EASTER INSPIRATION

First off, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you all are wearing green to avoid any pinching! ;) Today I am talking about another holiday, though!

It's crazy to think that Easter is already next weekend. I love everything about Easter; the meaning behind the celebration, time spent with family, delicious food, fun new dresses, and sure signs of Spring. Today I am dishing out Easter basket ideas for men, festive eats and treats, and a fun little DIY project to add a little Easter touch to your home decor.

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First up on the list are a few Easter Basket gift ideas for Men. Being newlyweds, I thought it would be fun for David to wake up to a fun little Easter basket on our first Easter as a married couple. Here are a few of the items I plan to include. I am still searching for the perfect and unique basket idea. Any suggestions? I thought about a tackle box and adding in some new fishing gear, but I can't quite decide. 

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These all look incredible, and am I right in saying that Easter colors are just so bright and cheerful? Puppy chow is seriously my weakness. My mouth is watering just looking at it! 

I am planning to make this adorable Bunny Garland this weekend to stream along my chalk board in my kitchen. Better late than never, right?

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Right now, Target has buy one get one 50% off on Easter styles (and all other clothing) and I am definitely taking advantage. I have these two dresses in my cart, ready to order! The pink dress has pockets. Talk about a dream come true! 

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I am obsessed with all of these neutral spring shoe options, but lately fringe just has my heart! These are also buy one get one 50% off, so I think I might have to add a second pair to my cart, too ;) Its justifiable, right? 

Happy Thursday! Hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! 

WOODLAND WEDDING RECEPTION

Well hello there, Friends! How's your day going so far? Please pardon all of the random wedding posts that will be scattered about for the next few months ahead. This little piece of the blogosphere that I call mine is a place where I document the triumphs and trials of this life I have been blessed to live. 

I love being able to look back on previous blog posts and reflect on the memories I have made through the years, after all, this is my digital scrapbook. The day I because Mrs. Butterfield is a memory I want to bottle up and remember forever. Since half the time I can't remember what I ate for breakfast, I want to take the time to document the details of October 17th, in hopes that one day I can share my wedding journey with my children and grandchildren. Bare with me ;)

When guests entered our reception venue we had an assemble of our engagement pictures, a hashtag sign (#BecomingAButterfield), coloring pages and crayons for the little ones, and playing cards for those who didn't want to spend the night on the dance floor. 

I made a photo book using Shutterfly for our guest book that was filled with an assortment of our engagement photos. I love the way it turned out with everyones colorful words of advice, encouragement, and signatures. 

Our wedding favors were homegrown pumpkins, compliments of my wonderful grandparents. When I was younger, one of my favorite memories was going to their house and picking a pumpkin to carve from their pumpkin patch. I thought it would be fun to incorporate this memory into our October wedding, with Halloween just two weeks after.

I picked up these little thank you tags from Hobby Lobby and they served as a great way to show guest how much we really appreciate them! 

When buying decor for our wedding, I always tried to ask myself how I would be able to use the item once the wedding was over. I justified this adorable pumpkin patch sign by telling myself I would hang it in our home every fall. 

We also used the pumpkins to add pops of color to the tables as well, along side some extra greenery, flowers, and pinecones.

I could eat trail mix for breakfast, lunch and dinner so I knew it was a necessity to include a trail mix bar at our wedding reception. I used apothecary jars that I had scattered around my home and filled each with some of our favorite treats. We included pretzels, peanuts, sunflower seeds, goldfish, m&ms, dried fruit, chocolate chips, and raisins. Guest could take it to go in a little bag with a decal that said "Maddie & David make the perfect mix" (Yes, I know! So cheesy! haha), or they could put it in a cup to enjoy their treat during the reception. 

Our chalkboard sign said: "Life is salty, but love is sweet, so please feel free to mix a treat!" 

We also had a pie bar with a variety of whole pies in case guest didn't love the flavors of our little mini pies. Let's be honest, I had to find a way to include Marque Letters! ;) 

The head table. 

We had an EXTREMELY large wedding party. We each had 12 bridesmaids/groomsmans on our side, so that called for a double decker head table. Wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

I have an obsession with wanting to be different, so mini fall flavored pies (pumpkin, apple, and pecan) it was, and of course delicious cupcakes made by my talented cousin. I made little labels for the pies and fun colored flags for the cupcakes. If you can't tell, I love details. 

Vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling and frosting! 

Caramel chocolate cupcakes. I wanted to sneak a box of these with me on the plane. 

My Grandpa cut me 2" thick logs to use as centerpieces for each table and my sweet Grandma sewed all of these table runners for me. Right before guest arrived, pies and cupcakes were placed around the vase of flowers on the logs. 

Ceiling decor above the dance floor. 

My best friend Madi is incredible at nails. I wanted something simple, but fun & I love what her creative mind came up with! 

And I can't complete a reception post without sharing a few of my favorite pictures from the evening.

