Take a Trip Down Memory Lane (+ a LyveHome Giveaway)

There's an exit off of Rt 30 in York, PA that is literally called "Memory Lane."  Before AJ transferred to Berklee and he was attending school in York, I'd often ride along with him for the day, and every time we passed that exit, I had to chuckle to myself.  I'm sure we've all used the phrase "a trip down memory lane" a million times, but in York, you can actually take a trip down Memory Lane.

Personally...I love taking trips down memory lane (the figurative version, not the real deal).  We have bins of old photos from my childhood sitting in my mom's closet and I love pulling them out and going through them.  But with the onset of the digital age and the fact that we all have a camera in our pockets now, I definitely don't have nearly as many photos in print.  I love getting my iPhone photos printed from time to time, but I just take way too many photos to print them all!  So, they're all cataloged digitally and that means I rarely go through them.

However, I was recently skimming through my photos on a new app that I downloaded, and I found two that made my heart smile.  Since so many of you have joined the HTB community within the past year, and weren't around when AJ and I first started dating, I thought I'd take you on a trip with me down memory lane and tell you about two little trips from early on in our relationship.

AJ and I started dating in February of 2012 and in May of that year, his family went to Disney for a week.  My dad works for USAir, and at the time, I still had my flight privileges, which meant that I flew for free.  One day I was joking with AJ's mom that I would just crash their vacation because of my flight situation.  She joked back that I definitely should...at least I thought she was joking until I got a text from her the next day telling me I actually should fly down for a few days.

AJ's sister, Amanda, happens to be dating my cousin, Zac, so he and I devised a plan to fly to Orlando and surprise them.  We booked a hotel room at the resort where they were staying (which ended up being the adjoining room to theirs, because Disney is wonderful and magical), booked our flights, and kept everything hush hush, except from AJ's mom.  Then, on Tuesday of the week of their vacation, we hopped on a flight and headed to Florida.

We ended up sneaking up on them in the middle of Animal Kingdom and surprising them, and then spent 3 days hanging out in Disney with their family.  It was the best little vacation, and will always be a memory that we cherish!

The second photo that I found was this one, which was taken in Fells Point in Baltimore during the first fall that AJ and I were dating.  We had taken a day trip down to Baltimore to see Mutemath in concert along with Mark, Natalie, and their friend, John.  Mutemath is AJ's favorite band, so for his birthday the month before, I had gifted him an hour-long guitar lesson with their bassist (#BestGirlfriendEver).  So we decided to spend the day in Baltimore, then head over to the venue a little early for AJ's lesson and then enjoy the concert that evening.

I love this particular photo because it was taken over two and a half years ago and is literally one of like five photos of us that wasn't taken with an iPhone (hurry up, engagement shoot...we need you!).  I also love it because it reminds me of all that the first year of a relationship holds...at this point, we were in love and we were comfortable with one another, and we even had both known for months that we wanted to get married, but there was still so much to learn about each other!  Plus, I had those bangs, which I may or may not be considering getting again this fall after the wedding and everything.

I don't know about you, but I get overwhelmed by the massive catalog of digital photos that I have between my phone, computer, and iPad.  It's hard to keep track of all of them and that makes these trips down memory lane less frequent, which is really sad!   After looking for a solution, I settled on the free Lyve app (available for desktop, iOS, and Android), which seamlessly brings together all of the photos on all of your devices, regardless of available storage space.

Lyve's beautiful and easy-to-navigate user face is the perfect answer to all of my photo-cataloging problems.   It organizes your photos by date (so it's super easy to search and sift through them), and it continuously updates and syncs photos so that your entire photo library is available to you no matter where you are!  And, you can easily share photos right from the app to Twitter and Facebook, or through a message or email!

The coolest feature is the "Moments Past" function.  Moments Past is featured front and center to the app's home screen and pulls up photos from a specific day, week, or month from years past.  The Moments Past feature is sure to conjure up lots of memories, just like it did for me with the two photos above!

And here's the awesome news....Lyve wants to give away a LyveHome device to one lucky HTB reader!  The LyveHome device is a 2TB smart storage drive that securely and safely backs up all of your photos and videos and automatically syncs new photos that you take with your phone, tablet, or other device!  You can delete photos from your phone, and they'll still be safe and sound on your LyveHome storage device!

