Almost Forgot!

Next time you go to Starbucks, get the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. It's soooooo good!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Jeff and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It was so nice to see all of his family and just hang out and relax!

On Saturday, we met with our wedding florist. She was absolutely wonderful and gave us some great ideas for flowers for parents/grandparents. Jeff and I are getting exactly what we want (or really what I want) for our wedding, and it's not breaking the bank. Granted, it's certainly not cheap, but not as bad as I expected and I am very happy! We also decided on invitations from Wedding Paper Divas. I will show you the online sample once we have it all made, but it's pretty!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Can you believe tomorrow is already December? I can't! Jeff and I are getting our Christmas Tree tomorrow (artificial). We have a ton of blue and silver ornaments, so that will be the color theme this year!

Thankful

Ok, so I am at work, it's the last period of the day before Thanksgiving break. Obviously I am letting them play on their computers. No work is getting done today! Also, Blogger and Facebook are usually blocked here, but today they aren't for some reason! I am so excited! I actually have stuff to entertain me for the next 30 minutes till the bell rings!

I decided in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would write about what I am thankful for this year. I am so lucky and blessed in my life, and I am really thankful for that.

* My wonderful fiancee Jeff. He supports me, makes me laugh, and loves me for who I am. He is such an amazing man, and I cannot wait to marry him!

* My family. They're amazing, especially my mom. She's my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her. She gives me such incredible advice and supports me no matter what. My brothers make me laugh and are so wonderful to me as well. We are truly friends and get along great!

* My future in-laws and Jeff's extended family. Everyone is so thrilled that we are getting married and they have been so excited about the wedding planning! Jeff's mom and sister have been helping me in any way they can, and they've also been very supportive of my choices. Jeff's dad is a minister and is marrying us and is so excited to do that. I am honored that he is doing it and I love that someone so close to us will be performing the ceremony. I have felt welcomed into this family from the moment I met them, and that's huge for me. I know I won't be one of those women who hates their in-laws and doesn't want to spend time with them. I genuinely look forward to visits with them.

* My students. They drive me nuts, make me laugh, and they teach me as well. I wouldn't be the teacher I am today without them, and they help me learn and grow each day. I genuinely like all of my students this year, and would be sad if I lost any of them during December schedule changes (which is a huge possibility).

* My friends. I am finally in a place in my life where I have solid, true friends that I can depend on. I know they are there for me, just like I'm there for them. We are happy for each other, and we are there for each other when something happens good or bad. There's no jealousy or ridiculous middle school behavior, and I am so grateful for that. Most of these friends I am talking about are in my wedding party, and I am so happy and honored that they agreed to be part of such a special time in my life. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, and happy Thanksgiving! I will be in Long Island spending time with Jeff's family and meeting with our wedding florist to finalize my decisions!

Cream Cheese Pie

I just made 2 of these to bring to Jeff's Aunt's house for Thanksgiving. My Aunt made one for Christmas once and my mom and I HAD to have the recipe. They're no bake and soooo yummy, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

Cream Cheese Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz. cream cheese
• 8oz. (1/2 pint) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar
• 1 pie shell (I prefer Oreo or Nilla wafer)

Directions:

Gather all your ingredients

Combine everything except the vanilla extract

Beat everything together and add in the vanilla extract while beating.

You will need to beat the filling until it's REALLY thick. I'm not sure how good this picture will be in helping, but it needs to be super thick. So thick that you can make tracks in it and they will stay. If you don't beat it enough, the pie will be very runny.

Scoop the filling into the pie shell

Smooth over evenly, and you're done! You can sprinkle chocolate chips, heath bar, sprinkles, ect over the top if you'd like. I personally like it better plain. I think adding stuff makes the texture weird, but that's just my opinion.

While cooking, it never hurts to wear a super cute apron like this one I got at Williams-Sonoma this past summer!

