Archive | January, 2013

The Budget

30 Jan

And now, finally… a wedding-related post. I said a couple months ago that I was going to share our budget, and then things got busy. You know how they do. But hopefully, this will get me back on the wagon.

First, a few suggestions:

Wedding Budget 101

1) Use Wedding Wire! They have an excellent budget tool that will give you suggestions to get started. More on that here.

2) Track everything! Save your receipts so you can enter when you get home (and in case you need to return something later). Or enter immediately if you’re using their mobile app.

3) Track who paid for what — was that expense on your credit card? Your fiance’s? Your parents’? Wedding Wire allows you to track this too. .

4) Whenever you enter an item that comes in below budget, Wedding Wire will ask you if you’d like to distribute those funds to another category — JUST SAY NO! You will think you’re doing well, all like, hey, my dress was $200 cheaper than I budgeted for, so now I can buy $200 more flowers. Don’t do it. You will have hidden costs, surprises down the road, et cetera, et cetera. If you come in under budget on one category, congratulate yourself, and then stick to your budget on your other categories. You’ll thank yourself later.

So in full transparency, here’s the stats on the budget from our wedding this past September. We aimed to keep it at $10,000. Originally we wanted to go less than that, but when I used Wedding Wire’s budget tool and realized how quickly things add up, I realized there was no way to have a wedding for less than that in our town. So instead of aiming for under budget, we aimed to not go over $10k. Overall I think we did well, coming in at about $11,500. And that includes my engagement ring and both of our wedding bands. Not too bad. We still have some items we plan to re-sell, so hopefully we’ll bring that down even more.

Our Budget

Venue: $3,000

Food: $2,900 (dinner for 100, catering fees, tip)

Alcohol: $550 (Includes alcohol, supplies, and bartender fees)

Cake: $205 (Does not include the rest of the dessert table, which my older sister prepared as her wedding gift.)

Flowers: $400

Décor: $645 (Includes centerpieces, decorations for entrance/ceremony/reception, and purchased linens.)

Table/Chair Rental: $190

Officiant: $55 (We asked a friend to marry us. This cost is for his gift.)

DJ: $65 (We used my iPod for both the ceremony and reception. This cost is a gift for a friend who managed the music plus a few dollars of downloaded music.)

Photographer: $645 (We asked a student from UNC — he was excellent! Includes his fee, 200 digital images, two sets of prints, and a few larger-size prints)

Stationery & Postage: $400 (includes invitations, thank you cards, programs, and postage)

Bridal Apparel: $880 (Includes dress, alterations, post-wedding dry cleaning, undergarments, and shoes. My MOH’s mom made me two hairpieces, and my dad gave me my jewelry as his wedding gift.)

Groom’s Apparel: $170

Rings: $635 (includes both our wedding bands and my engagement ring)

BM Gifts: $78

GM Gifts: $56

Beauty: $425 (hair, makeup, mani/pedis for me and the bridesmaids)

Bridal Lunch: $100

Wedding Day/Night Accommodations: $180

Total: $11,600

* I know this doesn’t add up exactly. I’ve rounded a bit here and there, to spare you weird numbers.

The Stats

We got married in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Between the wealth of the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and the popularity of UNC weddings among Tar Heel grads, not the cheapest place to get married. Not exactly New York City, but for North Carolina… expensive.

We had just about 100 people attend. I ordered takeout boxes, and we sent everyone home with leftover food and desserts.

We had the venue from 1pm till 11pm.

The Story

First Married Kiss!We did a lot of stuff ourselves. Obviously, no wedding planner. My Chief of Staff Lauren (a.k.a. Maid of Honor) and I arranged all the flowers and created the centerpieces. (My dad helped by spray painting a million things gold.) Lauren also made our bouquets and boutonnieres. My aunt, mom, and older sister created most of the decorations. We ordered one 14″ cake and 4 dozen cupcakes, and my older sister prepared the rest of the dessert bar. We had a friend playing our iPod instead of a band or DJ — for both the ceremony and the reception. A friend of the BF’s dad loaned us a sound system. We ate off eco-friendly paper plates and served ourselves buffet-style so as to not have to pay for the catering staff that would be required if we went with real dishes and silverware. My dad and brothers picked up cases of wine and a keg, set up the bar, and purchased our own wine glasses, which also saved the cost of catering staff. On the day of, an event planner friend managed the wedding and told everyone where to be and when.

