The Fab Life

{Things I Love}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:00:00 +0000

After breaking the bank this past Christmas, I told myself I was going to ban myself from shopping as much as possible. Well, that was a fail...as I should have expected. I can't survive without spending money. It's just not me. haha. :) Here are a few things I've purchased recently:

Ray Ban Aviators - well, these were technically a Christmas gift...but I picked them out. I LOVE them. I've gone through about 4 pairs of cheap aviator sunglasses, so I wanted a nice pair that will hopefully LAST. I'm still afraid that they'll break by just holding them the wrong way because they seem fragile!

Clarisonic Mia - I've heard a lot of good things about the this, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to commit to the price of it! In fact, I went to the dermatologist first for a consultation about breakouts, and she immediately pushed prescriptions in my face without even really asking about my skincare routine. I wasn't too crazy about that, but I tried the medicine regimen out for nearly a week before deciding that I didn't want to put strong antibiotics in my body every day for months at a time. So I ditched the drugs and decided to purchase the Mia. I just started using it this week, but my skin is already noticeably smoother and brighter. The verdict is still out on if it will help get rid of breakouts!

Murad Live Clear Face Cleansing System - I've been using this for a few months, and it does help with breakouts...better than any other products I've tried. I still haven't been able to get RID of breakouts, though, so I'm using the Clarisonic Mia in conjunction with this cleansing system. We'll see if it works!

Moroccanoil - I also heard so many good things about this hair treatment that I decided to give it a shot. My hair tends to be dry or frizzy at times, probably because I continually damage it with flat irons and hair dryers! I really like it, and I think it's helping my hair become healthier and more shiny. It hasn't been a drastic change, but it does help, nonetheless!

Adrienne Vittadini Penn Ankle Boots - I have been wanting a pair of oxford ankle boots for a while now, and I kept searching in stores and online and couldn't find what I wanted. I finally came across these Adrienne Vittadini boots on endless.com and I snatched them up because they were sold out everywhere else! I LOVE them. They're cute, comfortable, and very versatile. I've been wearing them with jeans, tights, dresses, etc. Good investment. At least, that's what I tell myself. :)

So, now that you know I epically failed at my "no-shopping" resolution, what have you purchased lately that you love???

{Wedding Updates}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 05:09:00 +0000

The month of February seems to have flown by...I can't believe March 1st is next week! I've had a crazy, busy month but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Here's what I've been up to:

The weekend after our Engagement Party, we had an appointment at Men's Wearhouse...which was a disaster, to say the least. The employees were so unprofessional and were completely unorganized. Did I mention that we actually had an appointment? You think they would have been prepared.....but no. The salesman who "helped" us didn't really try to show us what they offered as far as tuxes, and only showed us 3 different suits, from which he expected us to choose one. He then pointed us to their very limited samples of vests/ties, and then told us to meet him at the register once we picked. Umm, no thank you. We proceeded to walk out, and decided that we were going to be heading back to Maya Couture for our tuxes too. As it turns out, we'll be getting all of our wedding party's attire from Maya...and I'm really pleased with how that turned out! We went to Maya this past Thursday and picked out all of the tuxes, from Michael's to our groomsmen & ring bearer to our father's tuxes. I love all of them and I'm so glad we ended up ditching Men's Wearhouse in favor of Maya!

On Valentine's Day, Michael and I went to a nice restaurant that we've been wanting to try for a while. We usually never go out ON Valentine's Day because of how crowded it is, but we made reservations well in advance, so it was actually a pleasant evening. We had a very nice dinner along with a bottle of Riesling...and dessert too. I definitely ate too much...so I did what any normal person would do....I went for a run when I got home that night. I know, I'm such a romantic person, right? ;)

It was a late night for me, because I was also packing for a quick trip to Orlando for work. I had a 7am flight on the 15th, so I got very little sleep that night. Which is fine because I wanted to sleep on the plane...only I didn't really fall asleep. I'm such a nervous flier, so if I can fall asleep, I do. However, my flight to ATL was only an hour and then the flight from ATL to Orlando was only an hour, so sleeping wasn't really an option! I arrived in Orlando to 85 degree, sunny weather - perfect, since I left behind cold, cloudy weather in VA. Even though it was a short trip, I had a great time and it was a nice change of scenery! I headed back home on the 16th, and had a bit of a stressful return flight. Both landings, ATL and home in Norfolk, were bad...like uneven, right-leaning landings. It was incredibly foggy in Norfolk, so you couldn't even see the runway lights until we were like ~100 feet from the ground. Seriously. And when we did see the ground, we were definitely coming in at a strange angle. I'll just say that I was so relieved to be on the ground and safe.

Unfortunately, when I woke up the next morning after my trip, I had picked up a virus...and ended up sick all weekend. While I hate being sick, I think it was actually good for me to take an entire weekend to just relax and catch up on sleep! Luckily, I was fine once Monday came around. This past week has been nice...and exciting. I took my engagement ring to get resized, because it was much too big and it needed to be done before it fell off my finger! I couldn't stand the thought of my left hand having a bare ring finger, so I went to Nordstrom and bought a cubic zirconium ring to wear in the meantime. From a distance, it almost looks like the real thing. ;)

The "fake" ring!

I also made an exciting purchase this past week - I happened to go on Rue La La at the right time, during a sample sale....and I found the perfect wedding veil! I had no idea they even had any veils for sale, but I was just checking out the sale, and there it was! I tried on a gorgeous veil at my bridal salon, but the cost was outrageous (nearly 2/3 of the cost of my dress!), so I wanted to keep looking. I hadn't really had any luck finding the type of veil I wanted - lace, cathedral length - for a good price. So when I saw this veil on Rue La La, I knew I had to purchase it. It has small scalloped lace, it's cathedral length, and it's ivory...all things that I was looking for in a veil. It's supposed to arrive in the mail this week, and I can't wait to see it! I can't believe that I've already purchased my dress, shoes, and now my veil...and bridesmaid dresses, and the groomsmens tuxes. Making progress! :)

THE veil!

