From our home to yours...

....Merry Christmas!!!! 

Christmas is almost here and I thought I would share some pictures of our decorations in our new home! My fiance is living there right now until we get married, and I am so jealous that he gets to see them a lot more than I do!

Our real tree :)

Our stockings...and of course our little buddy Ralph has to have a stocking too!

Our countdown to Christmas!

I love our light-up presents!!

Our little moose friend I found at the Christmas show!

I love this wreath! I've been holding onto it for the past 3 years and finally have a home to hang it in!

This isn't very Christmas-y but it's *sparkly* :)

Black Bean Hummus Dip!

This past weekend, I was doing a little grocery shopping and decided that I wanted to try and make black bean hummus dip, which Ian and I have come to LOVE at a local pizza restaurant. BUT I had no recipe, and I had no clue what I would need...besides black beans. So while in the store, I quickly Googled black bean hummus dip on my phone and picked the first one I saw. I scrambled around the grocery store trying to get the remaining things on the grocery list in my head (oh the joys of a last minute grocery trip), and what my phone told me to get for the dip. Well naturally, when I get home I forgot to get the lemon juice and got minced onion instead of minced garlic...go figure. All hope was almost lost but then I just decided to wing it.  Now, normally, I am not one of those people that can throw stuff together and it taste like heaven...but that night it worked! I thought it tasted exactly like the restaurants and Ian thought it was way better...although he was probably just glad that I could cook a meal :) He even made me make it again on Sunday for a football game snack. So I'm going to share my recipe and hope you like it as much as we did!

You'll need:

• 1 can black beans- cooked - I chose the can of beans that said 'seasoned black beans' but I don't know that it made that big of a difference
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• A sprinkle of salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of salsa

Blend together in a food processor until smooth. Warm dip in microwave for about 1-2 minutes. Serve with pita bread, tortilla chips, pita chips, anything really :) I don't have a picture...it was eaten up too fast!

Happy Cooking!

My Best Friend's Wedding!

I just found this post that I forgot to post...oops!

I'm a little late posting pictures but on June 18th one of my best friends since Kindergarten, Cortney, got married at Kure Beach, NC. She was a BEAUTIFUL bride and it was a perfect day for a wedding at the beach. She was a fabulous DIY Bride and most of her projects and some tutorials are posted on her blog.  Check it out here.

So beautiful!

Me, Cortney, and the cute prego Heather (about 6 months here I think)

 

It's been awhile...

So many things have happened since my last post! I'm going to hit the highlights and I promise I will start posting on a more regular basis!

We got our engagement pictures back from Jere and Ashley Dotten and we love them!

Here are a few of our favorites!

Getting married 5-19 :)

Packers fans!

 

My Sister's Prom :)

Things have been so busy lately, I haven't had a chance to post anything. So to catch up a little, these are pictures from my *beautiful* sister's prom! Love you sis!

Emily and Aaron

Molly :)

Sparkly shoe clips I made to match her dress!

Beautiful!

Sweet baby :)

Love my Granny!

Sisterly Love

This past week, my sister was recognized at the Board of Education meeting for being a NC Teaching Fellow. Just thought I'd devote this post to you Sis and let you know how proud I am of you! You are going to be an amazing teacher!!

Fun-filled weekend :)

This weekend has been packed full of {fun} and I haven't had a chance to post until today. So here it goes...

Friday - 4:30am: Yes, I woke up for the Royal Wedding :) and I DVR'd it (which I did get laughed at for doing both). The DVR was set as a back-up in case my body decided sleep was waaay more important. But I ended up getting up and watching it :) and I have to say, it didn't disappoint. I thought her much anticipated dress was very elegant, stylish, and classy. I also loved looking at all of the lady's hats...although some were very different.  I think these hats/outfits have been the most talked about of all of them...

 

{Source} 

Friday evening: I'm so lucky to have friends that I have been best friends with since kindergarten.  Growing up Heather, Cortney, Staci and myself were inseparable. We've all grown up now and are either married or getting married soon.  Staci and her husband Mark live in Illinois and just had a precious baby boy six weeks ago.  Staci and Baby James made a trip to North Carolina to see family and friends.  Friday evening, Heather, Cortney and myself all got together at Staci's parents' house to see Baby James.  He is so precious!!!

Us at her baby shower in December :)

Me holding Baby J

Mommy and baby :)

Sound asleep :)

Heather (another mommy-to-be) and James

Cortney holding Baby J

Second diaper change of the night...the first was PRICELESS!!

Finally got a picture of him smiling :)

Sunday: Ian and I headed up to Asheville to have our engagement pictures taken at the Biltmore Estate.  Jere and Ashley Dotten were our photographers and they did an amazing job! It was a beautiful day...not too hot and there was a nice breeze.  We had a fantastic time and can't wait to see the pictures!

I took this picture on my phone before we left...it's a little blurry, but its still a beautiful place!