soakin' up life

freezing cheese...

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

This is a somewhat random post...but it's something I experimented with a few months ago and felt like I should share what I found!

I LOVE cheese. LOVE it. Love it. LOVEEEEE ITTTT. I don't know what it is about cheese that just makes my belly so happy and my tongue tingle with joy. However, cheese can be a bit pricey and I am a bit cheap (the 2 don't mix together very well). Costco's shredded cheese is by far one of the best deal's around...the problem is, I can not eat that much cheese before it goes bad.

The solution: freeze it!

Separate it into 2 - gallon size zip lock bags (these aren't freezer bags), squeeze all the air out and then lay flat in freezer. Once frozen you can pull it out as you need the bag and let it defrost in the fridge. I didn't have any issues with clumpy-ness or taste!

You could also use quart size bags if a gallon bag is too much for you to go through before it goes bad.

And there you are, a little money saving technique!

Combo Dress

2012-01-22T20:51:00.000-06:00

I've been drooling over the idea of making a dress of my own, especially after being inspired by this easy to do short dress and this long dress that I've always wanted (but am too tall to be able to find one in the store). Yet I've found myself torn between which to make...

So I thought why not make BOTH! Better yet, why not make both in ONE DRESS! Yep, that's it. A two-in-one dress that can be either short, or long.

I am not going to give you all the instructions because that would be silly, and I forgot to take pictures, and then when I did think of it Keith was in the middle of using my camera to post his items on ebay...and so goes the story of my life... So, I will do the best I can to explain what I did, but when in doubt resort to the above links and just follow my last step to make it a combo dress.

I went to the store and found some black fabric on clearance...I'm not too sure what kind of fabric it is or anything about it, but I washed it before I sewed it and it didn't shrink so I figured I was good to go!

The Skirt:

I had the fabric store cut 60", when I got home laid it out with the cut edges together (so the 60" was the length). If you're shorter than I am (5'10") go ahead and adjust the length as needed! Next time I will probably get less fabric, but I figured it's better to have more than not enough!
Pin it together on the long side and sew baby sew! I used a basic stitch and 5/8" seam allowances.

The band:

I measured 3" for my 2" elastic band
pin & sew
I left about 2" unsewn to thread the elastic band through.
To measure the elastic band: I put it around the part of my waist I planned to wear the dress, pulled it so it was comfortable, and cut.
Once I threaded it through, I sewed the elastic together and sewed up the rest of the hem.

For the tank:

I used a tank I found on clearance at old navy for $3.50...I liked it because it wasn't a ribbed tank, but still the jersey knit material.
I cut the tank 9" down from the armpit seam.
I attached the seams together with a pin, and started sewing there.
I used the 1/2" extra that I had from the 3" band width to attach the tank, and left out about 2" of the tank to overlap underneath the dress.
I didn't pin the rest of this, I just made sure I pulled the tank and matched it up with part of the dress os it all attached together.
Once the tank is attached, hem up the dress to desired length for a long dress.

To make it a combo dress:

take 2 buttons (mine don't match, yours don't have to either!) and attach one to each side of the dress.
you can create a button hole if you know how and make your hem big enough. I did not do this, so I just took some thread and made a little hook out of it but making a loop the width of the widest part of the button and sewing back and forth.
You could use black thread if you don't want it to be seen, but I wanted it to be found easily for a quick change in wardrobe.

[button loop]

**VOILA**

[long] [short]

{please don't mind my filthy bathroom mirror}

peanut butter chocolate treat

2012-01-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you were thinking "what did she do with those other 4 crescent rolls!?!" Well do not fear, nothing goes to waste in this house! I just knew I wouldn't be able to finish up 8 hot dog links, and had another recipe idea to try so I used the other half for these delicious treats:

One bite of this and I was in HEAVEN. I love anything that has peanut butter and chocolate in it, and I love anything warm on a cold winter day; the combination of the 2 was simply majestic.

Ingredients for 1 treat:

1 crescent triangle (that's kind of contradictory, eh?)
3 hershey rectangles
1/2 tbsp peanut butter

Picture directions (scroll to bottom for non picture directions):

Unroll all the crescent rolls & preheat the oven to 375

spread peanut butter on triangle and put chocolate on top

roll up triangle

roll into ball between palms

gently, flatten out with palm of hand

set timer to 11 minutes

pull out and enjoy!

Directions:

Unroll all the crescent rolls & preheat the oven to 375
spread peanut butter on triangle and put chocolate on top
roll up triangle
roll into ball between palms
gently, flatten out with palm of hand
set timer to 11 minutes
pull out and enjoy!

Hot Dog Crescent Rolls

2012-01-20T13:34:00.000-06:00

I've been pinning away on pinterest and seen so many different uses for these crescent rolls. I got them for back in November to use as a Thanksgiving roll, but for some reason we settled on a different kind of roll after we had already bought these...don't have a clue what I was thinking but oh well!

So I decided today I was going to use up a roll of them (I have 4 rolls because I bought the costco bulk pack) and had pulled one out of the freezer the other day to let it defrost.

As I was opening it up today and looking at the directions I realized it said on the package that you're not suppose to freeze them before baking...oops, they still turned out just fine, so while I'm not here to trample pilsbury's sound study that you probably shouldn't freeze these, I am here to say that I froze them and they were just fine. It was a little harder to separate them all when I opened the container, but the taste and quality was still there.

Ingredients for each roll up:

1 crescent triangle

1 turkey dog link per triangle

1/2 of 1/3 cup shredded cheese (I split 1/3 cup of cheese for every 2 crescent rolls)

Picture directions (scroll to bottom for non picture directions):

Unroll all the crescent rolls & preheat the oven to 375

Put turkey dog links on all the triangles you plan to make

(I only used 4 of the rolls for hot dogs)

measure 1/3 cup shredded cheese

sprinkle half on 1 triangle, half on another

do this for all the links

then roll 'em up!

Put them on a greased pan

set the timer for 11 minutes

serve and enjoy! YUM

These were so seriously so delicious! They were warm and cozy, I actually only ate 1 and felt totally satisfied and full.

There are about 275 calories for each one, not bad for a good lunch! Pair it up with a piece of fruit or a veggie and you've got a pretty great meal!

Another variation of this I've been thinking about trying is adding pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar to add a bit of a kick to it. YUM!

Directions:

Unroll all the crescent rolls & preheat the oven to 375
Put turkey dog links on all the triangles you plan to make
(I only used 4 of the rolls for hot dogs)
measure 1/3 cup shredded cheese
sprinkle half on 1 triangle, half on another
do this for all the links
then roll 'em up!
Put them on a greased pan
set the timer for 11 minutes
serve and enjoy! YUM

Smoothies for breakfast

2012-01-19T13:04:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the lack of blogging this week...but I've been quite busy interviewing and getting a job! I'm back at Chesterbrook Academy (a different location, closer to where I'm living now), the preschool I was at before I started my clinicals and student teaching.

Now that I will be rushing out quickly in the morning I have been experimenting with different quick and on the go breakfast ideas. This morning, I decided to try a smoothie creation. I've been loving greek yogurt lately, mostly because I love yogurt but also because I have a hard time getting protein in my meals throughout the day and this stuff is PACKED with protein!

This is a simple, simple smoothie.

I used pomegranate yogurt and blueberries,

but you can switch it up to whatever flavors you like!

Pomegranate blueberry smoothie:

1 container pomegranate greek yogurt

1/2 cup blueberries

1 cup crushed ice

3 tablespoons water

Put all ingredients in magic bullet and blend in intervals of 10 seconds until smooth.

Simple and delish!

Bacon and BBQ Pork sandwiches

2012-01-15T21:23:00.003-06:00

I LOVE BBQ! It is most definitely one of my FAVORITE types of food! I'm an all-American food lover. Don't get me wrong, I will enjoy just about any type of cuisine, but there is something about a good ol' fashioned BBQ that makes my tummy smile!

Last week Costco had a special on their pork chops so they came out to be about $2/pound (SUPER CHEAP!) so I snagged the cheapest (ie: smallest) package I could find. Half of it was wrapped individually in saran wrap and then put into a freezer bag for later use (pork chops stay in the freezer for up to 3 months if stored properly, so it was a great investment!) and the others I seasoned up for this dinners this week!

Lately, I've been cooking one big dish and eating it throughout the week and then having other more simple things in between for other meals. It has worked out nicely, but this week I didn't cook up all the pork because it wasn't all defrosted in time. Instead I cooked 2 pieces and put the rest (seasoned) in a tupperware container to defrost, soak up the seasonings, and cook later in the week.

