Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas 2009




Hello Blogging World! I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas filled with love and laughter. I love the Christmas season because it reminds me how grateful I am to have such wonderful people in my life. I have been blessed with an amazing family and amazing friends. Although 2009 has been filled with many ups and downs, the joy I feel during this time of year certianly makes it all worth it :).


Kevin and I at my sister's Christmas party



Our Christmas/Guitar Tree...we thought the lights & ornaments definitely made it legit :)



Christmas Day




Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Favorite Part of Winter...Holiday Parties!!!

We enjoyed a fabulous weekend filled with family, friends and cocktails!! I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday party season as well!

I can't believe Christmas is in 4 days!! Eeeek!!!

Friday, December 18, 2009

The Engaged Girl's Monogram Dilemma


I am sure that it comes as no surprise to you all that I am a sucker for anything with a personalized monogram. From compacts to dishtowels- you can never go wrong with a monogram. Some of my favorite go-to gifts include a monogram. Simple personalization can take any item from ordinary to extraordinary.



As I've been trolling through sites for Christmas gifts, I've stumbled upon a few items that I myself would love to have. I've realized that I am at such a strange place though-my current initials have an expiration date. There is no point in purchasing items with my current initials, but I am a personal believer that it is bad luck to purchase items with my new initials before they are my 'actual' initials. Not that I expect my relationship to go south or anything, but what a way to jinx a good thing right?



So what is a monogram-loving engaged girl to do??

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Time to Hibernate


(This has been me every day this week-minus the feline)
Has anyone else's body started to go into hibernation mode? It has been alarmingly cold this week and this summer girl is not a fan. Getting out of bed in the morning might as well be termed 'Meghan's Daily Torture Routine'. I would give anything to snuggle in bed next to K all winter and wait for the thaw.
You would think that because I have lived here my whole life that the winter's brutality would feel like nothing at this point......WRONGO BONGO. Counting down the days until it is socially exceptable for me to turn into a 'snow bird'. Our neighbor across the hall is a fab snow bird and will be leaving for Florida two days after Christmas and returning to the seacoast in May. Ah, now that would be the life!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Yes, I'm Alive

I'm sure you are all used to my flaky-blogging habits by now...fall was crazy/busy but I am back on the blogging wagon :)

Here's a re-cap of some fall festivities:

Apple picking with the fam

Maeve's first birthday!!

Kevin and I as "Soon-to-be" Mr. & Mrs. Incredible for Halloween

Thanksgiving!!!


My italian rice balls that did not last very long :)

Time to feast!

Leftover turkey sandwiches on Friday.....yummmm!!!!
The Ladies The Fellas
I hope you all enjoyed your fall as well!!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Wedding Ceremony Cards

Happy Friday everyone! Since I've been so awful at coming up with ideas for posts lately, I've decided to start posting about all the little ideas that pop into my head regarding my wedding. I stubbled across the above image on Marth Stewart Weddings this morning and came up with a great idea for our wedding ceremony cards/pamphlets/whatever you wanna call 'em :).

How cute would it be to have Kevin and I's silhouettes facing eachother, with our new monogram and the date below it? Since our colors are light blue and clover green, I was already planning on having our monogram in the green, so why not put our silhouettes in light blue with a silver line along the edges of the page?

What do you all think???

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Wedding Photographer Poll

Hello Ladies!

Since we've nailed down the date, church, priest, and venue the next two things on my list are the photographer and the band. I've been scouring the internet to find that one photographer who I feel "clicks" with our taste. I don't want the stuffy wedding photos, I want the photos where you can feel the magic of the day just by looking at them. I've narrowed it down to two choices and I would love to hear all of your thoughts!

1. Matthew Lomanno Photography
As it turns out, Matthew Lomanno was one of my professors in college! He is still teaching, but is also doing photography on the side. I like his work, and because Kevin and I are St. Anselm alums he will give us a 15% discount! Not too shabby!

2. Nystedt Photography
I came across this photographer on the knot and completely fell in love. I love the beauty of his photographs and the emotions that he displays in his work. I am leaning more toward this photographer- both are in the same price range, but because of the discount Lomanno comes in at a little less.

What do you all think? I am looking for brutal honesty here ladies!!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Typical Fall Weekend

Hey Everyone!

To those of you who are lucky enough to have today off- make sure you're enjoying it enough for the rest of us! I unfortunately am sitting in my cubicle completely jealous of Kevin who is lounging around the apartment for the day. Oh well I guess. Instead of giving up Columbus day off, my company gives us an extra day at Christmas- so I can't complain too much!

The temperatures have definitely dropped and it is most certainly fall in new england. I couldn't get over how chilly it was this weekend. And I had frost on my windshield this morning! To say the least I was disgusted the whole way to work.