Engagement Party{♥}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Right after we got engaged, M and I decided that we'd love to have an Engagement Party to celebrate with our family & close friends. We're both very close to our families, and we tend to have plenty of family gatherings throughout the year...so naturally, having a party to celebrate our engagement was fitting. My parents graciously accepted the hosting duties, and we set the date for February 4th. We had a little over a month to send out invitations and plan our menu for the evening, which thankfully was enough time. Any time sooner and we would have been in trouble. Working full-time and having things to do every weekend cuts into party planning time. ;)

Obviously NOT our real invite, but a sample from weddingpaperdivas.com :)

First of all, I have to mention our invitations. We ordered our adorable invites from Wedding Paper Divas, and the quality and turn-around time was fantastic. Once we received the invites, I went back on the site to look at Save-The-Dates and wedding invitations and found so many that I liked! I ended up ordering samples (you can get 5 free samples here!) to see what they looked like in person. I LOVED them, and the prices are really inexpensive for wedding invitation standards.

Anyways, on to the party. Er, party planning. By now, you should know I have an obsession with Pinterest...and it always becomes useful when I'm planning a party. I searched through my pins and came away with a few good ideas. We threw around several ideas, from having a themed party {a British-themed party, that is} to having a party with different foods from all the countries we visited this past summer, to just having hors d'oeuvres. While the British party was especially intriguing (hello, Royal Wedding), we ended up deciding that there weren't many British food options that would be widely appealing to our guests. Fish & Chips...maybe. Kidney Pie...not so much. So, after much thought hors d'oeuvres it was. That didn't mean it was boring. :) This ended up being our menu:

Bacon & Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Shrimp Cocktail
Meatballs
Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Ham & Cheese Sliders
Bruschetta
Cheese & Crackers {to go with all the wine, of course :)}
...and of course, cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert!

Despite all of the yummy food, I didn't even have a chance to eat at the party. My mom told me to eat beforehand because she figured that would happen, but of course I didn't listen. Typical. Instead I kept (or rather, M kept) my wine glass full the entire evening.

We had a fabulous night seeing all of our family & friends. I felt like I missed out on talking to so many people, because we had a packed house. I guess this is just foreshadowing what's to come at our wedding! It was SO nice to be reminded of all the great people in our lives that are excited to share this special time in our lives with us. :) I guess you can say that the Engagement Party was the "kick-off" for the next 8 months of wedding festivities! And I'm going to love every minute of it. :)

{THE Dress}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:19:00 +0000

Y'all - I said YES to the dress! Hehe...I just had to say that ;) So, a few weeks ago (at the bridal expo), I made two appointments at bridal salons in the area. One was January 28th, and one was January 29th. I was honestly pretty anxious about dress shopping...I had an idea in my mind about what styles I liked, but I was so afraid that I would hate them when I tried them on and wouldn't know where to begin finding the "perfect" dress. There goes my anxiety again, I guess. :)

Last Saturday was my first appointment, and I had no expectations of making a decision that day. I just wanted to see how things went - after all, it was my first time ever trying on wedding dresses...well, except for that time I modeled in a bridal show (crazy that I almost forgot this...high school seems so long ago!). On Saturday, my mom accompanied me to Maya Couture, where I immediately felt so comfortable and welcomed by all of the bridal consultants and Maya herself! Did I mention that Maya once worked for Vera Wang, and her experience inspired her to come back home and have her own bridal salon? She clearly learned from the best! You can read more about her and Maya Couture here.

I showed my consultant (hi Patsy!) photos of dresses I liked so that she'd know what I was looking for...and she did a fabulous job of finding the perfect dresses for me to try on! Some of her picks were the actual dresses that were in the pictures I showed her, and the rest were so similar. I also picked out a few that caught my eye on the rack...including a dress that weighed about fifty pounds (in case you're wondering, that one was a huge NO...a girl's gotta be able to dance at her own wedding!). The very first dress I tried on - I loved. However, I thought "Oh, its just because it's the first wedding dress I've tried on." So, I moved on to the others...I will say that about 80% of the dresses I tried on were lace. I tried one or two that were not, and they just weren't ME, if you know what I mean. I had my heart set on lace, so lace it was. After trying on (and LIKING) every dress that I had in my fitting room, it was time to narrow down my choices. There were a few that I immediately did away with (including the 50 pound dress - thank goodness), and I had decreased it to about 3 dresses, so I tried all 3 on again. Surprisingly (or not), I found myself falling for the very first dress that I tried on. There was just something about that one...the way it fit so perfectly and highlighted my waist, the style, the gorgeous lace, the color (Ivory...I did NOT want a white dress!), and how I just felt so naturally comfortable in it. Also, the cathedral-length lace veil that I tried on with it made me even more certain that this was THE ONE. Patsy asked me if this meant I was going to "Say Yes To The Dress"...and I said absolutely! There was no doubt in my mind that this was the one...and I think that's how it should be! I am usually the most indecisive person, ever, so for me to make a decision that quickly, I knew that it was right. Never did I expect to order my wedding dress on the first day I went to try on dresses...but I'm so glad that I went to Maya Couture and I'm SO pleased with the service that they provided! My dress is by Casablanca...but I obviously can't post pictures of it because someone reads my blog. ;)

I had such a great experience at Maya Couture that I booked an appointment for my bridesmaids for the very next day.You see, I had invited my bridesmaids to go dress shopping with me one of the two days, and they all made plans to meet up with me on Sunday. So when I purchased my dress on Saturday...well, I didn't want to mess up plans, since they had already planned to drive down for the day! That's when I decided to make an appointment with Maya for my bridesmaids to try on dresses. With the quality of service I had received, I knew that my bridesmaids would get the best attention as well. I have to add that Miss Patsy sent me a sweet note today, letting me know that it was her pleasure to work with me and she looks forward to working with me at future visits for my dress fittings and bridesmaid dresses. For some reason, I don't think all bridal salons take the time or effort to connect to the brides on such a personal level. I feel so grateful that I've been able to work with Patsy and Maya!