Here's how to enter:

1.  Download the Lyve app for your phone or tablet (iOS here or Android here)
2.  Find a photo that evokes an emotional memory of friends and/or family
3.  Come back here and share your feelings about the photo/app in the comments below

*Please note that all entries will be verified by Lyve so play fair!  Contest closes May 19, 2020.   Winner will be notified via blog comment & email and will have 1 week to claim their prize.  If prize is not claimed in this time, a new winner will be chosen.

HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED LYVE?  WHAT MEMORIES HAVE YOU DISCOVERED ON YOUR TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE?

HTB Tell All // The Wedding Edition

It's been a little while since the first installment in the Heavens to Betsy Tell All series (if you missed the first post, you can catch that here), so it seemed like it was time to answer some more of your questions!  Back in March, I decided to start answering some of the most frequently-asked questions that I get from HTB readers, and after you all submitted even more, I broke them down into a few different categories (look for more Tell All posts about things like Blogging, Faith, and what's on my bookshelves in the near future!).  

However, today's topic?  All.  Things.  Wedding.  With just four months to go until the big day, I'm starting to get into the nitty-gritty details of wedding planning, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to answer some of your questions about our upcoming nuptials!

1 // When's your wedding?
I'll officially become Mrs. Andrew Fick on Friday, August 28, 2020!  Four months!

2 // What colors have you selected for your wedding?
We decided to go with a palette made of of metallics and neutrals....ivory, champagne/gold, and navy are our most prevalent colors, with some silver and sage thrown in.  This is the color palette I used to design our invitations:


3 // Alright, what is the biggest thing you're feeling nervous about when it comes to your wedding and what is the biggest thing you're feeling most excited about?
Hmmm...biggest thing I'm feeling nervous about is the day-of schedule.  I know it'll all be fine, but that's the thing I'm stressing about the most!  Our venue is about 45-minutes away from home, and we can only decorate the morning of the wedding, so I'm nervous about getting everything done and still having plenty of time to get ready.
The biggest thing I'm feeling most excited about has to be just having all of our friends and family in the same place.  We're planning our wedding to be pretty laid-back and just a good time for everyone to hang out and enjoy one another's company, and I pray that that is exactly what it is!

4 // What are you most looking forward to when it comes to being married to AJ? (And you can't say 'living in the same state' etc.) 
Gosh....but I'm most looking forward to living in the same state!  Haha...just kidding.  I always say that I'm most looking forward to falling asleep beside and waking up next to my best friend, but I guess I'm also really looking forward to seeing where life takes us.  We have some really loose plans/ideas to move to Nashville in the next year or two, and so I'm looking forward to that adventure and figuring all of that out together.

5 // What's your venue like?
We're getting married in the heart of Lancaster, PA at the Stoltzfus Homestead & Gardens, and it's basically perfection.  We'll be tying the knot outside on the lawn, and then our reception will be in a restored 1800s barn!  If you're in the Southeastern PA area and looking for a great, rustic venue, Stoltzfus is awesome!

6 // Do you have your dress?
Yep!  It's been hanging in my closet since January 30th! 

7 // What has been the most stressful part of wedding planning?
Don't hate me, but....nothing.  Honestly, we've been so blessed by a relatively easy planning process!  We had all of the big decisions made before AJ headed back to school on January 20th and basically all that we have left to do is the fun DIY stuff, like prepping decor, putting bouquets & boutonnieres together (we're doing silk florals), picking our menu, etc.  Even our honeymoon is booked.  I can't really take the credit for all of that...it was seriously just a great stroke of luck.  We moved quickly and were able to book everything we wanted really easily, but it's made the planning process pretty stress-free!

If you have a question that you'd love to see me answer in an upcoming HTB Tell All post, you can submit it here!  All questions are welcome!  And if there's something I didn't answer in this post, feel free to submit it via the link or leave it in the comments!

