Obsessed

Allow me to introduce you to the Calvin Klein "Remini". All of my work pumps are CK "Dolly", and they're so comfortable. I am 100% obsessed with this shoe. My love (Zappos) carries it in some strange color varieties, as does Macy's. But what I'm lusting over is this delicious gunmetal color. It's such a statement shoe, but this color makes it more of a neutral piece. So if you find this shoe, in gunmetal, in a size 7: let me know. I will probably knock you over to get to it. I apologize in advance.

Longest Married Couple

I spoke with a friend the other night about the "longest married couple dance" and how it's a sweet tradition that many continue at their wedding. Not sure whether Mr. SE and I will do this dance- we haven't really talked about it yet. But after talking to BM Kate, I saw this article on Yahoo and thought it was too cute to share.

"Our hearts melted when we read this piece on Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of North Bern, N.C., who hold the record for the world's longest marriage. Herbert, 104, and Zelmyra, 101, have enjoyed 86 years of wedded bliss. According to Mashable, Herbert and Zelmyra, married in 1924, enjoy sitting on their front porch and counting cars. As if that weren't adorable enough, the two tweeted love advice to the masses between February 12 and Valentine's Day on their joint Twitter account, the aptly-named @longestmarried." from Yahoo

Did you do the oldest married couples dance at your wedding? If so- who was the couple? At BM Kate's wedding it was her sweet grandparents.

Couple Celebrates 81st Anniversary, Shares Tips

A Cosmo For Moi

No, not that kind of cosmo. But it would be delicious (and much needed) on this gloomy Friday. Cosmo Creations- the DJ for our wedding. Brent was recommended by our fab wedding planner, Kristin of Simply Stunning, and we couldn't be happier. Nothing makes me happier than choosing a vendor with a glowing personal recommendation- it's the peace of mind that every bride needs. Brent was easy to work with, and answered all of my questions.

He'll be playing during our reception inside War Memorial Auditorium, and we're currently working on some songs that we'd like to hear. Mr. SE and I are quick to bust a move, and you'll never have to shove me on a dance floor. But I'd love to get your input. What are some songs that you love to hear and will always get you dancing?


And while I'm on the topic of cosmos, is anybody else beyond excited to see Sex and The City 2? Love the Series (the TV edited one) and the first movie was great. May 28th, be there. And here's the preview in case you haven't seen it.

{click to watch the trailer}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKQ5yRFkBnE

Question and Answer

{the most beautiful bustle ever}

I'm running low on post ideas lately: mainly because my mind is consumed will all things paint, carpet, and countertop versus wedding plans. Some of my bloggy friends have been doing Q&A's lately, and I'll jump right on that train. Maybe there's a question that you'd like to ask, or something that you're interested to know about me (or Mr. SE). I'll have all the answers in tomorrow's post!

Flower Girl Dress: Check!

My sweet flower girl now has her dress ordered. Her mom was able to order the dress off Nordstrom.com for cheaper than what it would cost on Netbride. The clincher is that Nordstrom includes the sash with the dress, while other stores make you order the sash separately. Emma is going to wear this exact color combo below (it's white w/champagne in case you're interested).

In my opinion, this is the quintessential flower girl dress. It doesn't make her look younger than she is, while it also doesn't try and make her look like my bridesmaids that are 22-30. So cute I can hardly handle it!

Don't Tell Lowe's We Cheated...

We checked off lots of question marks from our new home to-do list. On Saturday we headed over to Home Depot. Disclaimer: Our professional painter prefers to use Behr, which is only sold at Home Depot. I only hope our friends across the street (Lowe's) couldn't see us. Back to the point- we picked paint!

We're having the entire interior painted: all ceilings, all walls. Here's a reminder of what our house looks like from the outside. And here's what you see when you walk in the front door. We're deciding between Behr's Gobi Dessert or Harvest Brown. The photo here is Harvest Brown.

This is our ginormous bonus room, and it'll will be painting in a soft, Army-ish green. The two colors we like are Ryegrass (pictured) and Harmonic Tan. We decided the angled wall will be painted like the short walls, and the ceiling white will only be on top. It'll be used as a media room, so we wanted a color that would absorb light and make a statement, but not be too dark or wild.

We'll be visiting our little heaven later this week (thanks to our awesome realtor) to tape the swatches on the walls. Seeing our choices in the natural light of our rooms will help make our decision. Next time I'll post about our master bedroom and bath.

