* The dreaded sick germs are floating around our house again. After being sinus-pain free for almost three months, it hit me again on Tuesday. Hoping the local ENT I found can help today! On top of that, Jolie is sick with her third ear infection + fever in three months and Belle has the nagging cough/cold that just won’t seem to go away. Apparently our vitamin taking, juice drinking, hand washing and sleep getting isn’t quite enough to keep the germs at bay. We’ll be taking Jolie to an ENT next and I’m thinking Belle has wicked allergies so lots of doc appointments in our future I suspect.

* Because of #1, I’m not totally up to par and on my blogging mojo. Which means all the things I want to write about is going to have to wait yet another week. Gah.

* Being faraway from some of very best friends during their birthdays. It sucks.

* Sometimes the fact that E (my best friend’s brother) is no longer with us hits me at really odd times. His Memorial was this past weekend and though I couldn’t be there I spent sometime on the phone with Kris (his sister/my bff) recalling memories and laughing, tearing up and just finding solace in talking with her.

Love:

* Getting a few more wedding items checked off the list: planning the day/event with the DJ, finalizing the hotel blcok for out of town guests, and booking our suite for our first night as a married couple. Next up: get the bridesmaids final decisions on dresses, order and then get the groom & groomsmen situated as well for their suites. And invites!

* A fiancé who brings home the cutest M&M candy thing when I’m feeling sick and under the weather.

* Receiving a movie I’ve been dying to see via Netflix (Midnight in Paris!).

* Working from home, especially when sick. It’s still not fun to stare at a computer screen or talk to clients when I don’t feel 100% but it’s easier when I’m in sweats and on the couch. (Side note: so tough to take a sick day when I can’t get away from my “office.” Feel guilty!)

* I think I’m really, finally in my workout groove. Knight and I are keeping each other accountable and marking the five days we are working out a week off on the calendar. We have the time blocked off, we have a plan and so far, so good. We are two weeks into this new regimen and it seems to be working well. That and I already feel more toned which helps as a motivator.

* There will be no Super Bowl party for us this year but I have a small list of appetizers I plan to make for us to enjoy while we watch the game (Knight for the football, me for the half-time show & commercials).

What’s on your Wine/Love list this week?

1. AshleyD 2. Lauren Ever After

3. Lauren @ Enchanting 4. You're next!

Reasons I’m reaching for a glass of wine:

* A post is in the works on this, but sometimes being a Bonus Mom is really hard. It comes with a lot of baggage. And sometimes that baggage really, really sucks and is difficult to deal with.

* I’m in a cooking funk. I used to meal plan and grocery shop around those meal plans but lately I’m just not feeling it. Which results in me being in a mad dash around dinner time trying to figure something out. Funny thing is I have control over this so I need to change it.

* There have been a few days this week that seem to drag on forever, even in spite of how busy I’ve been.

Reasons I’m loving life this week:

* We have a completely kid-fre, plan-free weekend starting tomorrow and I’m so incredibly excited about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the kidlets, but after the busy last few weeks we have had around these parts, I’m so glad we have some time to ourselves.

* Curling up on the couch and reading and getting lost in the book. It’s a book I’m reading as part of TLC Book Tours, so you can expect a full review in a few weeks.

* Awesome heart-to-heart chats with my mom. She’s pretty much the best.

* Last weekend we had a house full of guests: friends, dogs, kids and toddlers. It was a lot of fun. Tons of laughs. Food. Drink. Holding the toddler who is adorable. The girls running around playing hair salon. Late night gab fests with the girls and board games (girls vs. boys, of course). I’m glad for the quiet of the house now, but it was fun while everyone was here.

* Tomorrow is Friday. This makes me giddy.

* Fresh poppy seed bagels from a boutique bagel place here in town. So. Amazing.

Anything on your wine/love list this week?

