Recipe, Bean Dip

Last night the hubs was working so I had a cheese plate for dinner. Oh and a bottle couple of glasses of wine. Totally normal right? Yeah, I think so.

On my cheese plate I had various olives {picked up from the olive bar at The Fresh Market}, feta cheese with Mediterranean herbs, and the most delicious naan bread. But something was missing so I decided to whip up a bean dip. All you need is a can of cannellini beans, evoo, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend in a food processor and you're good to go {unless you are me and realize your dog ate all of the lids to your food processors and you have to resort to a blender}!

Mmmmmm the perfect girly dinner complete with Southern Charm on TV!

XoXo

Weekend Recap

I've been keeping it a secret but for the last few weeks I have been helping plan a bridal shower... a SURPRISE bridal shower and on Saturday we pulled it all off! My Friday night consisted of finishing favors and preparing food for the big day. The brides wedding colors are navy blue and yellow so naturally we did the same for her shower. I ordered yellow and blue nail polishes and wrapped them in burlap for the favors. So simple and now everyone can choose their favorite color to wear the day of the wedding :) As far as food goes I made pasta salad, the infamous cheesy potato casserole, caprese bites, and cucumber sandwiches. So a busy Friday night, I had!!!

Saturday was the big day and I'll share a sneak peak photo collage before I do a full post on the shower later this week.

{The get-up we made the bride wear... and she wore it great!}

Sunday morning I woke up to my house being a mess. Actually it had been like that since Thursday. My husband and a friend repaired the ceiling and walls from some water damage we had, due to a clog in our main line. 

Now it was my turn to contribute {painting just isn't my thang}! I did a deep Spring cleaning of my entire house... I'm talking deep DEEP cleaning... like I vacuumed my walls type of cleaning. The house is finally back together and I have to say I love this view way better than the pictures above!

After working our butts off we decided to treat ourselves to dinner and drinks because afterall we deserved it! PS. how sad is it that I am sore this morning? Um I think that's a sign that I need to start working out {but then again, I DID vacuum my walls ;) }.

XoXo

Friday Favorites

1. Favorite Instagram: Pink Peonies

2. Favorite shoe: Jack Rogers Georgica Jelly

3. Favorite flashback: My bachelorette party

4. Favorite guy: My hubby who worked so hard to fix some things around the house this week. Oh and his generous friend who we paid in beer and wings ;)

5. Favorite blog: A. Liz Adventures

Have a great weekend ya'll! Baltimoreans: Lots going on this weekend {Ringling Bros circus @ Royal Farms Arena, Bill Cosby @ Lyric Opera House, Cinderella @ Lyric Opera House, Tobymac @ Towson University, and Kids Fun Fair @ Timonium Fairgrounds}

XoXo

Four {fun facts about me}

I'm jumping on the bandwagon of what a lot of bloggers are doing... a way to get to know us better by sharing some fun facts! It's called "four".

Four of my nicknames

1. Teenie- My parents started calling me this when I was little, because I was little.
2. Tine- Over the years Teenie has developed into Tine {Short for Justine}. Most of my friends and family call me this... probably more often then they call me Justine.
3. Babe- What Jon calls me.
4. Bubba- Not really sure where it came from but growing up my sister and brother called me this. I called my sister Pooh.

{My sister Jessica, my brother James, and me with our childhood dog Elvis}

Four jobs I've had

1. McDonalds- My first job {in high school}. I was the drive-through girl taking orders and handling money. And no, I am not ashamed of this job... it taught me a lot about hard work, the value of a dollar, and that in customer service {especially the restaurant business} some people will treat you like crap so kill 'em with kindness. 
2. Outback Steakhouse- The summer before college I was a hostess.
3. Whitehouse & Schapiro {Receptionist}- My job throughout college. I answered phones, helped with billing and accounting, filed, and generated invoices.
4. Whitehouse & Schapiro {Vice Controller of Accounting and Logistics}- My current job. I wont even begin to start with all that I do. 

Four movies I've watched more than once

1. Forrest Gump- It never gets old to me no matter how many times I watch it.
2. The Time Traveler's Wife- Such a sad and touching story.
3. Cinderella- The classic was my favorite movie when I was little. I'm excited to see the new 2015 version!
4. How The Grinch Stole Christmas- My favorite Christmas movie to watch every year.

Four things in my purse

1. My wallet- Pretty essential.
2. Mace - Because I live in Baltimore ;)
3. Mini bag that holds my makeup, hand sanitizer, and feminine products.
4. Cell Phone

Four places I've lived 

1. Bel Air, Maryland- I was raised in the county.
2. Morgantown, West Virginia- When I attended WVU for a semester.
3. Towson, Maryland- North Baltimore where I attended Towson University for about 4 years.
4. Baltimore, Maryland- Where I currently live and bought my first home {Parkville/North East Baltimore City}.

{My sister and I in high school, and the house I grew up in}

Four places I've visited

1. Ochos Rios, Jamaica- Where Jon and I went on our honeymoon.
2. Niagra Falls, Canada- It was my first time traveling outside of the country!
3. Florida- I've been a few times for dance competitions in high school and with my family growing up.
4. Cleveland, Ohio- Nothing special but it was my first ever business trip so I think it's worth mentioning.

