Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Random Ramblings

Full disclosure... I had no plan for this post when I sat down to write it.


Also I'm not feeling 100% and am thinking I'm coming down with a cold. Grrrr. Tis the season I suppose. Here's what's been on my brain lately...

Those dang pumpkins.

We still haven't carved them! Can you believe it?? And now we have gotten to the point were we might as well wait til tomorrow night...Although if we don't carve them we could leave them out as autumn decoration right?? What do you think? Major cop out?

Speaking of autumnal decorations, I saw a really cute idea for watercolor leaf garlands. I'm thinking some Thanksgiving decorations are in order this year. Despite our tiny place and lack of family within 100 miles we were once again given the honor of hosting. Weeeeeee!

Back to the pumpkins, do you do this too?  Do you have a to do that just sits on the list and never really gets crossed off until you just get so sick of looking at it the you give up and just delete it?? Pretend you never put it on the list. Move on with your life. I swear to you those pumpkins glare at me every time I walk past. "You promised us faces!!!" Poor guys. On a positive note, it's giving me great inspiration for the carving that may or may not happen.

The Rabbit Hole

I've fallen down a serious rabbit hole and it's location is YouTube. Now don't get confused, I've always enjoyed the silly videos that get posted there or the helpful tutorials  or its ability to quench an insatiable song thirst for free, but the rabbit hole I've gone down is a much more specific one. Ladies and gentlemen, I've seen the Cheshire cat, broken tea cups, chatted with a caterpillar  and met the Queen, flamingo croquet and all. What's this rabbit hole I'm speaking of?? YouTube vloggers...gosh I love them. 

Here's where I turn into the white rabbit myself...come with me :) 

My faves


Start Here: Daily Grace - funny shorts posted daily (M-F)

From there you might want to check out Grace's BFF's Hannah or Mamrie - boozy fun

Or if you are more into pretties let's jump across the pond to check out Zoella - seriously she is precious, and adorable, and downright perfect. Plus the HAULS!! I don't now why seeing things other people bought is so exciting, but it really really is.

From Zoella's videos you might start to wonder about who this Louise lady is...SprinkleofGlitter - here come more beauty and haul vids, but wait BabyGlitter?? Say what?? And who is the US buddy name Marie with her awesome Box Swaps??

Back home to the US we go to Marie - she's just a really cool person ok? I don't have anything else to say on this one. Just go check her out.

Anyway that's a rough outline of my tumble down the rabbit hole. I'm sure yours will be different if you happen to stumble in....The water's warm ;)

That's probably enough ramblings for one morning. If you like these sort of posts let me know in the comments below! 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Weekend Recap: Costume Reveal! and The Best Party tour

Welcome back to the work week. Blerg.


Did anyone else just witness a much too quick weekend? Getting out of bed this morning was rough. The hot shower got me moving, but then when we opened the door to take Luke for his morning walk...rainy rainy grossness. Yuck! Talk about wanting to just turn around and curl up in bed. It's definitely a jealous of the lazy puppies napping through the rain sort of day. Oh well...on with the recap!

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Do you have Netflix??? If so, go home and watch ParaNorman. Mike and I watched it on Friday to kick-off our Halloween festivities, and it seriously rocked. The plot was entertaining and the movie itself was beautifully filmed in stop-motion. Loved it. Seriously go watch it! 

Saturday was a day of errand running for me. Mike had an all day class at Children's Hospital so I was on my own. Yoga pants on, list made, dog walked, and out the door at 8:45. I was on a mission. 

The green and pink was a happy coincidence.


I got home in time to finish up some last minute touches on our costumes, then got to work on the cash-only envelopes. I think they turned out really great:

Fun paper can make anything exciting.


Saturday night was the party. After nom-ing down some delicious BBQ pizza we donned our costumes and got in a nice photo session before we had to leave for Kier's. 

COSTUMES!!



Ah yes, the rare Socie Cacti in all its glory. This was one of the most comfy costumes I've worn in a long time (I guess that's a perk of being an old married lady on Halloween). The process for putting it together was pretty cheap and easy and didn't require any sewing! We also had a lot of fun posing for people who were trying to figure out what we were. 

The party itself was awesome. After having gone to Kier's party last Halloween we knew we were in for a treat. When it comes to Halloween decorations, Kier does not mess around. Let me show you:

Watch out for that disemboweled body...



Hey look it's the Great Pumpkin...

Also notice the bonfire and heat lamp...nice


Can't complain about your hangover, you've been warned...



Showed up stag? Don't worry. This creepy clown will be happy to dance with you...

It lit up and shook if you made a loud noise  by it


Not in the mood to dance? Why not play some beer pong OUTSIDE! Tent and black-lights included...



Kier nailed it right down to the creepy details.



