Guess what time it is....

It's registry time!

To say that I've looked forward to this moment since before Ron and I even started dating might sound a little ridiculous...but it’s true. I love, love, LOVE cooking, baking, decorating and entertaining so the idea of going to a store and picking out our favorite items and putting together the ultimate gift wish list is absolutely FABULOUS. Yes, I understand that the idea of registering for gifts is that you and your fiance are starting a life together and need the essentials for your new home. However, I have lived on my own for quite a while now, as has Ron. We’ve both gone through several types of baking pans, utensils, cookware, towels and bedding to know EXACTLY what we do and do not want to put on that registry. I’ve been very blessed in that Ron loves cooking (and my baking) just as much as I do and has been very excited to register for all the different gadgets and gizmos for our future kitchen as well as for the rest of our home.

While the idea of registering sounds fabulous and like a lot of fun, it is also very time consuming and can be exhausting. When Ron and I first discussed where we would like to register and what kind of items were a “must have”, I never would have imagined the number of times we would visit a store or research merchandise to make sure we would receive the best quality or top-rated items. We went with the typical stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Macys and Crate and Barrel and then decided to add Amazon and Sears. At first, the idea of having 5 different places on our registry seemed outrageous and a bit Diva-ish (yes, I just made up that word) but with The Knot’s new registry system that incorporates your entire list of items from all the stores in a one-stop-shop atmosphere, we thought, what the heck! We knew there were certain items we wanted to get from each store. For instance, larger kitchen items were coming from Macys, tools from Sears and board games from Amazon. Yes, we registered for board games. And I must say some of the board games are my favorite items on our registry, including - The Game of Life -The Wizard of Oz Board Game, 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition. Oh yeah!!! You know you want one. J

In all seriousness though, we have had a lot of fun picking out everything for our future home – from the color scheme in each room, to our everyday dishes and barware, to decorative pieces and pillows. It’s exciting to make all these decisions together – to pick out the champagne glasses we will use for special occasions, the rug we will walk on when we come home from work and the dishes we will use to serve dinner to our family. J

For those of you recently engaged, soon to be engaged or living on your own and LOVE to cook, here are a few items Ron and I have either bought for ourselves over the years or put on our registry. These are must-haves in our opinion.

o Immersion Blender – Works wonders for homemade soup and sauces.
o Splatter Screen – Everybody loves bacon. No one loves the bacon grease on their clothes.
o Expandable Over-the-Sink Stainless Steel Strainer – Perfect for quinoa and cleaning vegetables.
o Large Crockpot – Hello! Who doesn’t love having their dinner hot and ready when they get home from work?
o Herb Scissors – Excellent if you use a lot of fresh herbs like basil and cilantro.
o Electric Wine Opener – The Oster electric wine opener is the best. I’ve given this as a gift many times and everyone loves how easy it is to use. No more broken corks!
o Mulling Spice-Herb Ball – This works well if you love making tea, mulled wine or wassail at Christmas.
o Food Chopper – The Oxo Good Grips Chopper works marvelously. Never cry from chopping onions again!
o KitchenAid Mixer – No explanation necessary. J

o Professional Deep Fryer – This was one of our fun items. We are obsessed with chicken nuggets and making fish dinners so we thought this would be useful from time to time. Oh, and most importantly, I can make DONUTS!!!

Ron and I still need to finalize the registry and add a few large ticket items such as pots and pans and cutlery. There are just too many options for those items so I am leaving that decision up to Ron. If you have any suggestions on items we should definitely register for OR should leave off the registry because you didn't find it useful, feel free to share. J

Having fun at Crate & Barrel! 

Love me some baking pans!

Our delicious treat after a long day of registering. 

Wedding Party - The Ladies

The invitations I had created on Etsy.

Let me first say...I have the best bridesmaids EVER. This group of ladies have been with me through thick and thin. They've watched me grow up, shared momentous occasions, lent a shoulder to cry on, been there for many firsts and lasts, supported me in tough decisions, laughed with me until we almost peed our pants and even introduced me to my future husband. They are some of the most genuinely sweet, loving, hysterical AND crazy ladies you'll ever meet. I'm lucky to have them by my side on one of the most important days of my life.

I wanted to ask the girls to be in the wedding in a cute way. I went on Etsy and found these adorable invitations. The shop owner was amazing to work with and customized all the invitations with the girls names as well as the original color scheme I was planning to go with. They turned out beautifully and all the girls said "yes". :-)

So, without further ado, here are my ladies...


