Dessert Tastings and Powder!

Oh my shmoly shuga' sweets! So, Daniel and I went cake tasting for our wedding cake a few weeks ago and were blown away by what it entailed. We were allowed three different cake flavors...and me oh my.

Let's just say, I could seriously become a professional cake taster FO' LIFE.

 

HOW CUTE are these mini cakes??? ERMAGASH I die. 

We first tried the Chocolate Monkey Cake with Frosted Buttercream. Daniel's description of this delectable, sugary delight? "TOP SECRET". And boy, was it. The buttercream was perfect to the 'T'. I've actually never been a fan of buttercream, but our baker was able to make it so light, not full of the 'buttery' flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. (I'm sitting here drooling thinking about it. No, seriously.) The 'monkey' part of the cake were caramelized bananas and the chocolate cake was fluffy goodness.

The next flavor we tried was a Bailey's and Pralines cake which was a chocolate cake drizzled with Bailey's liquor and filled with milk chocolate and praline mousse. Still delicious, but not exactly our favorite. (Tasted like a decadent chocolate cake and lacked texture.)

 The final cake we tried was a Pistachio Raspberry cake. Isn't it fabulous? This particular cake is layered with pistachio cake and filled with raspberry jam, sweet vanilla bean cream and raspberries. YUM/\Nth Power. 

I  was surprised by how large these 'mini cakes' were. Would it be legal to do a cake tasting every weekend? :-) 

Oh, and I also surprised Daniel one night with 13 different macaron flavors to test out, also. We had a ton of fun doing it, and I'm pretty sure we scored on the flavor that we've decided to use at our wedding. 

Pretty Little Macarons.

Om nom.

So, Daniel and I are heading off to Mammoth for the rest of the week with a couple of our dear friends. I'm SO EXCITED. I've been waiting and waiting to go skiing for forever and a day. Haven't gone since Italy too many moons ago.  As far as I'm concerned, the weather is screaming at us to get our butts over to the slopes and to play on the powder. WOOHOO!

Mickey's 1st Birthday

Hi y'all!

It's Sunday and I'm sitting here with Mickey Rae Rae also known as McCrazy also known as McCreeper...more simply known as McCrae.

He just celebrated his 1st BIRTHDAY!!!

And since Daniel and I love to party, we decided to throw him a 1st birthday par-tay-tay with his little cousin P-Rock, also known as Miss Pebbles.

Made McCrae a mini Peanut Butter 1st Birthday Cake...then tortured him by making him wait.

Miss Pebbles also got a little slice of Peanut Butter Cake.

We even wrapped a couple of gifts for Mickey and one for Miss Pebbles so she could partake in the festivities!

Tearing apart the wrapping on his first gift.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Family Photo!

With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, Daniel and I have been trying really hard to get all of our Christmas shopping done way ahead of time. SO, we spent a good number of hours yesterday rummaging through a few stores like scavengers and got 99% of all our presents out of the way. Now, just time to wrap the gifts like a fiend!

Well, big things are coming this week, so keeping my fingers crossed and praying hard! Time to get to bed early and get ready for the long week ahead.

Love you all, besos!

Man Cave

Hello blogosphere -

It's me Daniel, again. So as our wedding nears, Christine and I need to start planning out our future living arrangements. I have a house in Aliso Viejo, and she has one near my office in Costa Mesa. We decided that it is probably for the best that we move closer to my office. As you may have noticed, Christine has a very particular design taste that lets just say is a little more princessy than my taste. Christine's house is a three bedroom, so I'm thinking we will have the shared master bedroom (obviously), a guestroom that will double as her office, and the third room will be a guestroom that will double as my office/man cave.

Christine doesn't seem as excited as I am about the man cave, so I'm still trying to convince her it's a great idea. I mean, how harmless does this look.

I am pretty sure when Christine closes her eyes and imagines my man cave, she is picturing something like this:

I'm picturing something closer to this:

Assuming my dreams come true, and I get a man cave, in realty, it's probably going to be something closer to what Christine is envisioning with a little freshman year dormroom flare. Think Godfather posters and a sweet Fathead.

Wedding diet starts...

today.

Daniel and I have both been enjoying ourselves way too much with friends---eating good food and having joyous encounters filled with oops juice galore. (Photo attached was the amazing Brazilian food spread at my cousins graduation party on Saturday. Clearly, we had the chance to over eat deliciousness...which we seized the opportunity and did just that.)

SO, we have decided to start our healthy cleanse diet starting with strictly veggies and grilled chicken or fish. Wish us luck!

Tired.

This whole time change "fall forward" business has really gotten my inner time senses out of sync. It's only about 4:30 PM but it looks and feels like 10 PM.

Add on some rainy showers and some dark clouds and you've got a girl who'd rather curl up in a giant ball--fetal position--and cat nap until tomorrow morning. I. AM. TIRED. I know, I know. I'm supposed to "gain" an extra hour of sleep, but that just gives me a really, really bad excuse to stay up superly duperly late. And here I am. I get to complain about it. Lucky you.

