Anniversary trip to Cali - Part II

We woke up on our second day in San Diego and made the decision we wanted to stay another night. Our original plan was to drive back up to Anaheim and beach hop up the PCH. We had such a good time our first day in San Diego, we wanted to enjoy another day/night in the city.

My little sister decided to join us too, so she hopped on the train from Anaheim to San Diego and got to the city around 1 p.m. -- just in time for lunch.

Being so close to Mexico, we knew we needed to try some Mexican cuisine, so we dropped off her bags at the hotel and then headed down Fifth Avenue in search of a Mexican eatery with a patio. With the help of my trusty iPhone and 3G, I found a great little restaurant called La Fiesta.

It was after the lunchtime rush yet too early for the happy hour crowd, so we easily scored a table on the patio for people-watching. And there was a ton of action on the strip Saturday afternoon.

       Sisters! And check out my huge $3 margarita! Late lunch = happy hour prices on drinks!

But back to the food.

Our lunch was awe-some.

Clockwise from top left: skirt steak tacos; chicken torta; FREE flan for my first check-in on Twitter and crab empanadas with mango salsa.

After lunch, we grabbed a cab to head back to Balboa Park so my sister could see all the amazing gardens and meet the cockatoo that bit my finger the day before.

And here is Balboa Park in pictures.

This was not the bird that bit my finger. I refused to acknowledge that flesh-wounding creature.

After walking around the park for several hours, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We ended the night at The Beer Co. and sampled their craft beers while we watched Game 7 of the Lakers vs. Nuggets series. It was another great day with beautiful weather and plenty to do in San Diego.

Anniversary trip to Cali

It's official!

I've been married for one year!!

For our anniversary, we decided to take a short trip to California to visit my family and to spend a few days in the magical city also known as San Diego.

San Diego is a city that has been on Adam's bucket list for quite some time now. His favorite brewery, Stone Brewing Co., is located in Escondido, just a few miles outside San Diego, so we decided that a day trip to the brewery was a must and made plans to stop by the Brewery for lunch and the brew tour on Friday.

We showed up just before it opened and sat in the parking lot a bit perplexed. The exterior of the brewery and bistro is very nondescript and there are no signs that indicate you are at the right place.

              See what I mean? Very nondescript ... except for the address in the upper left.

Once inside, it was a different story. Holy, wow. Stone is definitely the most impressive brewery I've ever visited. From the indoor bistro to the patio and gardens ... this place is absolutely ah-mazing. We ended up spending nearly six hours there, which sort of derailed our plans for the rest of the evening.

     The gardens behind the brewery. We've decided we will renew our vows here one day. One day ...

The tour ended with four fantastic samples, which I happily passed over to Adam to finish since I was the designated driver for the rest of the afternoon (which really just meant I was in charge of getting us to the hotel).

We arrived in downtown San Diego after 5 p.m. and checked into our hotel, which was located just a couple short blocks from the Gaslamp District. The district is just a long strip of restaurants, bars and shopping and has anything and everything for anyone.

We quickly freshened up and caught a bus to Balboa Park. By the time we hit the huge park of awesome, the sun was setting and we did a very quick tour of the gardens before heading back to our hotel. During our quick tour, I was bit by a cockatoo, but I'll save that story for the next blog post. I still have a visible flesh wound from the bird's sharp beak.

I was craving seafood and after doing some quick research online, I found a quaint seafood restaurant with great reviews. Escape Fish Bar is tiny, but the food, beer selection and service are fantastic. I have a huge crush on this restaurant and would suggest it to anyone visiting downtown San Diego.

Clockwise from top left: Sign indicating the specials and local fish; yummy oysters; chipotle coconut milk seafood chowder with Alaskan white fish on top; and the evening special, grilled swordfish

Apologies for the quality of the photos from the restaurant. I only had my iPhone and the place was pretty dimly lit.

It was a late dinner (we didn't hit the strip until past 8 p.m.), so by the time we were done eating, I was pretty pooped from the day's events. We headed back to the hotel and I was out by 10 p.m. But in my defense, I was still operating on East Coast time, so it was really 1 a.m. See? I still know how to party.

Retro rewind

I rarely purchase new songs on iTunes and usually just peruse the $.69 selections, however, the clearance song section hardly updates its selections. I guess that's what I get for trying to save a few bucks on music.

