a pair of pinterest recipes...

 

I have been on the search for some super easy crockpot recipes. It is sad how long I have had my crockpot and how rarely I use it. With the hecticness of long school days and soccer I figured it was time to dust it off and start building up an arsenal of go-to recipes.

This recipe from Six Sister's Stuff seemed promising-- only three ingredients and serve it over rice.  I also have a rice cooker I use on occasion, so it was pretty much, like, the easiest recipe ever.  I really liked this one and would definitely make it again.  The only thing is it was a tiny bit spicey, so if you don't care for that, maybe this isn't the recipe for you. 

Saturday night I went to a party where we were expected to bring some food to share.  There are so many fun "fallish" dessert recipes floating around Pinterest, I figured I would try something new.  This image was what caught my eye; they are applesauce cookies with caramel frosting.

Here is the link to the recipe.  The cookies were very light and yummy-- almost too light.  I wasn't sure if I had done something wrong because the dough seemed more like pancake batter and the baked cookies almost had the consistency of a muffin top--- very fluffy and soft.  In scrolling through the comments on the post though, I see that almost everyone else had the same result.  It isn't a bad thing necessarily, it is just different.  While I rate the cookies as just okay, the caramel frosting was AMAZING.  The author says that it is her new favorite icing and it is not hard to see why.  I will definitely use that recipe again.  Also, as a heads up, the cookie recipe makes TONS of cookies (and you really only need to drop a tiny spoonful of dough as it really does expand) but not that much icing. 

See my other pinterest completion post here.

Linking up with Jamie....

crazy busy...

This was another crazy busy weekend filled with celebrations with friends and family.

You know you are starting to go a bit loopy when you almost put soy sauce on your waffles instead of syrup... that was a close call.

 

 

 

The check engine light came on in my car earlier in the week, and I did what I generally do when that happens-- nothing except cross my fingers that it is just a loose gas cap.  Turns out I wasn't so lucky this time around and Ye Olde Alero needed a brand new battery.  Thankfully it died at soccer and Ryan was with me to manage jumper cables and whatnot.  We drove it to Autozone before it gave up for good.

 

 

 

But what do you expect when you have a car with this many miles on it? 

 

Friday night Ryan and I picked up the girls and took them to the rehearsal for his brother's wedding.  I just sat and watched.  These were tucked into each pew which I thought was so clever...

 

 

 Saturday night was a little backyard bonfire to celebrate the wedding of my friends Max and Selena.  They married themselves on a beach in California. 

 

 

 It was a casual affair with tons of great fall foods, sparklers, and roasting marshmellows.

 

 

Ryan and I loved sitting by the fire so much, that he immediately began scouring Craigslist for one of the free standing fire pits.  

 

 

 

 

Sunday I picked up Isaac and we went straight to the wedding of Ryan's brother Patrick to Debbie.  It was a beautiful ceremony...

And a lovely reception. 

 

 

What were you up to this weekend?

 

 

 

 

Two things

1. Not too sure about this shirt my dad picked up for Isaac from a sample sale...  It is sort of funny, but I think I might have to pitch it.  

2. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of being sick.  This is the ninth day that I have woken up snotty and rundown.  I ended up taking a sick day Thursday when I had fever and chills to recover, but somehow I am *still* not 100%.  No one wants to be around the coughing girl who leaves a trail of used tissues in her wake.

Happy Monday!

  

Weekend in Hershey

We spent the weekend with my parents as we traveling back and forth from Hershey for a soccer tournament.  Lots of team members opted to stay in a hotel, but my parents house was not too far away from the tournament, so we were able to stay with them.  The weekend kicked off bright and early at 7:30 am on Saturday- brutal as none of us are morning people. My parents decided to come along for that game, and it was a good time, despite taking a loss.

happy family

             It took about 4.5 seconds to discover that I hadn't packed one thing that was appropriate for the conditions.  I had worn long jeans which ended up dragging on the ground and some pink moccasins that were waterlogged from the damp grass within the first few minutes.   I had to keep my jeans rolled up dorkily like that for the rest of the game (which, now that I am looking at myself in these pictures, that makes my legs look incredibly stumpy).  Fortunately we were only a few minutes away from an outlet mall, and Ryan bought me a pair of replacement flats so I would be more comfortable.

So cute, right?

It would be helpful if I could grow a few extra arms on game day.  

The forecast had called for rain all weekend.  The temperatures were low enough that I was comfortable in my jacket all weekend, but we avoided rain, thank goodness!  They only cancel for lightning and it is no fun at all to be huddled under a golf umbrella shivering. I think we took third out of six in the tournament.  We had a win and a loss before we were creamed in our last game.  I am discovering a pattern that when the coach of the opposing team is coaching his kids in Spanish, the game will not go well for us.  Isaac played well all weekend and finally had a goal in their second game.  

We had some time to kill in between games and we were only a few minutes away from the Hershey Attractions.  We did the Chocolate World tour and the 3D movie.  We sampled a few Hershey products before we got lunch at Red Robin.   

Last night after we put Isaac to bed, Ryan and I went to Redbox and rented The Five Year Engagement.  For 1.00, it was cute and entertaining, but it got a little long at times.  

Hello--

Isaac got a chance to watch the JV and Varsity Boys soccer games from the sidelines as a ball boy. 

Hot dog break!



Hanging with his teammates before the game.

Basically, they put kids from the travel team all around the perimeter of the soccer field, with soccer balls. When the ball goes out of bounds, the ball boy tosses his ball to the player to keep the game going and then runs off to chase it down.  Isaac started out being unhappy I had volunteered him and by the end of the night he was begging me to see if he could do it again. 

