Blue Poppy

By | Published Friday, April 1, 2011

The Wedding Chicks has been such an inspiring and helpful site throughout my time as a bride to be. 
From DIY's to the Real Brides Blog, there are so many pages to entice a newly engaged woman. 
To make me love The Wedding Chicks even more, last year I happened to win a $100 gift certificate giveaway to Blue Poppy Jewelry via the Wedding Chicks!

I finally got around to taking some shots of what I chose.
I hope to wear these both to the wedding rehearsal and I'm pretty sure I'm never taking the stacking rings off. 
I love them! Be sure to check out there website for quality, handmade jewelry pieces.



Sterling Silver Stacking Rings


Sterling Silver & 14k Gold Gingko Leaf Branch Necklace


Just a short post tonight, it's been a busy week! 
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. :) 

-KateLainey

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A Red Rose - Minus The Thorns

By | Published Wednesday, March 30, 2011


With the Michigan weather playing tricks with my head, I decided this past weekend that regardless how cold it was, I was going to dress "springy."  And nothing says spring better than pastels and floral! 

$6.00 aviators, score.


I had a really refreshing weekend, despite a horrible long run and the chilly weather I had to endure during it. Zach and I took a trip down to Portage to visit with his amazing family and get some girl time in for me! 
I've been so bummed lately since all of my close girlfriends live either an hour away or in different states.
Any chance I get to see them is so cherished.


My favorite.


Saturday I had the pleasure of making my veggie heart pizzas with my dear friend, Kenzie. Then, on Sunday I got a chance to catch up over coffee with the lovely Anna from Love Like Laughter. 
I adore these ladies! 




Sweater & Tank - Hot Mama, Skirt - Thrifted H&M
Necklace - jb&me, Tights - Kohls

"Molly" Groundhog Boots

To top it off, we finished all the wedding invites and just have to stuff the envelopes and send them out! 
With Zach crafting up a sweet wedding favor for our guest, we are moving right along...which is a burden off of my shoulders. Did everyone have a great weekend? Plans for this upcoming one? 

I am thrilled for the day when I don't have to sport the tights with my skirts and dresses. Not sure when we'll see that day, but I'm waiting. :) So when that warm weather finally hits, what will your perfect "spring time" outfit be? 


-KateLainey






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Give Me Starchy Roots Any Day

By | Published Monday, March 28, 2011

Sweet potatoes might not be the sexiest of veggies out there, but I'm definitely attracted to them. 
With my running steadily becoming more intense the closer I get to my marathon, I've tried to boost my calorie intake and make sure I'm getting all the necessary vitamins I can from my food. 
The sweet potato has some amazing qualities and benefits that make this yummy root a win/win! 

Here are just some reasons the sweet potato is the Top Tuber! 

-Rich in beta carotene
-Lots of fiber
-Contains potassium and manganese
-Loaded with Vitamin A and C
-a great complex carbohydrate


Angela from Oh She Glows shared a lovely recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad on her website. After searching for a different way to serve sweet potatoes, I knew this would be a perfect meal after my long run. My version is pretty similar, just a few changes. 

Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice (Juice of 2 limes)
1 tsp cumin
1 can of cooked black beans, drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Place sweet potatoes (I added regular potatoes in as well), chopped onion, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Toss till evenly coated and season with salt and pepper. Bake on a cookie sheet for about 35-45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. The veggies should be tender and lightly browned.

While this is cooking, mix your dressing together in a bowl. Use the rest of the olive oil, a dash of salt, minced garlic cloves, lime juice, cumin, and cilantro (I didn't have fresh cilantro, so I substituted in oregano and basil). Mix in the beans and stir well.  Once the potatoes and onions are done, mix the beans, dressing, and the veggies all together.  

I paired this with one of the healthiest and easiest grains to make...couscous; along with some baked whole wheat pita bread! So simple. 

Green Pepper Couscous:
 Pour 2 cups of water or broth (I used vegetable broth) in a pot
 Cut up 1/4 cup green peppers and put in broth
Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. 
Put 1 cup couscous in and cover. 
Wait 5-10 minutes and fluff with a fork. 

You're Done! 




What is your favorite meal for after workouts or a long day? 
Does anyone have a great recipe for sweet potatoes that you'd like to share? 

Happy Monday! 

-KateLainey 



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It's Mini...Therefore It's Cute

By | Published Friday, March 25, 2011

Is it just a girl thing to adore all miniature objects? 
I tend to find myself drawn to such things, ohhing and awwing over how cute they are. 
While scouring through etsy I found so many tiny loves...


Mama & Baby Hedgehogs by doodlebirdie

Square Inch Art - Yellow Series by palimpsestic

Tiny Tea Time Teacup Necklace by Penelope's Porch






















Miniature Robert Burns Poems Book by Dreaming of Vintage


And my favorite...
Little Mossy Guy by Tortoise Loves Donkey

Since I've been collecting so many random bottles for the wedding, I've decided that it wouldn't hurt if I used one of them to make my own little mossy guy!  It was super easy, anyone can make one. 






