It's not just for pie.

Pumpkin that is...

I think I've mentioned before my LOVE of all things pumpkin. I put it in all sorts of things - bread, soup, chili, even enchiladas once. But this past week, in honor of what is probably the pumpkin's most popular holiday I tried out a few new things.

My first creation was pumpkin cinnamon rolls...and let me just say YUM! I made these for my boys as a treat for breakfast on Thanksgiving. While I didn't have a whole one, I did take a nibble or two and they were fantastic! I used this recipe for sweet potato cinnamon rolls and just subbed in pumpkin instead as well as a few other tweaks. I omitted the nuts because the hubs and my oldest don't like them and changed up the frosting. Instead of a glaze I did a maple brown sugar cream cheese icing that was SUPER. Needless to say these were a huge hit and I see myself making them again in the future. Although next time I think I will try it with sweet potatoes....

Here is a picture. Sorry it's not very good, by the time I got to this step it was around 11pm and I had been baking ALL day - and I also didn't get a very good picture of them baked, so this is pre-baked ready to go in the fridge overnight to be finished in the AM.

Next up is just a picture of my pumpkin pie. This year we had Thanksgiving with friends, and they cooked most of the food, but I was put in charge of dessert, which of course was fine by me. And of course on Turkey day, pumpkin pie is a must. So I just wanted to show my picture. I just use the Libby recipe on the back of the can...you can't go wrong with a classic!

And last but not least in my pumpkin marathon...pumpkin cinnamon swirl french toast. Awhile back I bought a loaf of pumpkin cinnamon cobbler bread at the bakery, put it in the freezer and then promptly forgot about it. However, in recent attempts to actually eat food in our freezer instead of just buying more, I came across it, and figured it would be a yummy snack. Well after it thawed and I tasted it, I realized it was a bit on the stale end and needed to be used ASAP. That's when this brain-storm hit me...it would be PERFECT for french toast.

Saturday we were going to have a busy day and I figured it would be a nice way to start things off, so I mixed up some french toast batter and got to work. The bread worked great, and the finished product was awesome. I'm going back to the bakery soon to see if I can snag some more of this wonderful bread because it really did make for a phenomenal breakfast (although probably not so healthy). Here is a picture of the hubby's plate before he was allowed to "dig in".

So - that right there pretty much sums up my weekend. Lots of baking and yummy food, and time with my family and friends. Another big event of the weekend was getting our Christmas Tree. We went to the tree farm again and had one cut down. This year it was cold, but not raining like last year so that was nice. Here is a pic of my little guys with the Big Guy in the red coat! It was a really fun day.

That about wraps it up for me. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of lots of love. We sure did and we have so much to be thankful for!

6 wonderful years

Well first things first, I want to wish my sweet husband a VERY happy anniversary! It's been 6 wonderful years since the day we said our "I Do's" and it just keeps getting better. He's not only an amazing husband and father, but he's my best friend and I love him more and more every day. Here's a pic of us...aren't we so cute?!?

So, in short, this weekend was amazing. The plan (or so I thought) was as follows: Friday night we were going to an award dinner at the club on base for people that Matt works with, then Saturday the hubs told me that we had plans in the evening to celebrate our anniversary, then Sunday would be our regular Sunday. Sounds like a great weekend right - I thought so...but that's not quite what happened.

Thursday I made plans to keep my friends little boys all day Friday because she has been sick and her hubs is over in the desert. So, Friday AM the boys and I left at 7:45am to go pick up her little boys giving me a grand total of 4 little boys for the day ages 5, 4, and two 2 year olds. We went to the gym in the AM and then spent the rest of the day at the house playing games and jumping in the jump house. It was a busy day, and things were a bit crazy but all 4 boys were great and they all had a blast. Around 5:30 we start packing up so I can drop the boys back at their house then head over to base for the award dinner. I pulled up to the club right at 6:30 and the hubs met me out front to help me get the boys in. I was feeling pretty good and ready for the award giving to begin...

