Wedding Wednesday: Mutual Weirdness

Because we all know true love and mutual weirdness are synonymous…

image via

Tried and True Read Alouds

My most cherished time of the day in my classroom has always been read aloud time. Most days, I try to take out a fifteen minute chunk to read a novel to my class, where they can grow in their auditory comprehension skills and just enjoy. I have gotten in the habit of reading the same books every year, and a few of my all-time favorite read alouds are Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, Witches by Roald Dahl, Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, and we just finished up The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Katie DiCamillo.  Recently, we started a new (to me) novel called Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper.  I hear wonderful things about this book, and am excited about adding it into my reading rotation (if we love it.)  If you know a fourth grader or you just love children's literature, I'd recommend all of these fabulous books.  My two very favorites are The Witches and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Happy reading!!!

Wedding Wednesday: Shoes

For our wedding day, I chose a pair of low, navy heels to wear. They were comfortable, classic, and my something blue! I totally understand the appeal of fun, fancy wedding shoes, but no one even sees them, and comfort was (and is) a huge priority for me!

(collage from our photographer's website which included my navy shoes)

I couldn't help but get excited about these new flats that J.Crew just got in… in our wedding colors! These would have been so fun to slip into for the reception, or at least wear them while getting ready the day of!

While I probably should take a break from yellow and navy in my life for at least a year, I'd love to own this pair in pink and navy. These are definitely on the top of my Spring wish list!

Mint

I'd say one of the biggest adjustments so far in marriage has been to put our finances together, and learning to communicate about money. (It is truly hard, and we are still learning.) I'll be the first to admit, saving and budgeting has never been my strong suite. Rob is quite the opposite (praise Jesus!) He has his degree in finance and his day job has to do with money and bonds and stuff (please don't ask me to explain…) Thankfully, everyday our way of managing money together is improving (a.k.a I'm learning lots from him, and he's learning it's absolutely necessary to budget $30 a month for me to get a pedicure, ha!)

With all that said, I am so excited about something Rob and I have recently started.  We started budgeting on Mint. Have you heard of it? We have known about this website for a while, but hadn't fully set everything up on it until a few weeks ago. It is pretty much the greatest thing ever….  Simply put, it's a website that links up to your bank account and/or credit card(s.) You set a monthly budget, and as you spend, it shows (with color-coordinated visuals) how much you have spent and how much is left in that category.  Setting a budget and seeing it visually on Mint helps me so much.  Obsessively checking my Mint app (such a great app, btw) is a new hobby of mine, and a great way as a couple to hold each other accountable on spending. I will warn you, it takes a bit to figure out how to set everything up on the site, but once you play around with it for a bit, it's fabulous!

I also really like Dave Ramsey's financial advice.  Here is a great article from his website actually having to do with newlyweds and money that is helpful. If you are anything like me, and strive off of structure and visuals, I'd highly recommend looking into Mint.

Wedding Wednesday: Video

One of the best decisions Rob and I made when it came to wedding planning was opting out of giving gifts to each other on our wedding day. Instead we saved up for a videographer for the big day. While we really love our wedding photos, nothing can capture the emotions of the day better than a video.  In honor of yesterday being our 6 month wedding anniversary, I thought I'd share the video with you!


Lindsey + Robert from The Brickhouse on Vimeo.

Walnut Chicken with Basil

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today. I made this dish for Rob and my younger sister, Courtney, a little while back. We all LOVED it. I found it in our Williams-Sonoma Healthy in a Hurry cookbook (great cookbook, btw.)  This was actually my first time making stir fry, and definitely not the last! In fact, I think I'll make it again this week.

Walnut Chicken with Basil
1/2 c. walnut pieces
3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. honey
3 tsp. peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
3 (5 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced across the grain
1/2 c. packed fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Note: It's probably ideal to use a wok, but I just used a large, heavy frying pan.  Also, be sure to heat the oil before adding any ingredients.  I served it alone, but it obviously would be perfect served over rice.

Preparation:

• Preheat over to 350 degrees F.  Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes.  Immediately pour on a plate to cool.  Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice and honey.  Set aside.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil in a wok over high heat.  Add bell pepper and cook just until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer bell pepper to a plate and add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add chicken to pan with shallots and cook, stirring often, until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Return bell pepper to pan and stir in soy sauce mixture, basil and walnuts. Toss and stir just until basil is wilted about 1 minute longer.  Serve right away.  Serves 4.

(instructions directly from Blender, the Williams-Sonoma Blog)

Lindsey

Wedding Wednesday: NYE

I like alliteration and I love weddings, so I decided to devote Wednesdays to all things wedding (particularly ours.) I'll go through the fun details and maybe even dish out some wedding planning advice- who knows! We'll do Wedding Wednesday until there is nothing I can think of to discuss regarding weddings… Due to the fact that we just attended a fabulous NYE wedding, I will devote today to our Monday night festivities! It was such a beautiful, memorable, and FUN night!

Stunning bride

(Fun fact: Molly and I coincidentally had the same wedding dress!  We had no idea, and when describing her dress to me when we were both engaged last year, I quickly realized she was describing the same dress I had chosen! Ha, what can I say… It's a great dress, if I do say so myself.)

Sequins seemed to be the trend of the night

Gotta love some awkward candid photos...

There were some very serious discussions going on about necklaces apparently, ha!

Kappa tradition

Dapper dates

Instagram action