On the other hand, there were plenty of things that pushed our costs higher than expected. The venue was much higher than I wanted. They gave us a really small window to prep, have the event, and clean up, so I ended up paying extra to get a couple more hours. The food cost was high — certainly higher than I expected it to be. But after a mix-up about their arrival time, the restaurant ended up sending extra staff to help set up and cater, which was pretty amazing of them.

A lot of our purchases will do double-duty. My brother is getting married in April and will use some of our decorations and extras like the wine glasses. I also plan to sell whatever I can online, from the linens to decor to my dress. I won’t do all that until after their wedding, so maybe I’ll update my final budget then.

Overall, I think we did well. We got everything for under $11,500, including our wedding bands and engagement ring. I don’t think most people’s budgets include ring costs. All that’s left to pay for is our honeymoon, which we’ve delayed due to work obligations. But when it happens, Costa Rica is going to be awesome!

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Resolutions, Week 3

29 Jan

Here it is… round up for the week:

Goal 1: Cook at home most nights of the week: FAIL

But it was Triangle Restaurant Week, so I’m taking a pass.

Goal 2: Have a max of 4 non-water drinks per week: SUCCESS!

After not doing so well the past couple weeks, I finally got this one!

A little history on this: When I was growing up, we drank sweet tea. And I mean sweet Southern tea. Delicious. If we went out, I drank Coke. At some point, my mom went through a ‘oh my goodness, all this sugar is so unhealthy’ phase and switched it up. She went to Diet Coke, which I can’t stand. So I ended up drinking pretty much only water through all of high school. The water habit was awesome and healthy and not a big deal once I got used to it, but then… college.

Resolutions in Motion

Thanks to the unlimited dining hall soda, I got seriously addicted to soda. A couple years ago, I gave it up cold turkey. (Well, not quite. I drank a lot of chocolate milk to get through the caffeine withdrawals.) After two weeks or so, I was mostly cured of my addiction. I dropped 5 pounds almost immediately, felt way better not needing a ton of caffeine every day, and had some annoying stomach issues nearly vanish. But I still have a big weakness for a nice cold Co-Cola, as the BF’s Granny would call it. And the more I have, the more I want. It’s a cycle. So… back to water it is.

I’ve noticed that I really want Coke with certain junk foods or at certain times. Like at the movies, where our snack is always buttered popcorn and a Coke slushie. Or when we have pizza, which I feel just requires a Coke to go with it. So part of kicking this habit is also eating healthier and avoiding those junk foods. Sometimes I can just have one sip of the BF’s soda and then be fine. If that’s all it takes to curb my cravings and go back to my glass of water, then I think that’s okay.

Goal 3: Practice yoga once a week and take a walk at least once a week: FAIL

The weather was awful — we even had ice/snow. My office had a delayed start one day and got out early another day. I keep inside when it’s cold, and I certainly don’t drive anywhere when there’s frozen stuff on the ground. And then I planned to go to yoga on Sunday, but ended up spending the day on the couch feeling sick.

Now that I was finally successful with avoiding soda, this week I’m going to try to focus on this goal. I think maybe I need to find a friend to go to yoga with me. That would certainly help.

Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers participating in Resolutions in Motion – Round 2!

 

Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers

28 Jan

This past weekend I helped with the decorations and planning for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower. I had a lot of fun doing the decorations, and I’m going to be crafting even more for the wedding in April. I will definitely share some of the projects at some point, though I’m making no promises on the timeline.

For the shower, we did a potluck, and everyone brought very delicious food. I’ll share a few recipes as I get them. This one’s short and simple, from my momma. She made a delicious sausage dish. It works equally well on a potluck table as it does for a main meal. When we walked in to set up the decorations, I could smell it cooking in her crockpot.

I was about to say “delicious and warm for a wintery night!” But I remember having simple dishes like this in the summertime, when we were off from school and too busy doing fun things to cook. Sausage and fruit salad and chips were a great summer meal when I was growing up. So I guess… it’s good all year round!

Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers

Sausage and Peppers
1 pound sweet Italian sausage links
1 large onion, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 small can diced tomatoes
Cut sausage into bite size pieces and brown in a skillet. Combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.

 
Linking up with:

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Resolutions, Week 2

22 Jan

Resolutions in MotionWhew! I’m already late on this post, and now it’s late at night, so here’s a short and quick check-in on my resolutions:

Goal 1: Cook at home most nights of the week: SUCCESS?

Oh geez, I really don’t remember. These resolutions really are just showing me that my memory is terrible. I think I did well on this one? I don’t really remember eating out much, and that’s the biggest point of this goal, so I guess… success.