Meanwhile- Check out Behr.com for their awesome Paint your Place tool. They let you upload pictures of your own rooms to see how the paint colors will look. I'm about to try ours and I'll let you know how it goes.

Did you have trouble choosing paint colors or was it a cinch? Let me know any tips you used or came across in choosing colors and designing your new home. Also- while painting tips are appreciated for other readers, I'll remind you that we've chosen to go the professional painters route. For Mr. SE and I, it's worth every penny!

I Wish...Friday

Happy Friday, Friends!

Stop it right now. This outfit from Piperlime is perfect in every way! I already own the boyfriend jeans (A&F Capris from high school repurposed), and the nude heels. This jacket would make my life complete. So my "I Wish" is that I could drop $416 on this gorgeous jacket from Milly. The coral definitely sets the tone of the outfit.

And if you visit my friends at BR, you'll see they're loving coral too. It's such a fresh color that can be paired with grey for early spring, and white for the summer months.

I'm sure I could come up with more "I Wish's" than just this jacket. But alas, my money is being spent on carpet, paint, and countertops. Ahh- homeownership!

What to Eat

Lately I've written a lot about food. What can I say? Fitness and nutrition are weighing on my mind at this stage in the wedding planning. But I hope this isn't a fad. I'd like to continue eating healthy and getting moderate exercise (search "ankle" on my blog and get the scoop) long after the wedding. I've already posted about my love of Amy's meals, and now I have a new favorite: Teriyaki bowl. It's really filling, but doesn't leave you feeling stuffed or unhealthy.

As a personal preference, I've decided to stop eating dairy. It's hard- I love cheese! I tried Silk Soy Milk for awhile, but that still gave me an upset stomach. So now I'm onto Silk Pure Almond. It's fantastic- tastes like real almonds, but also like milk. I use it in my coffee and not much else, so it gets the job done. What's better? It costs less than the soy milk I was already buying.

I'm not ready to do a complete diet overhaul, but I'm making little changes every day. Have you started making healthier changes in your diet? Did you do it all at once, or did you take baby steps?

Here's some of my favorite healthy eating blogs, while we're at it:

Kath Eats Real Food

Eat, Live, Run

Heather Eats Almond Butter

Cheap Healthy Good

Fit & Clean

St. Patrick's Day

I'll jump on the claiming-to-be-Irish train. Here's why:

-Our Westie (Irish descent) is named after my FMIL's maiden name Duffey. We changed it to Duffie since she's a girl, though.

-My fiance's middle name is Cawley, another family name.

-I was born w/red hair (there's Irish blood in there somewhere)

-I'm drawn to greens and blues; and I love wearing them!

Okay, so it's more Mr. SE than myself. But we're getting married- so now we're one in the same. Today I'm wearing a green corduroy shift dress from Loft. It's from last season, otherwise I'd post a picture. Apparently it's not cool to wear colors for holidays when you're in the workplace, seeing as I'm the only person on my hall wearing green. But alas, I enjoy a theme whenever I can get my hands on it! Are you wearing green today?

Here's some of my favorite green goodies for spring!

Kate Spade Gladly

Sidra Dress Novelty

Vista Twist Paisley Bikinni

Terry Halter Cover-up

Cross-Front Knit Dress

Part II: We Bought My Band!

Our weekend was relaxing and laid back, but now I realize how much we actually got done. We picked my wedding band! I've had my eye on this baby for awhile, and I love how it looks just a little different next to my classic solitaire. Both of the rings are shown here- what do you think?

Also- we saw Shutter Island on Saturday. I was nervous because it looked super scary. Rest assured, all the scary parts were shown during the previews on TV. Turns out it was a great thriller with the classic Scorcese twists. Loved it. This is one to definitely see.

Weekend Update

Mr. SE and I were quite the busy bees this weekend. I'm still waking up on this dreary Monday morning, so I'll leave you with some simple updates. The Gap Inc. friends and family sale is going on right now. And since you're all my friends- I had to let you in on the fun! 30 % off your entire purchase March 18-21.

This coupon is available for use online and in-store.

I rarely go to starbucks anymore, since I stopped drinking sugar and I mostly prefer the coffee that I brew in our own kitchen. But I had a gift card from my mom, and this drink is AMAZING! You know how sometimes flavorings taste funky- and nothing like the flavor they're supposed to be representing? Not the case here. This drink is positively delicious. I enjoyed the one on Saturday so much, so I picked up another on Sunday.