Pamper Your Mom // DIY Mother's Day Basket

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AmopeLovesMoms #CollectiveBias

To say that it's been a rough month is an understatement.  At the end of March, my mom's eye doctor discovered a tumor in her eye, and within a week, she was in Philly being treated for a rare form of cancer.  Add that to the fact that she's been my dad's primary caregiver and advocate for two years now as he's battled cancer, and I think it's safe to say that we're ready for some greener pastures ahead.  I'm not sure I know another woman who is so strong and brave, honestly.  Sure, we all have our rough days, and this past month has had its fair share of tears, but she continues to press on in positivity, and she really is a pillar for our family to stand on.  

With Mother's Day on the horizon, I really wanted to come up with a way to give my mom some extra TLC.  She loves having her nails done, and so I usually treat her to a pedicure and manicure.  But sometimes, with the unpredictability that is our lives, it's hard to schedule that time to get to the salon.  So this year, I thought I'd go all out and create the ultimate at-home pedicure basket for my mom to always have at her fingertips.  Nothing makes you feel more pampered than a pedicure, so I love the idea that she can have a spa at her fingertips even on a really hard day.

I love that Mother's Day falls right around the time we're breaking out our sandals in the Mid-East, because it really does make for the perfect opportunity to spruce up our feet!  This basket was a breeze to put together and might just leave my mom's feet looking better than if she had had a professional pedi.  Between some nail polish and nail essentials, a cozy blanket, and the Amopé™ Pedi Perfect™ Electronic Foot File and Amopé™ Foot Cream, I kind of want to keep this one for myself.  

WHAT YOU NEED:

+ Amopé™ Pedi Perfect™ Electronic Foot File and Amopé™ Foot Cream

+ Nail file

+ A few bottles of nail polish in some fun summery shades 

+ Nail clippers

+ Nail buffer

+ A cute basket

+ A cozy blanket

+ Some bath salts or bath oils

+ Nail polish remover

+ Cotton Balls

+ A few mason jars

+ A magazine or book (or two!)

HOW TO:
1 // Prep your supplies: remove all price tags from your gifts, and get them ready!  If you want some extra fun, you could individually wrap each item.  I decided to keep them unwrapped so that my mom could see everything in the basket without taking it all apart.  I also decided to repackage a few of the items like the bath salts and cotton balls into mason jars to give them a nicer look and deliver them in a handy closet-friendly storage container.

2 // Use your blanket to line the basket (just like you would with tissue paper).  You want to fluff it up a little so that it takes up the bulk of the basket (and elevates the other items), but you also want to be able to drape it over the edge a little for a nice aesthetic.

3 // Start stuffing the basket!  Start with your bigger items, like the Amopé™ Pedi Perfect™ Electronic Foot File and Amopé™ Foot Cream, and then fill in the gaps with smaller items like your nail polish and files.  There's no rhyme or reason to stuffing the basket; just do whatever looks good and shows off the items that you gathered! 

4 // Add some tissue paper into the gaps to fill it in and make it look festive...simply grasp the paper at the center of the sheet and pull up, gather the paper as you go to make nice little tufts of paper that can be stuck into any "holes" in your basket.

5 // Top your basket with a Mother's Day card and maybe even a bow...your mom will love it!



I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about getting a pedicure is having the manicurist remove all of that rough skin that builds up on my heels.  My mom and I both love to wear sandals, but we want our feet to look good while doing it!  The Amopé™ Pedi Perfect™ Electronic Foot File and Amopé™ Foot Cream is the perfect gadget for getting rid of all of that hard skin that appears when your feet dry out in the winter, and is fantastic at getting your feet summer-ready.  It's easy to use and buffs away that hard skin effortlessly with a gentle rotating file.  It's definitely a must-have when giving yourself a pedicure at home. 




I found it at Target for $39.99 in the foot care aisle and on the sidecap display (they have a limited-edition pink gadget as well as the standard blue one, so hurry while supplies last!), and what's even better is that from May 3rd to May 9th, Target will be offering a great deal on it on Cartwheel.  (Side note:  if you're not using Cartwheel, you're totally missing out).  Between 5/3-5/9, when you buy one Amopé™ Pedi Perfect™ Electronic Foot File and use your Cartwheel app, you'll get a $5 Target gift card for free!




