Sunday, Monday, Happy days..

Hello, blog friends! I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing and cozy Sunday afternoon. Mother nature in my neck of the woods decided to play a prank and make it an extremely chilly April day, for which I was not exactly thankful...

It was another one of those busy weeks in our life, but a fun one! We were blessed with quite a few fun nights and a lot of time to spend together. Lucky for you, this means a lengthy photo section! Your lucky day! Let's get to it. 

Monday night was a dinner with my coworkers at Landry's downtown. We had a blast, and I got to introduce Charles to a few new people he hadn't gotten to meet yet. 

Nothing better than a glass of wine, a hot grill, and sunshine..

So excited that we got to mow the yard for the first time {and by we, I mean Charles...} I have a strong love of the smell of freshly mowed grass, especially since I haven't smelled it in so long! 

I discovered these Odwalla bars at the store the other day. I haven't been getting enough protein in my diet, especially after a workout. These are a delicious way to get your protein in. 

An absolutely amazing couple overheard that we were newlyweds and had the staff bring us these as a gift to bless our marriage. So sweet! We felt so loved. 

Even Cholla had to look out on the beautiful Saturday we had!

We took advantage of the beautiful day and sat on an enclosed patio drinking mojitos! Can't beat it!

We also took a short trip to the Fort Smith amphitheater to watch the pretty, albeit a bit cloudy, sunset! If you haven't gotten a chance to go, I highly suggest going!

It was a big day for Charles today, so I surprised him with breakfast in bed!

Getting ready to be blessed and welcomed into the Catholic Church. Two more weeks until he becomes Catholic!

All in all, we had a beautiful week and weekend. I hope you've enjoyed the same!

Next weekend, we will be fortunate enough to go to Derby day and spent another lake weekend with the family. I can't wait to share all of our adventures with you!

"Everyone wants some magical solution for their problems, and everyone refuses to believe in magic"

Freshen up your Spring Look

Happy Friday my fashionable friends!

 

It’s been a cloudy, thunderstormy, muggy week here in Fort Fun, and I’m loving it! I’m patiently hoping that the rivers around where we live are filling up so that we can go floating sometime soon and take full advantage of the spring.

I know that in the spring, people tend to get out a lot more, or at least around here, we all do! We have been cooped inside for so long, we are thankful for the opportunity to get out in the sunshine and enjoy the extra daylight.

With people getting out more, people also tend to have more events. My spring and summer seems to be full of baby showers, bridal showers, concerts, dinner on the patio, cookouts, and the like. I wanted to show you a few examples of what I would wear to certain events during the spring and early summer!

 

All of these clothing options are brought to you by Suite One boutique in Fort Smith. Any {and all} of these outfits would be perfect for a spring or early summer night out, afternoon barbecue, or the like. I happen to own a few of these peices as well, so I know from a firsthand account how great these items look and the heads they can make turn! Loose, flowy floral tops are going to be a constant trend, as well as maxi skirts, graphic tee's, and floppy hats!

We've all been caught getting that last minute invitation to go to a barbecue, so having these options on hand can make it easier to find an appropriate outfit on a minute's notice. You also don't want to show up empty handed, so keep on reading for my favorite {and most requested} summer barbecue treat that's easy to whip up on a minute's notice!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 bundles broccoli, florets only
• 1 red onion, chopped to your liking
• 1/2 cup raisins {optional, my husband hates them so I don’t include them in mine}
• 10 to 12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled {turkey bacon for a healthy substitute!}

 

• Dressing:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar {can substitute white vinegar if you prefer}
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Prep:

Combine salad ingredients; top with dressing mixture. Chill if desired {it tastes SO much better} and serve!

I hope you've all had a great week. I can't wait to share mine with you this Sunday! Until then!

Thankful Thoughts..

Hello, all!

I hope you are having such a great week. It’s the day before Thanksgiving! I wish I was at home, snuggled with a blanket and a cup of coffee, getting ready to cook all of my sides for both Thanksgivings with my husband’s family and my family, however now that I’m out of college and a working woman, the tables have turned and I’m at work. Bah humbug, I really love the day before Thanksgiving! I am, however, incredibly fortunate to have a job that allows me to have off Thanksgiving and Black Friday, so I am counting my blessings today. Plus, everyone is in good spirits here, so you can’t complain about having to work.

I have a BILLION and one errands to run it feels like today. I’m going to sneak out on my lunch break and get my mom’s birthday gift {her birthday is the 28^th, so this year it falls on Thanksgiving!}. After work, I need to run to the grocery store and get the items necessary to all of the Thanksgiving items I have been tasked to make. Then, this evening we are having “Friendsgiving” with some of our friends who are in town for the holidays. We are so excited! This year we are going to have it at a local restaurant called AJ’s Oyster House, since it was a last minute plan, and Charles and I have virtually no kitchen or furniture due to the move, so we couldn’t host a homemade meal.