Well, there goes the carwash I just paid for yesterday! So, in light of this frigid weather, I've clicked on the fireplace, turned on Top Chef, crawled back into my jammies and made a hot crockpot of Kimchi Jjigae. (It's been stewing all day and smells like spicy deeeericiousness---can't wait to eat this giant batch of red, furious kimchi soup!)

On another note, Daniel and I have been getting back into the groove of wedding planning. We have yet to pick a cake out, and have been consulting with quite a few cake vendors in the San Diego County. At the least, we know what design we want---think frills, very white/neutral colors...something very pretty. Oh, and we're also meeting with the jeweler that designed the engagement ring that Daniel picked out to help design our wedding bands next Saturday! <insert 5 year old girl squeal here>

Someone's calling me from a blocked number right now. Why do people do that? It's so obnoxious. OBVIOUSLY I'm screening your phone call. Duh.

ANYWAY, I found a really neat craft website that has the most affordable craft supplies, EVARRRRR. My bridal shower's coming up soon (my sweet, sweet sister is planning this fancy pants 20's themed soiree---so fun!) and I wanted to find pretty manzanita branches to display. I purchased two of them, and they are beautiful (though, a tad smaller than I had hoped for). I'll definitely be using them as much as I can---starting with my soon to be SIL's 30th Bday party next weekend!

I think I like love them. :)

Alright, friends. Time to blow out my currant Anthro candle and eat some dinner. The brains starting to feel stuffy from all these chemical fumes.

Night!

Fall-ing into November!

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

I absolutely adore this time of the year. The scent of spiced pumpkin in the air, hot lattes to warm me up in the morning, and boots and scarves galore.

Oh wait.

California is still running in the high 80's. This weather is totally unacceptable for Fall, CALIFORNIA.

The last few weeks (along with the following upcoming weeks) have been 200% filled with hanging out with friends to celebrate the entrance into this Thanksgiving season. From pumpkin carving contests to our first dinner party (that Daniel mentioned in his last blog) to Halloween dinner with some friends, we've definitely been enjoying life! Oh, and of course, some photos from last night's dinner with our good friends, Pat and Lynnia. (TOTALLY should've taken some photos of our actual friends, but I'm a dork and was so impressed with the presentation of Lynnia's cooking, that it's all I got photos of!)

Caprese salad with pesto

Melon wrapped in prosciutto and seasoned. SO DELISH.

Lasagna. Again, freaking delicious.

Homemade Bourbon Pecan Pie and whipped topping

NOW...back to the wedding planning. Le sigh.

Current project: finding a suitable centerpiece

Current materials: Valspar frosted spray paint, clear glass jars, and...maybe some twine to jazz things up

Grabbed my jar of valspar and cleaned off of a marinara mason jar. (To clean off the 'goo' residue from stickers, simply rub an 'oil' of your choice---I used coconut oil---and the goo typically has no issues removing itself!)

After a few coats of frosted valspar spray paint!

I removed the labels and goo off this tequila jar and tightly wrapped twine string around the neck to create this look! Easy peezy!

Playing around with ideas! (Flowers to go in the frosted mason jar) 

AHHHH. So fun. I've also been talking to my sister about the bridal shower she's throwing me. (Roaring 20's themed bridal shower? Don't mind if I do!)

We're getting there, folks. T-minus 4 months and 23 days till the wedding. Phew.

And with that, I leave you all with a photo of bambi. Seriously, seriously in love with this little bugger.

Monday night football!

Greetings blogosphere!

It's Daniel, again. Christine told me if I updated the blog I could watch Monday night football without any complaints. I don't think Christine quite realizes how long NFL games are and that 'The Voice' is on tonight. Chances are, this is a one time deal, so hopefully tonight's game is a good one. 

After I finish this blog post, Christine and I are going to get back on the wedding planning. We were way ahead of the curve about a month ago, so we decided to take some time off from the wedding planning process. We sort of took a little more time off than we were planning on (I think) so we need to get back on it. I think tonight we are gong to to try to find some accessories for my groomsmen and figure out what I am going to wear. Speaking of which, does anyone have any recommendations for places to get ties and suspenders? 

Larry Fitzgerald just got laid out, I hope he is alright.

Anyways, I am really hungry and Christine is making hot pot tonight, so its time to go eat that goodness. I am sure Christine will blog about it, as well as the "intestines" and "cockroaches" we made yesterday for our new dinner club we joined. Oh yeah, we joined a dinner club. Next month we are hosting, and we are going with a Cajun seafood theme. Think Boiling Crab.

Ok, good news and bad news. Good news, Larry Fitzgerald is back on the field. Bad news, dinner isn't ready yet.

Dang, don't know if any of you guys are watching this.... but Ted Ginn Jr. has got some wiggle.

Breakfast of Champions!

Avocado and egg on a toasty English muffin and banana. (Of course, coffee on le side.) Ready to get my day going!

Engagement Party Photos-Anna Jison!

Our wonderful photographer (and friend!), Anna Jison, took gorgeous photos at our engagement party. Even though I begged her to enjoy our party and grab a bite to eat, she responded with, "Photography feeds my soul!" (Spoken like a true & passionate photographer!) She has been an absolute joy to work with, so Daniel and I wanted to give her a little shoutout on our blog and also link you all to her photography website!