{On our honeymoon}

Four places on my travel bucket list

1. Italy- Jon's Italian but just in general we would love to see the country.
2. Las Vegas- Maybe one of my girl friends will have a bachelorette party there?
3. Charleston- Would love to go and see the southern history.
4. Punta Cana- Probably our next vacation destination!

Four things I don't eat

1. Meat
2. Milk
3. Raw oysters
4. Raw sushi

Four tv shows I watch

1. All of the Real Housewives on Bravo- I'm a sucker for reality tv
2. Bringing Up Bates- An adorable family centered around God
3. Party Down South- I'm a sucker for TRASHY reality tv
4. The Bachelor- Yup, I'm that girl

Four things to look forward to in 2015

1. My best friends wedding this May!
2. Travel- a mini getaway to Atlantic City for Jon's 26th birthday, a few trips to the family beach house this summer, and hopefully somewhere tropical for my 26th birthday in October.
3. Enjoying time as a couple, being young, and lots of trips to Loch Raven with our 2 dogs... we know how important this is before we have children.

     

    4.  Celebrating our first year of marriage at the end of August!

XoXo

MissionCute March 2015

I received March's MissionCute box last week and it is benefiting 3Seams!!! 3seams is a social enterprise dedicated to creating jobs in the developing world. 3seams, Incorporated is our 501(c)(3) organization that establishes locations, plants programming, and facilitates all training for our various programs around the world. 3seams Global is our LLC that takes care of all supply purchasing, payment of labor, and marketing/sales of our product lines. This means that 100% of your tax-deductible donations will go directly to growing our programs on the ground and facilitating the start up of new ones! Through the art of sewing, men and women are being taught skills that can change the trajectory of their future and the future of their family.  By creating a product line that can be sold in their local market place or in the United States, they are learning skills that will set them up for a lifetime in the textile industry. 3seams is a organization dedicated to two issues.  First, we are passionate about JOB CREATION in the developing world…bringing new found HOPE, through employment, to those caught in the grips of poverty.  Secondly, we are committed to creating opportunities for people, just like YOU, to purchase top quality products and truly make a difference through the purchase. Our hope is to also create a platform for families to discuss global issues at home. Whether through our product, through our blog, or through a Stateside event, we are committed to making a difference both in America and in the developing world.

What a great cause, right!? The thing that I love most about MissionCute is that 50% of net proceeds go to a different charity each month. Pretty amazing if you ask me. So by becoming a member, you receive tons of cute goodies AND you give back all at the same time!!! Win, win.

Now moving on to THE BOX. Lots of cuteness that I'm excited to use, especially the boho twist which can be worn a few different ways!

If there aren't already so many great reasons to join MissionCute, here's one more: each item is from a small business! Starting at just $17 a month, you can be a member. Please follow my personal invite.

XoXo

Recipe, Italian Baked Eggs

I know I'm not the only one who always has an extra jar of spaghetti sauce in their kitchen, right!? And what about eggs and cheese? Those are pretty essential in our house. If you've got those 3 ingredients on hand, you have a quick and easy little dish!

What you'll need:
1. Marinara/spaghetti sauce
2. Eggs
3. Cheese
4. Seasonings: salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grab a baking dish and pour your sauce to cover the bottom.

2. Crack your eggs on top

3. Sprinkle your cheese (I used cheddar and parmesan)
4. Add salt, pepper, dried basil, and dried oregano to taste

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes

XoXo

Wine & Wish {Featuring Mitolo The Jester}

Wine

The Jester Shiraz 2012 displays dark red color with darker quite brooding fruit profile of plum, black currant and olive, with a slight herbal lift. Full flavored, soft and generous with dark fruit flavors of plum and blackberry. Bright acidity gives the wine a great energy, a real hallmark of this vintage, and leads to a long, savory finish.

Mitolo The Jester Shiraz 2012

Wish

This little powder room is certainly not your average. I adore the detailed ceiling... especially because it contrasts with the dark blue walls. The gold mirror and lighting are perfect accents that really tie in the gorgeous ceiling color. It's not often that you see dark walls in a small room but this is the perfect example that it CAN work!!

Source

XoXo

TGIF

1. My best friend is getting married!!! And it's right around the corner. I just received her invitation in the mail... isn't it gorgeous!?

2. Today is the first day of Spring and this is what my morning commute looked like. Yes, that is snow. And no, it is not okay.

3. So the Clarisonic cleansing brush has been on my wish list for a while but I can't seem to get over the $150 price tag. I'm wondering how the Olay brush compares to it? Does anyone have the Olay brush or any other cleansing brush for that matter?

Olay

4. My favorite pin this week is by far this gorgeous wedding dress. Yes, I'm already married but I just can't get over the elegant look of this gown. Plus it looks pretty comfortable! {You can follow me on Pinterest here}

Source

5. Baltimore happenings: Breakfast with the Animals at the Maryland Zoo tomorrow from 8:30am-10:00am and the I Choose Us marriage conference at the Baltimore Convention Center Friday through Sunday.

Joining these 3 link ups...

XoXo