Happy Halloween!!

What a busy and fun Halloween weekend!

We went to a friends annual Halloween party where we saw everything from a boy scout to Amy Winehouse, Sue Sylvester to a vagina.

I was quite impressed with the creativity and thought process behind the costumes present this year.

Last year, Brian and I went as Jon and Kate Plus 8, and two years prior we were Bret Michaels and Jess (Season 1 winner of Rock of Love).

So, to continue the celebrity couples tradition, we went as...

Kat Von D and Jesse James

Besides the temporary tattoos that were a complete pain in our asses to get off at 4:00am, we were pleased with our costumes that we threw together in the 4-days leading up to the party.

Everything besides the wig and temp tattoos, I either owned, borrowed or made. I bought the youth sized wig (it's all they had left) for $6 at Wal-Mart and cut layers in it myself. I borrowed some pieces of my skanky outfit from Heather :), and made Brian's decals for his shirt by printing the emblem to sticker paper.

After a little preparation, eyeliner stars on the face, 20 temporary tattoos, and one major slicked back hair-do, we had ourselves a gothic bad ass and a biker dude that cheats.

Fun party!

 Sue from Glee

 Flapper, Witch, Boxer Chic, Pregnant Nun, Kat

 Safari Tour Guide and Cyclist

 Priest and pregnant nun

 We didn't know what to call these two...they didn't know either :)

 Iron Statues

 Jesse and Kat

Yes, you are seeing it correctly.

Faux Fail

I love fall. The changing of the leaves. The smells. The cooler weather. The decor.

I enjoyed dusting off my fall decorations this year just as I always have. Wreaths, scarecrow, pumpkins, leafy garlands, tabletop decorations.

However, I was dreading having to haul 3-5 heavy, bulky pumpkins home from the store all by myself. Followed by carving two of them (maybe) and lastly, having to carry the nasty, rotting pumpkins to the trash can once Halloween is over.

So, as I stood in Michael's surrounded by a sale, I devised a plan.

I would buy some fake pumpkins to accompany my front porch scarecrow.

The justification? I could pay a little more for two fake pumpkins initially, but save some bucks in future years by not having to buy (and haul) so many real pumpkins.

It was the ideal plan for my deal-driven, always hunting for a sale kind of mind. They looked real from the street, and were super easy to transfer from the store to the car, from the car to the porch. Light as can be and achieved my expectations.

Up until some punk-ass kid (so I think) decided to jack one of my fake pumpkins.

Let's just say I wasn't very happy when I noticed the pumpkin missing from our front porch. I'm still fuming.

Imagine another fake pumpkin, a bigger one, to the left of the scarecrow.

I can only hope that the kid was striving for an epic pumpkin-smashing session. Too bad my fake pumpkin will just bounce off the asphalt like a child throwing down a Mr. Potato Head.

It might be a faux fail, but that klepto got punked by my fakie. Eat that, you pumpkin snatcher.

October 26, 2007

It was three years ago today that my hubby proposed.

What a perfect fall Friday night it was, and one of the most memorable nights of my life.

It's events such as proposals that deserve some reflecting every now and then. So, let's hear what I thought about the proposal, written just days after I uploaded our engagement and upcoming wedding plans to The Knot. C'mon, it was the cool thing to do when you got engaged:). 

WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED 
October 26, 2007 

HOW IT HAPPENED  
It all started with me having a very stressful week at work. Things had been SO crazy-busy and I was very moody! When I arrived at work, roses and a very sweet card surprised me on my desk. The card told me to have a great day at work, hang in there, and to smile:). I didn't think anything of it, because he has sent me flowers at work before. As I was driving home from work later that day, he calls to ask if I wanted to go to dinner at Capital Grille (It's our favorite, we love it). I said "Brian, that's expensive!" After talking me into it, I agreed to go. 

Dinner was very normal and there were no signs of ANYTHING, it never crossed my mind! As we walked out of the restaurant, a "Cinderella" carriage pulled right up. I have always joked with him that I would love to take a ride on one during the fall/winter season, but I never thought he would do something so cheesy:). I didn't realize the carriage was for us, I thought it was for somebody else, so he had to push me a little to get in it. 

