What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! This week I'm back to sharing my Wednesday loves: 

1. I'm loving this BHLDN dress. It would be perfect for a Vanderbilt tailgate!

2. I'm loving Fall television shows! Some of my favorites that debuted this week are: 

{i love this new show!!}

3. I'm loving that Blake and I are going on a surprise weekend trip! Can't wait to see what my creative fiance had planned!

4. I'm loving our dog Penny who doesn't get far as much love on this blog as she should. 

5. As always, I'm loving my fiance! 

Have a good day everyone!

Decorate With Some Fall Flair!

I finally got around to putting up the fall decorations! It was so much fun to browse through all of the orange and pumpkin decor. Here are some pictures of our fall flair

{fall wreath} 

 {fall garland}

 {fall popuri in the popuri ball}

{pumpkin spice candle}

 {candy corn hurricane candle vases}

{fall dining}

{chalkboard pumpkins!}

{they are so easy to make}

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! This weekend sure flew by! 

On Thursday, we went to Live on the Green, a free outdoor concert downtown. The music was good {even though I had never heard of the bands} and the weather was so nice.

Friday night Blake and I had a date night at Tavern! The dinner food was great but my favorite part was the S'mores dessert!

Saturday we went to an engagement party for two good friends. The party was really nice and it was fun to celebrate with them! Here are some pics: 

Sunday we went to the Titans game. It was such a warm day and the stadium was packed! 

After the game I headed to the mall to check out the new Nordstroms. I have such a love/hate relationship with the Green Hills Mall because it is always so crowded and a nightmare to park. BUT the Nordstroms is such a great addition and I'm excited to finally have some good shopping!

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Fabulous Fall: Halloween!

Happy Wednesday! Today I am linking up with Neely and Amber for their "Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge." Today's topic is: What to do for Halloween/Halloween Traditions. 

One of our favorite Halloween traditions is pumpkin carving! For the past two years, Blake and I have hosted a pumpkin carving party. It is always a ton of fun and usually all the pumpkins come out great. All you need are the pumpkin carving kits (can be bought at Walmart or Target), pumpkins, tablecloths to avoid a mess, and some yummy halloween snacks! Here are pictures from our past two pumpkin carving parties: 

I'm looking forward to planning this year's party!

A Dinner Celebration!

Yesterday morning we received some good news....

BLAKE PASSED THE BAR EXAM!! 

He is officially a licensed attorney and all the weight of the test results has been lifted off his shoulders. {I can't even imagine how stressed I will be next year when I'm waiting for the results} 

To celebrate we went to one of our favorite restaurants in the Hermitage Hotel, Capitol Grille. We love the atmosphere and the food is so great! It was such a nice way to celebrate.

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a good weekend. It finally felt like FALL!! Too bad that probably won't last long...

Friday we headed to Arrington Vineyards with some friends. We had a TON of food and the weather was just cool enough to enjoy sitting on a blanket, drinking wine, and listening to the music. One of the couples we went with is recently engaged, so it was a time to celebrate! 

 

 {the cookies barely made it through the car ride}

Saturday, it was game day at Vanderbilt's stadium, and for the first time I was proud to be a Dore! It was such nice football weather, and beating Ole Miss was tons of fun! 

Saturday after the game, Blake made me a "surprise" dinner. It was nice to sit back and not do the cooking.  The food was so yummy! He did a good job :)

Sunday, we hung around and watched football all day. Later that evening we went to buy some fall home decorations! I can't wait to put them all up! 

Maybe that's a task for next weekend...

Foodie Friday

Happy Fridayyyyy!! Here is a fun fall recipe for your weekend!

Pumpkin Bread!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, really soft, half melted really
3 large eggs
1 16 oz can of pure pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and spray two medium loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, dump in the sugar. Take the butter and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, so that it is half melted. Dump it into the sugar. Add the eggs. Cream these three ingredients together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and combine well.

4. In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch.

5. Pour half of the batter into a one of the prepared pans. Fold the pecans into the remaining batter and then pour it into the other prepared pan. Bake side-by-side for about one hour or until an inserted knife comes out clean the top is golden.

Wedding Wednesday

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday. Now that we are about 6 months away from our wedding day, I finally feel like I can partake in the blogger "Wedding Wednesday" updates. At this point in the planning process we have accomplished a lot, and I just got back from another successful wedding planning weekend. To date, here is all that we have accomplished:

1. We reserved the date of our wedding at the church! The church is such a quaint setting and I get giddy every time I drive by it. 

2. We booked our reception venue. I could not be happier about our selection and I'm so excited for the reception there! 

3. We complied the guest list and collected addresses. 

4. We booked the band. This was one area that Blake was very involved in. It was fun to see him get excited about some of the planning. Needless to say, he did a great job and we think the band will be rocking all night! 

5. We chose the save the dates, and are waiting for the proof to come in this week. They will go to print and be out within a month. How exciting!! (more details to come later)

6. We met with our florist and the proposal is completed. Now all that we need to do is view the sample flower arrangements. The flowers I decided on were hydrangeas and I trust her to do an amazing job! 

7. We looked at hotels for our out of town guests. We still need to finalize the contract and guarantee the rooms. 

8. I found my dress!!! It truly is the most exciting feeling and I am so excited to wear it. I wish I could just try it on and wear it around the house! 

9. The bridesmaids are in the process of ordering their dresses. The dresses are long, strapless, and navy. They all are going to look beautiful!! 

10. We booked the photographer. This was a really important part of the wedding for me because I wanted to be able to look back on this day for years to come. I'm confident that the photographer I chose can live up to every expectation I have for those special photos!

Well, there is the progress so far! I will be sure to keep updating along the way! Have a great day everyone.