We're leaving for Cali in a few days and I wanted to be prepared with groovy tunes to entertain us during the flight and layovers. Luckily, I found some really good jams to upload to my iPod Nano and iPhone.

I came across this old tune in their "Prom Hits" section. It's only a couple years old, but I think I can still justify calling it retro.

Enjoy listening!!

Mail samples

I've written about things that brighten up my day.

Another one that I can add to the list is free mail samples!

I received a (very) small package from Target the other day. Excited that something in a box and not in an envelope arrived in my mailbox, I ripped open the packaging to find this cute bag inside.

Now, I don't want you to think Target sent this to me all on their own. Target had a promotion where they solicited Facebook likes for their fan page in return for a beauty bag. Being an avid FB user and an avid fan of anything free, I immediately clicked "like" and gave them all the info they needed.

The bag itself is pretty small and will be perfect to stash inside my work bag or larger purse for touch-up makeup items. I'm actually thinking about using it for my short trip to California next week. Adam and I both decided to each bring a carry-on bag instead of sharing a larger suitcase and checking it. Carry-on = smaller beauty products and three-ounce liquid items.

One of my favorite makeup products is makeup removing wipes. Whenever I travel, I always bring a stash of Pond's cleansing towelettes. When I get home late at night, I don't have to think (or put in the effort) to wash my face. I remove a towelette, wipe my face and then pass out. Easy, no fuss. I was pumped to find a sample of Simple Skin Care wipes inside my bag. I'm not really brand specific when it comes to skincare, so I'm excited to try out this new brand during my vacay.

The other samples inside my beauty bag: Pantene Color Preserve Shine Conditioner, Nivea Extended Moisture Daily Lotion, Neutrogena Visibly Bright Daily Facial Cleanser and L'Oreal Paris Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer.

I've never used primer underneath my makeup before, although I think my makeup artist may have applied some on my wedding day. Lotion, face wash and conditioner? I know I'll use all that up in no time.

Do you sign up to receive free samples in the mail?

Road trip for furniture

We really need an IKEA here in Cleveland.

Although, if there was one locally, I would probably spend A LOT of money there on a weekly/monthly basis.

Two weeks ago, we decided to roadtrip it to Pittsburgh to hit up the ever-popular home store. Adam and I drove the Jeep since our friends JP and KT own much smaller vehicles. I made a list of items I wanted to pick up, which included cabinets for the new spare bathroom, bathroom accessories, bedroom accessories and a few kitchen items.

Well, we did pick up everything on our list ... along with a new bedroom set for our spare bedroom!

We did end up saving a ton of money on buying things there, which really are good quality pieces. For example, for our spare bedroom, we picked up a new headboard ($199), a three drawer dresser ($149) and a nightstand ($59). For nearly $400, we were able to easily decorate our new spare bedroom!

A shot of the new headboard and nightstand. I was still working on the three-drawer dresser when I snapped this pic.

For the bathroom, we found a high cabinet in a brown-black color that (almost) identically matches the color of our sink and mirror! We ended up buying two cabinets to fill out the bathroom wall. Each cabinet was $99. Adam looked at other cabinets online and the cheapest one he found that he liked were well over $300.

And I was itching to change up our own bedroom with a new duvet. My well-behaved pup chewed up a corner of our old duvet, so I was on the hunt for a new one. I bought the comforter and cover for just $25! You can't beat that price.

                                 Rigby and Sadie loooove the new comforter and duvet set.

When we got to IKEA, we kind of had an idea of what JP and KT wanted to buy, and we figured we could easily fit everything into the Jeep. Well, we all bought what we originally planned to buy before getting to IKEA ... and then some more.

Posted on Instagram: "How the eff are we getting all this stuff home??" #ikeashoppingproblems

Thankfully, we were able to fit everything inside ... I just ended up balancing several boxes on my right shoulder. I wasn't the only one uncomfortable -- JP and KT had box corners jabbing them in their sides and Adam had his seat pushed up as far as possible.

It was worth it for all the savings though!

Do you schedule trips to IKEA in Pittsburgh? Have you ever overpurchased items for your home?

DIY bathroom remodel

Three years ago, Adam and I purchased our very first home.

It's an oversized bungalow built in the 1950s with three bedrooms, two baths and a half bath.

