Northern Travels - Part 1

We just returned from a 10 day long trip to Minnesota where we had a wonderful time visiting lots of Jesse's family.  It was my first time meeting many of them and also my first time further north than Tennessee! There are so many pictures I want to share, I'm going to split this up into two parts.

We started at Marilyn's sister's home outside of the Twin Cities.  After a 20 hour drive we were thrilled to have a place to clean up and beds to stretch out on - but not before a campfire dinner, complete with s'mores!

(With combinations of suggestions we concluded that s'mores with bananas and peanut butter are the best way to go!)

The next day we went to the Mall of America.  We only had a few hours to spend here, which was not nearly enough.  It was larger than I imagined and would take all day or more to go through!

I left the mall with a bag Lindt chocolate and a Minnesota t-shirt. :)

Continuing north in Minnesota, our next stop was at Marilyn's brother's lake house which included lots of fishing and a great 4th of July meal!

(There's nothing like the sunrise and sunset across the water.)

(Lots of early mornings on the lake. But it got so hot it was worth getting up early to enjoy our time fishing.)

(Captain Duane)

(Marilyn's first catch this day was a little bitty fish!)

(I was quickly reeling in our dinner for that night.  However, I wouldn't touch the fish, so it's not posed properly for the picture.)

(They caught these at the same time. Marilyn's won in size!)

(Captain Marvin taking us out for a ride in "the chariot.")

(Jesse catching some air!)

(Gene having as good, if not better, time than Joaquin!)

(Marilyn looking graceful during her ride.)

(YUM!)

(One kid and a bunch of adults, so we did a lot of game-playing with Joaquin.)

(Headed out to watch the fireworks. This is what it looks like at 9:45pm in Minnesota!)

(Fireworks, at nearly 10:30 when it was finally dark enough to light them!)

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trip!

There's No Place Like Home

A certain someone has recently inquired about what our new place looks like (which really just means she should come visit...). I had originally planned to post photos for you all as soon as we moved in,  BUT (*enter excuses) we took our time filling it with new furniture in the bedroom, living, and dining rooms, and I really wanted to decorate before allowing you in.  However, I've been even slower at doing that, so I figured I'd let you see it bare, then you'll be super impressed when I decorate! (Right?)

So.... Welcome to our home:

(Our living room even has a fireplace. How romantic, right? Correction: how about a little scary - everyone else in the apartment complex has a wood-burning fireplace too. Not the best of ideas.)

(We have been into a neighbors home and they have a mantle over their fireplace and fabulous decor - I need to work on that. :)

Our newest addition to our home is this "dining" set.  We opted for a patio set so that we could use the other two chairs, well, on our patio.  We will even bring them in for you to dine with us while you're here!

(Everyone please note the aquarium.  Jesse spends most of his time in front on it.)

And here is our lovely kitchen!  It has a fair amount of cabinet space (which we've filled and overflowed to the "pantry" - aka the closet nearest the kitchen).  It's pretty much like what you see above.  What's on your left is one your left, what's on the right is on your right.  I wasn't too keen on the "hallway" style kitchen as we looked for apartments, but this one did have an opening to the living area, which makes a huge difference (to me)!  The laundry "room" is straight ahead in those little alcoves beyond the kitchen.  I like that more than I thought in the beginning (after we hung some shelving to organizes detergents, etc.).

This is the additional bedroom/study/what do we do with this stuff? room. :)  But there is enough space to blow up the air mattress to provide you with a comfortable stay!

Another requirement we I had while apartment hunting was long countertops in the bathrooms!  Harder to come across than you'd think.

And the grand finale!!!!  The "master" bedroom:

(*Squeals of excitement for our bedroom furniture!)

This bedroom suite is all about storage. The bed itself has overhead storage and underbed storage!

Hey there, Maggie!  This has become her place of resting.  We bought her a new bed too when we moved in and had to place it here so she would sleep in it. Silly dog.

You can slide those square panels over to open up solid cubes of storage as well.  I need to find some cute knick-knacks for these cubbies.

Hubby's favorite part:  there is a charging station on each side in the bottom row of cubes - he was sold on that.

What sold me, you might ask?

This:

It's like the James Bond of all dressers!  "Secret" jewelry storage!  What woman wouldn't want that?!