Anywho, we finally booked the reception site for our wedding! I originally didn't want to get married here because both of my sisters had their wedding receptions here, but after we looked at all of the possibilities in the area (and after the disaster with the last place) we decided that this would be our best bet. I know that it will be great and as long as everyone enjoys themselves thats all that really matters. Because at the end of the day, all I wanna do is be able to marry Kevin! Its also right on the water so it will be a great setting for photos: http://www.sheratonportsmouth.com/


Yesterday we went apple picking with my family. It was pretty windy at the orchard so we made it quick, but the apple crisp last night was definitely worth the goosebumps!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as well!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Blogger Question/Help Needed

Hey Ladies, I need some help from all of you savvy bloggers out there-

When I signed up for this blog I used my personal email address (which contains my full name)which then in turn became the username that I sign into this site with. Now that I've been blogging for a while, I've created a specific Summertime Beauty email address (I'm not so keen on giving people I don't know my personal info). How do I link the two together? Its so annoying to check the email and then have to sign out/in to check my blog. Is there a way for my to change my username so that it will coincide with my gmail account?

Thanks for your help!!!!!

Girl Talk

So I came across an article yesterday, and I felt that I must bring it to the table for discussion. The article was entitled "When In A Relationship Do You 'Let Yourself Go'?"

After reading said article, I had myself contemplating the very same questions. Is it bad that I prefer to be in pjs the second I walk in from work at night? Does Kevin wish that I actually did my hair and makeup on days that we just spend around the apartment together?

These questions seem to coincide with a thought I've had on my mind lately: does my fiance want me to be a better 'housewife'? I am one of those people who go through shifts of ocd-ness. I'll have times where keeping the apartment meticulous is the last thing on my mind, to times when it can't be clean enough. Since we've been so busy on the weekends this summer/fall, the former seems to be the winning side lately. As a girlfriend, although I do want to step up by game, It doesn't bother me so much. But the thought of being a wife and acting this way seems sub par. Not to revert back to the 1950s or anything, but I feel like when we're married our apartment will be our 'home'. I no longer want it to look like a thrown together thing- a mashup of random furniture and pictures. I want it to look....grown up.

So calling on all of you newlyweds (and not-so-newlyweds): When does an apartment become a 'home'? And when does a wife need to step up her game a bit??

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Its never too early for Christmas lists...

Since its never too early to start thinking of the Christmas season (and since Kevin works best with an actual list of items), I've started to think about what I would like for Christmas.

Here are a few items that I'm hoping Santa might bring:




I LOVE the shamrock print on this:
What do you all have on your Christmas wish lists??

Monday, October 5, 2009

Please don't let this be a bad sign...

I apologize for being so mia lately. Things have been crazy with work and with wedding planning that I haven't had a chance to sit down post any updates. We are still on the search for a reception venue, but there is a place we are going to look at this week. I originally didn't want to have it there because both of my sisters actually had their wedding receptions there. But each of theres were very different and mine will be different as well. And since it has everything that we're looking for, I figured I should stop being so difficult and give it a chance. (I'll let you know how it goes)

I did come up with a cute idea for our save the dates/table numbers/thank you cards though! Since the beginning of planning we've both kept saying over and over again that we just want our wedding to feel like us. Fun yet sophisticated without being too stuffy. A few weeks ago we had come across Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on tv. Kevin immediately decided that sending out "golden tickets" for our save the dates would be perfect. He thought that it would be a great way for people to realize how great this event will be, and that they should be honored to be invited. Ummmmmm.......no. First of all, neither gold or candy are present anywhere else at our wedding. I could see if maybe we were having a candy bar at the reception it could be cute, but we're not. It would totally end up being one of those random things that doesn't really fit in with anything else. Cute idea, but I just didn't think it would work for us. Instead, I was thinking we could go to a photobooth and take a few fun and goofy pictures (you know the ones that come stacked on top of eachother on a strip?) and either print our save the date info on the back of those, or paste those onto our save the date cards. Then for table numbers we could take black and white photo prints of us through out the years (fun photos) and place them in cool frames on the tables with numbers on the frames. Then for thank you notes, we could have the photographer take a picture of us holding a thank you sign and send those out to our guests. I thought it was a cute way to incorporate 'us' into the wedding and to show people how much fun we have together.

What do you all think?

