mantel revamp

Is it just me or has this month been extremely busy and chaotic? I honestly cannot believe that it is June 25th and next week will already be the start of JULY! That is completely insane! Minnesota weather has not been the best this past week so the fact that summer is flying by and we haven't even had summer weather makes me super bummed.  I am hoping that from here on out it will be a lot better!!

So last week, my sister-in-law and I decided to check out a new consignment store near my house and it was better than we could have imagined! Seriously the place was HUGE and it had so many awesome trinkets and treasures.  I honestly wasn't going there looking for anything but I found a beautiful mirror that I just couldn't get outta my head!  For a long time I have been contemplating revamping my mantel.  I really did like it before, but it  just kind of didn't feel like my style anymore. I am still trying to hone my style for decor and some things might still be a bit mis-match but we are getting there!

So here is the little beauty of a mirror that I found.  What I loved is the gorgeous detail on it! I am completely in love with ornate frames and this just was instant love for sure.  Here she is right before I was going to paint it, beautiful huh??

Of course, I opted to paint the frame white! Did you expect anything else from me?! I chose a semi gloss white color and even after one coat, the detail on this baby just started to POP!

Ahhh, so pretty, crisp, clean, and shabby chic like!! I was absolutely thrilled with how it came out.  For the mantle, I also wanted a nice white jar/vase but I just couldn't seem to find one that I loved.  I had seen in blogland other creative ladies who paint over just regular ceramic and glass things so I figured why the heck not try that too?  I pulled one of my many plain ol' vases out of the cupboard and decided to use the same spray paint on the vase.

BEFORE

AFTER!!

  Seriously SO easy and hello it was FREE since I had this on hand already and I just LOVE how it turned out!

So here is the mantel before hand........... 

(this is a super OLD picture from when we first moved in but it was basically just like this)

And here is the new simplified mantel!

Isn't it lovely?? I love having it more crisp and simple.  The frame is just the perfect size and seriously the detail on it is adorable! 

I added some fake hydrangeas into the vase that I painted for an extra little pop.  The were 60% off so you just couldn't beat the price!  The ribbon the vase is the same ribbon wrap that I had on my bouquet on our wedding day.  It has our monogram and wedding date on it and it accents the vase just perfectly.

So what do you all think? I hope you love it as much as I do! I think it is just perfect and simple, as well as a much needed change!  I am now already thinking about how I want to change other elements in the living room.  Don't you love when that happens? One thing leads to another, and another, and another....well, you get my point!  :)

*I linked this post to Domestically Speaking, Just A Girl, The Shabby Nest , & Fingerprints on the Fridge*

God gave me you {{Three Year Anniversary}}

Today is our THREE year anniversary and I cannot believe how quickly time has flown since we became Mr & Mrs.  To say that the last three years have been the most incredible of my life would be a complete understatement.

I have loved every single day of being a wife and being married to my best friend.  I truly couldn't have asked God to give me a better man to spend my life!  Obviously we have had our challenges and  ups and downs, but even in the days when things have been tough there is no one I would rather have by my side than Scott.  He brings out the best in me, isn't afraid to challenge me, or to tell me when I am crazy and out of line, but he is also my biggest supporter, the encourager of my dreams, and he always fights to be the best and give the best to me and to our life together.

To my amazing husband, I love you more than words could say and I am so thankful that you choose me to be your wife and best friend for the rest of our lives.  You have exceed everything I could have asked or dreamed for in a husband, and I thank God every day for you!

I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us!! I know it will only keep getting better and better! :)

Old school S & K {{2003}}

Engaged! {{9-9-07}}

The BIG Day! {{6-13-2008}}

...Three Years Later, still in love <3

random thoughts thursday

Is it just me, or does it seem like weeks fly by faster during the summer months!?! I feel like when I look at my calendar of events for June that I am gonna blink and it's gonna be July already.  Can things slow down just a smidge, please???  I really want to savor every summer moment that I can.