Ooh Lookie Here

Look what my boyfriend and I bought over the weekend! He finally allowed us to co-purchase the vacuum of my dreams. It goes without saying that we used a 20% BBB coupon. Since we got such a great deal on our house, we have money left over for purchases like this. For those of you who think a Dyson is frivolous, I'd like for you to see my allergies in full swing and reconsider that statement. Hooray!

ps. I vacuumed the day before we bought it. And then right when we brought it home. Canister full of hair.

Salmon with Escarole and Lemon

Last night I made one of Mr. SE's favorite recipes, and I'd like to share it with you. This dish is super simple and tastes fantastic. We always comment on how we feel full and healthy, but not stuffed after eating it. On another note, Everyday Food is a fantastic little cooking magazine that everyone should subscribe to. The recipes are seasonal, fast, and healthy! Just got my renewal letter in the mail $4.50 for the next 10 issues. That's 84% off retail prices- I think so!

Ingredients
2 lemons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 heads escarole (2 pounds total), cored, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
Thinly slice off both ends of one lemon. Cut into 8 thin slices. From remaining lemon, squeeze 1 to 2 tablespoons juice into a bowl.
In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir in escarole and 1/2 cup water. Arrange salmon on top; season with salt and pepper. Place 2 lemon slices on each fillet. Cover, and cook until salmon is opaque throughout, 12 to 14 minutes.
Transfer salmon to a plate. Stir lemon juice into escarole mixture. Serve salmon with escarole.

Do you have a favorite tried and true recipe? I'd love to hear it!

Weekend Shopping

I'm teetering on the line of a migraine, so I don't feel like coming up with much to say. On Saturday I did some shopping, and here's the recap.

Bath and Body Works candle sale. 2 for $20. I picked up two Sea Island Cotton, one Tropical Breeze (w/odor eliminator, we'll see how that works), and one Green Tea and Pear. Mom sent me a coupon for a free signature item with purchase, so I picked up Sea Island Cotton body creme.

At Old Navy I picked up a pair of white jeans (mine are trouser style, no photo online), a maxi dress, and jean skirt. I got another cute striped dress, but there aren't any pictures online. Wishing that they had this romper- hopefully they'll get another shipment. It'd be great for our honeymoon.
Have you bought any spring goodies yet?

Silk Flower

Bought my hair flower (but not to be used as a hair flower) from XOXOdesigns. You can see my previous post about her shop here. Rebecca was great! She mailed me samples so I could make sure the color matched my dress. Cannot wait to get this little beauty in the mail!

Closet Dreaming

If you follow me on twitter, you already know that our offer was accepted on the house. Friends, Mr. SE and I are going to be homeowners very soon! While the house is in great condition (according to our inspector), there's still some cosmetic changes that we'd like to make. This weekend you might just find us at the local Lowe's. Ps- it's way better than Home Depot. Oddly enough, the previous homeowners took all wire racks out of the closets. Problem? No. Opportunity? Yes!

Here's some closets I'm dreaming of....

Does anybody else get super excited at the chance to re-organize their things? The beginning of a season is a great time to take inventory of what you have, so you know what to shop for. Loves it!

Wordless Wednesday

I can't think of anything to write today, so I'll just leave you with a picture. Today's featured wedding on Style Me Pretty is beautiful. I love the cobalt, pear green, and classic elements. The flowers remind me of the lovelies we'll be using for our very own wedding this August. And that veil? How romantic!

{Image from the always lovely, Style Me Pretty}

Registry 101: Our China

Mr. SE and I had a great time registering. I knew right away that one of our stores had to be Bed Bath and Beyond. It's my absolute favorite. Right now my 20% coupon collection stands around 15+. We looked at some other common registry stores (cough Macy's Green Hills) and were less than impressed. For now, we've stuck with Bed Bath and Beyond. Here's our china, Gothic Platinum by Mikasa- the pictures really don't do it justice. The description says "black", but I really don't think there's any black on the stripe. The fruit bowl is to die for!

What was your favorite registry item? And what are some things you wish you registered for?

*On another note. Is anybody else in love with Ima Be from Black Eyed Peas? Mr. SE and I listened/danced to this song over and over all weekend. Just wondering.*