My mom calls it our "gingerbread house."

When we bought the house, the previous owners made a few updates to the house including a new extension on the back of the house for a new living room and master bedroom. With the new extension, the rest of the house looked a bit outdated, especially our spare bathroom on the main floor.

The spare bathroom was made up of salmon-colored tile, an outdated wooden vanity and cabinets and we knew all of it needed. to. go. (Sorry guys, but I can't seem to find a photo of our original, pink, 1950s bathroom).

We made the decision to gut the bathroom and take on the remodel project ourselves this past Christmas. With the help of our amazing friend Jeff, Project Bathroom Redo is nearly finished.

 Top left: Gutting the bathroom, taking it down to the studs; Top right: Gutted, cleaned and new studs in place; Bottom left: New shower bin and drywall installed; Bottom right: Drywall seams done and sanded.

Top left: Painting the bathroom; Top right: Installing natural slate flooring; Bottom left: 1x1 tiles installed in the shower bin and half of the porcelain tiles installed on the wall; Bottom right: Lighting and sink installed.

As of now, we need to finish grouting the shower and sealing it one more time. We also have two small sections of wall left to tile in the shower. Once that's complete, everything else will be easy peasy including installing a new door (we cut a new doorway when we gutted and extended the bathroom), adding trim to the floor and the window and installing a new toilet.


Today I spent nearly three hours grouting the remainder of the bathroom floor and starting on the shower floor.

Grouting is not fun.

It's tedious and really messy.

                                                  Aren't those grout lines gorgeous??

Although a lot of sweat and tears have gone into this remodel, it's also been very gratifying to have a hand in everything that has gone into this project. And I mean everything.

In just a few short weeks, our bathroom will be done and we can finally put our house back together and invite friends over to use our new, fancy powder room.

Have you or are you working on a DIY project?

Bridesmaid dresses, workout and post-run grub

I am loving this weather in Cleveland!

High 70s and cloudless skies? I'll take it!

On Sunday, I headed to Strongsville to try on bridesmaid dresses with several other lovely ladies in preparation for Angela's fall wedding.

I was able to narrow it down to three styles, although I think I know which dress I'm going to order. Angela is such an accommodating bride and is allowing everyone in the bridal party to choose their own dress style.

Here are the three styles I am currently entertaining:

  Which one do I go with?? (BTW: The top two dresses are the same. I tried it on with and w/o a sash)

I love all these dresses for different reasons, however, one dress has a slight edge.

Since the weather has been so amazingly awesome, I've been trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I called my friend Crane to see if he was interested in helping me walk my dogs on Tuesday. Lucky for me, he was willing to help me walk my crazy pup Rigby and my perfect angel Sadie. I have a hard time walking both dogs since Rigby acts so wild on walks, so I was grateful to have somewhere there to take over the leash. We did a two-mile loop in my neighborhood under the scorching sun and wore the pups out quick.

After our walk, I met Adam and my friend Stef at the gym. I don't know if the hot temps had anything to do with it, but I was a sweaty mess on the treadmill! The gym did have the doors open and the air-conditioning on at the same time, so that may have had a part in it. After the walk and the gym, I covered nearly five miles. Not a bad Tuesday if I do say so myself.

We were in the mood for some patio sitting, so we all decided to head to Plank Road Tavern for $5 burgers and beer.

Plank Road's patio is tucked behind the bar and is pretty much just a large concrete slab with picnic tables and a few high-top tables with barstools. I'm sure they weren't expecting such beautiful weather this early in the season and may do more with the patio in the near future.

Anyway, we all ordered burgers and added our own toppings to them. You can choose your own patty (beef, chicken, chicken breast, chorizo) and build-your-own burger by choosing the bun, cheese and dozens of toppings. Cheese and toppings are $.25 each, but since the burger comes with lettuce and tomato already, that's still a pretty great deal. I opted for the chicken burger with smoked fontina and garlic mayo. The chicken burger is supposed to mimic a chicken Caesar salad, but on this visit, I didn't think it tasted anything like a Caesar salad, especially since there were chopped black olives mixed into my patty. It didn't bother me since I love olives, but I've had this burger before and really enjoyed the Caesar spices in the meat.

Adam ordered his typical chorizo and fried egg combo and was more than satisfied with it. Stef also ordered the chicken burger with caramelized onions and Lou ordered a regular burger with avocado and bleu cheese slaw.