It's supposed to be more of a navy color - but this is the dress!

On Sunday, we all met at a large bridal chain (whose name I shall not say...you can guess.) that I consider to be the Walmart of bridal shops. After spending 5 minutes inside the store, I knew that it was not going to work out. We managed to pick out a few dresses for my girls to try on, but the quality of the dresses was just poor and many were ill-fitting. We stayed there for a whole 30 minutes before taking a lunch break and then heading to our appointment at Maya Couture. Patsy was our consultant again, which was so nice, since she knew what my wedding inspiration/background was and was able to help us find the perfect dresses to try on. I knew that I wanted long dresses, because our ceremony is taking place in a rather fancy church in late afternoon. Since my colors are navy and green, I wanted the dresses to be navy. There's no way I could put my girls in a hideous green dress (not that all green dresses are hideous...but I just wanted to go for more of a fancy/classic look). One of my lovely bridesmaids requested that I try on my wedding dress again for all the girls to see, and to see how the bridesmaids dresses looked next to my dress. I got to get all dressed up again with my veil, two days in a row...I can't complain. :) We had a great time trying on dresses, drinking wine that Maya so generously offers to her clients, and talking about wedding plans. We even found the perfect dresses (made by Belsoie by Jasmine Bridal)! All of my bridesmaids, including my MOH, will be wearing the same dress. It's a one-shoulder Navy chiffon, flowy evening gown. Its gorgeous, and it will look good on all of my girls! I think we all really loved this one, so I'm really excited :)

I can't believe we accomplished all of this in ONE weekend...the very first weekend we went shopping. But I can't complain, and it just leaves more time to work on other wedding plans!

{Ceremony Venue}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Wedding plans have come together so quickly, it seems like. When we first started planning, I was completely overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin, but now, most of the "big" decisions are made! As I mentioned before, we wanted to pick our reception venue first, and then find a ceremony location nearby. Since our wedding reception is taking place in Norfolk, neither of our home churches were a good fit...both are much too far from the Harrison Opera House, which is the reception venue we picked. We set out on a mission to find the perfect church in Norfolk...and we found it by accident. Right after we got engaged, we went to Norfolk to look at a few possible reception venues (this was also the day we decided the opera house was a perfect fit!). On our way out of Norfolk that day, we happened to drive past the most breathtaking church I've seen in this area. It reminded me of a European cathedral...so so gorgeous. We went home and did our research, and inquired about renting the church for our ceremony. Subsequently, I found out that my boss is a member of this church...and she encouraged us to check it out. We made an appointment with the Reverend, and as of this weekend, our wedding date is reserved there! I could not be more thrilled...the church is like a miniature Christchurch Cathedral or a (very) mini Westminster Abbey. Breathtaking. Here are a few pictures that I found of the church:


Andi Grant Photography (andigrantphotography.com)

Travis Rowan Photography (travisphoto.com)

I think we picked the perfect location for our ceremony. Not only is the church stunning, but the clergy and staff are so welcoming. Now that we have our ceremony location and reception location booked, we can begin to focus on the smaller parts of wedding planning. We've actually made a few other exciting planning decisions...but I'll wait and share those next time! ;)

{Engagement Party Attire}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000

I've been searching sites like Rue La La and Hautelook like crazy over the past few weeks, in hopes of finding the 'perfect' engagement party dress...but I've had no luck whatsoever! I have a perfectly clear vision of the type of dress I'd like, but I just can't seem to find one that is {A} reasonably priced and {B} long enough (I'd prefer to keep this a classy affair, so no mini dresses!). I found these examples on Polyvore...ah, it's been a while since I've been on that site. I love it. Unfortunately, most of these dresses are a BIT too pricey to justify buying one for a simple little party, when we obviously have much bigger and more exciting things to dress up for. :) Have you seen any cute lace (3/4 or long-sleeved) dresses anywhere lately? If so, please share! :)

Lace Dresses by worrellb featuring a navy blue cocktail dress

Crumpet long sleeve evening dress, $520
Oasis lace dress, $60
Lace dress, £84
Vintage black dress, $61
Navy blue cocktail dress, 2.962 DKK
Pied a Terre knee length dress, £169
John Zack party dress
Retro dress, $92

Our Venue!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:46:00 +0000

....and we decided to go with:

The Harrison Opera House!

While initially we had considered a tent reception, we had so many reservations over the tent idea, and the opera house is a fantastic venue. The interior is gorgeous, and the reception will be held on the second floor in the Grand Lobby. I love the winding staircases up to the lobby and the balcony that overlooks the main entrance below. The gorgeous tall windows are such a good backdrop for the reception, and we really don't have to go overboard with our decorations, since the venue is so pretty on it's own. It has a touch of modern elegance mixed with a bit of traditional design. Now that we have a venue...and yes, we had to move up our date by a week, but it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things(!)...there's a lot less stress! I'm so excited to be able to focus on how we want to decorate for the reception, now that we HAVE our reception venue :)

Inside of the Grand Lobby

We have to get a photo like this!

Since my fiance works at the opera house, we have access to furnishings that are available there for free. It looks like we'll have plenty of tables...but the chairs that they have are a bit ratty, to be honest, so we'll need to rent them. I would love love love to have Chiavari chairs, but I just can't justify the cost per chair since we are trying to plan our wedding on a small budget. If anyone knows where to find cheap Chiavari chairs...pass that info along please! :)

Because of the elegance of our venue, our decorations don't have to be too elaborate. I do want floral arrangements on each table, preferably with oversized vases, like these:

I also really love modern, simplistic floral arrangements. The more planning I do, the more I think our wedding design will end up being more modern than traditional.....

I also really wanted cocktail tables, because I love the idea. I've been to a few weddings where they had cocktail tables surrounding the dance floor, and I knew that I wanted to incorporate them as well. Luckily, the opera house has enough of them, so we won't even need to rent any!

