Flank Steak Pinwheels & A Long Weekend

Happy Friday! I'm so glad summer-and memorial weekend- is here! Its time for a long weekend spent with family and friends and my super cute fiance. YAY! We are headed to Big Ol' Lubbock, TX to spend time with my fave people. I can't wait for cookouts, pedicures, and time at the pool. I will be back on Tuesday with more bloggy goodness. Until then, I leave you with a fantabulous recipe that we had for dinner last night (the grilling madness continues!)
Enjoy and have a happy Memorial weekend! 

XO
-L 

PS- Don't forget to thank a veteran or service member of the military- this weekend is for us to remember their sacrifice and service. A special WOOT to Dustin Trammel (Laine's hubby) and Randall Markham (Laine's little brother)- My 2 fave military men! Thank you for all you guys do!

Meaty little yummies before going on the grill!

FLANK STEAK PINWHEELS
(Recipe via Eatingwell.com)

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil, package should say ready to eat...)
1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons light herbed cheese spread (we used a wedge of Laughing Cow Garlic Cheese)
1 cup baby spinach
Steak Seasoning (we Love Swamp Venom from The Dizzy Pig-YUM!) 

PREPARATION
Preheat grill to high.

Meanwhile, place steak between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound each side of the steak thoroughly with the pointed side of a meat mallet until the steak is an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Season the steak liberally (on both sides) with the Swamp Venom (or steak seasoning.)
Rub garlic all over one side of the steak. Spread cheese lengthwise in a 3-inch-wide strip down the middle of the steak. Top with the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Starting at one edge of a long side, roll the steak up tightly, tucking in the filling as you go. Turn the roll so the overlapping edge is on top. Push 8 skewers, evenly spaced, through the roll, close to the overlapping edge to hold the roll together. Slice the roll into 8 equal portions, roughly 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, with a skewer in each. Lay the slices on their sides and push the skewer through so it sticks out about 1 inch.
Oil the grill rack (with PAM for grilling.) Grill the pinwheels 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Use a spatula when turning them to prevent too much filling from falling out. (Don't worry if the ends of the skewers burn. They will still hold the pinwheels together.) Remove the skewers; let the pinwheels rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

We served with Sweet potatoes and sauteed spinach- healthy and yummy!

Don't be Tardy for the Cardi

BTW, that title is awesome. That one's for you, G.

My all time favorite piece of clothing is a cardigan (people who know me are rolling their eyes right now, because I wear one 5 days out of 7...at least.) I tried to leave the house this morning without one on and I kinda felt like I left my arm behind. Sad. I asked G if I could wear one with my wedding dress, and he said no. Ok, maybe a wedding cardi is going a bit overboard, but I will never stop adding to my beloved collection (dammit!) I have them in almost every color-I got one in the most lovely shade of coral-y pink this weekend. But something still eludes my collection: patterned cardis. They've been cropping up around the blogosphere and (oddly) I have yet to jump on the bandwagon. So, here are my pics for the best patterned and printed cardis hanging around- be prepared to join my wardrobe!

XO
-L

1. Favorite Crew Neck Cardi in Leopard via Boden
    (Dear fashion gods, please send me this for my birthday. Pretty please!! :)
2. Featherweight Lynx Bling Button Cardigan via J Crew
3. Cooperative Printed Cardigan via Urban Outfitters
4. Rise and Fall Cardigan via Anthropologie
5. Button Bin Cardi via Anthro
6. Oasis Heart Cardigan via Asos
7. Wild and Wondrous Cardigan via Anthropologie
   (Yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with this one too...)

And here's a dose of random for your Thursday...

SO PUMPED about the new Ray Bans G surprised me with yesterday! Thank you honey!
SO SWEET!!!

G also informed me that there are not enough pics of Calvin on the blog...so here you go...
I know everyone thinks this about their fur babies, but he is seriously the cutest dooger in the whole world!

Todays Letters & Building Your Best Marriage

The Loerke's (aren't they cute? I'm just sayin...)
Images via Todays Letters

On this little blog I talk a lot about crafting, fashion, food, design and wedding goodness. I love all of these things, and find creative inspiration and passion in them. But sometimes you have to talk about the really important stuff too. With all of the work that goes into the wedding planning, I am also always thinking of ways to make not only the wedding amazing, but the marriage that comes with it amazing and wonderful as well. I love gathering insight into other people's relationships and marriages and truly feel the more I learn, the more I can devote to making ours the best possible.

My sweet friend Laine introduced me to a blog called Todays Letters that has become such an inspiration to me. The Loerke's have been married for 5 years and live right here in Dallas (woot!) And, while I don't know them personally, I love starting each day with a wonderful little post about their lives and love. I was especially touched by this post: 10 Things That Have Made All the Difference. I am such a fan of making sure we say how much we love each other everyday and love finding ways to show G that I'm his biggest fan. I can't wait to incorporate some of these lovely things into our relationship. I'm buying a journal today for #3!

I love love love you G! You are always the best part of my day and I am truly-incredibly-crazy lucky to get to marry my BFF and partner in crime.

XO
-L

Scrabble Favors. G E N I U S

Image by Julie Wan via Project Wedding

I've mentioned before that G and I love us some Words with Friends (scrabble for the iPhone.) We are constantly in the middle of a game, and, I'm not gonna lie, some trash-talking may be involved. So imagine my gasp of sheer joy (so dramatic) when I came across these ADORABLE Scrabble magnet wedding favors. Housed in little tins, each set spells out a four letter word related to love. And its something my guests may actually use! G and my mom keep saying I need to stop adding DIY projects to my long list of wedding to-do's, but I'm really thinking I can't resist making these. Stay tuned...

Get the full DIY here. 

XO
-L 

Nesting

Good Friday morning! I am so excited that this weekend is here! I got to see my parents last night, and G and I are headed down to Austin this weekend to see my bestest girlfriends for a little reunion and to celebrate my friend Taylor's graduation from PA school. I'm so proud of her! And, to top all of this goodness off, I received our custom ring bowl from Paloma's Nest in the mail yesterday. Its beautiful and I can't wait to use it on our special day. I hope you all have lovely weekends!

XO
-L