So imagine my surprise when I walk in and see these ladies (this pic was taken later at my house)...

In case you don't know - this is Nataleigh and Amanda - two of my bridesmaids from our wedding and two of my best-est friends in the whole world. The "award dinner" was all a decoy - the hubs planned an anniversary celebration with not only our friends from here where we are, but flew in my bridesmaids to make the night complete. My sister was also supposed to be there but missed her flight - but that's another story for another time...haha. Not only were Nat and Fligs there for our wedding but they were also with me less than an hour after the hubs proposed - so it's only fitting that they were here to celebrate with us! The dinner was great, and such an amazing gift. I had NO idea that anything was planned. I totally bought the whole "work dinner" story.

Anyway, so Saturday his gift to me was that I got to spend the day with my girls, shopping, lunching and just enjoying the company of great friends. It might not be the "traditional" anniversary gift but it was perfect. He said that because I sacrifice being close to friends and family because of life in the Navy (which of course I am happy to do) I deserved a weekend to enjoy being with both friends and family - and what a better way to celebrate our marriage than with the people who have been there from the beginning of "us". Here are a few pictures of me and the girls from Saturday.

Saturday night we all went out to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Amanda and Nat gave us a really sweet anniversary gift and it was just a really nice dinner with all of my boys and two of my favorite girls. As I sit here typing all of this up, I just can't help but be so thankful for all the blessings I have - but especially friends and family! I am one lucky girl. So - I'll stop rambling,but I just had to blog about my wonderful weekend. I'll remember it forever and just couldn't be happier!

quick check in...

Hello dear friends. Well it's Tuesday, and we are just in for a bit in-between things and while there is a MOUNTAIN of laundry that is calling my name - I am blogging instead, because, well the laundry has been calling my name for 2 days now, and it can wait another 30 min. until I can get this done. So, how are you all out there - wherever you are that you are reading this from?

Things here are good. First, my baby nephews are a month old today, and doing very well!!! Will has passed 4 lbs and Erik is catching up fast at 3lbs 15oz. They are still super tiny, but doing great. Thank you for the prayers and keep them coming! Here is a recent pic. They are now out of the incubators - how sweet is this....

snuggles

I just love those little guys...I can hardly wait to meet them!!! We had a really great weekend - it was actually the best in awhile and you know what...we had NO plans - just a nice, relaxing family weekend. Which I think is what made it so great. And we had awesome weather to boot...low 70's and sunny. We took advantage of it on Saturday and went on a family bike ride. It was wonderful! Probably won't have many more opportunities to get out on the bikes here soon. Sunday morning was church and then the hubs and I both teach Sunday school - so we did that too of course. After the little ones nap we took off for the mall for some new pants for my big kid. He's already grown too tall for a lot of his 5T stuff so he's making the jump up to a 6. I swear that child is growing like a weed. But I am now realizing I should have got the 6slim because i have to cinch the waist all the way in to keep them from falling off...haha.

I've been busy with the kids of course, and pictures too. I really need to get myself crackin' on updating my website. I think it's time for some new photos on the gallery and maybe a new color scheme...I dunno. Just one of the many things on my to-do list! hehe.

Lets see...boys are good, I'm good, hubby is good. Next weekend is our anniversary :) so that's pretty exciting. I think we are going out and getting a sitter but not quite sure because he said he wanted to plan it...awwww. So sweet.

I've tried a couple new recipes and want to post them here soon as soon as I get some pics off my computer. So look for those. Lots of pumpkin-y things - and many of them somewhat healthy - shhhhh don't tell my kiddos - they've been gobbling them up!!

Later folks!

The days are flying...

...by that is. I can't seem to remember if I am coming or going these days, but I am working on it. Just a lot going on but last night was the last soccer game for the big kid, so that is one less thing during the week. As winter gets closer, things start to wind down, which is nice in a way, but it's also nice to stay busy and keep the boys active!