A little history on this one: My cooking at home goal was going well at one point in my life, but then things got busy, and well, you know. But one thing that will definitely help me get back on track — I try to spend Sunday afternoons planning meals, shopping for groceries, and cooking meals to be packaged and frozen for weeknight dinners.

Goal 2: Have a max of 4 non-water drinks per week: SUCCESS?

Again, poor memory here. But if I didn’t succeed in this one, I think I was pretty close. I drank a lot of water.

Goal 3: Practice yoga once a week and take a walk at least once a week: MIXED RESULTS

Like last week, I didn’t make it to yoga, but I walked a ton. The weather has been going up and down, so I made it outside quite a couple times on those high points. I walked a little over 6 miles total last week. Not bad. But I really do need to go back to yoga.

Woo hoo! On to week 3. Things have been crazy at work for both me and the BF — that always makes it a little harder to keep my resolutions. We’ll see how it goes!

So-Called Pizza Puffs

21 Jan

So-called? Yes, so-called. Because I’m not sure these puffs deserve the name of “pizza.” They certainly didn’t taste like pizza. They tasted kind of like little bread muffins. Which I guess is what they are.

Look at that puff!

On principle, I don’t believe in taking a healthy recipe and making it healthy. I don’t think that ever turns out well. I’d rather just eat a small amount of the unhealthy thing every now and then. I don’t need to stuff myself full of bland fat-free mac-and-cheese or one-point Weight Watchers “desserts.” And don’t EVEN get me started on frozen yogurt, because I can’t tell you how angry I am that I can’t find a dang ice cream store anymore while there’s bland frozen yogurt bars on every street corner. All those exciting neon colors are false advertising, in my opinion.

I guess my issue is that I’m terrible at denying myself anything, but I’m pretty fantastic at portion control, IMHO. I guess most people have the opposite problem. But since I don’t, I’m going to continue buying the Double Stuf Oreos, but only eat 2 (okay, 3) after dinner tonight. I’ve never been the person who accidentally eats the whole bag.

The point here is that this recipe is way too healthy to be called Pizza Puffs. Puffs, sure, no problem. But pizza? You can barely taste the cheese, it’s whole wheat, AND there’s vegetables in it. That’s 3 things that would never be true about any pizza I’d eat.

So why I am sharing it? Well for one, I’m not arrogant enough to believe that everyone thinks the same way I do, and I imagine many people might appreciate this recipe. But also, I think my poor reaction to this recipe was one of expectations. I was expecting pizza, and upon not tasting pizza, I was mightily disappointed. But if they were called Whole Wheat Puffs with Marinara Dipping Sauce, then I think I’d be pretty happy.

So go ahead and make this recipe. They’re great for a snack or for serving at a party. They’re also great on the side of an Italian meal. Maybe I’ll make them again. Or maybe I’ll make real Pizza Puffs.

"Pizza" Puffs

Whole Wheat Pizza Puffs adapted from Cooking With My Kid

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup lowfat or skim milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 cup broccoli
1/2 marinara sauce, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan.

Blanch the broccoli: Boil for about 2 minutes and then remove and immediately place in a bowl of ice water for 20-30 seconds. Remove from water. Chop finely. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Whisk in the milk and beaten egg. Stir in the mozzarella and broccoli. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Linking up with:

YOLO Mondays from Still Being Molly and Lipgloss and Crayons
Monday Meet Ups from Covered in Grace
Made by you Monday from Skip to my Lou
Make Something Monday from Sarahndipities
Time for a Party from Fine Craft Guild

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Resolutions, Week 1

15 Jan

Alright, as part of Resolutions in Motion, I’m supposed to check in and let you know how I’m doing. I guess that’s what they call “accountability.” Pshaw. Resolutions in Motion

In some ways I had a good week, in some ways not so much. I’m also realizing yet again that I have a terrible memory. One reason I had trouble is because I couldn’t remember what I’d done throughout the week, so I had no idea if I was at my limit or not. Note to self: if you’re not sure, just play it safe.

Here’s how my resolutions went this week…

Goal 1: Cook at home most nights of the week: SUCCESS

I didn’t necessarily cook, but I think I worded this goal wrong. The point is less about cooking at home and more about NOT eating out. So on that measure, I’ll mark this one a success. We went out with friends for dinner on Tuesday night, and I went out with coworkers for dinner Friday night. But I’m pretty sure I didn’t eat out the rest of the week. I cooked, had leftovers, or had something small like canned soup most of the nights this week.