Also, I went to the JCrew bridal trunk show on Saturday. I love JCrew anyways, but I also LOVE their wedding dress collection. I want to look very simple and elegant on my wedding day (remember Caroline Bessett Kennedy's dress??) and JC has exactly what I'm looking for. Unfortunatly the day did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. To make a long story short I basically blacked out in the dressing room. Talk about embarrassing! Its something that has happened to me and my sisters our whole lives. Randomly our system like shuts down and we blackout/passout. NOT FUN. While I was sitting on the dressing room floor with my head between my knees I just looked up at my mom and said "Mom, I swear-I really do wanna marry Kevin! This isn't me freaking out about the wedding!" My mom is the greatest and just kept saying, "I know Meg, I know". Please don't let that be a bad sign!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

stressed.stressed.stressed

The only part of this whole wedding planning that stresses me out is finding a venue to hold the reception. We already have the date, the church, the priest, the time....now where can we party?! Well last week we found it...or so we though...

We got an email yesterday stating that the location we had chosen was all of a sudden booked for that date. They had told us they weren't booking for 2011 yet, but magically they now are. Kevin and I were infuriated. Now we're back to square one....UGH


Why is it so hard?! I JUST WANT TO BE MARRIED!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth...Target Finds...Wedding Updates

Hi Everyone!
It's Friday!!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!! I will be so happy when that clock actually strikes 5:00 today. You have no idea. I'm sorry I've been MIA this week. Work's been crazy and I've been trying to get ahold of wedding venues like its my job (well, I guess right now its kind of my job-it would be nice if I could get paid for it though!). Last night I took some me time after work and ran into Target for some fall wardrobe updates. I absolutely love Target and would probably have spent my whole paycheck there if I could afford to lol. Here are a few of the items that I picked up:

This blazer fits perfectly and looks adorable with the sleeves cuffed and paired with some dark jeans. Great for the "work to night out" wardrobe.



This dress also comes in black and red.....I might have to go back to grab those :)

This dress also comes in a brown print that would look adorable with brown boots! (Maybe I'll go back to grab that dress as well)



I also picked up a long sleeve white tee, a short sleeve v-neck tee with flower ruffle design, grey pinstripe dress pants and two cardigans (white and teal). All and all I made out like a bandit!

Wedding Plan Updates:

We've finally picked a date! May 14, 2011!! We're meeting with the priest tonight and we're going to see three venues tomorrow. Wish us luck! Hopefully I will have more details for you on Monday.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone! Who else is wishing that today was a holiday like last week? What I wouldn't give for a four day work week.....well a girl can dream I guess :)

I was hoping for a really fun and relaxing weekend of nothingness...but life always seems to keep me on my toes. Friday night Kevin's band had a show at a wine bar in Portland which was fun, but we didn't get home until the wee hours of Saturday morning. We were supposed to go to the seafood festival in Hampton during the day on Saturday, but it decided to rain all day. Since all of the vendors from the festival are basically within walking distance to us, we decided not to spend the day in the rain. Looks like I'm going to have to go out and grab me a lobster roll this week to make up for it! Instead Kevin's parents needed us to help them build a new front porch on their house. They live in Maine, and luckily it wasn't raining there. It was still a disgusting day to be outside though and we were not too pumped to spend the day doing construction. Blahhhh

Yesterday we went to church and finally spoke to the pastor about joining the church and getting married there. We could tell that he already loves us! We just need to call the rectory to make an appointment to meet with him this week to get the ball rolling. (I mentioned to him that we are looking at May 2011 for the wedding and he said that they haven't even gotten a scheduling book for 2011 yet! Looks like we won't have any trouble scheduling a date!) And apparantly he went to the same college that we did- one more point for us!

After church we ran to the store to get home in time for the beginning of the first football Sunday of the season. Question: How do you non-loving football ladies do it?! I mean, growing up my dad always watched football on Sundays, but since we had more than one tv in the house it wasn't a problem. We only have one tv in our apartment though, and it was made very clear yesterday that it would be used soley for football on Sundays from now on. Funnnnnnnn. NOT. Oh well- I made it very clear that although football is on Monday nights as well, the new Gossip Girl season starts tonight...meaning that from 8-9 the tv is mine! We'll see how long that lasts though :)

We rounded out the day by going to my sister's for an early dinner. It was her husbands birthday and a nice relaxing end to the weekend. So we didn't have as much downtime as we had wanted, but there's always next weekend!

Good luck with the start to your week ladies!

P.S. An updated wedding details post to follow tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Wedding jewelry is en route!!!

Every since I was introduced to etsy a few years ago, I have been hooked! I love to stroll through pages of fabulous finds. Not only to look for the perfect gift, but for the perfect idea! I can't tell you how many ideas I've come up with while purusing ety's pages. As I had told you in my first wedding post, I found a gorgeous necklace that I just had to have for my wedding day. I had seen this necklace online and knew instantly that I wanted it for that special day. Unfortunately is was waaaaay out of my price range for what was looking to spend. BUT....I found an identical on on etsy! I instantly snatched it up and the designer created matching earrings for me as well!

