Kitchen and Living Room Updates

This weekend was pretty relaxing, but productive, too. It felt like fall for the first time, in the 60's and 70's. We had a fire in the backyard and had a few of Trent's family over on Friday night. Saturday we visited my family then went to the lighted parade in Alpha, and today Trent watched the Bears/Packers game with the guys, and I stayed home and cleaned around the house. I also redecorated a little, found some places for the last of the wedding gifts, and watched some movies. It was a nice little Sunday!

I did manage to snap a few photos in the kitchen and living room today of some recent changes around the house. I already posted about our new stove that we got last weekend. We still think it's pretty awesome.

We also got a Keurig 2.0! I've been making the Cafe mocha pretty much every morning. I can't believe how fast it is, and that we haven't gotten one of these sooner.

I washed and put away all of the new dishes, glasses, and mugs we got. I just wish we had more storage! I'll probably have to get rid of a lot of old cups and plates.

I can't wait until we can redo the kitchen and get all new cabinets! Ever since the foundation got worked on, the cabinets have been split apart and away from the wall. The foundation still needs work, unfortunately!

I did put my dishes back up on the wall after we used them in our wedding centerpieces. I just changed out a few of them.

In the living room, I changed up a few frames - Our guest book frame that all of our guests signed at the wedding is now in the center of the room on our floating shelf.

It replaces the picture of Trent and his mom that his sister gave him a few years back. I moved it to the side table though, so it's still in the room. It's just nice to change things up a little, but still have something else meaningful in its place.

It is probably one of the coolest mementos from the wedding. A nice alternative to a guest book, which would probably never be seen again for several years!

In the China hutch, I put the rest of my dishes away, along with the champagne flutes from our wedding, and our cake server and knife.

I think it's safe to say the hutch is completely full now!

My gallery wall got switched around, too. Though I think I need Trent to get home so he can move a couple of nails for me! We got that LOVE print on the right for a wedding gift, but it needs moved over a little bit to be centered. 

I put one photo from the wedding in one of the frames, but think I'll wait to switch the others out until we get our professional photos back. The little "From this day forward" sign was also a wedding gift. Isn't it cute?

Of course I already shared a little about our new Mr. and Mrs. pillows. They're still sitting pretty on the couch for now.

I cleaned and straightened up quite a bit today, folded towels and put them away, and ran the dishwasher, along with redecorating a little bit. So I think I had a pretty productive Sunday. I like my blogging and movie watching view a little better now I think. :)

That's all for now! I think I'll work on putting together that wedding link post...All of my wedding projects on one page. Hope to have that done this week!

Pillow Talk

Besides a new stove, we've also got some new pillows up in herre. Well, we've got new lots of things, since we recently tied the knot and all. And we're slowly trying to make space for everything around the house! It's going to be a while I think before we can clean out some space for it all. Anyway though, back to the pillows.

These were the cutest wedding gifts - from Trent's cousin Amanda and her husband Steve. Aren't they adorbs??

I have no idea where they got them, but everytime I walk into the bedroom now, I get Jack Johnson stuck in my head.

I'm going to just file this under one of the coolest wedding gifts we got.

And speaking of pillows with words, we also got these lovely little pillows from Trent's aunt Gloria. I actually think she made them herself!

She also made us another little pillow, and a quilt that Trent's mom and grandma had both worked on. I have to say that I haven't found a place for ALL of the picture frames that we received for the wedding yet, but I didn't have a problem finding space for any of these lovely pillows. I do have quite a few on the couch now, so it may be time to move them over to the side chairs. For now though, I kind of like them right in the center of the couch. :)

New Stove for Labor Day

Guess who picked up a new stove this past Labor Day weekend? *Points thumbs in toward chest* Yep, we finally bit the bullet and got ourselves a brand new stove. I love it. It's so pretty, I may have petted it a few times.

I am making Trent teaching me how to use it. (I'm more of a microwave gal myself) Yes it's true, I've never been one for cooking; however, we have already boiled water on it in the tea kettle, and have cooked a pizza and some stirfry vegetables. I picked up some brownie and cookie mixes, too (since that's how I bake). I'm excited to learn how to bake desserts in this thang!

Isn't she a beaut? We decided to go Labor Day weekend, because every appliance store had them on sale. We checked out Lowe's, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Sears to compare. In nearly every one, this is the stove that we went to. We wanted stainless steel, gas, and convection, and this one had all three and was a good deal. We decided to use our wedding money for it, since we've been wanting a new one for a long time now.

