cheers!

today my cousin (and dear friend) erin is getting married!  i am unbelievably excited : )  erin is an amazing person, and i've admired and loved hanging out with her for years (and years).  she's the (girl) cousin closest to my age, and we've been close ever since we were small.  han (my sis) and i would always look forward to visits from erin and meg (erin's sis).  when we were growing up, they lived in michigan and then moved to texas.  with han and me living in nj, our visits with erin and meg were truly the highlight of our year : )

the reception will be at the pearl s. buck house

and now erin is getting married.  it's just all so wonderful!  and what's even better is that erin and her very-soon-to-be-husband, brian, now only live a half hour away.  needless to say, we get to see them much more, which is much more to our liking. 

pearl s. buck house

so...cheers!  uncork the champagne and let the bubbles flow.  cheers to erin & brian on their happy day.  they will undoubtedly have a lifetime of happiness.  love you guys : )

pie in the sky

picture credit {here}

my little sis, hannah, has just started a blog called "pie in the sky".  it's really an awesome premise - she's encouraging people to share their wishes, words and dreams, and (if she really, really likes what you're saying) she might just send you a pie!  she is an amazing baker, and her pies are truly awesome.  she makes this crumb topping for them that's just out-of-this-world.  so if you love pies or reading about (and maybe sharing) delightful thoughts that make you smile, you should definitely swing by her blog and spread the word if you <3 it as much as i do : )

a pie in the sky is not out of reach after all....
http://www.hanniepie.blogspot.com/

i {heart} the great pumpkin

linus waiting for great pumpkin

"it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown" is on tonight at 8pm (eastern) on abc.  i just love it.  it seriously is not "halloween" without watching the great pumpkin.  i know, i know, i'm 24 and should probably not have a phone alarm set to remind me to watch tonight.  but i can't help it.  honestly, i'm (possibly) addicted to nostalgia.  i love traditions and anything that gives me that warm, fuzzy, fall/winter/holiday feeling. 

my plans for tonight?  (no, i'm not going to sit in a pumpkin patch waiting for the "great pumpkin" to arrive...)  i'm planning on:  pjs.  fire in the fireplace.  hot chocolate.  great pumpkin.  perfection.

good grief!



trick-or-treating





so, what "makes" your halloween?

my monster mash

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

check out my monster mash!  hahaha!!!  i love this.  jib-jab is such a cool company - and this halloween ecard is free.  i love free things : )  this will surely make your friends and family smile.  the players?  mad scientist is my sister, hannah.  craig is frankenstein.  i'm the bride of frankenstein (obviously...).  my cousin erin (who's getting married this weekend!) is the wolfman.  and my good friend, ashlee, is dracula.  lol

if you create one of your own and post it on your blog, be sure to send me the link!  to make a monster mash (or other halloween card) starring you and your faves click {here}.

happy (almost) halloween!

p.s. music automatically plays on my blog, so you might want to scroll to the bottom and pause it before watching the video : )

sinfully sweet tooth

reeses!  yum!

what is it about this time of year?  generally, i'm a very healthy person.  i work out 5 days a week (and enjoy it most of the time).  i eat healthy food because i like it and it makes me feel good (inside and out).  but then fall weather arrives and with it comes pumpkin muffins, halloween candy and spicy chai lattes.  and my healthy aspirations seem harder (and harder) to stick to...

i &lt;3 halloween munchkins too!

all i want to do is bake oatmeal raisin cookies, drink hot chocolate, purchase (and consume) reeses and go apple-picking (and make apple pies, crumbles and coffee cakes...and then eat them...)  i feel like i could literally subsist on sugar, spice & everything nice this time of year.

baking apple pie : )

there must be something in the air that arrives with falling leaves, early dusk and crisp breezes.  something that makes my sweet tooth come alive with ravenous force.  luckily, i can (usually) control my voraciousness just long enough to get me through to the next celebration or holiday (or weekend).


pumpkin muffins

oh, pumpkin muffins, how i love thee (and thanks to han, i have a dozen of you in the fridge : )  ok, i can't resist.  i'm going to get a pumpkin muffin now and some tea too...


what's your favorite fall indulgence?

