MISSI MADE.

Prom Dresses Under $100

2011-04-01T12:02:00.007-05:00

When I was in high school (many many moons ago), I spent about $300 on my prom dress, only to find myself today asking "why?!". Most girls will wear their prom dress once, and some girls end up going to multiple proms, so why spend all the money on a dress?! I found some super cute prom dresses for under $100 at JCPenney, and showcased the dresses on TWIN CITIES LIVE yesterday! All of these dresses are red carpet inspired, and perfect for a high school prom or dance. A big thank you to my amazing models: my sister Paige and her friends Britta and Heather!

Prom Dresses Under $100 on TWIN CITIES LIVE

Target Brings Back 34 Designer Dresses

2011-03-14T20:04:00.003-05:00

You may be seeing a few extra surprises at your local Target store this week! On March 13th, Target brought back more than 30 designer dresses for the five year anniversary of the Go International Program. Seventeen designers including Zac Posen, Jovovich-Hawk, and Thakoon, created 34 dresses that you will now find in Target stores or on Target.com. I had the opportunity to showcase a few of these looks on TWIN CITIES LIVE today. I am in love with almost every single dress and I have no doubt in my mind that these dresses will sell out quickly! I got to wear a polka dot Jovovich-Hawk dress... now I just need to go out and buy it! Here's a link to the segment: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S2016766.shtml?cat=10744

MN Monthly Food & Wine Experience

2011-03-07T19:27:00.007-06:00

On Sunday, my husband, brother, brother's girlfriend and I hit up the MN Monthly Magazine Food & Wine Experience. This is a yearly event that AJ and I both look forward to. The amount and variety of food is unbelievable, and I have to say that I think this year's event was even better than last year!

The only bad thing I have to say about the event, was the LONG and COLD line we had to wait in to get inside the event. Last year the event was held at the Convention Center and this year it was held at Target Field. We showed up right at 1pm (when the event started) and we had to wait is a super long line, part of which was in an open skyway. We left our coats in the car so we were FREEZING! But, once we got inside, the cold and the wait were totally worth it.

The lines of food, wine and beer vendors are endless. This year, it took us 3 hours to get through the entire experience. There was fish, prime rib, cookies, brie curds, candies, frozen wine, cake, and my favorite... sushi! Even though I'm pregnant this year, I couldn't pass up the sushi at the Sushi 7 stop. The crunchy roll is my favorite! Poor Holly (my brother's girlfriend) hates fish, so she wasn't too impressed at first. But that all changed when she found the cheese tables:)

The boys of course LOVED the beer and wine vendors, and both boys had their fair share (thank goodness for pregnant sober cabs). Since I'm in my second trimester I had a few sips of AJ's wine AND one of the best things I tried... FROZEN WINE! We bought two kits because it was so good.

Although the tickets to this event are pretty spendy ($75-$80), they are TOTALLY worth it! We weren't even half way through the event and I was stuffed. One thing to remember though... even though this is a wine/beer tasting, a lot of people get pretty "loaded". Be safe and take a cab so you can enjoy yourself! Thanks again MN Monthly Magazine!

Favorites of the Real Housewives

2011-02-22T19:29:00.003-06:00

Today on TWIN CITIES LIVE (KSTP), I did a segment on the favorite fashion and beauty products of the Real Housewives! As many of you may know, The Real Housewives of Miami premieres tonight on Bravo, so it was fun taking a look back on some of our favorite housewives from the New York, Orange County, and Beverly Hills series. My favorite product came from one of my least favorite housewives: Jill Zarin. She loves Bootights, which are socks built right into tights! Check them out and other favorites of the Real Housewives in my TCL segment, seen here: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1985808.shtml?cat=10744

Urban Eatery Opening Party

2011-02-13T11:40:00.005-06:00

Last night, AJ, a few friends and I headed to Urban Eatery in Uptown for their grand opening party. Urban Eatery is the site of the restaurant formerly known as "The View" in Calhoun Beach Club. AJ and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner at The View, so it was pretty fun to see how much the restaurant has changed in a matter of months.

The new restaurant has more of a rustic bar feel. The layout of the restaurant is the same, but they put up a lot of weathered wood, chalk boards, and they've completely gotten rid of the Miami bar/club feel. The food was pretty good too. The restaurant is run by the same people that run Crave, so what do you expect?! I will definitely be back for the mozzarella avocado pizza... it's to DIE for!

A big draw to Urban Eatery is their late night menu. From 9pm to close, they have $3, $4 and $5 appetizers and drinks! AJ bought drinks for he and his friends, and we only ended up spending $25! They also have FREE valet. I love the location of this restaurant/bar, and I really hope it becomes a Twin Cities hot spot. You can be sure you'll find us hanging out there this spring and summer!

Valentine's Day Lingerie

2011-02-03T22:08:00.002-06:00

I recently did a segment on TWIN CITIES LIVE about lingerie for Valentine's Day. I found options from Twin Cities boutiques and Target! Even my husband, AJ Saigh, got a shout out:) Watch the segment here:

http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1954552.shtml?cat=10744

Thank you to Extrados and Unmentionables, Flirt Boutique and Meredith Models and Talent for helping me with this segment!

The Hair Masque That Changed My Life

2011-01-31T21:20:00.003-06:00

If you have thick, coarse hair like I do, you've probably tried every hair masque under the sun. I've tried everything from an actual avocado, to hair treatments costing hundreds of dollars (although I will say the Brazilian Blowout is still pretty amazing), but I have yet to find anything that fits my budget and can actual tame my hair. That is, until now!

I recently got my hands on Kim Vo's Moisturizing Masque. It's a "Hydrolyzed Silk Intensive treatment that rejuvenates color-treated hair that is dry, damaged and aging." Whatever, all that matters is... IT WORKS!

I started by leaving the masque on while I soaked in the tub for 20 minutes, and that certainly did the trick. But in the last few weeks, I started leaving the masque on my hair over night and it has literally transformed my hair! I can not tell you how soft, fluffy and voluminous my hair has become, making me actually WANT to wear my hair down and not in a ponytail.

I also come up with another little trick. Since I've become too lazy to wake up early to take a shower in the morning, I've started taking a shower at night. Before I go to bed, I flip my hair over and brush it all into a wet ponytail on top of my head. And yes, I sleep with the ponytail on the top of my head... even though my husband hates it and says I look like a sumo wrestler:) By the time I wake up, my hair is partially dry and the ponytail has created cowlicks all over my hair near my scalp (which, in turn, creates VOLUME). I then, blowout my hair with a large round brush (it only takes me 10 minutes) and... VOILA... my hair is full and it actually looks like I went and got a professional blowout:) This has become my nightly routine.