 

Before our Saturday soccer game, we decided to get some breakfast at Friendly's.  We had to pick up a few small things before the game started and since we were right by Walmart (where Ryan works right now).  It's cheesey but I made him stand in front of the new sign, advertising the new fresh foods department, which he will manage.  Seriously, how cute does he look in this picture?

 

 

Of course, we while we were there we ran into Ryan's boss.  I was so embarassed.  I looked a MESS and after I spoke to him for a few minutes, I discovered I had something huge stuck in my teeth.  #Embarassing.

 

 

Friday night we were looking for something lowkey to do.  We got an e-mail that a new soccer store had opened right by our house, so we ventured out to check it out.  It was supposed to be a trip for practical reasons: Isaac has been playing goalie once in a while, and he has to borrow equipment from his teammates.  We wanted to buy him his own shirt and gloves.  He also had some money from grandma burning a hole in his pocket.  He bought himself this Philadelphia Union Jersey.

 

Ryan and I had a nice date night Saturday when Isaac was with his dad.  We had an early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. 

 

 

and then saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  It was a really well done film, and both Ryan and I enjoyed it a lot.  The story is set in Pittsburgh, a city I lived in for 4 years, and the movie is rife with references to the city.  Even things like the blurry outline of the Cathedral in from the view of his hospital window, or references to Schenley Park.  Anwyays, I have never read the book the movie was based on, but it is supposed to be very true to the book.  I highly recommend it.

Weekend Update

 Isaac rediscovered our karoake game on the Wii and has been singing Rick Astley's Never Going to Give You Up over and over and over.  He seriously knows every word.  It's sort of cute...

 

 and sort of disturbing...  I put my foot down with the video games and have relegated them to weekends only.  I expected it to be a much bigger problem than it has been.  Not worrying about video games leaves times during our crammed weeknights for a little bit of reading or family togetherness.  I figured Fridays and Saturdays he would revert to zombie status in front of the screen, but he has been actually using it in moderation.  I am so happy.  I hate video games, so this feels like a compromise we all can live with.

 

 

Saturday had us trekking down to Delaware for a soccer game.  Isaac played goalie again and did a great job.  The team had their third win in a row.  It is nice to see all of the hours and hours of practice paying off.  From there we  decided to check out Dorney Park's Halloween Festivities.  I loved these chairs spotted at a rest stop along the way.  I want some keystone chairs for my house.

 

Whenever we decide to go to Dorney Park on a whim, it always seems to pour on us.  Saturday was no exception.   We did get a few rides in before the deluge though.  This was my favorite shot of the weekend taken on Isaac's favorite ride, the Tilt-A-Whirl.

 

I'm not sure what is going on with me this weekend, but I broke three things.  A candle holder in my house, an outrageously expensive Yankee Candle at Target, and (worst of all), Ryan's favorite Phillies glass.  He was so sad.  This comes about a week after I washed (and ruined) his wallet and cracked the corner of his iPad.  I will never be domestic.

 

 

We have been having Ryan's girls over on Fridays.  The past few weeks we have taken them swimming at the YMCA, but this Friday we decided to change it up.  We took the kids to a little petting zoo.  It actually was pretty underwhelming as far as petting zoos go, but it was free and entertained the kids for an hour or so, so it still counts as a success in my book.

 

 

We finished up the night at Friendly's with some icecream. These two are buddies.  They worked together so nicely on the puzzle. 

 

 

Our weekend was fast but fun.  How was yours?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few quick things

Another week rolled by...

Whew.

As usual, we have been doing a lot of this...

 





So far his team has a had a couple of ties and a few losses.  Hopefully we get a win under our belt sooner or later.  Isaac has been rotating through positions including quite a bit of time as goalie.  I was concerned because he is the shortest on the team, but he gets better every time he goes in.  He has had a few excellent saves. 

 

I am really enjoying my new job.  It still feels like there are a million new things to learn and adjust to, but everyone is very nice and I think I feel like I am starting to get the hang of things more.  We had an inservice day to review all of the beginning of the year data which was information overload.  Preparing my third graders for mandatory state testing is a huge part of my job now, which is uncharted territory.

 

Ryan has been working on his training at Walmart.  Pottstown Walmart is finally becoming a SUPERWalmart with a Subway, nail salon, full blown grocery store, etc.  He is in charge of the whole new grocery side-- deli, bakery, frozen, produce, etc., etc,.  The best part is his shifts are either 8-5 or 11-8 and the store is only 10 minutes away.  Blissful after his long string of overnight shifts at a store an hour away.    Both of us feel a bit overwhelmed with our new jobs, but we are both really excited and happy. 

 

With Ryan's help I have been making headway on organizing all of my crafting supplies in the office, so that I actually use it as such.  Right now it is kind of a storage, catchall space with random piles of stuff.  Some of it is in boxes that I haven't opened since I moved in (over three years ago!).  When I want to work on cardmaking or crafting, I usually take all of my stuff downstairs in a big laundry basket and spread it out all over the living room or kitchen for several weeks days, which drives everyone except me crazy.  Anyways, with switching grade levels I brought home a ton of school stuff that now has to be stored in there too, so it was time to finally tackle it.  I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff, found new homes for a lot of stuff in other places, and started to organize what is left.   Ryan surprised me by cashing in some Best Buy points he had and getting me a small flat screen TV for that room, so I can still watch TV when I am working on cards.  When I finally finish in there I will post some pics.

 

Not too much to report on the wedding planning front.  Invitations should be coming out shortly, once we take the time to finalize the menu.  I swear, I am the most apathetic bride on the planet.

 

Happy Friday!  We will be spending our weekend taking Ryan's girls swimming, watching two soccer games, catching up on things around the house, and having dinner with my mom and dad.  What will you be up to?

 

 

P.S. I know the blog looks all kinds of messed up right now.  I am trying to change a few things up so hopefully it looks new and improved before too long.