no. 4 | DIY :: succulents + tea-cups ::

happy wednesday!

it's hump day!

the work week is almost over!

...well, it is for some of us...

we just celebrated the first day of spring this past week & spring fever has already taken over my bones.

i dunno boutchu', but who else is ready for:

all the pretty flowers.

the pastel colors.

the bright light. 

the  sunshine. 

the bathing suit shopping.

the picnics. 

the bike rides. 

the walks & talks. 

the lemonade.

& all the ice-cream dates. 

* proven scientific fact: you can never have too much ice-cream, people *

so, since spring fever is in full swing around these parts...

naturally, we had to go out + bring home one of my favorite slices of spring: 

succulents.

if you're like me - naturally born with a black thumb (it's a gift) - then this is the plant for you. 

they're so easy to take care of. 

because... they're low-maintenance. they're indoor plants.
& they just require sunlight. & maybe a little bit of water here & there.

so, placing them in a window is pretty much perfection.

easy peasey.

 i'm all about re-potting succulents.

& this year, i decided to pot them in some of the little tea-cups & mugs i have set out around our home for decoration. 

so, what do you need for this little diy project?

you might want to grab a notebook for this one...

okay, ready?

SUCCULENTS & TEA-CUPS

...i told you it was a hefty list. 

 once you have these two things...you're all set. 

happy crafting! 

& HAPPY SPRING!

xoxo,

no. 3 | on seasons of life, slowing down, & ecclesiastes

we love our job, our business, our clients, & all things wedding...

but we do savor & cherish the times & moments spent with family & friends...
& especially the time we get to spend with just the two of us together in the comfort of our own home.

these times are filled with foods we like to make.

our cats who annoy the crap out of us one second & are the cutest 

filled with walks around our neighborhood. 

& spontaneous trips to see movies that well us up with tears & so many emotions.
 filled with exploring, frozen yogurt runs, waffles, church, visits with friends, baby snuggles, & hiking!

the Lord chooses to use each of our "wedding-less" weekends to remind us that we are where we should be. 

what is it for you that He uses? 

maybe it's a trip to the grocery store. or maybe it's when you go for a run through the park. or while you're working out at the gym. or maybe it's while you're finally getting that beach vacation.

however/whichever/whatever way He chooses- there is one thing we have found that He wants to remind us of daily:

we shouldn't rush. 

our time. our days. our weeks. or our seasons of life.

it has been way too easy for us to want to wish away the winter months. 

they're cold. mostly dreary. and lets face it...they're kinda sorta miserable. 

we just want to be outside or on the beach. 

anywhere warm. 
we want to get out & explore.

&, for us, winter months are our "slower" months for business & weddings. 

so, we wait for summer; wishing away today. 

we rush. 

however, lately, in seemingly small ways...He reminds us that our slow season is "slow" for a reason. 

this is a time to get things done. 
we're procrastinators to the core...thank the LORD we have this time to catch up!

a time for reflecting. 

for refreshing. 

for growth. 

for creatively exploring. 

an opportunity to start completely over with a new outlook & a clearer purpose. 

a time to fill our hearts with a brand new passion for people, for marriage, for moments; reminding us why we LOVE what we do.

it's a time to break from busy.

 you NEED time set aside to relax.
believe me, sometimes we struggle with that. sometimes we glorify the term "busy"...thinking that because we're "busy" we're being productive. but it's just not always true. 
in order to be productive, we also need a little bit of time set aside to relax, focus on other things, re-energize.
there are days when it seems impossible, i know. 
maybe you have four screaming kids that you have to feed. & homework to get finished. & diapers to change. or maybe you're constantly on call. or you have way too many papers to grade. or a huge backlog of photographs to edit. maybe it's just that you have a million and one things to get done on your to-do list & there never seems to be enough time in a day.
right now as you're reading this... just stop & slow down.
even it's just for a few moments.
reflect. breathe. stretch. dig into the Word. listen to some ed sheeran pandora. (ha, just kidding, but it works for me!) & take a few seconds away from busy.

sure, we could choose to look at this season as being "slow." 

but we can also choose to remember now that each season has a purpose. 

...even the "slow" season. 

