Let’s say, hypothetically speaking of course (cough, cough), that you were a complete idiot and lost your engagement ring.

Thankfully the insurance gods smiled down at you and accepted your claim. Now you have a pocket full of money and a shit ton of options as to what to do with it.

Would you…

A. Create an exact replica of your lost ring? Why?

{Read the rest of this entry…}

I want to look back on my life through photos. I want to remember what it was like to win that hot dog eating contest, or swim with Olympians, or ride in a helicopter in Kaua’i, or cross the finish line of my first half-marathon.

But in order for that to happen I need a camera…a good one that will grow with me.

That is where you come in…

I am in the market for a new Digital SLR Camera. I am debating between purchasing a Canon or Nikon.

image c/o Canon.com

image c/o Nikon.com

I have read reviews about both cameras and both sound fabulous so which one do I choose?

I was hoping those of you who own either of these cameras could tell me your experience with it, why you chose it, and what you like about it.

Help, please?

Over the past year I have purchased frames of varying sizes and shapes. Originally I planned on using these frames to make a photo collage of our wedding photos. However, after I mentioned this idea to some of my friends and co-workers most said that it was tacky and showed a lack of personal humility. Most suggested buying one photo from our big day instead. We were torn. We still wanted to display our beautiful wedding photos, but we also did not want it to seem like a shrine to Mr. and Mrs. Mojito.

So, fellow bloggers, what do you think? Is it tacky to have a large display of wedding photos? If you were to walk into someone’s home that has a wall filled with memories from their special day would you think it was overkill?

I’d love to know what you think.

Here was our solution to this conundrum:

We mixed some of our wedding photos with our family’s wedding photos. The remaining empty frames will eventually be filled with photos from our day-to-day life.

Specifically in regards to the in-laws.

Although things have gotten better since our wedding, there was a time when every conversation I had with my mother in law ended with me in tears. It was very early on in our engagement when Mr. Mojito and I made firm boundaries with our in-laws. We are a team and we needed to act as such. In the end, those boundaries saved us.

When things would get really bad and I wanted to cave into my mother in law’s ridiculous demands, we would always remind ourselves of the all too common phrase, “When you give a mouse a cookie…”

I understand not everyone has a poor or even strained relationship with their in-laws. If you are one of those people, count your blessings. I wish I was as fortunate to have such a great relationship with my mother in law. Because of the hurt I felt during my own wedding planning process, I no longer want a close relationship with her. I wish it could be different, but I chose my own self-worth in the end. My feelings and my heart come first. It took me a long time to be fine with this decision, but now, I know it was a good decision for me to make.

Now, my mother in law no longer feels like she has the right to lecture, pass judgment, or offer her opinion unless it is specifically asked for.

I do hope one day I can look at her as a friend and not someone who caused me months of pain and heartache.

So…

How do you all deal with in-law issues. Do you set up boundaries? If yes, what kind of boundaries? How does your spouse or significant other deal with the issues?

If this post is too personal, please do not feel obligated to answer. I just wanted to hear how other people handled difficult family situations in the hopes that it may help my own.

{image c/o www.time.com}

For those of you that read my personal blog, Make Mine a Mojito, I have stated several times before that Mr. Mojito and I only plan on having furbabies in our family.

Wellllllllllll, the time for our first puppy to arrive is quickly approaching (as in, late August to be exact).

These cute little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies were born over Memorial Day Weekend this past May. These are the most recent pictures I have of them. We are still not sure if we are getting a boy or a girl. If we get a girl we plan on naming her Ginger. If we get a boy his name will be Oliver, but we will call him Oli for short.

How cute are these puppies?!?

So, on to my question dear readers and advice givers, for those of you with puppies running around your house, what types of things do you do to prevent your house from getting completely demolished and dirty?

Do you prevent your puppy from going in certain areas of the house? Do you clean your floors daily?

Help!