Now that we have that sorted out, we still have to find a ceremony venue. We have been talking to two churches nearby our reception venue, and we plan to meet with them this week or next. The biggest priority for both of us was the reception venue...we wanted to have that settled before we decided on a church, so that they'll be nearby each other. I already feel so much less stressed knowing we have our reception venue sorted out! We went to a wedding expo this past Sunday, and let me say, it felt SO good knowing we had some of our "big" decisions already out of the way while we were wandering through the crowded event! I booked appointments with two bridal salons in the area on January 28 & 29...so it looks like I'm going to be busy in a few weekends! We've also made some progress on other parts of planning, but I'll save those for the next post :)

2011 - Full of Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:10:00 +0000

I know it's already January 6th, but I just realized that the past year completely deserves a recap! There were big changes, lots of traveling, and even a new ring on my left ring finger before the year ended ;)

January

Went back to law school for my second semester...full of uncertainty about whether I enjoyed it.
Started thinking about spending a few months in Europe...but didn't want to go alone. I thought about doing an internship...but later, changed my mind.
Changed my blog from Wordpress to Blogger...I know, I know - normally it's the other way around. So far, I've enjoyed Blogger though!

February

Lost my sweet Aunt Nancy to ovarian cancer. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.
Went on a Spring Break trip to Wilmington, NC with the love of my life...we had a wonderful time.
PR'd at the VIFL 14k.

March

Spent my 22nd birthday with friends at the Oceanfront - we rented a pink H2 stretch Hummer. First time for everything!
Went to see Jason Aldean and Eric Church with one of my best friends.
PR'd at the Shamrock Half Marathon with a time of 1:43!
Spent St. Patty's with my love...had too much fun. That's why I rarely drink!
Dropped out of law school. Looking back, it's still the greatest decision I've ever made. I'm so much happier!

April

Stayed up all night watching the Royal Wedding...dreaming about my future wedding :)
Planned a European backpacking trip with Michael - my travel dreams came true!
Ran the Flying Pirate Half Marathon with an injured foot (injured during Shamrock...because I just had to PR!)

May

Celebrated Michael's college graduation :)
Bought our backpacks for our trip to Europe - exciting!
Purchased our plane tickets...so thrilling, it was official!
Went to see Dierks Bentley at the NorVa...it was the best concert ever.
Had one last get-together with friends & family at M's family's annual pig pickin'...the night before we left for Europe!
Spent the end of May in Ireland, visiting Dublin, Galway, and Cork.
Arrived in The Netherlands to enjoy a few days in Amsterdam.

June

From Amsterdam, we took a train to Germany - we stayed in Berlin for a few days, then headed south to Munich, where we visited Neuschwanstein Castle and ate dinner at the famed Hofbrauhaus.
Spent a few days in Rome, Italy, where we spent time at The Vatican and searched for the best gelato and pizza. We also stopped in Pisa on our train ride out of Italy, where Michael took an epic photo of me with the leaning tower.
Arrived in Nice, France...which we enjoyed way too much and decided to stay even longer. It was a nice mini-vacay from our backpacking trip. :)
Went to Madrid, Spain for a few days. It was scorching hot, and we had a shower in our hotel room?
Took a train from Madrid to Paris, where we spent a few days eating macaroons & crepes, and checking out the Eiffel Tower and Versailles.
Took the second EuroStar (after missing our reservation) to London, where we both fell in love with the city. To this day, we both would love to live in London. I drink Earl Gray tea often, trying to make my life just a little more British ;)
Returned home from the most amazing trip I've ever taken. With my favorite person ever.

July

Went to the Harry Potter Midnight premiere...for the first and last time.
Met James Wesley after I won meet & greet tickets to his show.
Saw Dierks Bentley in concert again - on the HOTTEST day of the year. It was 114 degrees.
Saw Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, and The Band Perry in concert with my dad for Father's Day.
Started the full-time job search....while I spent the summer working as a lifeguard for the 5th year in a row.

August

Spent random days at the beach...
Went to see Kenny Chesney in concert for like, the 10th time.
Got my iPhone and retired the old Crackberry.
Went to the beach & Kid Rock concert with one of my best friends. We both missed the earthquake that happened in VA that day...because we were laying on the sand at the beach.
Spent the evening with one of my other best friends & her husband...which we rarely get the chance to do!
Experienced Hurricane Irene...and a tree fell on our house. And we were without electricity for a week.

September

Went to OBX for the week with the fam. First time we've taken a September vacation in years...because it was the first year I was out of school for good.
Continued looking for jobs....landed an internship at a creative/marketing agency in the meantime.
Saw Jason Aldean in concert again - twice in one year!
Celebrated my lova's birthday.

October

Received a job offer! I thank God for this every day, seriously. So blessed.
Started obsessively making Pinterest recipes...Blue Moon Cupcakes for my dad's birthday!
Spent time in Charlottesville picking apples and sightseeing in the mountains with the fam and my love.
Met my new nephews...born one week apart (although I wasn't officially an aunt at the time...little did I know M and I would be engaged soon!).

November

Michael got a full-time job offer...in the same city that I work in!
Had another Pinterest obsession - made Andes Mint Cupcakes for mom's birthday.
Booked my flight and hotel for Los Angeles - for a work trip. I love my job. :)
Went Black Friday shopping for the first time ever. There were lots of crazies.

December

Went to Raleigh with my love to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the 5th time in a row.
Met my new cousin (finally, a girl!) :)
Bought my first CAR!
Got all of my Christmas shopping done early for once...maybe because I finally had a job and $ to buy gifts with? :)
Went to the beach with my love to pick up a "gift" and ended up ENGAGED :)
Spent the holidays showing of my new engagement ring.