1. Gina 2. AshleyD 3. Ris 4. Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields 5. B 6. Stephany @ Stephany Writes

7. Lauren Ever After 8. michelle 9. Suki 10. Liz 11. Lauren @ Enchanting 12. Butterfly@ Burrbrook

13. stealthypoo 14. Cait 15. 3gp hot 16. You're next!

* DJ! One of my dad’s bandmates (yup, my dad is in a band) is a professional DJ so this was kind of a no-brainer. I’m working with him on the idea of music bingo, which guests will have a chance to play during the hors d’ouevres and cocktails part of the reception since we’ll be running around taking photos for a little bit. I’m really excited to have him at our wedding and know he’ll do a great job. {photo credit}

* Photographer. Last time I did a wedding update I didn’t have one. Now we do! He’s an amazing photographer and really fits in well with the spirit of our day. His work is phenomenal and when I met with him it was kind of like we had been friends for years. I kind of love the fact that he’s married to an Italian woman so he knows how loud and crazy we can get at weddings, he loves craft beer so I know he’ll get along with Knight and I’m really excited to see how he will capture the day. Plus, he’s really excited for our idea that we have for our after party and is going to be tagging along for a bit to that as well. We will have him for about eight hours that day so I figured it’s kind of important that we all mesh well. We already have a schedule of when he’ll be where, who he is taking pictures of and when so that we can easily create itineraries for our family for the day of the wedding.

* Wedding Dress. As I mentioned earlier this year, I found my dress. I’m in love with it. Can’t wait to wear it. And, may even decide to wear it after the wedding, you know, around the house (ok, probably not but it’s just so pretty!).

* Bridesmaid Dresses. The color (persimmon), the styles (various, all in chiffon fabric), and designer (Bill Levkoff) have all been chosen. The girls have been emailed and they are marinating on which style they like (I decided to go with same color + fabric but want the girls to pick which style they like the most!) and I’ll be following up with them in mid-February so that they can call in their measurements and etc. so we can get them ordered by end of March.

* Desserts. This is an important one. We had some really awesome desserts at our engagement party from a local bakery that we fell in love with. So when it came time to discuss the dessert, this was a no-brainer. We are going with a dessert bar that will feature four kinds of desserts and two kinds of candy, and likely some decanters of milk, too! The focus of the dessert bar will be Glitter Bites, a total of 17 dozen I think, in our wedding colors, and will be tiered/pyramid on various trays. The other desserts we picked are: cheesecake lollies (decadent cheesecake covered in amazing dark chocolate); butter cookies (which will be covered in buttercream icing and then feature our monogram on them) and gooey butter mini cakes, as they are an STL Tradition. And don’t forget the two kinds of candy as well. For the cake cutting, we plan on just feeding one another a glitter bite rather than doing a formal cake cutting.  

* Ceremony. It’s early, I know, but we have started looking at readings, wording, vows and etc. so that we can start to craft our ceremony with Knight’s sister, who is our officiant. It’s kind of fun to be creating our own ceremony, even if it’s a tad daunting and challenging.

* Decor. This is ambitious of us, but we/I are doing the centerpieces ourselves. I’ve started collecting what I need and am excited for it to all come together the month before the wedding. Knight is also contributing a few things to the decor and I’m very excited to see how they turn out.  Think Tuscan Chic!

* Invites. I’ve started the conversation with Ashely of our Little Leaf Designs. If you recall she did our save the dates which everyone raved about so it’s kind of a no brainer to use her again. I’m so excited to see how they turn out. We have some fun ideas for the RSVP cards and she’s so great to work with, so I know it will be another positive experiencing resulting in some kick-ass invitations.

* Suits for the men. We found Knight’s suit and I’m so excited to see him in it! We decided on a dark brown (trust me, it looks ah-mazing on him) since our colors are ivory, dark brown, persimmon, and then for splashes of color we have picked a tropical blue and maroon (those will be in the origami bouquets that I, ahem, need to start making).  Our goal is to have the groosmen have the same color pants/jacket with an ivory/cream shirt and a tie that has the colors of our wedding in it; they will be free to pick their own tie as I think it’s more fun when they have some of their own style and flare with us at the wedding.