Lets see, well it seems that I have a few things to post about. So I guess I'll start with this past weekend. We had a Halloween party/birthday party for the big kid. He turned 5 on the 5th of this month...wow how time does fly. So first off a birthday shout out to my big kiddo!! Happy Birthday Hot Shot. We love you.

Just born: 10.5.04

5 years later...

He looks so grown up...anyway moving on. So because we did Disney earlier, we didn't really want any presents and all that stuff we decided to do a Halloween party - and then just had people bring canned goods instead of presents. It turned out great, and I think this is going to be a yearly thing for us. We still had a cake and sang happy birthday, but overall it was more of a Halloween Party than a Birthday Party. It was fun to have a party for all the kids and they all had a great time. We played games, decorated some pumpkins, and of course had lots of yummy treats. And the kids got to get one more wear out of the Halloween costumes, which for me is always a plus!! Here are mine in their get-ups. As you see I have an astronaut and a pirate this year.



And here are a few pictures from the party - we had "pin the nose on the pumpkin", pumpkin decorating, and a pumpkin pinata.

Alright, well that's about all for me tonight. It's way past my bedtime, but if I didn't stay up late I was never going to get a post in. Oh, but for those of you that have been prayer warriors for Mary and the twins, they are doing very well. Mary got to get out of the hospital, so now her and Jay are taking turns spending time at the hospital with the babies. They are up to 3 lbs now and are doing really well. The hope is that they will be home by Christmas! Thanks for all your prayers!!

yes...another update!

Well, we got more news today so I wanted to pass it along to those of you who have been keeping Mary and the babies in your prayers!!

Here is the email that I got this AM from my MIL:

2 Pieces of good news:

1) the PIC (peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines)in the boys are probably going to be removed, they are feeding so well that the IVs (that is what the PIC lines do along with antibiotics) are no longer needed. Eric is still having the breathing apnea but that can continue to happen till almost 34 weeks(or even longer) so it will just take some time for him not to do that and is extremely common in newborns(99% of preemies have this). Both kids don’t have any breathing help, they are breathing on their own.

2) The best piece of news is it looks like they may have fixed Mary’s blood pressure. It was 130/80s last night and this morning it was in the 120/70s. However it has to stay consistent for a long period of time so keep your fingers crossed that this will continue. This is the lowest it has been since she checked into the hospital.

Praise God for this awesome news!!! Poor Mary is doing her best to keep her spirits up, but it's been a long road!! Okay, and I was also able to get my pictures to my computer so here are the boys. Will is the first and Eric is the second. They look like they are "glowing" because for a little while they were under the billy lights for a little jaundice. Usually you could just put them in the sun, but in the NICU that's hard to come by. And they don't have the things in their nose anymore. But until I get more recent pictures, these will have to do.

I just love the little "sunglasses". Okay, well that's it from me again, time to go get a few things done before it's time to go pick up the big kid from school!

just real quick

I just wanted to post really quick with an update on my nephews and Mary (mama). The boys are doing great. They didn't have any bleeding in the brain (I guess that can happen when they are so premature) and they are really doing well. They just need to start gaining weight, but that will come.

Mary however, isn't recovering as fast as they were hoping. It looks like there is some damage done to the kidneys, and they are trying to work on that. Her BP is staying really high and if she is even 1/2 hour late with meds it shoots up to very dangerous levels. So please, continue to pray for her. She is still in the hospital and is being taken care of, but I know she is anxious to get better so she can spend more time in the NICU with her little ones and not be stuck in a bed.

I haven't been able to get the pictures posted. For some reason they aren't downloading to my computer, but I'm going to work on it some more and see what I can do.

Things here at our casa are great...pics from Disney coming soon...I hope!

BIG NEWS!

I know I haven't posted for about a million years, but September hit and things just went crazy...birthdays, school, etc. We just got back from a week in Orlando at Disney, and had a wonderful time...my big kid turned 5 AND I am now officially an Aunt!!

