 23,409,834,520,349 calories.

That's why, when I found this pumpkin pie protein shake recipe, I knew I had to try it, and STAT.

The recipe called for some things I didn't have, so I adapted it to what I had on hand (and it was still just as tasty!)

But first, I have to make a confession:

I hate protein drinks. I don't think hate is a strong enough word for what I feel. I drank the pre-made chocolate ones (note: my mom drinks these regularly and doesn't think they're too bad!) religiously before the wedding, and now just thinking about them makes me want to yak. Or eat a piece of really, really greasy pizza.

But this shake, this wonderfully delicious pumpkiny shake, is nothing like those pre-wedding nasties. This, my friends, is amazing.

Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

adapted from Dashing Dish

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbs. truvia

1/2 cup milk

2 handfuls of ice

Throw it all in a blender and voila!

*things that I wanted to add but didn't have on hand:

- 2 tbsp cool whip

- 1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt with honey

As I prepared it, this shake had 340 calories and 54 grams of protein.... FIFTY FOUR GRAMS, people. And it tasted delicious to boot!

mmmm... I might just make another one for dessert.

wedding post: part four + some christmas

You sick of the wedding posts yet? Too bad, I've got one more, but if you hang in with me you'll be rewarded with a little crafty project at the end :]

When planning the wedding, I was hoping to use things that could be repurposed in some way (used as home decor, made into something else, etc.) I can't say I was entirely successful, because quite a few of the wedding decorations (like the majority of the mason jars) went to Good Will because we simply couldn't fit them all in our apartment that was (and still is) already stuffed to the ceiling with STUFF.

Here are a couple ways I've used things from the wedding in our home.

The books and birch flowers from some of the tables are now all around our house (seriously, they're everywhere). Oh, and how cute are these birds? They were a wedding gift from my amazing cooperating teacher.

See? More books. Everywhere, I tell ya. I've got quite a few of the birch flowers left over, too, and I'm still thinking of a way to use them. If you have any ideas, I'd love the input! See our cake topper? I'm still just as in love with it as I was the day I bought it. It has a special cat-proof spot on our tall bookshelf.

I wish I had a better spot for this beauty, rather than the bottom shelf of the bookshelf next to my Crazy Horse rock. Maybe on a floating shelf in the living room?

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing just how many bookshelves we have. Here's our collection of hardback books that we keep in the living room, you know, to make people think we're well-read and educated (although I'm not sure HP6 supports this image). Notice, the cake stand makes an appearance as a bookend.

Remember that cute banner from behind the head table? We've hung it in the living room. Even with the banner, though, this is still my least favorite wall in the house. I guess I just can't justify putting a bunch more holes in the wall when we'll be patching them in less than 7 months.

And the banner from the dessert table :]

These his and hers letters sat next to our his (long island iced teas) and hers (rose champagne) drinks at the wedding. Their new home is on our bathroom sink. I can't wait for the day when we have his and hers sinks... these will be even cuter.

Okay, you stuck with me through not one, not two, but FOUR wedding blogs. Now, for a little crafty project. I put together this little present for the hubs for Christmas.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "You decorated a basket with your initials and called it a Christmas present?" Well, yes. But it's more about what's IN the basket.

"You mean, mailing envelopes?" Well... yes, but it's what's IN the envelopes. I found this idea on Pinterest (duh, where else?) and I'm sure most of you have seen it, or something like it. Click here to see the original post.

So by now, those of you who aren't Pinterest obsessed like me and the rest of women ages 18 to 36, are thinking "What the HELL is it and WHY does she keep telling me what I'm thinking?"

Well, dear friend, there are 12 months of pre-planned, pre-paid dates inside these envelopes.

Now, to all the ladies out there thinking that they'd like to do this for their significant other, keep this in mind: It is VERY time consuming.

Totally worth it though.

Most of the dates came either from the original poster's website, OR the fabulous Dating Divas (SUPER website, ladies! And gentlemen, if you're looking for date night ideas!). I tweaked the dates to fit what I knew the mister would have fun doing.

First, I typed up a little introductory note for each month, to let the hubs know what we would be doing on the date (I forgot to take a picture of it, though... next time I will). Then, I filled the envelope with money, gift cards, and other things that went along with the theme. Here's what was inside the January date envelope:

These were interesting...it's amazing what you know about your partner, just from living with them, and equally amazing what you overlook (like what pocket he puts his wallet in).