Scariest decoration of the night: this random carousel toy sitting by itself in the corner. Spoooky.

Ok, the clown is probably creepier.


After all the excitement on Saturday, this is what our Sunday looked like:

Oh so cozy...wish I where back there now 

Happy Monday! Hope you have something cozy waiting for you at the end of the day!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday Forecast: Frozen Jacks

FRIDAY!!!!


So it's pretty cold down here in Hotlanta. I'm starting to worry that last winter was warmer than normal. Now I know I've got a good amount of Midwest readers who are probably thinking, "Buck up buttercup!" But really guys, we've got a feels like 36 F going right now. That's chilly and you know it!

Perhaps the weather is preparing us for a move back to the Midwest, same as it did during the HOT HOT summer before we moved down here...Only time will tell on that one.

In the meantime, I've got my space heater cozy-ing up my cube and a delicious mug of Peacan Pumpkin oatmeal from TJ's waiting to be devoured. 

Here's our Weekend To Do's

1.) Finish up our costumes. The party is Saturday night so we've got time. I've got some cutting, tying, and gluing to finish up, but that's it. I'll be sure to post pictures of the completed costumes on Monday. In the mean time, here are some clues to help you keep guessing:
              - We are not an animal or person
              - We can be found in the US
              - We are not very hug-able
Any new guesses??

They look so sad...at least they have each other.


2.) Carving our Plumpykins! Our poor plumpies have been freezing their stems off in their per-Jack state. I've given up on the idea of carving them outside in the fresh fall air and come to terms with the fact that in this chilliness our Jacks won't be the only thing frozen by the time we are done.

3.) Bank Run!! Ok it's not really that exciting, but I've finally found time on a Saturday to head over to the bank and get my name changed on the account. Mike and I have also been talking about different ways to budget and track our spending (more below). So opening up a savings account will also be part of the run.

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4.) Now that the crazy wedding spending is over, it seems like a good time to re-evaluate our monthly spending habits. I recently read a few blogs about cash-only envelope systems and I'm thinking it could work for us. If you're interested in what this method entails, this blog does a good job covering the basics. It also has a link to envelope patterns that cane be printed out on scrapbook paper to make the envelopes extra fun. Sounds like a great project for my silhouette! And that my friends is called a Win/Win :)

And last but not least....

5.) Allegiant!! I really don't know how I've managed to hold off on this til the weekend. I think it's been a mix a busy-ness at work and projects at home. I think I might try to cross off my other more pressing to-do's first, but I can't guarantee that I won't change my mind over lunch today. 

Happy Halloween Weekend! Have fun celebrating!




Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ummm...This Weekend is Halloween??

This Weekend = Halloween. Mind = Blown.


Seriously how the heck did that sneak up on us?? I'm just going to assume you are equally baffled. If by chance you are totally on top of things I send you a stink face followed by a virtual high-five.

I love bringing you guys full out projects on Wednesday...but that's not really going to happen today. Instead I'm giving you a recipe review and another costume SNEAK PEAK!

First things first, the recipe for this ooey gooey deliciousness:



A little back story: I looooove blogs and I have my favorites that I check in on EVERY day. First on the list is Iowa Girl Eats. Seriously go check her out. She's lovely. My following of her goes back to my pre-vegan days, and that old Allie can totally vouch for all of her kitchen genius. Easy and delicious. Put this lady in your bookmarks.

Last week she posted a recipe for Mini Pumpkin Sticky Buns. A quick browse through showed that they are easy and easily veganizable! Win!

The process is all its deliciousness.


Here's what I changed: Earth Balance instead of butter (this was the only veganizing, the rest are based on what we had in the pantry). Walnuts instead of Pecans. Sweet Potato Butter instead of Pumpkin Butter. Regular instead of Mini. For the life of me I could not figure out how she made her's so small. I started out putting them together in a mini muffin tin and barely had any room! Oh well. Full sized muffin tins worked great. Also the whole flipping them over and out of the tin...magical :) Go check out the original recipe for more info!

In other news...

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The final Divergent book came out yesterday!!! It's on my Nook and ready to be read, but I'm resisting. I know once I start I won't be able to put it down and currently I've got this to work on...

Costume Sneak Peak Alert!!!



Yup, last night I sat on the floor cutting and tying yarn well past my bedtime. What was Mike doing? 

They caught me.


Cuddling with doodlebrain and cheering on team Blake. I'm such a good wifey :)

Any new guesses on what we are going to be?? Comment below!

Happiest of Hump Days to you!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Weekend Recap: Buzzy Rain

Hello Folks! Who else wishes it was any day but Monday?


Welcome back to the week! It's getting seriously fall-ish here. Downright chilly. I hesitate saying anything down here is cold after growing up in Wisconsin. Quick weather.com check....feels like 48...yup that qualifies as chilly. Maybe I'll let myself wear my fleece in tomorrow. 