My sister is the funniest human on the planet. Her Maid of Honor speech was something I'll never forget. Love that girl to pieces. 

And of course, my sweet bestie Taylor caught the bouquet! This girl kept my emotions intact during the wedding planning process. 

And yes, my Dad and I were secretly taking dance classes and surprised everyone with a little fun father/daughter dance. Will cherish this forever. My Dad is just awesome. 

And despite how much I loved planning every detail of my wedding, one quote was always in the back of my mind through it all: "I want a marriage more beautiful than my wedding." And for that reason, through all of the frustrations, selfish-moments, and good times,  I will try to live a life pleasing to the Lord, and be the best wife I can be.


Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by.

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WOODLAND WEDDING DETAILS

Ever since I can remember I have always been a very detail oriented person. If a picture was 1/8 of a millimeter crooked it caught my eye, if a cereal box was upside down in the isle at Target I just had to flip it around or it would bother me. I know, I'm crazy. And I know that at times I spend way too much energy stressing out about silly things. One being making sure I nailed down every last detail of every last thing while planning for mine and David's wedding.

People kept telling me, "you're the only one that's going to notice it...don't worry about it..." and looking back they were right. Sometimes during the wedding planning phase I would get way too wrapped up in what the centerpieces were going to look like, how I was going to decorate the pews at the church, how I was going to address the invitations, ect. that I would completely forget the real reason for the day.

Overall, however, I feel I settled for a good balance of adding in some corky details, while still allowing myself to sit back and enjoy that precious time in my life.

Here is a little glimpse of some of the details that composed our woodland wedding on October 17th.

Stole this chalkboard for 66% off a Hobby Lobby a few years back and thought it would make the perfect place for a little warm welcome for our lovely wedding guests. 

These floral arrangements were on the tables at our rehearsal dinner! What a great way to repurpose them for the wedding day! They added just the perfect touch of color to these old wooden crates as guest walked through the church doors. 

I used our engagement pictures to create a photo book on Shutterfly. I love that all of our engagement photos are in one place, with our favorite peoples handwritten messages layered on top. Fine print Sharpie markers for the steal! Worked perfectly on the glossy paper. 

I have a slight obsession with creating little things on Picmonkey. It has kinda become my therapy. I wanted a wedding program that was fun, smaller in size, and something that was different than anything I had really ever seen before. I added lots of random details that I thought our guest would enjoy! The back listed our bridal party, family members, and gave a few shout outs to some wonderful helping hands along the way!

I wanted a beautiful backdrop for a few family photos, and my sweet friend's mom (& our wedding officiants wife!) made my vision come to life. I want this fireplace and decor in my living room.

This picture is extra special to me for two reasons. One being that my Grandpa who recently passed away is on a charm that was attached to my wedding bouquet. This man meant the absolute world to me and I miss his sense of humor and sweetness every day.

Secondly, my Mom's wedding dress has been packed away in a preserved box since her and my dad got back from their honey money 20 some years ago. We opened it the week of the wedding with my sister and grandma and it was just too much fun.

Little did I know, my mom cut a piece off and had "love you to the moon and back" embroidered on it. It made the perfect wrap for the flower stems on my bouquet. I just love how meaningful my bouquet turned out. 

A simple way to recognized the loved ones that couldn't celebrate with us on our wedding day. I stole this "In Loving Memory" sign from Hobby Lobby 50% off! Plan to keep it for when my sister gets married next ;) 

My sweet friend & lovely bridesmaid Katie, gifted me this adorable hanger for my wedding dress. Love that it has our wedding date on it. Thanks so much, KT! This was such a fun detail! 

If you haven't noticed yet, I really like to be different. I knew I wanted the bouquets to tie in with our woodland theme, I just wasn't sure how I was going to pull it off. I landed on heart shaped bouquets with random combinations of greenery and floral. My best friend since 3rd grade & bridesmaid's talented sister, created these one of a kind beauties for me. 

David and I took communion during the wedding ceremony. Such a special time for both of us-being that we strive to put Christ as the center of our relationship. And below a close up images of the table.

Just some sheer fabric in various shades of green, thrown together with some extra greenery for the win on the isle pews. My Grandpa is a gem stone and cut me lots of log stumps that we scattered about, and complimented with different sizes and shapes of class jars filled with candles. It really set the romantic mood for the ceremony when the lights were dimmed and they were all lit ;).

I am in absolute love with the cross that was in the background during the wedding ceremony. Such a meaningful and beautiful symbol. 

That's a wrap on wedding ceremony details! Truly could not have done any of this without the wonderful help of my family and friends. They truly are such a blessing. Stay tuned for some wedding pictures and details of the wedding reception! 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Wednesday, Friends! 

Photos compliments of Behind the Lens Photography 

10 Reasons to Challenge Yourself to 10 Goals

Do you ever wonder what would happen if you put your goals "out there" for a little bit. "Out there" as in out in the open for anyone and everyone to see. What would happen if you became vulnerable enough to share with the world what your monthly intentions were and how you were going to accomplish them? 

