I actually made this last summer, and now that berries are about to be in season again, I wanted to share this recipe for Almond Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce (or berry of your choice). Blackberries happened to be on sale the day I made mine. The cheesecake is rather light, I think because it calls for yogurt. I was liberal with the almonds because I love them and wanted to add some nutritional value (lol). I highly recommend!

My fiancé and I went to New Orleans a few weekends ago for Jazzfest, and it was an amazing trip.  My favorite part was seeing Jimmy Buffett in concert - checked that one off the bucket list.  He did an acoustic set on Thursday, which is the least crowded day of Jazzfest.  It was such a great show.  He’s so charming and funny and laid-back.  We also saw the Eagles on Saturday - also a very great show.  They still sound great in concert.  Jazzfest was so crowded on Saturday.  If you only have one day to go, I recommend going on a Thursday. 

We also spent a lot of time downtown, and here are my favorite things, all of which are near Jackson Square in the French Quarter:

1. Margaritaville – The second floor bar has tire swings that you can sit on.  It’s really cool, and their frozen margaritas were awesome (naturally).  Like the best margaritas I’ve ever had.  We were there around 1pm, and no one was at that bar yet, so we sat in the swings for 3 hours.  We could have been a little more productive with our time, but it was hot out.
2. Pat O’Brien’s – This is a famous piano bar, but it’s crowded.  We had to wait about 20 min to get a seat in the piano section; however, they also have a bar and a courtyard area that was much less crowded and you can still hear the music.  
3. Beignets!!!  How could I say no to fried dough and powdered sugar??
4. The French Quarter Market – It is like the open air market in Charleston – lots of handmade items.

I ate so much food - crab po’ boys, roast beef po’ boys, roasted duck po’ boys, beignets, jambalya, gumbo, crawfish rotini, wine cake…and I was only there for 3 days.

Photos: L: Jimmy Buffett; R: Pat O’Briens; B: St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square

My fiancé and I declared this summer the “Summer of Hats”.  We went to New Orleans (loved it) a few weeks ago, and everyone there wears hats.  We were so enamored with the hats, that we wore them for a few of our engagement photos (coming soon).  Now I am on the look-out for more affordable hats to block the shade from my pale face.

I picked up some more Paton’s Grace yarn ages ago and finally finished these ruffled baby hats.  They are sized to fit sizes 0-6 months.  I think the yarn colors are Lotus and Lemon Lime.  I am working on another set in Azure and Lavender, which is actually an ombre yarn that blends from blue to white to purple.  They will be in the shop soon!

Bridesmaids gifts :)

I made a list of DIY projects that I am considering for our wedding. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew, and I may not even make a DIY project for each of these. But I am at least going to investigate the options. I picked projects that (1) are within my realm of expertise or skill set; (2) I have some kind of experience with; or (3) can practice before the big day. (Good things to keep in mind.)

1. Flowers: I have made my bouquets as a bridesmaid twice before, and they were awesome. I have not made one in 3 years, but this is something that I could practice months in advance with some supplies from the craft store and a cheap bunch of flowers from the grocery store. This project has the potential to save the most $$, too. Did you know that bridal bouquets cost at least $200??
2. Invitations: There are so many options for downloading and printing your own invitations nowadays. We are definitely doing this.
3. Cupcake stands: We are serving cupcakes and will need cupcake stands like these. Fortunately, my mom has some supplies in her glass yard art project collection. So, this is a definite do.
4. Centerpieces: Our venue is gorgeous and does not require a lot of extra decoration, which is one reason of many that we chose it. They provide tea lights, hurricane vases with candles, and mirrored tiles. We could pay $3.00/person more for fresh flowers at each table, but I am going to see if we can find a cheaper alternative. I want something small, simple, and elegant so that people can converse at dinner without being distracted by a huge centerpiece.
5. Groom’s wedding gift: I have to keep this a secret in case my fiancé reads the blog. So, I’ll reveal this after the wedding.
6. Favors: I don’t get the point of favors. Of all the weddings I have been to, I only remember one favor. My fiancé’s sister had little s’mores supplies as her favor, and it was really cute and personal. So, I am still debating the merits of favors and trying to see if we can get away without having favors.
7. Becoming Jane bridal headband: This is the lowest priority in the grand scheme of wedding planning, but I would be so excited if it works out. I saw the movie Becoming Jane for the first time last weekend, and Anne Hathaway wore this awesome pearl headband (or maybe it’s little beads?). I cannot find anything similar online yet, so I may have to try to figure out how to make my own.

Ok, now that I have made it through the major crunch of wedding planning, I can begin blogging regularly again and paying more attention to my etsy shop. Side note: OMG I have not added anything new to my shop in over a month. I like to think that my shop is always a work in process, but I am way behind in what I had planned to accomplish in 2012.

I am planning to do a blog series on DIY wedding topics during my engagement because I already learned a few lessons in the past 3 weeks. I think this will be helpful even if you don’t have that ring on your finger yet or are still looking for the right man, have already been a bride, or do not even care to be a bride. It’s good information to have handy if you want to help out someone who is planning a wedding and maybe seems a little frazzled and needs a little bit of extra help so she/he can throw a fabulous party.

I will also blog about how to get creative with your wedding budget. My fiancé and I are very cost conscious, and so we came up with a wedding planning strategy that reflects that. So, I will also share tips on how to work with your budget so that you get the most value out of your choices. Keep in mind that we live in the DC area, which is the 2^nd most expensive wedding venue area – yeesh.  But fortunately, our tips can be applied in lower cost areas.

I saw Hunger Games in IMAX! on Saturday, and I loved it.  I thought it was really well done, and I say “Bravo!”.  I just wanted to see more of everything.  More Effie Trinket, more Haymitch, more of Cinna’s gold eyeliner, more Katniss/Peeta love(?) scenes, more dejected Gale cutaways, more Caesar Flickman updates, and more of Seneca Crane’s beard (it’s really fascinating).  Except I thought there was enough violence.

I got really annoyed during the movie.  I sat next to this couple, and the girl had read the book but her date had not.  So, she whispered to him each time something was different from the book.  Come on!  Then, the people behind me cackled at the most inappropriate times (kid violence and dejected Gale looks - well, I can see how those would be funny.)

I received a sewing machine on the same day I got engaged - it is my future mother-in-law’s old machine.  Once I get all this wedding planning business out of the way, I am going to learn how to use this thing.  I found an online class here that looks like fun.  Now, will I really have time to spend learning how to sew before September 8?

In other news, we booked our date (9/8), venue, and photographer in 2 weeks.  We also semi-finalized the guest list, and I ordered my dress - woo woo!  Busy 2 weeks.  For the most part we have been very decisive in our choices. 

I am winning my bracket!!  I am not a huge basketball fan, but I pick things up here and there during the season if Sports Center is on in the background.  So, on Friday morning I was looking at my bracket and wondering why oh why did I have Missouri losing to Florida and thinking that I made a mistake…which has totally paid off.  Also, no one thought NC State would make it to the Sweet 16, and I took a gamble on that one.  Hah!