Weekend Recap: Pre-Thanksgiving Edition

Kyle and I had one if those weekends that screamed of domesticity. On Saturday, we ate an early brunch at Glutton (again), had our house cleaned while we were gone (love this little luxury!), shopped at Costco, attended a first birthday party (with the greatest cake smash ever) and finished the day with Chinese takeout and a movie. Busy, eventful and we were both wiped out when we finally got home. Eat your hearts out, all ye Vegas club goers!

The house is quickly coming together for our Thanksgiving guests who start arriving on Wednesday. We are beyond excited to host our first major holiday. The shopping, the holiday traffic, Christmas music on the radio, I love it all! Last week, in a major cleaning spree, I purged our pantry, bar, and entry closet. If the before and after of our pantry isn't Pinterest worthy, I don't know what is. 

...And after

Our pantry before...

New homes in Las Vegas are majorly lacking in storage space, so you have to get creative. We used this hanging shoe rack from Wal-Mart to act as extra storage for spices and Ziploc bags. This has de-cluttered our pantry and kitchen cabinets big time. It also helps to throw out any spices that expired in 2013. Ha! If you're looking for a new and healthy(ish) snack, I highly recommend the Harvest Snaps Snap Pea Crisps in Wasabi Ranch. You can see our bag peaking out from the third shelf. We tried the Lightly Salted flavor and it doesn't nearly pack the punch that the Wasabi Ranch does. So good!

Only three days to go! 

Weekend Recap: Soulard Mardi Gras Edition

The time for repentance and fasting is upon us. The time to ask forgiveness of our grievous sins and to give up our wicked ways begins this week when Lent starts on Wednesday. So what do hundreds of thousands of people do the weekend before this solemn time? Gather in my neighborhood for the annual Soulard Mardi Gras, of course.

View looking Southwest towards McGurk's Irish Pub.
{Photo credit}

Rio has the raucous Carnival, The Big Easy has the biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the country, and my little neighborhood hosts thousands of visitors each year with a month of fun beginning with Twelfth Night in early January. Since its inception in 1979 on the steps of Johnny's Restaurant and Bar, Soulard Mardi Gras has welcomed St. Louisans and visitors alike to partake it its parades, its Wiener Dog Derby, and its Taste of Soulard.

Think Mardi Gras is all about the beads? Think again, divas. In 2012, the Beggin' Barkus Pet Parade smashed the Guinness World Record for "most dogs in costumed attire gathered in a single location." N’awlins can’t claim that, now can they?

This year, like the VIP's that we are think we are, we watched the River City Casino Grand Parade from the VIP Tent where we ate, drank, and tried to stay warm. Like any good celebration, Soulard Mardi Gras is about making memories. And if they're good enough, hopefully you'll remember them in the morning.

It's always fabulous meeting Twitter friends IRL, including Martin Casas!

It's not a party until Fredbird makes an appearance.

Soulard Mardi Gras: Booze, beads, and lots o' food.

Weekend Recap: #Billner Wedding Edition

Bride & Groom: Stessie & Brian

Rehearsal Dinner: Copia Restaurant & Wine Garden; St. Louis, MO

Wedding Ceremony & Reception: World's Fair Pavilion; St. Louis, MO

After a courtship that began at the Missouri Botanical Garden and bloomed through seasons of Cardinals baseball and Mizzou football (and perhaps more than one season of The Bachelorette), Brian and Stessie were married last weekend under the arches of the historic World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park.

Saying "I Do" overlooking the Grand Basin in Forest Park

August is typically hot, humid, and downright miserable in the Gateway City and after a summer so hot and dry weather forecasters compared it to the Dust Bowl of the 1930's, we were prepared to sweat through our J. Crew bridesmaid dresses to witness the Billner* wedding vows. Amazingly, we shouldn’t have worried at all because the often unpredictable St. Louis weather dawned calm, cool, and positively perfect.

Much like the "Billner’s" love of the city, their wedding day was a virtual tour de St. Louis. We dressed and drank morning mimosas at The Cheshire, took photos under the Arch and in the beautiful Lafayette Park, and dined on local favorites Pi Pizzeria, Pappy’s Smokehouse, and Gus’ Pretzels at the reception. We danced to the tunes of the rockin’ Ralph Butler Band, drank an assortment of Schlafly beer, and watched the fountains in the Grand Basin turn the colors of a glorious peacock as day turned to night.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Lee Images

From the simple Chuppah where the couple recited their vows to the Ketubah, hand-painted with their own, unique wedding contract to the heirloom jewelry worn by the beautiful bride, no detail was overlooked. The #BillnerWedding was the perfect reflection of the bride and groom ~ simple, classy, and full of fun.

Brian and Stessie ~ Thank you for including me in your wedding party and for including all of us in a day we’ll never forget.

*Not everyone creates their own wedding day hashtag, but this couple did. Catch up on all the fun by following #BillnerWedding on twitter.