Goal 2: Have a max of 4 non-water drinks per week: FAIL

I’m pretty sure I didn’t manage this one, but this is what I mean by not being able to keep track. I can’t remember exactly, but I think I hit 5 or 6. I’m gonna do better this week!

Oh, and by the way, I am NOT counting unsweet herbal tea against me. There’s no sugar or calories, and I think it’s pretty tantamount to adding lemon to your tea. Plus, a lot of what I drink is helpful — both peppermint and ginger tea can settle the stomach and help digestion. (FYI, pregnant ladies — could be super helpful.) I tend to drink those a lot in the afternoons.

Goal 3: Practice yoga once a week and take a walk at least once a week: MIXED RESULTSGreenway in Chapel Hill

This one is mixed results, but it was intentional. We’ve had remarkably beautiful weather this week, so I took multiple walks. That’s the great thing about living in North Carolina — though it’s typically probably in the 50s this time of year, it’s just as likely to swing to 70 degrees as it is to 30. With temperatures in the low 70s, a few different times I was getting ready for yoga and then decided to go outside instead. So though I didn’t really meet my goal, I’m considering this one fairly successful — I walked over 13 miles in the last week!

I hope all y’all’s resolutions are going well! (You like that? “All y’all’s.” One of the few indicators that I actually am from North Carolina. That and I say “pee-can” sometimes.)

Homemade Caramel Sauce

14 Jan

I usually am a chocolate person, but lately, I’ve been really excited about caramel. I’ve liked it more and more as I’ve gotten older, but I think this particular obsession started with this year’s apples with caramel dip.

(While you’re here, like W&P on Facebook!)

My grandma lives in Hendersonville, home of the North Carolina Apple Festival. It’s an amazing little mountain arts & crafts festival held every year on Labor Day. We always go up, stay with the family, and spend hours walking through the festival. Grandma lives only a couple blocks from downtown, so we can walk up to Main Street whenever we get bored or need a snack. The apple theme pops up everywhere, from the food to the crafts for sale.

This year, as every year, we had apple slices with hot caramel dip. We also had apple pie, a frozen apple slushie, and apple cider. And we took a bag of apples home. Seriously, there’s no end to the apple shenanigans.

Since then, I’ve been all about apples and caramel, though not necessarily together. And when my BFF Lauren told me about the “best caramel sauce ever,” I had to check it out. And really, this is the best caramel sauce ever. It never hardens into that chewy or hard caramel, even when it cools. It’s always perfectly smooth. And it’s super easy!

Caramelly

When I first made this, I just whipped up a chocolate cake from a box mix to go with it. I’ve made it a couple times since then, including a big batch I jarred for my mom and gave her for Christmas. So far, I’ve had it on chocolate cake, as a dip for apples, as a dip for brownies, and as ice cream topping.

Caramel on Chocolate... doesn't get any better than that

My mom was super excited about Christmas this year. She received both a huge jar of caramel sauce and a cotton candy machine. By 7am, she was eating caramel by the spoonful and adding dollops of it to her breakfast oatmeal. And by 8am, she was handing out cones of fluffy pink cotton candy. That’s Christmas!

A jar of caramel sauce is way better than a jar of jam, IMHO

By the way, the sauce tends to absorb into the cake. If you decide to top a cake with it, wait till just before you serve it to drizzle the caramel sauce on top. You could put your caramel in a gravy boat or some such dish and get all fancy with your presentation.

Drizzle

Homemade Caramel Sauce from My Fabulous Recipes

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Heat all except vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling, reduce to low and cook 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved and it has a caramel color. Stir in the vanilla and remove from heat. Can be served warm or chilled.

Beautiful

Linking up for:

YOLO Mondays from Still Being Molly and Lipgloss and Crayons
Monday Meet Ups from Covered in Grace
Made by you Monday from Skip to my Lou
Make Something Monday from Sarahndipities

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Resolutions in Motion

8 Jan

I’ve never really been one to set New Year’s resolutions. I don’t like the idea of spending a bunch of time trying to do things in January and then running out of steam by February or March. But I do like the idea of turning a new leaf. Each day is a new opportunity, right?

Mostly, I think I like the idea of self-improvement. That you can both have confidence for yourself and who you are while simultaneously being self-aware and having the courage to be a better person.

Maybe that statement is a big grandiose considering that the resolutions I’m about to set are typical, classic ones about eating healthier and exercising. But improving oneself can be both little and big things.

I think the key to resolutions is balance between keeping yourself motivated to do the work and also cutting yourself some slack for mistakes or weaknesses.

