Sunday, July 31, 2011

EXPIRED DAIRY

Wanna know how close our wedding is? The cottage cheese I just bought doesn't expire until AFTER the wedding.


 It will never last that long if it's in my fridge (a tub of cottage cheese bought on Monday won't see Saturday). But if it could, I could eat it the day after my wedding. My mind was is blown.

Everything seems to be coming together nicely. We are doing little things every day and it's adding up. I love cross stuff off the list. The little black Sharpie and I have become very good friends! Also, I'm so thankful for all of my friends and family that have stepped up to help. It's great to be able to hand a few things off so that I can just relax and enjoy this time. Which I have been!

There are a few things that we are having trouble with....

Do you remember those foil pinwheels that used to be everywhere when we were kids?


Well, they are quite hard to find now! We plan on using them in our centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner to go with our theme of outdoor bbq/fun and games. I think I will be settling for some that are a little bigger than I would like (8 inches), but I'm sure I will be the only one to notice.

+

Also, please let me know if you see any yellow and gray socks. They seem to be sold out everywhere! Andrew wanted something really funky, but at this point, we will settle for argyle.

Oh, and wanna see something weird? While shopping for some honeymoon attire this week, I spotted these at VS...


 Who would want to wear these?!? They kinda reminds me of the diapers.

Just saying...

Thursday, July 28, 2011

ASIAN CHICKEN NOODLES

On Tuesday night, I decided to whip up a recipe that has been making my mouth water for days. I found it while cruising the wonderful world of Pinterest.


Just look at that picture?!?! Nom, nom, nom. If you want to follow the recipe verbatum, that's cool. But I'm going to make this simple recipe even easier. Ready?


Boil the chicken. I used frozen chicken breasts and by dumping them into boiling water, I saved myself from having to defrost. Nice! Once they are cooked all of the way through, chop it up. 



Boil the pasta. There is no easy way around this one, so just do it!


Chop the veggies and nuts. Combine. Almost done!

Now for the sauce... While making my weekly grocery trip, I noticed that the price of all of the ingredients for the sauce were quickly wiping out my budget (we are talking an additional $10 people!). That's where this guy comes in... 

One simple bottle. Add 1/2 cup to your mixture. Easy. Done. (I should have pictures of my finished product, but all of mine looked bad. I guess I need to work on presentation!)


The biggest downfall of this recipe. The pasta. Ok, 10 oz. Really? That's a lot of freaking pasta! If I were going to make this again, I would just use 6 oz. Trust me. Enjoy!

 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

GOODWILL JACKPOT

I was in a grumpy mood earlier tonight and thought I would hit up the local Goodwill to lift my spirit. I'm so glad I did! Check out these awesome finds!

Jodi Picoult book - $.99


Tupperware - $3.99 (the last one I needed to build a complete set!)


Sheet set - $19.99 (not pictured) 
I know what you are thinking... $20 for sheets at Goodwill?!? Not just any sheets, but brand new, in-package, 820 thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets. Boo-ya! They are currently in the washing machine so I can use them tonight :)

And for my favorite purchase of the evening... an Iowa State jacket! 


Once again, I bet you are thinking... she must have paid an arm and a leg for such a fine coat. Well you are in for a surprise my friend..... green tag sale.... $.99! 


GO ISU! Bring on the tailgating.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS

Can I just say that my friends are awesome? Who else would put up with all of my wedding stress/wedding questions and still want to throw me an awesome bach party? These girls!


My only requests for the bach party: Kansas City and Embassy suites (free breakfast and booze!) They went above and beyond what I could have imagined. After meeting up at the hotel we headed to destination #1: Boulevard Brewery for a tour. Besides it being crazy hot, the tour was so awesome and the samples were even better. I have a new Boulevard fav - Hoppy Wheat. Yum!

After getting ready at the hotel, we played a few games and took some shots. They even gave me a few gifts which was completely unnecessary! The award for most creative gift: the panty parfait! The had tags attached to all of the underwear for different stages for our relationship (bride undies, blue and pink undies for when we are ready to add to our family, a skimpy pair for our first fight, etc) The most thoughtful gift: A box full of cards and letters from all of the girls. Each one was so individual and personal (I may have gotten a bit teary-eyed reading them)



After a few drinks at the managers reception, it was off to the Power and Light District for food and fun. The Drunken Fish had some fantastic sushi! And the courtyard was a lot of fun. We drank, danced, and sweated our butts off!

I couldn't have asked for a better pre-wedding celebration. I'm so thankful to have all of those girls in my life. I am so excited to share such an important day with them. I am soooo lucky!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK

Yesterday, I can home to a wonderful surprise! Mail! Yes, the RSVPs have been streaming in...


but this is even better!


I love getting mail, and this package couldn't have been more thoughtful. My aunt saw this book while thrifting and thought of Andrew and I.



There is a special place in my heart for Little Golden Books, and thrifted ones are even better. I have even started my own little collection for when I have children.


I'm so glad to have another book to add to it! Thanks Carolyn!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

5 YEARS


Warning! I'm going to get a little sentimental on you. I can't help it. Last week marked 5 years that Andrew and I have been dating. He had made it seem like it was no big deal. So I didn't plan anything. No gifts, no special dinner, nothing. Besides, we are going to have a new anniversary in a few short weeks anway.

So, I was surprised to see him walk in with flowers! It was so thoughtful and cute. How lucky am I?!?!



