Off to the pumpkin patch we go!

fall family fun!

the cutest pumpkin in the patch!

Today was a perfect fall day here! So we took advantage of it and went to a local apple orchard and pumpkin patch! Jordan picked out a pumpkin to carve for Halloween and I took some sweet pictures of Everly. My mom and I propped her up in an apple basket and she slept (like a baby!) the whole time so she made it really easy to get some super cute shots...At one point, another woman walked by and said, "oh my gosh that's the cutest thing ever! That's not even my baby and I want to take a picture!" I love fall activities like this and can see it becoming a family tradition of ours each year! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well and got to enjoy some fall activities! 

Happy Halloween!

Paisley The Dinosaur!

Trick or Treat....give me a good bone to eat!

Hear me rawwwrrrr!!!

All dino'd out from celebrating Halloween!

It's been a pretty quiet day and night around here for it being Halloween! I spent the day lounging with Paisley, watched old horror movies on TV and drank enough orange juice and emergen-c to last me a year! I'm really hoping whatever bug and illness is trying to bring me down moves on sooner than later! Since I was still at risk for infecting the kiddos at the hospital (have to be fever free for 24 hours), I had to stay at home again. And who wouldn't love a free day off from work?! Normally I would...but since it was Halloween, I am super bummed I missed it! All of the kiddos were going to get dressed up in their costumes then have a parade around the hospital while trick-or-treating....ahhh sooo cute!!! Since I missed out, I got Paisley dressed up for a little bit. She's such a good sport and always goes along with getting dressed up. I think it's because she knows she'll be spoiled with treats afterwards! The only other exciting thing today that happened was I got a new phone! My blackberry lately has been nothing but unreliable. To send or receive a message, I had to turn my phone on and off to first read it and then on and off again just to reply! It would rarely let me answer a call and usually wouldn't connect if I was trying to call someone...so after 3+ish years, it was definitely time for an upgrade and since Jordan gave me the go-ahead, I got the new iPhone 5! My life is already better knowing I have a reliable phone! And I was shocked to find out that it actually was cheaper than an Android phone...who knew?! So I spent the rest of the afternoon playing on that and getting it all set up! Since it was nice out today, Jordan grilled out hamburgers to get the most of the awesome fall weather we've been having because I have a feeling it won't be around for long. Now we're going to spend the rest of the night watching a horror movie and eating some Halloween candy since we didn't have any trick-or-treaters stop by our place! Happy Halloween everyone! 

Carved pumpkins & Roasted seeds!

Now that Halloween is getting closer, we thought it was finally time to carve our Great Pumpkins!!! After the search we had for these bad boys, we obviously couldn't let them go to waste! And with the perfect weather we had today and a lazy Sunday, there was no better time in our mind to carve them than today! 

And there's the finished products after lots of concentrating and carving, perfecting the cuts, and cleaning the seeds! I went with a monogram and Est. 2012, which is no surprise. I love monograms and since it's our first Halloween as a married couple, I couldn't pass it up! Jordan likes to carve out a challenging design so he went with Hades from Hercules! I think they look pretty awesome and now our porch is ready for Halloween! 

Now for the pumpkin seeds recipes! I made these in two separate batches today because I didn't know if cooking them in the oven at the same time would mix the flavors or have them end up tasting funky and since I was home all day anyway...I figured, why not! So the two different flavors I did were salty/spicy garlic and cinnamon-sugar apple cider! Yummmy they are tasty! I know it might seem like a lot of work to separate the seeds from all of the pulp and goop, but one taste of the seeds, and you'll know that it was worth the work! The first thing to do for whichever seasoning you decide to go with is to soak the seeds in a bowl of hot water then rinse them off and pay them dry. That really helps to get the pulp off easily!

Salty-Garlic Seeds:
2 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter OR olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (I like using corse salt)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions: **Same directions for both flavors of seeds!**
1. Preheat oven to 275*F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper 
melt the butter in a mixing bowl then add salt, garlic powder and garlic salt, worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Mix this up well then add in the seeds.
2. Once the seeds are fully coated, spread evenly onto the parchment paper in a single layer.
3. Bake for 1 hour, checking occasionally and tossing them around. Bake until the butter mixture is dried and until they are  nice and golden brown.
4. Take out from the oven and take the parchment paper with seeds still on it off the baking sheet to cool. Store in an air tight container!

Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Cider Seeds:
2 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter OR olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

mmm fresh roasted pumpkin seeds!
Salty and Sweet!

