{Wedding Wednesday} How to Survive the Holidays as a Bride-to-Be (Guest post)

I'm lucky enough today to welcome back Ali from PunkWife.com to Wedding Wednesday! She's always so full of wonderful bridal tips! Click HERE for her previous Wedding Wednesday post! Ali is the author of The Bitch's Bridal Bible, a fabulous, no nonsense guide to being a bride! 

How to Survive the Holidays as a Bride-to-Be

Heading into the holidays as a bride-to-be is exciting! But let’s be realistic: you’re probably also worried about protecting your budget, avoiding a muffin top, and escaping other stressors (family drama or running around like a crazy person, anyone?) But with some planning ahead, and a little care-taking, you can still indulge this season and keep the stress levels down! Consider the following suggestions on how to survive the holidays as a bride-to-be:  

1.     Gifts. Consider letting family know ahead of time that you will be a little more resourceful this year with gift giving, and that you may even DIY your gifts. Just be sure to stay within you limits of crafts-pertise to avoid any stress. (“They are my special Christmas socks I knitted for you little Mary! You just have to hold them up as you walk for them to work. Merry Christmas!”)

2.     Being cornered. Oh, Aunt Bertha, with your Merlot breath and endless questioning. Want to know why I’m having such a long engagement? Because DO YOU WANT TO PAY FOR MY WEDDING? I understand that the price per head in your day was $8.25, but you should really move that decimal point one spot to the right and then add $100. Now give me some of that wine because hearing myself say it out loud like that made me thirsty. (You’re in close corners with family you see maybe twice a year, so there’s not much you can do to escape this other than pull the string on your Chardonnay chute and deal.)

3.     Food. Consider “pre-gaming” before you attend your holiday party – but put down the eggnog you silly bride, you. The phrase takes on a whole new meaning this year. I’m referring to snacking at home first before heading out the door. Going to a holiday party hungry is the equivalent of going grocery shopping hungry. Everything looks amazing, and you are likely to devour it all. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. However, if you are a conscious bride and think you may beat yourself up later on for splurging, think ahead.

My grandma always says that when you have two parties to attend in one day, consider which one always has the best desserts and go there last. If you have multiple stops to make, this is the one year you probably want to play the reverse card and avoid any temptation. You can make up for it next year. 

4.     Skin, hair, nails. Depending on where you live, the holidays can also bring about a wrecking ball of dryness and brittleness to your skin, hair, and nails – coincidentally, all of the things you wish to look beautiful in time for your wedding. There’s no magic product or quick fix for this; the most effective formula here is the following: Moisturize. Get sleep. Be nice to yourself. And avoid stress as much as possible. Which brings me to #5…

5.     Stress. The last thing you need during wedding season is added stress. Numbers 1-4 contribute to the stress issue, and it can be hard to unwind or maintain your inner Zen amongst all the crazy. It may be finances on your mind, work deadlines, or family drama (times two this year, since you are now a part of your husband’s family, as well.) Carve out some time to decompress and relax yourself as you know how, whether it be practicing yoga, pounding the treadmill, or zoning out on the couch catching up with your DVR. And have fun wherever possible, because isn’t that what this time of year is supposed to be about?

Lastly, as you enjoy all the festivities, remember to make some time to enjoy the holidays with your future hubby. Depending how long your engagement is, it may be the only holiday you get to be a glowing bride-to-be. Make memories. Make traditions. But whatever you do, don’t make yourself crazy.

Author Bio: Alessandra Macaluso is author of "The Bitch's Bridal Bible: The Must-Have, Real- Deal Guide for Brides," available on Amazon and Kindle. A creator at heart, she is an avid writer of screenplays, articles, and business/product reviews. She has contributed to Uptown Magazine, Charlotte Magazine, and Yelp.com, among other publications, and was featured in the New York Times “Life and Style” section for her review of Ulta Beauty. Her original screenplay, “Polar Suburbia”, placed as a semi-finalist in the 2009 Moondance Film Festival. To learn more about Alessandra you can visit her blog at www.punkwife.com or visit her Google Author Profile.

That last line is on the money! Don't make yourself crazy! Thank you Ali for another wonderful post!! You're welcome back ANY time! :)

How is being a bride stressing you out more than normal during this holiday season?