* Songs. Again, I know it’s early, but last time I was in STL I started poking around on the internet for non-traditional Father/Daughter songs and I found one that made both my mom and me tear up. That meant we had a winner. My dad listened to it and loved it too, so we have our song picked out. It’s by Paul Simon, which means something to us as well because when I was little we listened to a lot of Paul Simon on road trips and around the house. Knight and I have already picked out our first dance song as well, as well as the songs for walking down the aisle and recessing down the aisle. I’m pretty excited about all of them.

And honestly, we have done a lot more than this as well, but I’ll save that for another update, perhaps next week!

As we compile our list for the DJ in terms of songs (to play and not to play) and suggestions for things you love or loathe hearing at a wedding?

Apparently my brain is all too aware of this because in the last seven nights? I have had three wedding anxiety dreams. That seems like a lot to me, especially since we have everything largely under control as it pertains to the actual planning of the day.

Last night’s dream (or maybe it was this morning, I’m not sure which) involved me having my months wrong, as in, I thought it was April but it was really October and then next thing I knew people were coming to visit for the wedding, I didn’t have my dress, my hair wasn’t done, and horror of all horrors, I didn’t have the itineraries for my friends and family ready for what to expect/where to be and etc. the day of the wedding. On top of that, the wedding wasn’t where it was supposed to be, none of my good friends were there (it was all high school people) and I couldn’t find Knight to save my life. I really don’t like these wedding anxiety dreams, not one bit!

The other dreams have all centered around either my wedding dress: I can’t leave the store with it, no matter how many times I try (and wind up walking out naked) or suddenly my wedding dress is made of what seems like 200 pounds of fabric that I didn’t ask for or order and my train is knots of flowers. I know- I have bizarre dreams.

While I’m talking about wedding anxiety dreams, I’ll also go ahead and share a few of my confessions as it relates to wedding planning/my wedding:

* I am totally terrified that Knight will pull a Mr. Big and not show up to the wedding. I *know* this won’t happen but for some reason, that’s my biggest fear. I did tell Knight that the other night and he just laughed, pulled me into a big hug and said no matter what happens, he will be there. And I know this.

* I don’t totally understand the need for bachelor/bachelorette parties that last entire weekends. When I was younger and could party and stay up late, it made sense. But now that I’m not so young and can’t party as well and tend to fall asleep around 10:30 after a few glasses of wine, I can’t really fathom the bachelorette party weekend.

* Some days I love wedding planning. Other days I loathe it. Perhaps it’s because I have to do a lot of it from far away, or perhaps I’m just simply not really bride material, but some days I really, really, really want to elope.

* I don’t do well with attention focused on  me and this was a big reason why we are keeping the guest list as small as possible. If I had to walk down the aisle past 200+ people who were all looking at me? I don’t think I could do it. I would pull a Julia Roberts/Runaway Bride, not because I don’t love and want to be with Knight, but because that kind of attention makes me so uncomfortable. This is also the reason I’m nervous for the bridal showers.

* I really want everyone to have a good time at our wedding. Not just say they had a good time, but really truly have a good time. Because of this we are working on adding some fun things to the reception (music bingo, anyone?) and are planning an after party as well for those who came far and wide to celebrate with us.

* Considering I have the dress, the man, the bridal party, and our parents, the food, drink and dessert already figured out, I’m ready to do the whole wedding thing tomorrow!

So, there you have my current wedding anxiety dreams and confessions! Tomorrow I’ll be back with an actual planning update (promise!)

Tell me, do you have anxiety dreams? Any fixes/cures to make them go away? Any confessions related to weddings you’d like to share?

Wine:

*  Rude people. At work. Outside of work. Being rude is really unnecessary!

* Running in so many different directions sometimes that I end up letting people, including myself down. That should be part of the whole “saying no” and destressing thing I’m working on this year but it’s a slow process. I’m working on it!