I think you need a close up:

This post is by no means meant to show off what we've got, but to include you in what our home has become after we've settled in.  We hope that many of you will come visit us (hint, hint: before I start back to school - I'm making no promises to be a good host after that!).  A longer drive back home means less time to visit all the people we'd like to while we're there, so if you're passing through or would like to stay with us, just let us know.  We'd love to have you!

Update:  I just realized that I posted this right after posting about the visitors we have had.  It looks like I'm begging you to all come see us! Hahaha.

Visitors

I was looking through the pictures that I haven't blogged about lately and realized I did not post about Father's Day.  But since then, we have had several visitors, so I'll just turn this into a post about that!

On Father's Day weekend, Gene and Marilyn came to spend the weekend with us.  We did a short visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens then followed that up with some yummy Italian food at a local restaurant. The next day we went back to Star Lake Park where Jesse & Gene did a little fishing.

(Maggie got in on the action too. She loved when he would bring in a fish!)

And of course we fed the ducks and geese, including these little babies!

(I promise Marilyn was here... she just didn't make it into any of the photos....)

Aunt Vera stopped by to pick me up to go shopping!  We spent nearly all day at the nearby outlet mall and enjoyed every minute!

Thankfully Matt and Heidi had an excuse to come northward. They brought games and snacks with them - not sure which we enjoyed more!

Friends Hannah, Kyle, and Michelle have also stopped by on their way through B'ham. It's always great to catch up with friends and family!

From Our Kitchen - Italian Pie

I can't take credit for this recipe at all.  I discovered it in Publix of all places.  The first time I went to Publilx for a big shopping trip, I went hungry (always a bad idea).  But as I rounded the corner, the good people of Publix offered me a whole little plate of food, which included garlic bread, salad, and this Italian pie!  Occasionally they will have someone doing a cooking demonstration and I always get a little excited when I can catch their offerings of a good sample!  

Although the name sounds like a dessert, it's actually the main course and it's delicious and pretty easy.  I love having a meal where you just mix everything up together, throw it in a dish and wait for the kitchen timer to ding.  This is what comes out:

(photo of a photo because mine wasn't very pleasing to the eye)

What you'll need:
(from Publix Apron's Simple Meals)

3/4 lb ground beef

3/4 lb ground pork

1/4 cup (turkey) pepperoni

6 slices hard salami (this is much cheaper cut at the deli than a prepackaged pack- I'm talking 0.75 instead of $3.00 according to how it's cut and of course the price/lb!)

1 box frozen chopped spinach

2 eggs

2 cups shredded Italian-blend cheese

1 pie crust (I made homemade - quick, easy, and much tastier!)

1/4 cup diced pimientos

1 (13.75oz) jar bruschetta spread (I just drain a can of Italian style diced tomatoes)

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

What to do:

Brown your meat, adding Italian seasoning while browning, then drain meat.

While meat is browning, run cold water over your spinach to thaw, then squeeze out all water.

Stir pimientos, pepperoni, salami, spinach, and bruschetta (or tomatoes) into ground meat.

Cook until heated through.

Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Stir in egg to mixture, then stir in cheese.

Pour mixture into 9x13 baking dish and top with pie crust, sealing edge against side of dish.

Cut a few slits in the top of crust, then bake for 25-30 minutes - until bubbly and golden.

Serves 8.

Tips:

• If you make your own pie crust, do that first then allow it to sit in the fridge during cooking.  Roll it out when your mixture has made it into the 9x13 pan.
• Don't skip on pimientos, even if you think you don't like them. They add SO much flavor to this dish. They are only jarred red peppers, by the way.
• I've made this with only 1/2 lb ground beef and pork and it turned out fine.  Use more pork than beef to cut back on the fat.
• Use turkey pepperoni and low-fat cheese to cut out some fat. Also, I used only 1 to 1 1/2 cups cheese and didn't miss the rest.

In case you want to know:

1 serving:  520 kcal; 36g fat; 130mg chol; 720mg sodium; 22g carb; 2g fiber; 25g protein

A Few of My Favorite Things - Beauty

Today, I thought I would share a few of my favorite beauty supplies for you ladies!  I've never been one that thinks she has to try all the new products out there.  I always  get overwhelmed in the makeup aisle looking at all the options and shades.  But since I've been in the blog-world, I keep up with a few beauty and hair blogs, and if these women who know a lot more than I do about makeup and hair products fall in love with a product, then I will consider trying it.  Onward to the list:

1.  Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Facial Cleanser

I am not a huge fan of all Burt's Bees products, but they have this one in the bag!  I think I'm on my 3rd tube and a little goes a long way of this stuff, so it lasts a long time!  I've used a few other face cleansers, but I keep coming back to this one.  It has a perfect creamy texture that lathers up well and is gentle on the skin.  After you rinse it off it leaves your face with a cooling freshness.  And you can feel good about using a more natural product on your skin!