I really think I'm onto something. Try it out and let me know what you think!

We're Having a Baby!

2011-01-30T11:01:00.003-06:00

AJ and I are so excited to finally get to tell everyone that we're expecting our first baby! We work quickly around here:) We're 3 months along, and Baby Saigh's due date is August 19th, 2011. I've started a new "Minnesota Baby" blog, where I will be keeping a journal of Baby Saigh's "happenings" (doctor appointments, ultrasounds, stories, etc.). Feel free to follow:

http://minnesotababy.blogspot.com/

Wedding Photos

2011-01-16T20:39:00.002-06:00

After much anticipation and patience, our wedding photos are finally done! We couldn't be happier with the results we received from our photographer Brandis Alves. If you're planning your wedding and are looking for a modern photographer at a decent price, please check her out: http://www.brandisalvesphotography.com/

To see all of our wedding photos, click here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=716990708350&set=a.716990658450.2281034.63901378#!/album.php?fbid=716990658450&id=63901378&aid=2281034

Wiggin' Out

2011-01-10T19:43:00.002-06:00

Last week, I did a segment on TWIN CITIES LIVE about wearing wigs to change up your look! For years, women have been wearing wigs as a fashion piece, as wigs allow you to completely change your look without cutting or coloring your hair. All of the wigs in this piece are from Merle Norman. Kathleen from Merle Norman in the Har-Mar Mall (Roseville) actually let me keep the wig I wore in the segment. The best part is, these wigs can be purchased for as little as $59! Can you wig it???

Here is a link to the segment: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/s1912302.shtml?cat=10744

New Bridal Boutique in Mpls for "Real Women"

2011-01-04T19:00:00.003-06:00

There's a brand new bridal shop in town (opened today), and you don't need to be a size 8 or less to fit into the sample-size dresses! Luxe Bridal Couture is located inside the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis and caters to women size 14 - 28. As a bustier gal, I wish this place was around when I was trying on wedding dresses. Since wedding gowns run really small and most bridal shops carry sample sizes of 8-10, it's hard for a curby bride to get a sense of what her wedding gown would look like, when she can't get the zipper up! Check out the recent segment I did on TWIN CITIES LIVE:

http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1906194.shtml?cat=10744

Great birthday party option for your little fashionista!

2010-12-14T04:58:00.002-06:00

I recently did a piece for TWIN CITIES LIVE on a place called "eecee bb" in Linden Hills. It's a cute little studio, run by Beth Bogle, and she actually teaches kids how to make and design their own clothing! The pieces she makes, and has the kids make, are absolutely adorable. You can watch the piece here!

If you want more information about eecee bb, click here.

My new favorite place in MN

2010-11-28T11:14:00.013-06:00

Every kind of candy you can possibly imagine, locally-raised meats, hundreds of old-fashioned soda, freshly made pies, and BACON... need I say more???

I have driven by "the big yellow barn" hundreds of times while visiting family in Mankato and Worthington, but not once have I stopped to check it out. But that all changed this weekend! My husband and I were driving to Mankato to celebrate Thanksgiving with his mom and dad, and our job was to bring a pie. I thought that this would be the perfect time to check out the HUGE yellow barn that has caught my eye for years! Let me introduce you to "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store"...

The first thing that made me fall in love with this place, the word BACON painted in big letters on the outside of the barn! But once I stepped inside, I wanted to move in. I found candy that I haven't seen since my childhood: Big League Chew, Candy Cigarettes (I'm not condoning these), Smartie Suckers, etc. They literally have everything... even these little gummy candies that look like over-easy eggs (so cute)! They also have the biggest assortment of old-fashion soda. AJ found Jolt, which brought him back to his caffeinated teenage days, and I found a Milwaukee-brewed gingerale made with real ginger. Although I felt so cool drinking it, I'll be honest and tell you it didn't taste very good... I'll stick to the fake stuff:)

Besides that candy and the soda, this place has a great assortment of MN-raised meats. We didn't buy any up because we were in a rush, but next year I will be stocking up! They also have a variety of colorful pastas, dip and soup mixes, and other foods that would make terrific party servings. You also can't miss the freshly made caramel apples and nut rolls.

But the thing that makes this place "take the cake"... the freshly made pies! Oh my goodness, I can't begin to tell you how amazing this place smells. You literally want to eat the air! We picked out a freshly-made peach pie. It was hot, perfect, and absolutely delicious! AND it was only $9.99.

They're only open until Dec. 5th this year, so if you have any time this week or next weekend, take a day-trip to Jordan, MN and check out "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store". If you see a brown-haired girl who has set up a sleeping area... that's me. I am seriously considering moving in;)

The Bedroom Project

2010-11-25T10:35:00.010-06:00

(Bedroom before)

(Bedroom after)

Over the last few weeks, AJ and I have been working hard trying to get our bedroom just the way we want it. Everything from the paint to the furniture had to be redone. This room used to be yellow, which wasn't bad, but we wanted it to be gray:) For this project, we decided to go the thrifty route! We made the headboard for our bed ourselves, moved furniture from other rooms into the bedroom, purchased furniture off of Craigslist, and painted the room ourselves! Our favorite part of the bedroom project: Our headboard. We made it for $100!

My husband came up with the idea to put 6 square boards together and cover them with a fabric. AJ had boards cut into squares (cost around $24), and then the two of us went to Hancock Fabrics to pick out fabric. The fabric we chose is a black suede-type material. It was on sale for about $10/yard. We bought about 2 1/2 yards (we should have bought more because it was a tight squeeze wrapping the material around the boards). We also bought 2 1/2 yards of the "fluff", or padding, that goes between the wood and the fabric. To "spice" things up a bit, we bought black and silver buttons to sew on each square. My Dad let us use his heavy duty stapler.

After the boards were cut, we cut the padding and fabric about an inch bigger than the boards. Then, we wrapped the padding and fabric around the back and stapled them to the back of the boards. That's where AJ's injury happened:( So learn from his mistakes and BE CAREFUL! Once all 6 boards were wrapped, AJ went and bought 4 long boards, and screwed them of the back of the 6 boards to hold them together (cost about $8). Then, I glued (tried sewing and it didn't work) the buttons on each square. We were going to have the headboard be two squares high, but went with one instead. I think AJ is planning on screwing the headboard to the wall eventually... we'll see:) For now, the headboard is resting against the wall.

I'm so proud of our new bedroom because AJ and I planned and "designed" everything together. It was a lot of hard work, but it's a project that we completed ourselves. Go Team Saigh! Which room should we tackle next???