legend of sleepy hollow

picture credit {here}

i'm sure most of you know the legend of sleepy hollow by washington irving.  the tale of school teacher, ichabod crane, and his ghostly encounter with the mysterious headless horseman.  but did you know that sleepy hollow is a real place?  and the legend may be based on real people and events?  how do i know so much about this you may ask?  well, my ancestors (the van cortlandts) lived in the very area of new york where the legend hails from.  and the story says ichabod falls in love with katrina van tassel.  van tassel...van cortlandt...coincidence?  perhaps.

legend of sleepy hollow

anyway, i've been intrigued by this haunting tale ever since i was little and with halloween less than a week away, i figured it was a fun time to share some "spooky" trivia.





the great jack o'lantern blaze at van cortlandt manor

so, do you have any haunted history to share?

warning: this will make you cry (with laughter : )

i <3 marcel the shell



found this adorable/funny/laugh-out-loud video on simply sam's blog.  (thanks!)  it literally made me cry with laughter (don't tell me i didn't warn you), so naturally i had to share it with you all.  give me the next 3 minutes, and i'll fill your laugh quota for the day : )

ps. tgif!
pps. music automatically plays on my blog, so you'll have to scroll to the bottom to "pause" it before you enjoy the mini-flick.

gorgeous islands (which one to choose...)

craig sent me a link to the "world's most romantic islands".  omg they are gorgeous!  we still don't know where exactly we want to honeymoon, but we do know that we want a combo of culture/fun and super relaxation.  our thought was to split our time...5-7 days in one place then another 5-7 days somewhere else.  could be fun, right?!  that way, we could get the best of both worlds.  maybe touring california wine country for a week then heading south to a mexican beach for margaritas and coronas. 

bocas del toro, panama

so, grab a pina colada and let your mind wander to far off lands...

santorini, greece



laucala island, fiji



rangali island, the maldives



st. lucia, caribbean

ooh la la...so lovely...
any suggestions/recommendations for awesome honeymoon destinations?







for the complete article (and more pictures) click {here}

happy anniversary : )

today is a very special day.  it's my parents' 36th wedding anniversary : )  congrats, mom & dad!  they got married on october 19th, 1974 on a beautiful fall day, after dating since the age of 15.  this past weekend we celebrated by doing some of their favorite (fall) activities.  we went on a house tour in the adorable town of lambertville, nj and then had a delicious dinner (thanks, han!) of turkey stroganoff. 


lambertville house tour

some other special things about today?  craig & i met exactly 5 years ago today.  (i love that we met on my parents' anniversary!)  little did i know 5 years ago that i would planning a wedding (and life) with the guy i talked to at the library : )

another fun thing?  today begins abc family's 13 nights of halloween!  every night from now til halloween they'll be playing fun/spooky/halloweeny movies and shows.  yay!

happy 10.19.10!

weekend stay-cation : )

i wasn't initially a big fan of the idea of a stay-cation.  in case you're unfamiliar, a stay-cation is when you "vacation" at home in lieu of actually going somewhere.  i love to travel and to see new places, go out to eat and soak up a bit of culture, so i was a bit hesitant to embrace this new age concept.  but i found out this past weekend, a stay-cation can be more fun and relaxing than a legit vacation.  (and it takes far less planning and costs far less money.)

craig's frittata

our stay-cation began with craig cooking us an amazing breakfast.  (this was a big surprise because i'm always the cook, which is okay by me because i love it, but it was definitely nice to have a day off : )  he made a delicious frittata with turkey bacon, potatoes, onions, red peppers and topped with provolone cheese.  yum!

