Bridal Shower Season

The Bride, Groom and the 'maids.
I'm a huge fan of even numbered wedding parties!  It looks so balanced, minus my lack of height.

Saturday was our little Shelly's WEDDING shower!  I can hardly believe she will be married in a few months.  I feel such closeness to Shelly in the short 8 years I've known her my heart just explodes with happiness to watch her on this journey into matrimony!  I know I will be an emotional mess along with her 4 siblings.  Kim (oldest sis/matron of honor) is already worried about how her makeup with hold up to all the tears.  Making the group decision to get our makeup done unanimous.  Shelly had a beautiful shower with friends and family.  She's been kickin' butt in the gym and looks fantastic.  The smile did not leave her face all day, but got even bigger when Patrick came at the end with flowers.  (SWOON!)  Less than 70 days until the big day!

When boy sees girl...

I am so sad I am missing registering brides at the store.  I did a baby shower must have list it's only fair to do a bridal!  Even if it has been a long time since I've been a bride (almost 7 years!), my three years at Williams-Sonama constitutes me as a registry connoisseur.

Nosy Rosie's Bridal Registry List:
1.  WS Kitchen Towels:  You will have them forever.  I was almost angry that mine held up so well I couldn't justify buying more in new colors!  (But I did anyway.)  This also goes for our oven pads and mitts too.

2.  Calphalon Unison Non-Stick pans: They are amazing!  More expensive then some of their other lines but totally worth it.  Heavier, longer handles, forgiving and made in Toledo!  Make sure to register for wooden and plastic utensils so you don't scratch your new pans.

3.  All Clad French Skillet set:  Even though they are a pain to clean they're totally worth it.  Grab some Bar Keeper's Friend, it'll make clean up easier.  You won't make eggs in it but they are great to sear meats then just throw in the oven.
If you only want to cook with non-stick or you only want to use stainless-steel.  Make sure to get a skillet or two (WS has sets) of whatever the opposite of what your set is.  It is always nice to have options!

4.  Knife Set:  Now this is a personal choice of what brand to get.  Make sure you go in to the store and hold them in your hand to see what you like.  Having a good knife set makes cooking sooo much easier.  Don't forget your cutting board and oil and to watch your fingers!

5.  All Clad Measuring set:  Yes it's expensive but it'll be the only set you ever need!  The straight handle makes it easy for you to level off your ingredients.

6.  Cookbooks:  WS has the most beautiful cookbooks with delicious recipes.  I fell in love with them
so quick that I purchased a cookbook holder to display them.  Andy then convinced me we needed one for every season.  I happily agreed!

7.  White Dinnerware:  My mother was so right about this one!  I said, "Nooo I want brown, it's classic, it'll go with everything."  No it's not, you will get sick of it and it won't go with some of tablerunners or your holiday decor.   Expressing my disgust with my choice to one of my managers she said, "Look at our dinnerware wall...all white and it has been like that forever."  How could I have been so naive!

*Andy not standing up
straight in our 1st apartment

8.  Register for the FUTURE:  I use to have to beat this into the heads of brides.  I had to convince a girl to register for more than 4 flatware place settings.  "But we won't be entertaining for a while.  It's just going to be the two of us blah blah..."  Andy couldn't even stand up straight in our first apartment*, we got 12 and am I glad we did.  By the time we got a house I didn't have the extra money to buy flatware and neither will you, you've got other fun stuff you'll want to buy!  Unpacking entertainment pieces you forgot you had is like Christmas!

9.  Don't worry about prices:  Yes this stuff is expensive, but it is built to last.  (Hence my mom having the mixer she got for her wedding almost 40 years ago!)  You never know who is going to go together and get you a gift.  Don't be scared, no one will judge you!  Registering at WS or Pottery Barn is nice because you can use their gift cards at either place, West Elm or Pottery Barn Kids (incase you have a honeymoon baby)!

So cute!

Winter Rewind

 Looking back at my pictures I'm thinking what did we do this winter?  Of course I took 75 at Elmo but other than that not much documented.  I did get an iphone 5 and have joined Instagram, which I am obsessed with!  So plenty of pictures and stories to tell from my phone.  The year started with my store closing that I still haven't gotten over.  They keep sending me catalogs that pours salt back in the wound!  The free weekends have opened up all sorts of fun stuff, going back home for the entire weekend, yard cleanup, even a family grocery trip.

Made his own bed after
a big day of yard work.

D is coming into his own.  We've realized why people pop out babies back to back, once you get a crazed toddler how could you throw a baby into the mix?  He's becoming very independent, hanging up his coat when we get home, putting his shoes in his closet, even grabbed the milk out of the fridge!  (Good thing I was close to catch it before he dropped it.)  He's getting so smart, clever yet still able to throw fit with the best of them.  While making cookies for my social workers (in honor of National Social Work Month) D came in while I was icing the spring themed cut-outs and said, "Dada wants uhnudder coo-coo, I take it to him."  I yelled into Andy, he did not ask or want another cookie.  I have a feeling if I would have given it to our little cookie monster it would not have made it to dada, but been eaten in route.

60 degrees in Jan!

We had some 60 degree days in January!  It was great to get out and open the windows.  My grandparents celebrated 61 years of marriage so awe got together to celebrate at the Hartville Kitchen.  D is recently obsessed with my grandpa and Aunt Ang, he kept tabs on them during the whole meal.  One weekend home, Andy and I were able to sneak out for a date night out in downtown Canton.  We attended our annual Night at the Races for the local little league.  Brionna came up again and we had a blast.  We already can't wait until next year!

I attempted to make butternut squash ravioli for our meatless Fridays.  Spent the 3 hours the night before making a TON to freeze for the next night and hopefully many Fridays after.  They looked good, I was pretty proud of myself.  Then I tried to cook them...  I must have made them too thin, I lost over half of them because they opened up while boiling.  All that hard work lost in boiling water, I'll be honest I cried.  Andy reassured me there are worst things that could happen.  The ones that stayed intact were delicious.  You haven't seen the last of me butternut squash ravioli!  Now we are hoping the weather turns warm and are counting down the days until opening day.  Happy Spring!

Andy and an avid Nosy Rosie reader