Till next time,

Catherine

If you're a fellow blogger and are interested in guest posting for this series, shoot me an e-mail at CatherinePageWood@gmail.com! Or, even if you're not a blogger and would like to share your wedding story or advice, send me an e-mail! I would LOVE to share your stories!

If you liked this post, be sure to check out the other editions of Wedding Wednesday!

• Getting Started on Wedding Planning
• My Tips for Less Stressful Wedding Planning
• Choosing a Photographer
• How to Survive a Wedding Expo
• Mirror, Mirror - Why Big Mirrors Are a Must!
• Save the Dates - Yay or Nay? 
• Easily Overlooked Details
• The Top 10 Crazy Characters You'll Face During Wedding Planning (and How to Deal With Them)

Cook: Sweet Potato Casserole

This is my second post on the DIY Christmas Series that a great group of blogging friends and I are doing! Be sure to check out all 30 days of great posts! My good friend Joyce over at The Skinny Pear is the mastermind behind this awesome series to get you ready for Christmas with all things DIY!

Simple, classic, delicious = Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes are incredibly healthy for you so this is a healthy side dish to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas...or, ya know...any time! And yes there may be a lot of sugar in this recipe but there's no need to be afraid of organic, unbleached, raw sugar! Or, your favorite healthy sugar substitute!

The original recipe came from MyRecipes in a list of 70+ Thanksgiving favorites. I tweaked a few of the ingredients though, as usual. 

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 4 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes
• 1 cup raw sugar (I actually used a little less than a whole cup, sweet potatoes provide a lot of sweetness on their own!)
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups crushed flake cereal (Total or cornflakes)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes and cut them in half. 

Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for at least an hour. They may need to bake longer. You can test to see if they're ready by sticking a knife in each one. If the knife comes right back out, it's ready but if the potato stays on the knife, it needs more time. 

They'll look dry on the outside where they've been cut. When they're done baking, let them sit and cool for about 20 minutes or so. Drop the oven temperature to 350.

While the sweet potatoes are cooling off, whisk/mix together the sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mine looks a little funny because the butter wasn't totally soft. No worries if that happens to you, it'll be fine later.

Also while the potatoes are cooling off, prepare the crunchy topping by smashing the flakes until you've got 1 1/2 cups then mix in the pecans and brown sugar. Drizzle the melted butter around it and continue to mix. You can set this aside.

I used Total instead of cornflakes because I wanted whole grains instead of corn. You can use whichever kind you prefer. I doubt it would make much of a difference in the flavor. If someone knows of a better "real food" version, please let me know!

Now that your potatoes have cooled, take them and basically squeeze out the insides into a large bowl. The potato will come out of the skin pretty easily. 

You'll need to peel this part off because it's too hard to mix in well. 

For this step you can either use your electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, or just a good ol' fashioned potato masher. 

Stir in the mixture you made earlier. 

It will seem a little thin but it will be baked again so it will thicken up a bit. If you don't like the way that sounds still, don't add as much milk. 

Pour the sweet potato mixture into a greased casserole dish.  Spread it out evenly and sprinkle the crunchy topping in diagonal lines a couple inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let it stand for about 10 minutes then sprinkle marshmallows in the empty rows between the crunchy topping rows.

Bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges of the marshmallows begin to brown.

Let it cool and enjoy! I'm sure this will be as big of a hit with your family as it was with mine! 

What's your favorite side dish for holiday dinners? 

Till next time,

Catherine

Saturdays

I value Saturdays more than I think I ever have. When my husband isn't working out of town and we're not visiting Richmond, it's so nice to just have the day to do whatever we want.

Today we slept in (always nice) and then headed to the downtown Lynchburg Community Market for their Mistletoe Market where the focus is on Christmas. There was a trolly going around the city and two beautiful horse drawn carriages giving free rides around the block. There were lots of friendly people picking up locally grown and handmade goods. I even saw face painting and balloon animals for children and of course Santa and Mrs. Clause were sitting for pictures. It was just a lovely day. The weather was amazing as well, t-shirt weather in December!