As we get into the carriage, he pulls out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. This was the first moment in my head I asked myself, "What is going on!?" After a 20-minute carriage ride and nothing had happened, I reassured myself that Brian had just planned a very sweet date for us. 

We stopped back in front of Capital Grille to get off the carriage when he stood up and said, "Honey, I have one more surprise for you." That is when he got down on one knee in the carriage and proposed!! The first thing I said (while crying) was "Are you serious!? Is this really happening!?" Then...I said yes!! The best part was that our waitress was taking pictures of the whole thing in action!!! After lots of hugs, kisses and shock, the horse got spooked and backed up into a really nice Mercedes!! Oops! So, we figured it was time to get off the carriage!

Ha ha. This makes me smile when I read it. It was fun to go back and look at my "wedding page" that was still available (to my surprise) on the knot. It was such an exciting time in my life. Our page

And here's the pics our waitress caught on her phone. Remember, cell phone cameras three years ago weren't quite as advanced as they are today:).

I remember it like it was yesterday, but I'm certain Brian doesn't. He's a typical boy with the memory of a 5-year old.

About a year ago, I asked him what my wedding dress looked like -- just to see what he would say. He responded with something that wasn't very close.

Tonight, I asked him again.

Me: "Babe, what did my wedding dress look like?"

B: "Ummmmmm, cream with some sparkles."

Me: "Ok, but what was up here (as I was circling the chest area of my body)?"
My dress had  a prominent top satin piece, with lace/beading making up the rest.

B: "Boobies!"

Me: Laughing hysterically, "Brian!"

B: "I don't know what they call it, it was some fish net type stuff."

No dear, my dress didn't include fish net. But my Halloween costume on Saturday will. LOL, gotta love my husband.

Fit-for-Fall Muffins

Someone once told me they didn't like the word "moist." Now, every time I hear it, or want to use it in conversation about food, I think twice about it. 

What is it about the word moist? :)

Well, these muffins are a must have, and man are they moist! And delicious. And addicting. 

The flavors are perfectly fit for fall - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves...yummy. The aroma coming from my kitchen while baking these was similar to the smell of a fall festive candle.

I received this recipe from the same healthy luncheon I attended at work, where I first learned of Aldi's great items.

I must start off by saying...don't let these ingredients deter you. Just because they include vegetables and crushed pineapple, does not mean they are not as delicious as an ooey-gooey blueberry muffin. Plus, they are loaded with vitamin A and a good source of potassium and antioxidants!

The hubby loved these. And so did our financial adviser who I forced to eat about four when he was over.

Brian doesn't even care for vegetables, let alone in a muffin. In fact, that was one of the things the instructor at my luncheon mentioned. This is a great recipe to feed children because you can hide vegetables in them!

Ok, enough talk about how much we loved them.

Here's the recipe:

Carrot Multi-Grain Mini-Muffins

3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup reserved for topping

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup uncooked rolled oats, 1/4 cup reserved for topping

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup reserved for topping

1/4 cup canola oil, plus 1 Tbsp. for topping

3/4 cup applesauce

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots (7-8 medium)

1 cup pineapple, crushed, drained

1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped (optional) But not in my opinion, nuts are tasty!

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease mini muffin pans. (I waited until after step 3 to do this. Otherwise, the oven would have been preheated for awhile)

2. In large bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

3. Make a well in the center of the mixture, add honey, brown sugar, canola oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Mix just until evenly moist. Fold in the carrots, pineapple and nuts.

4. Make topping: Mix reserved flour, brown sugar, oats and oil with a pinch of salt until it forms crumbles.

5. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with the muffin batter. (You will need to use a larger mini-muffin tin or you will be baking forever. I found one at Target that fits 24 mini muffins.)

6. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the top of the muffins.

7. Place on middle rack in oven, reduce heat to 400 degrees. Bake 15 minutes. (I'm not sure why it has you reduce the temp. I did it for the first batch as suggested, but didn't the second batch and they turned out just fine.)

Makes about 48 mini muffins (you can easily freeze these!)

Try replacing some or all of the carrots with pumpkin, sweet potato or shredded zucchini for a little variety.

 Step 2

 First part of Step 3.