The "Original" Mrs. Saigh's Potato Soup

2010-11-21T16:18:00.007-06:00

Even when my husband and I were dating, I would try making his family recipes. AJ is Lebanese, so I've tried making things like Kibbeh, but today I attempted one of his mom's recipes for potato soup! Mmmmmmmmm. I tried making this recipe once before and AJ said I didn't let it simmer long enough, so it didn't taste the way his mom and grandma make it. This time we let it simmer the whole day and it turned out really well! I made enough for an entire week of lunches, and even had enough to freeze. If you're looking for a delicious winter soup, try this one:

Potato Soup

1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 tsp dried dill weed

Melt butter and stir in flour and salt and pepper (will be pasty looking). Whisk in milk and stir until it starts to thicken over medium heat. Add chicken broth, celery, onion, dill weed and diced potatoes. Cook until celery, onion and potatoes are tender. Don't bring to a boil, as the milk can separate. Make 4 recipes to fill a big soup pot.

Thanks Pammy Saigh!

This is a bold statement.

2010-10-31T11:26:00.012-05:00

I know this is a bold statement, but Colette at the Sofitel is my new favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities! I, like many people, enjoy trying new restaurants and there have been many that I've fallen in love with... many, not so much. But after spending this past Friday night out to dinner with my hubby, I can honestly say Colette has the most amazingly delicious food!

Even though I grew up in the Twin Cities, I have never been to or eaten at the Sofitel. I was assigned to a TC Signatures shoot for TWIN CITIES LIVE last week at "Colette Bistro & Bar" in the Sofitel, so my photographer and I went to meet with the staff to see how the food is made. Executive Chef Serge Devesa took us into the kitchen to show us how he prepares the Sea Scallops. One bite and I was hooked!

After the shoot, I decided to make dinner reservations for AJ and me at Colette. AJ was running late, so I sat at the bar and ordered a $5 cosmopolitan (happy hour from 4-6pm). My bartender did not "scimp" on the alcohol. A couple sips and I was happy as a clam:) It was very tasty and that one drink held me through dinner (I had to drive).

Although I've never been to France, I imagine this restaurant to be an authentic french experience, right here in the Twin Cities. AJ ordered the scallops (per my recommendation) and I ordered the lamb. But first, we started with the crab cakes. OH... MY... GOSH! From my past experiences, it's very tough to find a good, REAL crab cake in the Twin Cities, but let me tell you... the crab cake at Colette is HEAVENLY! Thinking about it right now makes my mouth water. It has large chunks of crab, so light yet rich at the same time, and the corn salsa accompanying it is sweet and crunchy. I can only describe it as perfection (and it came out HOT too)!

Then came our meal. WOW! First of all, the presentation was impeccable. Every dish we ordered looked like a piece of art. Nothing was served warm... everything tasted like it JUST came off the grill or out of a pan (HOT HOT HOT)! My entree came with 3 large Colorado lamb chops and mashed potatoes. Each chop was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the meat literally melted in my mouth. AMAZING!

Moving on to the star of the show... the sea scallops! When AJ took his first bite, I may have seen a tear fall from his eye, and he almost didn't share with me. The scallops are pan seared in butter and the three are served on top of truffle yukon mashed potatoes. These are by FAR the best scallops we have ever eaten! The scallops are prepared perfectly... seared on the outside and exquisitely soft and heavenly in the center. The potatoes are unlike anything I've ever eaten before... creamy, buttery, with the wonderful truffle flavor. I wanted to bathe in this dish! Thank you AJ for sharing with me:)

I don't know what it is about Colette, but I can't stop talking about it! Maybe is was the service, maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe is was the food. You can watch my TC Signatures piece on TCL, Wed, Nov. 3rd between 3-4pm on KSTP (channel 5). I'll tell you how to get a $50 gift card for just $25! Or, if you don't think you can wait and you want to make a reservation today, visit their website: www.sofitelmplsdining.com

Happy dining!

My Beautiful, Fake Lashes

2010-10-18T22:19:00.005-05:00

Since my wedding, a few people have asked about my long, luscious lashes. First of all, thank you. Second, they're fake:)

I decided to get semi-permanent lashes for my October 2nd wedding, and I'm happy and very surprised to see that they have stuck around! I had my lashes done the Wednesday before my wedding by Amy Presson at Jett Makeup. She has an amazing studio in Edina, where they do makeup and eyelash extensions. Amy has you lay on a very comfortable bed while she applies the lashes one by one, in a process that takes about two hours (one hour for a fill). I fell asleep during my treatment... it's hard not to because you're so relaxed:) Amy says people fall asleep all the time, and often snore (I hope I wasn't one of those people)!

Once your lashes are applied using a medical grade adhesive bonding agent, Amy goes over some rules to make sure your lashes stay in place. The best part is, you don't need mascara! In fact, mascara is a eyelash extension "no-no". In the last 3 weeks, my lashes have been in the ocean, sun, pool, and they have stayed in place (minus a few that have shed naturally). Amy says the lash extensions will shed naturally with your own eyelashes. If you ask me, they can stick around for as long as they'd like. Amy has made a fan out of this lady:)

The lashes run about $200 for the first application, and then about $100 for a fill. To read more about Jett Makeup's eyelash extensions or to book an appointment, contact Amy at 651-373-1702, or click here: http://www.jettmakeup.com/. Tell her Melissa sent you:)

Xoxo,

Melissa Saigh

It's Mrs. SAIGH to you...

2010-10-11T21:57:00.011-05:00

I'm MARRIED! Finally, all the wedding talk is over (kind of), and I am no longer Melissa Specken... it's now Melissa Saigh (pronounced "sigh", rhymes with "thigh"). My husband (hehe) AJ and I were married at St. John's Catholic Church on October 2nd, and our reception was held at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. Everything was amazing!

We did the traditional wedding weekend... rehearsal and dinner on Friday night, wedding on Saturday, gift opening Sunday morning, and we left for our honeymoon Monday morning. I'm going to need a month to catch up on sleep, but it was all worth it. Our 236 guests flew in from all over the country and it was so great to have everyone we love in one room! As a bride, the most difficult thing about your wedding day, is getting around to each and every table to say hello and thank people for coming. In our case, AJ did most of the chatting and I did most of the dancing:)

My girls (6 bridesmaids and 4 personal attendants) and I started our wedding weekend with pedicures, manicures and custom spray tans with Extrados Salon in Wayzata. I am so unbelievably grateful to Miss Amy and her spray tanning talents, and for making myself and my girls bronze goddesses for the wedding! Extrados in Linden Hills was our "home base" on Saturday and I can not thank Leah and her staff enough for making my entire wedding party look like we came out of a bridal magazine. From 8am until noon, the moms, myself and my girls, all hung out at Extrados having our hair and makeup done. Leah was a phenomenal host, and she (and her staff) got all 13 of us ready to go and out the door for photos on time! I absolutely LOVED getting ready with all of my girls in the "bridal suite" at Extrados, and can't wait to see the photos taken by our photographer Brandis Alves.

