Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Remedy for a dreary day: this Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Plus whipped cream & a homemade pumpkin spice latte.

Man, this was good. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Wednesday

It seems like everything computer has gone wrong for me today including blogger not letting me upload pictures. So instead of my original post I would just like to say "Hi!", and I hope you are staying warm today. I am sitting outside on our porch reading Twilight and chillin' with Abby.

Multitude Monday, Week 23

261. a clean car
262. rain
263. convicting lessons
264. celebrating birthdays
265. cooler weather
266. its almost time for vacation
267. home projects
268. a clean house
269. fondue
270. new books

Week 22

4 years old

On Saturday we went up to NC for Caleb's 4th birthday party! We had a great time hanging out with the fam!

Opening presents

Checking out his Batman Silly Bands.

And of course, licking the cake after he blew out his candles. I just happened to be shooting my camera in the right place at the right time!

Corn Maze

Friday night we went to the Corn Maze with the junior highers.

Most of the girls

 My Group

The scenery was awesome!

What a deal

I'm feeling pretty good about this couponing/deal finding thing right about now. You can buy restaurant gift certificates at Restaurant.com. If you use the promotional code AUTUMN you get an extra 80% off an already discounted gift certificate. So today I got a $10 gift certificate from Yo Burrito for 80 cents. Plus, you will get a bonus $10 gift certificate to Restaurant.com when you use that code. That will amount to at least 5 more gift certificates for us!

Friday Confessions: I am reading Twilight

I have never been a reader. You know that, but I have started reading some. I certainly don't think I have gotten to the point where I could say I have taken up reading, but I am currently reading Book 1 in the Twilight series. I am thoroughly enjoying it, and also questioning, "Is this really meant for middle schoolers?". Not the complexity of reading whatsoever, rather the content. The last couple of years volunteering with middle schoolers I have really started to think about what I would do as a parent with a middle schooler, not that I am anywhere even close to that (I think you have to actually have children to be close to that), but as I grow older those are the things I think about, and at this point I do not think I would let my middle schooler read this. I think that you have to have the maturity to distinguish between fiction and real world. The book is very much based up this passionate (yet never too physical relationship) between two characters and it idealizes a relationship that is not real life. I believe that it can definitely mislead a young person from what reality is. I am not a book critic but those are some of my thoughts. I, however, who can distinguish between what reality is and what a loving relationship really is, am very much enjoying it!

Next up, Charlie St. Cloud, the book of choice for the Dominican Republic vacation!

2 weeks

Are you getting tired of me counting down yet??? I am sorry. I am just so excited. This will be the longest vacation that we have gone on since our honeymoon. That's right we haven't gone on a real vacation for three whole years. We have done some weekend trips and *gasp* a four day trip to edisto but other than that we have pretty much been homebodies. Maybe its because of our little puppy crazy dog Abby who has restricted us for leaving for longer than a few days or the fact that we don't want to spend the money. Anyways, we are going and I am going to enjoy it to the fullest.

I have however have to admit that I thought a lot abou the fact that instead of this trip we could have replaced our carpet with wood floors and redone the existing ones. I told Glen that this past weekend, and he admitted that he has thought the same exact thing. I kinda think we're a good match.

A few more river pics

Abby has turned into quite the swimmer. She likes to fetch in the water and she always chooses the biggest stick possible.

River

Glen took a very much needed day off of work yesterday. When I got home from work we decided to take Abby and the canoe out for probably the last time this year. Only in South Carolina could you go canoing/swimming in late September because its 95 degrees! We also found out that Abby is quite the rockhopper. We think she might be kin to this rockhopper. Although she slipped into water holes a few times, and Glen had to rescue her.

good day/ bad day

Good: excercised (endorphans make you happy!)
Bad: left the house at 6:35 a.m. to go excercise

Good: had a pumkin spice latte and got to catch up with one of the youths
Bad: got a parking ticket while hanging out in Starbucks

Good: second to last "build-up" allergy shot
Bad: my car still has no air conditioning

Good: the first time someone at a food establishment has EVER spelled my name right without asking. Yes, it was monumental!

Multitude Monday, Week 22

251. an understanding husband
252. lots of "us" time this weekend
253. a full week of activities finished
254. looking forward to more relaxed time
255. Fall just around the corner
256. anticipation of some good small group books
257. chocolate chip cookies
258. bonding time over awkward moments
259. lessons in servanthood
260. accountability

Week 21

Stuffed Zucchini

I am becoming more resourceful while couponing. I am trying new things, and learning new ways to cook. I bought some ground turkey this past week because it was on sale, and I have never made anything with ground turkey before. I know it is healthier than ground beef and have heard you can pretty much substitute it with many recipes. This past week I made dirty rice with ground turkey for Glen to take to work for lunch. I saved some to use for dinner this weekend, and I will cook the remainder in spaghetti next week. I saved some yet I had no clue what I was going to make. That's when I decided to use the Food Blog Search to find a recipe. I found this Stuffed Zucchini recipe and decided to go for it.

I also threw together this bread which turned out pretty tasty. I used leftover pizza dough and topped it with cheddar cheese and jalapenos. I think this would be great with some chicken chili which I am currently craving!