Bacon & BBQ Pork Sandwiches:

I didn't time how long it took me to cook these, but I would say from start to finish it was probably about 30 minutes. I would say it would be about an easy-medium difficulty, but that is also coming from someone who has never cooked pork before. The hardest part was waiting to eat it ;)

Ingredients:

2 pork chops (or more) mine were about 1 1/2 inches thick!
1 package of bacon (you can use turkey bacon, or omit if you're looking for a way to make this more heart healthy)
1 tbsp of bacon fat, butter, or oil
2 tbsp (or more) Weber Sweet 'n Tangy seasoning rub (or other rub of choice)
1/4 cup your favorite BBQ sauce - I used KC Masterpiece original because we have a stockpile (I mean STOCKPILE) of this from a coupon deal a while back.
2 Buns

Picture directions (for consolidated/non picture directions scroll to bottom):

Cook bacon, if you choose to make the bacon in the oven you will need to use butter (or olive oil) instead of bacon fat when cooking the pork chops.

Season pork chops with rub on both sides and rub in to the chop

pour excess fat from bacon into a metal soup can (or similar) BE CAREFUL! Save about a tablespoon in your pan.

I love this rub! I sprinkled it on some home made french fries the other day too and baked them up -- YUMMO!

brown all sides of pork chop (about 3 minutes per side)

Once browned cover with about 1/2 the BBQ sauce and smear all over one side, then flip and use that sauce to cover the other.

cover and let it cook for about 7 minutes

if you want to just cook the chops and not use them for sandwiches, you can skip this step and just let the chops keep cooking. I would suggest rotating the chop every few minutes and checking the internal temperature to reach an internal temp of 145-150 degrees F in multiple areas.

If you are going to make the sandwiches (and to help them cook faster) cut the chops in half and lay them cut side down. Cover, and let cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Take out of pan one half at a time and slice into thin pieces, put back in pan.

cook all the pieces in the pan for another 3 minutes or so

[stack it up!]

[YUMMO!]

I was very pleased with how this turned out! I will admit it is the first time I have ever cooked pork chops (SHOCK!). All I remember about pork chops from when I was younger was dipping them in applesauce and still tasting blech blech bland; so I was apprehensive when I began, but gained confidence as I went and produced a tasty meal!

Consolidated Directions:

Cook bacon, if you choose to make the bacon in the oven you will need to use butter (or olive oil) instead of bacon fat when cooking the pork chops.
Season pork chops with rub on both sides and rub in to the chop
Pour excess fat from bacon into a metal soup can (or similar) BE CAREFUL! Save about a tablespoon in your pan.
Brown all sides of pork chop (about 3 minutes per side)
Once browned cover with about 1/2 the BBQ sauce and smear all over one side, then flip and use that sauce to cover the other.
Cover and let it cook for about 7 minutes
If you want to just cook the chops and not use them for sandwiches, you can skip this step and just let the chops keep cooking. I would suggest rotating the chop every few minutes and checking the internal temperature to reach an internal temp of 145-150 degrees F in multiple areas.
If you are going to make the sandwiches (and to help them cook faster) cut the chops in half and lay them cut side down. Cover, and let cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Take out of pan one half at a time and slice into thin pieces, put back in pan.
Cook all the pieces in the pan for another 3 minutes or so
Serve on a bun with bacon (and a veggie!)

Reese's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-12T02:30:00.000-06:00

I was in the mood to bake, but I wanted to do something different, something, fun; it didn't have to be NEW but I wanted it to be unique. So, I asked Keith what treat he would like this week and he said "something with these reese's peanut butter cups in it."

and aha! the reese's chocolate chip cookie was born!

I took about 15 reese's and ran 12 of them through my food chopper (hmm...I wonder what happened to the other 3...)

then I stopped to take a picture of me in my new apron, because I realized I looked pretty cute.

[warm winter huggies!]

[nom nom nom]

I followed the chocolate chip recipe off the back of the bag of chocolate chips, except I did 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of crushed reese's

[YUM!]

I also started a mini fire in the microwave running this through it trying to get my "butter" softened...what's so sad is that I really know better.

mix up all the ingredients

add in the chocolatey peanut butter mixture

I like to line my pans with foil, for 2 reasons. One, it is less clean up later; two, my pans are a little old and charred, which doesn't mix well on the bottom of a yummy cookie! I think I'll add baking pans to the "things to register for" list.

scoop them out with a spoon -- I have one of those fancy cookie scooper things but it never works the way I want it to; so I just use a kitchen spoon and my finger!

set the timer -- I LOVE this timer...I got it for Christmas from my brother and his g/f and it is AWESOME! I'm sure they think I'm nuts that this is what I requested, but I am so glad I did! If you don't have one of these dual timers you need one! I know I sound crazy, but it is so nice being able to set my cookies in the oven at different times (as the pans are ready)...and not have to do the math, and accidentally forget about a pan, and end up with a chocolate chocolate chip cookie (do you get the joke? I think I'm funny...you know, because it would be black from being burned...)

anywho..here's a little trick for keeping your cookies soft: as soon as they come out of the oven, cover them with a kitchen towel. It allows them to cool, keeps the moisture in, but doesn't create that watery-moistness that can often be on cookies if you put them right in the cookie jar.

[shhh the babies are sleeping!]

[YUM!]

[fill that cookie jar and enjoy!]

WIWW

2012-01-11T14:05:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd link up with The Pleated Poppy this week for what I wore wednesday...I actually wore this LAST week...and it was on Thursday...but I thought I looked cute and wanted to share. The dress is an oversized beach dress that I put a cardigan and belt over, added a scarf and some leggings and VOILA a new take on clothes that are too big (and a dress that is meant for summer)!

[I thought this was a cool looking picture)

[trying to get the camera to work right]

[ah, yes, there's the pretty girl ;)]

Rainbow Jello

2012-01-10T01:30:00.000-06:00

In continuing with the jello obsession, today my skills were put to quite the challenge when rainbow jello was requested.

Yes. Rainbow jello. I LOATHE rainbow jello. It is tedious, and I am impatient. I actually had never made it before...I was going to make it for rainbow week when I was teaching preschool, but when I realized how much work it took I decided that the kids and I would just make the color separate so they could actually do it. Yet the day still came, when rainbow jello was requested. And being the good little suzy homemaker that I am, I said "of course!" and accepted the challenge. And challenging it was!

I started out optimistic

laying out my color pattern...

and starting the first round.

so far, so good! It didn't all fit in the mini muffin tin, so I pulled out a pie pan and an ice cream cup too so that I could monitor the color blending more easily.

put in the fridge and wait 30 minutes (per directions of multiple blog posts found online)

and it is ready for the next color!!!

or so I thought....the ice cream cup showed that it was ready for me to pour in the next color, but when I poured it into the pie pan something happened and it split and combined. So, instead of dealing with it, I got frustrated and dumped this out...pathetic, I know, but I just couldn't take it! So I continued on with more ice cream ups and the mini muffin tins. What this taught me was that I needed to give it a little longer, so I gave the other layers 45 minutes and had much more success!

here we go!

[layer 3]

I made the jello according to the quick set directions...

boil water and mix in the jello pack (be careful when adding the jello in because it will boil over if you add it too quickly)
add 6-8 ice cubes and stir until they melt
Also, let the jello then sit to reach room temperature so you don't break the jello that comes out of the fridge and cause the colors to merge together.

the extra jello from the other layers (after I threw out the pie pan layers) I poured into more ice cream cups...since I ran out of room for the last color I ended

and I then realized it could be a yummy Christmas treat! Just make the layers a little thicker, and add some cool whip or whipped cream on top! FUN!

Let it set for a few hours and voila, rainbow jello! Okay, I KNOW the colors are not the colors of the rainbow...so I guess we will just call it multicolored jello.

J-E-L-L-O GUMMIES!

2012-01-09T02:00:00.000-06:00

For whatever reason Keith has recently become obsessed with Jello. Who knows where this love came from, but I have been having a lot of fun with it! Jello molds, jigglers, there really is a lot more to do with jello than the plain old jello bowl!

While looking for something fun and new to try, I came across a recipe for homemade fruit snacks using jello and decided to give it a shot! I found the recipe on this blog (I like to give credit where credit is due!) and altered it just a smidgen.

For complete recipe, scroll to bottom...for picture recipe, start here!

2 cups frozen strawberries

1/2 cup of water

3/4 cup applesauce (with cinnamon - can't even tell!)

1 cup cranberry juice cocktail

3 envelopes of gelatin

Over medium heat boil strawberries and water until berries are soft.

Transfer to blender (I used my magic bullet) and puree until smooth

Return to pot, add applesauce and return to boil.

Remove from heat, cover and set aside

In measuring cup combine juice and gelatin and let sit for a minute (then get distracted, and realize 15 minutes later that you were supposed to combine those things sooner...don't worry, it will be okay!)

Combine with warm fruit mixture and let it dissolve (5 to 20 minutes...depending how distracted you get this time)

I poured this on a thin baking sheet because Keith and I don't really like thick jello (too sugary).

