weekend recap

So this weekend I made quite possibly the creepiest gift ever. It was a gift for our favorite about to be two-year old's birthday party. Don't judge. He grabbed an eye as soon as we walked in the door ;)

I had one of the best meals of my life with my family at Cumin. Besides the lovely company, the food was the bomb-diggity. Yeah, I said it. I had the most delicious lobster and finished it off with a gourmet root beer float. So good. If you're in the 'Nati and you haven't been, ya should!

Saturday I went to Amy Kirchen, an adorable boutique with even more adorable clothes, with my sister . And today we prepped for our garage sale we're having in a few weeks! Gettin' ready for another manic Monday. Hope yours is splendid!

wedding wednesday : sneak peek

Hey ya'll. So our save the dates went out yesterday! And while I got mine today (that's right, I sent myself one), I don't want to spoil it in case others haven't yet received it. So for now, just a sneaky peeky.

I haven't been the best at these Wedding Wednesday posts the past two weeks. You see, Chris and I started volunteering at a local no-kill dog shelter every Wednesday evening. Not the best timing on my part, but I. Will. Do. Bettahhhh. Anyway, looking to adopt a dog in the Cinci area? Check 'em out at Save the Animals Foundation. You'll fall in love. They're the best.

wedding wednesday : venue & decor

Our ceremony will be held at my childhood church in my hometown and our reception will be a half-hour away at the Taft Museum of Art. It's in downtown Cincinnati and has a beautiful, tented garden area where the reception will be held. 

I really want to create an enchanting, playful, comfortable vibe and I'm thinking some strand lights will really add to the ambiance, and hopefully distract from the metal bars of the structure. I've nearly ruled out the draping, thinking that the combo of the lights and the draping is a little too ... cheesy?? for me. Cheesy might not be the right word. It can be beautiful. Just not modern enough for me.

Now I just have to decide which lights to use: twinkle (Christmas light sized) or larger bulb-sized strands, or a combo. Then, how many to use and where exactly?

Any opinions out there? I'd LOVE (love, love, love) to hear 'em!

images: of the Taft are mine, then the lights: one, two, three, four

weekend recap

My sis and I refinished a couple tables. It was our first attempt, and they didn't turn out too shabby! We followed this tutorial on refreshing vintage wood from The Brick House.

I had lotsa cuddle time with the bestest.

I indulged a bit. My sister brought donuts over on Sunday morning, and I devoured some deep fried Oreos at a church festival on Friday. One of my favorites. Love 'em. P.S. I'm so awkward when I take photos by myself. Poor Chris had to take 4 pics just to get this one.

We went to visit and snap some pics of our reception venue. More to come on Wednesday! And we've begun a Sunday dinner tradition. This week we made Roasted Vegetable Baked Penne and Chicken Meatballs. I'm stuffed and ready for Monday!