Post Game Thoughts

Harvard beat Yale 10-0! Jeff and I only saw the game in the actual stadium for about 20 minutes. It was unbearably cold and I couldn't deal with it! Jeff and his friends insisted on tailgating for 2.5 hours before the game, and that was probably the most miserable I've been in a long time. It was so cold, I thought I might die. I couldn't feel my legs! Thank God for the hand warmers I bought, my scarf (I NEVER wear scarves) and my heavy North Face coat!

After the game, we went to Pizzeria Uno, an old hangout for Jeff and his Harvard buddies and we ordered tons of food and drinks! It was so fun and nice to be warm again! Jeff also asked the remaining groomsmen and best man to be in the wedding, so that's all set! After Uno, we went to the women's hockey game against Columbia, and Harvard won what too! I enjoyed the hockey game a lot more than the football game because it was actually warm in the rink! We went our for some more drinks, and then Jeff and I came back to the hotel and passed out. I feel warm and well rested now!

I wish I took pictures of everything, but it was so cold that I completely forgot to do it!

Go Harvard!

Jeff and I are in Boston, heading out soon to tailgate before the Harvard vs. Yale game! It's going to be like 30* today and feel like 11*. I am going to die.

I will post Monday if I didn't freeze to death! Tomorrow we are driving home and I have to work in the dorm at night! :(

Wedding Song!

I was asked to post my wedding song! It was down to these 3 finalists:

"Amazed" by Lonestar
"Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart
"From This Moment On" by Shania Twain and Bryan White

After listening to all of them, Jeff really wanted "From This moment On" and when I really listened to the lyrics, that was the very best song for us! It makes me teary now when I listen to it because I imagine my future first dance with my husband at my wedding!

What did everyone else have as a first dance song, or what would you want?

Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

I was asked to post my creamy chicken crock pot recipe, so here it is! It's so easy:

Ingredients:
* Boneless chicken breast (however many you want/can fit into the crock pot)
* 1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup (1 if you're doing 3-4 breasts, 2 if you do more)
* Frozen corn
* Potatoes (again, depends on how many people you're serving this to, I usually use 2 larger ones for Jeff and I and it's too much!)

Directions:
* Put the cream of chicken soup in the crock pot and mix with 1/2 can of water (if you use 1 can of soup) or 1 can of water (if you use 2 cans of soup).
* Let the chicken and soup cook on low for several hours
* About 2 hours before you want to have dinner, put the potatoes and corn in and cook on high
* I usually make rice to go along with this and spoon the crock pot dish out on top! Yummy!

YAY!

My friend/bridesmaid Jess lives right near the David's Bridal I got all the bridesmaids' dresses and my wedding dress from, so she has been picking everything up for me, and we got together tonight so she could give all of it to me! I now have all the girls' dresses and accessories, as well as my headpiece and veil! All that's left is my dress, which I will pick up myself and is due to come in the middle of December! This is all so exciting and getting more and more real by the day!

Jeff and I chose our first dance song last night, and now I get teary every time I hear it...

James Bond

Jeff and I saw "Quantum of Solace" tonight and it was awesome! I highly recommend it, and that's coming from someone whose not a huge action movie fan!

On a completely different note, I am going to copy Kimba and ask if any of you are on Facebook? If so, and you want to be friends, e-mail me at Missie1284@gmail.com and let me know how to search for you!

Pink Shoe Decision

I decided to go for it and get the shoes dyed! They will be a light pink, and I think it's a really nice touch. Now I just need to find a good place that won't mess up the dye job! I will post a picture once I get it done! Thanks to those of you that offered advice! :)

Food!

I found this food meme on Ladybug's Picnic and decided to steal it!

1. Favorite milk? Skim

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook this season? Well, I don't know how to cook much, but I will be making a lemon pepper chicken dish I recently discovered, a yummy creamy chicken dish in the crock pot, and a yummy chicken pesto pasta dish! Notice a pattern? I only know how to cook chicken!

3. Topping of choice for popcorn? Butter and salt.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure? Oh man. I have burnt so many things. That's usually my problem when I bake a dessert. I have also been known to overcook chicken.