ESPECIALLY the "slow" season. 

wherever you're at in life. 

whatever you might be facing today...or whatever you might face tomorrow. or next week. or next year. 

maybe you're going through a "slow" season right now. 

maybe it's your health. maybe it's financially. maybe it's relationally. 

whatever that season is that you're experiencing, please remember: 

"to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun." 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

the Lord promises us that our days have purpose. 

did you hear me? 

YOUR DAYS HAVE PURPOSE. 

even the days where you feel like a slug at home. in your pj's. still. at 5 p.m.

some weekends tyler & i get to be husband & wife wedding filmmakers... cool.

AND some weekends...

we get to be just plain ole' husband & wife. the kind who get to stay home, snuggle up on the couch, & watch harry potter until 3 a.m. 

that's cool, too. 

& that's exactly where we should be. 


 

xoxo,

no. 2 | fun food fridays!

let's just make that a thing, okay? 

i now declare the 5th day of the week as being: fun food fridays.

you're welcome. 

so, today is FRI{YAY}!

friday's are pretty great around here. 

it's tyler's last day of classes for the week, so we usually try to date it up...

because, hey, any reason to date, people. 

 we're dating a little bit differently this week because we (mainly i) started a new journey in my health...

& it's called the 21 day fix. 

have you heard of it? i hope you have! but, if you haven't, i'll give you a 2.5 second intro. 

it's an intense workout program designed to get you in tip top shape in 21 days through 30 minute daily workouts, super foods, & meal planning. 

"that's it, allison?"

"yep, that's it, friends."

& i have to tell you, it is  already changing my world around. 

this week has been an intense roller coaster of all the emotions & feelings & a lot of excitement & temptations & cravings & did i mention...i kicked this weeks butt? because i so did! 

i will write a blog post later on into my journey alllll about the 21 day fix & what i have learned through it & maybe even share my progress with y'all...but for now, i just wanted to give y'all a heads up that i've started something new...it's intense...but it's GOOD. 

really, really good. 

for my body, self image, self control, and health. 

but it's also changed the way we do things around here. 

we are foodies, tyler & i. 

we LOVE food. 

GOOD food. JUNK food. SNACK food.  

FOOD.  

ALL. THE. FOOD.

so, as you might have already guessed...with this new journey came a new obstacle: 

eating healthy. 

i mean really healthy. 

it's been a process, we're still adjusting, but we've found some wonderful recipes that we've tried out & LOVED & now want to pass along to you!

so! it's friday! it's FUN FOOD FRIDAY!

& this recipe tonight is delicious, healthy, and 21 day fix approved!

hallelujah!

ground turkey stuffed peppers

yield: 

• about 3-4 peppers

21 day fix portions (per pepper):

• 1 yellow (brown rice)
• 1.5 red (lean gound turkey)
•   2 green (pepper)                             

what you'll need:

• 3-4 bell peppers (any color, we usually use green peppers)
• 1 pound of lean ground turkey
• a combination of mrs. dash onion & herb & garlic & herb (salt free) -- just a dash ;)
• 1 yellow container (1/2 cup) of cooked brown rice per pepper
• 1 red container (3/4 cup) of cooked ground turkey per pepper
• 1 blue container (1/3 cup) of shredded cheddar cheese per pepper
• add ground salt, pepper, & paprika to taste 
• a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top
• *optional* 1 tsp of hot sauce 

let's get to cooking:

1. first, you'll need to cook the brown rice according to the directions on the package.  
2. in a skillet, begin browning the ground turkey. begin adding in the combination of seasonings as you brown your meat. ( onion & herb, garlic & herb, ground salt, pepper, & paprika)
   
3. cut off the tops of your bell peppers (you may throw the tops away) and set those peppers aside.
4. preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 
5. begin separating out the ground meat, shredded cheddar cheese, and rice into separate containers so that you can prepare to mix them together to stuff your peppers.
   