As many tempting items as there are to see, we only bought a quart sized jar of honey. Yeah, I know, that is a LOT of honey! The last time I bought honey it was only 16oz and it got used up really fast since I made several loaves of honey wheat bread and so many of those delicious dinner rolls. around Thanksgiving. I was really tempted by the beautiful handmade live wreaths and really beautifully decorated topiaries. They're doing Mistletoe Market again next week so hopefully we'll check it out again.

After the market we just walked around downtown and checked out some local shops. Antique malls, furniture stores, camera shops...wherever we decided to step into. It was a really nice, relaxing afternoon.

This was in one really nice antique shop we went into. It's Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara!

We even found a newly opened natural food store!! I am beyond excited! It reminds me soo much of the one where I used to work. It's right on Main Street in downtown Lynchburg, called Hanna's Health.   They just opened in September but they've got a little bit of everything! We didn't buy anything today but I'll be back! I kept making mental notes of everything they had so I know for next time I need to go grocery shopping. They also had lots of bulk products as well. The owner even said she'd order my favorite Organic Fiji lotion for me! If you've been looking for a natural food store in Lynchburg, go check out Hanna's Health!

Once we left downtown, we had a few errands to run but it was still a fun time with my husband. We finished a little Christmas shopping and by the early evening we were getting hungry and we noticed a little place called The Spot. We decided to check it out and it was delicious! It appeared to be owned by a family and they were all so nice and friendly...it was a wonderful atmosphere. They have salads, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and even wings. I got a grilled chicken sandwich and my husband got a burger....both delicious! Our food was cooked right away and didn't take long at all. The owners always had smiles on their faces! We'll definitely be eating there again! If you're in Lynchburg, I highly recommend you check it out! They've only been open for about a month so go show 'em some love! You won't be disappointed, I promise!

We also stopped by a thrift store on the way home and got my husband some nice dress shirts for about $3 a piece...you know I love a good deal!

All in all it was a lovely day and now we're just relaxing at home. Ahh...it's the life :) Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend as I am.

What did you do for your weekend? Was it full of Christmas shopping or relaxing?

Till next time,
Catherine

Pinterest Fail: Veggie Turkey Tray

Just thought I'd share with you all a little Pinterest fail that I attempted on Thanksgiving. It was sort of spur of the moment as I was arranging the veggies that I spent all night cutting. I thought, "Oh I'll try and make it look like a turkey like I've seen on Pinterest! That will be cute!"

I had seen this one first and thought it would be cute to try! 

Or this one...

This one is great too!

Even this little one is cute!

This is what mine looked like. Yikes. 

Pinterest. Fail.

Such a simple task yet...not quite so easy. 

Do you like to make your veggie trays fancy or just functional? Have you ever dressed up a veggie tray to look like something else?

Till next time,

Catherine

More Saturday Adventures

Today I am thankful for my family. I have a crazy family. Everyone does but mine is of course, crazy in their own way. But despite the craziness, we love each other and will always be there for one another. We have been through some tough times and I know that there are tougher things in our future but we stick by one another and help each other through these times. That's what makes us family. I'm talking about my immediate family, my in-laws, my extended family, and extended in-laws. I love them all so much. I couldn't ask for anything better. 

I failed to mention the other interesting stop we made on Saturday after Bargain Mart! We stopped at this place in downtown Lynchburg called Fred's $12 and More Store. The outside of the building just has "Fred's" painted on the window. It seemed ultra sketchy to me, bu who was I to fear with my husband on my arm? He had briefly told me about it before, saying a coworker described it as "Pinterest heaven" despite being crazy sketchy. First thing we see sitting outside the doors is a big, old deep fryer on wheels! Well, now who doesn't need a deep fryer larger than your kitchen stove? And think of the transportability with those wheels! We could have french fries and funnel cake on the back porch if we want!

We knew it was going to be good!

We head inside and there is stuff EVERYWHERE. Furniture galore. I mean, literally, there was a pathway and that's it. A narrow pathway through the first floor. There was so much stuff you could never see it all! Then we met Fred. Fred is a middle aged African American man who is a Christian and is just as nice as can be. He's a little odd but he's the kind of person who becomes friends with every person he meets! We talked with him for a bit and got some information about the store. There are 5 floors and a basement! Five entire floors PLUS a basement! All kinds of furniture and random other stuff. Fred has got everything from California king sized mattresses, to wingback chairs, to school desks, to old sewing machines, to pallets, to bicycles and even a couple of these bad boys...

