Our Engagement...

My engagement story is a very interesting one...

The story starts in July of 2008. Ryan and I decided to move in together. And Ryan also decided that it was time to buy me a ring. So, he started saving money and lots of it. The day after I signed our lease, sealing the deal.. I lost my job. Ouch.

So, here we are. 2 young people, with no furniture and no silverware and bare walls... trying to make ends meet. Needless to say, our one man salary at the time wasn’t enough to put much food in our fridge and Ryans savings account quickly dwindled to nothing.... and the ring plan was put on hold. In the mean time, I stumbled on a beautiful waterfront garden pavilion down the street from our condo, where I decided I wanted to get married one day.

I finally got an okay paying job that September. By October , our banking account was looking slightly stable again... and Ryans wheels starting spinning. The hunt for the ring began.

Thanksgiving 2008 was not a pleasant one for me. I had developed a wicked case of bronchitis, a sinus infection, and a touch of pneumonia. Hell did not begin to describe how sick I was. Thanksgiving was okay besides the forces being against me, and this is the day Ryan pulled my father into my parents backyard and asked for my hand in marriage.

The following day, Friday November 27th... Ryan and I worked a half day. When leaving for work that morning, I was severely disoriented and wishing I could crawl back in bed. My immune system was completely dissolved, and I was officially drained. Ryan wanted to take our camera with us that morning “I want to go by the wedding place after work, so we can take pictures to show my family.” It didn’t make sense, but I didn’t have the energy to question it.

After work, we went to my parents house to have Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch. Ryan was obnoxiously antsy the entire time, and I didn’t understand what his rush was. I ate slowly and took my time as I chatted with my parents, without stopping to notice that they were pretty antsy also.

On the drive home after lunch, I grew more and more tired... wanting nothing more than to take a hot shower and to crawl into my bed. But, Ryan insisted that we stop by this wedding spot to take pictures. I reluctantly agreed. He grabbed our camera, and we started walking toward the garden when a bunch of little old ladies started filing out of the building. “Honey! We cant take pictures with all these old ladies around! Lets come back some other day! Its cold, Im sick, I want my bed! Lets go!!! Please!!!” Ryans face fell as he got back into his truck. Our 2 minute drive back to our condo was quiet and awkward. Something was troubling this man. “Honey, are you okay? Why are you not talking? Whats wrong?”... his response?“Nothing”. Well, Fine then!

As soon as we got home, I went into our bedroom to pull out my comfy sweats... As far as I was concerned, my day was over and I was going to shower and get into bed. On my way to the bathroom, Ryan grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the room. He said he needed to talk. It went something like this:

Ryan: (While giving me a hug) “Will you marry me?”

Me: “Of course honey! We already talked about this”

Ryan: (pulling away to look at me, and reaching into his pocket) “No! Will your promise to love me forever?”

Me: “Oh my Gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! Youre asking me to marry you!?”

Ryan: (While opening a small black velvet box) “Will you marry me?”

Me: (Now completely throwing myself on him) “Yes, yes! Yesssss!!! Baby! YES! Oh my Gosh, YES! (crying, crying, sniffling, more crying)

This went on and on for about 15 minutes before I even had the nerve to look at the ring. And when I did see my gorgeous, amazing, sparkly ring just SMILING at me.. . it all began again. More crying, more oh my gosh’s!, more sniffling, and more crying.

Ryan’s first master plan? To propose to me at the wedding place of my dreams in the same exact place we were to share our vows. Im still in awe that he planned something so simply romantic and wonderful.

But whats better then that plan? The way it actually played out. Just me and the most amazing man in the world, in our condo where we shared so many struggles and tears and wonderfully happy times... Asking me to be his wife, the mother of his children, and his soul mate until God parts us.

I couldn’t have anticipated a greater proposal. Is it the kind of stuff you see in fairy tales? Nope. But its my fairy tale. And I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.

That night (forgetting about my sick, sad immune system) Ryan and I celebrated at my favorite restaurant, and then celebrated with our closest friends at my favorite watering hole.

And then we lived happily ever after!

... but thats not the end!

My wedding- Details.

On May 16th, 2009 I said the words "I do" to the man who would say them back, as we proclaimed our forever love for each other in front of our family, friends, and God.