Tomorrow should be another busy yet fun day! Every year we start off with heading to my parent’s house in the morning for sausage balls, coffee {and mimosas…} and to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, and I always look at all the ads for Black Friday and plan my attack. From there, we head to Greenwood to have appetizers and then a meal with Charles family {and watch the dog show..those dogs are TOO cute}. This year, I am making chipotle ranch dip, green bean stacks, and jalapeno cranberry sauce. After spending time with Charles’ family, we head back to my parents for Thanksgiving meal there. This year, I am making green bean casserole and a pumpkin dessert! Nothing too fancy with my cooking this year, as I barely have a kitchen to cook in. It makes me sad, but it will be worth it! Afterwards we are so tired that we go home and CRASH and I rest up for black Friday!

I wanted to share with you all some things for which I am thankful this year…

First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband. I cannot thank the Lord enough every day for the wonderful man he has blessed me with. He knew exactly what he was doing by putting this one in my life, and I am thankful for him daily, not just around Thanksgiving.

Secondly, I am thankful for my family. My family has drastically grown in the past year. I am so thankful for the love and the support that I constantly am blessed with from both of our families. We would not be the man and the woman we are today without our wonderful families.

I am thankful for my job. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to even get a job, I am blessed to have a job {me and my husband both} that has benefits, is challenging and rewarding, and one that I love.

I am thankful for our new home. We are so blessed to be able to have the ability to purchase a new home and have the family and friends to help us with the transition. We are so fortunate.

I am thankful for puppies, and lots of them. Because really, what is better than puppy cuddles on a bad day?

Here is a picture of some of Charles’ family and us on Thanksgiving last year! Boy how time flies!

 

I hope you all have a SAFE and blessed holiday. Be blessed, and be thankful!

XoXo..<3

Back from the Wedding Induced Hiatus!

Happy Fall, Y'all! 

It only seems fitting to say "Happy Fall", since the weather feels totally gorg! Ok, so maybe it is raining and cloudy outside, but the temperature? Spot. On. Of course, I did just get back from Cancun, Mexico so I am eating up this amazing late September weather change. I've even got my Scentsy plugged in with the Glade Fall Hayride scent, and a Kirkland's Cinnamon and Brown Sugar candle lit right beside me, my pups cuddled up at my feet, my husband {yes you heard correctly, I am officially Mrs. Charles Alley} cuddled beside me, and football on the television. Throw in the sound of rain beating on the windows and we have hit the Welcome Home jackpot!

Anyhow, I have to apologize for my brief hiatus. I swore to myself that I would keep up with my blogging the week of the wedding, and then I don't know what better explanation to give you other than, life happened, plain and simple. 

As a treat to you all for my unexcused absence, I will bombard you will posts this week! Are you as excited as I am? Good. 

I cannot tell you how THRILLED I am to finally be married to my best friend. My heart skips a beat when I hear my husband call me his wife. It's an incredible feeling, a true bond. I am blessed beyond measure. 

Something I am on the hunt for is a daily devotional for my new wives. I have looked and looked and I keep finding some amazing looking devotional, and it has been incredibly hard to choose. If any of you new {or "seasoned"} wives have some suggestions, do share! 

"Too much talk leads to sin," so let's get started with some pictures of the past few weeks! I'll do more in detail posts of the honeymoon, the wedding, the reception, etc. in due time, and it will be a whole Wedding Mini Series. Until then, here's a few sneak peaks of my life the past few weeks via pictures...

A little rehearsal dinner fun! It rained ALL day {I was a nervous wreck about it pouring during the dinner} and it cleared up in time for a gorgeous sunset <3

Groomsmen gifts! Crown Royal is the only way to go for our boys!

My BFF Sydney and I getting ready in our oversized monogramed men's shirts! Get them here!

An Arkansas Bride has to watch the HOG game before walking down the aisle!

My two best men on the day I promised "Forever" to Charles<3 

First thing we did as husband and wife was made a trip to the fair for a Gyro! We have the BEST gyro stand in the spring, and the owner makes an appearance again at the fair in the Fall, so we HAD to go get one! Delicious!

Honeymoon at the Riu Palace Peninsula in Cancun, Mexico!  We had a BLAST and were treated like royalty by the people at the Riu Palace. Planning a trip to Mexico? Visit the Riu website! We will absolutely be back, so here's a HUGE shout out to the people at Riu Palace Peninsula.

I've really had a whirlwind of a few weeks, and I mean that in the best sense of the phrase! I'm off to catch up on my recorded episode of Nashville {boy oh boy I can't wait to find out what happens during the season premiere, yet another reason to heart fall} and try to fight with American Airlines until the find the two bags of my luggage they lost, which so far, nobody we have spoken with has been helpful, and we are starting to get furious with their whole company. It's as if they don't even care that all of our luggage {which contains IMPORTANT and NECESSARY personal items} is floating around somewhere unknown to them. It's time to bust out my writing skills and write a highly worded email to their customer service department and give them an earful. 

I hope you have all had a FABULOUS few weeks without me, and get ready to hear from me nonstop. I love you all!

Xoxo, Michele Alley {I know, I'm annoying, but I CAN'T get enough of my new last name}

P.S. Don't forget about the Season Three premiere of Revenge tomorrow. You're welcome <3