It's so hard for me to remember details for the actual wedding day. I can honestly say I wasn't stressed (I was actually on Facebook and Twitter all morning) and almost everything went the way I had planned it. The weather was perfect, the fall leaves were starting to change color, and we STAYED ON TIME!!! The one moment I will never forget, is walking down the aisle with my Dad, seeing so many familiar faces... and then... the face of my future husband:) I also remember my cousins, Cavan and Ian Krekelberg, singing "Ave Maria" during our ceremony (I hope to post video or photos of this soon). Their voices were so beautiful and they made our family so proud!

Since my Dad is the fire chief of Hopkins, he had one of the trucks brought to the church for photos. It was something I was happy to do to make our wedding unique. Imagine a wedding party of 24, all dressed up in front of a big red truck! I can't wait to see those photos. After the ceremony and pictures, came the fun of the reception. And man oh man was our reception fun! Instead of having people "clink" glasses to get AJ and I to kiss, we asked people to sing a song with the word "love" in it. Our wedding basically turned into a Broadway production of singing guests. It made dinner interesting:) I also had my uncle Mark Boyle, who is the announcer for the Indiana Pacers, announce our wedding party as we entered the reception! All of the speeches (from my dad, to AJ's best man, to my maids of honor) were so funny, thoughtful, heart-warming and meaningful. To top it all off we showed our guests a 9 minute slide-show (produced by Sarah Sundahl), that did a fantastic job of telling our story in a short period of time. Again, I hope to post this video soon:)

Even our 1 week-long honeymoon in the Dominican (Punta Cana) was wonderful! It was great to just lay by the pool and on the beach with my husband, and not have to think or stress about anything. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called "The Excellence". Minus the slight musty smell of our honeymoon suite, and the lack of air-flow and air conditioning at the Punta Cana airport, the honeymoon was a blast! We met so many great couples on our honeymoon from all over the world that we hope to stay in touch with:)

As fun as it was to be in wedding "la la land" for almost 2 weeks, it's so great to be back to reality in my safe haven of Minnesota! Lots of love to the Saigh and Specken family for making this whole thing possible:)

Xoxo,

Mrs. Saigh

The Ultrasonic Facial

2010-09-26T20:34:00.005-05:00

Last week, I may have met the new love of my life. I was introduced to the Ultrasonic Facial at the Thomas Charles Salon in St. Louis Park following a segment we did a on TWIN CITIES LIVE about ways to clean out your pores. My friend and host of our show, Elizabeth Ries, had this facial done and RAVED about it in the office and on-air. So I of course had to go try it out for myself:)

This treatment is performed by Susan Garmany and it incorporates water with low frequency sound waves. It looks like a little spatula and it actually scrapes off all of your dead skin cells and gets deep into the cells to help stimulate your skin's natural repair mechanisms. This facial is really one-of-a-kind and unlike any facial I've ever gotten.

Susan starts by cleansing your skin and uses all sorts of serums, specific to your skin's needs. The ultrasonic frequency opens pathways to allow all the nutrients from these serums to reach deeper into your skin for longer-lasting results! This facial lasts about an hour and a half, and one of the best parts is the hand, arm and foot massage Susan gives you while a mask penetrates into your skin. I was so relaxed during my treatment, I almost fell asleep.

One of my biggest skin imperfections are the blackheads on my nose. After my facial, I seriously couldn't see any on my nose. They were gone! I also noticed my skin was plump, hydrated, and I had such a glow! This facial is so much better and different than a regular microdermabrasion, because it's not as rough and gritty.

If I were to rate this facial on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 9! The only reason I wouldn't give it a 10, is because of the price ($125). But let me tell you, this facial is worth every penny! Remember, you're not just getting a 90 minute facial, you're getting a hand, arm, and foot massage too! If you're looking to spend less money, you can so the Express Treatment (45 minutes) for $75, but I would highly recommend getting the 90 minute treatment. Ladies, we all deserve to treat ourselves every now and then, and why not start with our face?! It is the first thing everyone sees!

To book your appointment, call the Thomas Charles Salon at (952) 925-4277. Let me know what you think!

Pre-Cana Classes... Woof!

2010-09-19T22:45:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, we will be 12 days away from our wedding day, and MAN has time flown! I know this sounds so cliche, but it really seems like yesterday that AJ was down on one knee, asking me to marry him. I can not wait to have all of our family and friends in one room, supporting us as we become husband and wife!

This past weekend, AJ and I completed our pre-cana classes on the St. Thomas Campus in St. Paul. Since we're getting married in a catholic church, this is one of the many requirements. I will admit that I was NOT excited at all about attending these classes, but now that they're done I'll admit that it wasn't TOO bad. It was nice spending time with AJ, talking about some of the things you don't necessarily get around to talking about as a couple. Both of us are so busy, and while I'm wrapped up in all the wedding-planning extravaganza, we haven't had time to just sit down and talk for a long period of time. This weekend gave us that opportunity. However, we didn't really connect with any of the couples who spoke or gave presentations during the pre-cana classes. For example, one of the couples who spoke this weekend, doesn't believe in using sarcasm in their home. And, if sarcasm is used, their rule is to apologize to their significant other. Hmmmm...

If AJ and I didn't have sarcasm in our relationship, I don't know if we'd survive;) We are both very silly and immature people, and we really don't take ourselves too seriously. This works for US, but might not work for other couples or families. I completely respect the way other families live, but I found it very difficult to connect to many of the speeches during our pre-cana classes. All in all, I am happy we went. I'm always open to trying new things:)

As for the actual wedding planning, everything is pretty much done! I worked so hard this past year, making sure everything was done SOONER rather than later. Now, I can just sit back, relax and wait for the fun to start!!!

PS, any wedding advice is greatly appreciated:)

Day 1 of Blue Print Cleanse: COMPLETE

2010-09-04T20:25:00.002-05:00

Well, I made it through day 1 of the Blue Print Cleanse, and I must say... I want a big juicy steak;) In all seriousness, this cleanse isn't all that bad. I had a few rough patches where I almost drove myself through the drive-through at McDonalds, but I refrained!

