3 years!

I can't believe it's been 3 years since I became a Mrs.! It's been a hard 3 years: moving 13 hours away from home and having Joe in law school, but they have also been the most amazing ones! I am so happy with my sweet Joe and cannot wait to see where the future takes us! We had so much fun celebrating our anniversary in our new town! We live on the most fun street in Albany, and have tons of restaurants and bars right outside our door. Can't wait to explore some more!

I never did a real recap of our wedding, so I hope you enjoy these special pictures!

The programs my mom and I made!

My sweet mama and I after getting ready

My beautiful girls!

 The silly boys!

Seriously, I have the most beautiful friends ever!

Our precious flower girls!

 I was SO obsessed with my gorgeous bouquet of pale pink peonies, cream colored roses, and white hydrangea. I'd love to have a replica someday! (hint, hint Joe :) )

The pretty bridesmaids' bouquets

One of my most favorite parts about weddings is watching the groom's face as he sees his bride coming down the aisle. I cherish this picture SO much. I was so overwhelmed coming into the church, so I'm so glad I have this picture to forever remember my sweet groom's face as he saw me for the first time!

The most beautiful wedding party I've ever seen!

I can never get tired of looking at the pictures of our reception! It is so much fun to see your hard work come into fruition, and our reception was exactly what I had always dreamed of!

Vintage milkglass collected by my grandmother and I! Loved how it all turned out. 

Monograms everywhere!

Lots of really sweaty, drunken fun! ;)

Our "exit" with glowsticks! SO much fun!

Our wedding was so amazingly perfect, and I couldn't believe how surrounded with love we were. It was so wonderful having everyone we love all in the same place. Wish we could do it all over again!

Happy Anniversary, Joe! Can't wait to see what the future holds for us! 

Weekend Links

A few of my favorite finds from this past week:

A great tutorial at the House of Ernest on arranging your grocery store blooms into a beautiful bouquet.

I've been anxiously waiting on Katie's nursery reveal on The Good Stuff, and I am so in love! Her little boy is going to love his new room so much. I love that it's sophisticated and so not babyish!

Can you believe Ashley and Greg from 7th House on the Left found this gorgeous table on the side of the road? They fixed it up and it is absolutely gorgeous. What a great find!

Saw this beautiful bedroom on Apartment Therapy and I love everything about it! I'm dying for an upholstered headboard like that, and I love the pop of orange.

Y'all. If you aren't reading Taylor's blog, It's the Little Things, you need to start. Her Coffee Talk posts are HILARIOUS.

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Happy Weekend!! 

We are officially all moved into our loft in Albany, but things are CRAZY! I will try and post some pictures tomorrow after I can sort through all of our crap everywhere!

Spring Skin Renewal

Michelle, a Spa Manager from Upstate New York, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in sharing some of her skincare secrets in a post. I was so excited to learn how to make this avocado mask after the cold and dry winter made a mess of my poor skin and hair. Can't wait to pamper myself this weekend! Hope you enjoy!

Spring Skin Renewal

Summer, with it's golden rays begging us to play outside, usually gets the most attention when it comes to skincare.  We're advised to slather on the SPF every time we expose ourselves to the sun and to keep hydrated inside and out to keep our skin looking it's best.  Winter, however, is actually the harshest season on our skin.  All day long we're going out into the bitter cold and then tucking ourselves away indoors with artificial heat keeping us warm and drying us out.  Spring is the perfect time to replenish dry, tired skin and get it ready for the warm months ahead.  For moms on a budget, a visit to the spa may be out of reach, but there is plenty of pampering to be had at home.  Even better, these low cost ingredients are just what Mother Nature ordered to give your skin that spring ready glow.

What you need:

1 ripe avocado (Make sure the one you choose can be pressed gently and doesn't have any visible brown spots).

3 tablespoons honey

Instructions:

Cut your avocado in half, and remove the smooth green flesh into a bowl.  Wrap up the other half for later, or drizzle some honey on it and treat your little ones to a healthy snack!

Mash the avocado with a fork until smooth, and then stir in honey.

For the most refreshing treatment, put this mask into the fridge for about ten minutes to let it cool slightly.  While you are waiting, pull your hair completely back, bangs and all.  Apply mask to your face liberally, and leave on for at least ten minutes. Remove with a warm, damp cloth.

Avocado has beneficial oils that are deeply nourishing to both skin and hair while honey is a true powerhouse of antioxidants and skin aging busters.  Both ingredients can be used alone but combining them gives your skin a true luxury treatment.

If no one in your house loves to eat avocado, you can use the other half to create a treatment for your hair.  Use the same method of mashing your avocado, but leave out the honey and add in one half ripe banana instead. Add in one tablespoon of your favorite cooking oil, olive or coconut are best, and mix very well.  Give your arm a good workout whipping these ingredients for at least 60 seconds.  Apply to freshly washed, towel-dried hair either from root to tip for a whole head treatment or just to the tips if you prefer.  A shower cap applied over the mask will keep your surroundings nice and clean, but if you don't have one fake it with some plastic wrap.  This mask does it's best work if you leave it on for 15 minutes or more.  Rinse thoroughly, making sure you get all the nourishing goop out of your hair, and then style as usual.

Michelle Pino, is a Spa Manager at Skana, a spa in upstate New York at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY.  She enjoys DIY projects, healthy recipes, exercise, and all things related to skin care. If you have any comments or questions feel free to contact Michelle via email at michellepino@turningstone.com.

Thanks SO much, Michelle!