Long Weekend.

Huckleberry swimming at Lake Morton.

My long weekend will be filled with yard work {boo}, photo collage hanging, puppy (and kitty) cuddling, a family BBQ, and maybe, just maybe, a date squeezed in there at some point. And, if I'm really productive, some pretty picture taking for my blog! {HA! Doubt it...sorry, friends}

What are you plans for the Labor Day Weekend?

Creamy Jalapeño Rolls

If you are ever in need of a quick and easy, yet extremely tasty snack, look no further! These creamy, jalapeño rolls are delicious and so simple! And you only need 3 ingredients!

1 (8oz) block softened cream cheese

2 minced jalapeños 

1 tube regular crescent rolls

Directions: Preheat the over to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet. In a small mixing bowl combine the softened cream cheese and minced jalapeños. Mix thoroughly and set aside. 

Open the crescent rolls but DO NOT separate them. Roll the crescents out flat on the counter and then pinch together the perforation**. With a spatula, take the cream cheese mixture and spread evenly over the crescent rolls. Roll the crescent rolls back up to make one long roll (to look like the tube shape they are originally packaged in). Evenly cut the roll into 12 pieces and place on the greased baking sheet. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until dough is slightly browned and crispy. Makes about 12 creamy jalapeño rolls.

They are so delicious and have just the right kick of spice! Let me know if you give these a try. I'd love to hear how they turned out! I plan on making the jalapeño poppers version for this upcoming football season!

**If you'd rather make jalapeño poppers, only pinch together the diagonal perforations and separate the  horizontal one, splitting the crescent rolls into two sheets. Then continue with the directions as directed. This will double your recipe, making about 24 jalapeño poppers. 

The Milkman

Every Tuesday our milkman comes to our doorstep and drops off 2 gallons of milk in that cute, insulated Smith Brothers Farms box. Steven and I drink a lot  of milk and it's important that we aren't filling ourselves with the steroid infused, ultra-pasturized phony stuff.

Smith Brothers Farm delivers local, farm fresh milk, eggs, cheese and other products right to your door step. Their milk is delicious and contains no artificial hormones and is never ultra-pasturized. As far as price goes, you're paying practically the same as you would in your local grocery stores for their so called "organic" products! On top of that, delivery is free and they don't even charge you for the box they leave at your doorstep. 

I just love supporting locally owned enterprises such as this one that promote a healthy lifestyle. I'm not going to go on a wild rant about how the food we eat is detrimental to our well being because of the artificial preservatives, steroids, etc. blah, blah, blah...you already know all that. I just want to encourage you to go online and see if similar services are near you! {I bet they are!} Or check out your local farmer's markets {that's where Steven and I signed up with our milkman!}. 

Not only are the products tasty, the animals well cared for, and the cause important, but, more importantly, you get a milkman, people. I didn't need anymore incentive than that! Plus, it's like Christmas morning every Tuesday when that milk arrives! Yep, Christmas in a little, white box, folks. Christmas. It feels that good. So chop, chop! Go get yourself a milkman!

If you'd like to know more about Smith Brothers Farms go here!

Raspberry Pickin'

Raspberry season has come and gone all too quickly. My arbor, which was once full, is now completely sparse. Do raspberries really have that short of a season? Or is it this stinkers doing?

Caught with his face in the raspberry bushes! This pretty much happened every. single. day. Thankfully, Huck left enough for me to make a pie and steal a few extra tastes of those delicious red berries here and there. Next summer, we may have to fence off the raspberry bushes to save them from our golden, bottomless pit of a dog. Oh Hucklebutt, I hope you enjoyed the raspberries as much as I would have!

Does your fur baby like fruit?? Huck loves it all! Raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, bananas...I thought dogs didn't like fruit!

Love, Huck (part 5)

hi Grandma! it's me, Huck!

did you hear the news??

mommy and daddy got me a new toy!

they call it Herschel, but I call it toy #467.

so maybe when you come to my dog house in November, 

you'll get to meet it!

me and toy #467 play all day! 

unlike my other toys, it never stops rolling around.

Sometimes we stop for nutrients.

i share my food. even the occasional hotdog! 

{unless it has bits of cheese in it}

after we eat, we run and run around!

IT IS SO MUCH FUN!

although from time to time, when I get really excited, 

mommy yells at me to "be gentle"

so then I give it kisses!

it doesn't really like my kisses.

neither does daddy...

i get so tired playing with my new toy.

i have to take lots of naps to re-energize.

most days i let it sleep with me

it's really warm and makes this strange noise from the pit of its tummy.

i like that.

truth is Grandma its the most funnest toy mommy and daddy have gotten me yet!

i hope they don't throw it away before you come visit

{mommy throws toys away when i leave bits and pieces of it lying around the house}

so i'll be extra gentle with it so that doesn't happen!

now remember, bring hotdogs and i'll let you rub my tummy.