Right now, I'm finishing juice #6 (Cashew Milk), and while it's not vanilla ice cream, it is DELICIOUS and is completely satisfying my desire for something sweet! Throughout the day, I will admit I had to choke down the two Green Juices (juice #1 and #3) and the Beet Juice wasn't my favorite either. BUT, I LOVED the P.A.M Juice (juice #2 - pineapple, mint, etc.) and of course the one I'm drinking right now. Even when I'm finished with this cleanse, I will attempt to make the P.A.M juice in my juicer! And I will be on a mission to find something similar to the Cashew Milk drink. SO GOOD!

I'm not going to lie, there were times today that I wanted to give up and dive into a bowl of cereal or a big cheeseburger, but I'm sticking with it! And if I can do it, YOU can do it!

www.blueprintcleanse.com

Day #1 of the Blue Print Cleanse

2010-09-04T09:01:00.004-05:00

28 Days until our wedding, so today I start day #1 of 3, of the Blue Print Cleanse! The BPC was named "Best Juice Cleanse" by New York Magazine. My 3 day cleanse allows me 6 bottles of juice per day, which are a combination on fruit, veggie, herb juices and nut milk. Sounds delicious huh?! Well after finishing bottle number 1, it's not bad! Very refreshing actually.

The reason I like this cleanse (so far) is that they bottle, number and ship all the bottles to you at once. There's literally NO WORK for me to do, except going 3 days without solid food... and yes, this will be a lot of work for me:) My menu today is:

Juice #1: Green Juice (romaine, celery, cucumber, green apple, spinach, kale, parsley, lemon)
Juice #2: P.A.M (filtered water, pineapple, apple, mint)
Juice #3: Green Juice
Juice #4: Spicy Lemonade (filtered water, lemon agave nectar, cayenne)
Juice #5: C.A.B (apple, carrot, beet, lemon, ginger)
Juice #6: Cashew Milk (filtered water, raw cashews, agave nectar, vanilla bean, cinnamon)

The other 2 days are pretty much the same too. If you want to do your own research on the BPC, I recommend going through the FAQ page found HERE. Keep checking back, and I will keep you posted with my progress!

The Proposal Video

2010-09-01T00:12:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, AJ not only celebrated his 26th birthday, but the two of us also celebrated the one-year anniversary of our engagement! It amazes me that a year has already gone by and that we will be married in one month. Not only do I love talking to anyone and everyone about my wedding plans, but I also love looking back on the video from the night that we got engaged (thanks Joe)...

Click HERE to watch "The Proposal Video"

I always enjoy hearing stories about friends getting engaged, and I feel so lucky that we have AJ's proposal on video to look back on. For those of you who don't know the story, here's the short version (just ask me for the long version next time you see me and I won't hesitate to tell you the whole story). Me and AJ's parents hadn't met yet, so my parents decided to invite them over for AJ's birthday dinner on August 29th, 2009. I spent the entire day cooking, cleaning and stressing about the "event". Never in a million years did I expect a proposal. In fact, I thought the complete opposite, as I had been fighting with AJ months prior about the fact that I thought we would "never get married" (I was not shy about sharing my feelings on the topic). Little did I know that AJ had already bought a ring, asked my Dad for permission to marry me, and both sets of our parents knew what this night had in store! AJ's roomate Joe, his girlfriend Gabby and my brother and sister were also there, and Joe was the man with the camera:) AJ gave a toast, and gave me a present for putting together the night's "festivities". Three glasses of wine into the night and my Borat voice ever-so-present, I opened the gift to find a box made of chocolate, with little chocolate beans inside, and THE RING!

Now, one year later, we're wrapping up all of our wedding planning, getting ready to become husband and wife, and throw a killer party! 32 days and counting!!!

Wedding Invitations

2010-07-31T22:18:00.005-05:00

Since we sent our wedding invitations out a few weeks ago, we have received so many compliments and even some questions as to where we got them done. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful words, and I'm happy to say that we chose to save money on our invitations, by doing them ourselves (and when I say "our"-selves I mean "my"-self)! Thanks to a dear friend, Stacy Anderson, we were able to save hundreds of dollars on our wedding invitations.

Stacy is one of my personal attendants in our wedding and a very talented lady when it comes to event planning! I gave her an invitation that I had fallen in love with... an invitation that would have cost over $1,000 to have done professionally. She worked her magic and came up with a design I just LOVED! She turned the design and invitation info into a PDF file that I needed to have printed, helped me pick out the paper, envelopes, and showed me how I would put them together. With some work, the do-it-yourself invitations might just look like the expensive invites!

It took me three nights of sitting at home, cutting, pasting, sealing, etc., but my wedding invitations turned out just the way I wanted them to! The backing is a thick piece of dark brown paper, and pasted on top is an ivory paper with hot pink and brown wording and design. The RSVP card that we included in the invitation was on a matching ivory paper, with the same brown and hot pink lettering and design (dark chocolate brown and hot pink are our wedding colors).

Sealing, addressing and stamping the wedding invitations was a whole new ball game (lots of time and work), but when all was said and done, we ended up spending about $250 TOTAL on everything (stamps included) for our invitations. If you want some advice from this bride-to-be... get your invitations done early, use a little elbow grease (not really grease because you don't want anything greasy near your invitations), the help of family and friends, and SAVE money on your wedding invitations! Make something that you love and that you're proud of, because let's be honest... who really keeps the invitations besides the bride and MAYBE some close family:) Good luck!

It's Almost Tomato Time!

2010-07-23T22:37:00.009-05:00

That's right Minnesotans, it's almost tomato time! And many of you may be celebrating Minnesota's tomato season already (I'm very jealous). Earlier this summer, I decided to start my very first garden, and I'm starting to see the fruits of my labor (no pun intended)! If you've read my blog before, you know I planted seeds in little pots, in hopes of them turning into big, veggie-bearing plants. Part of my garden decided to cooperate, and other little plants weren't so fortunate.

Of the herbs, veggies and fruits I planted... the pumpkins, basil, chives, carrots, cilantro, mint, parsley, and TOMATOES, have survived! There's a few other plants that survived, but I can't tell if they are weeds, or possibly beans or cucumber plants (I can't remember everything I planted). I guess time will tell:) I've already used a lot of the herbs that have grown, but I am so excited to see that there are now actual little green tomatoes, growing on the tomato plants! I can honestly say, I never thought this would happen. My lettuce I planted also decided to sprout, but I guess I didn't get the invite to the bunny party in the garden, the day they decided to eat all the lettuce (and the bunny/lettuce relationship continues). I'm still waiting to pick the carrots, and I can't wait to see the pumpkins that will grow this fall (fingers crossed).

Now, the question is... what to do with the tomatoes when they turn ripe and red???