Anna Jison Photography

By the way, we also wanted to give a special thank you to Daniel's sisters Michelle (who flew all the way down from Portland just to celebrate with us) and Lacey his sister in law who were so unbelievably helpful----also, Daniel's brother, David, and my sister Deb for all their hands on help as well. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

And, a quick recap of photos by Anna Jison at our engagement party that I mentioned in our last blog for your viewing pleasure---eye candy at its finest! (Hosted at La Casa de Morgans beautiful home in Laguna Hills.)

Cousins!

 

<3

On a completely different note...




Daniel and I just got back from our trip with our wonderful friends, Michelle and Randy, in the Caribbean. (More specifically---Jamaica, Haiti and Cozumel!) A week later---we're tan as can be, and certainly more relaxed than ever. (Not to mention, a few pounds heftier after all of the jerk chicken, bbq pork, delicious rice and beans, and all the Red Stripe we could handle!) 

A snapshot while in Cozumel!

 More legitimate pictures from our trip in our next blog entry. And if you're lucky, Daniel will be writing the post! ;)

Pumpkin Chai Lattes & Rainy Days

(View from Daniel's balcony this eerie day.)

Well, it officially feels like Fall! Here I am sippin' on my Trader Joe's Pumpkin Chai Latte and reflecting on our past weekend. While babysitting little McCrae asleep to my left and sportin' some cozy sweatpants, I'm updating a quick blog post before getting some work done, and then waiting for Daniel to get back from work so we can probably talk about more wedding stuff...oh....and decide on what to pack for our trip to the Caribbean Islands! (T MINUS ONE DAY FOLKS. We leave TOMORROW!!! WOOT WOOT) 

(Oh my goodness, by the way...TJ's Pumpkin Chai Latte = SOOO yummy and for $4 a container...it sure beats paying the same for one cup of the Starbucks kind! Note* I don't like my lattes too sugary and sweet, so I only add half the amount of powder required!) 

So, last weekend was our engagement party! Daniel's parents graciously opened their home to over 100 family and friends. Me oh my. I nearly lost my voice after talking the whole night, greeting new friends, and seeing old faces! Thinking back to it, though, makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I couldn't have wished for a more perfect evening to commemorate our engagement! (And seriously, a HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGEEEEEE thank you to both Daniel's parents and my parents. Daniel's parents spent hours and days (literally) putting together their home---getting the details right to the T. (From flowers to table settings, to lights up their palm trees...it was soooooo much work---to celebrate 'Daniel and me'. We feel SO tremendously blessed.) My parents and sister spent hours in the kitchen, the morning of putting together Three HUNDO egg rolls and won tons. DELICIOUS! 

Again---THANK YOU to our parents. We love you, adore you, and had way too much fun. :)

Our engineer print b+w photo above the outdoor fireplace mantel.

First gift EVER for the both of us from Lacey and David (Daniel's bro&SIL) as an engaged couple!

The present---an adorable honeymoon fund piggy bank! (Thanks, LACEY!!!! We've already started collecting in our new shiny piggy friend!)

Daniel's parents had prepared about 40 bottles of vino (and a giant Pacifico Keg from BevMo) for our event. (I actually think there was only half a bottle of red wine left by the end of the night. Success!!!!)

Omg, this photo does not do this justice. These were the chips/guac salsa/ and red salsa from the Taco company that was hired to cater our event. SO STINKIN DELISH it's not even funny. I could seriously drink the green salsa by the liters.

Our engagement party napkins!

We painstakingly made hundreds of these delicious little skewers filled with baby tomatoes, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves. Theses, too, were all gone by the end of the night!!!!!

Mom's cream cheese won tons. Legit.

Our engagement photo resting on top of the fireplace!

One of the last photos of the night after all the chaos of a hundred people coming through had settled. My soon to be 'Sisters in Law" Lacey & Michelle. (They are SO great, and cute, and funny, and helpful...I could seriously go on and on. I am beyond excited to be a part of their family!)

**I'll post more photos of the engagement once I gather them up from family and friends. Unfortunately, I was too busy socializing and didn't get any photos during the actual engagement party. (Insert super sad face here since I'm obsessed with taking pictures, usually.)

Oh, and I finally replaced my Canon Rebel camera that was stolen from me last year! Here are some 'ghoulish' photos I took recently. I'm not big on Halloween, typically, but since I had some leftover decorations from years past, I figured I might as well put to use...so, I decorated Daniel's place!

Oh hi, not creepy at all.

Little ghosts out of tissue and cotton balls!

Which witch is which? 

 Alright, friends, the next time you'll hear from me will most likely be after our much needed/wanted trip with some special friends of ours! In the meantime, I need to get to work and watch this little guy. (P.S. He's twitching like crazy. It's sorta weird, and I read somewhere that dogs have dreams like humans. I wonder if this is true. If it is true, I wonder what the heck he could possibly even dream about. He's probably chasing rabbits. Yup, I can almost guarantee he's chasing them darn rabbits.)