Don't forget to give your mom a ton of extra love this Mother's Day!  I know mine will love this basket of relaxation, and I hope yours will too! 

For more info on Amopé™ products, be sure to like their page on Facebook!  I'd love to hear how you'd incorporate the Amopé™ Pedi Perfect™ Electronic Foot File into a Mother's Day gift for your mom!

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO PAMPER YOUR MOM THIS MOTHER'S DAY?

Starting this Week with a Grateful Heart

It feels like forever since I've been in my normal blogging routine.  April has been the craziest of months, but I'm happy to report that I think we're out of the woods and life is getting back to some semblance of normal.  I spent the past week in Boston with AJ, and we had a week of absolutely no agenda, wandering around the city and just enjoying one another's company.  It could have been a little bit warmer for my taste, but at least there was no snow to be found anywhere!

It's also been forever since I linked up with Emily for Grateful Heart Monday, but I'm so ready to be back into the swing of things and linking up is just the thing my heart needs!  So here are a few things I'm particularly grateful for lately:

+ Obviously, a week spent with my love!
+ Good news for mom...we had a bit of a scare at the beginning of the week with some iffy scan results, but it turns out that everything is ok!
+ Spring is here!  Another week or two and we'll have leaves on trees here (and I can't wait!)
+ I'm getting married four months from tomorrow....eeek!
+ Ice cream.  I'm supposed to be getting in shape for the aforementioned wedding, but I maybe ate a lot of ice cream this week and I'm not sorry.
+ My puppy.  After a week away, I'm almost in tears over how cute this dog is.  He makes my heart happy!
+ A wonderful support system through our church
+ A great family to be marrying into

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR TODAY?

Party Like a Superhero: Avengers Watch Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AvengersUnite #CollectiveBias



While I love chick flicks as much as the next girl, I've got to be honest with you...I love superhero movies.  I love the action and adventure and how superheroes are these dynamic characters, and of course, I also love the little bit of romance that's always thrown in.  Plus, you all know that I can geek out, and nothing's geekier (in the best way), than comic books turned into movies.  Ladies, you know you're with me....girls can totally love superheroes too!

My favorite superhero franchise out there, without a doubt, is the MARVEL universe.  I love The Avengers, and am so excited for the new movie, MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, to hit theaters next week!  In order to properly prepare for the new installment's release, I invited a bunch of friends over to watch MARVEL's The Avengers movie as well as a few of our other MARVEL favorites.  Because of the way the MARVEL universe works and the schedule that they release new The Avengers movies, it can be really easy to forget what happened the last time you saw your favorite superhero in action in theaters.  So we all got together to refresh our memories before we all head to the box office next week.

Since I was hosting this little shindig, I decided to go all-out and party like a superhero, with themed treats, games, and decor.  So, I give you a completely The Avengers-themed party plan that you can replicate at home....and, for those of you who love puns, here are a few alternate titles for this post, courtesy of my fiancé:

1:  A Loki (low key) Superhero Party Thor (for) You and Your Friends.

2:  Throwing a MARVELous Superhero (Hulk) Smash!

3:  Make an Ordinary Friday FANTASTIC FOUR All of Your Closest Non-radioactive Friends... Including Spider-Man. 

4:  Antman.

WHAT YOU NEED //

+ A few of your favorite The Avengers movies (duh!)

+ Your best The Avengers apparel (break out that Captain America t-shirt!)

+ Lots of snacks:  soda, ice cream, chips, popcorn, candy, cheesecake, cupcakes (no movie marathon is complete without snack food!)

+ Any food that you see with one of The Avengers on it:  specifically look for Cheeze-Its, Doritos, Cherry Dr. Pepper, and Kellogg's Fruit Snacks!

+ Strawberries & Blueberries
+ Salad Supplies
+ Baby Carrots & Dip

+ A few prizes (I picked up some gift cards!)