For some reason in September I decided to do just that. I put my monthly goals "out there" with the hopes of gaining a little accountability. If people knew my intentions and my goals then I couldn't give up when I wanted to. I couldn't decide that completing the goal half way was good enough. I was encouraged and motivated to give it everything I had in order to prove to myself that I was capable of doing what I said I was going to do. 

Although sharing your goals out in the open is not for everyone, I do however truly believe that writing down 10 monthly goals is very beneficial. No matter how easy, simple, hard or challenging your goals may be, it is oh so rewarding when you can check them off at the end of the month.

Here are my top ten reasons why I encourage each of you to jump on the bandwagon with me and write down 10 goals for October:

#1. Goals help you determine a purpose and/or direction. 

Goals are a great way to help you separate what is important in your life from what may be irrelevant or distracting.

#2. Monthly goal setting is a great way to motivate yourself.

Sometimes it is hard to push yourself to do things, especially if they are things that you don't really enjoy doing. By setting monthly goals you can motivate yourself to tackle tough situations under a specified deadline. To me, there is really nothing that motivates me more than a deadline. 

#3. Goals help you to build enthusiasm. 

As you successfully achieve your monthly goals, an enthusiasm and light sparks inside of you that leaves you feeling more accomplished and productive. Achieving goals also helps to build your self-confidence.

#4.  Goals provide a foundation for discovering new monthly goals.

As you complete monthly goals, new interest or passions make arise that keep you reaching out for more. Goals are such a great way to help you convey who you are and invest and commit to things you love and care about. 

#5. Monthly goals are the perfect building blocks to bigger goals.

Do you ever have a task that just seems too outrageous and impossible to handle? Tasks such as this tend to weigh a person down and become discouraging. By using monthly goals, it allows you to chip away at larger goals, little by little, and day by day, in order to make them not so overwhelming. When you break down the larger goals into subgoals and spread them out amongst various months, they become very easily achievable and leave you feeling satisfied. 

#6. Goals teach you the importance of discipline. 

A goal without a plan, is ultimately just a wish. You have to put your goals into action. Designing a plan about how you are going to achieve your monthly goals is crucial and will determine your success. Remember, change is a result of making changes. If you change nothing, in return, nothing will change. 

#7. Goals help you adapt to change and overcome obstacles.

It is important to be flexible along the way. Remember to always be stubborn about your goals, not your methods. Sometimes alternative methods may just be the key to success.

#8. All goals don't have to be serious.
Life is meant to be fun. Taking it too seriously can be overwhelmingly stressful. Goals are definitely not meant to stress you out, they are meant to encourage you and motivate you to try new things. If you are on the hunt for the perfect fall nail polish, make that one of your 10 goals for the month. Maybe you really want to just tackle some of your Pinterest crafts that you have been pinning. There is no shame in adding that to your list of monthly goals. It is all about finding the perfect balance of what works well for you!  

#9. Goals can easily be turned into team goals for you and your besties or families.
Pick a goal for your family or group of friends and conquer the challenge together. Whether it be going on a walk together once a week to get more exercise, or all volunteer together at the same organization, completing goals along side the ones you love make the end result so much more rewarding. Embrace the challenge of starting something new together! 

#10. Monthly goals will enable you to see and rejoice over your progress!!!

I am telling you people, life is hard. The world can be a tough place to live in and defeat can easily overcome who we are. When you achieve a goal, give yourself some credit. Be excited about your results and embrace the positive changes that achieving these goals are making in your life. It is all about striving for progress, not perfection. 

Remember, every goal is uniquely yours, so own it, give it all you have and push through the obstacles. Can't wait to hear all of your success stories!!! Happy 'Goal Planning'!

Maddie

Music to the Ears, Inspiration to the Heart

I love me some Jesus music. It pumps me up. It encourages me. It motivates me to be a better person. It keeps me accountable. It fills my heart with joy. It is uplifting. It is relatable. It is positive. It is what can turn a bad day into a good one. It changes my attitude. and it is a way that I can worship my Lord and savior.

There are so many Christian songs that I love and I love them for various reasons, but all of them relate to my life in one way or another. I really use it as an outlet. Right now I have Fix My Eyes by For Kind and Country on repeat.

Listen people, this song is so incredibly encouraging. WARNING: After you listen to this song you will drop everything you are doing and you will be motivated to change the world. To give you a little preview of how this song motivates and inspires you take a look at the chore below. It is so powerful.

"Love like Im not scared

Give when its not fair

Live life for another

Take time for a brother. 

Fight for the weak ones.

Speak out for freedom.

Find faith in the battle,

Stand tall but above it all

Fix my eyes, my eyes, on you." 

To listen to Fix My Eyes by For King and County click Here

and because I love all things Jesus and E-card related, here is a little something for you all!

Happy Thursday Y'all!!

Maddie