Here are a few of my faves. Do you think I'm missing any??
Here are a few of my faves. Do you think I'm missing any??
 |
| Photo by: katdogs |
 |
I've been to countless bridal fairs as a bridesmaid, sister, friend, an event planner and now as a bride. The Lab Event was by far the best wedding event I've ever attended. The space, Cline Cellars, was stunning and I felt like we were at a wedding when we walked in and not some sort of sales convention or expo.
We were immersed in a world of creative and awe-inspiring vendors with everything from photography, food, fashion, to stationary and makeup. Everything was beautiful but laid-back in such a gorgeous setting! We ate, drank, and danced the night away.
I tip my veil to Erin Taylor of Bustle Events and the rest of The Lab team. It was an absolutely gorgeous event and I left feel inspired and amazed.
When I first heard about sous-vide I thought it was super awesome geeky science magic. Evenly cooked steaks, perfectly poached eggs, fall off the bone ribs. Seriously, what’s not to love? As it turns out sous-vide machines are crazy expensive and mostly used in professional kitchens. But I want perfect eggs and ribs too!
After a ton of research and stumbling across some DIY machines, we set out to build our own sous-vide! It’s actually surprisingly simple.
You’ll need:
- A crock-pot/slow cooker - we picked ours up on craiglist for 10 bucks.
- Vacuum sealer & bags
- A sous-vide temperature controller
For our first experiment we started pretty simple and made poached eggs. For this we didn’t need to vacuum seal since eggs already come in a sealed container (aka a shell). We set the eggs at a controlled 64 degrees C/147 F and let them hang out in their spa for about an hour. We got ready for work and our eggs were done with their hot tub party. We cracked them open and had perfectly poached eggs! Who knew science could be so yummy. Can’t wait for our next experiment!
"Choose your wedding music” is one item on every bride's to do list. Whether you're having a live band, DJ, or just an iPod, you need to pick your favorite songs for the big day.
Here are few key moments you may want to choose a specific song for:
Ceremony:
- Prelude
- Processional
- Recessional
- Postlude
- Any other special ceremony music
Reception:
- Wedding Party Intros
- First Dance
- Father/Daughter Dance
- Mother/Son
- Bouquet Toss
- Garter Toss
- Cake Cutting
- Last Dance
While choosing those special songs you love, remember to create a list of songs you DO NOT want played at your wedding. Think of those songs you can’t stand, you think are played out, anything that reminds you of your ex, anything that would kill the mood or offend grandma, and anything you just don’t want to be played. If you need a place to start or want a few ideas, here’s what’s on my Do Not Play list:
Do Not Play:
- Shout
- Macarena
- Single Ladies - Beyoncé
- White Wedding - Billy Idol
- Mony Mony - Billy Idol
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
- Love Shack - B52’s
- Chicken Dance
- YMCA
- Another One Bites the Dust
- Don’t Stop Believing - Journey
- Sweet Caroline
- The Electric Slide
- Total Eclipse of the Heart
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow - (any version)
- What a Wonderful World
- Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
- Hokey Pokey
- Cha Cha Slide - DJ Casper
- Celine Dion
- Shania Twain
- At Last - Etta James
- Every Breath You Take - The Police
- Nickelback
- Going to the Chapel
- Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
- Love & Marriage
- Celebration - Kool & The Gang
- We Are Family - Sister Sledge
- Hot in Herre - Nelly
- I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
- Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)- C+C Music Factory
What are some of your must plays and do not play songs?
 |
| Photo via the spotted fox. |
This month I am focusing on health and fitness. I started with getting my yearly checkup and going to the dentist. I used ZocDoc to find recommended doctors covered by my insurance and even booked my appointments online (and they have an iPhone app!). As for the fitness part I’m continuing to exercise with Bodylastics bands and liveevercise.com. It is the only workout routine I’ve stuck with longer than a couple weeks, so I’m not going try to fix what isn’t broken. I recently picked up a bike at a charity garage sale and I’ve started biking to work.
In February I’m going to work more on organization and de-cluttering my life. This is going to include everything from cleaning out my closet, keeping lists and even organizing my computer files. I’ll definitely use a lot more of my favorite app Wunderlist and I want to try 40 bags in 40 days.
Other areas I want to focus on over the year are budgeting/saving, reading more, starting a new hobby, hanging out with friends and continuing to surround myself with amazing and inspiring people. By tackling them and focusing on one a month I won’t overwhelm myself and I won’t try to do too much at once. I'll build on each month and slowly add more goals.
I’ve also created a GSD playlist on Spotify and a Pinterest board to help keep me motivated. What are some of your new goals? Any tricks or tips to staying on track?
 |
| Photo via flickr. |
Frozen, pre-made, store bought, take out, just add water, instant and re-heat were the only words in my cooking vocabulary. If you looked into my fridge you would have found only a pack of ketchup, cookie dough, soy milk and maybe some sliced prepackaged cheese. I could count the number of meals I had made on less than one hand. I just didn’t cook.
I never liked to admit I don’t, and can’t, cook. I was embarrassed because I naively thought everyone could cook and I was the one who couldn’t and even thought guys wouldn’t want to date me. I’m sure we’ve all heard “the way to man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Over the last year I’ve finally been assisting in the kitchen. I have successfully learned how to slice, dice, simmer and saute. Aside from accidentally purchasing crème fraîche ice cream instead of crème fraîche, I’d like to think I’m getting pretty good in the kitchen. I’ve only made a couple meals from scratch solo, but I’m finally starting to enjoy cooking.
I’ll admit I am lucky enough to have a major foodie/practically gourmet chef teaching me but I’ve been learning a ton from Jamie Oliver’s 20 Minute Meals iPhone App, The Food Network’s YouTube channel and from the lovely Miss Sharon Vaknin’s Flavor Craft:
Hopefully I’ll share more of my own cooking adventures soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
