Fall Apple Coleslaw & a Yummy Strawberry Sangria

 

Hello my Friends! 

Happy TGIF Eve. I hope your week has been treating you right so far. 

Today has felt extra cozy around here. It's been rainy on and off. It's a little cooler. And thanks to my dear friend Billie Jo I had a Dunkin Pumpkin Spice Latte today (& some treats for me and my people). I won a gift card on a giveaway at her blog Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea.. We are such kindred spirits in all things Autumn. So it felt like a double hug today. Thanks Billie Jo! 

Today from Carrie's cozy kitchen I thought I'd share this yummy Fall inspired coleslaw I made for a family gathering recently. I also made a big pitcher of yummy sangria that I thought you might enjoy the recipe for as well. 

First up the coleslaw. A great side dish for late summer/Fall time. It's cold crisp and has things like apple chunks and dried cranberry to give it an Autumn kick. I served it with brats we made on the grill. Bu I also think this would be so good with slow cooker BBQ pulled pork sammy's that you might make with an apple BBQ sauce or something like that. 

The recipe is pinned under my pinterest - but is found at the flavours of kitchen website and you can find it by clicking here: creamy apple slaw with cranberry

I liked this slaw recipe because it had lots of yummy veggies in it and it's made with a dressing with creamy healthier high protein greek yogurt as its base. It was so good. Look at all those pretty veggies + apple + cranberry + sliced almonds. It was so crunchy, creamy, dijony (that's a word right?) and just downright tasty. Give it a go! 

And to wash it all down how's about a lovely pitcher of sangria? I love wine anyways - but add in some fruit and I'm all in! I found the recipe at www.simplywhisked.com 

It was so fruity and refreshing. I'm sure you could make this more Fall inspired too and add in some apple liquor and apple chunks instead. 

I found this big hobnail glass pitcher at an antique store many years ago and it's been a favorite of mine forever. I had just started to fill it and had to take a pic because I thought the pitcher was so pretty. 

The only things I changed compared to the recipe is I threw in some blueberries too. And I topped it off with some lemon mineral water. To fill my pitcher I doubled the wine and almost doubled the rest of the ingredients too. It was just the right amount for the crowd I had. 

Enjoy! 

xoxo

Wednesday Wonder: sneak peek👰🏼🌼💛

 

The dress:

There was a hiccup with the dress I had initially shared a peek of on here. And it was far more gown than I wanted. This one is perfect and still vintage in feel. 

The headpiece I'll wear:

My bouquet:

Annie has a small bouquet to match mine. She will be wearing a long navy sundress - it's so pretty.

The wedding gift Matt got me: these diamonds that match my ring and I'll be wearing them for our special day.  

I had given him the classy tag heurer watch he'd been dreaming on. 💕

Matt will be wearing something a lot like this: but his pants are dark navy and his shirt is light blue. He will do a gray vest. 

This is the tie he will wear:

Aaron will be wearing a light blue shirt and navy pants. Both guys will wear a sunflower and navy boutonniere:

I got these flower decorations and tulle to decorate the arch we will be married under:

This is our card box. It's hand carved wood and has the C & M medallion also carved in wood

The champagne flutes and engraved cake cutter/server:

Real sunflower seeds to plant as favors. Also, my girlfriend that is the most amazing cookie maker is baking monogrammed cookies as favors too. 

Our cake topper, as the Packers are what brought us together in the first place:

Instead of a guest book this will be on an easel with white sharpies for folks to sign. It's also hand carved wood:

This is a photo of our venue. If the weather is cooperative we will be married in that exact spot next to the trees along Lake Superior. It will be a small ceremony. Only 30 people there. And we have a strings duo (violin and viola) playing for the ceremony and cocktail hour (all outside - hopefully). And then the formal dinner in a dining hall. Then we'll all get in comfy clothes and play lawn games and sit by fire pits along the water. There will be s'more's kits. Hopefully it will be a lovely weather night under the stars hanging with our people. And we even ordered a late night french fry bar with multiple sauces. 😋

Don't worry - we have a plan B if bad weather (they have a lodge there)