1. First, you need a container to put your moss in.  It can be almost anything. 
I've seen light bulbs be used, get creative!  

2. Layer pebbles or sand in your container for drainage. 

3. If you have an enclosed container, then you need to add activated charcoal to help filter the air. 
You can purchase this at any pet shop that has aquarium supplies. 

4. Add soil

5. Pick your moss or succulent. I just searched by trees and found my lovely moss, but many terrarium growing kits recommend using Irish Moss. 

6. Add sticks, stones, or terrarium accessories like tiny mushrooms or animals.

And that's it!
They are low maintenance, just requiring sunlight and a light mist of water every 2 to 3 weeks. 




Do you like him? 
Now he just needs a name.  Yes, like to name my plants. Any suggestions?
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'm planning on heading down to Kalamazoo to meet up with friends and Zach's family...that is after I've ran my 18 miles tomorrow morning. Yikes! 


-KateLainey



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Right On Rogue River

By | Published Wednesday, March 23, 2011

One of the top reasons why I love Zach is that he is the perfect complement to myself.  As a very organized individual, I'll have a whole weekend planned out...lists and all.  Zach on the other hand is a care free bird.  He usually just goes with the flow, no plan in mind; which can be nerve racking at times for me, but it is this attribute of his that I've come to treasure.

So going to Rockford on Sunday wasn't on my list, but when Zach threw it out there, I decided to go with it.
Regardless that we should have spent the afternoon finishing the wedding invites, it was really nice to have an afternoon date walking the streets of downtown Rockford. We checked out the local boutiques, found some great treasures at a resale shop, chowed down on some Mexican, and walked around the Rogue River. 
Zach even had fun taking pictures of me! They must have put something in his food...


Sporting my Dooney & Bourke handbag from One Girls Treasure






My thrifted "old lady" shoes. Everyone needs a pair. 

I love this top from Urban Outfitters. The bow and little buttons sold me. I got it a while back on sale and used to have the hardest time styling it, but I think it works best with this high waisted skirt. Any other suggestions on what to pair this top with?  This Tulle skirt was purchased from a consignment shop in Grand Rapids called, Rock Paper Scissors. A lot of their items had price tags still on and everything was in mint condition.  Plus it's right next to Marie Catribs, so it's a win/win shopping trip!  

After we got back to Grand Rapids, we actually got a ton of other things done, the most important being that I purchased Zach's wedding ring!  It was so cute watching him try them on and knowing that in about three months he'll be wearing that ring forever. :)  

Now, the moment you've been waiting for...
We have a winner for last week's "Toby the Owl" Giveaway! 


Congrats CJ!  Please send me an email to claim your giveaway. 




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Wedding Invites = A Tidy Sum

By | Published Monday, March 21, 2011

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but according to Bridal Association of America, an average bride will spend $659 on wedding invitations and reply cards. Granted this information hasn't been recently updated, but still.... 

$659.00 on just paper. 

I was in shock when I read this. Seeing as I've been trying my hardest to make my wedding a budget friendly event, I was not about to spend that much on invites that 99% of the receivers will throw away. This weekend was designated "Domination Wedding Invites" with Zach. I was prepared to dive in and get these babies done and sent out this weekend. Hah! My, what big expectations I had.

Dreams of designing and putting together my own invitations had been dashed by my busy schedule and the desire to save even more.  So, a couple of months ago I purchased my invites and reply cards from Target on a whim....they were cute, reasonable, and I wanted to get this over with.  This Saturday, Zach and I headed out to Office Max to get the invites printed and get this marked off the Knot checklist.

After almost an hour of proof-reading, margin checking, and one CAPS freak out, we left with our finished invites!  We just need to go back and get the reply cards printed.  Let's hope that won't be such an ordeal.  

 To think, all this stress for pieces of paper...




These are the invites before we printed on them. What do you think?
We are planning on punching holes in the top and tying a decorate bow using jute.
I'm going to be handwriting all the addresses in calligraphy, but will be utilizing return address labels to save my sanity... I do want to get these sent out on time!

After crunching numbers, here is the estimate of how much everything will cost after we are done:

Two packages of invitations (with reply cards) = $70.00
To print about 80 invites and reply cards = $60.00
Stamps (reply cards included)= $90.00
Jute Bows = $2.00
Labels = $16.00

Total = $238.00
(Plus Zach had a Office Max gift card for $40!)

I think we did pretty good considering we have 155 people to invite! That's about $1.50 per person.
Has anyone done their invites for cheaper? I'd love to hear how they did it!  We also did save the dates via an e-card and I'm so glad because that saved so much; trees, money, and time.  At the time I felt like this was a "scandalous" idea because it was so cheap and I have never heard of others doing this...have you?

Hopefully everyone is having a great week so far!
Make sure to enter in my Owl Necklace Giveaway before Wednesday.

-KateLainey

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For Japan With Love

By | Published Friday, March 18, 2011




To help out Japan in this devastating time, please click here for more information on how you can get involved and donate to the Japan Disaster Relief.  If you cannot donate, please take a moment to send your thoughts and prayers to those in Japan. Every little bit helps. 

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