Almost as exciting as the moment, was the excitement of planning our wedding. Picking colors, and fonts, and flowers, and details.. and too many ribbons? Swirly font? Music? Who should sit with who? Sit down dinner or buffet? White folding chairs or Chivari? Traditional? Who would give toasts? Best waterproof mascara? French Bustle?

Before all these questions, I already knew what I wanted to see on my wedding day. I wanted a room rich in color, but classic. I wanted the room to have clean dynamics, but warm and inviting at the same time. I wanted my guests to truly walk in, and feel the amount of love between my husband and I. I wanted everyone to understand what we were all about as a couple.

Im a sucker for vintage. And Glamour. And drama. And my husband found all 3 in my engagement ring. My engagement ring set the tone for my wedding day. Im in LOVE with my engagement ring... delicate, feminine, and stunning.

And thats exactly how I wanted my wedding day to be!

Brides Attire-

The Dress. Casablanca 1908 inspired hand beaded vintage damask lace gown. A line.

Classic satin kitten heels adorned with Swarovski crystals.

Vintage glamorous diamond drop earrings (My something borrowed from my husbands grandmother), and a diamond beaded bracelet  (My something old. Made from my Grandmothers rosary. She passed 4 years before I was born, and she is also my name sake)

Flowers-

What is more traditional and feminine and breath taking then roses? Known as the flower that truly means love, I knew I wanted roses to be my flower...

My bridesmaid bouquets were made up of different shades of pink roses and some ivory to add extra drama. The stems were hand wrapped in cornflower blue satin ribbon.

My bouquet was made up of 7 (yes, seven!) dozen roses. Hand wrapped with white satin ribbon and adorned in pearls.

My centerpeices were made up of amazing roses, set in silver bowls among tables dotted with rose petals.

My 4 tier wedding cake, was matched with 3 tiers of roses and topped with a mini bouquet.

Ceremony-

Handmade flower balls, tied with cornflower blue satin ribbon, hung from sheppard hooks leading up our aisle. Handmade by my wonderful mom.

Handmade Sandalwood fans on every ceremony seat helped guests survive the May heat during the ceremony. Each fan tied with pink ribbon and a tag reading "Thank you for sharing our special day! Ryan & Angela. May 16th, 2009"

Guests were given vintage inspired programs as they were seated.

Programs introduced our immediate family, wedding party, both readings, a brief story of how we met and our engagement, and the lyrics of our first dance song.

Our wedding took place under hundred year old oak trees, and the waters of the bay as a perfect back drop to tie in all the elements. Chivari chairs were used to keep up with the vintage feel.

Reception-

Vintage inspired alphabetical seating charts.

Keeping up with the vintage, table numbers.

Feasting table for the bridal party. Lace silverware, silver chargers (food was served on silver laced china), crisp white linens, silver chivari chairs, vases filled with glass stones and water hiding mini blue LED lights to add a contemporary feel. Centerpieces circled with rose petals.

LED centerpieces

Guest Table.

White chiffon draped the walls, lit with soft pink uplighting.

Favor boxes had each guests name inscribed on the handmade tags, used in place of name cards.

Personalized favor boxes filled with pink and silver wrapped Hershey kisses. Scroll announced a donation to St. Jude in honor of our wedding guests.

Bridal Party Attire-

Bold Chiffon tea length  Raspberry pink, and Cornflower blue dresses with satin white sashes..

Classic tuxes with silver vests and ties.

Blue and pink ribbons sewn onto our flower girls dress to tie in the colors of our wedding day.

The Cake-

Ryans Aunt Joanne, is not only a fabulous woman, but a wedding cake maker.

My cake was extremely important. I wanted a yummy buttercream cake. And I wanted it to be super pretty.. like fondant.

Stacked high, with each layer different.

And this is the masterpiece in all of its amazing glory!

Each layer is decorated with a different pattern. Bottom and middle layer is her secret recipe cake with chocolate frosting, and the middle and top layer is red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

Cake is sitting on a silver vintage cake stand.

And thats our wedding.

The most beautiful day of my entire life!