5. Favorite pickled item? I don't like pickled items.

6. How do you organize your recipes? They're in a disorganized mess on my computer

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal? Trash 

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)? Chocolate chip cookies, chicken parm, my mom's tortellini dish!

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood? All the yummy sweets my mom used to bake!

10. Favorite ice cream? Cookie dough

11. Most loved kitchen appliance? My stove I guess. I can't wait to get my KitchenAid Mixer from our wedding registry! I have a feeling I will love that thing!

12. Spice/herb you would die without? Garlic

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time? I don't really have any cook books yet! I need to get some!

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly? Strawberry

15. Favorite recipe to serve to an omni friend? Hmmm. It's very rare that I cook for someone, we usually do takeout, but I'd probably do my creamy chicken dish in the crock pot because it's easy. Actually, I will be making that meal for a bunch of friends on Wednesday!

16. Do you eat tofu? I've had it before, but I don't eat it regularly.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)? Dinner because I actually have time to cook it and I love making a nice meal for Jeff and I.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator? A pen

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking. Lean Cuisines, Chicken Breast, Waffles

20. What's on your grocery list? It's pretty long. It always has milk, chicken, soda, 100 calorie packs, and oatmeal on it.

21. Favorite grocery store? I love Stop and Shop, but out of convenience, (it's on my street 2 seconds away) I go to Shop Rite which I really don't like much.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to try, but haven't yet. Pumpkin Pie

23. Food blog you read the most. I don't read food blogs

24. Favorite chocolate? Milk is the only type of chocolate that I like

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately? Nothing too crazy here.

26. What vegetables do you enjoy most? I hate most vegetables. My all time favorite is zucchini, but I also love corn, broccoli top, and squash. That's about it. 

Best Yet

The concert was amazing! Our seats were not great, but we could still see everything and Elton John put on an incredible show! He played just about every single song I like and it was just awesome! The concert was just about 3 hours long, the longest one I've been to. Every time I go to a concert of his, I hope for one like I got to see last night. It was the best! Now I can't wait till next year because he is touring with Billy Joel, and I already told Jeff we are going. I don't care how expensive it is! He agreed, so hopefully that works out!

We spent the day gambling a little bit (Jeff not me) and shopping at the outlets! I got 2 cute argyle sweaters from the Gap outlet! Jeff and I just finished watching "I Am Legend." I thought it was a very screwed up movie. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Definitely not the worst movie I've seen, but I probably wouldn't watch it again.

I am really happy to have nothing to do tomorrow but relax! I'm so tired!

Elton John!

I am going to my third Elton John concert within a two year span tonight at Mohegan Sun! Jeff got me the tickets as an early birthday present! Last time I went, we have 20th row seats, and while our seats this time aren't as good, I am still SOOO excited!

Dress

Sasha mentioned seeing a picture of my dress might help people decide if I should dye the shoes or not. I can't post on here because Jeff knows about my blog, but if you'd like to see it, you can leave a comment with your e-mail or e-mail me at Missie1284@gmail.com and I will let you see it!

Wedding Shoes!

They're here! They fit PERFECTLY (so glad I got the 10s) and they're very comfy and easy to walk in! Jeff saw them, which is fine, as long as he doesn't see my dress, and he thinks I should keep them white and I kind of agree. I love the idea of pink shoes tho! I'm just worried that if I send them off to get dyed, something will happen to ruin them! I need opinions!

Here are the shoes.

Bride and Groom

A little early, but we couldn't resist!

Wedding Details

I've been ordering some stuff for the wedding! My guest room is turning into a storage unit!



These are the flower hairpins I will have in my hair at the wedding. They're from Everything Angelic





My garter. I ordered two so I can keep one and Jeff can throw the other one to the single guys at the reception.



The tote bags that will be used for the bridesmaid's gifts.



The adorable koozies I got for the girls from Monogram Me. She even threw in a special one for me!





Finally, our cake topper:



The cake topper and garter were ordered from Wedding Accessories.net

I also ordered my wedding shoes today from Zappos so I can get them dyed pink and break them in, and our unity candle from WeddingStar. I will post pictures as soon as the stuff comes in!

