Two of my best friends- JoyLyn and Malia- came over for our Fall Party this past weekend. Later in the party we were all in the basement and, a few drinks later, they found my stash of yard sale items. And all my old hair ties. hahahah. We had the best time playing dress up- Lindsay even got in on the action! And don’t we look pretty?!
Last year Steve and I closed on our house in July and threw a huge Housewarming Party in September. It was such a hit that we decided to do that same thing this year. Only without all the stress of buying a house- just the party part. So, not being a ‘housewarming’ party- we called it the “Fall Spectacular Bonfire Bonanza Bash!”. I can’t take credit for that gem of a name… So we cleaned up the house- got out the air mattresses and made decorated for fall! I wish I had the foresight to take pictures of all the cute decorations I had up- mostly consisting of ghords from my Mother’s garden. But alas, I did not- so here is the only one I have, a drunken shot of the centerpiece.
For food/drink we had the following:
ked of Lion’s Head
Spiced Apple Cider (both alcoholic and non)
chicken cheese ball
tortilla chips with homemade salsa and zuchinni salsa
peanut butter cookies
butterscotch brownies
homemade bread and olive oil dip
oh… and around 3:30 AM someone took my {decorative} acorn squash and decided to cook it. It was pretty distgusting (although can be good if prepared correctly, and not by drunk people)
Last weekend Steve and I went up to Ohio where it meets Lake Erie to a little town called ‘Geneva on-the-lake’. Our friends have a cottage up there- so 11 of us all trecked up north to spend our Labor Day weekend. So much fun! This town can pretty much be described as a has-been vacation resort with a street full of bars, greasy carnie food, and cheap alcohol. The main street looks like it used to be gorgeous, it just hasn’t been updated since its hayday. But that’s ok, its still just as fun as ever! And truly, the right group of friends can make anything fun!
Oh man, one bar- The Log Cabin- had a happy hour from 1 to 9. Yep, that’s a 8 hour long happy hour! We did a little damage there…
Saturday
Friday night I visited my first winery! It was called the Old FireHouse Winery. They’ll pop open a bottle for you to enjoy right there, live band and all. The wine was really pretty good- the atmosphere even better.
The boys outside
Both nights we had to make a stop at The Log Cabin (place with the all day happy hour). It is truly the definition of a dive bar. All ages and types of people and incredibly cheap beer. A corn hole game set up inside the bar, and - the best part- a side pit with a stripper pole outside. I’m pretty sure I should have paid for some of the things I saw those nights…
We put our hands up in the air sometimes… lol
All in all- an amazing weekend! So much fun!!!
Attention: If you have a weak stomach you should close the browser window now, walk away, and try again in a few days because this post is not for you! If you choose to continue reading, you have been forewarned!
Imagine walking inside the house from out in the yard to a delicious smelling meal being prepared by your lovely wife. Envision the usual hussle and bussle of the kitchen with the familiar sounds and smells. Next imagine watching her open a packet of Uncle Ben’s Ready Whole Grain Medley Rice (Vegetable Harvest flavored), dropping the package in horror and backing away saying ‘OMG OMG’. Next you jump up and ask what’s wrong, expecting to see a gash from the scissors where she cut her finger….No…in fact that would have been a desirable outcome in this instance. Instead you turn around and look at the rice pack and notice that grains of rice are climbing up out of the top of the bag! That’s very odd…why is the rice moving? Ohhh no…the rice is moving!! Ewwww the rice is moving! Shiiiiit!!! the rice is moving!!! 
Yes, that is correct, the rice was moving. The bag of rice she just opened was infested with maggots. Absolutely disgusting. Hmm, perhaps the bag was in the back of the cupboard for years and was just rediscovered? In a case something like this, while undesirable, would at least be expected. No. We just got married a few months ago, and no food in our house is older than a year old. Not to mention the expiration date on the bag is March 11, 2011! We were so disgusted we just pitched the whole meal and walked away. So thank you Uncle Ben for ruining rice for my wife and I for, who knows, maybe forever….
