Happy Birthday Andrew!

It's Andrew's Birthday today!

Thanks for being born, buddy. Love you!

We are celebrating by checking out Chicago q tonight for dinner. Yum!!! 

I also made him this Cookie Stuffed Brownie Cupcakes recipe from Tablespoon!

{By the way, have you ever heard of Tablespoon.com? You should check them out, especially on Pinterest! I freaking love Tablespoon recipes! So perfect for parties!}

What's a cookie stuffed brownie cupcake?

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Boom. 

THAT'S a cookie stuffed brownie cupcake!

It's super easy and fun to make!

Here's all you need:

• Cupcake liners
• Cupcake pan
• Brownie mix
• Cookie dough
• Milk's Favorite Cookie

Layer with cookie dough, then the cookie, topped with the brownie. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes and cool for 5-10. Done and DONE.

Tablespoon suggested to top this glorious goodie with ice cream.
It blew my mind a little.
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Oh and I made these after I tried on my wedding dress at Macy's. My consultant said, "This looks FANTASTIC on you and you don't need too many alterations!! Don't gain any weight between now and April." 

Funny I am remembering this now, because at the time all I heard was, "This looks FANTASTIC on you and you don't need too many alterations!! Bake your wonderful fiance a batch of amazing cookie stuffed brownie cupcakes and care about your weight after his Birthday."

Enjoy your weekend!!
Oh and please follow me on Bloglovin'!!!

Little Bit of Sass Thursday!

Happy Thursday!

I just wanted to share some sass from The Meta Picture today, mainly because it's easier than from Pinterest and because every day I hear Andrew cracking up looking at this site. I thought you might enjoy it, too.

Fantastic.

I mean, seriously.

So many things to say about this picture.

Strawberry Shortcake for me!

Teehee!

Seriously. What happened here?!?

And finally, my favorite this week:

Have a good one, everyone!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Wedding Wednesday!

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Happy Wednesday everyone!

I'm very jealous that Kristyn is off having fun on vacation this week, so it's only me for today's link-up!

The only wedding "news" I have right now is that my dress is in! I get to go try it on! I can't wait!!!

Aside from that happy development, I don't have any particular wedding news to share this week, so instead let's have a chat!

Today I want to talk about wedding shoes since I haven't even really started to look and need some inspiration.

I feel like anything goes these days, from traditional:

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To "Something Blue":

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To fun and colorful:

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To Kate Spade:

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And, you know, all of those bling bling ones:

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*Shudder*

Then there's cowboy boots, flats, sandals, bare feet, etc.

So many choices!

I think choosing wedding shoes depends on the venue, like bare feet on the beach or boots for a barn/country-themed wedding.

I've also admired brides who wear shoes in the same shade as the bridesmaid dresses. I think it's a fun way to tie everything together.

However, I'm planning to go the traditional route in an ivory shoe. I will also probably change into flats or Toms for the reception so I can more comfortably dance the night away.

My dream shoes? 

Duh, it was its own category above: Kate Spade.

Unfortunately, spending $200+ on shoes is just not justifiable for me. I'd rather invite more people than wear a designer on my feet for a couple of hours. But that's just me.

Where should I look?

I've drooled over the Kate Spade shoes on My Glass Slipper.

I've clicked around Pinterest.

I was recently introduced to Hey Lady and can't wait to check out the selection!

Then there's the obvious: Nordstrom, Macy's, Zappos, and DSW.

I've also toyed with the idea of buying a plain shoe that's comfy from David's Bridal or something relatively cheap and then buying shoe clips from etsy with bows and/or pearls.

What do you think? Where did you find yours?

Please link-up!

Screaming!

Don't worry, I'm not mad.

But I am screaming...for ICE CREAM!

(Yes, my corniness just improves with age.)

On Sunday Andrew and I went to Target. 

I was proud that I put on blinders around the stuff I don't need (aka a majority of the store)... 

...that is until we went to the freezer aisle.

Folks, I have found THE BEST not-terrible-for-you ice cream known to man:

Edy's Slow-Churned Take The Cake Limited Edition YUMMINESS!

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It tastes better than the Cold Stone Birthday Cake combo.

And if you're curious, it's only 3 Weight Watchers points per serving!

When I saw it at Target I felt like Homer when he is near donuts: 

Most yummy desserts are 4 points (Smart Ones desserts, Skinny Cow bars and sandwiches, etc.). 

Trust me on this one. I've done the leg work. Basically if there's a "light" treat out there I've tried it. 

Also, I have been a huge fan of the Slow-Churned line since it started about two years ago (I think?). We love to get the Vanilla and some Diet Root Beer for a healthified Root Beer Float!

They also have Cookie Dough ice cream.

Need I say more?

OK I'll say one more thing: I'll race you to the store before they're gone! I want to stock up!

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I feel like I should add some sort of disclaimer: I am not cool enough for Edy's to ask my opinion on this product so the thoughts in this post are completely my own. However, if Edy's ever wanted my thoughts I am READY!

Weekend in New Orleans

I am FINALLY getting around to recapping the trip to New Orleans!
(and am linking up with Sami, Leeann, and Meg in the process!!)

OK I also wrote about it on Cassie's blog, so really her deadline motivated me!

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This was my first trip to New Orleans and it certainly exceeded any expectations!