Gourmet Boxed Brownies

I have come to the conclusion, that brownies are hard. Brownies need a perfect balance of chocolate. They can’t be too cakey, because we don’t want a cake. And they can’t be too fudgy, because we don’t want fudge. They have to be the perfect combination of cakey, chocolate, fudgy goodness. Through my struggle with perfect homemade brownies, I decided on 1 thing. Brownies are better when they're from a box.

You heard right.

Upon this conclusion, I knew I had to make boxed brownies taste homemade, and not from a box. So... my experiment began. And ended in the same evening. And they are fabulous. So amazingly good. So wonderful, that I had to make 2 full batches in a weeks time so that everyone could get their fill of these brownies. I even had a friend that isn’t the "chocolate type" (I know! Who isnt the chocolate type!??) ask for more. And I watched as she ate every crumb, and then got seconds. And then thirds.

And the best part? They are so incredibly easy! So easy, that I didn’t even have time to document the process for all to see, so follow closely.. because you are about to learn the greatest brownie recipe ever. This recipe will have people falling in love with you, and begging for your hand in marriage. Trust me. My husband forgot we were married for a moment, and asked me to marry him again. And then I told him it was rude to talk with a mouth full of brownies.

First, start with a good brownies mix. I like the kind that has that little packet of chocolate fudge inside to stir into the brownie mix.

This is the mix I prefer.

Follow the recipe on the box, and pour mix into a 9x13 inch pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the following and mix well:

2 cups of powdered sugar

1 egg

1 8oz package of plain cream cheese

A splash of milk.

Once it has a very smooth consistency, add 2-3 handfuls of milk chocolate chips.

 (Or, you can over board, like me and use an entire bag)

Once the above has been mixed well, plop spoonfuls of the mixture on top of the raw brownies. Then, using a butter knife to swirl the mixture into the brownies. Keep swirling until there is a nice swirly design of chocolate and cream cheese.

Then bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Now here is the hard part.

When they are done, they are going to be soooo hard to resist. But, please... whatever you do, let them sit! This is important. Let them cool completely. Okay, okay... lets be honest. No one can wait that long. So, let them cool ALMOST completely.

Cut into squares, and send me love letters.

Because this will be a staple in your "go to" recipes.

Friends will flock from miles away, kids with share their toys with you, and marriage proposals will be made.

Make these for friends, and watch your popularity grow.

I'll bet my life on it.

Enjoy!

Easter cuteness

I realize this post is late. I dont have a good excuse for falling off the face of blogging Earth. I wish I could say last week was so super busy and eventful, and there was no way I could have blogged unless I had done so in my sleep, but again... thats not the case. Im not sure where last week went, but I still wanted to share my Easter Baskets with you.

Because they are too fabulous to NOT share (Yup, totally tooting my own horn here... )

But before I go on.. I have to admit something.

I lost my mind.

Ya, my mind is gone....

Mum cupcakes. Have you ever, in all your life seen something so insane?

What youre looking at is mini marshmallows cut diagonally, and then dipped into colored sugars. I then frosted a cupcake, and stuck the flat part of the marshmallow lightly onto the frosted cupcake, in 3 circles. I then filled the middle with mini chocolate chips.

And there you have it.

MUM CUPCAKES.

(Thats where my mind went, folks.)

As if that werent already crazy enough....

These.

Marble cake cupcakes with chocolate frosting and marshmallow mum flowers.

Pineapple cupcaked with whipped frosting and covered in green coconut and a yellow peep.

And Cookie dough cupcakes with chocolate frosting, piped creamcheese "grass" and a Reeses egg.

Also, a Rice Krispie butterfly treat, decorated in colored white chocolate,

and a cake truffle on a stick, decorated as a chick.

This is what Ive lost my mind to.

Homemade Easter baskets.

But, Im okay with that because they're really freakin cute.

And I love cuteness.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ill just put it out there right now.

"Southern food" aint my thing. Now, Im aware that I live in the "south"... ok, maybe not the South in the sense that I live in Georgia and talk with a cute little twang, but Florida is by all means... the south. My soul relies on country music for soothing, and in my single days, I loved to kick up my heels and do some good scoot bootin boogie. Ive seen a gazillion country concerts, and sometimes I make people laugh, because as non-country as I may look, I say a few words a little funny, even kinda twangish.