Let it set for a few hours (maybe 3 or so)

and then cut into desired size. I cut mine into various sizes to appeal to my needs later on (okay, really I just can't cut straight to save my life...but I like to think I was just catering to those who may want bigger or smaller pieces. Yep, that's me, I'm considerate!)

For those of you who are like me and have never seen this stuff -- here's a picture so you can see what you are looking for!

It turned out pretty good, I think in the future I wouldn't use the gelatin envelopes, but jello in whatever flavor juice I use.

Recipe:

2 cups frozen strawberries

1/2 cup of water

3/4 cup applesauce (with cinnamon - can't even tell!)

1 cup cranberry juice cocktail

3 envelopes of gelatin

Over medium heat boil strawberries and water until berries are soft.
Transfer to blender (I used my magic bullet) and puree until smooth
Return to pot, add applesauce and return to boil.
Remove from heat, cover and set aside
In measuring cup combine juice and gelatin and let sit for a minute (then get distracted, and realize 15 minutes later that you were supposed to combine those things sooner...don't worry, it will be okay!)
Combine with warm fruit mixture and let it dissolve (5 to 20 minutes...depending how distracted you get this time)
I poured this on a thin baking sheet because Keith and I don't really like thick jello (too sugary).
Let it set for a few hours (maybe 3 or so)
Cut into desired size. I cut mine into various sizes to appeal to various guests who may want bigger or smaller pieces. (okay, really I just can't cut straight to save my life...but I like to think I was just catering to those who may want bigger or smaller pieces. Yep, that's me, I'm considerate!)

New Years Resolutions...

2012-01-08T02:00:00.000-06:00

I don't really have many resolutions this year, I mean I always have goals in mind, but there's nothing that I said starting THIS year I WILL do this. I'm not sure why I don't do it, I think it is great for those who do (except for those who crowd my gym). My only problem with it is I often make so many that I forget about them.

Last year I made a pretty hefty list of resolutions and unknowingly did a pretty good job at sticking to them. 30 pounds lighter (but I forgot about the whole no unrealistic goals portion...oops), authentic friendships, blogging, cooking, picture taking, budgeting (ehhh not really, but Keith has pretty much whipped me into shape!), A's in classes - graduating with a 4.0 in my program.

check,
check,
check.

So what could I possibly resolve for this year? It's simple...do more of the good stuff, and less of the bad stuff. Open for you own interpretation, but it works for me.

p.s. this makes me chuckle

speaking of my wedding...

2012-01-06T02:00:00.000-06:00

There hasn't been much posted about my wedding on here since this post about dress shopping. Honestly because it hasn't been on my mind too much; with student teaching last semester, that was my priority!). But I haven't completely forgotten about that big day at the end of this year, and I haven't been completely avoiding everything that is wedding related...although it may seem that way ;)

I'm lucky to have a groom who actually cares about this big day, and because of this I don't see it as my wedding, but our wedding. Therefore, most planning has been done together and I've forgotten to share with most people...oops!

Thanks to pinterest and a little bit of our own personalities, we have a great party planned...but you're not going to get many details until after the day (is the suspense killing you? hehe). Speaking of the day, it's new year's eve, THIS YEAR! It feels so great to say that :)

I'm definitely more of a laid back bride...from the beginning I haven't had much of an opinion and have been open to pretty much anything and any idea. If I liked it I said so, if I didn't I said so. Let me tell you it has made everything (this far) so enjoyable! I found my dress (it is on it's way to me!!!), every so often I think about something and write it down (I have the memory of a fish!), but other than that not a whole lot has been done...I know it's still a ways out and who knows maybe a few weeks before I'll be on here freaking out...but for now, I'm just enjoying it an keeping this as my mantra:

[Couldn't have said it better myself]

New Year's Eve

2012-01-05T01:30:00.000-06:00

All this commotion about jobs and recipes and all that jazz and I forgot to share what I did on NYE! How could I forget? (P.S. happy new year!) Some of you know my wedding is booked for next NYE at The Seville, part of the package included (thanks to Keith's swift sales talking) tickets for us to enjoy their NYE party. We convinced our friends Matt and Mary to get tickets and join us, and after a little convincing they agreed! We had a great time overall, and it was really cool to get a little mini "preview" of what my big celebration will be like next year.

[Matt and Mary]

[Me and Keith]

[Cheers!]

[look how big that shrimp is (YUCK!)]

[the four of us with our party gear]

[happy new year!]

There were a few minor things that I plan to bring up to our planner (minor, but still need to be addressed, i.e. cleanliness of the bathroom) and that was nice to know ahead of time. But overall, it was so much fun! I ate WAY too much food, but it was so good, I just couldn't help it! We danced, we laughed, we ate, and we had a great time!

"what are you doing now that you've graduated"

2012-01-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

If I had $1.00 for every time I have been asked that since the day I graduated, I don't think I would ever have to work again.

Would you like an answer? It's fairly simple...I am looking for a job. Not only am I looking, but I am applying. I am looking and applying for jobs. No, I'm not just looking for teaching jobs, yes, I have broadened my horizons to other education fields. Yes, I look everyday, yes I stared looking and applying before I graduated as jobs I could apply for became open.

Have you ever seen Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" performance? I feel like I relive that conversation every day of my life.

I have been out of school for approximately 3 weeks. In that time, schools have been on breaks, which means teachers aren't working, which means I can not get a job. But I have been trying, and I have been applying. I have been networking and applying, and searching and applying. On average I have applied for at least one job a day. I think that's great, and that is what matters. But it's frustrating to wait.

I have had a great support system around me encouraging me during this search and apply process, but it's still exhausting.

I know that the educational field is a tough one to crack into, but I want it, and I am up for the challenge. I've heard time and time again that the likelihood of me finding a job is so minimal that most people are changing fields. I have heard that the likelihood of securing a job once finding it is even more minimal that Universities with education programs are receiving fewer and fewer applicants every year. I know this, I get it, it's tough. But I will work for what I want. I know it may take time, and I know it may not be immediately, but in time, in GOD'S time, it will happen. How can I be so sure? This is my passion, and I believe our passions are intentional, that we are given passions from our Creator to help His plans unfold.

So no matter how many times I hear a hollow and sarcastic remark of "good luck", no matter how many times I am told how hard it will be to get a job, it will happen. Maybe not exactly how I have it planned, but how He has it planned will be better, and knowing that truth, I will patiently wait.

a twist on lasagna!

2012-01-02T18:14:00.000-06:00

I was inspired by this recipe on pinterest a while ago, but I don't have that many ingredients on hand at home so I had been putting it off for a while. However, last week I realized I didn't REALLY need that many ingredients to make it...after all, the reason I love lasagna so much is because it is so simple. So I decided to make my own version of this recipe.

There were a few things that I did differently, in the original recipe they used large muffin pans, which I don't have, so I used regular ones. I also didn't layer the cups, I just poured everything in. And as an added twist I tried something brand new - even to my recipe - and replaced the ricotta cheese (or sometimes I use cottage cheese) with plain greek yogurt...and you know what? Neither of us could tell the difference! Not only did it cut out a significant amount of calories, it also added a significant amount of protein to the dish!

I was pretty impressed with how tasty these little things turned out to be! Plus, in an effort to continue to be healthy, it helped to have single servings to work on that not so popular portion control...Here's the recipe if you'd like to enjoy! Overall it took about 45 minutes from the time I started until the time they were on the table. I served with some garlic bread too YUM!

Recipe:
1 box Whole Grain lasagna noodles
16 oz plain greek yogurt
1.5 c shredded cheese (divided)
1 jar of pasta sauce
2 lb ground turkey (or beef if you prefer!)
a few dashes (maybe 1tbsp?) of each italian seasoning and oregano

1. Cook noodles according to directions

[trying to be healthy I used whole grain noodles]

2. Brown turkey; add seasonings once browned, mix, and let simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Combine cooked turkey, greek yogurt, 1/2 c. of cheese, and sauce in a bowl, mix until evenly covered. I think if I were to do this again I would use 1/2 jar of the sauce in the mix and then keep the other half to pour over the lasagna noodles at the end...but that's just a preference and not how the original recipe intended for it to be!

[see how my greek yogurt is oozing from the side?

yeah, that's because I dropped it in an effort to only make one trip

from the car to the house...]

[don't make the same mistake I did and drop the

liner for the yogurt into your mixture...oops.]

4. Once noodles are cooked, drain and let them cool for a few minutes. I laid mine out across the strainer to cool them as I went.
5. Line muffin pan with muffin dishes (you can use parchment paper, but I don't have that...) and spray with pam (probably not necessary, but I did to be safe!)
6. Pour mixture in each cup and top with remaining cheese. To make this easier I poured some into a measuring cup and then poured it into each noodle cup.