We ended up getting it at Lowe's. We also liked a Frigidaire stove there that was very similar, but we have a Samsung washer and dryer and love them, and the Samsung stoves got really good ratings.

It's so fancy, and I'm slowly learning how to use it (baby steps). Seriously though, it was about time we got a new one. When you have to kick the appliance multiple times to get it to turn on, it's safe to say it has about bit the dust. Plus, it was time for a stainless steel upgrade to the twenty-first century.

Here's what the old stove looked like to refresh your memory - it was pretty much an antique! I guess it used to be Trent's grandma and grandpa's, then got passed down to their family.

Needless to say, we don't miss that one much, and are already loving our new appliance. :) Next, it's time to upgrade the others!

Our Honeymoon in Jamaica

So I know I'm a little late, but did everyone have a fantastic Labor Day weekend? We were so busy but had a lot of fun! I've been feeling a little behind for the last month or so, but now that we're (kind of) settled in and things are all pretty much back to normal since the wedding, I think it's high time I share a little about our honeymoon!

We went to the lovely Montego Bay, Jamaica and stayed at a Secrets resort there. It was the first time that either of us had been to the Caribbean, and the first time that Trent had ever been out of the country. (I had been to Canada as a kid - that counts, right?) It was also the first time that we flew on an airplane together. And we got to do it as husband and wife, just two days after tying the knot.

We stayed 6 nights at an all-inclusive resort, and it was soooo nice! We loved it! All of our meals and drinks were included, so we never went hungry or thirsty, and we got to dine in style at all of the fancy restaurants, and get our drink on at the beach. It was an all-around pretty relaxing time.

This was our first morning at the resort:

We were on the fifth floor, and our balcony overlooked the ocean. The views were spectacular.

They say that summer is the rainy season there, but we had great weather during the week that we stayed, so you never know! Hurricane season is also late summer, September being the worst for hurricanes. We went August 17th through the 23rd, and we missed that hurricane that just went through the Caribbean a couple of weeks ago. It would have been a little scary with the thought of possibly flying through that! We were just fine, though.

It rained the first afternoon, but the rest of the week it was nice and sunny. Most mornings were blue skies and bright sun, and in the afternoon it would get cloudier. 

The highs everyday were about mid-eighties to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but there was always a light ocean breeze, and the ocean and pool were just a short walk away all the time. 

This was our suite. So nice and relaxing! 

They gave us drinks as soon as we checked in - I got a mimosa, and Trent got a Red Stripe. That's their domestic beer down there, and our fridge was always stocked with them. 

There was also SO much yummy food. We ate breakfast at the resort cafe the first full day we were there.

There was a breakfast buffet at the restaurant, but most days we stayed in the room and ordered room service. One morning we got a Champagne breakfast in bed. There was always plenty of fresh fruit, juice, coffee, Champagne, and mimosas!

When we walked out and explored the resort the first day, it felt like we were walking into a postcard or some tropical calendar! It was just so perfect and picturesque. 

The sand was white, and the ocean was super clear. We swam with the fishes numerous times. I was just disappointed that I never saw a starfish! Maybe next time...

The majority of our time on the resort was spent at the beach - both in the ocean, and lounging next to it with a drink in our hand. We did go to the pool one day, but it always seemed pretty busy.

Here is the pool - There was a swim-up bar and a poolside-lunch spot that we ate at one of our last days there.

We got all dressed up and went to dinner most nights. I loved dressing up, but Trent hated it! He only brought along a few fancy dress outfits. Ha.

All of the restaurants on the resort were very nice. Most had an "elegant casual" dress code, which meant skirts or dresses for the ladies, and dress pants and collared shirts for guys. We ate at an Italian restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, a French restaurant, and a Hibachi restaurant. I liked elements of each of them. The desserts were probably the best, though. :) Trent tried escargot at the French restaurant, and we both had the creme brûlée for dessert. I loved that, and the tiramisu at the Italian restaurant. I also had a yummy Thai noodle salad at the Hibachi restaurant, which was really good. 

Being a vegetarian, I didn't try any of the seafood or meat dishes, but we were told when you go to Jamaica you have to try the Jamaican Jerk chicken. Trent had some of that on the beach one day and really liked it.

