Something Saturdays (5/30/15)

Guys...I HAD THE BEST BACHELORETTE PARTY!

It was perfect. In ways I couldn't have imagined. I had the best possible time and I seriously can't even put into words how much I loved it--but I'll try :P After Michael left for his bachelor party (where he and his groomsmen created suits of armor and weapons out of cardboard and then beat the crap out of each other. And then they ate. And played videogames.) my maid of honor, Alex, and her sister/one of my bridesmaids, Carrie, arrived and set up my house (I had to hide upstairs during this time). They hung pretty red fans from the ceiling, put a "kiss the stud" on the door, laid out my "bride-to-be" accessories (and Alex's maid of honor button), propped up a couple of foam swords, and set up a Princess Bride themed table (including a bowl of peanuts-"anybody want a peanut", resurrection pills-peanut "Buttercup" truffles, and Once Upon a Vine wine bottles with goblets and signs denoting "Iocane Powder" or "Poison Free"--for the nonalcoholic beverages :P) with everything we needed for our "Once Upon a Murder Mystery" game! There were color coded envelopes for the clues for the rounds, a full on tri-fold with information (and more Princess Bride quotes!), and colored masks and character descriptions for all of us! I got put into my accessories (and ordered that I would be "hazed" if I took them off lol) and we goofed around a bit until my other 2 bridesmaids came (sans my cousin Emily who couldn't make it because she lives in NYC)- Shannan (Michael's sister) and my friend Angela. Then we went to dinner at this great place that's 5 minutes from my house (and I'd never been there! I totally am going to have to take Michael soon) and we all ate and a few of us had cocktails and it was just fun and silly (due to my "accessories"). Then we returned home and got into character (thanks to Alex's supply of like 40 different lipsticks) and played the game! Which was super fun! We also played "The Newlywed Game"--Alex had previously came over and recorded Michael's answers and then if I got a question right I got a prize (underwear, a bride robe to get ready in the day of, gift cards, handcuffs...etc. lol) and if i got it wrong I got a "consequence" (answering a "bride's dirty little secrets" question...or 4, or playing adult wedding mad libs). That was SUCH a great idea and I loved it :) It was sort of fun whether I got questions right or wrong! And then we played "Kiss the Stud"...lol. We giggled and goofed around and were silly and I got handcuffed and it was perfect. Then Angela had to go home and the rest of us watched 27 dresses before going to sleep. The next morning Alex and I made breakfast and we visited for a bit before everyone left. And that was my party--I wouldn't change one second of it. :) All my girls made it so special for me but Alex especially put in so much time and effort to make it perfect for me and I'm so lucky that she's my best friend. :) (And if you want to see a brief video of our fun check out the vid I shared on my instagram here).--it's from right before we played Kiss the Stud.

Memorial Day Michael and I went to my Grandma's for the first pool party of the year and that's always fun-I even made a tasty new cookie recipe that was a hit! I'll share it with you all in a week or two :P

And then this week was just a normal, get-stuff-done kind of week. Yesterday we went over to Michael's brother and sister-in-law's house and finalized all the DJ stuff (aaaand we all-including his other brother and his gf-went to get some froyo!) And today Michael and I both have to work :(

Blackberry Lavender Cocktail-Guest Post with Blahnik Baker

Hi friends!! Since my life is sorta full-on wedding crazed mode I asked a few of my bloggy friends to help me out and rustle up some guest posts for you to read! And you are in for a TREAT! Zainab from Blahnik Baker has posted over here once before and you all LOVED her (I mean..how could you not-she's such a sweetie!) Not only is she busy running her own blog but she's also preggers! And yet she still said she would give me a hand-now that is friendship! Plus...she's sharing a cocktail. Yeah! I'm so happy that there's finally a cocktail on this blog! Take it away my friend <3

Hello Cooking actress readers!! I’m Zainab from Blahnik Baker and I am so excited to be here again today sharing a recipe with you. When Kayle asked us to help with the blog as she prepares for her upcoming nuptials, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to celebrate her and Michael’s wedding. Nothing says celebration like a good ole cocktail…. a refreshing, summer berry cocktail to be exact. That’s why I am bringing her and you this Blackberry Lavender Cocktail. Let’s toast the soon-to-be newly weds :)

Wholesome and Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies-Guest Post at Golden Barrel

I know.

Those cookies.

You can hardly even read this right now, can you? All you can think about is how to make these cookies enter your life. And do not fret-we'll get to that! First, I have to share some news with you!

I'm going to, on an occasional basis, be sharing recipes over on Golden Barrel's blog (Golden Barrel is a company, based out of Lancaster, PA, that creates baking products such as mixes, molasses, coconut oil, sugars, etc.--I talked a bit about them when I posted these delicious cookies back in January.)

These cookies are the first of those recipes!

Golden Barrel makes such an amazing variety of products that I knew I wanted to use a few of them in a recipe: so I used their raw sugar and molasses (to form a sort of extra delicious, un-refined, dark brown sugar) as well as their coconut oil (which completely replaces the butter, making these cookies dairy free and a bit healthier!) And these cookies could not have turned out better!

Even though they're made with coconut oil instead of butter-you do NOT taste the coconut at all and the texture is still so perfectly gooey and chewy and wonderful! The flavor is insane-they taste super high quality and they're the tastiest cookies I've made in a long time. Seriously...I could gush about how tasty they are for a LONG time, but why don't you just go check out the post and read about it there? And, while you're at it, get the recipe so you can make them for yourselves and see HOW GOOD they are!