{wedding photos}

We have our wedding photos! I was so happy to have beautiful photography by Casper Hamlet and his wife Jess. Out of 1,500 photos, I was finally able to narrow them down to my favorites. It took me an entire afternoon, but I did it. Here are just a few of them...

 

 

 

 

 To see the rest, you can check out my facebook albums!

{Countdown}

I'm counting down the days until March 23rd, the official release date of the first Hunger Games movie. And it gets even better, because the release date for the Catching Fire movie, the 2nd book in the trilogy, has been announced for November 22, 2013. I also got the info on the cast:

Katniss Everdeen: Jennifer Lawrence (Raven/Mystique from X-Men: First Class)

Peeta Mellark: Josh Hutcherson (Laser from The Kids Are All Right)

Gale Hawthorne: Liam Hemsworth (hot guy from the terrible movie The Last Song)

Primrose Everdeen (probably my favorite character): Willow Shields

Effie Trinket: Elizabeth Banks

President Snow: Donald Sutherland

Cinna: Lenny Kravitz (weird right?)

Rue: Amandla Stenberg

Haymitch Abernathy: Woody Harrelson

Seneca Crane: Wes Bentley

Ceasar Flickerman: Stanley Tucci (love this actor)

Directed by Gary Ross

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

{Bon Iver}

Calgary.

Best artist. best album.

I literally listen to it all day long and I have yet to be sick of it. I don't think I ever will.

{JuJu Berry}

Guess who has a new froyo place? We do. Yes, Marion is moving up in the world with the healthy alternative to ice cream. Jordan and I have taken about eight or nine trips to JuJu Berry in the two weeks it has been open. And every night, it is packed out with people dying to get a bowl of the stuff. I have to say, it can be overwhelming your first time. I mean, there are just so many options. Thankfully I don't have to worry about deciding - I go with original tart every time.

look at those faces? Can't you just taste the joy? 

{My First Pie}

For our friend Hannah's return home after being sick with the mono, we threw a party. A party to celebrate her health and also an excuse for our group of friends to have a summer grill out with yummy food.

The breakdown of the meal: grilled chicken sandwiches, corn on the cob with honey butter, roasted veggies, pasta salad, lime chips and salsa, and juicy peaches. Beth and I organized the meal, Jordan and Cam handled the meat, and Han helped with the rest. Thankfully the girls live next door, so we had two kitchens and lots of space to work, including our great big porch for the boys to do the grilling business. 

My favorite part of the night was surprising Han with a blueberry pie. My first pie ever, and I think it turned out to be a success. Really, I was glad to finally get domestic and spend the entire day in the kitchen. It felt so good.

YUMMMMM.

{summer snacks}

 This week I have been inspired by food. I have made it my new goal to experiment and put a little more effort into what I make and put into my body. With this new mindset, I spent over three hours yesterday devouring my cooking binder, which is an amazing tool and work of art my Mother made for me as a wedding gift. She clipped articles on food tips, saved recipes from magazines and books, and then organized all of the hundreds of clippings into categories for me to refer to as I cook and learn more about food. I found great ideas for meals and new ways to use herbs and spices that I never knew existed. I had way too much fun, and it didn't stop there. 

After I finished with the binder, I moved on to blogs. Food blogs, video blogs about food, and websites that offer healthy and unique recipes. Next, I went to my cookbooks. After hours of this, I finally narrowed down our shopping list for the week with each meal planned as well as some new desserts to attempt. Wow. 

So today I started out with a few of my summer favorites. 

 1. Salsa. I have blogged about homemade salsa before, but I need to mention it again. This is what I crave all summer long, and I finally got to make it today. I use Roma tomatoes, green and red pepper, onion, garlic, salt, cilantro, and fresh lime. perfection.

 

 

2. My drink of choice in the hot months: crystal light lime margarita flavored lemonade mixed with cranberry pomegranate juice. I think I have already drank 3 glasses today.

3. Cheddar and horseradish cheese spread with wheat thins. Perfect for a mid-day snack. This one is a childhood favorite of mine. 

Food is good.

What is your favorite summer snack or recipe? I would love to have some more ideas to add to my collection.

{DIY Beauty}

 

summer salt scrub:

mix ingredients in order on label with the largest portion being sea salt, then top it off with coconut oil. Last, add about 30 orange drops and stir with a butter knife. Found on deliciously organized. 

  

All of these ingredients make a killer fask mask:

Apple+Honey+Oatmeal

Avocado+Honey

banana+Yogurt+Honey

Brown Sugar+Milk

Strawberries+Cream+Honey

Egg Yolk+Honey+Olive Oil

Oatmeal+Olive Oil

Cucumber+Yogurt+Strawberries+Honey

Blended Almonds+Honey+Egg White

Baking Soda+Water

Apricots+Milk

Lemon+Egg+Honey

(from planetgreen.com)