I'd say that 2011 was overall a very exciting year for me (and Michael!). Looking back at all of the things that happened in 2011, I feel extremely blessed and fortunate. If there was one thing I could change about last year, I would choose to have my Aunt Nancy back. We all miss her every single day, and I wish she could be here to share all of the exciting things that are happening in our families lives right now. I know she's looking down from Heaven though :)

♥Brittany

{Reception Venues}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:40:00 +0000

Despite being engaged only a little over a week, Michael and I have already made lots of progress with our wedding plans. Since we *hope* to have a 2012 wedding (hinging on whether we can get a reception site we like), we have only 10 months to get every single detail completed! Our biggest concern at this point is our reception venue. Everything pretty much hinges on that - our wedding date, our ceremony venue, our decor, how many invitees, and the time of day we plan to have the wedding & reception. We've been throwing around a few ideas...below :)

{Harrison Opera House}

We both love this venue - it's classy, upscale, and will take minimal decorating to turn the room into a gorgeous reception backdrop. Receptions are held in the Grand Lobby on the second floor, which has spiral staircases on either end and a balcony makes up one "wall" and the tall windows make up the other wall. With over-sized chandeliers and beautiful, warm lighting...this would make a fabulous site. I'm thinking round tables scattered around with pretty floral arrangements, all surrounding a dance floor in the middle of the room. I think we're both pretty sold on this venue. Only problem is it's not available on our "ideal" date - it IS available for the two Saturdays prior to the date we wanted, though.

{Tent Reception}

A tent reception was what I originally wanted...but this was before we got engaged and really thought about the logistics of it once we jumped into planning mode. While I still love the concept, I'm wary of it for several reasons:

I have a clear vision of what I want it to look like - soft decor, chiavari chairs, flooring throughout the entire tent, clear side panels, drapery from the ceiling (like the photo above), chandeliers, pretty lighting, etc. My fear is that I won't be able to make it look like that...and I don't want a tacky tent reception.
What if it rains? I've heard horror stories about people having mud up to their KNEES from walking on the muddy ground around the tent.
The bathroom situation. I will absolutely not have port-a-potties at my wedding reception. I know, you can rent "bathroom trailers" blah blah blah...I just don't like it. Plain and simple.
The cost - after adding up all of the rentals (high peak pole tent, chairs, tables, flooring, side panels, lighting, electricity, etc.), we are just as good or better off renting an upscale, indoor venue.

With all of that said, the plus side of this choice is that we may be able to use a friend's property on the river if we chose to have a tented reception. I'm sure that most of my worries about a tent reception are actually not a big deal, and I'm sure it would turn out lovely. I just think my anxiety (and do I have a LOT of it...ha) would get the best of me when planning this type of reception.

So what if I said I didn't have a third choice? Oops :) We've severely limited ourselves already...but I think that we could go either route and be fine. With either choice, we have several ceremony locations in mind - we both love fancy and/or historic churches, and luckily, we've picked out a church in both locations...they just hinge on our reception venue pick! We have looked at a TON of venues in the area (and there really aren't that many impressive ones...), but the majority of indoor venues require you to purchase in-house catering services. One of the best things about our reception is that the food will not be breaking the bank like it does at so many wedding receptions - because Michael's mom owns a catering business. We won't be paying ridiculous amounts (I'm talking upwards of $35+ dollars per person just for food!)...instead, we'll pick what we want and pay for JUST the cost of food...no inflation of costs. That leaves more money for our other important decision - what types, and how much, alcohol we'll need to buy. hehe :) And that also means we won't be paying crazy amounts for alcohol, either - we plan to purchase our wine/beer/liquor as it goes on sale for the next 10 months...and we won't pay ridiculous amounts for a catering company to purchase & serve the drinks. Save where you can...to save room for the dress and shoes, right? ;)

♥Brittany

Our Proposal Story

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Since I've had quite a few people ask...I figured I'd post our proposal story! Enjoy :)

The Friday before Christmas, we decided to head down to the Outer Banks to pick up a "Christmas present" that we had talked about buying for someone. It wasn't imperative that we went all the way to the beach for one present, but luckily Michael talked me into going and said we could go to the outlet mall...which didn't take much begging on my part :) We picked up the present that we drove 75 miles to get, then spent an hour or two at the outlets, where Michael proceeded to try on clothes in every store we stopped in. I found this odd, because he never buys clothes for himself...but I figured he was just trying to dress to impress (me)! After spending all of Michael's money (hehe), we proceeded to get lunch in Manteo. After lunch, Michael and I headed back to OBX, where we planned to walk on the beach. I didn't think much of it, because the beach is "our place" and we always walk on the beach when we visit the Outer Banks. So, despite it being cold and cloudy, we headed out for a walk on the beach near Kitty Hawk, where we always go. After stopping a few times and taking a couple of pictures, Michael finally turned to me and said he had an early Christmas present for me. I knew he had been working on something for one of my presents, so again, I didn't know what he was about to do! He proceeded to show me an elaborate slideshow of pictures (view here...and now, after seeing those embarrassing photos, you know we are not normal. At all. haha) of us taken throughout the three-and-a-half years we've been together, with music that was special to us and went perfectly with the photos. I still wasn't positive what was going on during the slideshow, but I did begin to get suspicious. At the end, he turned to me, and as soon as he started talking, I KNEW :) He got down on one knee, gave me the most gorgeous ring, and asked me to be his wife. Of course I said "Yes!" and the rest is history. :)

Photo I took just before he popped the question :)

I was actually the one driving that day, because we both kind of like my new car ;) So after the proposal, we just sat in the car and talked for a little bit, while I got myself together for the two-hour drive home. I was still shaking with excitement, so I was in no shape to drive right away :) As we got closer to home, I started to get a little more nervous about sharing the news with my parents...well, sharing the news with my mom. My dad already knew what was going on and had several bottles of champagne chilling in the refrigerator to celebrate our engagement with a toast :) It was a perfect way to start off the holiday weekend...and he planned it out so well - since it happened on the 23rd, I was able to share the news with all of our family in person at our Christmas parties!