Love,

{your favorite grand pup}

 Huck

Wedding Week: The Details

There are so many pictures to share concerning the details of our wedding. It was a real chore to pick my favorites! So I apologize in advance for the photo dump in this post :) 

In a nutshell, my wedding consisted of burlap, blues, and books!! But let's start with the boutonnieres and flower arrangements...

My mom made 9 boutonnieres, one for each of the groomsmen, my dad, and Steven's dad. They simply are made of card stock, burlap, feathers, and an assortment of buttons. Each one is unique and different from the last! I loved them and was so grateful to have a "crafty" mom! The best part? No real flowers were used to make these so Steven and I were able to keep his and not worry about preserving it!

My flowers were blue and white hydrangeas and baby's breathe. We ordered all our flowers from Sam's Club for $400 and had enough for all the bouquets and centerpieces! We actually had so many left over that we were able to fill a huge tin bucket with the rest {pictured below}! My bridesmaid, Kristen, made every single bouquet. (How amazing is that?) Mine was larger than the bridesmaids and all white while my girls had an assortment of the blue hydrangeas and baby's breathe. The stems were wrapped with burlap and lace and held together by pearl push pins.

As our wedding favors, the guest took home a cream, muslin drawstring baggie with two, blue lovebirds stamped to it that said "The Perfect Blend S+D" Each bag was filled with either mocha, vanilla, or caramel flavored coffee. 

Our aisle was a sheer, white runner lined with white rose petals and baby's breathe.

Our centerpieces were old books that we either already owned, picked up at yard sales, or borrowed from friends. The mason jars all belong to my grandmother and the candles were purchased at the dollar store and then we simply added the burlap and blue ribbons ourselves! {or I should say my mom did...} 

The cake was designed by Barb's Custom Cakes. She made 100 cupcakes and the most beautiful 2 tier, bride and groom's cake decorated with burlap, white ribbon, and hydrangeas that I have ever seen! I was so thrilled with my cake! Barb completely understood my vision for the wedding and came up with the perfect design!

Our food was catered by the Pickle Barrel Barbecue. On the menu: smoked BBQ chicken and pulled pork sandwiches with all the fixin's! 

Our ceremony did get a little delayed due to the local ice cream truck, which arrived 10 minutes before I was suppose to walk down the aisle. The ice cream truck's music alerted all the kids who then rushed over to grab a cool treat! I love that my photographer was able to snag a few shots!

Lastly, we setup two ladders and strung them together with twine to hang pictures of Steven and I growing up. Along the ladders steps were more books, mason jars, and old family heirlooms, like my great-grandfathers reading glasses from when he was a child and my great-grandparents cake server from their wedding right after WWII. We also had a mailbox perched on top for our guests to put their cards in!

There were so many details that went into making this such a dream come true! I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you with all the photos! I think this should do for now though ;)

Photography: Bridget Rochelle Photography

Flowers: Sam's Club

Caterer: The Pickle Barrel Barbecue

Cake: Barb's Custom Cakes

Tent, tables, chairs: Party Rentals Plus

Wedding Week: The Ceremony

Our wedding ceremony and reception were held at my Uncle Jay's house on Lake Ontario. We simply ordered a big white tent, dance floor, and some tables and chairs and *KABAM!* best. location. ever. Okay, I may be biased, but it did turn out to be more beautiful than I could have ever imagined! I woke up to overcast skies and drizzle, but by the time I was ready to walk down the aisle to become Mrs. Turner {still trying to get used to the sound of that}, there were sunny skies and a slight breeze coming in from off the lake.

Of course, my daddy cried when he gave me away, which in turn made me cry as well. It was a great moment though! 

I walked down the aisle to a cover of Christina Perri's song A Thousand Years by The Piano Guys. You can listen to it hear. Yes, it is a song from Twilight. No, I did not know that when I picked it out! Haha. Mine and Steven's song is actually another one by Christina Perri but it isn't very "processional appropriate" so I searched for a more "wedding-esque" song by her and fell in love with their instrumental version of her song!

 During the ceremony, we took communion for the first time as husband and wife. 

And then we kissed.

And then, folks, we danced. 

It was an amazing day! The beautiful lake as our backdrop for the ceremony was such the perfect touch that other decor was hardly necessary! But no worries, I do have some decorations to show you. So stick around and tomorrow you'll see the details that tied the overall look together!

Photography: Bridget Rochelle Photography

Ceremony and Reception Venue: my uncle's house

Wedding Week: The Wedding Party

Steven and I are so incredibly blessed that our friends from Seattle, our college town in Virginia, and my hometown in West Virginia all came together to upstate New York to be in our wedding party! It meant so much to us to have each one of them be a part of our day! 