      
KELSEY (Matron of Honor)

Kelsey and I were introduced our junior year of high school - a little over 11 years ago. We hit it off, became best friends, attend SIU and roomed together our freshman year. We often were and sometimes still are mistaken as twins, sisters or cousins. We've used that to our advantage once or twice. ;-) She is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I've ever met. She is the definition of what it means to be a best friend - who is there for me no matter what, supports me in my endeavors and always has my back and I can always count on her for a fabulous night of wine, sushi and The Bachelor. I had the honor of standing by her side in June 2012 when she married her husband, Dan. I'm looking forward to sharing yet another wonderful experience and momentous occasion with my best friend and twin.


      
STEPHANIE (Maid of Honor)

Where do I begin...I've know my blonde, better half since she was six weeks old. Yes, six weeks! Our families were at the Fort Wayne Seminary together while our fathers were going to school to become pastors. Our mothers quickly became best friends and boom, 25 years later, here we are. Stephanie moved from Kansas up to Chicago a little over 3 years ago and we've pretty much been inseparable since. We even celebrate our anniversary each year. Some people think that's weird - we think those people are lame. Stephanie has one of the most contagious laughs and smiles. She is considered part of our family and often spends Sundays and holidays with us. She recently got a Bernese Mountain Dog, Lottie, who is about the biggest, most adorable "puppy" you'll ever meet. Without hesitation, Stephanie is raring to go with a night out on the town, a Twilight marathon or an afternoon of sappy Hallmark movies with me and my mom.

Does anyone else think that totally just sounded like a dating profile???? Ha!


      
KRISTEN (Bridesmaid)

Let me start out by saying...I mistook her for another Kristen who I DID NOT like and therefore was not a big fan of her's for a while. When things were straightened out and I learned she was a completely different Kristen, we quickly became friends! ;-) From that point, our friendship blossomed. She moved to California after college where she works at a church as their Director of Christian Education. Her passion for the church and for the children she teaches is amazing. One of the best aspects of our relationship is our shared faith. While we don't see each other as often as I would like, we try to have weekly phone chats to shoot the breeze, discuss our jobs, talk about boys and complain about the crappy Chicago weather and how I should just move to California so we can open our own event planning business near the beach. Ugh, I wish!!! Kristen is the most laid back person I've ever met and I'm pretty sure she would have been "fine" with wearing a garbage bag if that's what I picked for the bridesmaids. She's the ideal bridesmaid who always knows the perfect advice to give. She is also the first of my friends to have met Ron. We played a couple rounds of beer pong at a local bar then went and heard Ron sing a rousing rendition of Gangsters Paradise at a Karaoke bar - she thought he was perfect for me from the start. :-)


      
RENEE (Bridesmaid)

Oh dear....this girl. I don't think I've EVER laughed so hard as when I'm around Renee. She has the most down-to-earth and witty personality.  We met sophomore year of college but didn't really become friends until our junior and senior year. We were in the same major and had all the same classes together. And to be quite honest, we were totally our teacher's favorite students. :-) Right after we graduated we took an epic vacation to Myrtle Beach. We drove down in her parents van with 3 other girls, including my other bridesmaid, Ashley. Talk about a bonding experience! Renee and I are two peas in a pod when it comes to event and wedding planning. She gets me when I am obsessed with little details, color schemes and my excel spreadsheets. Renee was one of my first friends to get married out of college and I was honored to stand up in her wedding. She and her husband, Clay, are expecting their first child in June and I seriously could not be more excited for them. The two of them are going to be amazing parents.


      

ASHLEY (Bridesmaid)

PALM TREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, inside joke. :-) Ashley also attended SIU and was in the same major as Renee and me. We did not hang out until my senior year and quickly became good friends on our trip to Myrtle Beach. You really get to know someone when you spend 36 hours in a van with them. :-) Ashley is your typical blonde, bombshell who tells it like it is and has the best facial expressions. We share a love for One Tree Hill and Channing Tantum that only few can appreciate. She appreciates my thug music, love for Mexican food and is always up for a good dance session. While she is a die hard Cardinals fan, I still love her and except her faults. ;-) Ashley, unfortunately doesn't get up to Chicago to visit much because let's be honest, she belongs in a warmer climate and on a beach. Her dream is to own her own surf shack somewhere exotic. I obviously approve of this dream and encourage her often to follow it so I can come visit her. Ashley married the most adorable red head, Joel, in December 2012. I'm looking forward to not only having her in the wedding but seeing her and her husband quite a bit in 2014. 

