Bridesmaid Dresses

When choosing bridesmaid dresses I decided to go a little outside the box.  I didn’t want clones of my family and friends walking down the aisle. (especially because I had 8 bridesmaids and 1 junior bridesmaid.)  Plus the ages of the girls in my bridal party ranged from 11-38, so its safe to say there were different body types.  I picked out 5 different dresses (all in the same fabric and color and by the same designer) and told the girls that each style could be worn by 2 of the girls.  I wanted them to be able to have the freedom of picking their own style, but at the same time I didn’t want 5 girls in one dress and then 4 of them having a totally different dress.  The styles ranged from strapless, one shoulder, v-neck and around the neck. The junior bridesmaid got her own dress which was more age appropriate for her.  The process went very smooth and all of the girls looked beautiful.  I was so lucky to have all my best gal’s by my side!

xoxo Shay

Here are all the styles I choose.  The color we went with was charcoal grey.

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Bridesmaid Gifts

When it came to gifts for our wedding party, my husband and I wanted to get personal gifts to say “thank you,” for all the wonderful things our bridal party did for us.  We had 9 bridesmaids so I couldn’t go too crazy! Besides the fact that they spent a few hundred dollars buying the dresses for our wedding day the bridesmaids took time out to help my mom organize a beautiful bridal shower and they also threw me an awesome bachelorette! THey also were by my side the whole wedding planning process and helped me mentally and physically prepare for the big day! Here’s what I got for the girls, and how I put the gifts all together!

xoxo Shay

I bought keepsake Boxes at Michael’s to put the gifts in.  Inside, the bottom wrapped box is a Coach wristlet.  The square box on top is an Alex&Ani Bracelet.  Alex&Ani bracelets had just come out before the wedding. For my 4 future sisters I bought the “sister” bracelet.  My 2 cousin’s got the “cousin” bracelet.  My best friend got the “friend” bracelet. And my 2 sisters who were my maid & matron of honor got “my other half” bracelet. Everyone loved them! I also included “Gorgeous” perfume spray from Victoria’s Secret, a rhinestone bracelet to wear the day of the wedding and a bridesmaid ornament.

On top of the gifts I put the wedding day schedule.

Each gift was wrapped up, and I found this great poem to put on it.

Above is the wrapped gift. I made the tags and wrote out thank you notes as well.  I love handwritten thank you notes and think they are so personal and genuine. All in all, I think the girls loved their gifts.  I had a lot of fun picking everything out!

This snow is a CROCKpot day!!

We got another foot of snow today. What better way to stay warm and cozy than to make a nice Crockpot dinner!!! Best part is we got to smell a delicious meal all day! I looked through my Crockpot book and found an easy recipe for “Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings.” Since we had everything it called for I decided to try it. It came out AWESOME! I can’t wait for my husband to come home and try it! Here’s the recipe. Hope you like it!!!

2 Cups Diced Cooked Chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5oz)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.5oz)
2 soup cans of water
4 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Mix everything together besides biscuits. Cut biscuits in quarters and gently mix in. Set Crockpot on low and cook for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

Something Blue

My “Something Blue” was very special to me on my wedding day. It was a ring I wore that was inspired by my mother, the most important woman in my life & my best friend. On the night of our rehearsal dinner my husband and I presented our parents with baskets we made up for them, filled with lots of unique little gifts to say thank you, for everything they did for us to make our wedding day so special. Inside my moms basket was this sapphire ring.

And inside the box was also this note…

Mom,
I bought this ring for you as a symbol. I’ve always loved (ever since I was little) when you would tell me that when I was born I was the greatest birthday gift you had ever received. I want to honor you by wearing this ring, our birthstone, on my wedding day as my something blue. In the future when you wear it you can remember how I wore it on my wedding day and how I was a gift to you when I was born. But even more so please remember this… Being your daughter is the greatest gift I could ever ask for.

Favorite LOVE Movies!

What better way is there to kick off February than by watching love movies every night til Valentine’s Day! Last night, my husband and I decided to do this and made a list of our favorite “love” movies.  Here is the list of our top favorite 13 “love” movies!! (Only 13 because the Super Bowl is on tonight and I don’t think he would watch anything but that.) Please comment your favorite love movies as well… I’m always open to watching something new!

xoxo Shay

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1. Love Actually

2. The Notebook

3. The Proposal

4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

5. Definitely, Maybe

6. Ps. I love you

7. The Holiday

8. Crazy, Stupid, Love.

9. Overboard

10. Along Came Polly

11. Hitch

12. Knocked Up

13. Grease

What To Pack In Your Hospital Bag!

I did some research before having my baby, for what to pack in a hospital bag.  I asked my friends and family advice, searched online and read info on Pinterest. I then, finally packed it up weeks early!  After going through the experience of staying at the hospital I decided to make my own list of things I think you should bring. (And not to bring.)  There are so many things you really don’t need that the hospital provides for you.  I was lucky to stay at a wonderful hospital and had a wonderful experience!

