We've Been Published!!!

Today I am elated! Our wedding was just published on the Style Me Pretty, California Wedding Blog! I literally couldn't be more excited to see our beautiful, magical day plastered all over one of my favorite blogs!

OMG!!!!

Major props to ALL of our awesome vendors and amazing friends and family! Without you, this day would never have come to life the way it did! Thank you!


Wedding Photography: Emily Faulknor Photographers / Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal + Prevue Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Nina + All-Star & Airwalk / Caterer: Bekker’s West Coast / Cupcakes: Babycakes / Bartender: RG Bar / Makeup: Denise Baker / Wedding Design + Planning: The Bride (Love, Life and Decorating) / Officiant: Andy McCuen of All Heart Weddings / Furniture Rentals: Allie’s Party Rentals / Wedding Venue: Leo Carrillo Ranch

Interior Texture

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! What did you all do for the holiday? We had a nice dinner out with a few friends and then I Friday I cooked an awesome turkey roast with all the fixings. It all turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

In the last year I haven't had a lot of time to focus on interiors, but that doesn't mean I haven't been looking and loving and drooling! I've got many more wedding planning tips coming up soon, but for today, here's a little taste of some beautiful spaces that I'm loving.

Can't wait to have a cute little girl to create a totally chic bedroom for!

I'm in love with every detail of this room. Not a thing I would change.

One word: TEXTURE! I want a brick wall!

I'm pretty sure any pup would be envious of this super-hip dog bed.

Asian-inspired details in an all white bathroom feels so serene.

Don't know about you, but I want a stenciled floor! Holy cow, so cute!

L-O-V-E. Enough said.

Trashy Table to Chic Cupcake Tower

One thing I was really excited about was incorporating unique furniture items into our wedding decor. I got my heart set on having a tray table as a stand for our cupcakes. I wasn't thrilled with the cupcake stands that you could rent from the bakers, so I began to hunt!

I found several beautiful, shabby chic tray tables that would have been perfect for what I had in mind, but trying to keep within a tight budget, I really couldn't afford to buy one already finished.

So, just as I was starting to feel a little defeated, we came across this dirty, little lamp table in a local thrift store called Pat's Corner. Kevin must've thought I was crazy when I declared how perfect it was!

Before

For $25, $10 for the table, plus another $15 for them to remove the lamp, plug the hole and paint it, we had an adorably-chic little tray table hold our cupcakes. It was totally perfect!

After

Look how sweet it looked up on top of our dessert bar all covered in minis!

*photo by Emily Faulknor Photography

Skillet Lasagna

Okay, so I guess I took a slightly longer break than I had planned, but the honeymoon was just so much fun and so relaxing that it's taken me a little longer to get back into my groove! Can you blame me though? I mean look where I was:

Alright so, back to blogging! One of my very favorite meals is lasagna, but let's face it who has the time to make lasagna during the week? So I was stoked when I found this awesome recipe for Skillet Lasagna in a Pampered Chef cookbook called "29 Minutes to Dinner". I love this book because everything is super easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make. It's great!

As I commonly do, I've tweaked the recipe a bit to be my own, but it's delicious and easy anyway you choose to make it! (My version is a great way to sneak extra veggies into your kid's diet without them ever knowing it!)


Ingredients:
(From the cookbook:)
1 jar marinara sauce
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb hot Italian turkey sausage or sausage links (casings removed)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper


(From my kitchen:)
Substitute turkey sausage for lean ground turkey, regular noodles for wheat and whole Ricotta for low or non-fat.
2-3 cups Chopped veggies of your choice - onion, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and squash all work well.
3/4 cup frozen corn.

How to make it:
In a large skillet, brown ground turkey or sausage (I flavor the ground turkey with dried oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper.) Drain as needed.
Add in garlic and veggies and cook for about 2 mins.

Break up lasagna noodles into pieces and layer into skillet with meat and veggies.
Add 1 jar sauce and water.
Stir and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a steady simmer, cover and let cook for about 20 mins.

When noodles are soft, spoon in Ricotta and stir in Mozarella cheese and frozen corn.
Let cook for another 3 or so minutes, turn heat off and let sit for about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with garlic toast or a side of roasted asparagus.

Enjoy this delicious, fast and healthy comfort dish any day of the week!