I have had this conversation with several people and wanted to know your thoughts. I find that people are VERY divided on this topic…

Would you upgrade/change your engagement ring (either in size, shape, clarity, or all of the above) assuming you could pay for the upgrade with cash (i.e. no credit cards or debt) and both parties were O.K. with the decision?

Ponder and discuss.

Every week since we started dating, Mr. Mojito has given me a bouquet of flowers. Sometimes it is orange tulips, raspberry colored peonies, calla lilies, or cymbidium orchids, but this week he gave me beautiful two-toned roses, berries, and hydrangeas.

This is a weekly tradition I look forward to. It has even become a fun game between us. He never gives me the flowers on the same day so I am still surprised every time I receive them, and he always makes me guess what flowers are in the bouquet. Sometimes I am right, but most of the time he tricks me because he tends to create bouquets with very unique flowers (think dahlias, freesia, berries, and hiasynth). But the aspect I love most about this tradition is that it is special and sacred to just us.

So, this got me thinking….what special traditions do you are your loved one have? Is it going to weekly movies or dinners? Brunch on Sundays? Game night? Nightly walks? Cooking classes?

I thought it would be fun to hear what other couples do and maybe even get some ideas of fun, new traditions we could start.

Let’s talk about home improvement projects for a moment, shall we?

Now Mr. Mojito is great at many things…math, buying me flowers, teaching his students, mowing the lawn, cracking hilarious jokes, being a wonderfully caring husband, cleaning the bathroom.

One thing he is not so good at is ANY home improvement project.

For example, take this Restoration Hardware mirror:

Looks pretty nice hanging on our wall right?

Want to guess how many hours, different attempts, and phone calls to various dry wall companies it took to get this mirror hanging on the wall? TOO DARN MANY!

I realize not everyone is great at fixing things around the house, but seriously I did not expect this mirror to be that difficult. You put two level holes in the wall and hang it up. Wrong.

AND it is not just hanging your basic mirror…caulking the shower, installing shelves, replacing the half-bath faucet, putting together IKEA furniture (ok, maybe I can let this one slide because the instructions were in Swedish)…the list could go on and on.

Over the past year I have come to understand that there are just some things best left to professionals…in our household, home improvement projects fall into that category.

I am just sad it took us this long to figure it out! We should have just saved ourselves the time, money, and energy and went out for mojitos instead.

Thank goodness he makes me laugh everyday.

Love you honey! [waves hi to Mr. M]

Woo hoo! I am so thrilled and honored to be a regular writer on EAD Living.

I want to start by introducing myself. In the blogsphere I am known as Mojito Maven.

Now I know Mojito Maven is not exactly your typical blog pen name, but for those people who know me well know that there is no better phrase to describe me.

When dining out with friends, “make mine a mojito” is my typical response when the server asks what I would like to drink. Why you ask? Because the mojito is the mother of all cocktails! Thank you Cuba! This delicious concoction offers it all…it is tart from the lime juice, sweet from the sugar cane, bubbly from the soda water, has zing from the muddled mint leaves, is crisp from the light rum, and if that was not enough, it can be specialized to your liking by adding various fruit purees!

What’s my flavor? I particularly love a berry or mango mojito, but one can never go wrong with the original.

A year ago I married the love of my life and best friend. I am so thankful to finally be a part of that blissful club known as “Newlyweds”. I have a fantastic life that is nowhere near perfect, but wonderful nonetheless.

I have been told I am smart, sassy, silly, spunky, spiritual, sarcastic, stubborn, a space case, and a poster child for Scorpios.

When I am not writing for EADL, you can find me on my blog. Make Mine a Mojito chronicles my life…a Colorado native, somehow displaced in suburban Texas, with a passion for mojitos, home decor (hello Restoration Hardware), Food Network, weddings, J. Crew, fine cuisine, and all things pretty.

Grab yourself a mojito and hold on tight…it is going to be a fun ride! Woo hoo!!

Ed note: Check out Mojito Maven’s wedding recaps over on EADW - it was super creative and fabulous!