Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Happy Hostess Recap







Our first day of Summer BBQ was so much fun. We ate lots of good food and got to catch up with everyone, and then at 9:30 we decided to go go-carting! We got home and ended the night with a few games outside on the deck. It was the perfect Summer evening. Here are a few pictures of the food and the fun :)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

And now....OUR Wedding!















Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our wedding day. HUGE thank you to all of our parents for making the day so special for us, it truly was incredible and in mine and Matt's opinion, just perfect. It also goes without saying that we had phenomenal photographers- Dove Wedding Photography...unbelievably talented and wonderful people!

Weddings!

As you all know, Matt and I are coming up on our first wedding anniversary in August. I can't believe it's almost been a year already, I feel like every year goes by a little bit faster than the last. I absolutely LOVED planning our wedding and the best part is I still get to look at all of the fun wedding stuff online because now Kristin is planning hers! Matt and I always joke that we'd love to go back and do it again because it was by far the best and most fun day of our lives. Since we can't, I will live vicariously through Kristin instead :) That being said, I thought I'd share some gorgeous wedding pictures and ideas I've come across online. These come from a few sites that I frequently visit: www.thepreppywedding.blogspot.com and a blog called "Style Me Pretty" http://abbyjean.typepad.com/style_me_pretty/.


I LOVE the colors used in this wedding--if you didn't notice they seem to be resembling the colors of a college I know and love ;)
This wedding took place is Islamorada, Florida which is down in the Keys- one of my favorite places to visit.




My favorite thing in this picture is the table centerpiece of all flowers down the middle- just gorgeous!

Monday, June 16, 2008

First Day of Summer BBQ!

Matt and I planned out our meny for the inagural First Day of Summer BBQ we are having on Saturday so I thought I'd share. I wish you could all join us! I will definitely post pictures afterwards.

Appetizers: Chips and salsa, deviled eggs (Comfort Table recipe), cream cheese roll ups

Main Course: Grilled sausages with sweet and spicy slaw (Southern Living recipe), BBQ chicken, red potato salad (Paula Deen recipe), Spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, and poppy seed dressing

Dessert: Tres leche cake

Yuuummmm!!!! Wish me luck, this is the most homemade food I will have made for a get together EVER, but I'm really excited to have everyone over. Plus, I'm going to make as much as I can on Friday so Saturday is nice and relaxing :)

Friday, June 13, 2008

A Fun, FREE, Weekend Event

I love finding new things that are fun to do and inexpensive at the same time, and you just can't beat this for a fun weekend event...Pottery Barn Decorating Classes!
Anyone who came to our wedding (or saw our registry) knows I am an avid fan of Pottery Barn and I use their catalogs as a constant source of inspiration when decorating the house.

A few months ago I discovered that they offer free, one hour decorating classes, each one centered around a different topic. I've only missed one since. They offer excellent, practical advice, and it's such a fun thing to do with your girlfriends.
I'm particularly excited about this next session as I love to entertain and look forward to using our great back deck to do so. If you live near a Pottery Barn check them out, you won't be dissapointed.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Upcoming Events in the Life of the Mardens :)

Matt and I are back in Fayetteville after spending the weekend at the beach with my mom and some of our dearest old friends. It was a great weekend and we were very sad to come home. What is even sadder is that I didn't take a single picture!! I always carry my camera everywhere we go so that I don't miss a good photo opportunity, but I just totally dropped the ball on this one. In lieu of my negligence, I will try to retrieve some from the others who were there and post them on here.

This spring is proving to be a bit busier than we expected. After not doing much on our house the last few months we are about to ramp back up with a few small projects: trim painting, general yard clean up, a few new light fixtures, etc. We would like to have our countertops and backsplash done by end of summer, but we'll see how that goes.

In addition, we have 4 weddings, 2 out of town bachelorette/bachelor parties, and then it will be football season again!

Next Saturday we are having a "First Day of Summer" evening BBQ at our house which I'm very excited about. I'm going to try and pot some plants this weekend to liven up our back deck atmosphere. To most people this probably sounds like an easy task, but to say that I don't have a green thumb would be a gross understatement...keeping these plants alive is going to take a lot of prayer I'm afraid...

Hope you are all having a great spring so far and have taken some time to enjoy the beautiful weather before it gets too hot outside. I promise to post some pictures soon.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Ladies beware!



Two of our dear friends, BW and Shannon Byers-White, introduced us to this recipe a few years ago while camping. It is Paula Deen's recipe for homemade pimento cheese. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I love my cheese, but I think we all know it's not the healthiest item on the menu. I make this recipe but I use lower-fat cheeses and lite mayo as well as a little bit of garlic powder. This makes a large batch, but you can freeze it for up to 6 months! Enjoy!

Bobby's Pimento Cheese

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 cup grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
2 to 3 tablespoons pimentos, smashed
1 teaspoon grated onion
Cracked black pepper

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add all of the remaining ingredients and beat until well blended. It can be used as a dip for crudite or as a sandwich filling.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
© Living the Good Life. Powered by