      

ANDREA (Bridesmaid)

Believe it or not, she and I are related. I know, I know, we look NOTHING alike. But alas, it is true. Andrea is my MUCH older sister. :-) Sorry, I had to. Like most sisters who are seven years apart, we never quite got along growing up. I was the annoying little sister who wanted to try on her clothes and follow her around everywhere repeating everything she said and she was the emotional older sister who well, hated everything I did. It wasn't until I went away to college that we finally started getting along. We have our ups and downs but bottom line, we are family and are always there for each other and I'm thrilled she'll be a part of this big moment in my life. She is one of the most intelligent people I know and I think part of that comes from her studies at Truman State University - the Harvard of the midwest. ;-)  The whole family felt very blessed when she married my brother-in-law, Matt - the saint, a few years ago. Their love of politics, James Bond and video games makes them a perfect match. Andrea is currently working on her PhD at University of Illinois at Chicago and teaching on the side.

      

LAUREN (Bridesmaid)

I met my future sister-in-law a few months before I met Ron. It was at a "Mr. CUC" men's pageant at the university where I used to work. She was hootin' and hollerin' at all the boys trying to get her friend Kelly (also a bridesmaid) to bid on one of them for a date. She is one of the most outgoing and emotional (in the best way) people you will ever meet. It amazes me how she can carry on a conversation with just about anyone! Lauren LOVES everything and anything related to wedding planning, interior design, babies and puppies, which is obviously why we are so much alike. She graduated last May and took a job as a kitchen and bath designer hoping to one day have her own design firm. Here's the fun fact about Lauren....she is getting married this coming May to Ron's roommate and best friend, Chris. She's pined for him ever since she was a little girl and in a few months she'll literally be marrying her childhood sweetheart. :-)


      
KELLY (Bridesmaid)

Last, but certainly not least, there's Kelly. I just adore this girl! We met while I was the staff chair for the Colleges Against Cancer student group at the university where I used to work. Kelly was the go-getter in charge of finding sponsorships for our on-campus Relay for Life event. She is one of the most determined individuals and has a sincere passion for helping people. She would stop by my office to have daily chats, sip on coffee and talk about boys. She always said she needed to find me a guy for all the weddings I was in and that's exactly what she did. Who knew "that guy" would turn out to be my future husband?! (I'll blog about her and Lauren's devious plan to introduce Ron and me at a later time.) She finished her undergrad this past December and will be furthering her education in the medical field. Kelly is one of the most goofy and fun-loving people I've ever met. When I asked her to be a bridesmaid over lunch one day, it took her a good 4-5 hours to realize what I actually said to her. When she realized what I'd asked she left me a message screaming with enthusiasm and excitement. Best....reaction....EVER! She is literally the reason I'm able to blog about a wedding today and therefore I will always feel indebted to her. :-)

My girls saying "Yes!"

Recipe - Potato Leek Soup w/ Dill & Bacon

I love potato soup. Period. Almost every time I see it on a menu at a restaurant I have to order it. It's the perfect comfort food, especially for a blustery, winter night such as this. 

We've tried quite a few potato soup recipes from the slower cooker to the loaded baked potato to the "dairy & gluten" free recipes and I can honestly say, none of these recipes have come close to this one. I found the original recipe on Pinterest and added a few personal touches to it. The addition of dill is exceptional to say the least. And hello, how can you go wrong with bacon...lots and LOTS of bacon!!!

As I always say when giving someone one of "my" recipes, make sure you add flavors that you enjoy. Ron and I added a larger amount of sea salt and quite a bit of pepper than the original recipe called for. Start with simple seasonings at the beginning and then right before you serve the soup, add any additional spices you desire.

4 - 6 Servings (depending on your bowl size)

Ingredients:

• 7-8 slices of bacon (not turkey bacon - it doesn't have the same flavor or crispness) 
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
• Sea salt and ground pepper 
• 3/4 cup of white wine (Barefoot Chardonnay worked fabulously and it was cheap!)
• 1 (32 ounce) box of chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped (plus a little extra for garnish)
• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• Sour cream for dolloping

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease. Enjoy a piece or two and reserve the rest for garnish. J Keep at least 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. 

In a separate pan - preferably a large dutch oven - heat the butter and bacon fat. Add the yellow and sweet onions and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add leeks and potatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper. Stir in white wine and let it bubble and reduce. Pour a glass of wine for yourself to enjoy while completing the recipe. J

Add chicken broth while increasing the heat to high and bringing the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low/simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add a portion of the chopped dill.

Using an immersion blender (one of the BEST presents I've ever received), purée the soup until smooth. Stir in heavy cream. Check for seasoning before serving. I added a little more sea salt and quite a bit of pepper since Ron and I like a little kick.  Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with sour cream and garnish with the cooked bacon and remaining chopped dill.