 Still Step 3.

 Step 4 - topping

 Steps 5 and 6

Enjoy!

Just One of Those Weeks

I know my blogging has been non-existent this week. It's not because I'm a slacker though. And don't think I haven't been thinking about blogging, life just gets in the way.

As you know, I was in Vegas Monday and Tuesday for work. One of my company's projects won a national Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) award, so my coworker and I went to accept the award with the client. Therefore, the past two days have been a constant game of catch up.

Our one night in Vegas ended up being more partying than anticipated. Not intended, just happened.

I realized I just can't hang like I used to. When I went to Vegas in college -- along with 20 of my sorority sisters who happened to arrive in the Sin City all wearing the same pink shirt (yeah, that's how we rolled back then) -- we could finish several of the "yard" drinks and somehow be ready for 10 more.

Not so much these days. We couldn't even finish O.N.E.

I was disappointed in my inability to drink, but we rallied for the evening. Attended the awards dinner where they actually didn't serve rubber chicken and it was an open bar. Then, we took our client out where the night ended with shots and an excessive need for Excedrin.

The trip was good. Short and quick, but something different than my usual sit at a desk all day and leave with blood shot eyes from staring at the computer so long.

I hate airports, layovers, connecting flights and everything that comes with flying on an airplane. One can only hope they don't get sat next to a very large person with bad hygiene. Or, that there is a screaming child behind you. And worst, that your flight doesn't get delayed causing you to miss your connecting flight.

I may hate airports, but they are good for one thing.

People Watching.

I sat and listened to one gal talk on her cell phone for about an hour. She was white but didn't act like it, bright red hair, super long fake finger nails and a missing tooth. The funniest things she said (there were so many) were "I need to get me a new car. I found one already sittin on rims I want." AND "I toad her I'd loan her da money to start her company." What does this chick do!?!?!

I also heard another gal leaving a message for her -- what seemed to be anyway -- significant other. She said, "Hey cuteface, it's me...". I think I found a new pet name for Brian, cuteface.

Anyways, I have some pics to share from the short rendezvous to the Sin City.

Where we stayed. The Mirage.

That damn yard margarita I thought I could hang with.

 Our work event was at Caesars Palace.

It was a beautiful day. A little hot, but lots of sunshine.

As my coworker and I were enjoying our yard margaritas at a little outside bar, this site seer passed by.

I highly debated not posting this (c'mon, I have a conscious), but then decided this could be a valuable lesson that so many people in America haven't learned yet.

When you are having just one of those days, weeks or years for that matter, don't leave the house dressed like this! 

Central Park, Shawnee Style

Can this beautiful weather please stay forever?

I am in love.

Other than the fact that our weekend required a good amount of homeowner duties, we enjoyed the fall weather to its fullest.

A Friday after-work happy hour at The Cashew to visit with an out-of-town friend, dinner on the Plaza Saturday night, and a nice little Sunday picnic at our very own Shawnee "Central Park."

We hadn't been to the Plaza in a while, and boy was it a bit enlightening. I had read about the problems they were having there a while back, but I just assumed everything was under control. I couldn't believe how many mobs of kids there were crowding the streets, hooting and hollering, crossing the street in groups of 30-40 (not kidding), causing cars to stop and honk. It was a little strange.

However, it didn't affect us from having a nice stroll while waiting an hour and half to eat dinner at PF Changs. Oh, and we sat next to Tech 9 at dinner. Brian thought it was cool:)

Our visit to, what we call, "Central Park" was everything I needed to end the weekend. Now, let's be real, it's no NYC Central Park, not even sort of close. But it's a huge open field of grass, attached to a park, and walking distance from our house.

So, we packed us a little picnic dinner and blanket and headed to the park. Turkey wraps, hummus with red peppers and pita chips, and grapes. It was superb.

We also brought along our softball gloves and a frisbee ring. I think we both got more of a workout than we anticipated due to chasing the frisbee, but we had a lot of fun! Jake loved it too. He's pooped.

I am headed to Vegas tomorrow for work. Only one night, but I am hoping the said-to-be 80 degree weather is just as enjoyable as this weekend's was.

Maybe I'll get lucky and win at the black jack table. I'm hoping for a pink chip.

