We Have a Photographer!!!

We have exciting wedding news: we have chosen and booked a photographer! YAY!  We have chosen Ashley Christine Photography, you can check out her Facebook page here.

Photography is something that we think is very important; once the day is over it is what is left to remember the event by.  But with that being said we still did not want to spend a ton of money but still want good quality photos (I have been referred to and looked at some photographers whose packages started at $2000-3000, which is not in our budget).  Luckily, Brienne Jans recommended Ashley Christine Photography.  She is very affordable and her pictures look good.  Thanks Bri!

There is also a funny, small world story that goes along with this.  I sent Ashley a Facebook message requesting pricing information and answers to a few other questions.  When she responded she answered my questions and also told me that we have met each other before.  The name of her business is her first and middle name so I did not recognize it but when she told me her last name I realized that she was right.  We had a mutual friend when we were freshman in college so we had spent some time together on at least one occasion.  Crazy!

Now on to the next item on the to do list.....food!

"Spaghetti"

I am always trying to find good healthy recipes and healthier alternatives to food that we really like.  This is at times unfortunate for Ben because he is then stuck eating a "not so great" experiment....luckily spaghetti night was not of those "not so great" experiments.

Have you ever looked at the serving size for noodles?  It is ridiculous, I think most people probably eat 3+ servings when they eat pasta without even knowing it.  If we have spaghetti or alfredo or something of the sort I will measure out a serving size of the noodles for myself and it is always really depressing, hardly covers the bottom of the bowl.  SOOOOO, I was excited when I came across the recipe below on Pinterest (to see the original post click here.)  Instead of noodles you use Broccoli slaw!  If you do not know what Broccoli slaw is, you should. You can find it at the grocery in the produce section near the cut/bagged broccoli, baby carrots, and cole slaw.  It is great alternative to cabbage coleslaw as it has a lot more nutrients.  It is also really good with any kind of dressing and sunflower seeds on it for a snack or side dish.

"Spaghetti" - according the original recipe this is 2 servings but both Ben and I had a bowl and I still had enough left to eat with my lunch the next day


      

The above ingredients are the only three things I used (along with cooking spray)
1.  Brown the ground turkey.
2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray.  Add the whole bag of broccoli slaw and 1/4 cup water and cook on medium heat.  Cook until the broccoli has softened.  5-10minutes.
3.  Combine broccoli slaw, browned turkey, and spaghetti sauce and cook until heated through.
4.  Enjoy!  Isn't that about the easiest recipe ever?!

Here are pictures of the final product.  I promise, it tastes better than it looks!

See Ben did like it :)

Excitement!

No new progress on the wedding planning front but it has been a very exciting week for both Ben and I career wise!

Ben interviewed for and was offered a "Youth Support Specialist" position at the YMCA (that just so happens to be less than a mile from our apartment, I am SO jealous)!  Essentially he will be providing case management, partnered with Hennepin County probation, to teenagers on probation.  Not only is this exciting because he is taking a step in the direction of where he would like to be in his career BUT HE WILL NO LONGER HAVE TO WORK WEEKENDS!  Yay!  He will start at the end of July when we return from Alaska.

I was offered 8 extra hours at my current job at Anoka County.  I was worried that my other employer, Holland Center, would not be willing to work with me and rework my schedule/reduce my hours.  But I was pleasantly surprised!  Now my schedule is 8-4:30 on Mondays and Tuesdays at Holland Center and 7:30-5 Wednesdays and Thursdays and 7:30-4:30 Fridays at Anoka County.  Hopefully this means that I am slowly working my way to full time at the county!

Bridesmaids!

So it has been awhile since I have written a blog post.  You know when you don't do something and then it just seems to get bigger, overwhelming and more time consuming and then you continue to put it off and put it off and put it off.  Well that is what I did with this blog.  

But anyway...

The wedding planning is progressing, we have chosen a for sure date!  SEPTEMBER 13, 2014!  And yes that means that some years our wedding anniversary will be on Friday the 13th :)

I have also chosen my side of the wedding party (Ben on the other hand is a little indecisive).  In order to ask the ladies to be at my side on the big day I put together a little present for each of them. 

Item #1: Cupcake in jar.  I got the idea from here.  First I made a batch of blue cupcakes and then dyed frosting green. I cut each cupcake in half horizontally and layered cupcake, frosting, cupcake, frosting until I filled a pint sized mason jar.  