Back home I had a rule that I would not wear my winter coat til after Thanksgiving. Really it's a rule out of necessity. Once you break out the winter coat, there's nothing left to turn to when January comes around with its -35 windchill. Brrrr. I'm getting cold just thinking about it.

As I have yet to wear my winter coat down here, my fleece has become my new winter coat...so I'm really really trying to hold out til Thanksgiving. Luckily Mike is equally stubborn about giving into coldness. Also he's usually the only one ready in time to walk Luca in the morning (these lashes won't curl themselves, dang) so he is my expert advice when it comes to bundling up for the day.

To sum it all up, I was extra thankful for heated seats this morning :)

Now for the recap:

We finally made it the entire one black walk to Cruzado

My drink was called the Lolita, and I didn't realize til I took my first sip that it had jalapeno tequilla in it. Probably won't be getting that one again.


At first I was disappointed by the lack of veg options on the menu, but then our waitress told us about there vegaterian dish where I could pick any 3 sides for $10. Niiiiicce. And maduros were an option. Win!

Saturday was game day. We met up with some peeps and tailgated beer pong and flip cup style. This is one area where GA Tech gameday wins over Badger gameday: you can drink all the way up to the gate! We seriously set up a table in one of the campus commons and played drinking games. Last year Mike and I did a serious double take when we saw people just walking around with beers all over the campus.

At the last minute Mike decided to leave his jacket in the car. We have some serious weather delusions in our house. 


The weather left something to be desired. It was chilly and grey all day and started sprinkling right before kick-off. Luckily the Yellow Jackets trounced Syracuse, and our entire group was in agreement to leave early. Last stop: Taco Mac.

Sunday Mike had to tutor first thing in the morning. I got up in time to make these babies:

Definitely a repeat. They disappeared way too quickly.


I think I'll be sharing that recipe with you soon.

After Mike left I went on a serious cleaning binge. It was much needed. I scrubbed the heck out of the bathroom. It's sparkling now. Lovely. I also tried out some stove-top potpourri from my friend H's blog.

Smelling very H-y in here :)


So while I was scrubbing away, this bad boy was filling our house with the delicious smells of fall. When Mike got home he wanted to drink it. I wish I had gotten a picture of his face as I explained that it was just for smelling, not for eating. Poor guy.

We also made it to TJ's to pick up some pumpkins. I have it set in my mind that we will carve them outside, so until it warms up this is the state the pumpkins will be in:

Our pre-Jacks


Monday night means Moe's for us!! Yay. Today was one of the Monday mornings that I needed an end of day treat to look forward to.

Happy Moe Monday to you too!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Friday Forecast: Guess the Costume!

We've made it to Friday. Swwweeeeeeet.


Quick post today, as we don't have any big plans. Tonight we might FINALLY venture all the way to the end of our block (not exaggerating) to this Cuban place called Cruzado.

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This place is seriously so close to our house is a bit odd that we haven't tried it yet. Chalk one up for laziness.

Mike got us both student tickets to the GA Tech game tomorrow. Last year Mike's dad bought us season tickets so it has felt a bit odd (lots of oddness in this post) that we haven't been to a single game this season. Once again I'm going to chalk one up to laziness.

That's us at a game last year. Awe...memories.


Sunday will be Halloween prep day in our house. We didn't end up getting pumpkins last weekend so plumpykins from TJ's it is. Oh well, not everything in life can be precious. I'm also totally going to use this as an excuse to get a jar of my favorite Cowboy Cavier. Another point for laziness I guess?

In other news....

We received a very important package this week with a major component to our Halloween costumes:



That's right, green zip hoodies. 10 points to anyone who can guess what they will become! 

Final Tally: Laziness 3, Us 0. If that's not motivation to kick butt this weekend, I don't know what is.





Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Half the Guilt Caramel: Raw and Vegan!

What do you do with a half peck of apples?


Last weekend Mike and I stopped at an orchard and came home with a big ol' mix bag of apples.

Also sweet potatoes.


Now don't get me wrong, nothing in the world is a better afternoon snack than apples and peanut butter. But let's say you've lost count of how many days you are into the apple and p.b. snack binge of 2013. You might be looking for a new dipping option.

Source


You may also be finding yourself inundated with mouth watering images like the one above. Nutrious work break vs. seasonal sweet break?? What's a girl to do...

Never fear my friends. It's Date Caramel to the rescue! 

Half the calories..half the fat...all the deliciousness.


I've heard of date caramel before and have experimented with a couple other raw desserts using dates as the sweetener. With a pile of apples sitting on the counter begging to be used, I figured now was the time to try it out.  For the complete recipe I used, including the list of ingredients, please check out this blog.