Aside from the Hawks losing terribly yesterday, we still had an enjoyable weekend! It was beautiful fall weather here, we spent time with friends and each other, and got to carve our pumpkins! Next weekend our good friends Jared & Heather are getting married we're really looking forward to celebrating with them!!! Eeek and that means that my girl friends Leah and Hilary will be coming to town on Friday for the weekend/wedding! Really looking forward to next weekend already so let's hope that doesn't make the week drag on, isn't that the worst?! Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend and here's to a not so manic Monday! :)

bye bye blondie

Lately, I've been wanting to make some changes in my life....and by "in my life" I mean, only to my hair. It's just so much up keep with the blonde and highlights with the outgrowth. I just feel like it was getting blonder and blonder and that I was sort of "outgrowing it". Literally and figuratively. I was thinking maybe I should just keep it a more natural blonde but then I feel like it looks like dirty blonde. So I've been stuck in a dilemma: either dirty/natural blonde to avoid the outgrowth effect, keep highlighting and deal with the outgrowth, or go darker that would blend better with my natural. After much debating with myself about it, I finally pulled the trigger and made a decision. Jordan is always telling me to "be bold" and "go big or go home." So I was bold and I went big....

Paisley is the only blonde left in the house!

and going dark won out over the other choices! One day in and I already love it! I was nervous it would wash me out because of my fair skin but it actually compliments my skin tone and makes my green eyes pop! It is much more fall weather appropriate as well and who knows, maybe it will stick! And even though I'm not a blonde anymore, I guarantee I'll still have more fun!

can I get some daylight here??

Whoever thought of daylight savings time needs a swift punch in the face, just throwing that out there. This waking up in the pitch black to get ready for work stuff is for the birds. For the birds I tell ya! I can handle a lot of things....however, waking up thinking it's still 3am and then realizing no, it is indeed 6:35am, is the worst. It's like the ultimate worst trick ever. The past two mornings I have woke up to my alarm, looked around the room and out the window, then went to the kitchen to realize the microwave confirmed it was in fact time to wake up. Ugh, big woof. It just throws everything off. Jordan doesn't want to get out of bed. Paisley doesn't even budge. I just whine. It's really a lose-lose for all of us and offers no motivation to get up and moving for the day. Not only that, but then going to work, still in the dark mind you, working all day, going to class and then finally making my way back home, only to STILL BE IN THE DARK! Talk about an immediate self-diagnosis with SAD and that's me, right here, in the flesh. I NEED daylight savings! I can't continue to function like this in the mornings without the light! It makes me that much worse of a morning person and it is not a pretty sight... November 4th can't come soon enough!

And the good thing about it being Thursday night is that means it's kicking off another weekend of NFL football! Whoop whoop! Jordan and I are going head-to-head this week in our fantasy league and well, I'm probably going to win. He's sitting at 0-4 and I'm 2-2 so the odds are in my favor and my team is pretty solid. There's going to be lots of smacktalk going on this weekend pulling for each of our teams! And the Hawks are back in action and playing in East Lansing, MI against Sparty at Michigan State. Hopefully they come out strong, get a good lead and don't look back! Here we go Hakeema Matata (that's obviously MY fantasy team...an excellent combination of Disney's The Lion King Hakuna Matata and Hakeem Nicks) and let's go Hawks!

crock-pot pot roast...and homemade beef stew for later!

If there's one type of dinner that I love, it would be the easy crock pot meals! Throwing all the ingredients and goods into the crock pot in the morning, working the day away and then coming home to a delightful aroma and knowing all we have to do is dish up the goodness that was cooking all day....ooh boy! I love crock pot meals so today I threw together one of our favorite comfort foods: a beef pot roast! And there was a good sale going on in the meat department this weekend which is why I bought the roast in the first place! Growing up I remember always raising my nose when my Dad said we were having roast for dinner and now I love it...funny how that happens! But I have put a twist on Dad's classic roast recipe and it really amps up the flavor! The second best part of this is since it's only me and Jordan, we always have tons of leftovers so I can make beef stew after. Such a great two-fer recipe!

Beef Pot Roast Ingredients:
2-3 pound beef roast (round, chuck or rump...we always have chuck)
6-8 russet potatoes, cubed
1/2 white onion, sliced and chopped
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 packet of dry Italian dressing
1 packet of dry Ranch dressing
1 packet of dry brown gravy
1 1/2 cups of water

Directions: 1. peel, slice and cube the potatoes, slice onion then throw those along with the carrots into the crockpot. 2. place beef into crock pot on top of the veggies. 3. mix the italian, ranch and gravy packets with the water in a small bowl (helps to keep them from clumping together) and pour the mixture over the meat and veggies. 4. cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (medium heat for 6-8 or high heat for 4-6) 5. enjoy!

If you have leftovers (and you probably will if you add in extra potatoes, lots of carrots and/or have a big roast like we usually do!) here is what you'll need to make the beefstew:

1 16oz can of beef broth
1 packet of dry onion soup mix

Directions: 1. take out the meat from the crockpot and shred with two forks. 2. cut potatoes into smaller cubes if necessary. Add meat and veggies back to the crock pot. 3. add the beef broth and dry onion soup packet and stir together. 4. place crock in refrigerator to store if you plan to eat it the next day or in a freezer safe tupperware to enjoy on a cold day! It defrosts great and tastes just as good as it was fresh from the day I made it! We like to pair it with some crescent rolls and a big glass of milk! Perfect for a chilly fall or winter day meal!

cinnamon apple cheesecake with streusel topping

fall flavors on a plate. and in a glass.
you know you want it.

