Baking GALS Wrap Up

Being a team leading and baking for J, was really special this holiday season. I had a great team and everyone did an excellent job. There were many types of cookies sent along with other special goodies. Here are some pictures.

This is what my kitchen looked like before hand...

Two of my favorite Cookie & Dessert Receipe books

All boxed up and ready to go! 

I'm still here

Just a quick update...I'm still here. Things have been insane finishing up the kitchen renovation, we've had a huge change of things at work and overall the holidays are a little crazy. I have the next few days off so I'll be doing a ton of updating.

Until then...

I am so excited that I joined Baking GALS and recently signed up to be a team leader! I just got word that our team has been matched up with a Marine from Missouri. Here are some details about him.


His name is J (won't post actual name here), he's 21, from Missouri and has been a marine for almost 3 years. Last November he married his high school sweetheart, C (again, no real names) and they are expecting their first baby any day now. I do know it's going to be a boy. J was deployed before C had the baby and he's expected to return home sometime next summer. I should also mention that J's brother AND brother in-law are in the military as well.

During his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife, camping, and the outdoors. He doesn't have any food allergies and isn't picky on food or candy.

We are all looking forward to baking for J, and helping to make his holiday better while away from his loved ones. Especially his little baby boy.

Running off to preheat the oven!

A Great Conversation Piece

I had to share this because we've had a ton of people coming and going in our house (due to renovations) and everyone asks us why we have this on our fridge.

Well, when we got married last year we did the traditional dollar dance. The tradition goes that you should write words of wisdom for the married couple, tie the bill into a knot and put it in the "Money Bag". The day after the wedding, or whenever you get to it, would be spent tackling your first task as husband and wife - untying all the bills from the night before.

We spent hours trying to untie all the bills. Some were dipped in candle wax, while other were covered in tape. Needless to say, people got really creative with their bills. Hence the "Make Babies" bill.

We use the cash we received from the dance on our honeymoon when eating out, but this was one bill we couldn't let go of because it was too funny.

We found one particular restaurant we ate at a few times because they had a ton of TV's and got all the sports games. The first time we ate there we apologized to the bartender for paying with wrinkled, candle wax stained, one dollar bills. He laughed and said it was fine.

The next day we returned for lunch and he had them still piled next to the cash registered. He greeted us when we came in and said he was glad to see us again and handed us the bills from the day before. He told us we should keep these because people wrote really nice things on them and he felt bad for taking them from us. We insisted he keep them as payment and we all laughed about it.

Bake-a-holics!

I'm taking a break from renovations to tell you something really cool - Baking GALS! It's an organization that sends homemade baked goodies to our troops over seas. It's an organization I was introduced to by another Nestie online.

Each month a team is assigned a member of our military to bake for. The Team Leader gets people to join their team and during a certain week in the month everyone ships their baked goods to their military person! It's so easy to show our troops how much we appreciate everything they do for us and it doesn't take much time.

Since I was born into a family with women who LOVE to bake, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to put our "skills" to good use. I recently signed up to be the Team Leader of Bake-a-holics and have recruited many family members and friends to join my team.

We are all really excited to get started and are just waiting to be approved. If this is something you're interested in joining check out their site, sign up, join a team and get your recipe box out!

Phase 1 Kitchen Renovation = Complete!

Here's a story about a kitchen that was outdated and neglected, until we came a long. We took this kitchen and gave her a make over that would make anyone want to cook in here! Ok, well maybe it's not THAT dramatic, but we did just complete Phase 1 of our kitchen renovation. Let me tell you about what we did.

Here's the before:

First, we took out all the cabinets and appliances. And when I say "we", I actually mean DH and his coworker, JG. JG is great with helping us on projects like this because he's flipped 3 houses and we don't really know what we're doing. That time "we" meant DH and me (but more so me).

The guys then took part of the wall down to the studs. They had to do this because we were moving the dishwasher from the right side of the sink to the left side and adding a pendant light above the sink. Exposing the wiring, allowed FIL to easily reroute everything.

Since the flooring (old, gross laminate flooring) was already ripped up, I got the excellent job of removing all the glue from the sub flooring. Prepping the floor is important because we are putting tile down and we need to make sure everything is level so the tile will go down evenly.

After about 2 hours of trying to remove the glue I needed one of these (or two, or three). Make sure to keep beer in stock. You need it to keep your sanity. Wine is usually my first choice, except I didn't want to be caught sleeping on the job...

