06.20.15

This past weekend was spent with family and celebrating the nuptials of my cousin to her best friend. It was a gorgeous day and came together seamlessly. I was so honored and blessed to stand up as her Matron of Honor. Hailey- you were absolutely stunning and I am soo happy for you and your Justy. Love you guys!

The night before the wedding, Hailey's {the Bride} car broke down outside of the hotel. We ended up having to push it through the entire parking lot. What an adventure. 

Left: Selfie right before the ceremony with the bride and bridesmaids.
Right: Rehearsal dinner fun!

Left: The Mr. and I while in the Limo.
Right: Blue eyes and Green eyes reunited! {We are both Brittany/Brittney's so one of our friends nicknamed us so there was no confusion.}

While in the limo I snapped this shot of the photographer {risking his life} taking the perfect shot! Simply Gorgeous. 

Grandpa in all his silly glory. Such a party animal, that one. 

Left: Every newlywed needs a picture of the groom carrying his new bride over the threshold.
Right: Beautiful Bride!

 Until next time!

Five on Friday: Beauty Edition

Recently, I have switched up my beauty regimen and thought that I would share my new favorite products with you. Welcome back to my five on friday posts {I know, I've been really slacking on my blogging lately}!

1. Blush: Nars Desire and bareMinerals The Natural High

I have always been a Nars blush fan, but I used to use the color Orgasm {I know, I know}. When I used up the last crumble of that I thought I would try something new. One of the girls at Sephora pointed me towards Nars Desire and I do like it! It's a little bright so you don't need as much. A little goes a long way. The other blush I recently purchase is The Natural High by bareMinerals. This color is very similar to my beloved Orgasm. These are both great purchases and will be continuing to use them in the future!

bareMinerals The Natural High - here
Nars Desire - here

 2. Contour: bareMinerals California Bronze

I have been looking for a good contouring kit and this one hit the nail on the head! I LOVE it! It works for my skin tone and gives me the perfect bronze glow. I use it everyday and couldn't see my life without it.

bareMinerals California Bronze - here

3. Eyes: Urban Decay Naked 3

I am in LOVE! I had been debating buying this for several months, but when my cousin's wedding came around I caved and bought it. It is AMAZING. I love the colors and the hues. I have been using it every day and am having fun experimenting with all of the colors.

Urban Decay Naked 3 - here

4. Skin: bareMinerals Complexion Rescue

I have very sensitive skin and have been using Oil of Olay Sensitive Skin for years. Generally, if I try something new and my skin doesn't agree, I will break out in a rash {I know, isn't that lovely}. I thought I would try Complexion Rescue to get more coverage than just a face lotion. I have been using it for a couple months now and NO rashes! Not only is this a light alternative to foundation, but it has Broad Spectrum SPF 30 {which is extremely important to me}.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue - here

5. Eyebrows: benefit Gimme Brow

I have thick hair and eyebrows that are heavy as well. I have to constantly pluck them or get them waxed. I was looking for a product that would just accentuate them rather than fill them in even heavier than they naturally are. I found just that thanks to one of my friends! She suggested I give Gimme Brow a try and I couldn't be happier.

benefit Gimme Brow - here

Until next time!

Farm to Oven: Strawberries

Hello Everyone,

I have decided to add some of my baking to the blog. Just yesterday we went strawberry picking at a farm in a little town here in Wisconsin. I have been going strawberry picking since I was a wee one and was able to share this experience with the Mr. for the first time. He loved it {at least, I hope}! We came back with about 10 lbs of strawberries, so I decided to bake. I originally got this recipe from Barefoot Contessa, but I altered it a little to accommodate my strawberries.

Strawberry Crisp:

8 cups strawberries
Zest of 1 lemon or orange {I used lemon}
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour {I always use unbleached}
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal {I used regular oatmeal and it baked just fine}
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the inside of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Cut the stem out of 8 cups of strawberries. {I left them whole.} Add the lemon zest, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss well. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid, add 1 more tablespoon of flour. Pour the strawberries into the baking dish and gently smooth the top.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal, and the cold, diced butter {I used salted butter, so did not add the salt, which turned out just fine} in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the strawberries. Bake for 1 hour until the top is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve immediately with ice cream of your choice {just the way I like it}.

Let me know what you guys think! It's the perfect summer dessert! Nice and refreshing.

Tractor ride to the fields with the Mr. 

Pick one, eat one, pick one, keep one, repeat. Yum!

These berries are so sweet, juicy, and delicious. Nothing like straight off the bush strawberries. 

Here is the crisp unassembled, pre baking. 

Here she is all baked and ready to eat. Don't mind the corner where some is missing, I coudn't resist! 

 Enjoy! Until next time!

Throwback Thursday - Tour De Arizona and Utah

Back in April, my mom came to visit. We are quite the adventurous duo and like to explore all different types of places. This particular visit we both decided that we wanted to make the trek to Utah. And along the way we stopped in Sedona, Flagstaff, Sunset Crater, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyons, and Horseshoe Bend {see, I told you we were adventurous!}. We only had two days for this trip and we literally packed in as many places as we possibly could. It was a blast, and we even made some time to lay on the beach at Lake Powell. I would highly suggest that anyone takes this trip. It was well worth the mileage on my car and the long hours spent driving. Enjoy!

This is the route that we took. Just thought I'd let you all see how long it took and what stops we made. 

Our first stop was in Oak Creek Canyon. This is just past Sedona on the 89. They have a real nice overlook that has many beautiful views. 

This beautiful sight was at the Sunset Crater Lava Flows. You guys, I had no idea this place even EXISTED. It was mind boggling. Lava flows for days. Pretty cool. 

Another view of the Lava Flows.

This was next to Sunset Crater. The red areas are cinder-covered vents. 

Sunset Crater in all its beautiful glory. In the background, you can see the snow-covered tips of San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff. 

Monument Valley, Utah. No words. It is breathtaking. 

We stayed at a place called Goulding's Lodge for the night, which had Ah-mazing views of Monument Valley. I would HIGHLY recommend it. 

At Goulding's, they had this cute little stagecoach that you could get in. As you can see, the Monument's in the background. 

Lake Powell and the practically abandoned beach. The water was freezing, but it was nice to just relax for a little while. 

This is at the entrance to Antelope Canyon.. You would never believe that the following picture was taken inside. 

It was just amazing. I was in complete awe the entire time. The colors, the shapes, and it was all carved out by water from floods. 

Yet another one of Nature's amazing creations. What an end to a great trip. Oh, and by the way, don't look over the edge! It's terrifying! 

That's all I have for today! Until next time!