Monster Munch Halloween Treat

How cute is Monster Munch from A Pumpkin and a Princess?  It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty and would perfect to make and munch on as Trick-Or-Treating commences.

Happy Halloween!

From a Pumpkin and a Princess

Halloween Gallery Wall

In the spirit of Halloween I just had to share this Gallery wall designed my Julia of Cuckoo 4 Design.  Being a new homeowner I'm always looking for neat ways to celebrate the holiday's and season especially after we really get settled in.  This might just be an idea for next year.  Hop on over to her blog and be inspired!  What are you doing to celebrate Halloween?

From Cuckoo 4 Design

Ravioli Lasagna

This recipe is definitely one that takes Chef Boyardee Ravioli up a notch.  Not only is it super easy to prepare, but is surprisingly delicious.  If I hadn't made it myself, I wouldn't have known that Chef Boyardee was the main ingredient!  Find the recipe on the Ready Set Eat website.

Personal Photo

DIY Fall Wreath

Ever since the weather has started to change I've been itching to make a fall wreath for our door.  Finally one Sunday afternoon I sat down and did it.  Using materials I already had on hand with the exception of the wreath foam (Micheal's $4.19 with 50% off coupon) I came up with this and I couldn't be more proud of the outcome!

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Sweet Heat Molasses Meatballs

I'm always looking for a way to spice up the usual, so when I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest I couldn't wait to try it.  I knew it would be a hit!  We had these delicious meatballs with dinner but I love how Amy at Oh Bite It converted them into the cutest little hands friendly appetizer using a pretzel rod.  I can't wait to serve it this way at our next gathering. 

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

OUR WEDDING: Final Thoughts

Tomorrow it will be two months since our wedding!  Things have calmed down significantly and we are settling back into life as usual.  Being able to look back, enjoy pictures, and still here great things about our wedding really warms our hearts and reminds us on a daily basis that we are blessed beyond measure with a strong support system of friends and family.

Going into this post, Kimili and I talked a lot about whether to tabulate our expense and see exactly how much we spent, which was apart of the original plan for the "final thoughts".  Now that everything is said and done, I think we are just content knowing that we were able to celebrate our love with a wedding that was uniquely us, we had everything we wanted and enjoyed the company of our loved ones.  Based on that, and the fact that we're a little freaked out to know the grand total, we chose not to do a detailed breakdown.  If I had to guess, I would say we spent between $15,000 and $25,000 in total; including catering which was gifted by my parents and the rehearsal dinner which was gifted by Kimili's mother.  This was by no means our budget, but due to an unanticipated headcount spike we ended up planning for about twice the amount of guests we originally planned for.  Being someone who was totally budget conscious and determined to pay for a majority of the wedding, having our budget turned upside down was extremely stressful to me.  We recognize that we were extremely blessed to be able to account for the increase and in hindsight, don't regret one thing we had to work through or plan for to have the wedding of our dreams.  At the end of the day we wouldn't change a thing!

Some elements of our wedding that I was not able to discuss in great detail, but were extremely important to us were our pre-ceremony cocktail hour with our favorite snacks, kids room with babysitter, our unplugged wedding ceremony, writing our own vows, bridal-party inspired candy station, recognizing my parents anniversary within our wedding, open bar & party bus transportation for all guests, and in general having a wedding that celebrated us but also showed our guests how important they were to us.  If you are considering any of these for your own wedding and have any question's please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Enjoy a few pictures taking by our family member and check out Alexa's Photography for a preview of what she captured.  For future brides, our advice would be to plan for what you want, research alternative options and realize you may have to bend a little.  Most importantly take time to slow down and cherish each moment of your wedding day, it goes by fast!

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

  

Indoor S'more Sundae

As we enter fall, we shouldn't forget about the sweet perks of summer.  An Indoor S'more Sundae is such a creative way to share the tastes and memories of summer camp and bond fires throughout the seasons.  Find the recipe here from Ten Dollar Dinners via Food Network.

From Food Network

OUR WEDDING: Insta-Wedding

Social media is such a huge part of most of our lives nowadays.  When we were planning, considering all the details was super important to us and being able to share them with everyone long after was something that social media allowed us to do.  Being avid Instagram users, creating a custom #hashtag seemed the perfect way to go.  We thought with a little creativity we could come up with a custom #hashtag that was special to us.  Using a few tips and templates from Something Turquoise and Salt Water Studios we were able to come up with one that incorporated our wedding date and a catchphrase from Kimili's favorite comedian whom we've seen every time he comes to our town which has become sort of a "tradition" for us.  Some time soon we plan on printing these pictures to add to our collection of wedding memories.

If you're on Instagram be sure to search #pineapples0816 to see some of the fun we had and stop back by next week when I share photo's and final thoughts on our wedding.

From Something Turquoise

From Events by Social Graces

Cherry Cheesecake Shooters

I first saw this super cute Cherry Cheesecake Shooters dessert a while back on and episode of The Pioneer Woman.  I've been dying to try it out, and certainly will the first opportunity that arises.  It looks decadent and very simple to prepare which are both plus' in my book!

From Food Network

Chasing Paper

In the spirit of entrepreneurship and home design, I'm practically bursting at the seams to share this nifty little wall covering technique.  I first learned of Chasing Paper on Bethenny on an episode where she offered advice to up and coming entrepreneurs.  As someone who loves color and patterns but struggles with the idea of painting and wallpapering because they seem so permanent, Chasing Paper offered the perfect solution!  I'm so excited to try this product out as we work on decorating our home.

From Chasing Paper

From Chasing Paper

From Chasing Paper