Then when I woke up the next morning my kitchen looked like this! HA! I wish. After almost 10 hours of cutting, drilling, screwing and lifting, everything was in it's place. I love my new cabinets and can't wait to complete phase 2 - countertops and hardware!

Here's a close up of the cabinet finish. Read all about our cabinets here.

Phase 2 should be coming later this week and early next week so stay tuned.

The calm before the storm

The day has almost arrived! Our cabinets will be delivered tomorrow morning! I simply can't wait. The excitement and anticipation is killing me...

In a few days our kitchen will no longer look like this. Sorry the pictures are so crappy but I took them a few days ago as I was walking out the door.

Kick Your Feet Up

What's better than a great glass of wine, and a beautiful view? I DH who lets you book a trip to Finger Lakes, NY knowing damn well he doesn't like wine - that's who.

DH learned something valuable this trip - He LOVES red wine. Out of all the wines we've tried over the years, I've never seen him drink red wine. No that's all changed. I'm the white wine and he's the red. Actually it works out pretty well because now he won't drink my wine = good for me!

Any who, here is a list of wineries we went to:

Fox Run: As wine tasting virgins this was our first stop and I'm glad. It was about 11 am and it wasn't too crowded, which was nice. We got to feel it out and ask the bartender questions about different wines and how it works (tastings). We got to taste 6 wines for $2. Not too shabby huh?

Finger Lakes Distilling: Yes you read that correctly. I said Distillery, Do I need to say it again? While I'm not a liquor person, DH is so I thought he'd enjoy it. And he did! He ended up getting a MapleJack liquor and a new rocks glass. This tasting was also $2 for 3 liquors. The only difference about the distillery was that you are limited to 3 tastes a day. My favorite part? The 12 year old dog that wanders around and hangs out behind the bar - sooo cute!

Penguin Bay: This is officially the only type of Penguin I like (I'm a Flyers Fan born to hate the Pittsburgh Penguins). The wine's here were delicious and to make them even better, all the ones we liked were buy 2 bottles get 1 free! Free wine?! It was pretty cool.

Wagners: Great people, great views, good wine. We came in about the time they were closing but stayed long enough to try about 10 wines each. I swear he was determined to find a red wine that I would enjoy, but no such luck. The most expensive tasting at $0.50/glass we should have paid $10 for our tasting, instead we each paid $2. Love it.

Hazlitt 1852: The group of women at this bar made my day. They were so funny we couldn't stop laughing. The tasting room had a very country feel to it, complete with stuffed animals in the floor and the walls. The tasting was the same as the others at $2 for 8 wines.

Glenora: We did this winery on a separate day, knowing it was the largest on the lake and on a weekend it would be very busy. We were right. There was a long line to get in but it moved very quickly. The woman at the front door did a good job of finding out how many people were in each group and did her best to move everything along. Since this winery is the biggest and the oldest we decided to take a tour, but since we got there 3 mins after the tour left we had to do our tasting first and tour second. The tour was $7 and included a tasting. We got to go down into the barrel room and taste wine straight out of the barrel. We also got to go to the wine makers office and see how he does everything.

The Corning Museum of Glass

On Thursday we got in the car and headed on our way. The drive up was a simple one and we decided to make our first stop at the Corning Museum of Glass.

The place itself is pretty cool. They have glass work that dates thousands of years old from all over the world and things you never thought were possible. The admission fee was pretty reasonable at $14/person, while the location was easy to get to. On top of the admission fee, DH and I also decided we were going to make our own glass pieces. As a tradition, I made a Christmas Ornament ($25) and he made a flower ($25). I was going to make the flower as well, but they said it was more hands on and I didn't want to mess it up.

This was the feature piece in the lobby - it seriously looked like Medusa.

It's so hard to believe that these are all made of glass! They look real enough to eat. Oh and just to give you an idea how big they were, the pear in the middle came up past my belly button and I'm 5ft tall.

I need to have this.

Great interactive demonstrations showed you how different types of glass products are made. Here they made a giant flower with petals.

Here's DH making his flower. It was so hot in there.

Tale of a Traveler

We just got back from our 2nd vacation together (the first was our Honeymoon - go figure). Anyway, we went to Finger Lakes Region of NY state and stayed in a cute little town called, Geneva.

