Hello Bear Lovers!

Hello there ‘Happy Thoughts’ followers!  As I am sure you all know Mrs. Bear is on her way to a tropical paradise for a much deserved Spring break and from the sounds of it–pretty much everything (with the exception of a cruddy flight to Memphis) has gone off without a hitch for them!  I got a text message from Mrs. Bear just a bit ago and they are safe and sound in Miami:)  So we wish the Bear’s a HAPPY, HAPPY Spring break and in the mean time I, Mrs. Cook will be keeping you company as a guest blogger until Tuesday!  I’m super excited and hope that you’ll keep visiting as I think of interesting things to write and blog about each day:)

So how do I know Mrs. Bear you may ask??  My husband and I photographed the Bear’s wedding back in 2009!  I actually met Mrs. Bear when she found me in 2008, while searching for a wedding photographer.  In the year before her wedding and the almost two years since their wedding, we’ve become great friends and i heart her. 

So now about ME…well…I am a 28 y.o. lover of Jesus, food, fashion, makeup, my doggie, photography, and my husband Brandon {I should mention that, that list is NOT in order;o)}.  Up until about 3.5 months ago I was a Floridian living in one of the most beautiful places in the world–Gulf Breeze, FL (about 45 minutes from Destin, where the Bear’s got married!).  I had left my full time job as the Education Services Specialist at a non-profit back in August of 2010 and gone back to school to pursue another degree in Nursing.  I LOVED school and LOVED my life back at home but wouldn’t you know it, my husband got a job that moved us to Texas.  Oh and I should mention…I use the term “Texas” loosely…we live in South Texas (we call in Mexas or Texico) about 10 minutes from the Mexican border.  So we moved here to South Texas in January and after a few months of getting used to the adjustment and learning what to do with my time everyday (now that I don’t work out of the home or go to school), I am happy to call myself a full-time housewife who loves a clean house, a happy puppy (who gets walked everyday), and lovely meals that make my husband smile when he gets home from work.  Oh!  I should show you some pictures of us:

Phoebe & I:

Mr. Cook (doesn’t love me snapping photos of him when he’s relaxing on the couch but oh well;):

And Us in front of an old building in our new downtown (we’re the ants at the bottom of the picture):

So that’s me and my life right now in a nut shell!  I’m super excited to be posting for Mrs. Bear for the next 5 days and I hope you’ll like what I have planned.  I thought i’d start today by posting on what’s been on my mind the most in the last few days: getting ready for Easter!!  Easter in April 24th this year, which just happens to be my birthday and I am super excited to cook a big meal and set a beautiful table.  Even though it’ll just be Mr. Cook and I, I still want to carry on the traditions of back home as if we were eating with family!  So in preperation I have pulled together from my linen closet what I think will be my Easter tablescape!  Everything on the table was stuff I already had or stuff I have bought in the recent weeks at Marshalls or Hobby Lobby for cheap, cheap, cheap.  I hope you like it and it will inspire you to pull together something for you and your sweetie or even YOU if you are a single gal this Easter! 

Straight on view of the table



A view from the side



Pink pastel plates from Marshalls, White Dansk plate (everyday plates that we got when we married almost 7 years ago!), yellow napkins from Williams Sonoma (clearance table), chargers from pier 1 (clearance), little juice/wine glasses (Marshalls)

Notice how the place is set, my mother-in-law taught me the correct way to do this–I was doing it wrong for YEARS!

My centerpiece!  A cake stand I got as a gift one Christmas (from Marshalls), an egg wreath that I bought for a dollar at Target, and a small hurricane (from Marshalls) filled with green paper “grass,” and an old candle!



I had this little decoration set up on my kitchen counter and what did I decide to do with all of those lemons??




Make lemonade of course!  Lemonade is a great, refreshing spring drink to serve with Easter dinner! And what are my plans for dinner?  I’m not sure yet…Mr. Cook has requested lamb…but as a lover of ham…I’m just not sure!  Thank goodness I still have a little over a week to think about it!  I will definitely use this great resource to formulate menu ideas though…http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/menu/festive-easter-dinner.html?cm_re=041411-_-menu-_-easter_dinner_menu&cm_src=hplink So here are some questions for you: Have you thought about what you are going to make for Easter dinner this year? Will you cook Easter dinner or will you be celebrating with family? I’m hoping this has in some way inspired you to get festive with YOUR Easter celebration!  Come back tomorrow for an update on the Bear’s tropical getaway and my review of a couple of great products I picked up at Sephora!