Wedding Bliss!

You know how you always hear when you get to that certain age, everyone starts to get married at once. That has happened. I have so many friends & family getting married next year! How freaking exciting, right!

My most exciting and flipping fantastic news is that my best friend called recently to announce her engagement news! WhoooHooo!!! A phone call could not get much better... than hearing your best friend is engaged!

Me & Jeanine

I love her like the sister I never had! I am so excited to be a part of excitement! Love you, J! xoxo

For a little Thursday wedding inspiration... I put together this board:

Courtesy of Pinterest

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Happy BIRDthday!

It was the Bird's bday on Sunday! What a fun day! I like celebrating his birthday almost as much as mine. {Key word being almost!} ;)

But actually, I do. I love the planning and thoughtfulness behind birthdays. And I loved seeing him so happy on Sunday. Birthdays are just fabulous!

First we went on a scenic sky tour along the coast.

It was beautiful! We flew to the ocean, looked over the cliffs and over the beautiful wine country. It made us realize how beautiful of a place we live and how lucky and spoiled we are to be surrounded by such amazing scenery.

We then grabbed a picnic lunch from a hometown sandwich shop and took it to a nearby winery.

We did a little wine tasting at Stryker & Francis Ford Coppola Wineries.

Later that evening, we went to dinner with the fam.

What a fabulous day! Hope you had a great weekend as well.

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Kitchen fixins

I have home decorating on the brain. Not sure what it is... maybe the dream of owning my first home or that damn Pinterest that has me seriously hooked!

But I envision a fabulous white kitchen.

White cabinets.

Subway tile.

Dark hardwood floors.

And beautifully accented kitchen supplies scattered about for some color splash.

If you abuse Pinterest the way I do, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ooo & this...

That aqua back splash is stunning!

And just because its Friday, I searched for a few accents at a favorite home store of mine: Anthropologie!

Measuring cups

Apron

Ceramic basket

Bowls

Items: Cups, Apron, Basket, Bowls

Happy Friday bloggies!

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Foodies to share

I have a few recent pics & meals to share today. Including the Cookies & Cream Cupcakes that I made over the 4th of July Weekend!

The first is a yummy Oatmeal recipe I had for breaky.

Oats, AB & berries

1/4c oats
1/8c oat bran
1T flaxseed meal
About 1/2c water

Topped with:
Almond butter milk (equal parts almond butter & almond milk)
Splash almond milk
Blackberries
Strawberries
Homemade granola

I loved the morning sunlight on the pics. I am usually taking my shots at night... so I really appreciated the natural lighting.

The bird & I also made it to the Whole Foods salad & sandwich bar this weekend. Such a treat!

I made a delicious salad with lots o' fixins! Tofu, edamame, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, & feta cheese.

I also had a little spoonful of a delicious orzo prepared salad! Scrumptious!

The bird opted for a sandi...

Also a fine choice. Its pretty hard to go wrong at Whole Foods. If you haven't visited this place, get there asap... its amazing!

And lastly, I wanted to share my cupcake recipe from 4th of July. The recipe is compliments of Annie's Eats. She has a fabulous website filled to the brim with great recipes to try. This really is one of thousands! The cupcake recipe I made this weekend was Cookies & Cream Cupcakes.

I have made this recipe several times, so I already knew it was amazing! Its great for guests because it has such a pretty presentation. And perfect for kiddos... what kid doesn't jump at the sight of Oreos on the top of a cupcake!

There are Oreos mixed in the batter & a surprise Oreo at the bottom of the cupcake.

Sinfully delicious... perfect for special occasions. Or breakfast tomorrow morning! ;)

Happy Eats & Happy Thursday!

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Daring to dream

I am being adventurous today with my bloggy friend Emily at Sprout through Concrete. I absolutely love the link up idea.

I choose...

And of course, you have to travel in style...

Compliments of Polyvore

I will be dreaming of safaris, koalas, kangas & roos all day!

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4th Festivities

What a weekend! I love the extra day... although, this weekend was so crazy busy, I don't think I was able to appreciate it enough. But we did have a fabulous 4th of July! I love throwing a party... any occasion is worth the hustle & bustle.

Here are a few wrap up pics from our festivities & eats:

 Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

(Recipe to follow...)

 Chocolate & Sprinkle Covered Pretzels

Very Berry Festive Salad

Very Berry Festive Salad

(Inspired by Martha Stewart)

Raspberries

Blueberries

Blackberries

Strawberries

Mint

Simple Syrup (Sugar water mix)

             I only used about 1T total because the berries were perfectly ripe & delish! 

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Fireworks for Friday!

And the 4th! Happy lonnnggg weekend! That always makes Friday just a little bit sweeter.

This week I have seen some serious Fourth of July inspiration! Thank goodness we are having a little rendezvous... I can put some of it to good use. Here are a few of my hopes & aspirations for Monday's festivities.

Decorations &

Grub!

Check back with me next week for my 4th of July wrap up and hopefully these pictures did not set too high of expectations. :)

The winner of the Amazing Grass samples & shaker is Star Hughes!

Have a fabulous Friday and Fourth of July!

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