You may remember that I posted a while back about my Brother and sister-in-law and how they were expecting twins in December. Well Mary wasn't doing so great, so they had to take the babies early (28 weeks). They were born on Sat. October 10 and mommy and boys are doing fine. Their names are Will (William) and Eric. The doctors say they think they may have calculated wrong because developmentally they are closer to 33 or 34 weeks gestation. They breath on their own and didn't need a ventilator, so that was good news. They still have a long road ahead for being so early, but we are very hopeful. And Mary is doing well too. Her blood pressure was causing kidney failure so they had to take them out, but it looks like all will go back to normal working order now.

So that's my big news. When I get some pictures I'll post them. But I just wanted to share our big family news!!

I'll post more about Disney later! I'm really going to try and get better about doing this again!!

Well, it's been awhile - yet again - and I've had a request for an update (waving to Sam) so I thought why not. Usually I don't post, because our days are just so much of the same but that aside...

First off a shout out to my pal Austin Cousino. Austin is my friend Nat's little brother and this past week he was in Taiwan competing in the junior Olympics on the USA baseball team. They won and he also got some individual awards as well and I am so proud of him! I've known the kid pretty much his whole life...I think he was 2 - so he's the closest thing I'll ever have to a little brother. I'm very proud of him!

We do have a few things going on around here. This past week I started helping out in the K-1st grade Sunday school class at my church. It's a HUGE class, so I am glad that I felt the call to help out because they need it. I think we had like 22 kids, and I'm sure there will be more next week because yesterday was the first day. I am also now the main teacher for the 4 & 5 year old class for this years Pioneer Club. PC is for kids 4 yrs through 6th grade and it's at the church on Wednesday nights. Basically we go, have dinner then my little ones will go to childrens choir practice, then from 7-8 we have class which is a bible story/lesson and a craft. I'm a little nervous about being in charge because I've never done it before, but I think it will be fun. And they keep telling me that I'll have helpers!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. But I've been looking around and already have some great craft ideas for my little ones, so I'm really excited for those.

Let's see. The boys are both doing great. The big kid will go back to school after labor day, so that is exciting. He's more than ready to be back and I can't wait for him to learn new things! He's reading on his own now which is really exciting. He can read most of his level 1 and 2 books by himself with just a little help from us, so that's a lot of fun. Our little guy talks up a storm, can pretty much count to 10 on his own and is learning his ABC's - although most of the letters at this point sound very much the same. But he's trying which is awesome. He had his 2yr check-up a few weeks ago and he's doing great. He's on the short side, but nothing that they seem too worried about, although it's a big change from my big kid who was (and still is) always off the charts for height because he's so darn tall for his age.

I signed up to run in the Race for the Cure again this year in October. I'm looking forward to that. It has always been a really great experience for me, and it's for a good cause. Oh and I'm doing a mini woman's triathlon this weekend. It's very non-competitive (no times or anything like that) and you even get to choose your own distance for the bike and run portion with the longest for bike being 6 miles and run is 1.5. It's sponsored by one of the local hospitals to get women involved and active. A friend of mine did it last year and said it was just a lot of fun and really cool to see women of all ages out there!

The hubby is about the same. Working hard as usual, doing really well. We still love it here in our little bubble and the time is going by way too fast. We are now under a year from moving again, which is sad, but I also always look forward too.

Okay, so this has been a REALLY long post just to get updated on some stuff, and so I guess that means that I need to post more often. I'm going to try my best. However, that being said, I started this yesterday (Monday) and it's now Tuesday morning...hope things are going well for all of you!

Ooops...

So I just remembered that I promised more pictures from our night at the rodeo...I realize it's been awhile, so I'm sorry about that, but here they are. Better late than never eh??

Here is one of the three of us before the rodeo started. And as I think I mentioned before, yes, it was July, and yes we were in jeans. That weekend we hit record lows and so I think it was in the 60's that night. However, the next week or so it was back to highs in the 100's so we weren't "chilly" for long. Anyway...moving on.

The big kid with his snow cone. He insisted on wearing his finest cowboy gear to the rodeo after the trip to the fair earlier in the week.