                                                      How delicious do these look?!?!

Since Plank Road is located right next door to Dairy Queen, I had to pop in for dessert. Adam and I ended up ordering Blizzards and the second one was just $.99! I couldn't finish my entire Oreo mint blizzard, so I ended up freezing the rest of it. But don't you worry ... it'll be gobbled up tonight, for sure!

Late birthday love and St. Patty's Day

Although my birthday was last week, I was able to drag it out for several days with friends who missed my party or wanted to celebrate one-on-one with their favorite gal pal.

On Thursday, my former coworker and super friend Crane took me out to lunch at Burntwood Tavern in Rocky River.

Burntwood Tavern replaced the old Rocky River Pub late last year. The Pub was British-themed and the place was pretty dimly lit and the food was sub par. Walking into Burntwood, I immediately noticed how much brighter and open the place looked. It already surpassed the old spot in my mind.

There were a lot of yummy options on the menu including the flash-fried zucchini frites ($6), tavern dip ($11) and the chicken Philly ($9). I decided to go with the salmon BLT -- planked salmon, bacon, lettuce, tomato and smoked tomato aioli in a wheat tortilla ($11).

The wrap was exactly what I expected. The salmon was perfectly cooked, the bacon was crisp and the tomato aioli gave the wrap some delicious added flavor.

                                                       
                                                           Burntwood's salmon BLT

Since Thursday was an extraordinarily beautiful day, we decided to hit up nearby Mitchell's for dessert. After skimming the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted -- the toasted pistachio in a sugar cone. Crane opted for the tiramisu in a waffle cone and we took our treats outside to enjoy the weather.

My ice cream was melting faster than I could eat it, so I had to get a bowl to save my drippings!

Later that day, I met Angela for dinner at Bac. Unfortunately, the patio wasn't open, but we scored a table near the front door, which was open, and the fresh air circulated throughout the bar area.

I started the evening with my usual drink, the 17th Parallel -- vodka, cucumber water, Vietnamese herb syrup and lemon juice ($6 during happy hour). I swear, Bac makes some of the best mixed drinks in the city! And the drink menu is always featuring new seasonal beverages. I can't wait to see what they have in store for the spring!

I normally order the soups and stews at Bac, but since it was so warm out, I wanted something lighter. I ended up getting the kim chi noodles with chicken -- potato noodles stir-fried with spicy kim chi cabbage, snow peas, red bell pepper, onion, roasted sesame seeds and scallions ($13). I love the texture of the noodles in this dish along with the amount of veggies they use.

        Look how colorful the dish is! I ordered it medium spicy, but could've gone even spicier.

On Friday night, we went and picked up a new propane tank for our first grill session of the season. Since reading news reports about pink slime mixed in grocery store ground beef, I've been a bit hesitant in buying ground chuck. We substituted ground turkey in place of beef and made turkey burgers with fried potatoes and asparagus. Holy yum. I think turkey burgers are my go-to burgers from here on out. The patties turned out so fluffy and moist and the sides were perfect complements to the burgers. I was so enamored by our meal, I forgot to take photos of the amazing turkey burgers. Sorry guys.

On Saturday, Adam and I woke up fairly early to get ready for St. Patty's Day. For my birthday, my dear friend Flood bought me a St. Patty's Day Hello Kitty T-shirt, so I already had my outfit planned for the day. We had plans to hang out with friends in Ohio City at a friend's house. Our friends have a fantastic house right off of W. 25th, so we spent much of the morning/early afternoon drinking on their patio and soaking in the sun.

                               Our host and hostess' Great Dane sunbathing on their patio.

After imbibing on Bloody Mary's, Guinness, cider and more, we all agreed food was needed and we walked down to Market Garden Brewery. There was a good crowd at MGB, but it wasn't overly crowded, which was nice. After an hour wait, we finally got a table for our group of 10.

I had my heart set on eating corned beef, so I ordered the corned beef sandwich ($12) while Adam got the currywurst -- traditional German sausage served with curried tomato sauce over seasoned fries.

The corned beef sandwich was pretty disappointing. Although the flavor was there, the corned beef itself was thick, tough and very chewy. The currywurst was the highlight of the meal. The sausage was tender and full of flavor and the curried tomato sauce was perfect with the sausage.

