World, Meet Franklin!

Ahhhh.  We are the Mascias, party of 3!!!!!

World, meet Franklin!  He is a 2 month old Cavalier mix - his official breed is a Cavapom but I call him a little ball of fluff :)  We brought him home on Monday night, so his homecoming date is February 23, 2015.  We knew we wanted a puppy, and had decided that we were going to wait until spring....but then we met Franklin!  He was "black & tan baby boy" at the pet store in town, and we fell in love...so we brought him home on one of the coldest nights of the year.  Franklin is named after two very important gentlemen - FDR & Benjamin Franklin!  We thought it was an appropriate name after our recent trips to Philly and Washington DC.  He is a little nugget and we are so in love.

This was our first family photo!

I just love his silly little face.

This is actually what most of the pictures I tried to take our first night with him looked like.... #puppyproblems

4 am snuggles with mommy (that bone stood NO chance)

and then some early morning snuggles with daddy.  my two boys :)

this is how Franklin likes to watch the Bachelor.  by napping.....

we get lots of extra snuggles today since mom got to stay home from work unexpectedly!!

I mean really....look at that face!

xoxo

#Wifey Diaries: Valentine's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!  I wanted to share with you a few "things I'm loving" in regards to my Valentine's Day holiday this year....

Mix and Match Mama: 

Does it again!  We had a bake sale at work over the holiday weekend to raise money for the American Heart Association.  I was off on Thursday last week and spent ALL DAY baking.  My pistachio Kitchenaid and I were besties for the day.  I used three recipes I found on Mix and Match Mama's website! Two of them I LOVED, one I probably won't make again.  But let's focus on the ones I loved, since that's what this post is about!

Strawberry Buttermilk Cupcakes:

Okay - mine looked nothing like these (I need to practice my frosting skills) - but they tasted AMAZING.  These are perfect for dessert, or breakfast....and the fresh fruit was just the best thing ever.

Recipe found here!

Chocolate Banana Muffins:

I sense a theme here.  My favorite baked goods are ones that can be eaten as dessert and also justified as a breakfast food.  These chocolate banana muffins were SO simple and absolutely delicious!  I left a few extras at home knowing my husband would like them.

Recipe found here!

Valentine's Day on Feb 15:

Ant and I had our Valentine's Day dinner on Sunday night, since I worked on Saturday evening.  To me, this was a HUGE win/win.  A few year's ago we went to a restaurant we LOVED on Valentine's Day, and had the most disappointing time.  It was too crazy, too crowded....not our scene.  We like a nice relaxing meal - our favorite environments are those where we can share a bottle of wine and just chat....so celebrating on February 15th has sort of become an unofficial tradition of ours.

The Guilford Bistro is our favorite local spot, and Sunday night did not disappoint.  It was SO COLD, like negative degrees cold, and some reservations had cancelled, so the restaurant was more quiet than usual...perfect for a romantic Valentine's Day date!  It's BYOB, so we always stop across the street for a bottle, and they had our FAVORITE appetizer.  It was perfect!  If you live on the shoreline, you need to check this place out.  Just make sure you make a reservation, no matter what night of the week!!

Aquinnah Jewelry:

Hubs did good.  We don't typically exchange gifts on Valentine's Day, but this year he insisted since it was our first one as husband and wife.  He surprised me with a necklace from Aquinnah Jewelry.  Kelley, the owner and designer is the sweetest, and helped me design all of my bridesmaids earrings! I LOVE all of her things, and have gone back to her a few times for various gifts.  The rolling wave necklace is simple and stunning - he put so much thought into picking a piece he knew I'd love.

My Valentine:

Last but not least, I'm LOVING my Valentine.

xoxo

Kate Spade Surprise Sale!

Okay - SUPER important Hump Day PSA here!!! STOP whatever you are doing and go check out the Kate Spade New York Surprise Sale!!!  These come up every so often, and are basically the best things ever.  They usually last for a couple days, and are up to 75% off everything!