"orange" hot cocoa (thanks, mom!)

throughout the day, we watched 4 movies (yes, that's right. four.) while lounging fireside in a pile of pillows and blankets in our pjs.  so nice and soooo relaxing.  for lunch?  grilled cheese and soup.  super easy comfort food for our day of leisure.

fire in the fireplace : )

we took a mid-afternoon "break" and headed outside with olive to play in the yard.  it was nice to get a bit of fresh air and enjoy the gorgeous fall day before returning to our quiet (lazy) day indoors.  the afternoon consisted of more movies and several cups of tea.

so yummy!

we watched a (another) movie through the dinner hour while enjoying homemade foccacia dipped in chili oil.  the movie ended around 8pm or so, and we still hadn't had a real dinner.  when craig asked "what do you wanna have?"  i replied "brownie sundaes?"  so, i crafted a killer brownie treat with peanut butter, butterfinger ice cream, chocolate brownie ice cream and whipped cream.  delicious!!!  it was the perfect end to our perfect day.

needless to say, our stay-cation was amazing.  i highly recommend trying it sometime : )

what i'm looking forward to....

picture credit {here}

i'm a little sick and was thinking about a way to brighten my spirits since i'm feeling under the weather.  and really, nothing makes me happier than thinking about wonderful things in the works : )  lucky for me, there are a lot of really exciting/fun/happy things on the horizon.  some that come around yearly.  others just once in a lifetime.  so here we go.  i'm looking forward to...

picture credit {here}

erin's wedding!!!  the great pumpkin charlie brown.  halloween (in lambertville and seeing the houses all decorated).  craig & my 5 year anniversary (and also our "wedding minus 1yr" anniversary).  engagement photo shoot in rittenhouse square.  apple picking (and baking delicious treats).  looking at rehearsal dinner places.  my (25th) birthday.  and of course thanksgiving (and the start of the holiday season).  i'll stop there so i don't get too ahead of myself...

i think i'm feeling a little better already : )  



halloween in lambertville.  picture credit {here}



so, what are you looking forward to this fall?



$1 fun

craig came home very excited this evening (and with good reason).  a guy from work passed along a flyer for a "dollar stroll".  what is a dollar stroll you ask?  (yeah, i didn't know either...)  well, evidently baltimore ave in the university city district of philadelphia is offering it.  from 5:30 to 8:30pm tomorrow night participating merchants and restaurants will be offering $1 specials - very cool and exciting, right?!  stuff like...$1 desserts, espresso, tea, coffee, spring rolls, yoga class, chicken skewers, ice cream, beer, cupcakes and the list goes on...

dollar stroll

so if you're in the philly area tomorrow night you should definitely check it out!  (we'll be there for sure : )  for more information about the dollar stroll click {here}.

only a few days left to enter the vintage purse giveaway!!!

love means never having to say you're sorry

picture credit {here}

love story.  a true classic.  if you haven't seen this film, you need to.  i've seen it countless times, and it always gets me.  it's romantic.  funny.  tragic.  inspiring.  hopeful.  tearful.  it's a love story and anyone who has been in love or dreams of a great love will fall head over heels for this film.  it's timeless.


picture credit {here}

the movie follows two young harvard students as they begin their life together (i.e. their love story).  she's witty and brilliant.  he's rich and preppy.  they're endlessly crazy about one another.  though i don't necessarily agree with (or understand) the movie's most famous quote "love means never having to say you're sorry"... i do completely believe in the idea at the forefront of this great film - best friends make the best (future)husbands, partners, lovers, allies and confidants.

(warning:  if you're going to watch this movie, have a box of tissues nearby.  seriously...a box.)

don't forget to enter my vintage purse giveaway!  a winner will be chosen this friday : )

bachelorette amazingness

han, me & cate

saturday night was erin's (my cousin) bachelorette party.  fun times.  fun times.  needless to say we had lots and lots of fun drinks, good laughs and delicious food : )

erin (bride-to-be)

we started our evening at the melting pot.  fondue goodness.  i mean, seriously...who does not love melted, oohey-gooey cheese?!  and then dessert.  oh, dessert!  soooo good.  "flaming turtle" = melted chocolate, caramel and pecans and also "s'mores" = melted chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker crumbles.  and you get to dip cheesecake (yay!), brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, rice crispie treats, strawberries and bananas.  yum! 

brownies and cheesecake and pound cake...oh my!!!

han, me, cate

after melting pot we meandered over to yakitori boy where we had a private room for our evening of karaoke.  (ps i love karaoke : )  we sang some top 40 and also some oldies but goodies.  awesomeness.