Anywho, Country food is not my thang. Ya, ya.. fried chicken and mashed potatos are pretty fabulous. But when I recieved the challange to a chicken pot pie.. I was floored. What in Gods name was I going to do?

Chicken and dumplings? Chicken Fried Steak? Collard Greens?

Umm.. what? Never in my life.

And a Chicken Pot Pie is no exception. My mama just didnt cook that kind of stuff when I was growing up.

But, I NEVER turn down a challange.
(Disclaimer- Yes, I do. But only if its going to make me look like an idiot or make me break a sweat)

Chicken Pot Pie.

What makes it a Chicken Pot Pie?

It was my quest to figure it out.

And my quest starts with this. Chicken. A whole freakin chicken. In a pot. Are we done yet? I mean.. its Chicken, a pot.. and oh crap. I guess that "pie" part is pretty important, huh?

1 whole fryer chicken. Stuck it in a big pot full of water, and brought that baby to a boil.

When the meat was cooked, I stuck it on a dinner plate so that it could cool. In the mean time, I made baked doughnuts. Ill get to that soon enough!

When the chicken was cooled, I pulled that sucker apart. From what I have found, having a nice mix of white and dark meat is ideal. I pulled the chicken apart until I was left with a heaping pile of meat, and a stack of bones.

I then cut the chicken up into bite size peices.

Then it was time for the veggies.

1 medium onion, diced.

3 carrots, peeled and diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

Melt some butter in a deep pot, and throw these veggies in there with a few handfuls of frozen peas.

Stir around until the onions start getting that clear look about 'em

Mmmmm!!

Next throw in your cut up chicken chunks, and mix in about 1/4 cup of flour to thicken up those veggie juices.

Stir until the flour is mixed in good, then stir in 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth and a splash of white wine.

Then add 1 cup of heavy cream

Oh, sweet Jesus!!

Now, its time for the spices!

3 tablespoons of Thyme, salt and pepper.

Mix that all up nice and good, and taste taste taste. Make sure its salted pretty good.

Pour the yumminess into a dish, and cover with pie crust.

Stick in the oven, ON a baking sheet. Just trust me. This thing leaked like crazy!

Make sure to cut slits into the top to allow the steam to come out.

And what we have here is a finished, super filling, wonderful,

CHICKEN POT PIE!!!!!

Im guessing that if you know and love Chicken Pot Pie, you will be able to see the yumminess of my final product.

Chicken Pot Pie is just one of those things, that just doesnt know how to sit still and smile pretty.

No matter how I couldve served it up, it was always going to look... well, messy.

But you Chicken Pot Pie lovers know the truth.

Mmmmm Mmmm mmmm... Southern goodness.

Ya'll come back now!!

Stupid Easter Egg Cake Truffles

Dear Readers,

I promise that everything I post in this blog will taste phenomenal. I refuse to post a recipe that doesn’t make me say "wow".

What I cant promise is that everything is going to be pretty. I will spend hours trying. But patience is not a virtue I was blessed with.

And this leaves me sitting here dumbfounded as I have just spent half my day making Cake Truffles. Now, I have made Cake Truffles before and they were amazing. And today’s were amazing too. They just weren’t pretty.

HOURS. HOURS. H O U R S. Spent on these "Cake truffle pops" as I have dubbed them. In the shape of Easter eggs. Covered in colored chocolate. And then decorated. What in God’s name was I thinking? As I write this, my kitchen table is a hurricane of melted chocolate, messed up cake pops, and madness.

But what’s even more annoying then all of this?

My failed cake pops.

They taste wonderful, but as I said before... patience is not my thing. And neither are things that make me concentrate too hard.

Ill give myself an A for effort though!

Beware- The following images are NOT pretty.

Are you impressed? Because I feel like these little eggs of non-cuteness have just slapped me, pushed me down to the ground, and then laughed in my face.

Stupid Easter Egg Cake Truffles.

I would yell a few explicates right now, if this wasn’t a "family friendly" blog.

&*^#&*^#*#(&!! (There!)

Now, if you want to see my inspiration, you can go here.

And if you want to check out the true cake pop queen, you can take yourself there.

I have failed you, my readers.

Please forgive me. Just this once. =)