Love:

* Fancy dinners! Tuesday night Knight returned from his work trip and since we had been going in different directions for the last 10 days or so, I cooked us up a yummy dinner, set the table with candles and placemats and wine and made sure the tv was off (we often wind up eating our dinner in front of the tv, at our coffee table. For shame, I know). It was so fun to reconnect over good food and good wine.

* Work has been insanely busy; this is both a wine and a love this week really, but the upside is that I feel good about what I’m contributing to work lately. Some weeks I love my job, some weeks it’s “meh,” but lately it’s more on the love side of things.

* Tasting desserts last Saturday for our dessert bar at our wedding. So scumptious. I’m so excited to share more about it all tomorrow!

* Treating myself to a mini Friday Night Lights marathon on Monday night under my snuggie with Jack curled up at my feet.

* Emails from my friend who is in England; love hearing about her travels and planned escapades. She’s there for work but is trying to see 10 different countries while there. Now if only I could get there to see her.

* A clean house. This could be, hands-down one of my favorite things ever.

What’s on your Wine & Love list this week?

1. Smidge 2. AshleyD 3. Ris

4. Lauren @ Enchanting 5. Liz 6. Sara

7. You're next!

* The past week and a half have flown by, mostly due to a work trip and travel, wedding planning, work and then more travel. I have the intention of blogging more regularly (that counts, right) but when I sit down at my computer, I stare at the empty screen. The funny thing is I have tons to say and share, but alas it just isn’t coming out right. I have a schedule-free weekend coming up soon so I hope to remedy it then.

* This weekend we are hosting some friends of ours, all in our tiny house. A total of six adults, two kids, one toddler, and two, maybe three dogs. It’s going to be a zoo. I’m excited to see everyone, but being a parent to two very active young kids while trying to entertain? That’s not a balance I’ve totally figured out yet. Should be interesting to see how it goes.

* Wedding planning went really well last week; I promise an update soon (Friday, most likely) to share the details and pictures and etc. I will say this: sometimes wedding planning is not nearly as fun as I thought it would be. So much so that the idea of eloping is *still* appealing even though we have most of the “big” stuff settled.

* Knight was on a work trip while I was away, so when I came back home, I had a few nights to myself. This meant cereal for dinner, watching movies like “One Day” and “Blue Valentine,” (I recommend tissues on hand for both) and enjoying the fact that I only had to make my side of the bed in the morning. I missed him like crazy, don’t get me wrong, but it was kind of fun to have the house to myself, kid and guy free! I took advantage of the free time to dye  my hair (it’s natural color), experiment with nail polish colors, and get some journaling and date planner stuff done. Not that I can’t do those things when there are people around, it’s just harder when we have kid schedules to abide too and I want to give into sleep early.

* Winter is here! We had snow while I was away and all day yesterday we had snow off and on too. It’s rather pretty to look at, until I go outside and it’s downright cold, and getting colder for this weekend. At least I got a good workout in shoveling half of our huge driveway.

On a more serious note…

* Monday morning my phone rang at 6am. No one ever calls me at 6am so as soon as I heard it ring, I knew. My best friend’s brother passed away that morning. I am not going to make it seem like I was incredibly close to him, however, her family is like my family. I walked around in a bit of a haze and fog on Monday, unable to really process what happened.  He was only 33. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain my like-second family  must be going through right now. I know he’s in a better place, free of pain, with his relatives who have gone before him, but it’s still…surreal. Like it didn’t really happen. The last time I saw him was about a year ago, he was his usual smiling and friendly self, gave me a big bear hug as per usual. Odd to think I won’t ever see him again.

Any tidbits in your life you wish to share?

Weekly Wines:

1. Suki

2. Liz

3. You're next!

Turns out he picked a great recipe. After posting a photo to instragram of my finished product I had requests for the recipe. I realize I’m late on this but better late than never I suppose.