There was also a packet of microwave popcorn, and $5 to rent a movie (we skipped this part, because we already had a movie from Netflix that we needed to watch).

This was probably one of the most simple dates in the whole basket, but it was so much fun! This is where I stop, for now, because the rest of the dates are a secret :] I'll update the blog as we continue to open the envelopes. Until then, it'll remain on our bookshelf.

This post really should have been titled "The Gardners Have Way too Many Bookshelves." Moving is going to be fun.

And for the men reading this post (HAH), don't worry, this isn't all that he got for Christmas. He also got socks and underwear.

Just kidding, he got photoshop CS5 :]

the wedding post: part three.

I love Etsy.

I love Etsy sellers (although my last post may somewhat contradict this statement).

I love homemade.

I love supporting small businesses.

So that's what this post is all about. I'm going to link you to the sellers that helped make my wedding fab in hopes that you find something you love.

Here we go.

I bought a listing for a customized program pdf file and had them printed at FedEx. The seller was wonderful and willing to make changes as I asked for them. I had this pdf within 48 hours. Click here to see the listing.

I got our escort tags here. Then, I wrote the guest's names and table numbers on the tags that we displayed in the foyer of the reception space.

I didn't know I could love straws. But I love these. I've got a bag of leftover straws that I can't bring myself to throw away because I love them so much. What am I going to do with green striped straws? I'm sure I'll get over my attachment when it comes time to move again. Find them here.

This bouquet charm was a last minute buy, but I love it! The only thing that I didn't like about this purchase was that it was advertised as a "light silvery gray" and was more of a pale blue. I ended up liking the blue better, and it served as my "something blue" Find it here.

Our table numbers also served as our guest books. I bought these small craft paper notebooks here, painted a table number on the front, and wrote a question inside. During the evening, guests wrote their answers inside the books. These were SO SO SO fun to read, and now I'm just trying to figure out a way to creatively display them (perhaps on a ring on our coffee table?).

I love banners. We had FOUR banners in our reception space! Click on the pictures above to see the listings for these babies. Stay tuned for the next blog to see how I reused these banners.

If you're familiar with wedding ceremonies you know about the sand ceremony or candle lighting ceremony. Mitch and I weren't entirely thrilled with either of these ideas, so when my mom told me about the wine box ceremony, I jumped on the opportunity to buy yet another Etsy item. Basically, instead of pouring sand or lighting candles, during the wine box ceremony the bride and groom place letters they have written to each other inside of the wine box (with a nice bottle of wine, of course). The box is then locked, only to be opened on their 10th anniversary (or, you know, when they start to hate each other) when they will drink the wine and read the letters to each other.

Here's my sweet sister and flower girl. We got her precious basket here.

Seriously? How cute is he? Our little ring bearer pillow can be found here.

Bah, I just love these ladies. Their bouquets and jewelry can be found here and here.

I made the groomsmen's boutonnieres using these birch flowers and magnets (no fussing with pinning those stupid things on).

The first wedding purchase I made was this veil. Looking back on it, it was a silly thing to do, seeing as I hadn't bought a dress. Thankfully, they went together very nicely :].

My hairpiece can be found here and my jewelry here (these were a whopping $8, people).

My hanger! I love this thing. Get your own here.

I forgot to get a picture of the garter, and frankly I'm too lazy to get it out and take a picture of it. Take my word for it, it is beautiful! The thing I like the best about this seller is that every garter she creates is one-of-a-kind. See the listing I purchased with a similar garter here.

Whew. That was long. Kudos to you if you finished reading this without skipping to the bottom.

the wedding post: part two. the favor disaster gone right

So, as many of you already know, most of my wedding decorations, jewelry, veil, etc., were purchased from Etsy (if you've never heard of it... check it out! And, have you been living under a rock?). I also decided to buy my wedding favors from a horrible, horrible person who plays dirty tricks on brides an Etsy vendor who shall remain unnamed. They were perfect: birdseed ornaments in the shape of a "G." They looked just like this:

I thought, hey, I'm planning a wedding in eight weeks, I KNOW I don't have time to make these myself, so why not just buy them and have them shipped? So I did. I even read the reviews that previous purchasers had written, just to be sure. 96% positive with over 300 reviews. I felt good about the purchase. So I knew all that was left to do was to wait.