Safety First

First take...

Me: Glen. You have to act like you like me.

Glen: Okay. (Scoots closer)

Second Take...

Much better! Hopefully we will be showing you the fruit of our labor later this week!

Friday Confessions: I can't rollerskate

I am not very fond of sports that involve riding on wheels. I honestly cannot skate forwards. I don't know why but every single time I got in a pair of rollerskates I could only move backwards. Because of that, I did not skate very much growing up, and then I discovered roller blades. At least in them I can go forward. Once at a roller rink birthday party they turned off the lights and turned on the disco balls. All my friends started skating (or rollerblading in my case) around in a tight circle while following the lights on the floor. You know what I am talking about! I got a bit dizzy and completely face planted. I busted my lip pretty badly, and needless to say I haven't rollerbladed much since.

Is it just me or do other people have trouble skating forwards?

3 weeks

Some new things

Sometimes I look back on the posts that I have written on our blog, and it seems like all we do is eat or hang out with the pets. I promise we do more than just those things. We would be pretty lame otherwise.

We started two new things this week. I started a ten week excercise program at USC which meets at 7 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. Yes, 7 a.m. That means I leave the house at 6:40 a.m. Its still dark then. I just finished my second session today. I have two feelings about it so far. At this point I feel invigorated (as excercise usually makes you feel) and I feel like I am about to die. I am so sore that if I have been stationary for only 2 minutes I then start to experience excrutiating pain in my entire body. Well maybe its not as bad as it sounds. I can be dramatic.

Glen is starting a new program/study/group called SALT with some of the men in our church. I am so excited for him and cannot wait to see how he grows!

Sadley though we have so many things that I can just get worn out. I had something Monday night. We both had stuff Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and Glen has something this Thursday night. At least some of these activities are bi-weekly so we have at least one easier week. I am looking forward to this weekend. I plan on cooking a nice dinner for us on Friday and hopefully we will start some new art/decorating projects for the house.

On top of the fridge

Beer Pot Roast

The Pioneer woman calls it Beer Braised Beef with Onions, but really its pot roast cooked with beer. I have not made pot roast ever before. I love pot roast, but we do not have a crock pot due to the lack of space in our less than 600 sq. ft. apartment when we got married. I found this recipe that is cooked in the oven. It was very good, and until I get a crock pot which I definitely do not have room for I will make this pot roast.

Baked Oatmeal

We always have a special Saturday breakfast. I decided that I wanted to try something different from the regular pancakes or biscuits this past weekend. So we made Baked Oatmeal. The only changes I made to this recipe was I added cinnamon on top and used apples instead of dried fruit and no nuts because I did not want to go to the hospital obviously. I mean, we had a football game to watch and win! Go Gamecocks...Anyways, this special Saturday breakfast turned into Sunday and Monday's breakfast too. Next time I think I might throw some cranberries in there too!

Paint

This past weekend Glen repainted the exterior door frames. He also painted Abby. Poor Abby.

Multitude Monday, Week 21

237. Pumpkin spice lattes
238. a handy husband
239. new painted door frames
240. 2 old windows for $5
241. new art projects
242. less than 4 weeks till vacation
243. chocolate
244. new 4 yr olds at church
245. new ministries to help the needy
246. new Sunday school class on the bruised and broken
247. God's changing our desires
248. crisp cool air
249. leftovers
250. reaching 1/4 of 1000 blessings

Week 20

4 weeks...

...and this will be our view. Not that I am counting or anything.

Friday Confessions: I was trunked

I am the youngest of 3 girls. I think being the youngest means you will be picked on by your older siblings until you are older and can beat up your scrawny middle sister. Sorry Carrie you were kind of scrawny. I have already told you about when my sisters used my fear of spiders to then make me deathly afraid of sweet gumballs, and trust me there are many more stories, tons really.

My oldest sister came to pick me up from elementary school one afternoon. She had the best an idea. She parked a little ways from the carpool line and had my middle sister get in the trunk. Yes, the trunk. Was this at all safe? Oh no. I am pretty sure it is illegal for someone to ride in the trunk of a car. She drove around the pick up line and told me to put my book bag in the trunk which is unusual but remember- I am in elementary school. I don't yet grasp those kind of clues that something is up. So I opened the trunk. Carrie jumps out and out comes a deafening scream. The funny thing is this story came up this past weekend and it was the first time my mom had ever heard it. I wonder what other past torturing she doesn't know about.

Me, Rachel, & Carrie

Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt

I love salty and sweet combination. I could easily eat an entire batch of chocolate covered pretzels, but I won't. I saw these Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt a few weeks back and put them on my list of things to make. I then proceeded to buy a piece of dark chocolate with sea salt at the World Market. You know the trick that stores do where they place things in baskets right at the counter. Well I caved and got a piece. Now that I had that taste, I had to make them this week.

Well these didn't exactly turn out the way I thought they would. I thought soft chewy center with a hard chocolate covering. It basically turned out to be a large piece of a semi-soft mix of dark and milk chocolate which isn't necesarily a bad thing. How ever they took quite a bit of time. If the consistency stays the same next time I make these I will definitely make the truffles a bit smaller. Upside though- its fancy looking, its got a fancy name, and who doesn't love chocolate especially when its paired with sea salt?