Ohhh yes. I could go on and on...Fred's got everything! I kept seeing so many Pinterest pins in my head ads we searched floor after floor. As I said in my last post, my goal was to find a highboy and a long dresser. I figured as long we like the basic shape, it's in decent condition, and it doesn't smell, we can always paint and replace hardware. Unfortunately, dressers were the one thing Fred didn't have a lot of. But that's alright...we'll find them one day! 

In the meantime I keep thinking about this pallet garden idea: 

I had been wondering where I could get just one pallet and now I know! Fred's! I want to do a little pallet garden like this next year because it would be able to fit on our little patio. I think with some  landscape fabric stapled to the bottom it would work really well! My husband and I also want to build a modified trellis/arbor type of thing where we can have vine-like plants grow up but also hang some ferns or pretty flowers in hanging pots from the sides. That's a total different project, though! Getting ahead of myself here! But those are projects we'd like to get done in the early spring. 

As far as Fred's...it was quite an adventure. It's such an old building and it was dimly lit everywhere and you could never reach walls on any side of the rooms because there was just so much stuff! I personally wouldn't go alone but I'm sure we'll head back there sometime when we get an itch for a big project! 

What's your favorite hole-in-the-wall place to go? Is the sketchiness worth it? 

Till next time,

Catherine

{No} Bake: Easy Peanut Butter Truffles!

Each day this month I will write a quick note about what I'm thankful for, along with regular posts! I encourage you to say what you're thankful for every day this month as well. Put it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or in your personal journal. Just try it and see how it lifts you up this month!

Today I'm thankful for my husband. He is an amazing provider for us and is always looking out for our best interest. He spoils me, loves me, and cares for me in every way. I couldn't possibly ask for anything more in a husband! I truly look forward to the next 50+ years together. I know we will have hard times and we may fight, but our love is stronger than all that nonsense. With God at the center of our marriage, we'll make it through anything. 

On to the recipe!

This is another quick and easy NO BAKE recipe that was found on Pinterest of course! I love finding recipes and projects and then adding a little of my own twist on them! In this case, I used the recipe as is. Sometimes you just don't mess with a good thing! These are no bake peanut butter truffles! I found the recipe from Six Sisters Stuff. They've got some awesome stuff for sure! The original recipe is here but I'll give you the recipe as I did it with some more pictures!  I halved the recipe because the original made so much! My recipe made about two dozen which was plenty.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened (I used unsalted)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup-3/4 cup of peanut butter (add more if you love peanut butter!)
• 1/2 sleeve of graham crackers, about 4 full sheets
• Melted dipping chocolate in whichever flavor you prefer

Directions: 

First, crush the graham crackers. I tossed them in my blender and it was done in no time! You could also use a food processor or put them in a bag and crush them by hand. 

Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. 

Mix everything thoroughly. If you have a stand mixer it would be a cinch but I only have a wooden spoon and some elbow grease! 

Roll the dough into 1" balls or really, however big you want them. 

Pop 'em in the freezer for about 15 minutes or so, till they're more solid. 

When they're almost done in the freezer, get your chocolate out. I didn't have melting chocolate, just morsels so I used what I had. Dark chocolate and white chocolate. Yum! The white chocolate doesn't melt very well so I added in some milk to thin it out a little. 

Then just roll them in the chocolate and set them back onto the pan. Back in the freezer till the chocolate hardens and enjoy!

Is your mouth watering yet?

Go make them! 

An easy treat to enjoy anytime! They're so delicious and easy to make! 

What's your favorite no-bake treat? Do you bake like crazy during the holidays? 

Till next time,

Catherine

I've linked up to Fluster's Creative Muster #41 with Fluster Buster and Just Dip It In Chocolate! 

I've linked up to Plucky's Link Up #14 with Plucky's Second Thought!

I've linked up to Make Your Own Mondays 10/7/13 with Nourishing Treasures!