       Market Garden Brewery on St. Patty's Day. Not overly crowded, yet still a fun bunch.

Our day ended with drinks and ping pong at ABC Tavern (where I spent my 30th just the weekend before) and more drinks and the Indiana-VCU game back at our friend's house. After 10 hours of celebrating St. Patty's Day, Adam and I called it a night and headed back home.

It was a fun, relaxing day with great friends and fantastic weather.

Hope you had a fantastic weekend too!

New member of the Dirty 30

Well, it's official.

I'm now three decades old.

And I don't feel any different!

My birthday was Friday and Adam decided to take a half day from work to spend the day with me. He made dinner reservations at The Melting Pot and we were able to fit in one quick game of bowling before heading to dinner.

We've never been to The Melting Pot and I was excited to try the fondue restaurant. If you've never dined at a Melting Pot restie, be prepared to clear out your schedule for at least two to three hours. Our reservation was for 7:30 p.m. and we didn't leave the restaurant until 10:30 p.m.

We decided to go with the Big Night Out option that included four courses (cheese fondue app, wedge salad, entree and dessert).

Clockwise from top left: Adam showing off our cheesy app complete with Granny Smith apples, veggies and bread for dipping; wedge salad; lobster tail, sirloin steak, shrimp, mushroom-stuffed pasta, pork and chicken as our main entree; our fondue to cook the meats.

The cheese appetizer was fantastic. We ended up adding additional jalapenos to spice it up and our server brought out extra bacon crumbles after I professed my love for the salty goodness. My favorite part of the entree was definitely the lobster tail, but I had no complaints with the other meats. From the chicken to the steak, everything was tender and juicy.

We ended our meal with the banana fosters dessert. I'm not much of a sweets person, but the white chocolate fondue exceeded my expectations. I figured it would be too sweet, but it turned out to be the right balance of sweet for me.

We had strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, red velvet cake, rice krispie treats and marshmallows to dip in our fondue.

Saturday night was the big 3-0 celebration. Adam organized an intimate dinner for 12 at my favorite Cleveland eatery -- Sokolowski's University Inn. I never venture outside of my top meal there, so I had stuffed cabbage with pierogies for the second time in one week. After dinner, we headed to ABC Tavern in Ohio City where I, along with roughly 60 of my closest friends, celebrated the Dirty. Sadly, I didn't get as many photos from the night as I would've liked, but here are a few of my favorites with some of my favorite people.

Clockwise from top left: Me, Moe, Carrie, Jen and Caitlin; me and NYC resident Tullster making a surprise visit for my b-day; Handman, Tullster, pretty Tyler, Brittany and Phil; Tye, me and Chicago resident Magill making a somewhat surprise visit for my b-day.

After this celebration, I can honestly say I'm in love with ABC Tavern. The staff was wonderful Saturday night and the bar was PACKED. Both downstairs and upstairs. But that didn't stop the staff from being super accommodating to our private party upstairs.

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with me!

Last day as a 20-something

So I have one more day to call myself a 20-something.

It's been a wonderful ride. So many great things have happened in my 20s and now I'm excited to see what's in store for the next decade.

I'm excited to celebrate on Saturday with my closest friends in Ohio City. It's the one day a year I get to be selfish and have it be all about me!

Update: Let's hope my first full day as a 30-something ends like this.

 

Small things that make me smile ...

There are a ton of tiny things that make me smile on a daily basis.

*Cuddles with my dogs.

*Unexpected phone calls from friends.

*Completing a pass during intramural football.

 *Free samples at the grocery store.

Annnnnnnd ...

*Super sale items!!

I got this cute sleeveless top from The Gap for $8! I also bought a pair of Gap 1969 super lightweight skinny boot jeans in gray for $10! Sorry I don't have a photo of the jeans. I immediately ripped off the tags and wore them out the night I bought them.

Knowing I saved money on quality clothes makes me grin from ear to ear.

What small things make you smile?

My Leather, My Fur, My Nails

So I was introduced to this song today and I am absolutely loving it!

It's so catchy and fun and the video is bizarre and hilarious at the same time. If you like techno or electronica, I'm sure you'll love this too!