Okay, enough blathering. I decided to set resolutions this year when I saw a link-up for Resolutions in Motion on Covered in Grace. Having a group of people doing it together and having accountability through my blog readers should help me meet my goals!

Resolutions in Motion

My resolution is to Be Healthier. I’m going to do this through 3 sub-goals:

  1. Cook dinner at home at least 4 nights per week.
  2. Have no more than 4 non-water beverages per week.
  3. Do yoga once per week and take a walk at least once per week.

These are all rules that I’ve managed to follow at some point in the past couple years. But in the last few months, I’ve gotten off track. I got super busy at work and lost my game. And then the holidays came up, driving the last nail into that coffin. But now I’m back on the wagon.

Why not look awesome while you work out?

My inspiration: I bought myself new clothes! Sorry for the poor-quality selfie, as I was not originally intending to share this with you all, but there it is. I spent some Christmas money on new workout gear, hoping that my desire to wear it would result in actual workouts and not just trips to the grocery store.

I’m linking up with Resolutions in Motion hosted by:

Megan @ Shaping Up To Be A Mom
Brooke @ Covered In Grace
Tif @ Ramblings of a Southern Belle
Rosie @ Craftbotic

Resolutions In Motion is a 6-week challenge where the participants set a goal and work to achieve it. Join us every Tuesday for inspirational guest posts, surprise giveaways, blog hops, and more! The final link-up will include giveaways for some amazing prizes!

If you have not yet signed up for this awesome challenge, registration is STILL OPEN! Please go here and fill out the sign-up form, and then make sure you link up your first post before this linky closes (on Saturday, January 12th).

Participating in both the initial (today’s) linkup and the final link-up is required to win prizes, but we will also have a link-up each Tuesday throughout the challenge, for anyone who wants to write about their goal and progress regularly!

– Brooke @ Covered In Grace

That’s it! I’ll let you know how I do. And join us in setting some resolutions! You have until Saturday to register.

 

 
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Oh, Fudge!

7 Jan

Just before the holidays, my dear friend Hillary came over, and we spent an afternoon making fudge! We made huge delicious batches of chocolatey goodness to cut up and deliver to coworkers in cute little holiday packages.

I love making holiday treats for my office. I only have 9 coworkers, so it’s not that difficult to prepare for everyone, but some years, it just doesn’t happen. I have our huge annual fundraising event in early December, and it seems like by the time that’s over, I’m just wiped. I don’t have the energy for much.

But I had been thinking about it, and thought about possibly fudge. And the next day, Hillary called to say we should get together to make… fudge! So that seemed like a clear sign that it needed to happen. With a partner in the kitchen, who coincidentally was interested in the same project as I was, it was quite fun to whip these up. And, like all my favorite projects, it was super easy.

We set out to make 3 different flavors. Classic chocolate, salted chocolate peanut butter, and a double batch of mint chocolate chip. Yum!

And I may or may not have cracked myself up multiple times by muttering “Fudge!” when I screwed up or dropped something, and then realizing what I said. Ha.

FUDGE!

So here you go… 3 recipes in one post! It’s your lucky day.

Classic Chocolate Fudge adapted from Martha Stewart

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving extra paper on all sides.

Place the butter and chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir well. Repeat, microwaving at 30-second intervals and stirring well between each time, until chocolate is melted.

Add condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Stir well.

Pour immediately into prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Refrigerate until set, 2 hours or overnight (wrapped). Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift from pan and cut into squares.

Classic

Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge adapted from Martha Stewart

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Sea salt (optional)

Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving extra paper on all sides.

Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir well. Repeat, microwaving at 30-second intervals and stirring well between each time, until chocolate is melted.

Add condensed milk, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir well.

Pour immediately into prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Refrigerate until set, 2 hours or overnight (wrapped). Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift from pan and cut into squares. Top with coarse sea salt.

Mmm... sweet & salty...

Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge adapted from Martha Stewart

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Andes baking chips

Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving extra paper on all sides.

Place the butter and chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then remove and stir well. Repeat, microwaving at 30-second intervals and stirring well between each time, until chocolate is melted.

Add condensed milk and peppermint. Stir well.

Pour immediately into prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Top with mint chips, as desired.

Refrigerate until set, 2 hours or overnight (wrapped). Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift from pan and cut into squares.

Mint Chip

Linking up for:

YOLO Mondays from Still Being Molly and Lipgloss and Crayons
Monday Meet Ups from Covered in Grace
Made by you Monday from Skip to my Lou
Make Something Monday from Sarahndipities

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