Item #2: Mini bottle of wine.  

Item #3: Ring pop.  

Item #3: A swatch of navy blue fabric for the ladies to match their dress of choice to.

I found a poem for each of my bridesmaids/personal attendants and added them to each of the bags along with blue tissue paper and blue and green ribbon.  I packaged them up and sent them off in the mail with my fingers crossed that none of them would break (unfortunately one mason jar did break :(.

Bridesmaids:                                      Personal Attendants:

Alison Thompson (MOH)                  Makenzie Preston

Reba Greer                                         Brienne Jans

Megan Holm

Julianne Iwen

Rachel Rueter

Briana Rueter

Parents Meet = Success!

"You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." -Desmond Tutu

This weekend Ben and I, as well as my parents, traveled to Freeport, MN where his Mom and Dad live.  We got together so our parents could meet each other.  We had a wonderful lunch of Wild Rice Soup, salad, bread and fruit and of course the conversation turned to wedding planning very quickly.

I should back up a little first...Ben and I have talked about where we want out wedding to take place and our #1 choice was Mike and Betsy's backyard.  It is kind of a perfect option, we want outside and simple and their house is on King's Lake which would be a great backdrop.  We were a little hesitant to bring it up as we thought it would be a lot of pressure, work and stress for Mike and Betsy.  We did ask them when we arrived at their house on Friday night.  They were very excited and said that they would be honored to have it at their home!!!!  YAY!

Alright back to Saturday, wedding conversation...we talked a lot about logistics and details and threw around a lot of different ideas about everything from seating to decorations to flowers to guest lists.  Ben and the Dad's disappeared as quickly as possible, of course.  But it was fun, and of course a little overwhelming, to explore all of the options there are in wedding planning.  We also talked about dates. We decided that September 13th or September 20th, 2014 were the winning dates.  We want to leave a little flexibility depending on dates that are open for whoever we decided to be our officiant (which will probably be the next big decision we will need to make).

So far we have A) colors and B) location and C) date(s) planned.  It makes me very excited that we are much ahead of any wedding planning timeline that I have come across!  Woohoo!

It seemed as if our parents hit it off.  It was very nice to meet at Mike and Betsy's house rather than at a restaurant, more relaxed environment and we had all afternoon rather than just an hour or so that we would have had at a restaurant.

The early stages

Obviously Ben and I have a lot of time between now and when we plan on getting married but it is still fun to slowly start planning (more like just dreaming and making lists at this point).  

Colors

If you look at any of the millions of wedding planning checklists out there they usually start with a budget and guest list at  twelve months and choosing colors is usually listed at about month 6-8 but in our case this is the first thing that we have decided.  The reasoning behind this is that my mom has very thoughtfully offered to do our invitations as she enjoys stamping/card making.  She would like to get started on these sooner rather than later as they will probably take A LOT of time.  In order for her to start she needs to know what colors to use.

    

We have decided on navy blue (I would like to let my bridesmaids choose their own dresses and I figured that navy blue would be one of the easier colors to match) and green.  The shade of green is still up for debate.  I really like the olive green color but Ben is more of a fan of a brighter green.  I am thinking that it will probably be a green similar to the two top middle box (of the picture above).

Wedding Shows
This weekend neither Ben or I had to work and there just so happened to be two wedding shows taking place on Saturday in the area.  The first "wedding show" was in Roseville, not far from our apartment.  The description online said they would have over 30 vendors and dresses that you could try on.  Well, when we got there we found a sign pointing to a "women's expo" which consisted of about 10-15 booths of jewelry, scentsy, and Pampered Chef type products.  So we awkwardly made one circle around the booths and then left.  I had told Ben that he would enjoy a wedding show as they usually have cake and/or food, I was wrong about that one....

The second wedding show was more of a success.  It was at the Plymouth Creek Center in Plymouth.  It was nice because it was pretty small (and we were able to sample food, cake etc.).  I have gone to a couple bigger wedding shows with Alison and they tend to be a little overwhelming.  This one had about 25 booths (a few photography, invites, a couple flowers, cake, food, etc.) and took us about an hour and a half to get through.  Since we don't have a venue or really any solid plans yet it was nice to just look around and get ideas.  The Plymouth Creek Center is a gorgeous venue and they do have a really nice place for an outdoor wedding but I think we could find something very similar outside the cities for a lot cheaper.  We also meet a photographer that we really liked (see her website here), we will definitely keep her in mind when we get to that point in the planning.