Corn Salad

A few weeks ago we had dinner with our small group at our friends Katy and Eric's house. Katy made this corn salad that was so good I decided to make it this past weekend for our labor day celebration with my side of the family.

Corn Salad

6 ears of corn

5 plum tomatos

2 avacados

1/2 red onion

2 limes

Cook corn and cut off the cob. Let corn cool. Then add dices tomatos, avacados, and onions. Salt and pepper to taste and add lime juice just before serving. Note: I like limes and thats why I use 2. You can definitely use less if you think the lime taste is overwhelming.

Garlic & Lime Roasted Chicken

So this is actually only the 2nd time I have actually roasted a whole chicken. This one was really easy and turned out great. Maybe I should do this more often...Anyways, here it is...

Garlic & Lime Roasted Chicken

1 3-4lb Chicken

1 Lime

5 Garlic cloves

1/4 Onion

Chicken Seasoning

Olive Oil

Roughly chop lime, garlic, and onion and stick inside the cavity of the chicken. Note: take out insides of the chicken first. Place in baking dish breast side up. Cut small slits in skin on the breast and stick then ends of the chicken legs through the holes. This will keep the legs from popping out and you won't have to tie them together with string. Cover chicken with chicken seasoning. You can really use any seasoning you want, but I think it is easier and just as good to use already made blends of chicken seasoning. drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 1 hr 15 min. Check after 20-30 minutes. If skin begins to brown too much place aluminum foil losely over the top.

Trying to take a picture...

...with two kids and my dad running around.

First you have to worry about the kids trying to jump in the pool with their clothes on...

Then right as you are ready dad blindly walks into the back of the picture...

but finally you'll get a good one.

Thanks for having us over Carrie. We had a blast!

Swimming & Labor Day

This past weekend we went back to Augusta to eat with Glen's dad and grandmother at Sunshine Bakery and then we cooked out with the Lentz's for dinner. We finally got to see my sister's new house and we went swimming at Oma's house that afternoon.

Alexis

Titus- only 4 and already wanting to take a jumping picture.

He also wanted me to take a picture of him swimming under the water. Not quite under but close enough.

Have a happy and restful Labor Day!

Multitude Monday, Week 20

226. a 3-day weekend
227. no work today
228. rest for Glen
229. sermon on marriage
230. good fellowship with the quarterlifers
231. less than 5 weeks till vacation
232. a clean closet
233. friends who are like family
234. time with my sister
235. getting to play with my niece and nephew
236. cool but sunny weather

Week 19

5 weeks

In exactly five weeks we are going to be in the Dominican Republic (DR as we like to call it), and the following will be our activities...

Daytime Activities

-One of the largest free-form swimming pools in the Dominican Republic, overlooking the ocean with separate areas for children, relaxing, Jacuzzi ... even an entertainment area!

-Introductory scuba lesson in the pool

-Snorkeling

-Windsurfing

-Kayaking

-Archery

-Jogging trail

-Ocean trampoline

-Euro-bungee

-Tennis

-Biking

-Bocce ball

-Beach volleyball

-Yoga

-Dancing, Spanish, cocktail, cooking and other classes

In the evenings, Dreams Punta Cana comes alive in all new ways.

-Moonlit theme parties and dancing

-Outstanding music and shows in our large indoor theater
-Desires Music Lounge and Sports Bar, plus other great nighttime bars

-Authentic Dominican Tiangus market with fine crafts, jewelry, art and other treasures

-Big screen outdoor movies

... and other surprises every night

 

 
Surprises every night and an ocean trampoline. Oh my. I can't wait!

Friday Confessions: What I like

Sorry this came a little early and I can't figure out how to unpost until tomorrow morning...

Instead of a typical Friday Confessions that would normally tell an either stupid or embarrassing or funny story about myself or my beloved when he lets me, I decided to make a list of things that really make me happy. I am going to give you a break from the crazy because at this point in my blog history you might think I am a little fill in the blank, and I am okay with that. We all have a bit of peculiarity in us, and I am embracing mine. So here it goes…

1. The color pink

2. Flamingos (hence the color pink)

3. Pigeons (not sure why but sometimes they make me bust out laughing!)
Note: If you are EVER playing Apples to Apples with me and you have the pigeon card, play it no matter what the adjective is and I promise you will win!

4. Browsing through Wedding Magazines and Home Improvement Magazines

5. Talking for the pets (hey, they need a voice too!)

6. Eating outside

7. Coffee

8. Fall

9. Pumpkins, Apples, and Cranberries

10. Blogging

11. Playing and winning board games

12. Relaxing on a Sunday afternoons

13. Waking Glen up on Saturday mornings

14. Petting Zoos

15. Dressing up

16. Wearing Costumes

17. Dancing around the living room

18. Chick Flicks and kid's movies

19. Crafting Crafts and painting pottery

20. Taking Christmas card pictures

21. Baking and cooking and eating

22. Ect.