Last spring, they had a wedding specific surprise sale that one of my best friends alerted me too - in the midst of all the pretty I found the perfect earrings for our rehearsal dinner! They were gold and blush, and only $19!!!!  Can't beat that.

Below are a couple of pictures from our rehearsal dinner - I blew up the first one nice and big so you can see the earrings....

I went ahead and did some brainstorming from today's surprise sale for you....below are a few of my favorites that could work in your potential wedding planning....

These first two are simple studs - again ONLY $19!!!  I wear gold studs legitimately every day - either my elephants or my Kate Spade "Mrs." earrings, and these adorable "Ta Da" would also do the trick!  The mint pave studs remind me a lot of my own blush ones!

I think this Daycation print is perfect for summer - and either of these bags would be perfect for holding bridesmaids gifts...or maybe your own honeymoon!

The Highland Place Mini Maria is actually the bag I currently use - except mine is a darker teal color.   I think it is the perfect size - and at $129 also the perfect price!  The Moon River Bangle in white just screams bride.  Bridal shower, rehearsal dinner....you name it.

Okay...you are welcome in advance! Happy shopping!!!

xoxo

Wedding Flowers: the final product

In my first post about wedding flowers {first of three, yes...thats a lot of talk about flowers} I said that the flowers were one of the aspects of wedding planning that took me completely by surprise.  Here's why.....

.....they were the first thing to make me CRY on my wedding day.  I was cool as a cucumber, full of nervous excited energy all morning with my girls.....but when we arrived at the Branford House and I walked in and saw all the gorgeous flowers Noreen had dropped off for us, I lost it.  I think it was the first aspect of the wedding planning I had finally seen come to REAL completion - the room wasn't set up at this point... I had my hair and makeup done, but wasn't wearing my dress....everything was still coming together.  But there was my gorgeous bouquet, and all of my bridesmaids bouquets. and two of THE MOST adorable little flower girl baskets!  They were all done and so so beautiful.  anddddd I cried.

You have to be able to trust your vendors - they are the experts, not you! {or certainly not me anyway!}.  Noreen had taken all of my random tidbits and thoughts and put everything together in a way that was better than I could have imagined!!!

Noreen checked in on me briefly, then left for a bit before coming back to finish setting up the centerpieces and babies breath garland.  Every time I came out into the room things were just more and more beautiful.  The way she put the centerpieces together, mixing and matching blushes, whites and pinks was perfect.  As a last minute touch outside, she lined the aisle with extra petals!  

In my second post about flowers I went through all the nitty gritty and planning that got us to our wedding day......and now, I'm just going to photo dump on you! and let you enjoy the finished product :)  Some of these are repeats but I have to show you everything together.  Sorry in advance! {sorry I'm not actually sorry}

all pictures above were from our amazing wedding photographers Alicia Ann Photographers

Even though she was primarily behind the scenes all afternoon, Noreen remained such a calming presence throughout the day.  She checked in on Ant and I after our first look, right before she packed up to leave, and actually took one of my favorite candids of us from the day!  We were so fortunate to have someone as genuinely kind and talented as Noreen working with us on our wedding day!!

Have any other questions about my experience with wedding flowers??  Let me know - I learned SO much you might almost call me an expert now! ;)

xoxo

6 Months as Mrs. Mascia

Happy Sunday!

Ant and I just got back from a long weekend in D.C. - we had SO much fun and I can't wait to share all the details of the trip with you!  But today - I just want to wish my handsome husband a Happy Anniversary.  We've been married for 6 months!!

I know, I know....it sounds silly, especially when you think about what 6 months means in the scheme of a lifetime.  BUT, I love any reason to celebrate - especially with this guy, and this is just as good a reason as any!  You're only a newlywed once ;)

He is my partner in crime, adventure, life and love...I am a lucky lucky girl.

xoxo