♥Brittany

{I said YES!}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:02:00 +0000

December has been quite an exciting month! I always look forward to the holiday season, but this year, it was even better :) First, we kicked off the holidays with a trip to Raleigh to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra on December 4th. Then we went to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens and baked cookies the following weekend. On December 18th, I bought my first car on my own - a gorgeous white Volkswagen Jetta! And then, on December 23rd, the love of my life proposed and we're now officially {engaged}!

We are SO excited to be engaged, and we've already jumped into planning mode!

♥Brittany

{Holiday Q&A}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:18:00 +0000

Let me preface this by saying, I never really do these questionnaires! I just have a lack of creativity going on because of the holidays...and I thought it was cute :)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Honestly...neither. I can't bring myself to drink Eggnog - even soy nog. And I prefer coffee over Hot Chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I wrap them. Because they have to look perfect. haha :)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? As a child, I loved colored lights - but now I prefer white, especially on the outside of the house and on the main Christmas tree. I like colored lights on our smaller, and less obvious, tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? This year, for the first time ever.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Typically the day after Thanksgiving. This year we started a little earlier, since everyone is so busy and we knew we'd be cramped for time on Thanksgiving weekend!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? There are so many to choose from - but my mom's Sweet Potato Casserole or homemade Macaroni and Cheese are my favorites!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Getting tons of presents? Ha - no, I'm kidding I promise! I get really nostalgic at Christmas, just remembering decorating the tree, baking with my grandma, and running around to 3 different places on Christmas Day - my house, my grandma's house, and my uncle's house. I guess I enjoy the hecticness of Christmas! We don't do all of that on Christmas Day anymore...we all realized we were being overachievers. Now we spread it out over a few days! ;)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I never had the luxury of believing in Santa...which never bothered me as a child. Now, however, I wish I had at least believed for ONE Christmas...just because.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? The only time we did that was when an aunt & uncle of mine lived far away and didn't make it home for the holidays. My whole family would send gifts to each other by mail, and my parents and I opened our gifts from them on Christmas Eve. This year, for the first time, M's family is having the family Christmas on Christmas Eve, so yes, I'll open gifts on Christmas Eve!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My family has TONS of ornaments that we've collected over the years...and we have a 10-ft tall tree, so we have plenty of room for all of them. Pretty much every ornament that is put on the tree has sentimental value to us, so I love our tree!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love snow! Living in SE Virginia, we don't see snow that often...so I'll take what I can get. We have a pretty decent history of getting snow on the day after Christmas, which has been exciting over the years. This year, I'm pretty sure that's a no-go. It's 70 degrees outside right now.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes - but I have to kind of re-learn every time I go ice skating. It doesn't take long to pick it up, though!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Oh gosh, I have so many over the years...I know that I got a "talking doll house" one year when I was like 5...and it took hours to pry me away from it! It was a year that Christmas fell on a Sunday, too, so I had to leave to go to church that morning after opening presents. Pretty sure I didn't pay attention to anything in church that day!

My cute Chloe...she loves her Santa outfit!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with my family, my boyfriend, and his family. Christmas is all about family time and enjoying each other's company :)

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Truthfully, I'm not a dessert person. But if I had to choose, I'd pick pumpkin pie. It's pretty much the only dessert that I actually enjoy around the holiday season.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Our annual baking day(s). Ever since I can remember, we have baked WAY too many cookies. It's become a tradition for us, as well as for all of the people receiving our sweet treats as a gift - they expect them now!

17. What tops your tree? A giant, gorgeous bow.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I love giving! In fact, I usually go overboard every year with my shopping and gifting. I just love knowing that I'm giving someone a meaningful gift, or something that they've wanted for a while.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? They're pretty - but I could live without eating them. We have two unopened boxes of them in the house right now, and I haven't touched a single one this entire holiday season!

20. Favorite Christmas movie? I have so many - The Holiday, The Santa Clause, Love Actually, Elf, I'll Be Home For Christmas (with JTT - of course), Eve's Christmas (a random Lifetime movie that I fell in love with)...

21. Saddest Christmas Song? There's no song more sad than The Christmas Shoes - I cannot stand listening to this song. I don't want to hear tearjerkers on Christmas, thank you.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Oh gosh, I don't think I can choose just one. Christmas Canon Rock by Trans-Siberian Orchestra is definitely a favorite of mine!

What are your Chritmas favorites?!

♥Brittany

{Confession Time}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Just a little bit of randomness for Thursday...I'm *trying* to blog more frequently - we'll see how that goes! :)

Confessions as of late:

I'd been eyeing this Michael Kors handbag for a while now (okay...a few days), and the awesome sale at Nordstrom influenced me to go ahead and purchase it. Oops ;)
Sometimes I wish I had an anonymous blog...trust me, I'd have WAY more to write about, and it'd be way more hilarious. Obviously...I know certain people that read my blog, so alas, I can't...or won't...share my deepest, silliest thoughts. Hehe. Maybe I need a Tumblr for that..............
I'm *thisclose* to buying my first car on my own - so excited about that. I already know what I want...maybe I should test-drive it first, just in case? Uh huh.
I got all of my Christmas shopping and present-wrapping DONE before the second week of December. I can't even remember going shopping until the week before Christmas in past years. I call that a win.
This is my first Christmas out of college and with a full-time job. Would it be bad to say that I already miss Christmas break? There's no time to lounge around, watch Christmas movies all day, hang out with friends who are home for break..... #lifepostcollege

What are your confessions?