My silly little boys...trying to get a good picture of the two of them together is never an easy job, and usually doesn't work out quite how I planned...oh well. They are still cute.

At the petting zoo again

We got to "meet" some of the horses on our way out. The boys loved the bull riding and calf roping. We had a great time.

So far this weekend has been pretty laid back. It rained most of the day, so we stayed inside and played. I cleaned and went to the gym for a very short stint. We all did a little quiet time this afternoon, and then around 4 our friends dropped their little girl off to hang with us so they could go to a movie to celebrate Glenn's b-day. It was fun having her here and the three of them wore each other out. Now my little ones are fast asleep, and I'm heading downstairs to watch a movie with the hubby. I'm going to TRY and get my butt up early to go for a run with the running group I ran with all last summer. I have been meaning to meet up with them again now that I am back to it, but just never feel like getting up quite that early. But a friend of mine is going with me, so that is motivation to get my bum out of bed!

Alright, well I think that's it for me tonight. I hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far and hopefully I'll be back soon with something to post!

County Fair (part 1)

Sorry I've been slacking (thanks Nat for pointing that out - hehe). Haven't really been all that busy or anything, but I also haven't been on the computer all that much. We've been taking it easy and enjoying the nice (unseasonably cool) weather we have been having.

Last week (and this past weekend) the fair was in town so we took the kids. They had fun riding the carnival rides and petting the animals in the petting zoo. We actually went both Wednesday night and then again Saturday night. Wednesday we just did the rides and walked around looking at all the animals and booths they had set up...oh and eating my weight in kettle corn (YUMMY). Here are a few pictures from night one.

Riding the elephant ride

Feeding the goats

Watching the mini-tractor pull - it was the little kids pulling

So there are some pictures for you. Saturday night we went back for the rodeo which was a lot of fun, and I'll post those pictures later.

Not much in the way of "news" to report. Some of you probably already saw on FB but my sister-in-law found out that the twins are both boys, so that is pretty exciting. I'll have little twin nephews come December. I'm learning how to knit (very slowly) but I hope to make them little blankets, or maybe little hats, as a baby gift, but I still need to get A LOT better because right now, I wouldn't give anyone what I've been making.

That's about it for me today. I'll try to post those other pictures soon. Hope you all are having a good week, and enjoy your weekend!

Sweet Summer

I know I was going to post more about our trip...but maybe later.

There are so many thing about summer that I love, but one of my favorite things, is just the slower pace (well most of the time). We do get pretty busy, but this last week or so has just been so nice and laid back. We've been doing lots of family stuff, going to baseball games, riding bikes - you get the idea. Not this past Saturday but the one before, we met up with friends and took the boys fishing. Here are a few pictures I took. It was a fun time and a great way to pass a lazy Saturday.

Enjoying a quiet breakfast by the lake

Fishing with Daddy

This past weekend was also really nice. Saturday I started off the day with a nice run, then later that morning some of our really good friends came over for the morning/afternoon. Angie and I took off for the farmers market while the guys stayed at the house with the kiddos. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it last summer, but we have such a great farmers market here on Saturday mornings. I stocked up on all my veggies for the week, Ang got her stuff, then we were off to the grocery store to pick up some meat for lunch, then home to start fixin' some lunch. The hubs grilled and Angie and I worked on the rest, then we all ate some really good eats! Chicken kabobs, brats, veggie pizza, grilled eggplant, baked beans - YUMMY!

After lunch we did a little quite time, and then we left to go look for me a new bike. I've been trying to decide for a LONG time about getting one. I wanted to make sure I REALLY wanted it for me and that I would ride it, because it is a bit on the pricey side. So we went to the bike store and I test rode a few, and fell in love with this one. Forgive the pictures, they were in my garage after I got back from my first ride, so I just wanted to get the pics taken.

Close up of some of the detail - leave it to me to get a "girl-ish" sporty bike

And here is a picture I made the hubs take of me after I got back. I had already taken the helmet off but you get the idea.