Our wedding colors were shades of blue, brown, and ivory. The guys wore khaki colored linen pants with matching vests and light blue ties.  Steven was the only one who wore a linen jacket. We purchased their ties as a gift to them {along with some cigars, of course!} buy one get one free! The best part about their suits is that these weren't rentals, so the guys got to keep them! It costs $170 to rent a suit from David's Bridal, whereas the boys purchased these for $100! The boutonnières they are wearing were made by my mother {more on those and other DIY wedding details later this week}!   

{From left to right: Macon, Kevin, Jason, Dave, Ken, and Randy.}

Going along with my rustic, vintage wedding look, the girls each purchased different ivory/cream colored dresses. My only stipulation was for them to buy something they truly felt they would wear again! For the shoes, each wore strappy, brown sandals. My ladies looked gorgeous!!

As you can see, Steven and I had an uneven number of groomsmen to bridesmaids. That is because one of my bridesmaids is actually the one who is taking all these photos!!! She was kind enough to step behind the lens to give us the best wedding gift we received! Thank you Bridget!

{From left to right: Rachael, Rhea, me, Kristin, Beverly, Kristen.}

I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories made with these people throughout the years and all the beautiful moments we were able to capture with them at our wedding!

Photos by: Bridget Rochelle Photography

Groomsmen's suits and ties: David's Bridal

Bridesmaid's dresses: Various 

Wedding Week: The Finishing Touches

After I decided on my gown, the next step was those small finishing touches that complete the overall look. Since there was already some bling on my dress, I decided not to wear a necklace and instead opted for teardrop earrings and a simple bangle bracelet. 

For the shoes, I knew I had to wear flats since the ceremony was being held outside on grass. I found these fun ones from DWS! I loved the idea of having the shoes be my "something blue!"

I was lucky enough that my hair stylist came to me at my uncle's house {where the ceremony and reception were both held} to do my hair and makeup! I decided on a low bun with loose curls with an ivory and lace flower clip. 

The hair piece was actually made by my wedding photographer who just so happens to be my old college roommate from freshman year!

I also carried my late grandmothers handkerchief around the base of my bouquet as my "something old" and wore a wedding garter that had a touch of blue {pictured above}. 

It was the personal touches, the hair piece and handkerchief, that really made me feel like a "unique" bride and made my day that much more memorable! I felt so blessed having people who I love be a part of my day like that!

How about you? What was your "something old" or "something borrowed," etc. that completed your look and gave your wedding a more personal touch?? I'd love to know!

Photography: Bridget Rochelle Photography

Flower hair piece: Bridget Rochelle Photography

Shoes: DWS 

Earrings/bracelet: Nordstrom

Garter: David's Bridal

Wedding Week: The Dress

Before I start this series on Steven and mine's wedding there is one thing you should know: I was an extremely frugal, penny pinching bride. Moving across the country, getting engaged, buying a home, and planning a wedding all in less than 12 months will do that to ya! Therefore, the whole wedding shebang went down for less than $10,000.  For all you married readers (or those currently planning your wedding), you know that's pretty darn amazing considering today's average wedding cost upwards of $28,000!

So, without further ado...let's talk about the dress. 

For the most part, when it came to wedding planning, I was a pretty relaxed bride. Mostly because all the details of my wedding has been decided pre-engagment. When I left West Virginia to follow my then boyfriend to Seattle, I pretty much knew he was going to be the future Mrs. Danielle ;) so the mental planning started right away. 

The one thing that did stress me out was the wedding dress. I had an idea of the style I wanted, all lace, A-line gown, but since it's really, really lame to try on dresses before your engaged, that was the one detail I was waiting on the ring to pin down. Turns out, after I did get engaged, I only tried on wedding dresses twice. Twice. 

After shopping the first time with my mother-in-law, I found the all lace, A-line dress that I loved. Teeny, tiny problem though --it was way out of my budget! Desperate to find a knock-off dress similar to the lace one, I started searching e-bay and craigslist ads when I came across a never used dress on Craigslist from David's Bridal. The bride bought it, fell out of love with it, and now had two dresses on her hands and was selling this one for a steal! I thought it was timeless and beautiful. Sweetheart neckline, fit and flare, delicate diamond details, and a feminine bow in the back. 

I went to the nearest David's Bridal to try it on before I contacted the seller and I. fell. in. LOVE. Completely different from the style I originally thought I wanted, but beautiful, flattering, feminine --I knew it was the dress. 

I contacted the seller and snagged the gown for $250.  

The best part about it was that it was such a perfect fit no alterations were necessary other than making it a little shorter to fit my 5'1 frame. Alterations only added up to $50. So, all in all, my wedding dress cost me a total of $300! And if I had to choose all over again, I'd still pick this dress. That's how much I love it..

I LOVED my gown. 

All photos: Bridget Rochelle Photography

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