**Many thanks to Lauren & Laura for the use of their fabulous photos.

***Additional thanks to Shannon Lee Images and forte who rocked the professional photos and video.

Weekend Recap: Wedding Edition

The Year of The Wedding kicked off this weekend with a Saturday filled with wedding memories for two of the cutest cousins around.

Bride: Lauren

Bridal Luncheon: Ravanelli's; Granite City, IL

Lauren and her family drove in from Kansas for Ben’s wedding reception and we decided this was the perfect time to have a Bridal Luncheon in her honor. A 2011 graduate of Kansas State University, Lauren is a polished and creative bride-to-be and we’re all looking forward to her wedding in September.

Bride and Groom: Sara & Ben

Wedding Ceremony: Gulf Shores, AL

Wedding Reception: Knight of Columbus Hall; Granite City, IL

Ben and Sara met three years ago through friends and on Saturday we celebrated their nuptials with a wedding reception in our hometown of Granite City, IL. The bride was beautiful in a layered wedding gown with a black belt and flower accent at the waist. Staying with their beach wedding feel, the groom dressed in a casual white linen shirt and black dress pants. Keeping with the “movie” theme from the wedding shower, the décor was black and red with accents of feathers and flowers on the tables. It was the perfect setting for my first ever second cousin and his beautiful new bride. Welcome to the family, Sara!

Weekend Recap: Lake of the Ozarks Edition

You know what I love? I love the Hamptons. I love the luxury, the summer homes, and the yachting. I love the ocean breeze, the quaint little restaurants, and the exorbitant amount of Lacoste seen on every man, woman, and child. I love the ridiculous wealth of it all.  

Alas, I’ve never actually “summered” in the Hamptons, but my sources (mainly the Real Housewives of New York City and innumerable books about the Kennedy’s) tell me this is what it’s like. St. Louis may not have the Hamptons, but we do have the tony hamlet known as the Lake of the Ozarks in which to while away our summer weekends.

So, to escape the sweltering 100+ degree temperatures, we made like Carole Radziwill and headed west.

We made a quick detour and stopped by the state capitol on our way:

We did some serious reading (and cigar smoking):

We sampled the Ozarks favorite lake fare:

We drank boozy Arnold Palmer’s:

We watched the boats go by:

We had a fabulous lake weekend and hope you did, too (even if you weren’t in the Hamptons!)

What? Like you don't take four bags with you for a two day trip.
The Polish Princess would.

{All photos taken with my iphone using the Instagram app.}

Weekend Recap: Wedding Shower Edition

The Year of The Wedding has officially begun with two weekends of wedding showers in the books and Signature Drinktaste-testing and Bachelorette Party planning in the works.

These two Brides-to-Be are two of the sassiest and classiest galsI know.

Stessie, Jessica, and I after drinks at Bridge
{August 2010}

Stessie hails from small town Missouri and after finishing undergrad at Drake University in Iowa, she moved to the big city of St. Louis for law school at SLU. We met, quite serendipitously, when she locked herself out of my neighbor’s house while dog-sitting. She knocked on my door hoping I would have an extra key. I didn’t and while we waited for my landlord to bring us one, a five minute wait turned into a three hour conversation, a four year friendship, and a lifetime of memories.

Jessica, a petite and feisty Ole Miss grad, is my go to gal when it comes to etiquette, fashion, and all things proper. She rocks a mean pair of heels and the perfect set of pearls. But don’t let this Southern belle fool you, she’ll stand up for what she believes in and she’ll root for her beloved St. Louis Cardinals, even from five states away. Jessica and I met seven years ago when we both worked at Express and in between folding jeans and hanging shirts, a friendship was born.

Stessie’s Shower

Location: Olivette, MO

Jessica’s Shower

Location: Montelle Winery, Augusta, MO

Weekend Recap: Birthday Edition

Last year, when I turned The Big 3-0 I did what everyone who turns 30 does: I planned and organized for months in advance,  I hired a private chef, interviewed and selected a photographer, designed a centerpiece and chose a florist to complete my vision, rented a table, chairs and linens and sent out custom designed invitations. What’s that you say? That sounds more like a wedding? Not everyone goes to those extremes for their 30^th (or any) birthday? Crazy talk!

Turning 30: The Fun, Flirty and Fabulous way

But this year was different. There were no professional photographers. No fancy linens and flowers. No chefs in my kitchen. Just good friends, good food, and plenty of laughs. And that, dear readers, made this birthday just fabulous.

Gifts Galore: The Joy of Cooking** and items to complete one phase of my living room redesign (stay tuned!) 

Celebrating my 31st birthday with dinner and drinks at Mosaic

We ended the weekend with a viewing of Meryl Streep's Golden Globe winning portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Have you seen The Iron Lady and, if so, what did you think? Did you know much about the UK's first female Prime Minister prior to seeing the movie?  

**Fun Fact: The original author of The Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer was from St. Louis, she earned her high school diploma from the Mary Institute (MICDS) and attended Washington University. The first 3,000 copies were printed by A.C. Clayton, a St. Louis-based publishing house. You can find her star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame at 6636 Delmar (63130).