So, there you have it, my new "ride". I've been out on it twice now, and just love it. I would have gone again last night, but I needed a rest after running and biking both Saturday and Sunday. I am hoping the rain holds off tonight so I can go for a spin after dinner.

Anyway, so that was my big news. Sunday was low key - church, lunch, and a quick trip to the mall to use up some gymbucks at gymboree for some new school clothes for the boys (well really just big kid because little one isn't in school yet).

So far this week has been nice - although it is only Tuesday. This morning the boys and I hit the gym for a while, then it was off to the park for a picnic lunch and play time - just the three of us. Now they are doing naps/quiet time, I'm doing laundry, and I've got a pot roast in the oven cooking along with all my fresh farmers market veggies...all in all it's been a great day!! Well, that's about it for me. I hear the wash is on the spin cycle, so I'm going to switch loads and then maybe read a bit. OH - I just finished the book "Eat, Pray, Love" and was slightly disappointed. I had heard great things, but it just didn't do much for me. The point was good, but just SLOW and hard to get through. So, I just thought I'd throw that out there. It was a book for book club, and now I'm onto Fahrenheit 451 (which I think I was supposed to read in high school and never did) so maybe it will be more interesting.

The big 2.0!!!

Hello everyone...sorry, I didn't mean to take so long to post another "while we were gone" post, but I was behind on a lot of things around here that needed to be taken care of before I could get back to posting. You know all those fun things like getting the laundry done, unpacking, catching up on emails/phone calls...you get the idea.

So, on of the BIGGEST things that happened while we were in GA was my little "baby" turned TWO!!! I can't believe it's been 2 years, that just seems crazy. We had a little get together for him with family. My in-laws came as well as my Brother-in-law and his wife, my sister was there, and my parents of course (we were at their house). The little one was of course showered with gifts, and big kid got a few new things as well!

The Birthday Boy

Time for presents

Thomas Cake (he LOVES trains). It's from Publix complete with my FAVORITE butter cream icing...sooooo good!!

Playing with some of the new toys with his big brother

All the family

It was a great day, and like I said, great to see family!! And, we also got some great news while we were all together...I'm going to be an AUNTIE. Yup, my Brother-in-law and his wife are pregnant, and not just that but they are having TWINS!! I am very happy for them, it's very exciting. These will be my first nieces or nephews. She's about 17 weeks along, so soon we will get to find out if they are boys or girls...or one of each.

So, there you go...another highlight from our trip. I'll try to be back again with another post. We did so much that I shouldn't have any trouble coming up with posts for awhile.

For now though, I must run and get to folding the last of the laundry. Then the boys and I are heading off to the gym. It's raining here today, so I think we will just spend the morning there so that they can run around and have fun. Hope you all had a great weekend!!

My favorite things...

Well, we made it home!! The trip back was long, but uneventful, which is good when it comes to 17 hours of driving with two kiddos and a whole lot of stuff in tow. The kids were troopers and made the trip like pros. We had such a nice visit, I didn't want to come back home, but now that I am here, I'm glad to be back. Today I've got lots of unpacking to do, laundry, cleaning, all that fun stuff, but that is going to wait until the boys do quiet time. In a little bit we're going to head over to the gym so the boys can play and I can work off some of the extra "baggage" I brought home from all the good food I ate!

Which brings me to my first post about our trip...all my favorite things to eat in Atlanta...there are SO many. The hubs and I made a list of some of our top choices and I think we hit all of them. One of our most favorites is The Vortex downtown. They have these AMAZING hamburgers!! I rarely treat myself to hamburgers, but every now and again I figure you've just got to have one, and if you're going to eat them, this is the place to do it.

There are no kids allowed in the restaurant, probably something to do with their "decor", so we made a lunch date out of it and met my sister, Justin and Marc (friends from college) down there. Here are a few pictures I took while we were there.

