Happy 2nd Birthday, Puppy!

As many of you know, I love celebrating anything. Especially birthdays. Maybe I tend to go a little overboard sometimes and I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I'm crazy. Although, I do think he secretly enjoys it! So anyways, with Vega's 2nd birthday approaching - I was busy running around and preparing for our mini-celebration. Josh was also coming home after spending a month in India for his job, so even more reason to celebrate!

Vega on the day we took her home!

On Vega's birthday eve, I made my first ever dog peanut butter cupcakes from a recipe I found on The Scrumptious Pumpkin. They were super easy to make and it was perfect because I already had most of the ingredients at home. I ended up using whole wheat flour and vegetable oil instead (as I didn't have canola oil) and ditching the cupcake liners. I also added a dash of peanut butter to the cupcake mix (the recipe only used it for the frosting). They turned out great and didn't taste too bad - yes, I took a bite!

And being the ridiculous dog pawrent that I am, I also made her a special birthday hat and banner (tutorials coming soon!). I set up her birthday display outside on our patio using the wooden crates from our wedding, along with a photo of Vega as a puppy and some of her favorite Milkbone treats. Vega is one lucky and loved pup!

We can't wait to post-celebrate with her other puppy pals later this summer!

The birthday dog!

DIY birthday hat and banner.

My happy girl and her homemade cupcake. Cupcake stand from Bed Bath & Beyond.

Peanut butter cupcake = great success!

The FourNest / Living Room Ideas

I've been (secretly) planning my next moves for redecorating and rearranging our living room. We spend most of our free time lounging around in this room, and while it serves its purpose and meets all of our needs, I've been dyyying to give it a makeover.

When we first put together our living room, we bought and selected pieces that we both liked, not really thinking about the space as a whole. I didn't originally have a specific vision in mind, because I was more focused on trying to furnish and finish the room as quickly as I could so that I could invite family and friends over. So now that I've had more time to rethink our living room palette, I realized that it's lacking some color. Josh and I both love neutral colors - white, gray, black, brown - you name it. Our leather couches are a deep espresso color and our coffee table, end tables, and media console are all black. I love color, but I seem to use it sparingly in my home decorating. We've had the same accents in our living room for a few years now - so I thought that it was time to give it a little splash of color!

With that in mind, the biggest things I'd want to do for the living room is find a colorful area rug or set of pillows, replace our coffee table, and add more decorative accent pieces. If we have enough space for it (insert: money), I'd also like to add a chair of some sort to put near our bay window. I already found the perfect coffee table to help tone down our dark couches and furniture from World Market ($229). I'm leaning towards decorating with an apple color, a few whitewashed frames, and mercury candle holders to complete the space. Hopefully in the next few months I'll have a before and after post to share!

Other decorative items from World Market.

Happy 30 Years

Today is my parents' 30th anniversary! My parents are both from the Philippines, and they met each other after being set up on a blind date. They married five years later in a gorgeous little church surrounded by close family and friends - and my dad paid for the entire wedding!

And towards the end of my wedding planning - and in the midst of being so caught up on every American tradition - I realized I didn't even have any of my families' culture tied into it. So leave it up to my dad to bring a little bit of Filipino tradition to the mix. Most men in the Philippines wear a barong to their wedding or formal events. My dad decided last minute to wear a barong for my ceremony, before he changed into a tuxedo for the reception.

My parents on their wedding day in the Philippines (1983) and my dad and I on my wedding day.

We decided to celebrate this past weekend with a lovely Sunday trip to a nearby winery! Living in Virginia, we are lucky to have so many amazing wineries within 30 minutes of each other. We decided to go to Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton - mainly because it is one of the closest wineries to us and it is dog-friendly. And it was such a gorgeous spring day, I couldn't imagine leaving Vega at home indoors! Vega's favorite pastime? Basking in the sun.

Look at that happy face!

Now that the wedding has been over (for awhile now), I've really looked forward to events like these where I get to plan and decorate all over again! I used mason jars, a whitewashed serving tray, and picture frames from my wedding. Remember my favorite cheese knives from my wedding registry post? Yes - those made an appearance again!