One thing to note: These are incredibly sweet desserts so make sure you have a glass of milk handy. Or share it with a friend or loved one. Or save the rest of it for later.

Photo Courtesy of Food Network.com; I promise they do look like this when you make them, though!

Ingredients
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey’s or Scharffen Berger
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons fine salt
18 large marshmallows, (not minis)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.

Put the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until moistened. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish folding the batter together; take care not to over-mix.

Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan. Repeat to make 36 cookies, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 6 minutes.

Cool the cookies slightly. Transfer half of the cookies to a rack. Turn the remaining cookies on the pan over, so they lay flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each flipped cookie and return pan to the oven. Cook just until the marshmallow begins to soften and puff, about 3 minutes. Cool marshmallow topped cookies slightly, about 2 minutes. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing lightly to make sandwiches. Cool whoopee pies completely on wire racks. Serve.

Store in tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

 What’s your all-time favorite cookie or dessert? Any favorite websites you go to for recipes?

Interviewing for the family business was incredibly nervewracking for me; perhaps because I felt there was more on the line and I didn’t want anyone to think I was just the “daughter of the boss.” (True story: My nickname for two years, without me knowing it was the Boss’ Daughter.) I came prepared and despite having to walk past a few of the younger account executives who didn’t know who I was and one of them asking me out on a date (you should have seen his face when he was in the interview room), everything went great! I brought enough copies of the proposal for my new role at the company, explained the need for the position, why I was a good fit, what the company could expect from me and why it would help them, and then fielded questions and answers. In some ways it felt like more of a pitch than interview however, the questions flowed after I was done with the proposal portion. How would I handle XYZ? What benefit would the company get from X? How did I plan to implement the new processes I explained?  The questions went on for about half an hour but we finally came to a close. And then a few days later, I was awarded a new job, a new title and a pay raise.

Here are some of my suggested tips for interviewing:

* Be Prepared. Rehearse what you are going to say. Review common interview questions (Google is a great help!). Ask a friend or family member to practice with you. If you are bringing a proposal with you, make sure you know it backwards and forwards; also, don’t forget to proofread for spelling and grammar mistakes.

* Turn to an expert and by expert I mean someone who is an interviwer at their job. Ask them for “insider” tips and tricks as to what to expect; they can help you with off-the-cuff questions you may get during an interview. Ask them what the top five things are that you should and shouldn’t do during an interview.

* Know the basiscs. As someone who has interviewed people for my company it is evident that some people skip some of the basics that take place outside/in the interview: Be polite to the receptionist; they are often more important than you think they are! Dress professionally: iron everything, make sure you have no runs in your panythose, and look put together. If you aren’t sure what the appropriate attire is for the interview, it’s ok to ask. Leave and arrive early: you never know when there will be traffic, an accident, or a hard to find building so give yourself plenty of time to get there. Bring your resume/proposal: It’s always a good idea to have a few fresh copies of your resume and/or your proposal. Don’t forget a pen (that works) and a notepad so that you can jot down answers to questions you may have. Do your research: learn more about the company, your position and what’s expected of you before you walk in the door when possible.

* Speak slowly. It’s common for nervousness to make us speak faster but as my mother always said, speak low and slow. This way everyone can hear what you have to say.

* Be Thankful. After the meeting, be sure to thank everyone for their time, shake their hands, leave a copy of your resume and if you are still interested in the job, let them know you look forward to hearing from them. Once you leave the office/interview, plan to send a thank you note (hand written goes a long way, but email is acceptable as well, especially if that is how the company contacted you) to thank the interviewer for their time.

If you are on the hunt for a job (or if you have one), be sure to do professional networking! Monster.com has created a new website called BeKnown that allows for Facebook users to create a separate, professional profile inside of Facebook.

What is BeKnown?
Monster.com recently launched BeKnown, a professional networking app for Facebook. BeKnown allows you to set up a professional profile directly on Facebook that is completely separate from your personal Facebook page. One of the apps newest features, College Pages, even provides a way for alumni to network professionally on Facebook and view job postings from their fellow graduates!