And "Voila!" - tasty Potato Leek Soup. Enjoy with a loaf of crispy bread, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Adapted from Uni Homemaker

Baby it's cold outside!

It's only January 7th and I'm already enjoying my third "snow" day of the year. Life can be so rough sometimes. J During the month of December we were quite busy to say the least. Between work schedules, events, holiday parties, Christmas, New Year's and oh, our trip to Pakistan (I'll blog about that adventure later), we put wedding planning on hold. With the holidays over now and all this time off of work it's time to get back into the swing of things. And since it is WAY too cold to go anywhere today, I might as well stay inside (in my pajamas) and work on the wedding, right??

We are at a point in the planning process where we are finally seeing an overall theme. Fewer "big" decisions are being made and more ideas are being implemented. It's funny how tastes can changes and how you realize your "must have" ideas really aren't ideal for your wedding. You see, I've been dreaming about my wedding since the first time I saw Father of the Bride. I was about 6 years old. I fell in love with the lavished details, her white dress with the puffy sleeves and big bow, the idea of having a backyard wedding with twinkly lights everywhere, dancing to Steve Tyrell's (aka Frank Sinatra's) "The Way You Look Tonight" and of course, those big church doors opening and seeing my fabulously handsome fiance standing at the front waiting to say "I do". Those dreams have stuck with me until now, even though the little details of where, when and who I will be marrying have changed throughout the years. J I hopelessly daydreamed of my wedding and meeting my Prince Charming for years but nothing could have prepared me for the amazing man God would bring into my life at just the right moment and the beautiful wedding and future we would be planning together.

After Ron proposed the planning quickly began. For those of you familiar with this website called Pinterest - you would think planning would be a breeze now-a-days. Heck, with a couple hours and a few clicks later, your entire wedding could be planned. However, I found there to be so many ideas that it became overwhelming and I couldn't remember what I "really" wanted versus what the new trends were. So, I took a step back and looked at what aspects of the wedding were most important, what would we look back on and say "wow, I'm glad we did that", what traditions did we want to include and what moments would be most important to capture. 

The time of year, date and location were easy decisions. I absolutely LOVE the fall so October was a no-brainier. Our venue is a beautiful old farm house (with a spacious atrium and my twinkly lights) on an equestrian farm managed by the Forest Preserve. Ron happened to have been in one of his best friend's weddings at this venue a few years back and loved it. In fact, Ron happens to be on one of the scrolling photos on the venue's website - Danada House. As soon as we took a tour of the property we knew - this was the one. It had a warm, fall feel with an elegant touch. 

From there the planning took off with a fall theme, incorporating our favorite colors and personal touches. There will be an abundance of mason jars and candles, carved and painted pumpkins and bundles of baby's breath. (Side story - Growing up, my dad always bought my mom, sister and me pink carnations with lots of baby's breath.  Baby's breath is my mother's favorite "flower" and I wanted to incorporate it in some aspect of the wedding. J) 

Here's a quick glimpse of our wedding "theme" we put together. 

If you have any suggestions on decorating mason jars, painting burlap or fabulous fall decor, feel free to send them my way. I'm off to enjoy the beautiful weather we are having - aka I'm staying in my pajamas under a blanket with hot chocolate close by for the rest of the day. J

Stay warm out there!

Love,

Bethany

Happy New Year!

Welcome to my blog - aka, my 2014 New Year's Resolution. J

This coming year is kind of a big deal. Why, you might ask? I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!! Ok, so I'm a tad excited. Who wouldn't be? My fiancé, Ron, and I have thoroughly enjoyed our engagement and the planning process thus far and couldn't be more thrilled about all the upcoming festivities related to our wedding. If you didn't know this already, there are quite a few details, steps, emotional and crazy moments associated with planning a wedding. And well, we wanted to be able to document and share these moments. With the wedding this coming fall, our friends expecting babies, Ron and I moving into our own place, vacations and LOTS of wedding projects we thought - what better way to capture all these events, details and important milestones than to have a blog that we can look back on and be able to share with family and friends.

Along with this blog, I will be taking one photo each day for the rest of the year, capturing 2014 in all its craziness and excitement. (I apologize in advance for the ridiculous amount of photos I will take of food and our pets. I don’t really have an excuse for them other than the fact that I like to eat and our cats are pretty dang cute.)

Hopefully you all will enjoy the stories I have to share or at the very least, get some comical relief out of my crazy bridezilla antics, failed attempts at new recipes and clumsy moments. Feel free to leave comments (only constructive, upbeat ones that will make me happy J), advice or suggestions along with these posts.

I hope you have a happy and healthy 2014 and I look forward to sharing this next year with all of you.

Love,

Bethany