7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

[i forgot to take a picutre of the first pan,

so this is the second with the extra mixture in muffin tins

for additional sauce on top]

8. I had some leftover of the sauce mix at the end so I divided it up into muffin tins, just without noodles and poured that over each noodle once out of the oven for some extra saucy-ness

9. YUM!

calories: 220/each best part is these are PACKED with protein! Yay greek yogurt!

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-29T21:25:00.000-06:00

Keith got home from work at 4 and said "want to go to see the zoo lights tonight?" and off we went. Yep, that's how planned and organized we are! On the way, we decided to call one of "my girls"* and see if she wanted to join us (another point added to our great planning). She said yes, we picked her up and off we went!

*side note, my girls are the girls that I used to be a small group leader for through their middle school years that I still stay in contact with and while they are my friends, they are still MY girls!*

[I'm in LOVE with this picture - I think we both just look so beautiful!]

[loving our winter gear :)]

[Keith treated "his girls" to Starbucks, isn't he so sweet?]

[I joked that these penguins reminded me of 3 of my girls, who I often called the 3 musketeers...yeah I don't expect you to get it, but it makes me laugh!]

[walkway through the zoo]

[ready, set....]

[WEEEEE!!]

[the Monkey's tree, note the bananas hehe]

[Thanks ComEd!!]

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-19T18:10:00.005-06:00

Every year since we've been dating Keith and I have talked about making a gingerbread house, and this year we finally did! It wasn't our three story house like we have been talking about, but it still turned out pretty great!

[my snowman!]

[Keithers added a chimney - how cute!]

[and he covered the whole roof with andes mints]

[just like shingles!]

[side 1]

[the front]

[kit kat shutters - yum!]

[our friends matt and mary came over to join us...yay!]

[this was their house, how fun!]

[aren't we cute?]

Next year I want to try making the gingerbread from scratch and making the three story mansion we've always talked about!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..

2011-12-16T18:10:00.000-06:00

This year I decorated Keith's house for Christmas (which is a lot harder than decorating my little apartment)

I got these little balls last year on clearance, the bows I made myself! I hung them across the open doorway from the kitchen to the TV room.

Finally, my first real Christmas tree!

[still a little bare in my opinion...

but our ornament collection has just begun!]

[yes, those are parrot lights!]

and I got to cover it with lots of fun ornaments - I was especially excited to pull out the ones we got at Bronner's over the summer!

[ATVing marshmallow snowman]

[vrooom]

[goalie!]

[notice is hook for a leg!]

[nom nom nom]

[ruff!]

I know there isn't a lot, but our decorations are growing slowly...one day we will have a house FULL of Christmas decorations, but for now it's fun to just begin!

Downtown Disney

2011-12-09T21:59:00.000-06:00

The first night of our mini "getaway" was spent in downtown Disney! After we went to the rehearsal and dinner we took ourselves down for some explorin'!

[Keith took this picture and I thought it turned out so nice!

It's the Peter Pan balloon that you can actually go up in!]

[The Seven Dwarfs in Lego form!]

[That's my man!]

[Enjoying Downtown Disney]

Cupcake stand

2011-12-08T21:40:00.001-06:00

For Thanksgiving I needed a cute place to put my yummy treats...around Halloween I came across this cute cupcake stand at the Dollar Tree (I LOVE THAT PLACE!) and picked it up with the intention to use it as a template.

I wasn't sure what I had that was sturdy enough to use as a stand, but sure enough I found this in my office:

[it's the backing of a Vera calendar I got last year for Christmas!]

I also had some extra cardboard laying around (as usual)

So I traced each piece:

And began to cut it out and put it together

I had some white paint that I then used to paint what you see is cardboard. I wasn't too bright about this and painted it AFTER I put it together, when I obviously should have done this before. But it still turned out just fine!

Magical Kingdom

2011-12-06T22:05:00.000-06:00

I haven't been to the Magic Kingdom since I was in a wheel chair in 3rd grade. Okay, that was a little overdramatic, but it's true. I sprained my ankle the second day of our vacation to Florida when I was in third grade and spent the day at Magic Kingdom in my wheelchair. So this time, Keith was determined to fit as much as we could into a single day at Disney World, starting with the Magic Kingdom.

We were there right as it opened which was really cool to see the opening performance:

[all the characters come on the train to the front and

sing a song to you and do a little dance, it's really just so cool!]

And then you walk in and see this:

[The most beautiful thing I've ever seen!]

Well back to that story about third grade, in the wheel chair...that year was the first year that I was old enough and tall enough to go on splash mountain. Unfortunately, with my sprained ankle, I wasn't allowed to go on again that year, and that was the last year we went to Florida. I've talked about how disappointing it has been for years, so the first ride that we went on had to be SPLASH MOUNTAIN!!!

[yes, it was worth the wait!]

After that we hit some of the other rides and other things that just looked fun to us!

[going up on dumbo!]

[racing in the race cars!]

[Keith texting and driving on the racetrack lol]

[in front of the castle]

[*sigh*]

After the Magic Kingdom we went to Hollywood Studios, I'm really not sure why I don't have pictures of that because we saw this really neat special effects show...I must have been too into it to take any pictures.

Then on to Epcot, but not for long, their wait times were WAY too long!

So it was back to the Magic Kingdom we went!

[We took a ride on the train]

[Saw Woody and Jesse]

[and even watched a fun parade! Minnie is so pretty!]

That night they lit the castle for Christmas, all their Christmas decorations were already up and everything - it was really neat to see! We asked someone to snap this picture of us while they were getting ready for the nighttime spectacular parade.

[I love this picture, I even got an 8x10 for our Disney frame!]

[grabbing a turkey leg -- Keithers's favorite!]

[can you tell I love minnie? I think she is just so beautiful!]

Celebrating Friends

2011-12-05T22:05:00.000-06:00

The real reason we went down to Disney in November was to celebrate our best friends getting married! We love Matt and Mary so much and are so happy for them, and are so thankful they asked us to take part in this special day!

The rehearsal dinner at the polynesian was PHENOMENAL! It is like a Brazilian steak house, but with MUCH more food (if you can even imagine that)!

[the 4 of us]

[Keith and I at dinner]

The next morning we were up and primping for the big day

[loving my hair!]

[I love this pic I snapped of Mary, I think it's cool how

her veil is covering the "bride" on her sweatshirt!]

[the girls!]

[Mary's dress]

[glowing with beauty!!!]

[in the limo riding to get pictures taken]

[I love this picture of Keith and I!]

[All of us in the limo after the ceremony]

[look who came to join the party!]

[dancing the night away!]

[Minnie and Me!!!]

[Dancing with Mickey!]

[With the 2 happy couples ;)]

[Us girls dancing!]

What a fun night!!!!

Month of Thankful OOPS!

2011-12-04T14:59:00.001-06:00

Well, my month of thankful idea was awfully ambitious and a total flop...seeing as I haven't posted in over a month..OOPS! But let me tell you I was definitely thankful for something every day! The past few weeks have been beyond insane.

The first week of November was spent in Florida celebrating the marriage of some great friends. That week I realized how thankful I am for real friends. Friends who are not just takers, but givers. For laughter and for a short but much needed break!

The following week brought my first parent teacher conference experience. It went great, but the days were long! That week I was thankful for my cooperating teacher who throughout this semester, despite all she has going on (and it's a lot!), has taken the time to truly invest in me and help me become a better teacher.

After that was thanksgiving, and boy was I THANKFUL that week! My parents came in town for the week and I was thankful for that. But more so, I am thankful for the family that I am marrying into. They have taken me in and treated me like one of the family. They are fun, easy going, and the perfect balance to my personality.

See, I told you I was thankful every day I just didn't have enough time to stop and share them with you all!

Gobble Gobble

2011-12-02T08:38:00.001-06:00

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to host Thanksgiving for 15 people while student teaching. It was indeed a GREAT idea, a lot of fun, and a smidge bit stressful. In the end I just have to say, I am marrying the most supportive, helpful, and compassionate man I have ever met. Throughout the entire thing he encouraged my crazy project ideas, stood beside me (literally) as I was trying to figure things out, and reminded me what Thanksgiving is all about when I tried to be (as he says) way too hard on myself. I sure am thankful for him! Here is a little glimpse of what I managed to capture on Thanksgiving day.

[Magical punch bowl]

[Made from a treat stand turned upside down!]

[designing Cafe menu boards back in the day came in handy!]

[prepping the turkey fryer]

[lookin' good]

[YUM!]

[Here goes the oven one]

[I didn't have anything to hold the wings down,

so I used shish-ka-bob sticks!]

[pumpkin pie cheesecake bites]

[my happy place :)]

[everyone enjoying themselves!]

[celebrating the triplet's birthday!]

[Nicole's adorable pug puppy - Ruffles!]

