look what i did!

this was a week of pretty.  & that is a good week.

one of the lovely residents came back from maternity leave this week.  rumor has it she really likes my lemon cake, so i made her lemon cupcakes!  aren't they super cute?

then i finally made a pretty latte heart!  luckily, it was for me, so i could take a picture.

it is petit four week in class, which means lots of adorable little cakes!  these are my favorite.

hope you had a week full of pretty too.  happy friday!

love love,

kjp.

thankful thursday # 4.

sleeping in during the rain...

i am so thankful for getting to sleep in while the morning rain came pouring down on our huge skylight above our bed.  it is a small thing, but i am so grateful.

i hope you can think of something for which you are thankful today :)

love love,
kjp.

wedding wednesday # 24: the wedding dress.

it's a big deal.  it is the dress you've always been dreaming about.  it is the dress you'll be wearing in every picture.  it is the dress you'll be wearing when your husbands sees you walk down the aisle.

it's a big deal.

so how do you pick?  these are my tips!

1. go somewhere fabulous.  ask your friends/fb friends for recommendations.  find somewhere with knowledgeable, kind, honest, & fun staff.  find somewhere you can trust to actually order the dress {you'd be surprised...}  find somewhere that treats you special.

for me, that was meg guess.  & they were so so great!  all of those things i mentioned above & more.  

2. make a budget & be firm.  before you go dress shopping, seriously look at your budget & see what your price range is.  & consider alterations costs, which can be big!  when you are at your super trusty fabulous wedding dress shop, tell them up front how much you can afford.  hopefully, they will be awesome {like meg guess} & not show you anything over your price range.

how horrible would it be to fall in love with a dress you can't have?

3. whatever your dream dress is, know you will not pick that one.  if you are anything like me, you will find your "dream dress", ooh & ahh over it, try it on, & think you look ridiculous.  i had found THE dress.  i liked it in every magazine, every blog, every everything.  i looked at myself in the mirror & i knew that was not my dress.

keep an open mind.

4. stop looking at wedding dresses.  when you have found & ordered THE actual dress, stop looking at other wedding dresses!  this was the one thing i second guessed myself on all of the time.  looking back at the previous THE dress, i still thought i wanted it.  but then remembered i look ridiculous.  seriously, stop looking & remember how you felt when you tried on YOUR dress.

good luck, friends!

love love,

kjp.

cupcakes, cupcakes.

this weekend was full of cupcakes!

blakey was on call all day saturday, so i made him & his fellow residents chocolate on chocolate with chocolate chip cupcakes!  no idea if they were good or not - after making them i did not feel like eating any cupcakes.  but they all said they were yummy :)

then on sunday, i got trained on baking at urban!!  i am super excited.  although mine don't look quite as beautiful as this one below yet, they will eventually.

hope your weekend was simply fabulous too.

love love,

kjp.

jillian, you're killing me.

since its gotten cold outside, i've been having quite the time getting myself to the gym.

we have a membership at the UAB gym, which is super nice.  but with no designated parking lot, one must find a parking spot somewhere on the hospital/college campus & walk to the gym in the super cold. {read: excuses, excuses.}

i decided if i don't want to go outside to workout, i get to workout inside.

have you ever watched "the biggest loser"?  it used to be blakey & my favorite show.  we lovingly referred to it as "fat people".  {funny side note:  after realizing we always ate dinner while watching the show, we felt a little guilty & started working out during commercial breaks.  that lasted, oh, one week.}

jillian michaels is the female trainer on the show.  & she is insane.  she could get anyone fit.  anyone.  so i decided to buy her workout dvd to get myself to workout inside.

oh.

my.

gosh.

jillian is killing me.  & i invited blakey to join in the pain.  we have been waddling around all week.  a 20-minute workout.  & i'm dying.

on our day of fun, before blakey joined in the killer workout, i told blake i could not express how sore i was.  to which he responded, "you're lying.  you've been telling me all day."  smart a.

so i invite you to give it a try.  $10 at target.  your thighs will be screaming at me :)

happy friday!

love love,
kjp.

thankful thursday # 3

this week, i am thankful for life.

a friend at work's cousin died this week.  18 years old.  

it makes us remember to be thankful for everyday God gives us.  every morning we get to wake up & breath. 

be thankful today.  even when you're tired, even when you don't want to be at work anymore, even when you just want to be home with your family - be thankful.

love love,

kjp.