Domestic Diva: Practicing my Duties as Wife

I always had this idea of taking care of my husband by preparing him a home-cooked meal when he arrives home from work. But with a full time job of my own, picking up/feeding the baby, AND getting ready for work the next morning, who has time to cook every night???? If you're reading this and you do, send me some tips because  I bow in awe of you!

Well, now I am trying to at least prepare dinner at least three weeknights a week. And the ony way I knw how to achieve that is through the slow cooker and the microwave.

I tried  Martha Stewart's slow cooker pot roast and this is how it turned out:

I modified the recipe a bit to fit our tastes. The biggest difference is that I wanted potatoes, but I did not want them so soft they would fall apart. I placed the potatoes and carrots into the slow cooker about five hours into the ten hour cooking. And I basted the meat and veggies with beef broth every few hours. 

T and I went to see the new Twilight movie, and when we got home, Sunday dinner was ready! Yum! 

$avings $unday

$avings $undays series developed because I am trying to get in the habit of checking out the popular flash sale sites (LivingSocial, Groupon, etc.) for deals that would save us money on our wedding. Hopefully there is a deal here to save everyone $$$!


Custom photo book: LivingSocial has a 20 page hardcover custom photo book for $10 (regular $40). This could be great after the wedding to create your wedding album OR you could make the cover with your engagement photos' and leave the other pages mostly blank to have a custom guest book.

Honeymoon idea: Groupon Getaways has a three or four night all-inclusive resort package for Cancun, Mexico for $561 or $627 respectively. The prices go up depending on how close to peak season you choose to go, but they are all about half off the regular prices. This deals includes all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, daily activities, golf course greens fees, and gratuities. All you would have to add is the flight over there. Check the fine print, though; you don't want to end up somewhere you haven't researched. :-)

We definitely need a DOC!

Before throwing myself head first into this wedding planning stuff, I had no idea what any of these wedding related acronyms meant: OOT, FI, MOH, STD*. Well, the last one has another meaning outside of wedding vocab... not something I want associated with the happiest day of my life.

Anyway, I will be back later to recap a wedding from this weekend where T was a GM (haha, there's another one! GM= Groomsman). But the moral of the story from this weekend: We WILL hire a DOC: Day of Coordinator. For the un-wedding-initiated, a DOC would be the person on the day of the wedding that makes contact with all the vendors, answers any questions, and handles any problems that could arise on the big day. S/he also keeps everyone on time and moves the day along. This person would supervise all the decorating set up and breakdown so everything goes perfectly without the Bride or Groom having to do it themselves.

There is no question in my mind about it now, and it will be worth every last penny I give him/her. If T and I weren't so organized already, I would consider hiring a full wedding coordinator, but I think we have started early enough to get through until about a week before. Then we will happily hand EVERYTHING over to this amazing person, and we will relax and enjoy our day.

Stay tuned to find out what brought us to the decision to hire a DOC. In the meantime, check out a few shots from the wedding on Saturday!




Left: T and the Groom!  Right: T, the Best Man, and another Groomsman

Hopefully you will see these faces (and suits) again in our wedding party.

*OOT= Out of Town guests, FI= Future Intended (fiance/fiancee), MOH (Maid of Honor), STD (Save the Date)

Joining the Movement: Black Women "DO" Workout

I have mentioned a few times before (Weight Loss Wake up Call and Shedding for the Wedding) that I am trying for a more healthy lifestyle. Well, it hasn't been easy, folks... but why total lifestyle change is?

You know what routine gets me every time? If T is eating fast food for the convenience or the price, I tend to eat it as well. Who has time to cook something when we are stopping by [insert fast food joint here] for the $3.99 special? And then I don't even enjoy the food, because I feel so guilty for eating it.

So it has been a roller coaster ride, but I am not off the healthy food bandwagon just yet! I just know I need to take it slow and fix one bad habit at a time.

 

Last night, while watching X-Factor, T and I decided to revisit the workout regimen we attempted earlier in the year. (Check out the abs on that woman!) But instead of doing all of the excercises at once, we split them up during the course of the show. Everytime a commercial came on, we did five of each, until we reached our goal. It felt good, and since I did not have to give up my mindless TV time, it worked. Can we keep this up everyday? I think so, but let's take it one step at a time ;-)



I have also enlisted the help of some of the ladies of Black Women "DO" Workout on Facebook. Their encouragement and advice has reminded me to take it day by day, and get in the habit of eating right/ working out. So that's the plan.

Today's workout move? 5 Burpees every time a commercial comes on during X Factor!