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

But I never heard a word from the vendor, even though I sent multiple emails. I ordered the favors in August. By the end of September I was getting nervous. I kept checking her store page, just to make sure I didn't miss any communication to customers. Nothing. What I did find, however, made me even more nervous. Customers were posting negative feedback about this seller, saying that they purchased the favors months in advance and she never delivered them. Some of them were writing reviews just days before their wedding, absolutely frantic about getting favors in time. I freaked. Mitch can attest to the fact that I looked something like this:

Okay, in the grand scheme of things, are wedding favors that big of a deal? No. But you go crazy when you become a bride. Not all of us reach Bridezilla status, but there's definitely a level of psychosis there. And, on top of the wedding psychosis, I was already of unsound mind a little stressed due to student teaching. So, three weeks before the wedding, I called my dad (who else?) and explained the situation. Luckily he was up for the challenge of testing birdseed ornament recipes, and with the help of the rest of the family, they got to work. What. a. relief.

After testing a few recipes, we found one that we thought worked the best (more on that in a second). We decided to simplify the "G" monogram to just a heart with a thank you tag. Here's the finished product:

We used a mixture of peanut butter and honey to bind the birdseed, then baked the favors at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Did they smell wonderful? Yes.

Did they look beautiful? Yes.

Did they fall apart if you dared to breathe on them? Yes.

This is NOT the best recipe out there, I can tell you that much. On top of the breakage issue, the oil from the peanut butter left little grease stains on most of the tags. Still, I was happy about how they turned out and I'm grateful for a wonderful family who helped me complete this project :] Here's how they looked on the tables at the reception:

I did a little looking and found a couple different (and hopefully better) recipes here and here.

So, moral of the story: don't sweat the small stuff, and always file a non-delivery dispute with PayPal within 45 days of purchase.

*I did get a very long, very strange email from the seller about a month after our wedding. She tried (and failed) to explain why she had advertised her services without delivering. Something about how Etsy restructured their search feature and moved her to the bottom of the list, and now she doesn't get enough business (which is interesting, because there were 25 brides leaving negative feedback because she didn't deliver...sounds like business to me).

She assured her customers that they would get a full refund. I'm not holding my breath, and am taking it up with the credit card company. Needless to say, Etsy closed her store.

**I also need to tell you that in 2 years (and more transactions than I'm willing to admit), this is the ONLY issue I've ever had with a seller on Etsy

the wedding post. part one.

alright, friends. I survived the wedding madness (although I'm still equally overwhelmed by school at the moment), and now I'm ready to share my insanity with you in a couple installments.

I have so many pictures to show you that I don't even know where to start. Which is kind of how I felt about this project:



Yep, folks, those are mini pies. I had this terrible awesome idea back in August. Come October, I was beginning to think I needed to be committed for even considering baking 120 homemade pies.



Certifiable, alright. Although we used store-bought fillings (except for the Pumpkins)...



...I made the dough from scratch. FORTY BATCHES. Let me say that one more time. FORTY. Want the recipe? I've got it memorized (see below).



Ridiculous. And ridiculously delicious.



this picture isn't about us. It's about the pies. Look at all of those beautiful pies. And, since we're talking about desserts, I may as well talk cake. mmm, cake.





I made a similar cake for Mrs. Jessica Fuchs' bridal shower back in June, and loved it so much that I decided to whip up a taller one for our wedding day! This cake is super duper simple (believe me, if I can make this, anyone can). Find the tutorial here. If I were to make this cake again, I would add more of the heavy cream to my icing (it seemed to crack a little as I piped in on the sides).

A side note about the frosting: It is basically powdered sugar and shortening. Uck. I hate super sweet frosting (I'm partial to the kind that tastes more like cool whip), but boy did it look pretty. The upside: It hardened and kept the cake inside suuuuper moist and delicious. For that, I can eat around the nasty frosting.



I just have to throw in a closeup of our cake topper. love. love. love. could look at it all day.

Our desserts sat on three tables in a "U" shape, with a banner in front that looked a little like this...



This banner was another one of my favorite parts of the wedding. Who am I kidding, it was all my favorite.

So now that I've made you hungry for pie (a dessert that I never want to look at again), I hope you have a wonderful evening! Next up, The Favor Disaster Gone Right.

Flaky Pie Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle the ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling (I made mine the night before). Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate (or 120 mini pie pans). Fill with desired filling. Then cut tedious mini strips and create lattice work on top of every. single. pie. have fun with that. :)