Weekend In PA

We had a wonderful weekend! It was so nice to see Jeff's dad and stepmom! On Friday, we got there pretty late, so we chatted with Jeff's dad a bit then went to sleep. 

On Saturday, the 4 of us went to see the movie "Role Models" which was hysterical! It was dirty humor and had a lot of bad language, but if you like that sort of thing, go see the movie! Jeff's stepmom made a delicious dinner of chicken soup, pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls! It was so good! I also showed Jeff's dad and stepmom my dress, which they loved, and all of the things I bought or will buy for the wedding. We talked about flowers, my bridesmaids, everything! It's my favorite topic to talk about right now, so I had a lot of fun!

Today, we discussed wedding ceremony details with Jeff's dad. He is a minister and he's going to be doing the majority of the ceremony, while the pastor who works at the church we are getting married in is assisting. He showed us a list of several variations of traditional vows, which Jeff and I both read. I made him tell me which ones he liked best, and he said the first and fourth ones, which are the ones I liked best too! Then I told him I liked the fourth ones the very best, and he said he did too, so that was an easy decision! So meant to be! :D It was so surreal just hearing Jeff read the vows today! I got all teary! I'm going to be such a mess on the actual day! We also watched The Jets completely dominate the St. Louis Rams and we had an incredible lunch of BBQ chicken, rolls, broccoli, corn, and Rice A Roni. It's Jeff's favorite meal in the world, so we always have it when we visit his dad and it's always yummy!

I need to go make myself some dinner and make sure I am all planned and set for work tomorrow! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

TGIF!

I am SO happy it's Friday! I had a great week at work, but I'm really tired and looking forward to sleep! We are going to Pennsylvania this weekend to visit Jeff's dad and step mom. They haven't seen us since before we got engaged which was back in July! They need to see my ring! Jeff's dad is a minister, and he is going to be taking part in the ceremony, so hopefully this weekend we can figure out exactly which parts of the ceremony he wants to do.

Last night one of my bridesmaids Jess and I went to P.F. Chang's. We have a monthly date of going to dinner there or California Pizza Kitchen and then shopping at the mall! It was so much fun! Jess did me a HUGE favor and picked up some wedding stuff that came in since she lives right down the street from the store. So now I have my headpiece and some of the girl's sashes! Everything is coming in a little bit at a time, and she's going to bring it all to me except my wedding dress. That I am going to pick up myself when it comes in December! When we were shopping yesterday, I found a beautiful black, pink, and white dress that will be perfect for my rehearsal dinner, so of course, I bought it! I will have to take a picture and post it! It's such a "me" dress! I also got a couple of Christmas presents for my mom. I really need to get going with holiday shopping!

My garter, which is white with pink polka dots, our precious moments Disney cake topper, and my flower hairpins all came in today! Everything is so gorgeous and I can't wait to use all of it at my wedding!

Also, go congratulate One Fabulous Mom on her wonderful baby news!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I will post when I get back from PA!

Favorites

I was tagged by Tales of a Northern Belle ages ago and I posted this on my other blog, but I want it here too! So fun!

1. Clothes Shop: Gap, Target, J.Crew, Old Navy

2. Furniture Shop: I loooove Pottery Barn, but cannot afford it. We got some really nice stuff at Raymour and Flanigan

3. City: I'm not a huge city fan, but I guess NYC

4. Sweet: Lindt peanut butter truffles

5. Drink:

Alcoholic- Mai Tais

Non-Alcoholic- Skim milk

6. Music: LOOOOOVE Elton John and 80's pop!

7. TV Series: The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Real Housewives, America's Next Top Model, House Hunters, My House Is Worth What?, Project Runway, Friends, Sex and the City

8. Film: Love Story always makes me bawl! I also love The Notebook and the Sex and the City movie!

9. Workout: I hate working out! When I actually do it, I power walk or do intervals of walking and running!

10. Pastries: Cheese Danishes!

11. Coffee: Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

I tag anyone who hasn't done it yet!