Speaking of being way too busy, this weekend is super jammed packed with things for the hubby and I.  We have TWO weddings this weekend, as well as celebrating our THREE year anniversary on Monday.  Talk about a busy weekend.  As I am sitting here just thinking about it all, I am super overwhelmed! LOL! At least the things we have to do are fun, that always helps.  And a little added bonus is that I only have a half day of work tomorrow, and I am off on Monday. HOLLA!! :)

So, I figured before I head off into my busy, busy weekend I would recap some of the random loves/thoughts/events from this past week!!

.:NUMBER ONE:.

My in-laws got a smaller above ground pool last week and on Saturday the hubby and I went to check it out and swim with my sweet little nephew, Rowan.  I am thinking that this will be the first of many swimming adventures this summer! I am so excited that they finally got a pool, my mother-in-law has been talking about it forever and I know that someday in the near future my kiddos will love that their grandparents invested in this!

.:TWO:.

I am loving the hot summer heat we have been having this past week!! Winter was especially cruel, long, and cold this year so you will not hear this girl complain about the heat.  I was one of the few who was loving that it hit 102 (yes ONE HUNDRED TWO degrees in MINNESOTA) the other day!!  I am loving busting out all my summer clothes! I just struck gold at H & M a few weeks ago and I found SO much good stuff, but this one dress is definitely a fav!

So cute right? And what is even better about it is the price, only $9.95! You just cannot beat that! Great style and it doesn't break the bank, its like something straight outta my dreams! 

.:THREE:.

One of the weddings we are attending this weekend is for one of my best friends, Rachel.  I am SOOOO excited that she is marrying her high school sweetheart, they have been waiting for so long and I could not be happier for them!  This past weekend we celebrated her bachelorette party and it was such a fun girls night out!!! There is nothing I love more than a fun night on the town with some of my favorite girls.  It's the best to just unwind and get silly!!

.:FOUR:.

I have a new addictions in the food/drink category.  I think I might need an intervention!!! :)   It's the  iced pomegrante vanilla oolong tea latte from Caribou Coffee, honestly it's amazeballs!  If you haven't tried it you MUST! Seriously, just looking at this picture makes me want to hop in my car to go get one right now! It's  the PERFECT summertime drink!

.:FIVE:.

I cannot believe that Monday will be our THREE year anniversary, seriously where has the time gone?!  I feel like it was just yesterday that we tied the knot, and now here we are an old married couple! Okay, not OLD but you know what I mean! Wow, what a God blessed adventure it has been so far! I cannot believe how far we have come in three years! I will post something on Monday with more about my thoughts on this, but for now, I'll leave ya with a few wedding pics that I love.  

I hope you all have a wonderful, fun weekend in the sun!! :)

**P.S. I did upload videos of the top two things on my list if you are really that interested (which I know you are cause let's face it, I am that awesome! LOL! JK)  Just click the link on the sidebar for our YouTube channel!***

I'm linking this post to Summer Luvin over at Pouty Pink Princess! Check out this super fun link party!!!

tasty tuesday//iced banana cookies

Last Friday, I was in the baking mood and had some bananas that were nice and brown and perfect for baking so I decided to try a new recipe!  A few months back I found this recipe and since I have a serious love affair with bananas  I knew we would be a good match!  The hubby definitely dug them and said it was like a yummy mini banana bread! They are the perfect little moist ball of deliciousness, so if you love banana bread, write this baby down! You will love it!! 

Banana Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

2 large ripe bananas, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Beat butter and sugars.  Mix in the sour cream, bananas, vanilla, and egg.  Add the remaining ingredients.  

Use a cookie sheet line with parchment paper (I just sprayed the pan instead of using parchment paper).  Using a small scoop, drop dough onto paper.

 Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. 

I decided to add my own little twist to the cookies that the original recipe didn't call for.  I thought these would great with a little icing on them and I was right, they were!  I made the icing using the simple icing recipe of powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and melted butter.  Just mix them together and it will look like this.