(I wrote about the wedding we attended for my Wedding Wednesday post, so check out that post if you're interested!)

First of all, the drinks in New Orleans are incredible!

The frozen daquiris call your name as you walk along Bourbon Street. 

And if you have more than one Hurricane in one sitting...good luck to you!

Oh and if when you get one or more Hurricanes, be sure to get them from Pat O'Brien's, where this legend began!

Second, the music is unreal!!!!!

We were there Saturday through Tuesday, and heard live music every day - and everywhere! Every group and soloist we heard on the streets in the French Quarter were so talented. It really was quite an experience!

There are two places I encourage anyone to go when you're in Nola: Preservation Hall and bars along Frenchmen Street. Apparently Frenchmen Street is where the locals go. We went to The Spotted Cat and loved it, but as beautiful music poured out of every bar I knew that you can't go wrong with any place you go along that street!

Preservation Hall is rich with history and is incredibly unique. The music is so fun and mesmerizing! 

Any description that I could write about this place would not do it justice. Just please go.

Third, the foooooood. Wowsah. I ate like a queen. A fat and happy queen.

We had crazy good paella at Lola's on Sunday night. Meat, seafood, you name it, it was good.

We had fried chicken with red beans and rice on Monday from Coop's Place. YUM. Best Fried Chicken I've ever had.

I tried my new favorite hot sauce on the delicious fare at Coulis in the Garden District. I love love love the servers there. Hilarious.

I don't know how I've lived this long without ever having beignets. I made up for it by going to Cafe du Monde two days in a row and another coffee shop on Sunday. Yep. Three days of beignets. 

My taste buds were happy (however, my butt? Not so much).

Finally, the atmosphere in New Orleans is simply unlike anywhere I've been in the U.S.

Sunday night we happened upon a night art market. On a Sunday! 

The street cars are so stinking charming I couldn't handle it.

And Bourbon Street is glorious. I can't even imagine it during Mardi Gras.

Well that's all of the pictures, but there's so much more to chat about!

We saw old friends and really enjoyed catching up with them! We also loved family time during the wedding!

The best part was just walking around the French Quarter. We loved strolling without a plan or structure to the day. 

The antique stores are so sweet and are full of cool junk you don't need. The owners are awesome and love to chat. Same goes for the art galleries. So freaking cool. 

The hotels are wonderful as well. We stayed at Hotel Indigo on Saturday night in the Garden District and we couldn't believe how sweet our room was. On Sunday and Monday nights we stayed in the French Quarter at the Hyatt. That place was niiiiice. Both were affordable with great staffs. The next time we go we absolutely want to stay at a Bed & Breakfast or one of the little boutique hotels in the French Quarter. They're so charming!

Have you been to any of these places in New Orleans? Where would you suggest to go?

Do you love beignets as much as I do??

Promoting a Giveaway that's Not My Own!

OK gang, I'm writing this post for a reason I have never done before: I entered a crazy amazing giveaway hosted by some of my favorite bloggers. I want to win so badly that I'm not only blogging on a Saturday, I'm writing solely because it's a requirement to win.

The prize? Blog advice. 

While I truly love Little Bit of Class Little Bit of Sass, I am always so self-conscious about how I'm doing. It's hard not to be when my Google Reader/Bloglovin' accounts are full of beautiful blogs with amazing content and design. I don't advertise and only sponsor a few blogs. I can't afford to do too many giveaways and this blog is too small to attract brands to sponsor/offer their products on here.

At the same time, though, I really love this space and am not sure I'm willing to devote some of my content to just gaining more Followers and traffic. I started this blog to keep in touch with my friends from home but I feel some pressure to be like other bloggers out there. 

So yeah. I'm torn. 

And if I won this amazing giveaway and could pick the brains of some of the best in the blogosphere, then hopefully I can gain some knowledge for my blog in return. 

Who knows? 

I guess I'll find out! Fingers crossed!

Wedding Wednesday!

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Welcome to the Wedding Wednesday link-up hosted by yours truly and Kristyn from Chits & Giggles!
Link-up below, ladies!

Remember, you don't have to be a bride-to-be to participate! We want to hear any (and every!) wedding story you have!

On to this week's post!

I just got back from an amazing trip in New Orleans, so I'm going to keep this nice and short by recapping the wedding we attended. I'll recap the rest of the trip on Thursday!

First of all, I was a thrifty wedding guest. I did my own hair and make-up, reused a bridesmaid dress, and rented a necklace from Rent the Runway.

I loved wearing this nifty necklace.

By the way, if you're interested in my experience with Rent the Runway or how I did my hair, let me know. I had a couple questions on Instagram and may just write up posts about both topics. I never review stuff or do my hair, let alone talk about how I style it when I do, so I feel like a narcissist right now.

Back to the wedding!

The wedding was Saturday at the gorgeous Elms Mansion in the New Orleans Garden District. It is such a charming location!

I loved when a street car passed during the ceremony and all of the passengers cheered for the bride and groom!

I didn't take enough photos of this beautiful venue, mainly because my pictures don't do it justice.

We had a lovely time celebrating Andrew's cousin's wedding and are so excited for the happy couple!!!

Have you attended any weddings yet this "season," especially now since it's June?

Please link up!

Big Easy

Greetings from New Orleans! More on Wednesday!!!