♥Brittany

{Holiday Baking}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:49:00 +0000

I always over-do it around the holidays...I make at least 10 varieties of cookies every Christmas season. I just can't resist...I love baking, and I love giving gorgeous holiday cookies as gifts to all of the special people in my life! This past weekend was dedicated to baking cookies...I got a majority of the baking done, but I still have a few things left - there's just not enough time in a weekend for all of that baking. :) By the way, the pictures above are totally stolen from Pinterest - but I made all of those + a few more:

-Chocolate Chip
-M&M cookies - same as Chocolate Chip recipe, just add M&Ms
-White Chocolate Cranberry cookies
-Peanut Butter Blossoms
-Sugar Cookies [a la Pillsbury refrigerated dough...oops!]
-Candy Cane Blossoms
-Chocolate Covered Pretzels
-Cranberry Bliss bars [Starbucks recipe!]
-White Chocolate Peppermint Chex
-Grasshoppers [these are so good!]
-Gingerbread cookies [another Pillsbury refrigerated dough...does that make me lazy? hehe]

Do you bake cookies during the holidays?

♥Brittany

{Wish List}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:29:00 +0000

I can't believe that December is here! Where did November go? Last week was a crazy, busy week full of Thanksgiving celebrations, shopping, and running...I can't complain. I also did something that I truly never thought I'd do - I went Black Friday shopping. Ridiculous. Despite all the crazies, it was actually fun and enjoyable. I mean, when else can you walk around Target at 3am with a cup of Starbucks coffee (had to have something to stay awake!)? I got some of my shopping knocked out, and even scored a really good deal on a doorbuster special - I just can't say what I bought because I have a feeling this person reads my blog. :) I'm going to Raleigh this weekend for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, and I plan to get a majority of my Christmas shopping DONE. I've never purchased and wrapped gifts this early in the holiday season before - who am I? It must be the new job and having some $$$ that makes a difference :)

With that said...I thought I had a hard time buying gifts for other people, but I have the most difficult time making a list of my own! For one, there's nothing in particular I *need*...and a lot of the things I want are too expensive and I hate to ask someone to buy it for me! Here are a few things I came up with:

Mojito Tervis Tumber - Umm, I love this. I'm obsessed with mojitos and I LOVE my Tervis Tumblers. It has a recipe right on the cup!

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue - Hands down, my favorite perfume. Admittedly, its kind of summery, but I still love it and I use it all the time.

Ray Ban Classic Aviators - I ruin every pair of sunglasses I own. *Except* for expensive pairs! I think it's just because cheap sunglasses don't last...I have three pairs of cheap aviators now and all have an issue.

Yoga Mat Towel - I love hot yoga. I don't love sweaty yoga mats. Luckily, the studio that I usually go to provides towels for free, but I'd still prefer to use my own!

Along the lines of yoga...I'd love for someone to buy me a 10-card to hot yoga. It gets a little expensive after awhile!

Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel - How else can you look tan in December? And tanning beds don't count - they're bad for you!

Keep Calm and Carry On desk calendar - When I went to London over the summer, I really started to like all of the "Keep Calm" items. I have a print with the quote in my room, and I bought a little book at a store in London with uplifting quotes and it has the "Keep Calm" quote on the cover. Now that I have a desk (and a sweet job!), I need a little calendar so I can remember what day it is. Because my life is a blur and I forget the date way too often.

What's on your Christmas list?

♥Brittany

Andes Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:18:00 +0000

I made these delicious cupcakes for my mom's birthday last weekend, and they were a hit! I was actually worried that making these would be tedious and afraid that they might not turn out great - but I think they ended up tasting amazing...and I'm not even a big fan of mint!

I did switch up the recipe slightly in order to cut out some preparation time - I found a recipe I really liked for the icing, but the cupcake recipe was too time consuming, so I replaced that with another cupcake recipe! Here is my recipe for the *final product*:

{Andes Chocolate Mint Cupcakes}

Adapted from Frosted!

Makes 12-15 Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil (canola oil works too!)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk (I used lowfat)

1/2 cup Andes Mint Chips

In a small bowl, mix together flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Alternately, whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until batter is smooth. Stir in Andes Mint Chips.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan lined with paper cups. Bake in preheated oven for 22-27 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with mint cream icing (see below).

{Mint Buttercream Icing}

Adapted from Your Cup of Cake

8 oz. cream cheese (I used light cream cheese)

1/2 cup butter

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tbs. heavy cream or milk (I used skim milk and it turned out fine!)

1 tsp. peppermint extract

green food coloring

12-15 unwrapped Andes Mints

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream/milk, and peppermint extract and beat well. Add green food coloring and stir well. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and top with an unwrapped Andes Mint. Enjoy!

(Oh, and excuse the crappy iPhone photos - my camera had a dead battery, so I didn't get any good shots!)

♥Brittany

{THANKSgiving}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:30:00 +0000

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner - it seems like it was just yesterday that I was sitting by the pool getting a tan...and making an embarrassingly low paycheck as a lifeguard. My, how a few months can change everything...

I guess this would be an excellent time to list some things I'm thankful for :)

A JOB - I love love love my job, and I'm so grateful to be employed full-time doing what I love! I know its extremely tough to find a job nowadays, so I don't take being employed for granted at all.
My boyfriend's new job - Yep, he just got an offer yesterday and officially accepted the position today! I think I was almost more excited for him getting a job than I was for me... ;)
My family - This one is a given. I'm always thankful for my family. I'm especially grateful that they support me in everything that I do.
My friends - Even though I hardly ever seen them (especially now that I'm working full-time), I appreciate all of my friends and I love that we can always pick up right where we left off...even if its been months since we've seen each other!
This is completely vain - but I'm thankful for coffee - especially now that I wake up super-early every day!
My ability to run - I had the most difficult time not being able to run while we were in Europe (poor thing, right?), but I'm so glad I was able to jump right back into it when I got home...with a little bit of building up my endurance again, that is :)

This is truly the most perfect time to be thankful - I've had so many great things happen lately, and I'm totally blessed and grateful! What are you thankful for?

By the way, since I stalk Pinterest religiously...I found some recipes that would be amazing for Thanksgiving:

P.S. Let's Go Hokies!

♥Brittany

Favorite Time of Year {and Naturalizer winner!}

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:16:00 +0000

Fall is my favorite time of year...if that wasn't already obvious from my latest blog posts ;) We finally made it up to the apple orchard near Charlottesville last weekend, and it was so gorgeous. I really hate to admit that the rival's city is gorgeous, but truthfully it is. Especially when the leaves are changing and the sky is so clear and blue...