Embracing The Lebanese I'm Marrying Into

2010-06-27T13:25:00.004-05:00

In three months, I will be marrying Mr. AJ Saigh... my Lebanese man:) So today, I decided to embrace the Lebanese I'm marrying into, by making one of AJ's favorite Lebanese dishes... KIBBEH!

The first time I had any type of Lebanese food, was at AJ's dad's side of the family, over Christmas two years ago. If you haven't had Kibbeh, you do not know true happiness! The first time I met AJ's family (Christmas two years ago), AJ's aunt Jan made Kibbeh, Syrian bread and stuffed grape leaves. Honestly, this was the day I not only fell in love with the food, but AJ's family too (a family can win a girl over with food)! I'm not a huge fan of stuffed grape leaves (they are AJ's favorite), but I think I could eat Kibbeh every day for the rest of my life.

Kibbeah is a whole lot of meat, but it wasn't too tough to make. The photos don't look all that appetizing, but AJ gave it two thumbs up! Thanks to Jen Unser for the recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Jen Unser's Kibbeh Recipe

1 lb. lean lamb (ground twice) - I used hamburger

1/2 cup fine wheat (bulgur)

1 medium onion (grated)

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Rinse wheat in cold water and set aside to absorb moisture. Knead meat, salt and onion together, and gradually add wheat, squeezing out any excess moisture before adding to meat. Wet hands with water to ensure smooth texture. Refrigerate.

Stuffing

1 lb. ground lamb

1 large onion (chopped)

1 Tablespoon pine nuts (I used a lot more because they are so yummy)

Salt and allspice to taste
Cinnamon (Jen's recipe doesn't call for cinnamon, but I think Kibbeh needs cinnamon)

In small sauce pan, sauté lamb, onion, pine nuts and spices until brown. Cool. In greased 2 quart baking tray, pat down firmly one part of the raw meat mixture to cover entire tray. Spread meat stuffing over raw meat. Pat remainder of raw meat over stuffing - cover entire baking tray, making sure stuffing is covered. Be sure to rinse your hands in cold water to smooth top layer of meat. Cut into diamond shapes, and run knife around pan.

Dot with Crisco or butter, and bake in preheated 350 degree oven. Serve hot with yogurt or salad.

We have a mouse

2010-06-06T09:57:00.006-05:00

That's right, we have a mouse. And when I went to pick up traps at the hardware store yesterday, the cashier said, "when there's ONE, there's SOME." Eeeek!

The other night, I was sitting on the couch watching TV and I looked down to see, what I thought was a mouse running across our hardwood floor! Really?! A mouse in MY house?! I jumped onto our ottoman, and scooted myself around the floor to see if I was just REALLY tired and hallucinating, or if it was REALLY a mouse. I didn't find anything, and brushed it off as a terrifying sighting by a very tired girl.

The next night, AJ woke up around 2am to go to the bathroom, and he said he heard the pitter-patter of, what he thought was a mouse running across our floor. That was enough for me, and I was off to the hardware store to find something to get this mouse (or mice) out of our house. Thank goodness, nothing in our house has been chewed on, destroyed or damaged by the suspected mice or mouse... and we'll do anything to keep this from happening!

The presence of mice isn't anything new to me. My family has a summer cabin in Hawick, MN that we close during the winter months. Every time we open the cabin on Memorial Day weekend, we have to do a major cleaning because of the mice that got in over the winter. I know it's gross, but hey, when you have a cabin on a lake in the middle of the woods, the mice are going to find a way in! But our house is BRAND NEW, and the last thing I ever thought we'd have to deal with is MICE! But we do live very close to a ravine and we're in a heavily wooded area, so the chance of having some kind of critter in our house was probably pretty good. We also have a compost pile and a garden in our backyard, so we frequently have deer visiting. And our most recent guest is a huge groundhog or something, who lives under our shed. He's so cute, but we will never be friends because he ate all my mint and basil from the garden!

Since AJ and I are new homeowners, we decided to buy the original mouse traps that you put peanut butter on as bait. We put them out last night. No mice caught yet. Thanks to everyone for the other mice-ridding tips, such as the sonic thingy and the idea of getting a cat. If you know AJ, that cat idea will NOT be happening:) I have, however, asked my parents if we could barrow Lewford (family cat) for a few days. AJ would die if I brought him onto our house:) If anyone has any tips about getting rid of these pesky critters, please feel free to let us know!

My Fitness Pal

2010-05-31T22:09:00.002-05:00

I found a new website that I have to share with all of you! I was introduced to the website www.myfitnesspal.com by Stacie and Chris Clark of Tiger Athletics. I was introduced to Stacie and Chris through a friend about a month ago, and I continue to work with them to reach my weight loss and fitness goals before my wedding (that's right, if you haven't heard, I'm getting married Oct. 2, haha). When I started working out with Stacie, she had me sign up for this FREE website that tracks your exercise and the amount of food you eat every single day. It really holds me accountable for each piece of food I put in my mouth, and for the amount of exercise I'm doing (or not doing). You just enter your weight, height, fitness goal (weight loss, endurance, etc.) and this website literally tells you how many calories you have left to eat every day. AND, if you workout, you're rewarded with MORE calories each day. It's basically a calorie in, calorie out kind of monitoring system. You need to be burning more calories than you're consuming in order to lose weight... pretty simple. If you're an over-eater and don't know how to use portion control, this website will really keep you in check. I am struggling with entering all of my food and exercise into the website everyday, but I am making it a priority because it is very important (who isn't busy right?!). Since I love hearing about new things out there that you're excited about, I thought I'd share something with you that I'm very excited about!

Britney Sings "Telephone"

2010-05-02T19:59:00.002-05:00

I admit it, I'm a HUGE Britney Spears fan! Hearing her sing Lady Gaga's "Telephone" is pretty cool. Thanks Perez for sharing this leaked demo! Remember, it's JUST a demo...

http://perezhilton.com/2010-05-02-britney-does-gaga

Officer Killed in Maplewood

2010-05-01T13:17:00.003-05:00

May 1st, 2010: Another senseless tragedy in Minnesota history. My heart broke this morning when I read the headlines on Twitter this morning: "Maplewood Police Officer Shot and Killed". I can only imagine what this community and the family of Sgt. Joseph Bergeron is going through right now. My heart goes out to every person close to this police officer.