Flowers, candy, and cards aren't the norm in our relationship. We do tell each other that we love each other every day, but sometimes you need to show each other... That is where this guy comes in.




You might remember him from our Florida vacation last year when we randomly found him in our condo. Well, ever since he has come home, he shows up in some pretty random places. We try to surprise each other and sneak him in unsuspecting places. Below is the latest hiding place. He was actually underneath of my towel. I couldn't stop laughing as I was getting out of the shower. It was just what I needed to start my day.



So, it's not romantic. I say, who cares? I see this little guy and I know that Andrew was thinking of me and it makes me smile. Isn't that all that really matters?

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

BRIDAL SHOWER

Clockwise: Tablescape, The Newlywed Game, more gift opening, the party-throwers and myself.

On Saturday, my wonderful coworkers thew me an awesome bridal shower. I was able to help decorate on Friday afternoon, and it was exactly what I had imagined - bright, colorful, and fun. The morning started off with Andrew and I playing the Newlywed Game. Although we missed one or two, I think we did pretty well. Maybe we can apply to go on the actual show after the wedding!

Regina and Tammy had cooked up some egg bake, coffee cake, and jello cake (per my request). It was all so good, and then it was time for the presents! I got A LOT of kitchen stuff. Everyone was so thoughtful. I feel really blessed to have such great friends and coworkers/volunteers. I will have to say that my favorite gift was the nativity scene by Willow Tree. It wasn't something that wasn't on the registry, but it was something that I had wanted for quite some time! I can't wait to up it out... if I can find room!

Clockwise: Checking out gifts with the volunteers, me and my two moms, a table full of gifts, Regina and I opening gifts.

Thank you to everyone that was able to come (and even those that were there in spirit!) I really appreciate all of the gifts and support during such an important time in our lives.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

BOSSYPANTS

Dear Tina,

Oh Tina, say it isn't so! I didn't want to have to do this, but I just can't lie... your book sucked. But you don't care. In your book, you talked about how haters are going to hate. One chapter was even tittled, I Don't Care If You Like It. So, feel free to stop reading now.

I couldn't help but smile as I read the "reviews" on the back cover:
  • "Totally worth it!" - trees
  • "Tina Fey is an ugly, pear-shaped, overrated troll." - The internet
  • "Absolutely delicious!" - A guy who eats books
But that is where the fun stopped. Maybe I set myself up for disappointment... Myabe I just assumed that it was as genius as your show... Or maybe, writing books just isn't your thing.

 
I did laugh out loud once. Just once. "In September, my daughter was born. (For the record: epidural, vaginal delivery, did not poop on the table.)" You can always make me laugh when it comes to labor and poop. Except of course, if it happens to me - then it is def. not funny.

 
I can say though, that after reading each chapter, I wanted to throw the book out set the book aside and turn on my Netflix to 30 Rock reruns. I don't know how it is possible to have such a fantastic show (that you write for and star in - you go girl!) and not have the same comical genius in a book.

I guess the one thing I am thankful for is that I didn't pay for this book (unless you count my tax dollars as payment). It is due back at the library in a couple of days, and I'm ready to wipe my hands clean. The next time I'm looking for something comical, I'll stick with David Sedaris.

Sincerley,

Ashley M.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

ENVELOPES & MAPS

We finally got our invitations ordered, and they should be here soon. That means we need to kick our butt into gear and get our invitations addressed. The problem is the printer. Ours had been leaving horrible streaks, so I borrowed my parents. Their printer worked great to print the rehearsal dinner invites, but has been a nightmare to print on envelopes. I spent far too much time trying to figure this out... but it will be sooo worth it! Also, I'm concerned with the number of people who don't know how to use mail merge...


Along with the invitations, we are working on printing our wedding map. I plan on putting a map into each invitation and welcome bag. I don't want anyone getting lost or turned around! After attempting to make the map myself, I decided to hire it out. It was one less thing for me to stress about, and she did a fantastic job! I would recommend her to anyone!

My horrible attempt...

The professional map! Hooray!

Also, this last weekend, we printed the guestbook pages! Because I want something less traditional and more interesting than a standard guestbook, I saw a similar idea online and ran with it. I designed the page to include some space for drawings, advice, and memories. It's everything I could ask for in a good guestbook. I can't wait to see what people come up with.


My favorite thing to cross off the list from this last week though has to be booking the honeymoon flight! Heck yes! Although I purchases some extra Rapid Rewards point from Southwest in anticipation of the flight, we ended up going with Delta because they were soooo much cheaper. I'm talking about hundreds of dollars! Unless we wanted to fly out really late and come back super early, there was no way we could justify going with Southwest. What a disappointment... I love Southwest, but this is just unacceptable.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

WEEKEND RECAP: JULY 1-4, 2011



Highlights:
- Getting off work at noon on Friday and having a Monday off too!
- Going to Justin and Nicole's gender reveal party (I thought for sure it was going to be a girl, but I was wrong. It's still very exciting!) Congrats!
- Beating the boys in Euchre. We bet pies! Victory is going to taste really sweet :)
- Wildlife Safari Park - my favorite part of the weekend!
- Babysitting with Sarah
- Running my second 5k
- My new patio furniture - an early bridal shower gift from my parents. I love it!
- Spending time with Andrew without thinking/talking about wedding stuff


Lowlights:
- Feeling like an unprepared hostess (I like to cook a lot when I have guests, and that didn't happen)
- Running the 5k in the rain... this was by far the suckiest part of the weekend
- Falling off the wedding diet wagon