[Ruffles is going in for some cake!]

What you miss out on enjoying are some of the FUN things that I created for the day:

1. a cheese and sausage pumpkin, similar to this:

Although mine wasn't a turkey, the sticks were just shoved into a pumpkin!

2. Paint chip napkin and silverware holder - can we say amazing?? Please, say it with me...A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It was so nice to have, we set everything up buffet style so these were easy to grab and not have to worry about fumbling around with the silverware.

3. The piles of food we had out for everyone to enjoy.

4. My cute fall table cloths Keith helped me pick out from Kohl's (and by helped I mean picked out because I'm far too indecisive for decisions like this!)

5. The finished product of my homemade cupcake stand:

(more to come on this later)

6. The laughter, love, and excitement for everyone who was there!

What a great day! Will I do it again next year? Absolutely!

Thanksgiving Project

2011-11-29T08:37:00.000-06:00

One of the projects I ventured into during November was making a happy Thanksgiving decorative sign. I had Keith cut up a 2x4 into various sizes for me. Wrapped it in craft paper, covered it in mod podge...

And then added letters and bows and a bit of creativity.

(these weren't dry, as they dried the glue wasn't noticeable any more!)

And they ended up in my kitchen on the windowsill, such a nice little touch!

thankful!

2011-11-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

Well, had great intentions to blog this weekend but my computer has decided to have some issues and I am stuck using my 'smart' phone which is beyond annoying.

I had great intentions of doing a 30 days of thanks where each day I blog about something am thankful for!

Today it is my beloved's birthday so felt was only appropriate to tell you all how thankful I am for him! I could list all the reasons, and go on and on, but quite frankly I am over this 'smart' phone. So I will keep it simple - I am thankful for Keith to take care of me and care for me.

Gobble gobble - 23 days!!

Pumpkin Fest!

2011-10-27T08:38:00.000-05:00

Sycamore puts on a pumpkin festival where kids of all ages (and adults) can submit their pumpkins to win in different categories....it was a really fun festival to walk around and look at all the pumpkins and it was such a great fall day!

Fall Festival

2011-10-25T07:25:00.001-05:00

I love fall, it's such a beautiful time of the year with everyone is trying to soak up the last of the beautiful weather (at least here, before the big Chicago winter hits!). A few weekends back Cortland had their parade and fall festival. I haven't been to a parade in ages, so Keith and I decided to tag along with the neighbors and go get some free candy! The parade was actually pretty fun, and it lead right into their park for their little fall festival. Here are some of the highlights :)

[isn't my godson the cutest???]

[Keith's shot of Eddie]

[Keith's shot of superhero Frickity Frank]

[Waiting for the candy!]

[The boys]

[Maggie and Frank]

[Maggie being inappropriate.... ;)]

[HERE IT COMES!!!!!]

[Eddie waved the ENTIRE time]

[Even when the trucks were too loud!]

[When I saw this one coming I looked at Keith and said

"I hope this float is throwing cupcakes!! (They weren't)]

[Even the tupperware people walked in the parade]

[Keith and Eddie pointing at something exciting...]

[Wonder what it could be....]

[OH! It's the tractor, of course!]

[how fun is this?!]

[Finn slept right through the marching band]

[this little guy was such a trooper!

and so was his dad, who moments before had his foot ran over by this little guy!]

[I want to sit up there...see him??]

[Maggie told Eddie no more candy,

of course, Keith shoved some in his pocket and Eddie tried to hide and eat it...

we have two goofy boys on our hands! haha]

[horses, and dogs that look like horses!]

[hahahahaha...I love him!]

[can we say "perfect fall day"?]

Maggie and I were chatting at a picnic table before this happened...we got up and walked over to find the boys and we find this. Not only that, the three of them were trying to get into the same row first haha.

[choo choo!]

[and Keith was stuck sitting next to some random girl...

I'm not sure what parent would look and think "yeah this is a good idea?" haha]

Fake apple pie

2011-10-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

I have to do something with all those apples I have...so I started with this:

Fake apple pie

For each medium apple you will need:

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 tsp powdered cinnamon

Mix the ingredients and sprinkle over the reserved apple pulp. Toss with a spoon and fill the apple bowls.

I used a stemless wine glass to roll the dough and cut a circle for the top of the "pie"

I used my food processor's pie crust recipe to make this dough, you can also use pre-made or any other variation of pie crust you choose.

bake at 400F for about 15 or so minutes (until the pie crust is brown)

Don't expect it to taste like apple pie...it does in it's own way, but since it isn't completely in pie dough it doesn't have the same taste...It is however tasty if you are looking for a healthier treat (note: not healthy, just healthier ;) ) Keith didn't care for it, which I somewhat anticipated (as it is healthier) but I enjoyed it! I also think it would have been better if I had put cinnamon in the apple before adding the filling inside, just to give the apple a little extra flavor.

Margaritaville Mixer

2011-10-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

Our new toy!!!

I am so excited about this one (you know because I haven't been excited before...) *sarcasm*

Keith found this one from slick deals for a fraction of the normal cost and SURPRISE he got it! So last weekend we enjoyed some perfectly blended delicious beverages!!

look at it go!

[YUM!]

Birthday month wasn't over ;)

2011-10-11T02:00:00.000-05:00

Friday night when I got to Keith's house, I had a package from my parents delivered. My mom had mentioned sending it to me earlier in the month, but apparently couldn't find the post office in her town...after finding (I think) a UPS store, she shipped it on up to me. And oh my goodness, it was the most thoughtful gift I have EVER received!

She printed the school supplies list from the school I am student teaching at.

[Brookdale Elementary 2nd grade]

And purchased, and wrapped all of the supplies, plus a few (or a lot) extra!

This was the best...she wrote a post it note that said "I do believe I have gotten everything on the list, but just incase check the shirt pocket"

[you are never too old to be excited about getting $20 from your parents!]

[all wrapped up]

[in princess wrapping paper]

[with glitter and confetti -- well worth the clean up!]

[my loot!]

[notice what is hidden in there,

and was (obviously) not on the school supply list ;)]

What's great about these two items is that I have been wanting them from Bath and Body Works for a while, but could never justify spending the money on them!

[I love my ladybugs!]

[I love my hand sanitizer!]

[anyone remember kuala yummies? Yep!!!]

[super fun packaging tape!]

[school ready kleenex!]

[super cute pink tote to store it all in for now]

And I think my facebook status for the night sums it all up very well:

"just received the most thoughtful gift I have ever gotten! My mom (Laura 'Blakey' Finney) printed out the school supplies list from the school I am student teaching at, purchased all the supplies off of it, plus a bunch of other stuff that I will need to get through the semester (including wine) and mailed it to me!!! How incredibly thoughtful of her, it makes me feel so loved and truly blessed to have parents as wonderful as mine. :)"

Apple picking

2011-10-10T19:49:00.003-05:00

Sunday brought a beautiful (yet a little too warm for my autumn liking) sunny day! After church in the morning we met up with our friends Mary and Matt for some apple picking! I have never been apple picking before, so I was beyond excited...plus I hadn't seen my Mary (as Keith calls her ;)) in forever! We had a lot of fun, and as usual, many, many, stomach hurting laughs! We went to Jonamac Apple Orchard which was wonderful, well organized and not too busy (considering it was the weekend). It's actually only about 15-20 minutes away from Keith, which is why we went there, but it was exactly what we were looking for!

[Keith picked the first one!]

[Deciding which ones we want to pick]

[Matt going in for the goods]

[Yeah, it was hot...I was not too thrilled about that]

[I was the official wagon puller]

[Mary climbing Matt...]

[Almost there!]

[Human Apple Picker!!!]

[Can you see them?]

[There they are! They got one!]

[We all decided this one looked like an elephant tuckas

(it still tasted good though!)]

After walking for a while the comment of engagement pictures came up. Now, I am not a big fan of the engagement pictures...I really do not see the point of them. I think pictures of the actual engagement are wonderful, pictures of the wedding are great, but I am just not a huge fan of the posed picture. I would much rather use the money to go do activities and take pictures of those memories! Mary wasn't too happy about this (which is truly why I love her, she sees the purpose in fun things, like this, that I tend to over-think!) so I told her we could take a few...and had Matt snap a few shots of us "celebrating our engagement."

[Yep, there's the ring...can you see it glisten in the sun?]

[I even thought of a cutesy cheesy line for this picture ---

"We work well together"

get it, because we are pulling the wagon together?

(insert awws here)]

[covering up his stain -- classy]

[covering up the stain will a view of the ring -- innovative!]

[waiting for our donuts -- YUM!]

[the 4 of us, I really love this picture and plan to frame it!]

[a little pumpkin picking...hehe]

[our loot at the end of the day!]

Spooky!