Fever Going Down

I've already told you about my small crush on Justin Bieber.

He's a total cutie. He's talented for a youngster. He's the "it" thing for teeny boppers right now.

I don't necessarily like his music all that much, I just love his star presence and everyone's obsession for him.

However, his most recent marketing ploy is deterring me away a bit.

The 16-year old teen sensation is launching his own line of nail polish for Nicole by OPI.

Seriously.

As if the first double take wasn't enough, the collection is called One Less Lonely Girl and the shades are inspired by his hits such as, Step 2 the Beat of My Heart (heart shaped glitter), One Less Lonely Glitter (lavender) and Give Me The First Dance (silver), Prized Possession Purple (grape) and Me + Blue (Dark Blue), and OMB! (bright red).

The line will debut exclusively at Walmart this December, and then expand to other retailers including Target and Sears.

I must admit, I bet teenage girls will go goo-goo for his product, and this strategy will probably be highly successful. I just don't see how someone can endorse something they themselves don't even use.

Is there anywhere that Justin Bieber isn't? He's everywhere. Now, teenage girls and anyone with Bieber Fever can have a little piece of Justin painted on their nails.

Awe, so cute.

The Shift: From New to Old

This post might be a little serious for your likings, and rather rare for me. But, as I approach my 2-year wedding anniversary in November, it got me thinking about the changes relationships go through.

When it comes to relationships, which is better? The new exciting, discovery part of the relationship or the well-seasoned, wiser, very comfortable stage of the relationship?

For simplicity sake, I'll refer to these points of time as New and Old.

Now, I'm not sure there is a clear, exact answer to this, but there are definitely concrete positives to both sides.

My first instinct leans toward the New because of the exciting initial steps that lead up to any relationship.

When you first meet the person, the flirtatious exchanges, the mysteriousness, the first date, the first kiss, waiting for a phone call, putting on your hottest outfit, getting so excited to see the person walk through the door, long chats getting to know each other, discovering the person's hobbies, fantasies and hot buttons, the anxiety of making it official, being an item in public, spending first holidays together and saying I Love You for the first time.

As the relationship progresses, it gradually settles. The new wears off and the honeymoon stage comes to an end. You begin to become annoyed at times with the other person, you fight more, you know exactly how to push the other person's buttons and do it just to piss them off, you don't try as hard to look good, you now fart in front of each other, you discover things you wish you maybe didn't, you never hold back, an effort is needed to have date night, long chats are sparse and hearing I Love You no longer gives you butterflies.

So, on paper, the New definitely trumps the Old. But does it?

All seasoned relationships experience the same fundamental struggles. Male thinking vs. Female thinking. A guy's response vs. a gal's response. Communication obstacles.Who gives? Who takes? Annoyance. Laziness. Overreactions. Fed up. Ups. Downs. Struggles. All these things often appear to take the spark out of the relationship.

We sometimes question, why can't it go back to the good ole days? Or to the first part of our relationship when things were exciting?

We must realize these things are going to happen from time to time. Things are going to naturally shift. We must not get shocked or confused on the days the relationship doesn’t send a tickle up our spine. Focus on the happy, relaxed, wonderful times. If you don’t have these, create them!

So, in conclusion, I believe the Old outweighs the New by a long shot.

Don't get me wrong, I loved meeting my husband, going through all the firsts and falling in love, but today, we are stronger than ever because of the things we have experienced together.

Yes, he may drive me crazy at times, but it's his loyalty I have learned about over time, his humor I have seen over the years, his simple presence, his kind heart each and every day and the fact that I can't see my life without him in it that keeps me coming back for more.

All By Myself...

Don't wanna be...all byyyyyyy myself any...more.
I am four nights in of solo sleeping, only one more to go.

My verdict: It really sucks to sleep alone! Especially when you are used to having the body warmth, faint sounds of breathing (sometimes snoring), and snugly comfort coming from the body laying next to you.

I'm solo because the hubs went on a dove hunting trip. Where do you think he went to shoot dove? Western Kansas? Nope. Oklahoma? No. Maybe Utah? Not there either.