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1. Cell phone & Charger- This is a given, but don’t forget the charger!
2. Camera- Also a given- to take lots of pics of your beautiful baby!
3. Robe- its nice to cover up for when visitors come, or for when you take walks down the hallway.
4. Nightgown- Not really needed but since I was there for 4 days (c-section) I was getting kinda tired of wearing the hospital gown. (Make sure its a breastfeeding nightgown if you are breastfeeding.
5. Socks/Slippers- since the floor is tile its smart to bring ones that have grip-however this was something the hospital did provide for me.
6. Loose Clothes to go home in- Remember you aren’t going to be back down to your pre -pregnancy size right after you had the baby.
7. Water Bottle- You’re going to be taking lots of pills. I was happy I brought my tumbler (with straw) instead of drinking out of their styrofoam cups
8. Hair ties- If you have long hair you aren’t going to want it in your face, and probably wont have much time to do it.
9. Clothes for Baby- Take home clothes for the baby. Remember to bring a coat if its winter time.
10. Nipple Shield-  I’m pretty sure the hospital provides these however they didn’t offer me one.  I purchased one at target the week after I got out of the hospital due to my nipples being in so much pain from my baby. Thank God for the shield!
11. Tooth Brush- The hospital provided one however it was terrible.
12. Baby Hat- They make really awesome monogram ones on Etsy!
13. Snacks For Your Partner-  Don’t be one of those girls who says “IF I CAN’T EAT THAN NEITHER CAN HE.” At the end of the day your husband/partner is your coach and your rock.  They need energy to be right by your side helping you.  Its a long day for BOTH of you.

THINGS YOU DON’T NEED TO BRING

1. Underwear- The hospital gives you mesh ones.  People may say bad stuff about them but I LOVED THEM.  They were disposable and really comfortable.  Plus your bleeding so you don’t want to ruin your good ones.  You may also be swollen and may not fit in yours.
2. Pads- The hospital provides them.  They even gave me a bunch with built in ice packs.
3. Cute PJ’s- You aren’t going to want to ruin your nice things.  Also I wasn’t able to wear pants til I left due to the catheter.
4. Things to do (laptop/magazines/tablet) – You’re going to be busy, if not with your baby than with visiting family and friends.  And when you’re not busy than lay down your head and go to sleep! BECAUSE you’re not going to get sleep for a long time! But its soooo worth it!!

Hope this helps! Enjoy your stay!!

xoxo Shay

Buffalo Chicken Dip

It has come to my attention that there are some people in this world who have never had/ heard of Buffalo Chicken Dip. This is crazy to me because I make it all the time and thought it was a popular recipe. Just in case you don’t know about it, here is the very easy and delicious recipe! If you haven’t had it, try it this Sunday for your Super Bowl party! Everyone will love it. Enjoy!!

Fixing Up The Ole’ House!

Me and my husband bought our house in April of 2012.  We’ve been little by little fixing it up to make it exactly our style.  I can’t believe we’ve been here for almost 3 years, but this definitely feels like home to me.  Grey has always been (will always be) my go-to color, so its no surprise I painted all the rooms different shades of grey.  I love grey as my basic color because any other color goes with it, and POPS! Here’s a few pics of before and afters!

xoxo Shay

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Dining Room

Bathroom BEFORE

Bathroom AFTER

Kitchen BEFORE

Kitchen AFTER

Snow On The Way!

The weather forecast says there’s snow on the way! They say anywhere between 15-30 inches!!! (Which probably means anywhere between 2-50 since they’re always wrong!) However, I’m looking forward to being snowed in with my little family. Fridge is stocked, heat is on full blast, and we made a visit to Home Goods yesterday for some DIY projects and decorating! Pictures will be posted soon! Happy Snow Day(s)!!!

For now I’m enjoying some laughs with my sweet baby girl!

Perfect Banana Bread Recipe

One of my favorite things to make is banana bread.  Partly because my husband loves it so much and partly because our banana’s are always over ripened and perfect for making it. Out of all the recipes I’ve tried, this is my favorite! It was passed down to me from a family friend at my bridal shower. (However, she gave the recipe to my mom many years ago, so I’ve been making it forever!) We like it served warm with butter! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

xoxo Shay

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MAKES 3 LOAFS

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 2  2/3 Cup Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Cups Sour Cream
• 2 Cups Banana’s (4-5)
• 1 Cup Nuts (Optional)
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 Cups Flour

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Cream together (lightly) the butter, sugar and eggs.  Mix in the baking powder, vanilla, sour cream, mashed banana’s, and nuts (optional).  In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda and flour.  Slowly add that in, while mixing so you have a smooth, lump free batter.  Pour evenly into 3 greased loaf pans.  Bake for 45 minutes. Toothpick test the center to make sure it’s fully baked. Let cool before cutting. Enjoy!