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-05:00

Well of course, once Keith saw the fabulous wreath I had made for my apartment he wanted one for his house, but I wasn't willing to have 2 of the same wreath (when we do eventually move in together). So, while we were at the Geneva craft show we came across a cool Halloween wreath that I knew I could replicate. Again it was close to $40 to purchase, and while I would be more willing to spend that kind of money at a craft fair over a hobby lobby, I couldn't justify it when I knew I could make it for cheaper!

I started with a wire wreath circle from hoblob $1.75 with my 40% off coupon.

The black around it is a special kind of ribbon, it was 50% off in store ($5 for the BIG roll)

The "spooky" sign is a Target one-spot purchase, but was actually $2.50 (most things in the one spot are $2.50, let's be honest here!)

The ghosts are made from plastic grocery bags so they can be weather resistant, and tied on with purple ribbon (I had both around the house so they were free to me.)

I did have to purchase a hook for the door, which was $2 or $3 (pardon my horrid memory!)

Making the total cost of this wreath: approximately $12 which is a savings of $28 from the craft fair!

[And look how fun it is!]

[looks great with my mums and scarecrow!!]

The mums were another fun project that I embarked on this past weekend. I have never been much of a gardener, but love flowers and would really like to be better at it. I figure mums will be a good place to start, since they require minimal maintenance (from what I've read). I love both pots that we found, the blue on the left was from JoAnn's (75% off) and the green on the right from Menard's (also discounted, just not sure how much). Doesn't it just make the porch look lovely?

Scarecrow Jack was a Menard's rebate purchase as well, he is such a cheerful boy!

Crafty :)

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I decided I wanted to make a pretty fall wreath for my apartment. Since my roommate enjoys my crafty-ness more than Keith does (although he does appreciate it) and she's having friends come in town in October, I decided I would make it for our place to spice it up for autumn!

When I went to hobby lobby to get the supplies, I stopped to see what kinds of wreaths they had, and to make sure that I wouuldn't be spending more to make a wreath than to buy one. To my surprise, I found that most wreaths are well around $40!!! I knew I would have no problem at all figuring out how to make one for less!!

I started with just the twig wreath from hobby lobby ($2.50 with my 40% off coupon)

All of their fall decor was on sale for 50% off, so the mini pumpkin, corn and little ball looking things on the top were all 50% off. (3@ about $1.50 = $4.50)

The leaves came in a bag, what was tricky was that the fall leaves in the fall section were individual and about $1.25 for a stick of leaves. The ones I found were in the fake flower/gardening section and they were half off ($1.50 with sale)

The big sunflower was a garage sale find over the summer, the woman just wanted to get rid of everything so I took the big box of fake flowers she had and she gave them to me for free!

So, my wreath in total cost me approximately $10; that's a $30 savings from the price of buying one! I should seriously start selling these things! ;)

[love, love, love!]

First sewing project complete (well, almost!)

2011-10-04T05:30:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, on one of our Saturday night dates, Keith and I just so happened to pop into JoAnn fabrics to stroll around and look for some fabric for pillows for the couch (which was what should have been the first sewing project) and came across the most beautiful fabric for curtains in the clearance bin.

Since we have been talking about getting curtains for the back door for some time now, Keith decided we should purchase it and create this as my first sewing project (ambitions ain't he?)

The process was slow, the motor in my first sewing machine (given to me from Keith's mom) broke, so I had to purchase a new one:

Then I had to figure out how long I wanted, and what style I wanted them to be. Midway through Keith changed his mind, and while I contemplated changing it, I don't think he is going to win this one.

[finally cut the fabric and laid it out to pin)

[my sewing station]

[ironing the seams]

Now the curtains have been hung for a few weeks now, because we had company over and I didn't want them just draping over the chairs. However, I need to finish attaching the lining to the top of them.

[final product]

[do you love it with the yellow (and hockey decor)? I do!]

This was definitely a learning experience for me, I need a few more tools if I am ever going to embark on this task again (mostly a rotary cutter and mat so that I can cut straight). But I really did enjoy it and am excited to pick out fabric for some throw pillows for the couch (and for a much simpler project)!

2011-10-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Those who know me know my favorite store in the whole wide world is Costco. Keith and I visit the store regularly and often just for a slice of pizza or a hot dog and some browsing. Today, we headed there to pick up a few items and grab lunch; while we were there we came across these:

Corningware etch! Keith's mom and I were at kohl's a few weeks back and she mentioned she had seen them at a bridal shower she attended, though the only color available was red. I thought they were neat, but didn't really love the red, so when we came across these yesterday I insisted Keith call his mom to see if she wanted some. Sure enough she did, and then Keith let me get a set as well! :) I think his motive may have been a little tainted, as the day before he had purchased the kitchen for our new house without my consent (more on that later ;)) but I'm not complaining!

[so pretty!]

I'm hosting Thanksgiving at Keith's house this year, so I'm pretty excited to use them (though I hope to use them before then)!

Hello October!

2011-09-30T04:30:00.000-05:00

Goodbye to my birthday month, until we meet again.

Shoe Style Saturday

2011-09-17T17:15:00.000-05:00

[North Face Base Camp Slip-On]

I've decided to link up today for shoe style Saturday since Keith bought me some new shoes this week :) While you may think this is sweet, as I really do, what you have to understand is there are probably less than 3 pairs of shoes I own that Keith doesn't think are "hideous". I don't really care, and being the stylish one in the relationship (let's be real, socks and sandals are about as classy as Keith gets, no kidding) I rarely take offense to this.

But every-so-often, Keith comes across something he would love to see me wear and I think would fit well into my wardrobe. Then, before I know it, I have it. These shoes were first spotted at Clark's in downtown Naperville. Being that it is Clark's, they were a little out of the budget. BUT with a groupon to shoebuy.com and a discount on the website, we were able to get them for a much more reasonable price. They are SO comfortable, soft, supportive, and cute! They're great casual slip-ons which is always a must have for fall! This picture is of one foot (obviously) and I hope to get another of the two as well as the inside of the shoe so you can see just how cute they are, when we go out tonight!

Happy shoe style Saturday!

Shoe Style Saturday

Pinata - a new tradition!

2011-09-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

When Keith asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday I told him all I really wanted was to have the Turza's over for dinner and a little celebration. So this evening, the Turza's came over and we had a party! Maggie brought a pinata from the DG and it was definitely the highlight of the night!

After Frank finally busted it open, we headed inside where the boys then began to play with our light up toys....

And I oogled over my perfectly adorable Godson

[My precious Godson!]

Birthday Weekend

2011-09-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

Every year I anxiously await my gift card from the Vera Bradley outlet. They send you $20 on your birthday, seriously, my favorite freebie!! I finally received it, so this weekend I headed to the outlet mall and got the purse that I have been longing for!

Here we are:

Then, I headed out to see Keith...For weeks now, we have been visiting Hyvee, walking around, sampling what they have, and enjoying their sales. Every time we go there we walk past the bakery and I start to drool. Seriously. So, Keith promised me that for my birthday he would buy me a cake from there. This is the one I picked, and let me tell you - it was deadly delicious!!! Their bakery is completely from scratch and you can definitely taste the difference. YUM!!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-09-01T16:57:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning and walked out to this:

Then I went to the bathroom and walked into this:

Then I walked to the family room and found this:

My roommate is THE best :)

During the school day I was pleasently surprised with

these absolutely STUNNING flowers sent from Keith

After school, my roommate and one of our friends had a little birthday party. She made her special pizza (my absolute FAVE) and my friend, Callie, got me this card:

(I am absolutely in LOVE with lady bugs, so it was perfect!)

And Ms. Callie brought me ice cream cake -- which I have wanted since last year, but never been able to justify buying (I ate the entire thing in a week...)

What an absolutely wonderful day. Hello 23!!

Let birthday month commence!

2011-08-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Keith and I used our groupon and headed to dinner at a brazillian steak house! I wasn't as impressed with this one as I have been with ZED 451, but it was still a wonderful date night, and a great way to celebrate my b-day! Unfortunately, I did not remember to bring my camera, or think to take a picture with my phone (pathetic, I know!) so you are just going to have to imagine how cute I looked and how adorable of a couple we are!

Tonight Keith and I headed over to Nat's house to celebrate my birthday. Nat and I have now been friends for TWENTY years (ew, I'm old, this is something my PARENTS say!!!!). I can't believe we have known each other this long, but I am thankful that we have! She made me a yummy pie, and her dad (as usual) video taped us singing happy birthday. It was a great night, and a great way to celebrate!

Happy Birthday Little Bean :)

2011-08-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

Since the day she was born she had a special place in my heart, her parents were so kind to entrust me with caring for her, and overtime she became more than just the little girl I nanny for, she became my little sister. From sleepovers to trials and errors of new food allergies, this little girl has been through so much, and taught me many lessons - about love, life, and learning how to make the best of the worst. I couldn't ask for a better little sister, and she will forever be my little bean.