My whole life, I've grown up around police officers, as my dad is the Fire Chief of Hopkins. I have a couple cousins who are police officers in the Twin Cities, and uncles on fire departments around the Metro. I know first hand how these brave men and women risk their lives each and every day, to make sure YOU are safe! I can only imagine the ignorant people these heroes have to deal with every day that they go to work, and the dangerous situations they encounter so all of us can sleep peacefully at night. When I hear people say that police officers need to treat people with more respect, it makes me want to scream! When there are men and women out there, risking their own lives to keep all of us safe, I think we need to re-think who should be treating who with respect! I don't care who you are, or what situation you're in... if a police officer tells you to do something, you do it. Police officers have no idea the type of people they're dealing with in any given situation. Police officers have a right to treat all of us as if we have a gun hidden in our pocket, because this is the reality. Police officers have no idea if the situation they're walking into is dangerous or safe. If I were in their shoes, I would treat every situation as if if could turn dangerous. EVERYONE should respect these heroes enough to obey their orders, so EVERYONE stays safe.

Maplewood lost a hero today. When 49-year-old Sgt. Joseph Bergero left his house for work today, he had no idea he was going to lose his life. He never got to say good-bye to his wife and daughters, and his family never had the chance to say good-bye to him. A senseless act by a few thoughtless idiots, brought this hero's life to an end. It's days like today, we all need to thank our lucky stars that we have people like Joseph Bergero, protecting our neighborhoods, families and children, each and every day. And out of respect, it's our job to obey these brave men and women, so they can do their job. Thank you Sgt. Bergero for protecting the lives of so many people in Minnesota. You'll be missed and honored by many.

Note to Self: Go to Target Field

2010-04-23T11:37:00.008-05:00

If you haven't gone already... get in your car, buy a ticket and go to Target Field to see a Twins Game! Not kidding, this place will change your life. Earlier this week, my parents took me, my sister and my cousin to watcha game (I think they played the Indians). When I looked at my ticket, I saw that we were in section 3-hundred-something, and I thought to myself, "wow, these are crappy seats." But really, there isn't a bad seat at Target Field. And if you ask me, the higher up you are, the better! Looking down of the perfectly manicured grass, and getting to see the Minneapolis skyline, really makes me appreciate this city. We are so lucky to have this new field right in the heart of Downtown Minneapolis!

When we arrived at Target Plaza, I randomly bumped into TCL intern Kerry Wallace. But to make things even more random, Kerry and her family's seats were the row right behind ours! Of all the seats in the stadium, what are the odds that I'd be seated right next to someone I work with?! Very fun!

Other than the sights, the excitment, the newness of the staduim (oh yeah, and the game)... let's talk about the food! Going to Target Field is kind of like visiting the MN State Fair. At the Dome, the only food choices were Dome Dogs, Beer and ice cream in little baseball hats. But at Target Field, you get to choose from turkey legs, corn on the cobb, burgers, fries, tacos, steak sandwiches, Cuban sandwiches, nachos, cheese curds... the list goes on and on! I had to make the difficult choice of what to eat, and I chose the CHEESEBURGER! The initial shock of the cheeseburger being almost $10 was a little too much to take, but trust me, it's worth every penny. As you can see from my photo, the burgers are HUGE and they come with a very generous portion of fries. This meal can easily be split between two people. I also tried the nachos, and my advice would be to skip it. We got the regular nachos, and the amount of cheese they give you for the amount of chips... not equal!

We also got to watch my little cousin, Nick Specken, sing the National Anthem with his class at Target Field. The HUGE screen that they have, makes it so easy for everyone to watch what's happening on the field. And the fact that the big screen rests right up against the downtown skiyline, makes it that much more perfect!

I'm pretty sure Target Field will be seeing a LOT of the Speckens this summer!

Registering For The Wedding

2010-04-18T15:36:00.004-05:00

I have to admit, one of the most exciting things AJ and I have gotten to do since we got engaged... REGISTERING FOR THE WEDDING! Having a store just give you a little scanner and tell you to go pick out anything you want for your wedding gifts... well it doesn't get much better than that!

It took us an entire day to hit up three of our favorite stores: Macys, Target, and Crate and Barrel. Our first stop, Crate and Barrel! When we got there, we decided to register for pretty much all of our dinnerware, silverware, etc. They have a lot of cute stuff, and for pretty decent prices (I don't care for their bedding patterns though). AJ got to do all of the scanning, but I did watch him like a hawk, because I knew if I turned away for a second, he would start scanning random toys we don't need:) At one point I saw him drooling over a deep fryer and ice-cream maker (those things did NOT make the registry).

Our second stop, MACY'S! This is where everything changed. For all you newly engaged ladies or soon-to-be brides... REGISTER AT MACY'S! The woman helping us told us about their Rewards Program. This program is set up to give the bride and groom 5% of everything purchased on your registry after the wedding, in Macy's credit. So basically, if people purchase a wedding gift for us at Macy's from off our registry, not only will we get a great gift, but we'll get 5% of whatever they spent, back in Macy's credit. This is great, especially for new homeowners like us! Our friends Carrie and Steve Bell told us, that they registered at Macy's and after the wedding, Macy's just keep sending them gift cards. Once we heard about this, we decided to take a lot of the things off of our Crate and Barrel registry, and register for a majority of the things we need at Macy's!

Our final stop... Target! And who doesn't love Target?! I'm the kind of girl that will walk into Target to grab a gallon of milk, and walk out with $100 worth of stuff. Target gets me every time... I'm like a kid in a candy store:) We decided to register for a lot of our outdoor stuff at Target. I'm hoping one of our wedding guests will actually buy me a Target store (here's to wishful thinking).

I'm very thankful that AJ and I have the same taste in home decor and colors. For us, registering was actually a lot of fun... exhausting, but fun! I learned that boys have no interest in linen patterns and thread counts, and you should stay away from the electronics aisle at Target when registering for your wedding. I'm not sure who invented the wedding registry idea, but if I ever meet this person they'll be getting a BIG high five and hug from yours truly:)

My First Real Garden

2010-04-11T11:21:00.003-05:00

GARDEN SEASON: One of the things I was most excited about when we bought the house, was the thought of being able to have my OWN REAL GARDEN! I stopped by the store on my way home yesterday and picked up some dirt, pots, seeds, and started planting. Since the ground is still cold, I'm starting my seeds out in these little pots. In a few weeks, my dad is going to help me dig out a space in the back yard so I can't plant away! My mom and dad always have the best gardens in the summer, and I'm just used to going over to their house to pick up my strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. But this year... nope! I'll be working on my own garden, and harvesting my own veggies and herbs. I'm planning on moving the herbs inside once it gets cold, so I can have fresh herbs all year round. So far, I've started strawberries, peppers, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, onions, and a couple more that I just can't remember. I will keep this page updated with the progress of my first garden. It could be photos of me preparing delicious dishes with my veggies and herbs, or it may be photos of some dead little plants. Only time will tell...