Of course, they also had the yummiest drinks down there, made with Jamaican rum! We had Bob Marleys, and I also tried the Rum Punch, Bahama Mamas, Pina Coladas, and Banana Caipirinhas. All awesome!

Trent drank beer most of the time, but he did get a fruity drink here and there. My favorite part was the servers who came straight to you and brought you any drink you wanted. That's the life right there. :)

We did decide to venture off the resort one day and signed up for a day trip to Ocho Rios. It actually ended up being our favorite day there! We loved the relaxation of the resort, but it was fun to do something adventurous and see a little more of the country.

We went to Dunn's River Falls, and I highly recommend going there if you go to Jamaica. It's a bunch of waterfalls all connected in layers, with a rock bottom and little pools here and there, and we climbed up the whole thing on a guided tour!

It was so much fun, and probably my favorite part of the whole trip. 

We got completely soaked and splashed a lot, and had to jump in backwards...climbing the rocks was also kind of challenging and scary at times, but overall it was so much fun. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

Speaking of once in a lifetime experiences, we also went zip lining for the first time at Mystic Mountain! This was during our Ocho Rios trip, and was also very scary, but totally worth it. We zip lined 5 lines total I think, all through the rain-foresty trees, and saw some pretty gorgeous scenery at the same time. 

Here's just one of the views from the top of Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios. Absolutely amazing! We rode a bobsled roller coaster near the top of the mountain, which was one of Trent's favorite things. He got to steer and control the speed of our car. For me, that's not always so much fun... Ha.

The photos below were from our last full day in Jamaica. We were savoring every second of our last beach day, because we knew it would be gone just as fast as it came!

By the end of the trip, it was safe to say we had gotten plenty of sun. I wish I could say it stayed with me, but my pretty tan peeled a week or so after we got back to Illinois! It didn't want me to be that dark, I guess. :)

Our last night there, we had the most gorgeous sunset. It was like the sun was finally setting on the most awesome vacation ever. The sun set so early there - about 6:30. So every night when we went to dinner, it was completely dark, and it seemed like the night lasted so long. We heard the local band play probably every other night. I can still hear them announcing, "The Band Pace!"

There was plenty of great reggae music all week, and now every time we hear Bob Marley I'm sure we'll think of our amazing Jamaican honeymoon.

I could not imagine a better week for our honeymoon. After all of the stress and work of the wedding, it was absolutely perfect and relaxing. I already miss lounging by the beach, swimming in the ocean...even my luxurious bubble baths in the hotel room while Trent sat outside on the balcony listening to the frogs singing at night!

It was such a great beginning to start our new life together as husband and wife, and just a continuation of the many adventures and memories already made together. Can't wait for many more!

Wooden "Just Married" Sign

So I know you are all anxious to see our Honeymoon pictures from Jamaica, but I thought that before I get into that post, I'd share a quick little project that I did just a few days before the wedding. My plan is to put together a post comprising of links to all of my wedding related posts, which will hopefully be a resource for anyone else who might be DIYing most of their wedding, or just looking for some inspiration.

One thing that was sort of unique about our wedding is that we, and some of the wedding party, took a little boat ride during that time in between the ceremony and reception. I wanted a special "Just Married" sign for the boat, and I thought a wooden sign would be perfect - we wouldn't have to worry about it getting wet like a paper or posterboard sign, and it kind of has a drift wood type of look to it.

I had a vision of some old board, or pallet boards nailed together, and white hand-painted letters with "Just Married" going across. This was so close to the wedding when these details were coming together though, that I ended up having to just buy a wooden plaque that was already put together and stained.

Here was the wooden sign I purchased before I painted it. I think it was from Michael's. I liked the stained look to it - it kind of looked a little rustic/weathered. And it was a nice smooth surface that I could paint letters on.

I started by free handing the letters with chalk. Then I was able to just fill in and clean up the letters with white craft paint.

Since it was just going to be seen for about an hour on the boat, I wasn't really worried about whether the paint was water-resistant. I just used acrylic.

I added a little heart in the bottom corner just because. And voila, I had our sign! Simple as that.

We attached twine to the back to tie onto the boat. I'm not sure if we even got any pictures of the sign attached to the boat, but hopefully the photographers got a shot of it. It was all kind of a whirlwind, and I know Trent and I didn't take any photos ourselves!

So that's our simple "Just Married" boat sign. One of the many DIY projects that went into our wedding. Hope to have a comprehensive "wedding link" post soon!