$avings $unday

Just dropping in for a quick hello and to share some deals with all you lovely brides and grooms. I am trying to get in the habit of checking out the popular flash sale sites (LivingSocial, Groupon, etc.) for deals that would save us money on our wedding. It's one of the advantages to being two years away from the big day. The biggest sale I am looking for is a PHOTOBOOTH. Here are some of the ones I saw today:

Photo printing: If any of you are going for the DVD of images and rights to reprint from your photographer, LivingSocial is showing a deal from Picaboo for photo prints, enlargements, books, canvas prints, etc. For $35, you get $100 worth of these fun photo options. Check it out here.

Invitations: If you are looking for invite inspiration, LivingSocial also has a deal from Invitation Consultants for online invite designs and printing. For $19, you get $45 towards your invites, and that voucher can be used towards the cost of shipping as well. Check this one out here.


Of course, as I find more interesting deals, I will post about it to spread the wealth.

Have any of you tried a flash sale to save a few bucks on anything?

Finally! A BB Cream in my skin tone!

Let's start with the fact that I LOOOVVVEEE makeup. Love it! But I am way to lazy in the morning to apply a new face everyday. So I only get to experiment with my makeup collection on special occasions. I look forward to parties, formals, and balls mostly for the chance to play with makeup and hair.

But recently, I have had this urge to expand my daily makeup routine. I figure it is time to upgrade from the quick swipe of lip gloss in the car on the way to work. So I decided to start with some all-in-one products to save time and ease me into a routine. I started with Avon Tint n' Go for Cheeks and Lips in Berry as a nice way to bring some quick color to my face. I love the color on my lips, but I have to be careful with the cream on my cheeks because if I do not let it sink into my skin, it will wipe right off when I try to blend it. That means I have to walk around for two or three minutes looking like a clown before I can make it natural.




Next, I went in search of a light, everyday product that would mask some of my blemishes. I have a few acne scars and dark marks that I want to minimize on a daily basis, but I cannot spend the time and energy to put on a full face of foundation. That's when I started seeing the commercials for BB creams in the drugstore cosmetics department. I looked at a few different ones, but they did not come in a color for my skin tone. I ended up buying one anyway, thinking the color was not that far off. Boy was I wrong! I looked like a ghost when I took my picture. But then I found Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Deep, and I was pleasantly surprised that it blended with my skin beautifully. I have combination skin, and this cream really evened my skin out, giving moisture to my dry areas and reducing shine in my oily areas.  

 

I have a long way to go before I am comfortable and satisfied with my daily routine. But I think these products are a good start. Here is my look for today after a (very) quick application:

I still need a little eyeliner or mascara (or both), but I like looking natural during the day, espcially since our office is so casual. I'll keep you updated on anything else I try, and if you have suggestions, please let me know! What is your "staple" cosmetic product for every day?

Note: All photos are personal. I have not been compensated by Maybelline or Avon for these reviews.

 

Say Yes to the Dress!

I'm so excited! And I can't wait to share! But first...

I came on here to cry and vent about letting my dream dress slip through my fingers... but now I don't have to cry, because I bought it!

Wooohooo! *Happy Dance* Running Man*

Okay, now that I have calmed down, let me explain:

I have been drooling over the Two-in-One style gowns for awhile now. I fell in love with the idea of being a two dress bride, but I knew I would not have the budget for it, so I thought the next best thing would be a convertible dress. Of course the designers who make these types of dresses are all waaaaayyy out of my price range. So I contemplated going to one of the overseas dress websites to have them try to create the design that resembled what I was envisioning.

And then comes David's Bridal. They have a beautiful Two-in-One Taffeta Ball Gown that converts from a full skirt to a strapless sheath, with beautiful beaded embroidery on the sweetheart bodice. It was love at first sight! I saved the images to my phone, my computer, and my iPad so I could look at it over and over. But I had no intention on buying it until we were a LOT closer to the date. It didn't stop me from drooling over the computer screen at it every few days, though.

Fast forward to this morning. I was doing my usual web surfing of all things wedding related, when I came to the David's Bridal sale. And guess what dress was on sale for $99?!?! I went WILD! But then, I looked closer.... and my size was not available. And just as fast as I got excited, my face slumped in dissapointment. And so I came to you to begin my "sad face" post.

But guess, what? I went back to the website this afternoon to get the pictures for this post, and what should happen?! My size was available!!!!! AND I found a coupon code for FREE SHIPPING! I whipped my card out faster than I could say soft white!

Okay, enough talking, I know you want to see the dress! I will post pics of the actual dress as SOON as it arrives (between next Wednesday and the following Monday).Until then, here are the photos from the David's Bridal website:

 

Grand Total: $104.94