My next project... getting a compost going behind the shed!

Am I "The Cheap Girl"?!

2010-04-01T23:32:00.010-05:00

Working for TWIN CITIES LIVE, I have had the opportunity to try some pretty amazing things: helicopter rides, hot air balloon adventures, flying a plane, and of course some of the most delicious food the Twin Cites has to offer. My latest adventure... "cheap but cute" fashion segments on TCL! I've been putting together looks for show segments... everything from "Cute, Comfy and Cheap" outfits, to my latest "Spring Dresses Under $40". I'm having the opportunity to combine three things I love... fashion/shopping, saving money, and television! I'd say this is a pretty good gig.

I've teamed up with Meredith Model and Talent Agency, and they've been sending me some wonderful, beautiful, and talented local models, to showcase the looks I put together for these segments. Many of these girls are new to the business, so their first television modeling appearance in on TCL... which must be so exciting for them!

Below is one of the actual outfits I put together this week for our show's co-host, Elizabeth Ries. This dress is from Charlotte Russe, and was only $25! Cute huh?! TCL Producer Kelly Jordan saw it when I brought it into work after my shopping trip, and she went out and bought it for herself. Good choice Kelly!

Now, I'm looking for an actual name for my TCL fashion segments. "Cute but Cheap" and "Fashion Saver" have been brought to the table. Any other ideas???? For now, I think I'm known as "The Cheap Girl"... such is life:)

New House

2010-03-29T15:54:00.007-05:00

The big day has come and gone... AJ and I FINALLY closed on our house this past weekend! We really went through some ups and downs during our first home-buying experience, so we're so happy to finally be in our dream home. AJ and I had signed a purchase agreement on a townhome back in November, and after a long wait during the short-sale process, we decided to call off the deal and start searching again. Short sales are such a tease, and can be the biggest upset if you have your heart set on a place. In our case, we were upset at first about loosing the townhouse, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because we found the HOUSE of our dreams. Christian Unser, one of the producers at TWIN CITIES LIVE, has named our new home the "Minnetonka Mansion". This house is everything we wanted... new, clean, open, and it even has a HOT TUB (but we don't know if it works)!

We spent the weekend moving in with the help of our family and friends. AJ's dad installed all our bathroom hooks and hangers, as well as helping AJ mount the downstairs TV. My parents surprised us with a brand new grill for the deck! We really appreciate everyone's help. We couldn't have gotten moved in so quickly if it wasn't for our friends and family.

I'm quickly learning what it takes to be a home owner. I've already called to have our cable hooked up, set up garbage/recycling, electricity, gas, water and sewer! Although I had to ask my co-workers what gas was used for, and who picks up our garbage... I still did it all by myself! I had no idea how much goes in to getting settled in a new home... and how much money things cost! And it's the little things you don't realize you have until you're in a new home... things like garbage cans, toilet paper holders, rakes, etc.

Speaking of rakes, AJ and I took a little trip to Home Depot on Sunday to buy two rakes and spent 3 HOURS raking and bagging 20 bags of leaves! This was not one of the weekend highlights... especially when you have a big yard. Big yards are great, until you have to rake them... and we haven't even started mowing yet!

But we really are so excited to be in our first home. Let us know if you'd like to stop by because we love visitors!!!

Tippy Top Creations

2010-03-25T12:23:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, I met Christa McKibben, Creator of "Tippy Top Creations". I booked her as a guest on TWIN CITIES LIVE and found her work to be so original and creative! Christa makes cake toppers that can look just like just about any photo you give her. She offered to make my fiance AJ and I a cake topper (which we're actually going to place next to our wedding cake). I took her up on her offer and I am amazed by her work! I gave her a photo of myself, AJ, AJ's car, etc., and told her what I'd like to see in the design. She worked with me, asking me questions about eye color, interests, etc., and the final product looks so similar to AJ and I. Christa was constantly sending me updates with photos of her progress via email. And even though our wedding is more than 6 months away, it's nice to have this wedding decor finished and ready to go! I was going to keep this creation a surprise for AJ, but it's so cute that I had to show him. I'm so excited to display our "topper" at the wedding reception. Thanks Christa!

Tippy Top Creations

Christa McKibben

(763) 531-2683

HUGE Strawberries, Must Be Spring... But Where Are The Deals?!

2010-03-23T18:18:00.000-05:00

My fiance and I took our weekly grocery shopping to CUB Foods this weekend, and they had some pretty good prices on strawberries (which I haven't had since last summer). I think they were like $2.99/lb. I don't know what these strawberries were fed, but one of them was as big as my fist! They're so sweet and juicy... and when we see strawberries in the crate-loads and on sale... spring and summer must be on its way!

Speaking of grocery shopping... there's nothing better than a great deal when you're spending money. While working on a show called TWIN CITIES LIVE on KSTP, I've become friends with an amazing woman named Carrie Rocha (pronounced Ha-shaw). Carrie is the founder of www.pocketyourdollars.com, a website that not only gives readers great deals, but FREEBIES too. Carrie got her family $50,000 out of debt, by simply cutting back and clipping coupons. We feature her every Tuesday on TCL and I have learned so much from this Maple Grove mom. Now, I NEVER go grocery shopping without my coupons, and I literally print her shopping lists to places like Target and CUB, before I head to the store. I've always been a thrifty shopper, but one of the biggest lessons I've learned from Carrie, is to never pay full price. There's always a deal out there. And Carrie does the work for you! She literally tells you which coupons to use, where to find them, how how to combine them in order to save $$$ on your next shopping trip. I've learned a lot from Carrie, and now, I hope you can too!

What the heck is "MISSI MADE."?

2010-03-22T22:08:00.000-05:00

You're not the only one asking why I'm starting a blog. I've actually been asking myself this question too! I have a few friends who have recently started their own blog, and I absolutely love reading their thoughts and stories. There's something about looking into the lives of others that really intrigues me. It's also therapeutic to write about events and interests in your own life. I've always enjoyed writing, so whether or not you find my life interesting... I'm going to write about it. From my wedding plans, to my interest in cooking and baking, to things happening in the Twin Cities, I'm going to write about it all. Many of you know me as Melissa Specken, but like a lot of other Melissa's out there, I'm also known as "Missi". That's where "Missi Made" comes from... I am Missi... and I "made" this blog. Creative huh?! A quick forewarning... I am one of the worst spellers, I like to use dots instead of commas (it's a news thing), and I talk about my wedding A LOT (October 2nd, 2010)! I hope you find interest in all that is "Missi Made". Enjoy!