Me and my lil' sis

My wonderful burger - it had teriyaki, cheese, and pineapple...YUM

Jessie taking her first bite of the "Elvis Burger" - peanut butter, fried bananas and bacon - I tried a bite and it's actually really good...if you like peanut butter that is!

Yes, it was delicious. Some of the other treats we got while we were down there was Publix Subs, Pappa Deaux, and the hubs and I went on a date night to another favorite place, the Sundial. You can check it out HERE. Here are a few pictures I took from our date night. The restaurant is 72 stories up and rotates so you see all of Atlanta - and they have AMAZING food! Check out the menu on the website. I wish I would have taken a picture of my dinner but I was just enjoying my night out!!

The hubby and I at the bar before dinner

View of Centennial Park/CNN Center/GA Dome from 72 stories above

Atlanta at night

We had a great night out. It was nice to get to go out on dates and such. We don't do that a whole lot here because sitters get so expensive, so we took full advantage of the grandparents that were all but kicking us out the door! And while we did do a lot of eating, we also were good about keeping up with our running. One of my other favorite "dates" was our morning run together. We never get to do that, but while we were gone, we went for a run almost every day, it was fabulous - but I'll get to more later.

For now I need to run and get us moving so I can get to my treading class at the gym. I'll be back soon with more highlights from our trip! Hope everyone is having a good week so far...oh and leave me comments...I'm feeling a bit lonely in the comment sections!! Hehe.

It's been good...

All good things must come to an end... We've had a great time here in GA/SC and I can't believe that I am actually saying this...but I don't really want to leave. It's been so nice seeing family and catching up with friends!! But the hubs has to return to work and I suppose 2 weeks is long enough for vaccation. I'll have lots of posts here soon to share some of the highlights from the trip. We did SO much stuff. Everything from the pool to the lake to the aquarium - I even got to run in the Atlanta Peachtree Road Race so I'll post a fun race report from that as well!

Okay...time to pack up the computer...hope everyone out there is well!

Hitting the road...

We are headed south for 2 weeks to visit family, so you probably won't see much from me while I'm there!! We have a fun packed busy two weeks planned! Catch y'all later! :)

Getting Creative

This always happens to me...I'll go to the store, and pick up a bunch of veggies and other cool stuff that I have the best intentions of using up, but I end up getting WAY too much, and then one day I open the fridge and realize that 1/2 the stuff in there needs to be cooked ASAP or it will spoil and have to be thrown away.

This was the case last night...which lead me to this:

...and the funny thing is most of the day I was just going to order pizza. So what is this? Well the veggies you see are summer squash and zuch that have been in my fridge for awhile. One of my favorite ways to eat them is to slice them up, along with a medium onion, spray a pan with cooking spray, add the veggies, some salt and pepper, and cook on medium until soft but not too squishy (stirring occasionally) and viola - a yummy and healthy side dish:

To go along with the veggies I dug around and found a bag of frozen butternut squash ravioli that have been hanging around the freezer for awhile, and some turkey sausage. So, I threw together a quick and pretty easy pasta dish which is what you see below. I'll include my "recipe" but I'm sorry to say it's not very exact.

Butternut Ravioli with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:

• 1 package lean sweet Italian turkey sausage
• 1 bag frozen ravioli (any kind you like but I had the squash)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 10 sage leaves (more for garnish)
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook turkey sausage according to package directions, remove from heat when done and slice. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Melt butter in large pan, add sage when melted and remove from heat for about 10 min. to let sage infuse into butter. Put back on heat, and mix in milk and cheese, let bubble slightly and stir. Add in the pasta and sausage, stir to evenly coat. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I chose to leave out one of the links of sausage and slice it up and put it on a salad. It was delicious, I used spinach, the meat, and then topped it with yellow bell pepper and the veggies from above. Nice and light and YUM!

As you can see...we were ALL happy campers!!

Okay, well once again I need to jet out of here, if we're not on our way to one place we're on our way to another. But I am impressed I actually got two posts in one day in! WOAH! Time for us to hit the gym then it's off to soccer camp.