Geneva is at the very top of Seneca Lake, which is the largest of all the "Finger Lakes". It is a seriously adorable town with great little shoppes, good restaurants and the nicest people I think I've ever met.

When we first arrived at the Ramada hotel, DH hated that it was at the top of the lake, "Away from EVERYTHING" I think were his exact words probably with a bunch of expletives thrown in. However, we grabbed something quick to eat at a restaurant, which is currently escaping my memory at the moment and headed back to the hotel.

Everything was better in the morning when we woke up to this...

Alright I'll be honest...I woke up to this (at 6:30 am) and showed it to DH when he woke up around 9 (or so). Heck, I had a new DSLR that I was DYING to use! There was no way I wasn't going to photography the sunrise.

In the next few posts I'll give you reviews on the hotel, food, wineries and everything in between.

Kitchen Renovation Inspiration Part 4 - Put it all together

So I've found all my inspiration and now it's time to put it all together. Please take a look at my ideas and let me know what you think. I'm still trying to figure out a paint color and back splash, so all suggestions are welcome!

Cabinets

We selected American Woodmark cabinets in the Savannah style with the Hazelnut Cream Glaze finish. I love these and dream about them daily. Yes, I really said that out loud. They will look similar to this but in a cream color with dark brownish accents, instead of bright white.

Countertops

We went ahead with Granite because it was about the same price as everything else. Plus the new granite doesn't have to be sealed! Yippe! We got Solarius. I am hoping that the golds & dark browns in the granite will tie in with the brown accents on the cabinets. *Crossing my fingers*

Cabinet Hardware

Since all the hardware came free with our cabinets, we selected something similar in style to this. The color is almost an exact match.

Appliances

We bought all our appliances at Sear's during their GREAT Labor Day sale. While I'd love to show you each and every appliance that's just not possible. Plus, I don't think you really care that much. The important thing is that they are all Stainless Steel and I REALLY WANT TO USE THEM!

Lighting

Well, we haven't purchased them...YET. Here is what I am thinking for the lighting. Since we have an L shaped kitchen (with absolutely NO room for an island) and our ceilings are too low for a pendant-type light, I was thinking about going with some cool track lighting like this. It's a little modern, definitely different, but I think it will still keep with the clean & simple look we're going for.

We haven't decided yet if we are going to keep a full table in the kitchen or get a small round pub table. Either way I'm thinking of this light for above. Since it's going over a table I don't really have to worry about the height. Right?

Flooring

We decided to continue the tile from the hallway into the kitchen and use the same color. It's a very basic biege/cream that is super easy to clean. The best part? We got it for $0.57/sq ft!!! I know right? We'll tile our entire kitchen for under $100. Love when things work out.

In case you are wondering, the tile is Summer Bloom from Home Depot.

Wedding Photo Countdown # 1

Here it is. My FAVORITE wedding photo. It's not my favorite for editing or because I think my arms look fabulous (for the record I think they do), but for the memory I have of this photo.

It was the first time that day that it was just the two of us, and no one else was around. Sure we talked a little, saying we didn't want this day to end and how amazing it was to be married to each other.

It was an amazing day and I wish I could do it all again. And for as many times I've said "I'd do this or that differently", the truth is...I wouldn't change a thing.

Photo by Kate Rupertus with SingleExposure Photography

Wedding Photo Countdown - didn't make the cut

Just for fun, here are some photos that didn't make the cut but were very close contenders.

Wedding Photo Countdown # 2

#2! We're almost there.

Since we are so close to the end I've decided to cheat. There are a few reasons:

1. I was never good at monopoly so I did what I had to do to win. Hint - always be the banker.
2. I love scrabble but always have a hard time finding words more than 3 letters long. Hint - make up words that sound like words, when people don't believe you tell them to look it up. Most people are too lazy to do this.
3. Finally, you can't have one of these photos without the others! It's like Peanut Butter and Jelly or Grey's Anatomy and wine, they just belong together.

Photo by Kate Rupertus of SingleExposure Photography

Wedding Photo Countdown # 3

Today I'm bringing you #3. And in honor of today's picture I encourage everyone to stop what they're doing, turn the radio up and start dancing!