+ Any of The Avengers action figures and toys, like an awesome Hulk hand (hey...you need to satisfy the kid within)

+ Plates, Cups, & Napkins

+ Brown postal wrap

+ Sharpies

CAPTAIN AMERICA CHEESECAKE //
To make this easy cheesecake resembling Captain America's shield, I picked up a pre-made cheesecake from Wal-Mart and a few packs of raspberries and blueberries.  I formed the outline of a star in the middle of the cake with the blueberries and then filled it in to create a circle around the star, and then set two rows of raspberries to make the circles on the Captain's shield.  It was a hit, and no one had to know that I only spent about 10 minutes on it!



THE AVENGERS CUPCAKES // 
Ok, so I really wish I could tell you that I made these.  I totally intended to actually make homemade cupcakes, but my time was running short last week, and when I stumbled upon these beautiful desserts in Wal-Mart's bakery, it was a no-brainer.  To turn these cupcakes into "The Avengers Cupcakes", I picked up a few packs of The Avengers erasers from the party aisle and put them on toothpicks, then stuck the toothpicks into the cupcakes!  So easy, and it transformed these otherwise-plain desserts into ones perfect for my MARVEL's The Avengers watch party.  (And they were a total hit, too!)



THUNDER THOR POPCORN //
Salty meets sweet.  I popped two bags of all-natural, lightly salted microwave popcorn and then melted some milk-chocolate chips (use about 1/3 c. chocolate chips drizzled with olive or avocado oil, and melt in the microwave for about 45-seconds, stirring every 15-20 seconds, until smooth).  I tossed the popcorn into a bowl and sprinkled M&Ms over the popcorn, then drizzled my melted chocolate over the mixture.  Do this in a few layers, and you've got a salty-sweet treat perfect for snacking!



S.H.I.E.L.D. SNACKS //
No party is complete without every themed snack item that you can find!  Keep your eyes peeled for Avengers-marked boxes of Cheez-its, Doritos, Dr. Pepper, and Kellogg's fruit snacks.  I decided to label these snacky, finger food items (perfect for munching while movie-watching!) as "S.H.I.E.L.D. Snacks" to keep with the theme!



IRON MAN'S FIZZING FLOATS // 
So you've heard of a root beer float, but have your guests ever had a Dr. Pepper float?  My guess is no, which is why they'll be impressed with your Iron Man Fizzing Floats!  All these take are a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some Dr. Pepper.  But be careful....they really do fizz!  You don't need to fill the cup up with soda, and I highly recommend putting them together near a sink...or you might end up with Dr. Pepper all over your kitchen floor like I did!



THE HULK'S MEAN GREEN SALAD & COULSON'S CARROTS AND DIP //
While snack foods are great, you do need to satisfy the health-conscious, so I whipped up a salad and picked up some baby carrots & dip.  These are pretty much party staples, but they're favorites, so it was a good choice!




GAMES & PRIZES // 
Since I invited mostly adults over (with the exception of four kids), I decided to create a few games that the adults could enjoy!  I designed an The Avengers Trivia game (download the printable for free here) and an The Avengers Matching game (download the printable for free here), and then picked up some gift cards and a few of the MARVEL's The Avengers movies to hand out as prizes!



SET IT ALL UP //
I picked up a blue table-cloth for the table and tried to keep to a red, blue, and green theme, since most of The Avengers wear one or more of those colors.  I rolled a piece of brown craft paper over the table and then laid out the food and used a Sharpie to label everything with my The Avengers-themed names like "Thunder Thor Popcorn", "Incredible Hulk Mint Oreos", "Captain America Cheesecake", "The Hulk's Mean Green Salad", "Coulson's Carrots & Dips", etc.  I picked up this great tub for drinks and decided to go with bottled sodas, because they just make things more fun, right?



We enjoyed the beautiful weather by eating outside, and then I passed out The Avengers Trivia and Matching games to everyone to see who knew The Avengers the best!




Once everyone had eaten and the sun started to go down, we headed inside to watch the movie!  We went over the answers to the games and handed out the prizes, and then popped in the movie, passed out some Iron Man Fizzing Floats, and settled in to watch MARVEL's The Avengers!



