A Christmas weekend full of wedding gifts!

December 29th, 2010

Mr. Dial and I spent the week leading up to Christmas in my hometown – Harrisburg, IL.

Not only was our visit full of time with family, friends and enjoying too much food…we also used up all of our giftcards from our wedding registries at Durham’s Hardware and DreamBaskets. SO much fun!

On top of that, we also had the opportunity to unwrap a few late arrival wedding gifts!

Philip and I LOVE art. We own several pieces of original art and have a handful of prints from Hatch Show. (We buy one for every show we see at The Ryman!) We’re excited to say that we have a beautiful new piece of original art to add to our collection…a picture of us on our wedding day from friend and artist Chelsea DeVillez:

This painting is inspired by her “hat lady” art. It’s nearly as tall as I am! We didn’t know whether or not we’d have a wall empty enough for it, but we found the perfect spot. It’s hanging directly above my glass-encased brooch bouquet. I’ve known Chelsea since kindergarten. We have a long, beautiful history of friendship. Although we live hours away from each other and don’t get to visit often, we get together and it’s like no time has passed. Chels, we’re so grateful for this unique, personal, heartfelt gift. SUCH a conversation piece. Thank you!

We received another piece of art from cousin Beth on my mom’s side of the family. Thankfully we don’t have to find a wall to display this one.

Beth created a lovely handmade quilt for us! I feel like quilting is becoming a lost art. I have a few handmade quilts that have been handed down to me and I’m so happy to have this quilt that was made just for us. I know it will provide warmth and comfort for many years to come. (We’ve already used it a few times these past few days!) Beth, thank you for sharing your quilting talent with us and gifting us with this treasured handmade piece.

From our friends Loyd and Deeann, we received a beautiful silver cake stand and candy dish: (This isn’t a photo of the exact gift…unfortunately between the Christmas clutter and bad lighting I couldn’t shoot a photo I liked…but this resembles the cake stand closely!)

We’ve been friends with Loyd and Deeann for about 3 years now, I think. (Time flies!) We were in small group together at Journey until they moved to Atlanta shortly after their wedding last year. Read all about Deeann and Loyd’s wedding here. Thank you two for these beautiful entertaining pieces! So pretty! Now I just need to make a bundt cake or something so I can show it off.

What a Christmas! We’re so blessed with the friends and family we have. It’s hard to believe Christmas has come and gone and 2011 is almost here. More wedding goodness on the way!!

Posted in love, reflection, travel |

The best chili recipe. EVER.

December 28th, 2010

Maybe you have a better one. My parents’ chili recipe is pretty darn good…nonetheless…we think this is a delicious chili recipe and had to share!

Anyway, becoming Mrs. Dial also means becoming a better cook. (I think I just heard Mr. Dial shout “Amen”.)

After moving away from home and cooking for no one but myself for nearly 5 years, I was lucky to bake some chicken, heat up some canned green beans or whip up a healthy salad for myself. Now that I’m hitched, (and we have all these fancy kitchen gadgets and cookbooks!), I’ve really been branching out in an effort to try more unique, healthy, home-cooked recipes…which brings us to this evening’s meal - Springfield Chili.

We’ve been talking about cooking up some chili since back in October and finally decided it was time to get down to business and do this. I found this recipe on cookinglight.com. Although it took about an hour to prepare and cook overall, it was totally worth it.

Springfield Chili

Ingredients

1 bacon slice, finely chopped
2 1/4 cups finely chopped onion, divided (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound coarsely ground turkey breast
1/2 pound coarsely ground sirloin
1 (12-ounce) can beer (such as Budweiser)
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Oyster crackers (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 2 cups onion; cover and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Uncover and stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; add turkey and sirloin to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add beer; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 7 minutes). Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 1 cup chili into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with 4 teaspoons cheese and 2 teaspoons onion. Serve with crackers, if desired.

We hope you enjoy! Have a favorite chili recipe? Please share with us!

Posted in cooking |

Bridesmaid Stephanie’s beautiful Chicago bridal shower

December 27th, 2010

So this post is incredibly behind. Imagine that. *smirk* Refer to this post for my excuses.

Back in late July, I had the honor of being a part of my bridesmaid Stephanie’s bridal shower. Talk about an event! Wow! The Greeks know how to throw down! The shower was at the University of Chicago’s Quadrangle Club in the Hyde Park area. Thanks to Stephanie’s sister’s fiance, Chris (who is also the Executive Chef for the Quad Club), we got an incredible deal on the food and the event space.

(Hey, it pays to know people. And a wedding is always a great time to look for those kinds of hook-ups. People are usually willing to help…so long as you don’t make a habit of asking…)

The Quad Club was beautifully decorated by the bridesmaids (Kudos to sister Mindy for the beautiful flower arrangements and crafty eye!), although all I really did was tie bows around the wine buckets and help with a few finishing touches…so I can’t take much credit!

Not a detail was overlooked! The flowers, the favors, the pink wine (my fave!), the adorable napkins…it was all so elegant and perfect. Thanks again to Stephanie for choosing me to be a part of your wedding party. Stephanie and Kyle’s wedding is coming up next!

Posted in events, inspiration, travel, wedding party |

December 20th, 2010

I’m humbled and excited all at the same time to tell you that THE Ashley of AshleysBrideGuide.com has asked Mrs. Dial (yours truly) to be on the panel of experts for The Smart Bride: A Wedding Planning Bootcamp! How cool?!

Although Ashley has not yet announced all the panelists, I DO know that Little Spoon over at Big Spoon, Little Spoon is a panelist as well. Can’t wait to see who else is joining us for this event.

The Smart Bride is a 4-week wedding planning workshop designed to help you get smart! Instead of grabbing bridal magazines and heading to bridal shows, get the inside scoop before you go. The class is designed to help you determine your style and budget and understand critical questions and obstacles. Registration is FREE for a limited time, so reserve your seat today at http://smartbridenashville.eventbrite.com/.

Hope to see you there!

Posted in events |

Happy birthday Mr. Dial!

December 17th, 2010

(Thanks to Little Spoon for sending over this photo from their 10-10-10 wedding!)

Greetings friends and family! As you’ve probably suspected, my head has been stuck in the ground these past few months as I’ve been working on a handful of projects for my businesses. The exciting thing is, several upcoming events are VERY applicable to you, so stay tuned for those updates!

Of course I had to make sure I posted today to commemorate Philip’s birthday. Just 29 years ago, Charlie and Laura welcomed their 4th child, an amazing man who would one day become my husband.

If you want to know a few of the reasons I’m crazy about this man, make sure you read my “Ode To Philip” entries:

Ode to Philip #1 – He rescues kittens.
Ode to Philip #2 – He makes everything fun.
Ode to Philip #3 – He’s helping me toilet train my cats. (We totally gave up on this, by the way. Turns out getting 2 cats toilet trained while also trying to move to a new home is NOT a good situation.)

Of course some of these “odes” are cute and silly and all…but no blog post, description, conversation, etc. can truly encapsulate what makes me so wildly in love and completely captivated with him.

Philip, you’re my best friend. You tore down a little wall I’d build around my heart and made me okay with being vulnerable again. I could write an endless amount of odes to you and never fully paint what makes you so special to me.

As we celebrate your birthday today, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for choosing me to spend your future with. Thank you for being a man I respect and honor. I look forward to many more wonderful years of dreaming about our future, learning more about each other and enjoying this journey with you.

Tags: Philip | Posted in love |