President Obama!

Voting was so much fun yesterday! Jeff and I decided to walk to the polls in case there were too many cars there (there ended up being almost none). We had about a 30 minute walk on a gorgeous evening! It was so nice to just be together and chat! We got right in to vote, no line at all and then we went and grabbed a pumpkin muffin at Dunkin Donuts (which we had for dessert later) and sandwiches at Subway. So good! Once we got home, we watched the USA map and election coverage all night! It was so interesting to me, but I'm so tired today from waiting up late to hear McCain concede and Obama make his victory speech!

I don't talk politics a ton in real life or on here, but I will say that I voted for Obama. I think it's time for something completely different and I really feel he will do a great job uniting this country and cleaning up the mess. Regardless of who you voted for, I think it's time for everyone to support our new President, just like McCain said in his speech last night.

Election Day!

Did you vote today? Jeff and I are going as soon as he gets home from work! This is my first time voting in a Presidential election because I was in college in NY last time and I forgot to get an absentee ballot! I'm excited!

Fun Wedding Surprises!

October: Witch with a veil



November: Turkey with a veil



How cute are these? Each month, starting last month, on the 3rd, which is the "new month" for my wedding countdown, my bridesmaids (really my MOH Shannon, but it's from all of them) have been putting cute presents in my classroom! It's so nice to come in and have a little something to brighten up my day! I truly have the best bridesmaids and I am so lucky to have them!

I was not always so lucky with girlfriends. Growing up, I had a fair amount of friends, but a lot of the time, people would stab me in the back and take advantage of me, so I always wound up getting hurt and taken advantage of because I'm a nice person. I don't talk to many of the people I grew up with. I think I keep in touch with 5 or 6 total, and 3 of them are in my wedding party. It really wasn't until I started my teaching job that I found a lot of people that I truly connect with. There is no jealousy, we all respect each other, no one back stabs or leaves others out. Everyone is very supportive and thoughtful. At times, I can honestly say that I wait for all hell to break loose and have some of them turn on me like "friends" in the past did, but that day never comes, and I really feel like it never will. I am truly blessed to have all of my friends in my life and I am thankful for their friendship. I have 7 bridesmaids, and each and every one of them has been wonderful and supportive of me, and it gets a little overwhelming at times for me because for the most part, I am not used to having friends like that. I really see what true friendship is and I am challenged to be as good a friend as they are to me.

My Man

I found this on another blog and thought it would be fun!

1. Who is your man? Jeff

2. How long have you been together? Just about two wonderful years!

3. How long did you date? We've been dating just about two years and we got engaged in July.

4. How old is your man? He's 26. I'm 23

5. Who eats more? Jeff

6. Who said "I love you" first? He did. 3 weeks in. He was terrified that I wouldn't say it back, but I did!

7. Who is taller? Jeff by about 4 inches

8. Who sings better? Jeff

9. Who is smarter? I would say Jeff

10. Whose temper is worse? Mine

11. Who does the laundry? That would be me.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Jeff. I hate doing it

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jeff

14. Who pays the bills? Jeff for the most part

15. Who is better with the computer? Well - seeing how Jeff is a computer nerd as a profession - it would definitely be him!

16. Who mows the lawn? The landscapers the condo association hired!

17. Who cooks dinner? Almost always me!

18. Who drives when you are together? Jeff - he thinks I can't drive. He's right.

19. Who pays when you go out? Usually Jeff, but I treat him sometimes too!

20. Who is most stubborn? Me

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Probably Jeff

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Jeff's, even though mine are closer. Isn't that weird?

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me!

24. Who asked who out? He asked me

25. Who proposed? Jeff did of course!

26. Who is more sensitive? Definitely ME!

27. Who has more friends? I think I do! - but girls usually have more friends. Now that I think about it, at this point, he's good friends with all of my friends and their husbands/fianees/boyfriends too! We're probably even

28. Who has more siblings? Me! Jeff has one sister. I have two brothers

29. Who wears the pants in the family? I do, no question.