My AMAZING Photo Guestbook-A Mixbook Review

Here is what I knew I wanted for our wedding guest book: I wanted a photo book, essentially a photo album of our beautiful engagement pictures, guest book (so that for years to come we'll still actually look at it and it won't just sit somewhere gathering dust! Plus I love when things serve dual purposes, and I am obsessed with our engagement photos so any excuse to look at them, really, I'll take.) I wanted the book to be customizable and I wanted it to be inexpensive!

MixBook was 100% perfect for this.

Mixbook is a SUPER easy and fun website where you can make completely customizable photo books, cards, and calendars (and creating and customizing is entirely free!)

When I first found Mixbook I decided to get the absolute most inexpensive option for my guest book (book on the right in the photo above)-which was the standard 8.5x8.5" soft cover (and with the 30% off offer at the time, I was able to get the entire thing-including tax and shipping-for just under $24! Pretty awesome). I would also like to note that I chose the budget shipping option and it STILL only took 5 days to get to me, and Mixbook does an awesome job of packaging so that nothing will damage the books during the shipping process. And, while the book I received was lovely and would have totally worked, it was definitely not super durable (if you touched it wrong there were fingerprints, etc. and due to it being a softcover, it was a bit flimsy) so I decided to contact the customer service department: who were UNBELIEVABLY helpful! They offered to refund me the entire price of the book I had ordered and put it back as a credit onto my account-no questions asked (and really, this was in no way their fault)! Instead I ended up having them refer me to their marketing department, who hooked me up in exchange for this review, but regardless they were extremely kind and helpful.

And then I upgraded myself to the gorgeous 12x12" hardcover you see up there on the left.

The quality...is outstanding. I was stunned by how beautiful my guest book was when it came to me.

The hardcover was lovely and seems durable. The photos are gorgeous and perfect. I'm totally head over heels in love with how amazing it turned out.

Mixbook uses archival-quality, FSC-certified papers, hand-stitched hardcovers, and incredibly detailed print reproduction: which essentially comes down to the fact that they're beautiful, the photos look how they should, and they are going to LAST. Which...ya know...for my wedding guest book...kind of important.

Something Saturdays (8/23/14)

!!! Guys....WE BOOKED OUR HONEYMOON! 

I mean...there are no words for my excitement! We went with Secrets Capri Riviera in Riviera Maya. It's an adults only, preferred club, ocean-front resort and we have an all inclusive package (seriously: flights, stay, food, drinks, activities, taxes, AND gratuities, all included!) It's a "smallish" resort (290 suites which, compared to the 4-500 of most resorts we looked at, is small) and I'm hoping it'll be quiet and relaxing and romantic <3 Mmmm. And we get to spend 7 nights (just a bit over 7 days) there!! I cannot get over it. June cannot get here fast enough!

Oh...and we also published our wedding website (plus a 2nd one because I couldn't choose just 1 :P)-feel free to give a look if you're interested!

We also did Michael's first "groom try on" for his tux-a couple things didn't fit quite right so we have another one for next week but over all-he looks good!! Pretty excited about what a handsome groom I'll have :). Later on we spent some time with his dad and stepmom (and a little bit with his brother and sister-in-law) and then we went to our first marriage prep session with our parish's priest. We learned the results of the test we had taken and found out what areas we need to discuss/work on (and how compatible we are in other ways)--we got some "homework" for that lol.

Additionally I had to get something else fixed on my car. Yippee. Michael also had his orientation day for grad school and his classes start this coming week :( This is going to be a hectic, busy, stress-filled time...I can tell. Ugh. Fingers crossed it all goes ok and is worth it! (That said he said orientation was really nice!)

...I also worked out yesterday for the first time in I don't even know how long. My brother helped me out and we went to my fitness room (finally!) It was great but...ugh...I hate it. Whyyy can't I just look perfect without effort, hmmm? :P

Grandma's Beef Stroganoff-Beef Checkoff #MC #Sponsored

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Beef Checkoff. I received products to facilitate this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

This recipe should actually be titled: Grandma's Beef Stroganoff, adapted by Mom, adapted further by me. But that's a bit of a mouthfull. My grandma's recipe involves mushrooms. Mom and I are not fans so she adapted this recipe to use gravy and beef broth instead. And then I further adapted it by making stuff a little bit more from scratch (namely...subbing out a packet of onion soup for actual seasonings) and I added more chunks of beef. Because....really...more beef=more better.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First of all...I gotta say it: I'm a beef gal. I love it. If I got out to eat there's a decent chance I'll get a burger, steak, or roast beef. Because BEEF IS DELICIOUS. And the insane thing is...I ALMOST NEVER make beef at home! Something about my inability to grill mixed with my constant butchering of my mom's pot roast recipe have led to a beef drought in this house that HAD TO END.

So I ended it. Thanks to the Beef Checkoff!

What's the Beef Checkoff? It is a national marketing and research program, established in 1985, funded by America's cattle farmers/ranchers. The national checkoff program is directed by cattle farmers, ranchers, and importers and they direct funds to research and promotion to increase domestic (and potentially international) demands for BEEF! Plus it's overseen by The Cattlemen's Beef Board and the USDA. One of the contractors for Beef Checkoff is the National Cattlemen's Beef Association-they manage research and promo programs on behalf of US farmers and ranchers (and are also overseen by the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the USDA)-including the "Beef. It's What's for Dinner" brand--you guys totally know that one, yeah? Yeah!

Here is what I know: The "Beef. It's What's for Dinner" website is AWESOME! Like...I feel like I officially have 0 reasons to not make beef more! The website has a ton of recipe ideas, grilling tips and info (helpful for my grilling phobia!), and even info. about the health benefits of beef (hint: there are tons!) You def. need to check it out and then try to find new ways to incorporate beef into your home cooking too! In my oh so humble opinion.

To celebrate my new commitment to making beef dishes at home I decided to really take it home--I created my Grandma's Beef Stroganoff recipe and served it to my mom and grandma (and Michael, duh!) We had such a fun little dinner party (featuring the use of my adorable new Beef Checkoff oven mitt :P), and I was a little nervous about serving them my version of the recipe that they both have in their regular repertoire! Of course, my nerves were for naught. EVERYONE loved this tasty dish-and my mom said she couldn't even taste the difference with the fact that I subbed out the dried soup! Hooray! It just tastes comforting and beefy (I know, weird adjective, but true!) and flavorful and it's just my idea of the perfect entree.

Seriously, could not be an easier recipe. You throw a bunch of stuff in the crockpot. Let it go. Boil some noodles. SERVE! Easy peasy and a def. new favorite-Michael full on approved and insisted that I should make it regularly as well. Crowd pleeeeaser!