DIY Personalized Mug

You're welcome for this super easy and cheap DIY project!!

Basically, buy a dollar tree ceramic mug, plate, dish etc write whatever you want on it with a Sharpie marker (I used the thin, pen-like kind) and then just bake it in the oven at 300 degrees for 40 min so it becomes permanent and doesn't wash off!! THAT'S IT!!

Boom!! Easy & Cheap!

Also, when you're writing on it with the Sharpie, if you make a mistake, the Sharpie wipes off easyyy so you can make all the mistakes you want and no one will know!

I plan on using this for pretty much every kind of gift now- wedding gift, teacher gift (with their name on the handle!), birthday gift.. the list and ideas are endless!!

So again, YOU'RE WELCOME!

Hope you think this is as awesome as I do ;)
xoxo

Crafty Memories

I'm always on Pinterest and came across a few ideas on there I was inspired by and had to share!

Make a honeymoon in our case, or a vacation memories ornament! I got the clear ornaments from Hobby Lobby! Just fill it with sand, shells, add a tag and you're done! 

Wedding memory shadow box! I purchased a 16x20 shadow box at Hobby Lobby and filled it with memories from our wedding to have hanging up and always remembered! I included our invite, save the date, rehearsal dinner invitation, ceremony program, personalized kleenex, fake petals that were thrown, a photo booth strip, my husband's boutonniere, napkin, garden, a thank you we had at the tables for our guests, and photo charms I had on my bouquet in memory of my grandparents!! 

Baby Shower gift: write quotes/inspirations on diapers for the new parents to read so those middle of the night changes are a little more pleasant :)  

Map of special vacation spot with a photo on it! This was a map of south carolina with myrtle beach visible where we took our honeymoon and a photo on our honeymoon!

I'm working on a few more craft projects and am dying to share those when I'm all finished! 

xoxo

Wedding Card Book

When it came to all of our wedding cards I just couldn't throw them away but I didn't just want to shove them somewhere out of sight or have them laying around everywhere so I decided to make a little 'book' out of all of them :)

I organized all of the cards from smallest to largest and then hole punched each card in 2 places and just tied a ribbon through them!  It didn't take as long as I thought & wasn't as hard as I thought either.

They're sitting out on my dresser for now but they all look cute together as a little book and it'll be nice to have all of our cards together in once place to possibly look back at someday!

I hope this inspires you to do something with those important cards you just can't get rid of :)

xoxo

Healthy Chicken Bruschetta

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it out!  It's a healthy chicken bruschetta and it's SO SO SO easy! And husband approved!

Ingredients you'll need:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 Cup Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato dressing (divided into two 1/4 cup)
2 finely chopped tomatoes (I used tomatoes from our garden!)
1/2 Cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil leaves (I used fresh basil from our garden and finely chopped it)

Directions: 
Put 1/4 Cup of sun dried tomato dressing in a zip lock baggie and add the chicken- turn bag over to make sure chicken is evenly coated with dressing.
Let it marinate for 10-15 minutes (or all day if you remember and have time).

In a separate bowl combine the remaining 1/4 Cup of sun dried tomato dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil.
Set aside.

Place marinated chicken on uncovered part of grill for about 6-8 minutes (until fully grilled on one side).
Turn chicken over and place on aluminum foil.  (Already grilled side should be placed onto the foil)
Cover with the dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.  I mixed all of those ingredients together in a separate bowl before hand so they were ready to be placed on the chicken.
Grill chicken for 8-10 more minutes until fully cooked.

Enjoy!

Seriously, it's that easy! It was quick to make and seriously so good!  I will definitely be making it more often since it's so easy and considering my picky eater of a husband liked it, I know most people will!

I served it with a side salad and fruit!

xoxo

SKINNY BRIDE!!

So many of you have been asking alll about the wedding and photos so I thought I'd share some updated ones from our wedding & honeymoon! We have to wait a while to get our professional wedding ones back but I'll be sharing those when we finally get them :)

I honestly have to say I felt absolutely beautiful on my wedding day.  I wasn't worried about whether or not I was going to look fat in photos- if my dress looked ok- if I had a double chin- if I could suck it in enough etc. etc. I felt wonderful.  We had our engagement photos done in Oct. 2011 and when our photographer saw me again on my wedding day she actually said she almost didn't recognize me because I had lost so much weight since she last saw me. :)
I was also SO worried about whether or not I'd fit into my dress.. I got my dress in Feb.  2011 and be the end of last year I couldn't fit into it. at all.  It was a sickening feeling. I put off my dress fittings because I didn't want to deal with the fact I couldn't fit into it and I didn't want to be upset and disappointed.. well, I finally went into get my dress sized in August- about 1 month before our wedding annnnnd I HAD TO HAVE MY DRESS TAKEN IN!!!! Working out at times SUCKED and it was hard and there were times I wanted to quit but having a dress that's TOO BIG and not worrying about how I looked in my photos WAS WORTH IT. 

I also realized not only do I have a wedding to look good for but we'd be on a beach for our honeymoon so I had to look good for that too.. well I wore a bikini on our honeymoon! Now, I maayyy have been jumping the gun on that one but I didn't care.  I've worked my ass off (literally) and I'm proud of the work I've done and besides, my hubby loves me no matter what so he loved my bikini bod ;)

Here's pics of us on our honeymoon:

I haven't been able to fit into that dress for a year!

I really thought after the wedding was over I wouldn't care if I was fat or not- that I would finally be able to stop working out and watching what I eat but I just can't.  I want to keep working at it.  I never want to get back to that point where I hated looking at myself, hated taking photos because I looked fat in them all, didn't want to go out because I just didn't wanna get dressed and be seen. I've worked too hard and come too far to just stop.  It's really been a life change and I love the way I feel!

I'll continue to post updates, recipes and workout tips now that I have actual free time since I'm not wedding planning :)

xoxo