The party ended up being super fun and we had gorgeous weather, which meant we were able to get outside for the first time this year before watching the movie.  I can't wait to hit the movie theater on May 1st, when MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out! In preparation, I'll be watching some of my favorite Avengers movies:  Iron Man 1, 2, & 3; Captain America 1 & 2, Thor 1 & 2, The Incredible Hulk, and The Avengers!  And while you're preparing for the MARVEL'S The Avengers:  Age of Ultron release, be sure to download the Superheroes Assemble app, which is available in the Apple App store & Google play, and can help you have even more of The Avengers fun!

The best part about this party was how easy it was to prepare for...I headed to my local Super Wal-Mart and I was able to pick up everything I need, including some of the Avengers movies and specially-marked packages of snacks!  




Be sure to head to Wal-Mart to pick up your favorite The Avengers party gear!

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AVENGER?  WILL YOU BE HITTING THE THEATER ON MAY 1ST TO SEE AGE OF ULTRON?

The Guys Behind the Blog // April

I can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted.  Goodness, April has been a crazy month.  I have some fun stuff planned for the next few weeks here at Heavens to Betsy, and we're kicking off those things with today's Guys Behind the Blog link-up! 

 If this is your first time reading one of these posts, here's a little background:  each month, I ask my fiancé, AJ, five questions and invite you to do the same with your guy!  The link-up typically happens the last Thursday of the month (we moved it back a week this month) and stays open for a week, and it's a ton of fun!

I'm currently in Boston visiting AJ for the week, so we sat down and I asked him this month's questions so you all can get to know him a bit better!  

1 // Has Starbucks ever spelled your name wrong on a cup? If yes, what's the craziest way that 
someone has spelled it?
Yep.  Somebody at a Starbucks here in Boston misunderstood me and wrote "Asia."

2 // Who would play your fiancee in a movie or TV show about your lives?
I want to say Zooey Deschanel because you kind of look like her and she has big eyes and stuff, but I also don't want to say her because she kind of annoys me.  Personality-wise, I want to say Tina Fey because you have a similar sense of humor I think.  So maybe a mix between the two.

3 // What is your proudest accomplishment?
Locking you down.  Definitely...making this official.

4 // What is your favorite holiday and why?
Fourth of July, because I like the summer and we always play volleyball, which I love.  Ooh, but then also Thanksgiving because the Eagles play and it's nice to have everybody around.  Both of those.

5 // What is your favorite breed of dog?  If you don't have a favorite breed, describe the characteristics of your ideal dog (or cat)! I like bloodhounds.  Betsy does not.  There will be a war over this.  

And there you have it, folks!  I hope you'll consider joining in with us this month for The Guys Behind the Blog!  You can see past posts here, and you can hop on board this month by interviewing your guy and posting anytime in the next week!

May's Guys Behind the Blog is scheduled for Thursday, May 28 and will stay open through Friday, June 5.  If you want to get a head start, here are the questions:

1 // What is your favorite family tradition?
2 // Who's your male celebrity crush?
3 // What song best sums you up?
4 // What three things do you think of the most each day?
5 // What is your most embarrassing memory?

Do you have a question that you'd like to see featured in an upcoming Guys Behind the Blog?  Submit it here!
(P.S. There will not be a war over the bloodhound thing...unless we live on a farm someday, we're not getting a bloodhound.  End. of. story.)

An InLinkz Link-up

Fiesta Floral Bridal Shower Games

With wedding season on the horizon, I've been getting more and more orders for my bridal shower games.  These are some of my favorite things to design, because I love everything wedding-oriented!

I designed these particular bridal shower games for a client about a year ago, and I filed the design away in my records with the intention of one day breaking out out again and publishing it.  I think it's super cute, and has a little bit of a southwestern, fiesta feel to it, but also fits a rustic-themed bridal shower.  We used some of these games for my best friend's shower about a year and a half ago, and they were a hit!




And now for an exciting announcement....while I love accepting custom bridal shower game orders via email (and will continue to take them!), I've also decided to offer more generic games in my etsy shop moving forward, available for instant download.

There are two ways to purchase them:  you can purchase each game individually, or save $5 by purchasing the entire suite (4 games)!  I'll slowly be building the catalogue of designs I offer in the shop, but some of my most popular templates are already available for download...click here to check them out!  And if you or someone you know is getting married or throwing a bridal shower in the near future, keep these fun games in mind!