lychee martinis

cate, erin, han, chrissy, me

after singing our hearts out we hopped into some cabs and headed over to our 3rd and final stop.  a super cool bar (totally decorated for halloween) where we could dance and drink to our hearts' content!  we had a great time : )  can't wait til it's my turn to be the bachelorette...won't be long now...

have you checked out my vintage purse giveaway?! 

weekend's here early

craig texted me at work yesterday and asked if i wanted to go to happy hour at bobby simone's after work.  yes!  who doesn't enjoy 1/2 price cosmos on thursday?  i mean, honestly?!  there's really no better way to usher in the weekend a day early than to go to happy hour(s) at your fave watering hole.  if you haven't indulged recently...i highly recommend it!

drinks arrive : )

so pretty...

me & craig <3

for the love of guinness



hey!  that's mine!





refill, anyone?

tgif!  so, what're you up to this weekend? 

(i have my cousin's bachelorette party to attend.  fun times await!)

oh, and if you haven't checked it out yet - i'm hosting a giveaway for a vintage purse! 



vintage purse giveaway (it could be yours!)

hello all!  this is my first ever giveaway (and it's a good one)!  rachael, fellow blogger and total sweetheart from it's simple love, and i are hosting dual giveaways.  i'm giving away this adorable and super chic vintage purse from her etsy shop on my blog, and she's hosting a giveaway of my book and two (handcrafted) t-shirt necklaces on hers : )  lots of fun!

could it be cuter?!

it's simple love is one of my dailies.  rachael blogs about life, love, travel, music, photography and (of course!) amazing vintage fashion.  her personal style and positive outlook are to be coveted!  i strongly recommend stopping by her blog and vintage shop...they're totally worth a (prolonged) visit.

...wish i could enter...

so...on to the good stuff...how to win!

to enter vintage purse giveaway:
you must be (or become) a follower of my blog, lifestyle maven, and leave a comment below : )

extra enties:
+1 follow it's simple love (make sure you come back and leave an additional comment to let me know)
+2 blog about this giveaway or add a link to it on your blog (again, be sure to let me know)

remember to write a separate comment for each entry.  open to u.s. and canada residents only (sorry!).  the giveaway ends friday oct 15th, and the winner will be chosen at random.

thank you for entering & best of luck!  (p.s. i'll be totally jealous of whoever wins this purse...)

oh and don't forget to stop by it's simple love to enter for a chance to win a (signed) copy of my book and some very awesome t-shirt necklaces : )

my life as a mosaic (what does yours look like?)

awesome "craft" for all of you who have some time to kill.  very fun. 

here are the guidelines to make your very own mosaic.

{i} type your answer to each of the following prompts into flickr search.

{ii} using only the first page, pick an image that catches your eye.

{iii} copy and paste the image url into mosaic maker (change to 3 rows, 3 columns)

questions:

1. your middle name: ascher

2. least favorite food: sardines

3. favorite gemstone: diamond.  i mean come on...diamonds are a girl's best friend...

4. dream car: land rover

5. ideal job: writer

6. fave superhero: spiderman

7. favorite holiday: christmas!!!

8. favorite book: peyton place (you should totally read it.  it's great!)

9. fave animal: olive (my dog baby)

my mosaic...you like?

thanks meg, for introducing me to this fun activity : )

so, if you decide to try this for yourself, leave a link to your mosaic or blog below!

and here is craig's : )

nicely done, babe.  i like it.

are you king of anything?

music for monday.  totally loving sara bareilles' new song "king of anything".  it's awesome (in my opinion).  hope you all enjoy : )  let me know what you  think...especially if you like it too...

barn sale (a.k.a. first weekend with my new camera!)

this past weekend my parents had a barn sale at their house.  it was the perfect weekend for it.  sunny.  cool.  fallish.  han, my sis, made homemade bread, apple pies & crisps and delicious soups.  (some to sell and extra for us to enjoy : )  it was the perfect way to welcome october. 

and, even better, craig surprised me with a new camera on friday!  my digital camera is very old and has been slowly dying, and i was in desperate need of a new one.  then, my mom loaned me hers, but it doesn't auto-focus.  a few blurry shots are ok, artistic even, but it gets old quick.  thanks for the new camera babe...i love it!

hope you enjoyed the picts from my new toy : )  i'm lovin' it.