No matter the weather or anything else, we know it will be an amazing day with our core people, and blessed by God, and that we will carry the sweet memories of it all the rest of our lives. 💝

I promise in the future I will also share photos after the wedding and further details then. Thank you, dear Blogland Besties, for being with me along this whole journey. Supporting me and cheerleading me on. I treasure you all and the friends you have come to be in my life. If I could I would have you all be there that day too! So I hope in some way it helps you feel a part of things too. 

xoxo

Happy Homemaker Monday (on a Tuesday)

Hello and happy September Friends! 🍎🍁

I can't believe we're here!! In our wedding month - yay!! To say we're getting excited, pumped, nervous butterflies ...well all would be an understatement. Lol Matt and I are both so thankful for it all though. And we just continue to say prayers of gratitude for being led to one another and to be blessed to start a new journey hand-in-hand and thrilled for our new beginning ahead. 🙏🏻😊

I hope you had a lovely weekend? We had the lovely long Labor Day holiday weekend here and spent it with Matt's folks up at the lake. That's why I'm not getting to this post until today. It's always so nice to connect with them and it's easy to see how much joy it brings them. His Mom always says holds us close and says how hard it is when we have to leave. But we treasure the time when we're there and we had fun kind of saying goodbye to summer. It gets chilly in the northwoods at night and early mornings now. So we knew it would be the final time of water activities. We went in the lake and swam and we pontooned - but the water is getting awfully cold now! We sat on the dock and caught some sun rays. We played games, went for walks, ate great food, watched movies. Just had a long restful weekend. And now we'll get to see them again soon enough when they drive up for the wedding! Also, they gave us our wedding gifts so they wouldn't have to haul them and one gift was a cornhole set! Lol I'd been telling Matt we should get one. Just one more fun competitive game we can play (& I can beat him at) 😉

*we told people not to get us anything though - we are blessed & need nothing and asked instead they donate to a wonderful cause in our name

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

I had sugar free iced coffee and tiny bit of pumpkin spice granola cereal

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

errands & mail packages, Matt haircut, my hair appointment, I might be doing dinner with a friend, wedding fittings, hospice work 

THINKING ABOUT:  

All things wedding - aaacckkk - it's so close now!! Tomorrow for Wednesday Wonder I may post some wedding sneak peeks - stay tuned!

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

It's sunny and I can hear how breezy it is outside. I'm listening to Celtic harp music (very soothing). Bubba is purring beside me. 

CURRENTLY READING

A Day that Changed Everything by Beth Moran (on my kindle)

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Bachelorette, HGTV shows, Big Brother, AGT, Emily in Paris (netflix), we are catching up on the last season of the Good Wife, also still watching Your Honor, and sometimes throw in another episode of The Walking Dead

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - 

TUESDAY -  blueberry wild rice brats on the grill (so good!) with now bun (less carbs), salad, the last green beans from our garden

WEDNESDAY - beef & broccoli stir fry over cauliflower rice

THURSDAY - errands and might be out for dinner?

FRIDAY -  grilled hot ham & cheese sandwiches with thinly slice apple and fig jam on them, fresh raw veggies & dip

 

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

play cornhole (😁), read, work on wedding things

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

Maybe I should make sure Matt has this info too? Lol 

FROM THE CAMERA:

The walks this past weekend were so lovely:

spotting more autumn moments in the northwoods!

The sun felt so good lounging on the dock:

And on the pontoon:

We enjoyed way too many good nibbles including easy apple dumplings I made to go with ice cream. And Matt's Mom made homemade egg rolls and homemade crab rangoon. She fried them and then kept them all warm in the oven. What a wonderful meal that was! 😋

And by last night back home sweet home

PRAYER LIST:

 For an end to the conflicts all over the world and anyone living in war & fear. Specials for the Israeli hostage families and for peace there. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence.  For anyone sick, suffering, in pain, fear, loneliness etc ... that God bring them comfort and peace. For His Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere and help the world find its way. For blessings on the marriage of Matthew and I coming up soon. And for safe travels and good health for all of our loved ones. 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

This household sure intends to do just that! 🌼💛 

I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.