My favorite and most recent inexpensive purchase were the plastic crystal dishes that I got from the dollar store (and it was four dishes for $1!) - which I used for the fruit and nuts. 

I added a photo of my grandparents on their wedding day - their anniversary is the day before my parents. My grandmother lives in the Philippines, so it was a small tribute to her as well!

We purchased a few bottles of Chardonnay from the winery (delicious!) and I prepared some light appetizers and snacks beforehand. I purchased the off-white bouquets from Trader Joe's - which happens to have great flower deals every now and then. Overall, a relatively inexpensive little get together! And most importantly, we had so much fun spending time with my parents and family. And Vega was able to add another winery to her list! So far, she's been to two - can't wait to add more to it once the weather stays warm.

Sunshine and wine with my best friend. Skirt from Love Culture.

Favorites / Wedding Registry

Josh and I had been living together for a looong time before we got married, so we had most things that you would need to function in your home. So when we did get engaged, I was excited to be able to register for things that we normally wouldn't get or splurge on (such as a new set of everyday plates - we were still using the ones I brought with me to my apartment in college!). Josh was a very practical shopper, picking out items that we did not have yet. While I wanted new items to replace our old items!

Either way, we are so thankful and blessed for our family and friends that were so generous in contributing to making our house truly a home. And now that I've slowly unpacked and put (most) of our gadgets away, I thought I'd share some of our personal favorites and some of the most useful items we received from our gift registries.

White Goose Feather European Down Pillow | Bed Bath & Beyond

I have a slight obsession with European pillows. And I have no idea why! Maybe it's because they just look good, or because they're huge and plush and awesome. Either way, these pillows are great and they add the perfect touch to any bedroom. Plus, they already come equipped with a pillowcase liner!

Eucalyptus Origins Organic Full Sheet Set | Bed Bath & Beyond

These sheets are heavenly! We actually got them for our guest bedroom and liked them so much that we are planning to get them for our master bedroom.

Wine Party Tub | Bed Bath & Beyond

Great for indoors and outdoors! It's not too bulky and can hold a good amount of beer or wine for a small get together.

Two Tier Sliding Basket Organizer | Bed Bath & Beyond

This has been life changing. It keeps our under the bathroom sink area nice and organized, and it can hold so many things in it! I honestly don't know how we've been living in our house without one for a few years. Even Josh was impressed with this!

Cuisinart Waffle Maker | Crate&Barrel

Ohmygosh. I never realized how much I loved waffles until I got this bad boy. It takes a little practice on knowing how much waffle mix to pour in so it doesn't spill over the edges (sidebar: Josh is a lot better than I am at making these). I even purchased one of these for a white elephant gift exchange this past Christmas and it was a huge hit. This waffle maker has also created a new tradition in the Fournelle household: Waffle Sundays! Favorite waffle toppings? Powdered sugar and strawberries!

Glass Salsa Dish | Crate&Barrel

Who doesn't love a little dip bowl with legs? I've used this countless times for guacamole, salsa, queso, and peanuts. This is a great entertaining item and looks good, too!

OXO Pizza Wheel | Crate&Barrel

This pizza cutter is diesel. And definitely a staple worth having in the home! We had a pretty cheap pizza cutter once - and the wheel legit popped off while I was cutting a pizza one time. Scariest thing ever!

Cooling Rack | Crate&Barrel
Love this cooling rack! The one I had before was thin and lightweight, this one is the real deal. I've even placed this rack on top of a baking sheet to bake sweet potatoes. It's easy to clean and is super sturdy - I'd definitely recommend for any household!

Olympic 3-Piece Knife Set | Crate&Barrel

We've used these little guys so many times. This is probably one of the things that we use on a regular basis. We've brought them with us to picnics, potlucks, wineries, and more. They are also sturdy and easy to use on a variety of cheeses. We've gotten so many compliments on them!

Cuisinart 8-Bottle Wine Cellar | Crate&Barrel

Okay, so we haven't used this yet - but it's easily one of the items I am most excited about! We've been waiting to use it until our basement bar area is finished; so as of now, it's (sadly) sitting in our storage closet. Is it frowned upon if I set this up in my bedroom instead? We will hopefully be finishing up the bar by the end of this year and be able to finally put this to good use!

Photos / Engagement