Price: ~$7.99 @ Walmart, Target, etc.  I ordered mine online from Abe's Market with a discount code and free shipping. :)

2. Aquage Uplifting Foam

This is one of the products I found on another blog.  Kate @ thesmallthingsblog is a hair stylist who posts hair tutorials on her site.  Like me, she has naturally straight, limp hair and she found this root lifter that works wonders.  This is only sold at salons who carry the product line but is worth the hunt.  For everyday wear I apply it like this and blow dry my hair upside down, then straighten my ends in place, giving the roots a little body so they aren't flat against my head.  For more "special" occasions, I will flat iron like this from the roots to the ends of my hair to create more lift or blow dry and then curl.

Price: I paid $15 at a salon in Opelika for my bottle, but it can run a bit higher. Amazon sells it, but usually for more than salon prices.

3. Sonia Kashuk Brush and Sponge Cleanser

Confession - until I purchased this a few weeks ago I had never really cleaned all of my makeup brushes.  I have tried cleaning a few in a warm water vinegar solution and washing with soap and water, but it never seemed to remove all the makeup.  (A sign that should have encouraged me to keep cleaning them!)  There are plenty of other brands of brush cleansers out there, but this is the only one I've tried, and it worked like magic!  I was surprised at how much makeup those brushes can hold onto as I watched it all rinse down the drain!  But the real verdict was that my brushes felt like new again!  I couldn't believe the difference - they were so much less... dense... and much smoother.  This brand is only sold at Target.

Price:  ~$6.99  (Often there is a $2 off coupon for any of her products found HERE.)

4.  Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

This is my new favorite thing!  I just bought it yesterday, but it's the best lip product ever!  I have always been a chapstick sort of girl (not real Chapstick, but Burt's Bees original and Softlips at different points in my life).  But in the past year or so I've worn a lot more lipstick than before and I got used to seeing color on my lips.  I love the moist creamy-ness of chapstick, and (until now) it has never been captured in a lipstick in quite the same way.  This stuff goes on so smoothly and feels just like chapstick, but has lots of color that stays on for a long time.  It comes in many shades, but I purchased the Sweet Tart (a vibrant pink shade).  I have also tried the Peach Parfait (a lighter pink shade that blended into the natural color of my lips more).  

Price:  ~6.99 @ Target, Walmart, etc.  Target runs coupons a lot for Revlon products, and can be stacked with a manufacturer's coupon if you have one of those as well. Mine was on Price Cut to 6.19 and I had a $3 off coupon! :)

What's Up? Wednesday

Hello faithful followers!  You are probably wondering what has happened to me. I am not up to my usual postings.  Honestly, not much has been happening lately.  That, and I am having to use Jesse's computer to blog.  Somehow in the move I lost half of my power cord for my computer.  Yes, just half. (How does one do that?!)  I have the part that plugs into the wall, but not the end that plugs into the computer.  How the two got separated is beyond me, and it hasn't decided to show up yet.

So what have I been up to while Jesse works the day away?

1.)   I have caved to the Hunger Games fad.  I purchased book one and started it the other day. A few chapters in, and it's good so far.

2.)  Turned these:

       into this:

And ate it like it was going out of style.  Then made another batch. :)

(Thanks to Uncle Jerry & Aunt Dot for sharing blackberries with my mom, and to my mom for sharing them with me!)

3.)   Bought this candle from Abe's Market to get the little bit of odor (possibly smoke) out of our bedroom from the last renters.

It's made to remove (not cover up) smoke and other odors, and I think it's working!

(And of course I did not pay $16.99 for this.  I had a promo code and they had a day of free shipping.  It happens often, so if you're interested in their products, stay of the lookout for savings!)

4.)  Became inspired during my roaming of Hobby Lobby to make cards, so check your mail boxes on your special occasions for cuteness!  (Beware:  Hobby Lobby can inspire anyone to make anything.) Now this is what our living room looks like:

(insert me in that little open space)

So, I'm occupying myself pretty well. Don't you think?