This one is of me and my mom. She is the reason I dance, hands down. She signed me up for dance classes when I was four years old and I never stopped. While I know that we don't share the same DNA, there is no doubt in my mind that she passed her great dancing skills onto me in some way. Perhaps Osmosis? I should look into that. It could be some scientific break through. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Anyway, my mom and I are pretty much guaranteed to be the first people to get up and start dancing and the last to leave. And usually the only reason we stop dancing is because our husbands are dragging us out kicking and screaming. Ok, well not really, but it gives you a good picture right?

Photo by Kate Rupertus from SingleExposure Photography

Wedding Photo Countdown # 4

Ahh, #4. We're almost there!

This is my niece aka The Princess. She is so adorable and well behaved that I want a kid (or 2) just like her. She started walking (if you could call it that) around her 1st birthday, 3 months before our wedding.

She loved that we gave her a basket with Rose Petals the day of the wedding that she'd walk around and dump the basket only to stop and pick them up. Well when it was her turn to walk down the aisle (my youngest cousin helped her) she didn't dump the basket - instead she walked and smiled at everyone. Soooooo stinkin cute!

Photo by Kate Rupertus of SingleExposure Photography

Wedding Photo Countdown # 5

Here is #5!

I am being a bit selfish here. I love this picture because of the way my dress looks. That's really it.

OK, maybe that's not ENTIRELY true. It might have something to do with the romantic bridge, the weeping willow trees in the background or the fact that DH totally caught me off guard with this pose & a great kiss!

Photo by Kate Rupertus of SingleExposure Photograhy

Wedding Photo Countdown # 6

Here's # 6! Our church has AMAZING stained glass. It surrounds the church 360 degrees.

This is one of my favorite photos because the morning had been dark and cloudy, it even rained while I was at the salon. But, as the organist started to play the music for the wedding party to walk down the aisle, the sun came out and the stained glass lit up the room. It was really beautiful.

Photo by Kate Rupertus with SingleExposure Photography

Wedding Photo Countdown # 7

My #7 favorite photo!

It was very important to me for my dad not to see me until I was completely ready. It was also important to get his first reaction on camera so I could always remember the look in his eyes when he first saw me. I should also let it be known that he's the only person who made me cry on my wedding day (seriously, I held it together the whole day except when something involved my dad).

As you can see, my mom was also excited to see this happen and couldn't resist sneaking a peak.

Photo by Kate Rupertus of SingleExposure Photography

Wedding Photo Countdown # 8

Well here it is, my 8th favorite wedding photo. There isn't any fancy editing, no special pose just a real, genuine laugh during my sister's Maid of Honor speech.

My little sister is amazing. No other word could describe her best. I was always kind of jealous of her - she's tall, skinny, very outgoing and she's always been there for me.

As a special treat for you here is her speech. Our laughing was probably during the part where she tells everyone that she wanted to be like me and tried to take my prescription pills for a heart condition I had growing up.

Hi eveyone! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Jill, the very proud younger, yet bigger sister of our beautiful Bride. I want to start by congratulating the bride and groom, and thanking all of our family and friends for coming here today and sharing this most special day with us.

Erin and Chris, when I look at the two of you, I know that you've found your true match. I know that my sister has never been happier, and that's because of you, Chris. You guys have a wonderful adventure ahead of you, and with God's blessing your marriage will last for decades to come. Separately, you are two very special, remarkable people, but together you are complete.

Erin, I just want to tell you how stunning you look today... you really look like a princess from a fairy tale. I also want to say that this has truly been a special day for me as well. Thank you for giving true meaning to the word sister and for sharing the last 22 years with me.

When we were little I always looked up to Erin and pretty much idiolized my big sister. I remember one time when I came really close to taking one of Erin's heart medicine pills, except luckily my mom stopped me right before I did.. but that's how much I wanted to be just like Erin. I also remember when I was a little older, always stealing Erin's clothes and wearing them when she wasn't around. But there were the few occassions when she would catch me and be furious! She absolutely hated it, even though I looked at it as a compliment! Due to the stealing of the clothes and other things we had our share of fights, but no matter how mad we were at eachother, we always made up at the end of the day, because were sisters and nothing can come between that bond.

My wishes for Erin and Chris are that they have a continued loving friendship and partnership; that they enjoy success and laughter; that they are blessed with children; and that they always see and talk with their heart.

I wish you only the very best. My love to the both of you.

Here's to love, laughter and happily ever after.

Photo by Kate Rupertus from SingleExposure Photograhy