our wedding day was so amazing {no seriously, i know everyone says that but this is a very, very true statement!!!!}. it was the best day. ever. we worked so hard on all the details; we put all our love into every nuance of that day for all our guests. when i say fairytale, it truly was a magical day.
it turned out exactly how i imagined and could not have asked for a better day/weekend! from our beautiful rehearsal dinner hosted by hubby charming’s parents [at the grill on the alley on michigan avenue], to our beautiful, 70+ degree sun, shiny wedding day at our gorgeous church [st. clement], to our wonderful reception venue [a new leaf…so amaze] to our delicious brunch hosted at our favorite restaurant [roy’s], such jovial moments! it was the most wonderful, perfect time with our friends + family.
the feelings and elated emotions that you experience on that day are indescribable, intangible; if you could bottle that euphoria and share it, the world would be a better place.
i love this video of us on our wedding day. kate headley {our fabulous photographer} did such a magnificent job capturing the magic of our day.
ahhhh, the day of celebrating love. i spent a wonderful day with the hubby doing much of nothing. we relaxed and said a lot of i love you’s. well, we really say that phrase a lot in general but it’s cupid’s day…it’s extra special!
we got all jazzed up {time to dress festive!} and skedaddled to one of our favorite restaurants, roy’s. it’s always consistent in service, food, and flavor. it’s also an extra perk to know the managers, sommelier, servers, and bartenders {loves them}. we started with the confit pork belly & rock shrimp ceviche appetizer [whoa]. onto our delicious wild mushroom bisque soup. my entree was the hawaiian sea salt crusted scallops, braised korobuta pork cheeks {amaze}, + okinawan potato puree. hubby charming had the smoked pepper crusted bone in rib eye {medium rare} fromage blanc, braised escarole, + truffle mac + cheese. redic. seriously. and finally…sensational sweet endings: pineapple upside-down cake + red velvet cake + cream cheese ice cream. sounds freakin’ over the moon divine, right?!
my roses from cattails
hee
i really had to dress the part…c’mon, it’s v-day! cupid shot me with his arrow!
well, after imbibing + gorging like we haven’t eaten in days, we were ready to go home and put on our drawstring sweatpants! it was a beautiful day. happy love day! xoxo
we were visiting my parent’s house the other day and, as usual, my mom is cookaholic. she is the most amazing cook ever {seriously the best ever}! she loves, loves, loves it when hubby charming comes over because he is like a human disposal. she gets so giddy feeding him…i think my parents are in awe of how much he can actually consume in one sitting.
so, my mom insists we take food home every time i/we are over. she kept offering her home cooked meals to go. of course we can’t say no, it’s too good to refuse! well, it didn’t stop there…she started to offer random things like the bunch of bananas no one else at home would eat! i said no; so she ran up to hubby charming to see if he wanted to take the bananas…lol. he can’t say no to my mom, so we accepted the very, very ripe bananas my mom offered. and voila, some very, very yummy bread came into fruition the next day!
banana bread
Directions
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
*In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
*Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
after a day and night of being icky sickly, i awoke to a doting hubby charming! voila, breakfast was awaiting me. he had prepared a quaint breakfast spread {coffee, mimosas, quiche, and fruit}. i was still feeling a bit under the weather but it was quite nice to be able to sit together; spend our time talking, eating, and relaxing. i love spending quality time with him since he’s been traveling so much for work {insert sad face}.
* Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
* Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
* Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.
later that day: i was feeling much better, thanks to the meds [although i’m not a meds type of gal]! anyhoo, i pulled out my new shoes {love!} they are soooo comfy! i am not a sneaker kind of girl but i love how it has the hidden heel [love the height], it’s a little bit funky, and the street feel of these shoes are rockin’. it was a part of my ‘click and buy’ streak of late. prancing around in these chaussures makes me smile.
[some delicious, spicy stew // not for the timid tastebuds]
we wanted a cozy night in and the hubby charming really wanted to cook up something to eat. he put together a beef stew in our fabulous slow cooker. we debated on just a vegetable stew but we succumb to the cow :p
slow cooker beef stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika [we replaced this with cayenne!]
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
directions
*Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
*Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.
we both want to abate not so good foods from our diet and strive to balance out a healthier palate {cross our fingers}. i am in awe of folks who are so resolute with always eating healthy, organic, and fresh! i love sweets, although i have somewhat diminished my intake by the pounds/per year {heh}. i think ordering the 20 boxes of girl scout cookies might negate the above positive thinking {yikes!}.
being sick is absolutely no fun. when hubby charming and moi are sick, it’s double trouble! we are such a mess. coughing, tired, and runny noses oh my! i’ve been going strong for the past week and a half {not one drop of medication} but that sickness bug really bit me in my butt today. i’m quite resilient when i get ‘sick’ but when i get a fever, all bets are off. i was down for the count. shivers, sweats, cold chills over took my body like an alien baby. ugh, i absolutely hate being sick!
[bleh]
hubby charming
thank you to my hubby charming for taking care of me even when he wasn’t feeling so great either! he went to the grocery store, cooked me dinner, AND cleaned up!! all whilst i snuggled under the blankie trying to calm my fever. xoxo…love him!
a little lady named thu met a prince named rich. she didn’t like him at first. he was smitten from the start. a few dates later, the wonderful boy rich soon swept her off her feet. he made her delicious dinners many a date nights, they spent many days together, they laughed together, had fun together, snuggled together, and fell deeply in love. then one chilly evening, in a far away bookstore, prince rich got down on one knee and asked lady thu if she would do him the honor and forever be his princess bride. she said YES! he placed a beautiful, vintage diamond ring on her bitty finger and so the story goes…
this is about us, our love, our life, happy things, maybe sad things {because they happen}, the wonderful people in our lives that help make the world go round. life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.
r: great cook, loves hugs, is a morning person, likes bikes + cars, very kind
t: meh to cooking, loves to shop, is a night owl, sugarholic, energetic
both enjoy: walks, chicago, we’re foodies, drinks wine {mostly red} + beer, pj’s, sunshine
i can do everything through Him who gives me strength. phil 4:13
![[bleh]](http://tandeminlove.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/image13.jpg "via www.tandeminlove.com")