So kids lessons learned….1) check your rice for maggots before you eat it! and 2) Don’t trust Uncle Ben…he puts maggots in your rice
-Steve
So, a while ago I decided to be a little more proactive about my health and what I eat. So I went out (with coupon in hand of course) and bought some strawberry Slim Fast. Not sure what I was thinking- I’m not a big fan of fake strawberry flavor, and I don’t drink milk. So… its been sitting in my pantry for a few months. I found it the other day and decided to try a little experiment. And much to my surprise- it actually worked! And tastes pretty good as well.
Slim Fast Ice Cream
4 scoops of Strawberry Slim Fast powder
1 can of Condensed milk (not the sweetened kind!)
1 pint of strawberries
Mix everything together in a blender (I used my stick blender) and put in an ice cream maker. About an hour later- its done!
I then put it in ilttle dixie cups and stuck them in the freezer. I take one out every morning and have it for breakfast. It tastes good, seems more like a dessert, and is a perfect way to curb my appetite until lunch. yum!
Last night the hubs and I had a very relaxing evening. We had some homemade salsa, donned our jeans and headed outside with rakes. Only to realize, we weren’t really in the mood to rake below that damned pine tree (hate that tree). So we headed straight back in after about 30 minutes of raking. After a dinner of vodka pasta- he plopped on the couch and I grabbed my apron for some baking! I need a picture of this apron- I got it as a bridal shower gift, and it is so cute! But anyway, I had a TON of zucchini from the garden, so decided I would make some cookies! I found a recipe online and tweaked it a bit- they turned out wonderfully!
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1.5 cups wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinncmon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2.5 cups finely shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips (I used sweet, but its up to you)
Preheat oven to 375. In my Mixer I creamed the butter and sugar. While that was getting nice and fluffy, I started mixing all the dry ingedients, minus the chocolate chips. Slowly add this dry mixture to your butter/sugar combination. Once that is all mixed, slowly add the shredded zucchini. Afterwards- mix in the chocolate chips.
Put about a tablespoon of cookie about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheat. And bake at 375 for 10 minutes each batch. If you are using a convection oven, do it for 7 minutes at 375. Dry on wire racks and enjoy!
This cookies are extremely soft- which I love. They have a spicy (not as in hot, just as in spices) chocolate chip taste which is a bit different, but very good. (I’ll take a picture tonight and update this post later)
So remember a few days ago when I decided to put empty picture frames on the wall in my bathroom- a contestant on HGTV’s ‘Design Star’ did just that this past Sunday! I was so excited when I saw it! I’m not sure how crazy I am about this actual room… I love the ceiling treatment and the floor, but I’m not sure how I feel about the gold with the red- and the off center couch with the pedestals…
This room was done by Casey, she was eliminated that week. Left is Emily and Micheal. I think Emily will win just because HGTV is trying to get more men viewers, and frankly- she’s attractive. But who do I want to win? Emily! (well, actually Dan, but he was eliminated a while ago).
I went to a Solicitation Party last night. You know the ones: a woman comes to some one’s house and tries to sell everyone something out of a magazine. I’ve gone to all sorts of these: basket ones, food, tupperware, sex toys, candles, makeup- all sorts. But last night was jewelry. LiaSophia jewelry to be exact. Now don’t get me wrong, I do really enjoy these types of parties- they are a great way to get together with friends and have some tasty munchies and a good time. But, in this case, I was a bit disappointed. I fell in love with this amazing cuff bracelet- silver with ornate cutouts, so neat. She happened to have it thsere (yay!) so I got to try it on… way too big. Even bent shut, it was too big. Although it might make a nice arm cuff (do people even wear these anymore?!)
My bridesmaid Bobbi-Jo hosted the event- it was great seeing her and Tianna again! I haven’t seen them since my wedding (has it really been 2 months?!). And I got to talk to B’s Mom and Mother-In-Law, which is always nice, they are such fun women. And her little brother- who is not little at all anymore! I feel so old when my baby friends graduate high school! crazy!