                                            Stepdad - My Leather, My Fur, My Nails

Happy Thursday everyone. I hope this leads into a fun and happy Friday for you!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know people either love or hate this holiday. I'm indifferent. I don't expect anything extravagant, but I also don't mind receiving cards, candy and gifts!

This year, Adam asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted a surf and turf dinner at home. So we hit up the grocery store over the weekend to pick out our meal.

We came across this cute pre-boxed option in the meat department.

                                        
                                                     Surf and turf dinner for two.

But then we found a better deal on steaks, so we purchased three cuts of ribeye and two lobster tails for about the same price as the pre-boxed option.

We celebrated Saturday night and the weather was not ideal for grilling, but Adam made it work and grilled our steaks and lobsters tails from the comfort of our garage. He also prepared green beans and fried potatoes for our sides. 

                                       
                                         Steaks + seafood = Valentine's meal perfection

After dinner, we enjoyed fro-yo from Menchies -- my absolute favorite! I was so excited when this place opened up just down the street from our house. I absolutely love Yogurtland, but the only time I get to enjoy it is when I visit my family in California. Menchies is the closest thing to Yogurtland and I'm not complaining. It's also delicious.

And to top off our V-Day celebration, Adam just surprised me with one more gift ...

                                                           
                                                               Hello Kitty Cupid!

My friends (and family) know I sorta have an obsession with Hello Kitty. I'm a dork, I know.

Noodlecat happy hour

I've been wanting to hit up Noodlecat's happy hour for quite some time now and finally had the chance Tuesday afternoon.

I met my friend Brandi for some afternoon eats and conversation since we haven't seen each other in a couple months.

To fill you in, Noodlecat's happy hour runs from 3-7 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and all day on Sunday. Specials are $1 Black Label cans, $2 steam buns, $3 draft beer,  $4 house cocktails, $5 half portion noodles, $6 bottles of Hakushika sake and $.70 wings.

We started off ordering the same steam bun ...

                                                               BBQ pork belly -- $2

Holy cow this was amazing. I love pork belly so much we served it at our wedding! I'm actually still thinking about how delicious this was and plan on heading back and ordering several of these yummy buns.

Next up, we ordered the half portion of noodles. Brandi went with the Takahashi ramen (garlic pork broth, shredded Ohio pork, dashi, sesame seeds, nori, crispy garlic and scallions). Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of Brandi's bowl.

I went with the spicy octopus stir fry udon (baby octopus, carrots, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts in a sesame chili paste).

                                                      Spicy octopus stir fry udon -- $5

My udon wasn't as spicy as I'd like, but it was tasty and a good deal for $5.

Next time you're downtown looking for a new place to hit up for happy hour, give Noodlecat a shot. I'm planning another happy hour soon with the hubster to try the wings and other steam bun options. Plus, I love cheap beer! You can't beat $1 afternoon beer!

Preparing for back-to-back weddings

Look at what I received in the mail last week!

A handmade invitation asking me if I would be a part of the lovely Angela's wedding! (My answer was "Duh!")

This year I will be a bridesmaid in two weddings that are just two weeks apart!

My bestie Casey lives in Virginia and she got engaged just a few days after Christmas. Casey and her fiance decided to have the wedding this October and they are nearly finished with their planning! There are only a few minor things left to do, including picking out bridesmaid dresses that will flatter every one in the wedding party.

Two weeks after Casey's big day in Virginia, I will be celebrating Angela's special day in Cleveland. We are in the midst of picking out bridesmaid dresses and Angela has decided to let the bridal party choose whatever style dress each girl wants to wear. (Yes!)

So here is the style that I really like ...

                  Short cotton sateen spaghetti strap dress in sangria at David's Bridal.

And the best part is the dress is only $60! The bride plans on discussing a few things with her sister and maid of honor before giving me the green light to purchase, but I'm really excited to find such a cute dress for such a great deal! Especially since the bride approves!

I'm looking forward to seeing my besties get married later this year. And, for the fun of it, here is one of my favorite photos of me and my bridesmaids the day of my wedding.

From left to right: Blair, Angela, Jacqueline, ME!, Jennifer and Casey. And in case you're curious, all dresses pictured are from J. Crew's wedding collection ... including my wedding gown! (My dress was $200 and my girls' dresses were about $80 after shipping and handling).

