Weekend Part 1

I hope each of you had a great long weekend and holiday. The outdoor wedding Bryan and I attended on Saturday was simply perfect for this time of year. The groom was one of Bryan's friends from college. Other than the bride and groom I knew one person there, but it actually was fun since Bryan knew a handful of people and we made some new friends.

I had a new dress picked out to wear, but at the last minute went with this trusty dress that I wore for Easter, which I absolutely love.

The wedding theme was a rustic-outdoor look with lots of burlap and twisted vines. I thought the bride did an excellent job of picking out everything and putting it together. She used peach to bring a little color into the neutral palette.

The reception tables all had different centerpieces, but each had some sort of greenery or flowers, candles and coordinating (but not matching) prints and frames. I think the tablecloths were a very pale green, so the burlap runners went perfectly on top.

What I really liked was that nothing was over-kill. There was just the right about of lace, burlap, pops of color, iron and greenery to make the whole thing come together beautifully.

There was a fantastic band and we danced until the party shut down. After the wedding we headed to the lake for the rest of the weekend. Tomorrow I'll share lake pictures and the recipe for yummy margaritas that we made.

Friday's Fancies: Memorial Day

How excited are you about this long weekend?!? Bryan and I have a wedding to attend on Saturday and then we're hitting the lake for the rest of the weekend. Hello sunny skies, blue water and drink in my hand! Click over to {av's} Friday's Fancies to see all of the fun outfits so many creative ladies have put together.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and I'll see you back here next week!

Weekly Update

My Internet has been so sporadic the past few days that it is enough to make a gal go crazy. I decided to quit messing with it and hoped it would go back to normal. Ivy and I have been back and forth to my parents' house the past week. We got a little pool time in, which made both of us happy. {Ivy really wanted her toes painted.}

Bryan and I went to the mountain bike trail on Monday night. We He rode it after I fell within the first five minutes. I decided that it was getting to dark for me to see, so I ran while he rode. We came home and grilled salmon. I sliced lemon and put it directly on the grill, with the salmon then on top of it. Flip it once and it is pure perfection.

Yesterday I started a new project--distressing and painting a desk for Dr. Ash. It got sanded and now has one coat of paint on it. I was hoping to get it finished today, but it's not going to happen like I thought. Everything always takes longer than you originally plan.

Did you vote on Tuesday? We are so fortunate as Americans to have the freedom to choose who we elect into office. It is detrimental to our future and the future of our children to take action and exercise this freedom. I've been continuously reminded lately about my many blessings, which has made me more mindful to be constantly thankful and have an attitude of joy. I saw these reminders and thought they would be nice to share.

Trendy Tuesday: Tortoise Necklaces

With my kind of coloring, tortoise has always been one of my favorite designs {colors} when choosing sunglasses. In fact, I think just about everyone looks good in tortoise. Lately I have been seeing a lot of tortoise necklaces and I think I need one of them in every shape and size that they come in right now. I just cannot get enough of these eye-catching gems. I think they are very versatile and go with many different outfits and colors.

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My current favorite style is the tortoise resin links. This one is currently at J.Crew and has some bling mixed in with it.

This necklace is on their weekly outlet sale, and I actually think that I like it better for wearing every day.

 And of course there is the knock-off on eBay, which is pretty cute, too.

The best part about this trend to me is that tortoise is such a classic look. Dress it up, dress it down, it is going to look great any way you style it. Here are a few of my other tortoise necklace picks.

Banana-Chocolate French Toast

This weekend I drove from one end of the state to the other and then back home. Laura aka "the kid" played in the state soccer finals in Fayetteville on the University of Arkansas campus on Friday night. Having never played soccer before this season, Laura was recruited to be the goalie by the coach at the beginning of the year. As I've said before, Laura doesn't do anything without excelling at it, and this position is no different--she is an awesome goalie. Her team lost the game, but they played their hearts out and I could not have been more proud of them.

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I recently made some banana-chocolate french toast for breakfast because I had seen the recipe in Cooking Light. I know you're thinking that chocolate for breakfast cannot be healthy, but if used in the right way it actually is great. Y'all, this was an absolutely delish breakfast that is going to become a regular at our house.

Banana-Chocolate French Toast

1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 (1 1/2-ounce) slices whole-grain bread

4 1/2 tablespoons hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

1 cup thinly sliced banana (about 8 ounces)

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish.

2. Spread each of 3 bread slices with 1 1/2 tablespoons hazelnut-chocolate spread; arrange 1/3 cup banana slices over each bread slice. Top sandwiches with remaining 3 bread slices.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 sandwich at a time, place into milk mixture, turning gently to coat both sides. Carefully place coated sandwiches into pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles. Sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar.

Sunday Inspiration

This is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses. Remember that no matter what you might be going through right now, the Lord is with you every step of the way. Trust in Him and He will guide you in the direction that is the very best for your life. Enjoy your Sunday!



Chambray Fun

 

Happy Friday, friends! I'm getting back on my game and am pleased to be participating in {AV's} Friday's Fancies again this week. Nothing says warm-weather denim like chambray. Although the weather here is already hitting 90 degrees, I'm totally diggin' the layered look of chambray underneath a dress or blouse.

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If you have only one chambray item in your closet it needs to be a shirt. Layer it or wear it by itself, it will become a staple if it hasn't already. Here are a few of my favorite chambray shirt picks.