I am a pearl girl all the way :) I'm so excited to wear these beautiful pieces not only on my wedding day, but for years to come. I can't wait for them to arrive!!!

The store on etsy that I purchased them from can be found here: japonicas. Jet was amazing to work with. I would highly recommend using him for custom pieces in the future.

Happy hump day everyone!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Mad for Mad Men

Is anyone else Mad for Mad Men?? I have heard a lot of buzz around this show for awhile now and decided to check it out (thank you surfthechannel.com!) I have been sucked in and cannot get enough! I've always been a fan of the late 50s/early 60s era. The fashion, the politics, the drama. Love it! Love it! Love it!


My favorite actress on the show is hands down January Jones. She plays a fabulous house wife that is the epitomy of style and class. Can't wait to keep watching!



Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

As you all know I am, and will forever be, a summer girl at heart. There's something nice though about needing that extra blanket at night, the new crispness in the air, and changing over the seasonal wardrobe. On Tuesday night Kevin and I went for a nice long walk after dinner to soak up the last of the summer nights. We are so fortunate to have the ocean at our fingertips. No matter the season, looking out across the waves has always had a calming effect on me. I've enjoyed our first summer together at the beach, and I'm looking forward to what fall will bring us as well.
I wanted to share with you all a few photos from my vacation last week:

No one likes a sunburn!

I cannot get over how big Maeve is getting! She'll be 1 on Halloween...wow this year has flown by!

(Please excuse the no makeup...it was vacation!)

The perfect little family :)

Sister shots
Now all three of us!

Kevin and I


Big Brother & Little Sister

Mom and Dad


Happy Hump Day Everyone!!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Updatesssss

Hello All!
I am back from a very relaxing week of vacation with the fam! Of course, all of the stress that was relieved through numerous hours of sunshine & cocktails last week is all back today-but now is not the time to get into that :)

Kevin and I once again had a blast at our friends wedding last weekend. I love attending weddings, but I am happy to say that was our last for this season. (Although we do have 4 on the books for next summer already!) Kevin surprised me by purchasing his very first bow tie the day before the wedding. Thanks to the Martha Stewart wedding planner binder I was able to tie a fabulously preppy bow! With his bow tie and my pleated collar, we looked like quite the couple :). (If I do say so myself!)

On another note, I am thinking of a career change. I've known my whole life that sitting in a cubicle was not for me, but alas, here I am. Both Kevin and I have jobs that pay the bills, are secure, blah, blah, blah. But do we enjoy them? Not in the slightest. And shouldn't we at least attempt to find careers that make us happy? I understand that there are good days and bad days associated with all jobs (thats why they're called 'jobs' right?), but I would like to have position that I am at least interested in the field and enjoy what I am doing. And of course feel like I am doing something good for mankind! Kevin has always wanted to be a highschool english teacher and is now realizing that its exactly what he should be doing. I've begun to think of my path in life as well, and have put a lot of thought into becomina a nurse. I've always had nursing in the back of my mind-specifically perinatal nursing. I want to work with newborns, new mothers, and with the birthing process itself.
I've started to look at some schools online, but to say the least the information is overwhelming. I figured that I would look to my blog readers for some expert advice. If anyone has any tips or information regarding nursing programs in new england I would GREATLY appreciate it.
Happy Monday Everyone!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Onebag.com

It seems as though I am not the only one searching for the tell-all wisdom of the perfectly packed travel bag. I was shown this site today by a friend and thought I would share it with you all as well:

http://www.onebag.com/

Happy Packing!!

Vacation Fashion

I realized on my drive into work this morning (yes, into work- no more cold for me!) that I have yet to think about packing for my vacation next week. I also realized that I will have barely anytime to do this. Tonight I am watching my niece, tomorrow we are having friends over for the night after work, Saturday we have a wedding to go to, Sunday straight from the hotel to vacation. Wow, I'm going to need a vacation just from all of our weekend plans!

Over the years I have come to the realization that packing can be both relaxing/stressful at the same time. I start off by grabbing a few things here and there and end up with a pile of clothes that covers the entire top of my queen size bed. Since my family goes on the same vacation every year, you would think that I would have this packing situation down pat. Exactly the opposite actually. We will be staying at a cabin on a beach-front lake so depending on the weather, the items I need to pack have to be somewhat varied. While this is also a vacation of absolute relaxation and comfort, a girl has still gotta look good! Thinking of this brought me to think about Jacqueline Kennedy and her vacation days spent on Cape Cod. Below are a few of my favorite pictures of my ultimate fashion idol. Hopefully these will not only help me with my packing woahs, but yours as well!






Simple, classic, chic. Comfortable yet perfectly styled. LOVE IT!