Comfort with chicken and noodles

So I had a craving for chicken and dumplings over the weekend, but didn't have anything in the pantry to make biscuits. I did find whole wheat egg noodles, so I decided to make a thick and creamy chicken and noodle recipe using what I could find.

Again, it was another new recipe for me that I've never attempted to make before and this was another winning dish for me and the hubster.

I cut my 1 lb. of chicken tenderloins into small cubes and cooked them with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic until the chicken cooked all the way through. I added a can of cream of mushroom and a half cup of chicken broth to the meat. After simmering the meat for a few minutes, I added chopped onions, carrots and celery and two bay leaves.

I added cayenne pepper for some kick and about 1/4 cup of half-and-half to the mix to make it even creamier.

Instead of adding the egg noodles to the mix, I boiled them separately and spooned my chicken mixture over the egg noodles. I failed to capture a photo of the chicken and noodle finished product. Sorry about that folks, but please take my word ... this dish was magnificent for such a cold and dreary day. And I ended up using more veggies in my fridge that needed to be eaten!

Still on track

As I was contemplating what to pack in my husband's lunch for tomorrow, I came across three stalks of celery, two stalks of green onion and a carton and a half of eggs due to expire January 30 in my fridge.

A month ago, I would've ignored the expiration date until it was well past its prime, but today, I realized I needed to use up a majority of the eggs and I needed to do it soon.

When I came across the celery, the idea to pack him an egg salad sandwich popped into my head. I never made egg salad before today, and I have to say it came out pretty good for a first timer. (I ended up making myself a sandwich too!)

In the mix: chopped eggs, chopped celery, chopped green onions, Bertman's Stadium Mustard, light mayo, lemon juice, paprika, dried dill, ground red pepper and salt and pepper.

To finish my masterpiece, I used leftover whole wheat buns from sloppy joe night and I topped the egg salad with shredded cheese because we were out of sliced cheese. My husband needs cheese on everything he eats.

So another day has gone by where I didn't run to the store to pick up unnecessary ingredients for a meal. I scoured our fridge and pantry and used what we had on hand. Three weeks into the new year and I'm still on track with my New Year's resolution!

Disclaimer: I did run to the grocery store tonight to pick up items to make a salad. My girlfriends and I have weekly Thursday dinner dates and I was in charge of bringing the salad. I didn't have enough ingredients in my fridge to construct a salad for four, so I had to make a quick trip to the supermarket.

Wedding vendors

Several of my friends got engaged over the holidays and are now in full wedding planning mode. I figured there are a ton of newly-engaged couples out there in the beginning stages of wedding planning and thought I'd offer up a list of my vendors in case anyone is interested in checking them out.

I tried to be as cost efficient as possible when it came to spending money, since we paid for nearly 90 percent of all wedding costs. Our parents helped out a lot, but the bulk of the cost was left up to us.

I originally wanted an outdoor ceremony, but changed my mind since Cleveland weather can be quite unpredictable. I started researching churches and probably visited more than half a dozen in Cleveland. What I quickly came to realize is that churches can be pretty pricey if you're not a member. We ended up finding one in Tremont that we fell in love with. It's not located in the heart of Tremont, but it's not too far out and is definitely worth visiting if you're trying to keep costs down.

                    Immanuel Lutheran Church, 2928 Scranton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113

We wanted to have our reception in a place that was close to downtown and allowed us to bring in our own caterer. We found a great spot in the Gordon Square Arts District that also was home to several art galleries. If you like an industrial look, you should consider checking out this space.

                               78th Street Studios, 1300 W. 78th St., Cleveland, OH 44102

Want to customize your own menu? Or do you have a certain food budget you need to stay within? These guys will work with you to make everything perfect on your wedding day.

                                                                  Dim and Den Sum

I'm not a huge cake or sweets fan, but for some reason, cupcakes have a special place in my heart. I decided to do a cupcake tower for the reception with a small cake topper and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to! Plus, it saved me money on plates and utensils!

                             LaBella Cupcakes, 15208 Madison Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107

And if you like the photos I posted here, (other than the one I took of Dim and Den Sum) they are from the fabulous and talented Tom Forrest Photography. Tom, along with his second shooter Kevin, are both absolutely amazing and took the best pics of our wedding. They exceeded my expectations and I'm grateful to have such beautiful photos to keep for the rest of my life.

And, with that, I'll end this post with my favorite photo of the day.