He went to Argentina!! Crazy, I know. He went with his dad and step mom, who happen to do a lot of international hunting, and some other fellow hunters including his brother. Apparently, this trip is complete luxury, not roughing it in a jungle or anything. No tents or critters or wild animals.

Each shooter is provided a "bird boy" who will pass you shells, load your gun, pass you beer, hell probably even wipe the sweat off your forehead if you asked.

Plus, they get to shoot a lot of birds. Like, A LOT of birds. I guess finding flying dove in Argentina is like finding a McDonald's in NYC.

At the half way point through their trip, they had each shot around 1,500 birds. Crazy.

I'm really looking forward to having the hubby back:). Sometimes it's nice to have alone time, but I really miss him! It's too quiet around here.

However, the little sweet notes he left all over the house have really helped get me through it. It brings a smile to my face every time I see one. What a sweet husband!

That was Easy

This post might seem dumb, but they all can't be noteworthy, right?

This post came from a few recent conversations about cutting a pineapple.

It can be somewhat difficult if you don't have the right tool. At least I think so:) This easy solution is definitely something I didn't know about until my mama introduced me to it.

This nifty gadget makes cutting a pineapple super simple and is very inexpensive (purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond and minimal cutting is required).

 Cut off the top of the pineapple.

 Screw the pineapple tool into the top of the pineapple.

 Continue screwing all the way to the bottom.

 Cut the skin a bit on one side to easily remove the tool (and cut pineapple) from the skin.

Remove the handle part of the tool to easily pull off pineapple, along with the core.

Woila! Beautifully cut pineapple rings.

Easy as can be.

A Weekend of Firsts Part 2

The second part of my weekend was all about new experiences.

The first one being the NASCAR races, baby (First # 5).

I think I went with my dad when I was really little, but I don't remember a dang thing about it. However, thanks to my daddy and his love for Nascar, I do know a little bit about this highly popular sporting event.

Did you know that NASCAR is the number one spectator sport in the U.S.? And that it has more than the top 20 highest attended sporting events than any other race? Plus, it's the No. 2 rated regular season sport on television.

That's quite the impressive resume NASCAR.

However, I can't say that my experience was the real deal. Somehow, I dodged the earsplitting car engines, obnoxious WT fans, ever-so attractive mullets (business in the front, party in the back, LOL), and 82,000 fans dressed in flare from head to toe.    

I had the privilege of watching from Brian's company suite. Unlimited amounts of food and drinks, out of the blustering wind, earplugs not necessary. Oh, and I was wearing nice capri pants and a presentable shirt. Yes you heard correctly, I wasn't allowed to wear jeans and a t-shirt. I fit in so well let me tell you. NOT!

Doesn't really sound like a NASCAR experience, eh?

Although, I was surprised to find out that all spectators are allowed to bring in their own coolers. What!? I believe this is the only sport that allows this! That would be awesome at KSU and Chiefs games.

Overall, great first experience. I was actually really into watching the cars go around the track 200 times.

The drivers waving to fans from army vehicles

Track from the suite

Kyle Petty stopped by to say hi to one of the Turner folks. Don't know who he is? He's a retired driver and is currently a NASCAR broadcaster for TNT.

Sunday, I decided to try making a recipe I made at a healthy seminar/luncheon at work. One of the ingredients was a bag of stir fry vegetables with sauce included. Target didnt' have anything that fit the criteria exactly, so I decided I was going to buy the same bag of veggies we used at work.

Stir fry veggies from Aldi. I had never been before, so it was time for me to check it out (First #6).

I must say, quite the experience. Limited options, but great money-saving opportunities on certain items. Some of the things in my reusable shopping bags were salad dressing, Fit N Active sorbet bars, Trail mix, kettle baked chips, stir fry veggies, Fit N Active mixed berry jelly spread, 3 huge zucchinis and 3 peppers.

I spent a total of 18 dollars. What a steal.

Two surprises.

1. You have to pay for your cart? Honestly, I'm not sure what you have to do exactly. I saw a lock-type contraption on the carts and decided I would just use my reusable shopping bags:). Anyone know that could enlighten me?

2. They don't take credit card! My response to the cashier was "huh, wa?"

And that concludes my weekend full of first experiences.

First Experiences Part 1