With BeKnown College Pages:
* Any jobs posted by alumni on BeKnown are added to the College/University profile page and Alumni with job opportunities can post jobs to students and recent alums for free
* Students can follow their school and build relationships/connections with alumni working at top companies & discover alumni  jobs

In addition to College Pages, BeKnown also lets you conduct a job search of Monster’s database of jobs without ever leaving BeKnown or Facebook. By tapping into the networks of their Facebook friends, young professionals can easily connect, send messages, and see who among their existing contacts is connected to a company or job opportunity they are interested in.  You can check out their iPhone App here as well!

“As soon-to-be college graduates start to think about their entry into the workforce, their first step should be building out their professional networks using the invaluable connections they have right in front of them,” said Tom Chevalier, Global Product Manager for Monster Worldwide. “Alumni networks are a key source for career opportunities for college graduates, so we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to connect and engage right from BeKnown.”

Do you have any good/bad interview stories or tips and tricks for readers out there who may be looking for a job? Please share!

Disclosure:
I am a participant in Monster.com’s “Present The Best You” Online contest and am entering into a contest for a chance to win prizes with this blog. I was provided with a participant gift that included a makeup kit and professional business card holder.

Wines:

* So remember how I said I am working on de-stressing my life and saying no when need be? The universe is testing me. And I’m not doing so well at it. Or, more correctly, I have said no (nicely) but people aren’t hearing it and it’s a little frustrating!

* Exhausted brain. It’s adjusting to work life again. I’m a little bit out of it this week as I get back into it.

* The next six to eight weeks? Are crazy. I have a work trip back to the Lou (with ever changing dates which doesn’t help) next week; Knight heads out for a week on a work trip as well. When we get back we are right into time with the kidlets, hosting friends (with kids) for a weekend, then another work trip for Knight and likely one for me in early February as well. Just thinking about it makes my head spin. So I won’t.

* Putting away Christmas decorations. I always leave my tree up until the epiphany but I’ve started taking other things down (Christmas cards, stockings, centerpieces) and the house looks so bare. I know it’s necessary otherwise Christmas wouldn’t be as special, but we are entering the dreadful part of winter where there is nothing awesome in terms of holidays or weather to look forward too.

Loves:

* Since I’ll be in the Lou for work, I get to knock some wedding stuff off the list: bridesmaid dress shopping, talking to hotels about blocks of rooms, trying various desserts for the dessert bar/cakes we want to have and starting to explore my floral arrangements (which will be non-traditional).

* Marathons of How I Met Your Mother. On Monday Knight and I declared it a complete day of rest since during most of our/my vacation it wasn’t quite as relaxing as we had hoped. We got Netflix going and watched way too much How I Met Your Mother on Monday. Even though I had seen many of the episodes we watched (Knight had not) I laughed my butt off.

* Fiestaware. Mandy was a doll and picked up some plates, bowls and a butter dish for me while she was home last week. It arrived yesterday and I’m so in love with it all. A lovely addition to our kitchen for sure.

* Coloring. The girls (Belle and Jolie) are really into being crafty lately which means that I often find myself with a box of crayons and coloring books and paper in front of me. I’m not the best drawer ever, but I love to color and doodle. It’s a lovely stress relief and the kids get a kick out of it when I sit at the little table and color with them.

* A touch of normalcy. As much as I love my vacation time, I’m a planner and I do kind of thrive on routine and normalcy. So it’s been good this week to get back to it: work. exercise. cooking.cleaning. And on top of it? The TV shows I love are back. Parenthood. Happy Endings. Storage Wars.

What are your wines and loves for this week?

1. Ris 2. Allison @ Lemonade Life 3. Suki

4. Lynsey @MoscatoMom 5. Kelly 6. Erin from Hey, Soul Sister!

7. You're next!