6. you will begin by mixing one red container (3/4 cup) of the ground turkey, one blue container (1/3 cup) of the shredded cheddar cheese, and one yellow container (1/2 cup) of the cooked brown rice all together. mix until even & then scoop into your pepper. this should fill your pepper almost to the top. 
7. next, sprinkle the top layer of your pepper with just a little bit of mozzarella cheese.
8. continue steps 6 & 7 for each of your peppers. 
9. once you have prepared your peppers, you may place them in the oven & set your timer for about 30-35 minutes! you'll know they're ready when the peppers start looking as if they're "wilting"-- any sooner that that & they'll still be a little too "firm" for my taste ;)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

enjoy! 

we hope you love this simple, easy, healthy meal as much as we did! 

xoxo, 

no. 1 | a life sprinkled in pink |

i'm allison. 

 & our corner of the world is sprinkled in pink.
our kitchen is pink. 
our thrifted, mismatched chairs have been spray painted pink.
our dinnerware is pink. 
our white cat, ellie's, nose is pink.
there are sprinkles of pink everywhere. i mean everywhurr.
 

for the longest time, i have dreamed of living in a pink cottage.
with pink shutters & a wrap around porch.
don't worry, i mention this to tyler almost daily. he's well aware. ;)
every time we pass a pink house i point it out. & kindly remind him "that's seriously my dream house!"

i dream of a porch filled with pretty plants, tea cups planted with succulents, & pink peonies. 

mason jars filled with sweet tea, mugs filled with coffee.
a couple of rocking chairs for porch sitting.

& probably a vintage, schwinn bike posted up against the railing.
the whole shebang.
 

to me...life is full of pink. & when it's not...i find the pink.

our dinner is made in your grandma's pink vintage pyrex dishes.
we have pink quilts laying around the house to cuddle up under when our little town-home gets too chilly.

 i pretty much have a different shade of pink lipstick for every day of the week. 
on my desk is a jar of pink jelly bean. just...sitting here....
 they're taunting me as i write this.

i dream of the day i can finally paint our front door pink. on both sides!

*gets off subject*
i should also mention this...
i definitely realize it is not every man's dream or desire to live in a home with the color pink throughout it. i know that i lucked out with this husband of mine who doesn't mind living life in a home that is sprinkled in shades of pink.

it wasn't his favorite idea, at first, but he agreed knowing it would make me happy. 

(he'd never admit it, but i think he's secretly grown to love it ;) )

<3

this blog.
it was a much needed change from the blog we've been using for the past year!
this is a blog about our life sprinkled in pink. 

our dreams of owning our first home with the pink front door. 

& having a few kiddos running around that home someday.
& a puppy. a golden retriever to be exact.
& our two kitties, carl & ellie.
basically a zoo.

it's about our adventures with "happy camper films." which is our small business that we own & run together as a husband & wife team.

you will more than likely read a lot about our love for weddings & people on here.
you understand.

it's about the netflix shows we love to binge watch together...because, lets face it...that's probably a regular activity for most couples.
*sorry, in advance, if you read one too many movie/tv quotes*

it's about the everyday days we spend together in our home. 
the good days. the bad days.
the weird things we say & do. don't worry, we save the weirdest of the weird for our eyes & ears only.

our date nights in, our date nights out.
our love for lexington, kentucky. & the amazing places this city has to offer!

the foods we make together & recipes we come up with.
it's about our journey with meal prepping.

& our journey to healthy lifestyles.
it's about my journey with 21 day fix & the struggles that come along with that.

it's about crafts i make. or attempt to make.

& sometimes sell. & sometimes might even decide to give away to you. 

it's about our hurts. my hurts

our fears. my fears.

it's about faith. 

our relationship with the Lord. 
what the Lord teaches us daily. or weekly. or monthly. or yearly.
it's about what we learn from our people. our family, our friends.

it's about how marriage can be messy.
let's be honest: marriage takes work.

& it's about how it would be even messier without Christ. 

it's about unmade beds. 

4 a.m's.
going through times of sadness & happiness.
being hurt & broken. being loved & encouraged.

being vulnerable.

it's about living life & choosing joy. 
it's about a life sprinkled in pink.

i'm so excited to share my life, love, business, & hobbies with you. 

so, sit back. grab some tea. maybe a cupcake? or an apple? whichever you prefer.
let's get to know each other, what do ya say?

xoxo,