Trip up North and.....ENGAGED!

Ben and I took a mid-winter mini vacation to Northern MN and stayed at Heston's Resort.  Heston's is a family owned resort north of Grand Marais (it is REALLY far up there, you can see Canada when you look across the lake).  We would highly recommend staying there if you are looking for an affordable winter vacation (if you check out their website, link above, they have winter specials that are extremely affordable, especially if you went with a group of people).  We didn't have internet, TV or any cell phone reception, which was WONDERFUL!  We spent a lot of time talking, reading, playing cards, and, even though it was freezing, snow shoeing and skiing outside!  

These pictures were taken last year, but we stayed in the same cabin again this year.

We stayed at Heston's Monday through Thursday. On Monday night we were sitting in front of the fire talking about life and our few days of vacation ahead.  I got up to use the bathroom and when I came out Ben was standing in the middle of the living room, I was kind of wondering what he was doing but I figured he was just checking on the fire.  I started rambling on about making hot chocolate and Ben said something to the effect of "Can you come here first Nicole?".  I went over to him and he grabbed my hands, got done on one knee, and asked me to marry him!  Of course I said YES!  Since we still have 3 uninterrupted days in front of us we were able to spend time together and bask in the excitement of being engaged as well as talk about ideas, make lists etc.

The ring!

Snowshoeing on the Border Route Trail

Once we arrived home on Thursday we went immediately to Shane Co. to have the ring resized as it was too big.  Then we called and text all our family and friends to let them know the good news.  And of course updated our relationship status on Facebook.  Nothing makes you feel loved and supported like getting engaged.  It was so wonderful to be able to see all the love around us.  Thanks to all of our friends and family for their phone calls, text messages, and Facebook posts and messages!

This blog will probably turn into mostly a wedding planning blog for the next year and a half.  So if you are interested in hearing about our wedding plans stay tuned! :)

Mmmmm breakfast!

Ben's sister, Bri, and her friend Cassie stayed at our house Friday night.  They were in Minneapolis for a gymnastics meet and stayed an extra night so they could spend some time with us and Ben's other sister, Rachel.  On Friday night we went to Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner; Rachel is a manager there and since it was Friday night she was working.  After dinner we went to the movie "Zero Dark Thirty".  It was a very good movie, but some parts were extremely hard to watch.

Rachel had to be back to work at 9am Saturday morning so we made breakfast at our place and all had breakfast before she had to leave for work.  For breakfast we ate Blueberry French Toast Casserole, bacon, and fruit.  The French Toast Casserole was very easy to make; we put it together the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight.  Then in the morning we just needed to pop it in the oven, cut up the fruit and cook the bacon.  Below is the recipe for the casserole, as in normal Nicole fashion I did amend the recipe slightly

6 cups whole wheat bread (cut up into squares)
8 egg whites (I used the egg whites in the carton, much easier than separating 8 whites and yolks)
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp cinnamon (I added a little more than 2 tsp since I really like cinnamon)
2 cups blueberries (I used frozen)

1. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish and add bread.  (I forgot to spray the pan and it didn't stick too bad)
2.  Mix egg whites, almond milk, honey, vanilla and almond extract, and cinnamon and pour over bread.
3.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes (we let it sit in the fridge, covered, overnight).
4.  Add blueberries on top.
5.  Bake in the over for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

It was a hit and I think we will definitely make it again!  I could not believe how easy it was!

After sitting in the fridge all night, before adding blueberries.

The end product.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

For Valentine's Day I made Ben Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk cookies, because who doesn't love cookies?!  The recipe came from the back of the Ocean Spray Craisins bag.  They were pretty good but I think if I made them again I would  make a couple changes.

Recipe:

2/3 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted butter)

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat, next time I think I would use 1/2 white 1/2 whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (next time I will leave this out, the cookies taste a little salty)

1 5-ounce bag of Craisins

2/3 cups white chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix butter and brown sugar together with electric mixer.  Add eggs, and mix.  In separate bowl add oats, flour, and baking soda (this is also where you add the salt).  Add dry mixture to butter and sugar mixture a little at a time, mixing after each addition.  Stir in Craisins and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes (I baked for 9 minutes, as the first batch were over cooked).  