Overall, it was a pretty easy process using pretty normal ingredients (normal for our house anyway). Any dates will do. I found mine near the bulk section of Whole Foods, but I've found them near the raisins and other dried fruits in a standard grocery store as well. 

For me it was as easy as assembling the ingredients...

I skipped the lemon juice..didn't have any in the house. nbd


Dumping them in my blender...



and blending them up...

Blend, blend, and blend some more.


...til it turns into a smooth and creamy consistency

yummy


If you don't have a high speed blender, see the note in the original recipe about soaking the dates.

This is both a raw and vegan recipe, but that doesn't mean you should be eating it by the spoonful. For me it works as a nice change from peanut butter. That being said, this recipe does kick-butt compared to the store bought stuff.

Store bought example source.


I plugged in the ingredients in to an online nutrition calculator and was not disappointed. Compared to the pre-made stuff in the tub, this recipe has about half the calories and half the fat. Win! It's also not processed or filled with preservatives. And really guys, any excuse to fire up the VitaMix is more than welcome in our house.

Plus did I mention it's delicious?!?! 

Happy munching.


Go make yourself a snack! We're half-way to the weekend!


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Weekend Recap: We came, We saw, We bought a Birdhouse!

Woot woot! Today's my Monday! 


We made excellent use of our long weekend. First things first: Rock City!

I see it! I see it!


The drive was beautiful...

ooooooohhh....aaaaahhhhhh....


The tight squeezes were tight...

Fat Man Squeeze...and they weren't kidding.


The bridges were swing-y...

Luckily the weight limits are protected by the tight squeezes to get here.



The black light Fairyland Cavern was trippy...

Magic Valley huh?


The views were impressive...



Overall, it ROCKED!



And we got our birdhouse...

Ornament birdhouse..loves it


On the way home we stopped for apples and got some awesome car picnic-ing in. 

Road trip pockets thanks to me. Apples thanks to R&A Orchards. Picnic basket thanks to H&F :)


Sunday we made it to the Packer bar and had a blast!

Go Pack Go!

Yesterday we celebrated Mike's final Fall break with a whole day of walking. We walked to Flying Biscuit, then to The Art of Touch for a couples massage, then to Atlantic Station for some shopping, and then all the way back home. Mike estimates we hit a total of 10 miles! Wooo! Totally made up for the hearty breakfast and Moe Monday dinner.

And now back to work :P

Friday, October 11, 2013

Friday Forecast: We're Gonna See the Heck Out of Rock City!

Raise your hand if you've got a 3 day weekend headed your way!


Sorry for bragging, but I'm pumped that next week Monday I won't wake up and think, "noooooooooo!" Remember guys, it's the little things.

Even though next Tuesday is a filing deadline, and I'm currently up to my ears in returns, it's also Mike's fall break. Meaning we get a very rare and precious long weekend to do some serious adventuring. Shoutout to my bomb-digs boss who totally gets this :)

Our original plan was to head out for a second camping trip, but we we didn't know if I would for sure get Monday off with the above mentioned deadline looming. So instead we are opting for a pretty extensive day trip into the north Georgia Mountains. How far north?? All the way to the Tennessee boarder: Rock City, Baby!!

Seriously?? Is this a cult??
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On our very first trip down to look for an apartment, we stayed at this little B&B in our desired neighborhood. Hanging outside near the entrance was a "See Rock City" birdhouse. Interesting... After moving here last year I started noticing a lot more birdhouses scatted all around Atlanta. Even more interesting... Then last week in the midst of our "What the heck are we going to to do make this long weekend awesome???" convos, I saw a random piece of trivia:

Q: Where in the US can you stand in one spot and see 7 different states??
A: Lover's Leap, a point in ROCK CITY!

Ok universe, I hear you! So, tomorrow morning we'll be waking up bright and early to make the 2 hour trek to Rock City.  And I'll be coming home with a birdhouse to prove it!


Our voyage North!


We have some pit stops planned. Supposedly there is a whole group of orchards all along a highway up there that's been nicknamed Apple Orchard Valley. On the way home from Rock City, we are going to cruise that valley like two winos in Napa. Mental note: pick up a jar of peanut butter for the car.

Hopefully we'll find a sincere pumpkin patch to pick up some Sunday entertainment and achieve further fall bucket list completion. Fingers-crossed.

Oh and for car ride entertainment...Harry Potter on tape!! Well actually cd, but you know what I mean. A word to the wise: if you've got a long car ride in your future, check out your library's selection of books on tape. I was seriously impressed.

Sunday and Monday will be much less action packed. We might try to make it to the Packer Bar for Sunday's game. I'm petitioning to use our empty Monday morning to hit up Flying Biscuit sans the typical hour long weekend wait.

Happy Friday! Have a ROCKin' weekend :)