My Good Friend, Etsy

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It's no secret that http://www.etsy.com/ is rock-your-socks-off amazing. Since discovering this fantastic online marketplace, etsy has become my go-to place to shop for cool, handmade, one-of-a-kind gifts for the people I love, and it is invaluable when it comes to wedding planning. Even our dog sports some chic collars from an etsy seller in Chicago (shout out to Lucky Fiona!). In the realm of wedding planning, etsy has got you covered. My husband-elect worked with a fantastic Brooklyn designer Nina Dinoff to design my engagement ring. We had our invites designed and printed by an adorable and talented duo Eva Paul in Idaho (they were so great to work with, btw). On the Big Day, I will be rocking a cool hair accoutrement made by the lovely Chelsea at Oh My Deer. I could go on and on, but I will not. Bottom line, definitely check out http://www.etsy.com/; not only will you be showing support for handmade art, you will likely find a unique something-special for you or someone else. And they now have gift guides to help you sift through the awesomeness. Now, go! Check it out!

Yup. Love love.

And before I even get any further into wedding schmedding talk, let me just say that I love love. I think everyone in love should have the option of getting married. On that note, I found out about some cool free stickers you can get here: http://act.credoaction.com/stickers/?rc=fb8. Go get one!

Wedding Talk

Because I don't want to bore anyone with minute details of my wedding planning and because there are only T minus 4 months til the wedding date, I will try to not overwhelm this blog with wedding talk. However, our experience so far with planning our wedding has been really fun for us, so I thought I'd share a few things that might be of interest to those who are planning their own weddings. In coming posts, I'll share our engagement story, our wedding philosophy/vision which has guided all of the decisions (some of them difficult) we've made throughout the process, and how we've managed to get through it all (so far) without fighting! That last part might be hard to fathom for those who know us. :)

A general overview though - we're planning an intimate and (hopefully) fun October wedding in D.C., where we live and work. The wedding will actually fall one day before the four-year mark of the day we met in a Dupont Circle lounge, the same lounge where we will also be throwing our Cupcakes and Champagne reception post-wedding! We're excited. Our families are excited. Our friends are excited. Can't go wrong, right? ... Well, let me just say, it's not all fun and games in wedding-planning-land when you're trying to keep the affair small, eco-friendly and affordable, when all sorts of people have opinions about how things are "supposed" to be, and when the Wedding Industrial Complex is tugging you every which way to get you to fuss about matching napkins, favors, stationery, aisle runners, etc. This is where having a shared, clear wedding vision helps you snap out of it, dust your shoulders off, and move forward planning a wedding that reflects who you are as a couple. Stay tuned...

BBQ Season Begins

This past Memorial Day weekend was just as it should be - comprised of late night cocktails on a lush patio, sunny afternoon games of "tennis" (I use that term loosely as we haven't played in years and did not actually keep score so much as simply try our best to return the volley without send the ball flying over the fence and onto 18th street), strolling around Georgetown with no particular shopping objective in mind, an evening BBQ with wine and white lights strung across the deck, and a couple delicious daytime BBQ's with lots of food, little kids, dogs and backyard recreational activities. And to top it all off, the dish I breathlessly threw together before running out the door got rave reviews! Its a perfect summer cookout recipe - delicious, nutritious, easy to make and will feed lots of people, so I thought I'd share. Straight from my Mom's recipe box...

Chinese Noodle Salad

2 small heads of Napa cabbage, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped green parts

1 stick margarine
1/2 c. sliced almonds
3 T sesame seeds

2 pkg ramen noodles, crushed

Dressing:
1 c. sugar
2 T soy sauce
1/4 c. vinegar

3/4 c. oil

Boil sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and oil for 1 min. Remove from stove and let cool. Pour into container w/ tight lid so it can be shaken until well mixed. 

Brown almonds and noodles in margarine, add sesame seeds towards end. Stir while browning. Let cool. 

While sauce and noodle mix are cooling, chop cabbage and onions. Add noodle mix to cabbage and add sauce. Mix well.   Enjoy!

Oh, Hi

This blog will be a smorgasbord of some of my favorite things which, as of today, are as follows:

- wedding planning (target: October 2009)

- cooking (of the vegetarian variety)

- nesting (with my fiance and our awesome dog)

- living life (under the influence of wine, music, travel adventures, books and friends)

As I have benefited greatly from the musings and stories (and recipes!) of so many cool, crafty and intelligent bloggers, I thought it'd be nice to put a little something out there as well.

xo