When the cookies have slightly cooled, simply drizzle the icing over them and let the cool.  They add this nice little glaze to it that is just perfect!  

You can barely see the glaze in this picture since this is right after I drizzled them, but as they dry you it adds  little white glaze to it, that's just perfect! I hope you enjoy it, we loved them!

**I'm linking this post  at Sweet As Sugar Cookies & The Sweet Details,  swing by there for other amazing recipes!!**

my big bro is turning 4-0!

This past weekend my family and I threw my brother Paul a SURPRISE 40^th Birthday party!  I cannot believe that my big bro is celebrating this big milestone in his life, that’s so crazy! Time just seems to fly by that’s for sure, it seems impossible that he could be 40!  After months of planning this party was definitely a huge blast and it was fun to get together with my family and plan this special event for my brother. It was so fun to see his face because he truly wasn’t expecting this in the slightest!

We decided to host a luncheon a Buca di Beppo (delish!) to celebrate with our whole family, as well as his closest friends.  My Grandma and Aunt even flew in to surprise my brother on this big day.  I think that was really the greatest surprise for him that they would come out this way to be here to celebrate in person! It was such a fun day celebrating with family and friends while enjoying a super delicious meal.  Even though we had a BIG hiccup with our reservation, it all ended up working out perfectly and I am so glad that we were able to bless my brother with this fun party, I know he really appreciated it.

My sister Pam and I did a lot of the planning and we kind of ran into problem with how to personalize the party since it was being held at a restaurant.  We really wanted to showcase pictures of my brother throughout his life, but being in a restaurant poses some challenges!  We thought about doing a display board, but it just didn’t seem like a good idea.  So yours truly came up with the PERFECT idea!!  What we did (and by we I mean me) did was create a guest book/scrapbook for him to have as keepsake.  I wish I would have taken a better picture of some of the pages, because it turned out SUPER cute.  For the book, I scanned copies of pictures of him throughout his life and made reprints (since my Mom wants the originals) and then put together a scrapbook of all the pictures.  Mixed in the pages I added slots of decorative paper for guests to sign at the party with their birthday wishes.  It added such a fun, personal touch to the book!  Also, since we have a lot of family that live out of state, as well as some of his friends that live out of state and those who couldn’t be at the party due to other obligations, I decided to email them in advance asking for them to send me a birthday greeting via email that I could print off and add into the book for my brother to have.  I got a lot of responses back and it was really fun to have my brother read those wishes and greetings from friends he hadn’t touched base with in a while. 

Overall, it was such a fun celebration and I am so glad that it went off without a hitch!  So big bro, HAPPY HAPPY 40^TH BIRTHDAY! I love you so much and I hope this year is the BEST of your life!

Here are some pics of the fun we had!

If you wanna see more fun, check out my YouTube channel.  I uploaded the video footage from the big day!

louis, louis, oh baby!

Okay, so I know I have been a HORRIBLE blogger lately! I keep getting ready to do a post, and then lazy pants out and don't get around to it! LOL! Horrible I know, but that's how life is sometimes.  Anyways, I had a very exciting thing happen last night that compelled me to blog and hence here I am. 

Wanna hint about what it is???  

Oh yah, it's that awesome! After months, and months, and months, and months (okay you get the point) of saving I finally got to splurge last night and buy myself a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag!  I have been dreaming of a Louis for ever and ever, and I cannot believe I finally have one! EKK!!!  

Okay, I am lame, but I had to take a picture after my big purchase wouldn't you?! Haha :) I love my little Louis baby and I totally freaked out when I got home and got to unpack it all! (Again, so lame!)

And drumroll please....here is the little beauty all unpacked and home! LOL!

Aww, I love it! I seriously am in heaven! All the months of dreaming and waiting for it was so worth it, it's so gorgeous! 

Yay! So that's what has been going on in my life lately! I am sorry if this is such a lame post but I just am so excited I just had to share it! I promise I will have more exciting blogs in the near future! :)