[This is the first picture we ever took together ;)]

[precious!]

[Halloween!]

[do we resemble each other?]

[after looking at wedding dresses together!]

I just can't believe my girl is already 7!

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2011-08-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my good friend, Maggie's birthday (she looks SO great, can you believe she just delivered a baby???). For dinner we headed to the Acquaviva Winery, much fancier looking in the pictures than it actually was...despite the lack of wine and beer (apparently it had been a busy weekend) the bones left in the calamari, and them forgetting my meal, it was a fun night with great friends and lots and lots of laughter!

Lake Geneva

2011-08-13T21:44:00.004-05:00

We had another groupon to use, for another boat tour...so off to Lake Geneva we went for a cocktail cruise around the Lake!

[There's our boat, from a distance]

[So pretty]

[Waiting to get onto the boat - Keith says "take my picture!"]

[I love this picture, and I love my outfit!]

[And there were fireworks to finish off the night!]

The captain pulled us into the perfect view and just let us sit and watch them. Apparently, it's a private family who puts on the show every weekend! What a great night :)

Chicago Architecture Tour

2011-08-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

We headed into my favorite city to enjoy a beautiful summer day! We took the train in and walked to Navy Pier (a far walk, but a lovely one, nonetheless!). When we got there, we realized Jimmy Buffett has a Margaritaville restaurant there; we were so excited so we had a quick bite to eat and went on our way to our architecture tour.

We went on the seadog architecture tour (we had a groupon) and I have to admit, I wasn't very impressed. The tour guide was pretty good, very knowledgeable and fun, but the tour itself was a little disappointing. It was 70 minutes, 10 minutes of it at the end was a chance to get a taste of the speedboat cruise, which was cool, but not what I had paid for. Then there was a good 20 minutes spent waiting for and in the locks...which was cool to go through, as I have never experienced it before, but definitely a deal breaker for if I ever brought friends to the city to do a tour.

2 years ago I went on another tour when my roommate's friends were in town from PA and it was awesome! We didn't go through the locks so I felt like we really got the most of our tour. I wish I remembered the name of the cruise line, but it's been two years so what do you expect? All I remember was it was the first ticket booth before you enter into Navy Pier.

It was still a great date day, and I am thankful that I was able to have Keith all to myself, especially before school starts back up in a few weeks! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment to show you all the sights we were able to see. Chicago really is a beautiful town!

[Waiting to get on]

[I thought it was cool that the captain sat up above all of us in this little tower!]

[Fire boat and police station]

[I love this town.]

Christmas in July!

2011-07-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

Or Christmas all year round at this place! We made a quick detour to Frankenuth, MI on our way up to Canada to stop at the world's largest Christmas store! It was so fun to walk around and feel that holiday cheer in July - we even picked out some ornaments for our tree!

[The sign outside here we go!]

[driving in was all decorated, I bet it would look so cool at night!]

[even the parking lot was festive!]

[285 miles from Chicago]

I didn't realize it until posting this, but this is kind of like a halfway point!

[Toronto is only 274 miles away!]

[here we are with HoHo!]

Dress Shopping

2011-07-26T22:01:00.000-05:00

My mom flew in town last night for a visit, so this morning we went wedding dress shopping, and I had a GREAT time. I really enjoyed trying on the dresses, and could probably have stayed there for hours doing so. I found one that I really liked, a lot, that could have maybe even been the one...the problem is, these things are EXPENSIVE and I found a website where you can order your dress pretty much directly from China. It's a completely legitimate site, I even have a friend whose roommate has used it and had great success with it. I'm going to post a picture of the one that I liked the best from today and then pictures of the two I like from the website...would you be so kind as to vote on which you like? I realize this is supposed to be a surprise for everyone and all that superstitious mumbo jumbo...but let's be honest, I am so not a believer in that nonsense. Plus, you won't know which one I go with until the big day!

Dress # 1

Dress # 2

Dress # 3

Congrats Jim & Michelle!

2011-07-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

Off to Iowa we went to celebrate Jim and Michelle's wedding! Jim is Keith's business partner, and his best friend. They argue like a married couple, and have the cutest friendship of almost anyone I know. It was so great to be able to go and be able to witness such a great event!

One thing that I loved about their wedding was the set up of the reception. There was a bar area and a little dance floor and then the dinner room. It was so perfect for their personalities, and we all ended up just sitting around the bar laughing and having a great time!

[The whole neighborhood!]

Surprise! (well, not really)

2011-07-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

I don't feel like typing much today, I'm laying on the couch watching 19 Kids and Counting (insert smirky comment here, but seriously, any woman who can maintain composure while raising 19 children of various ages is a woman to be respected!) while I really SHOULD be cleaning the house in preparation for my mom getting to town next Monday. But I'm not, and I know it will get done, but only if I get up off of this oh so comfortable couch...remember this post, from Memorial Day weekend? I'm not sure if you caught it, but I mentioned something about a few purchases that were made that weekend, and they have arrived!!! Can you guess what they are? (see afore mentioned comment about comfortable couch...)

Well, if you haven't figured it out already, we bought a new couch!

We found a steal of a deal over Memorial Day Weekend that we just couldn't pass up!

and a new chair for my office!!! I feel so spoiled :)

letting my OCD get the best of me...

2011-07-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

I just couldn't take the chaos on the fridge anymore...what made me so sad was that while we were out of town, Keith's roommate meshed it all up to bug me :( but I'm sure it will probably sit in chaos for a few more days until I do the kitchen scrub down.

Canada

2011-07-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

After receiving a letter (as in a snail mail letter) from my grandma stating she sure would like to see me, but she knows I'm busy so she will "just have to deal with it," I figured it was time for a trip up to Canada to visit the family.

We started off in Toronto and stayed with my cousin's girlfriend for two nights. Saturday we headed downtown Toronto to be tourists. We hit up the CN tower, hockey hall of fame, and a Jimmy Buffett concert!

[Part of downtown Toronto's skyline]

[CN tower from afar]

[Hockey Hall of Fame]

[Thought my dad would like this one :)]

[this was interesting to me, do you see the playoff ring in the front on the left?

Compare that to the size given out now!]

[with the cup, again]

[lunch time!]

[view from the top of the CN tower]

[this just gave me a good chuckle]

[the skydeck of the CN tower]

[view from the top of the CN tower]

[outside on the lookout of the CN tower]

[busted!]

[aww how cute!]

[my fave part of the show, sad, isn't it?]

[Jimmy's background for one of the songs]

[10th row baby]

The next day we went off to Lindsay, where my dad was born and raised. This town means a lot to me, my Poppa helped build most of it, and provided almost all the lumber for the buildings there. As kids one of the places my family enjoyed going to when we visited Lindsay was a little town about 15 minutes away named Fenelon Falls, we would watch the boats go through the locks, eat tiger tail ice cream, and enjoy the waterfall. While we were up visiting, I really wanted to take Keith there, and Grandma was a good sport to come along with. I sure do love my Grandma, such a great woman, her spunk kills me, and her straight forward, no crap attitude is admirable.

[this is where Finney lumber used to be]

[Grandma and I at Fenelon Falls]

[Me and my Keithers!]

Washington DC

2011-07-03T19:08:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, my roommate and I headed out to our nation's capitol to celebrate the wedding of one of her friends. It was my first time to DC and I was beyond excited for the trip! I didn't get to see everything that I wanted to, but Keith has promised that we will go back (I can always count on him!).

here is a little photo montage of the trip...

Enaged :)

2011-06-17T23:59:00.001-05:00

After 1 year, 7 months, and 3 days we are officially ENGAGED! And here is the play-by-play you have been waiting for....

Friday I had a babysitting job all day...4 children from 8am to 7pm...so needless to say by the end of the day I was EXHAUSTED! We had dinner reservations at 7:45 so I rushed home after to quickly change and get ready, Keith arrived and away we went...

But let's back track a few days to planning dinner. Our good friend, Dave, has recently found himself a new woman and he asked if we could have a double date, so we planned it for Friday. A few days later I got a text asking me to bring my camera because he was interested in purchasing one for himself (hmmm...) so I said sure and made sure to bring it with.

Friday: Like I said, I was exhausted, had not eaten a substantial meal all day and all I wanted to do was stuff my face. By the way, when I'm tired and hungry I'm C-R-A-N-K-Y. I don't know about any of you, but I need my sleep and I need my food! So we got there and I was trying to be "fun Erin" because this is my first impression on this girl after all....So we get an appetizer, order dinner and start to dig into the first course. When we were about finished Dave asks if he can see my camera, so I pull it out to let him play around with it. He then proceeds to ask the server to take a picture of all four of us, at this point I'm super excited because I love having pictures of activities...for the scrapbook!