So I'm sure you want to hear who won the Naturalizer gift card, right?! If I wasn't the one giving it away, I think I'd love to win it too...shoes are my favorite! :) I did a random number generator to pick the winner....and the gift card now belongs to - Hilary Lane! She said her favorite Naturalizer shoes from the Fall Collection are the Tyla and the Dinka...so go use that gift card and get a pair of cute shoes! Enjoy :)

♥Brittany

Naturalizer Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:08:00 +0000

One of my favorite things about the Fall season is boots and pretty heels. It seems so much easier to put together a cute outfit with Fall weather shoes! Just throw on jeans, a pretty sweater, and a pair of riding boots and you're set....or if you want to dress it up a little, wear those leopard print heels with your (warm) LBD! Thanks to Naturalizer and Brown Shoe Company, you can have that coveted pair of shoes for the cooler temps headed our way...because I'm giving away a gift card for a FREE pair of Naturalizer shoes to a lucky winner through MyBlogSpark! Naturalizer offers a variety of styles including tall boots, loafers, wedges, pumps, platforms, flats, booties and oxfords. The fall collection from Naturalizer has something for everyone, with feminine details and styles inspired by a range of classic and contemporary trends. Just leave a comment telling me which style from the Naturalizer Fall Collection is your favorite, and I'll pick a random winner on Thursday morning, November 3! Good luck :)

Arness

Collette

Dinka

Illy

Irma

June

Kendall

Lennox

Tyla


Valya

♥Brittany

Halloween Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:35:00 +0000

I love Fall...there is no question about that. It's a combination of the colors (orange & maroon...go Hokies?), the food (pumpkin and cinnamon flavored, of course!), and the holidays. While Thanksgiving is my favorite Fall holiday, I enjoy Halloween as well. Even as a twenty-something, its still fun to dress up and party with your friends. Actually its probably more fun now. :) I'm headed to the mountains this weekend to pick apples, hike some trails, and take lots of pictures of the gorgeous Fall scenery - and I can't wait. I love going to the mountains around this time of year!

What is your favorite thing about Fall?

♥Brittany

Less Than Fabulous

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:16:00 +0000

I've always loved Jen Aniston...she's a great down-to-earth actress who happens to have great style...usually. I was looking at People.com earlier (its one of my obsessions...I admit it...), and I saw this photo of her at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards. I was honestly less than impressed with her outfit choice...it just seems...baggy at the top and not so flattering. Now, like I said, Jen usually has amazing style...I guess this was just an "off" night? Despite that, she still looks gorgeous and admittedly she can get away with the outfit.

Source: Skinny Vs. Curvy

Am I the only one who thinks she could have made a better outfit choice?

♥Brittany

DIY Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:14:00 +0000

My dad's birthday was this past weekend, and I went with a little DIY inspiration for his dinner and gifts. I had found a recipe on Pinterest earlier in the Fall for Blue Moon Cupcakes, and since my dad and I share a mutual love for Blue Moon beer, I decided I'd try the recipe! They turned out really good...interesting flavor, with a slight accent of beer and fresh orange. In the process of baking the cupcakes (from scratch, might I add!), I figured I would cook a whole meal for his birthday dinner. I did what any rational girl would do, and looked up dinner ideas on Pinterest. I know you're sick of hearing about that site, am I correct?? Well, trust me on this: check it out...it will change your life. I've got my life planned out for the next five years just because of the inspiring ideas I've found on the site. haha. Anyways, back to dinner...I ended up making Pan-Seared Scallops, Sauteed Asparagus, Parmesan-Crusted Oven Baked Fries, and Cheddar Bay Biscuits. So good! I felt like Paula Deen...because I never really cook "unhealthy" food for dinner, and these recipes weren't exactly health food. It was a celebration, though, and I can deal with making a few yummy, not-so-healthy foods from time to time :) Here are some pictures (from Pinterest) of the recipes I made...I failed on taking pictures of it!

Scallops Provençal

Oven-Baked Parmesan Fries

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Pan-Seared Asparagus

Here are the Blue Moon Cupcakes...the Pinterest version and a few pictures of the ones I made!


Blue Moon Cupcake Recipe

My version, not quite done...


Completed!

Did I mention that this seemed to be an alcohol-themed birthday? First the cupcakes made with beer, then wine with dinner, then for one of my Dad's birthday gifts, Michael & I had a little DIY project with a bottle of vodka! We got a bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka (which we had heard was really good) and then I made little recipe cards with drink recipes to tie to the bottle. My dad likes orange dreamsicle flavored things, so all of the recipes I included had an orange cream flavor. We may or may not have tested some of the recipes after dinner ;)

♥Brittany

Party Time

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:30:00 +0000

I love a good party...and I love planning a good party even more! I really enjoy the entire process, from coming up with fun ideas all the way through making sure the event goes off without a hitch. Color is a huge inspiration for me - from monochromatics to brights to vintage colors, or even a simple white...its all beautiful. My creativity just seems to shine when I'm planning a party...maybe I should rethink my career path! ;)

♥Brittany

Wedding Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:20:00 +0000

I've planned out my wedding already, thanks to Pinterest. You should of known by now that I was going to talk about that little website again... ;) Did I mention I don't even have a ring yet? ...but that's okay, because I'll be prepared when the time arrives. And yes, my love, that is a hint.

♥Brittany

Fall Inspired Recipes...

noreply@blogger.com (Brittany) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Yum...who doesn't love Fall recipes? Anything that includes pumpkin or apples sounds good to me! Obviously, my obsession with Pinterest is getting out of hand...

Source: sundaybaker.net via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: sugarcrafter.net via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: laaloosh.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: penniesonaplatter.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: zestycook.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: naturallyella.com via Brittany on Pinterest

Source: annies-eats.com via Brittany on Pinterest

♥Brittany