Well, if it's not already obvious, we are obsessed with the fall, especially all of the flavors and smells that come with it. So I couldn't resist making this awesome dessert once I saw it floating around on Pinterest. I had never made cheesecake before until this so I was kind of hesitant at first but once I got done making it, I realized it was actually a lot easier to make than I would have thought! My only problem with the recipe was and this was entirely my fault because I got way too excited and ahead of myself to realize the mistake....I made the crust and cooked it in the pie pan BEFORE I realized it needed to be in a 9x13 pan. Of course, the whole "cheesecake bars" thing didn't make sense to me until after the fact. Beginner's mistake! The only thing I did different because of this since in the pie pan it was soooo much thicker, I cooked it for about 20 more minutes and it still turned out amazing! I think this will be my contribution to our family Thanksgiving dinner along with my never fail and always amazing puppy chow! We paired this delicious dessert with an Angry Orchard Cider Beer and it made for an awesome Sunday snack...and probably Monday morning breakfast, minus the beer. Or will I minus the beer?! Who knows! If you have apples you want to use up and feel the itch to whip up something besides apple crisp, I would highly suggest making this because you won't be disappointed!
I followed the recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything blog and it turned out great! Besides having to add extra cook time, I'll mark where I made some changes from what she did! So here's what you'll need:

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened **I only used 2 1/2 packages**

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

**I used my food processor to really get chopped up fine and super tiny...I didn't want big apple chunks like apple pie**

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

**I added a few extra pinches of both cinnamon and nutmeg to add extra flavor with the apples**

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray or Pam of some sort. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.

For the streusel topping:
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Sprinkle Streusel topping over apples. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy! Make 16 servings.

Off to the Pumpkin Patch we go!

fun fall day together!

Charlie Brown and his Great Pumpkin

best seat in the patch

Today we did one of my favorite fall activities....we went to the local apple orchard and pumpkin patch!! Because of the nasty spring weather and frost that we had combined with the brutal heat in the summer, I was bummed to find out that they had lost a lot of their apple crop. So we were unable to pick our own apples from the trees but we still got to enjoy some freshly made and still warm apple turnovers and some piping hot apple cider! Umm YUM! I would have been happy and satisfied right then and there! But Jordan was bound and determined to walk down the giant hill, across the field and to the pumpkin patch to search for THE PERFECT CARVING PUMPKIN (his words not mine and in all caps to really get across his enthusiasm for the perfect pumpkin...) So we made the walk and got to the pumpkin patch and started the search. And searched. And searched. We even set a few pumpkins out and carried them around to compare with other pumpkins because you know, we had to have the two most PERFECT pumpkins. And I think I devastated Jordan a little when finally I said, "well I think I just want to decorate mine and maybe not carve it..." Man, with the look I got after that comment, I'm surprised I'm still alive! Apparently pumpkins of this caliber are strictly for carving and showing off then making roasted pumpkin seeds with all the guts! Anyway, after freezing our buns off, tripping over one too many pumpkin stems and debating between some solid choices, we found the perfect pumpkins! But this didn't happen before I started calling him Charlie Brown and saying that he was searching for the Great Pumpkin....fall festivities at its finest! Now the search is on the find the PERFECT carving template and design! 

safety first! let's not mention we were driving with
the gas light on but hey, the PERFECT PUMPKINS
were good to go!

the only logical way to carry a heavy pumpkin
with hot apple cider...boom box it!

fall fashion favorites!

Saturday was the first official day of Fall! Ah I can't believe it...this past year has flown by crazy fast! And to start off this Fall season, I wore all of my favorite fall fashions today! I love pairing leggings with a long cozy cardigan or chunky sweater, a scarf of any sort and some boots....seriously, I could LIVE in this kind of outfit all year long! If I could find a place where the weather was like this year round, Jordan and I would most definitely move there instantly! Not too hot and not too cold, warm sunshine and beautiful colors....ahh that would be the life! But then reality hits and I realize we only have a short time to enjoy this weather while we can before winter strikes! Here's how I rocked the first work day of the fall:

refashion attack and I love it!
cardigan: refashioned from a sweater and cost $1.50
scarf: my mom made this from an old dress
long sleeve under cardigan: $5.00 from Old Navy
boot warmers: my mom made these from an old sweater
leggings: $5.00 from Target
boots: $30.00 from Target last year
(I also got them in black and gray....Target can do no wrong)

ah so happy to be home with my pup
after a long 12-hour day!

Hope everyone has their fall favorites out and ready to start wearing because like it or not, the seasons are changing and the cooler weather is here to stay! Happy Monday!