Pot Roast

I have become a huge fan of the crockpot.  It is nice to have leftovers for lunches and/or dinners for the entire week.  This weekend I decided to make something out of my "101 Slow Cooker Recipes" cookbook:

Pot Roast

2 cups baby carrots

5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up (the recipe called for regular potatoes but I really like sweet potatoes)

4 lb. chuck roast

Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic (the recipe called for garlic salt but I put Garlic Garlic in just about everything I make)

Pepper to taste

2 cups water

1 oz. package onion soup mix

Place carrots and potatoes in slow cooker.  Place roast on top (I cut it up into chunks), sprinkle Garlic Garlic and pepper on top.  Stir together water and soup mix, pour over roast.  Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours.

This recipe called for dumplings, which I decided to skip but after eating it I think that next time I will add them.  Without the dumplings to soak up some of the liquid the pot roast was more of a soup.  I will also add more vegetables (maybe green beans, celery, etc.) and spices.  Maybe instead of the onion soup mix I would add spices (bay leaf, garlic powder, onion powder etc.).  This would cut down on the sodium and make it more flavorful.

A Great Start to 2013

I have been avoiding writing a New Year's Resolution update as I haven't done the best during the month of January.  My resolutions were to sleep, eat veggies/fruit and complete the Couch to 5k program.  Well...I did well with the sleeping, I slept 7+ hours every night except 1-2.  I did pretty well with the eating fruits and veggies, I don't have actual statistics but I would say I ate 2+ fruits and 4+ vegetables most days.  And the running, well I am on week 4 (rather than week 8 where I wanted to be).  The goal for January was to have more energy.  Obviously that isn't really a measurable goal so I haven't decided if I was successful or not....

On the other hand, January was a very enjoyable month!
On January 11th, Ben and I had our wonderful friends, Josh and Bri, over for dinner.  We made the most delicious chicken enchiladas (it is such an easy recipe, but for some reason we hardly ever make it), and drank a couple, maybe few, bottles of wine and beer and had great conversation!
On January 12th, I went for coffee with Bri and Natalie.  I know we are becoming real adults because we met for coffee at 8:30am!  If you would have told me not too long ago that I was going to meet friends for coffee at that awful time of the morning I would have told you that you were nuts.  We ended up sitting at the coffee shop chatting for 4 hours!  We talked about everything from family, having children, our significant others, to cooking and painting nails.  It was such great girl time!
The following weekend Chad, Katie, Ben and I drove to Freeport to see Kyle and his girlfriend, Ginny.  It was a great night of talking, laughing, drinking and eating Ginny's wonderful creations in the kitchen.  That night we stayed at Ben's parents' house in Freeport and were to spend a little time with them in the AM before we had to return to the city.
Once we arrived back at our apartment Alison arrived and we headed to Natalie's for a girls night/day.  We spent the afternoon/evening with a group of girls from college.  We caught up, we joked and laughed, we talked about the future and we ate wonderful food.  Natalie decided to have a pot luck, which was such a good idea!  We had appetizers, main dishes and desserts all that were delicious!
The next day, January 20th, Alison, Chelzee, and I went Bridesmaid dress shopping.  That task didn't take all that long so we then went to Michael's, DSW and Trader Joe's.  Possibly the only three stores that a person would ever need :)
On Tuesday, January 22nd I started my job as a Foster Care Social Worker at Anoka County.  This is a part time position so I will also be at Holland Center part time.  I think this will be a great mix, I will still get my fix of direct contact with kids but I will also get my social working fix.  I am excited to see how this goes!
Yesterday, Friday the 25th, we hosted game night at our place.  We made peanut butter cookies, delicious bars (cake mix, 1 stick of butter, sweet condensed milk, and heath chips), beer bread, crackers, veggies, hummus, and Bacon Bacon dip.  The bars and the beer bread were a huge hit!  We played "Jumbling Towers" and "Mine is" (or something to that affect).  We had a great time playing games and spending time together.
This morning we met Kyle and Anna for brunch and Copper Dome in St. Paul.  The food was really great and it is always fun to catch up with Kyle and Anna, unfortunately we don't see them as often as we would like.

As you can see, we spent a lot of time with people we love during January.  As far as I am concerned, being surrounded with supportive people that make us happy is far more important than completing a running program or eating 4 servings of vegetables every single day.  People will make me a lot more happy than broccoli every will!