[Keith's sign he was ready ;)]

[Here we all are, everyone knows, except me!]

[Looks like I'm ready too!]

Keith then asks the server if he would take a picture of the 2 of us, I thought this was a little weird because Dave could have used this as a chance to play with the camera, but oh well here we go. Well then, all of a sudden, Keith is turning his head towards my cheek and I think to myself "is he seriously going to take one of those stupid kissing pictures right now? In all our time dating he hasn't done that and he chooses NOW to do it?? What is wrong with him?!?" so I start squirming my head away from him saying "what, stop, what are you doing??" and he finally grabs my head (gently, don't worry) and whispers in my ear "are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me? (at this point, I still don't know what's going on) and I reply "uhm, yeah?" and then BAM, he's down on one knee with a ring in his hand saying "will you marry me?" my response - "OF COURSE!" One glance of the ring brings out a "SERIOUSLY!?" because I was shocked that it was the exact ring I picked out, and then begins the hugging, kissing, lovey-dovey mushy gushy stuff :)

[Holy cow, it was the EXACT one I picked out!]

[admiring the ring]

[shocked still!]

[had to regain composure...]

[finally managed to...]

[And there is the kissy picture...haha]

[lots, and lots, and lots of hugging....]

[LOTS, seriously, like 15 pictures...]

[and another smooch!]

[I love this one, because Keith looks SO happy!]

So there you have it, the story of the night...I am still so beyond happy, I feel like I'm living in a fantasy world, I get to spend the rest of my life with my absolute best friend :)

Philly Cheese Steak

2011-06-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

Philly Cheese Steak - OH MY GOODNESS, SO, SO, GOOD!

[look how pretty!]

[buns in the oven!]

[Cooking the veggies - 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper]

[this is my favorite serving bowl - $0.99 at goodwill!]

[Marinaded steak sizzling in pan]

[Bread after being covered with butter, garlic, and taco seasoning mixture]

[nom, nom, nom]

[Dinner is served!]

The only thing I altered from the original recipe was using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. I chopped up 2 cloves instead of 1 and then split it between the two places it was needed.

Fancy Shells and Cheese

2011-06-06T20:37:00.000-05:00

[Ready to go!]

[Recipe courtesy of the back of the box]

[Mix shells and cheese, with ground turkey, and a jar of marinara sauce]

[Sprinkle with cheese and bake]

[YUM!]

[Served with baked potatoes and onions]

[Keith is ready to eat!]

Certified Car Seat Technician!

2011-06-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

Now that I have time and the energy to update on what I was doing I realize it really wouldn't have taken me that long to tell you what I was up to for the past few days...I more so have been met with a bit of sarcastic remarks in regards to what it was, so I was apprehensive to say anything.

Sophomore year of college I was in a child development class where my teacher had mentioned something about having her car seat installed my a certified technician, this intrigued me. So, for the past 3 years I've been checking out the safe kids website to see when and where these classes were offered. They were always offered far away, and anytime they were offered somewhat close I chickened out and didn't sign up. But finally, with a little (positive) pressure from Keith, I decided to sign up for one in Orland Park. It was a condensed class (3 days instead of the normal 4-5) and I am SO glad that I did. It's another thing that I can slap on my resume to set me apart from the crowd. Who knows if it will pay off in the end, but it was a super fun class, well worth the time, and definitely something that I'm going to keep up with.

The sarcastic remarks really don't mean much to me, because people who think it's really all that easy don't realize that I am not just trained to put in A car seat in A car, but to put any type of car seat in any type of car. I was trained in all sorts of scenarios, and the proper use of seats. I know some people (most people, really) think/thought it was a waste of my time, but I'm happy that I did it, I had a great time, and I learned a lot. So that's all that matters to me!

Here I am, don't you worry!

2011-06-04T16:22:00.000-05:00

I have been neglecting my blog, and I do apologize...but, it was for a really good and exciting reason! I don't have time and I'm far too tired to update everything right now, so I'm going to post a good blog tomorrow and just check in for shoe style saturday today!

I love my Mary Jane Crocs. Most people think they are tacky, but I really don't care, I love them. And they were perfect for my days activity today, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to wear them :)

Summer Project #1

2011-06-03T20:17:00.002-05:00

After getting home tonight, having hoopdy (Keith's car) have a minor break down in home depot, and being up since 6am, I was very happy to spend the night outside creating these for my balcony:

I didn't want to buy them, as they were running around $15-$20 per planter! I bought the soil and baskets at the Dollar Tree ($4), Home Depot had Geraniums for $0.88 so I got 5 of those ($4.40), Tina had a geranium that she had gotten for teacher appreciation week that she almost killed and I'm trying to save before it's completely dead, and I got 2 grass fillers for the middle, which were a little pricey ($2.98 each -- $5.96) but well worth the investment! If you were keeping track, that's a total of $14.36 for both planters, $7.18 each. Much cheaper, and in my opinion more rewarding, than the ones from the store!

New Budget Strategy...

2011-06-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

I've been experimenting with different budgeting strategies to figure out what works for me. I've done the excel spreadsheets, tried mint.com, the put it all on credit cards and pay off the credit card at the end of the month, but nothing has seemed to fit.

I love to shop. Like love it. Like, I may be borderline addicted to it. If I'm bored, I shop. If I'm sad, I shop. If I'm stressed, I shop. Clothes, accessories, home accents, kitchen tools, the list goes on and on. If I see it, and like it, I buy it. When I was working and living with my parents I had a pretty disposable income. I was making decent money and paying no bills. Sure I saved quite a bit, but I had plenty to spend, so I did, and I'm feeling the repercussions of that choice now. While I'm thankful I planned and saved enough to make it through student teaching without working, I forgot to include the shopping addiction into that savings. So, now, I am trying to figure out how to adjust and make things work.

I read a variety of blogs, and a bunch of them have ideas on how to save money, clip coupons, find deals, and so on. But until recently none had any information on how to budget and save when you have to spend, it was all on just how to save when you spend. Now, I'm not knocking any of their hard work, they're great blogs, with a great purpose, but it wasn't exactly what I was in need of. So then, I came across this blog: The Frugal Find, and this post: Saving Cash by Using Cash. I proceeded to read the blog and realize this is exactly what I needed to do. I've been justifying using my credit card with the fact that I get rewards points from spending, but then finding myself dipping into my savings a little further than intended to pay it off each month. So finally, I realized the amount of reward points I am actually getting back from the card really isn't worth it.

So, this month, I have started saving cash by using cash. And it is hard. It is really, really, really hard. I'm not used to carrying cash, I'm not used to constantly asking myself if it is worth the money. I'm not used to not letting myself shop whenever I want. But, I know it is important, I know it is worth it, and I know that the excess spending is completely unnecessary.

Basically, what the writer of this blog suggests is that you pull cash out (weekly, monthly, whatever you find to work for you) and budget it in labeled envelopes, once it's out, it's out. You can save money and let it roll over to the next month, or you can use it all up.

She provided a list of suggested envelopes but I tailored her list to fit my needs. My list includes: groceries, toiletries, clothes, gifts, eating out, activities, vacations, hair cut, and school supplies/events. I listed them all on the envelopes and taped them to the back of my bedroom door, I did this just for this month, I might change it next month, but for now it is really nice to have it laid out and easily accessible/viewable. I also stuck coupons in any envelopes that I had for that specific activity.

[back of my door...please ignore my tutu, haha]

So far, so good. It's been hard, but a week in I'm feeling good not seeing my credit card number raise up higher and higher. I found some good "investment" deals too...for example, I budgeted $10 for clothes this month, anticipating saving it up for next month, but found a groupon for Old Navy - bought for $10 to receive $20 to spend. I'm saving up for a hair cut (hoping to have enough by August, before I start student teaching), and had a little extra left over from groceries thanks to Memorial Day weekend sales!

I realize I am only a week in, and I'm hoping that the next 4 will be just as painless as this one has been. We will see how it goes, here's hoping for the best!!!

Is it really that hard?

2011-05-31T22:46:00.000-05:00

The excuse I usually hear when I arrive on the weekends to Keith's house as to why the dirty dishes weren't in the dishwasher is because they "didn't know if the dishes were clean or dirty."

Pathetic, I am well, well, well aware, but we are dealing with 2 grown men here, what did you expect??? Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, and should clarify here that I really don't MIND cleaning the dishes or putting them away. My problem is, it's just a little hard to keep up with Keith's house, my house, and all the other responsibilities my life entails.

Okay, done complaining! I came up with a fool-proof system to help these boys along! We have refrigerator magnets that I placed on the dishwasher with the words "dirty and clean"

I then found this little chef lego guy magnet on the fridge and put him next to the word which describes the dishwasher - brilliant, I know! I will use this when I have children, but for now, I just have 2 big boys to take care of!