Happy Birthday Lindsay!

Wishing a" happy birthday"  to my wonderful sister, Lindsay!!!  We are looking forward to celebrating with you tonight at Mi Cocina!

Dinner was delicious...Ben and I split a chicken breast dinner smothered in Oaxan Mole Sauce.  Afterwards, we went back to Lindsay and Brett's house for turtle pie and gifts. 
Celebrating special days with my family makes me so happy...love you Linz, hope you enJOYed it!

Fabulous February...

I got my wish...ONE snow day....it was brief and didn't cause any travel problems.  The best part... I stayed in my pajamas and cuddled with Abe most of the day. 

Last Thursday, Ben and I met with our minister who will marry us at Sharp Chapel on the TU campus. As most know, I like to be prepared and punctual in everything  I do...unfortunately that didn't happen this time.  Right before we left, I (or should I say the wind) slammed my finger in the door.  Luckily the minister was forgiving about our tardiness and I didn't lose a nail.  We felt really encouraged about our short visit with Dr. Francis and look forward to our counseling sessions with him beginning in May.

(pictures inside Sharp Chapel)

The balcony...

 On Friday, Julie and I enjoyed catching up with Jamie, an old college friend.  She recently moved back into town with her family from Tennessee.  We ate dinner at Ciao and then went to the new R Bar on Brookside. 

The rest of the weekend went by fast as usual.  My mom and I were able to finalize my decision on invitations for the wedding.  We will place the order for them in April...crazy how fast this planning process is moving. 

With February coming to an end and signs of spring in the air, I decided to put up my Easter decorations in the house...WELCOME SPRING!

Mixin' it Up





This extended holiday weekend has been a little of everything.  On Friday, Abe was neutered.  Of course when I picked him up, the vet said "he was lively and awake right after his surgery".  Unfortunately when we got home, things took a turn for the scary.  He started acting so weird and actually hid under the bed where I couldn't even reach him.  So what is a mom to do???.... you call the vet at home of course.  Luckily, he was still just feeling the side effects of his medication (nothing too bad).  Our little Abe was back to normal the next day. 

On Saturday, we took a bridesmaid trip to David's Bridal. I enjoyed watching my girls (Julie, Lauren and Abby) try on their adorable dresses. We were missing my sister who had previously been sized and Amanda who will get her dress fitted this week.  Afterwards my mom took Julie and I to Cheddars for a yummy lunch and visit. 

On Sunday, my sister came over to bake cookies for her office "cookie swap" day.  We made a recipe that I found off of pinterest and they turned out quite tasty.  It was my first time to use my new Kitchen Aid Mixer that Ben's mom got me for Christmas.

Today, I went to Bristow to hang out with my mom and talk wedding.  We met with a florist who has an exciting decorative edge that I think will be a perfect addition to our wedding.  She did the flowers for my sister's wedding and they were beautiful...can't wait to see how mine turn out. 

I love  "mixin' it up"  kind of weekends that are full of fun, memories and accomplishments. 

White Chocolate & Cherry Shortbread Cookies 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup maraschino cherries, drained    
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
12 ounces good quality white chocolate, finely chopped and divided
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 drops red food coloring (optional)
2 teaspoons shortening

Directions:

Pulse cherries briefly in a food processor until finely chopped. You should have 1/2 cup of chopped cherries; spread on a double layer of paper towels to remove any excess liquid.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add drained cherries and 4 ounces of the chopped chocolate. Pulse briefly to combine. Finally, add almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it comes together in a smooth ball.
Divide dough in half, and roll each half into a cylinder approximately 1 1/2-inches in diameter by 10-inches long. Roll up in parchment paper or plastic wrap, twisting ends to seal. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Using a sharp knife, slice chilled dough into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Arrange on a non-stick or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set and bottoms are lightly golden. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a small saucepan or a microwave safe bowl, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat or microwave on low power, stirring often, until melted. Transfer melted chocolate into a squeeze bottle fitted with a small round tip and drizzle over tops of cookies. Alternatively, you can dip cookies in melted chocolate and roll edges in decorative sprinkles. Place cookies on waxed paper until set.

Happy Heart Day

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Happy Valentines Day everyone...I hope you enjoy plenty of chocolate and conversation hearts.  As for me, I'll be at school hosting parent teacher conferences until 7:30 that evening :)! 

For Valentine's Day, I like the idea of simplicity...it's the thought that counts....right????

Iced Cookies

Homemade Cards



and some bubbly....



Cheers to a Happy Heart Day!

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Winning

And the winner is....

Ali !!!

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After 10 years of playing games together I have my first and only win to brag about!  I closed the deal last night on the final round of Scattergories with double points on two words. Games have always been an enjoyment for us and I'm so glad that we can entertain ourselves in the simplest of ways.  Now I just need a blizzard to keep us inside so we can play more games and I can continue to WIN:)! We are also hosting a neighborhood game night in March so I can up my winning chances then too.

Hello Crazy Bridal Show

The Tulsa Bridal Show was held at the Renaissance Hotel two weekends ago.  I eagerly attended with my mom, aunt and Momo.  To our surprise, this place was CRAZY...I mean like a craft show times 100! I think the show would be helpful for a newly engaged bride in the  beginning stages of planning.  Because of my age...lol..., I have acquired plenty of ideas of my own.

Momo, Sissy, myself, mom and Lindsay eating at Cheddar's before the show

My cousin and bridesmaid Lauren

The best part of the show, my cousin modeling

Happy 2012!!!!

Happy 2012 everyone!!!!  I can't believe this is the year I'm getting married...8-4-12 here we come!!!

Wow...what a busy start to the New Year already! For Christmas I got Ben tickets to the Thunder vs. Maverick's game on December 29th. The game was fantastic and as most of you know we won with seconds to go. After the game we went to a dueling piano bar in Bricktown that we actually went to with friends several years ago. The following day we ended our short road trip with lunch at my favorite place, Chelino's Mexican restaurant. I remember my first Zeta date party there (circa 1998)!

Dinner before the game at Tap Works in Bricktown...great crab cakes!

 What a game...even though our seats were in the nose bleeds we still enjoyed it.  Plus, with binoculars I could still spy on Lamar Odom (Kloie Kardashain's hubby).

Best Cheese Queso ever!!!

The evening of December 30th began our wedding celebrations for Ben's brother Adam and his new wife Morgan. They are an adorable couple and I can't wait to call them my in laws. Their rehearsal dinner was held at the Harwelden and their ever so festive New Year’s Eve wedding was held at Vive Le Ranch in Tulsa. 

Beautiful Bride (Morgan) at their rehearsal dinner

Granny (Ben's mom), Adam (groom) and Ben (my groom to be)

Here are just a few pictures from their wedding night.

Ben and his brother Sam

Ben and his mom

Eating dinner with the bride in the tent

Ben with his brother John and nephew Will

Dance Party USA!

Ben's dad, wife Michelle and random girl