Our Family is Growing

We are officially gaining a new member in the fam! And no, I'm not writing today to tell you about a baby or a new puppy.

Even better than that...a future sister-in-law!

Yep, my older brother, the one who some (mainly his friends) thought would never get married, popped the question and is ENGAGED! His super cute, sweetest-gal-you'll-ever-meet-fiance accepted his proposal and said yes this past weekend. You can read all about the perfect night on her blog.

After their date night and the proposal, we were all waiting for them at The Flying Saucer. I couldn't believe how many people showed up to celebrate with them. There was so much love in the room!

Amy was so cute when she walked in and was surprised by everyone. The tears started flowing, and hugs were flying everywhere.

The happy couple

Love her dress

 My brother's best friend, Matt. Not sure why Matt sits like that. We aren't sure why Matt does a lot of what he does actually.

YAY!

I couldn't be happier for these two love birds. A little background about my brother...

Why are you more tan than me?

We are two years apart and had the typical love-hate brother-sister relationship growing up. As most brothers and sisters close in age, we fought, we argued, we tattled on each other, we pushed each other's buttons and tried everything in our power to get the other one in trouble.

We were quite brutal. One time, I hit him with my mother's high heel, which caused a wicked circle wound. It was bloody for days. He retaliated by somehow getting me to willingly put my finger under the sewing machine while he pressed the foot pedal. I'm gullible people, but I have no idea why I would do something like that at age 6. Luckily, it didn't hit the bone.

High school was better than childhood because he transformed into the protective big brother who would beat up any guy I dated. I thought it was annoying at the time, but looking back, I guess I sort of appreciated it. He was looking out for me. 

Next, I moved away for college, he moved to Kansas City, I followed to KC after graduation, and now we live in the same city. Those years living apart were the best damn thing that ever happened to our relationship. It made us realize how much we really do need each other and care for each other.

Don't get me wrong, we still have huge blow out fights at times, but we have learned to appreciate one another for who we are. While, we are two of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet, we're very different people. I can honestly say that all those fights and experiences have helped shape me as a person. I have learned from him, and I hope he has learned from me.

Sorry for all this sap, but my bubba is getting married!

He has been through a lot when it comes to relationships and I couldn't be happier that he found Amy. Got only knows that the Biddles are hard to handle, and if she can put up with him, she is a definite keeper! :)

Congrats to my bubba and the future Mrs. Biddle!

Blood, Sweat & Tears

I'm still alive! Are you beginning to wonder where the heck my blogging abilities have gone lately? I've been wondering too, but I promise I have good reasons.

This past weekend, I spent my time entertaining five high school boys. It was actually the other way around (they were hysterical), but I had to play host.

My two nephews + three of their wrestling buddies + my chaperon brother = crazy weekend at the Kutter household.

Smelliness and testosterone galore!

Here for a wrestling tournament, they arrived Friday and didn't have much time for play. However, we did manage to go to dinner Friday night after their weigh in.

My brother Ryan, Amy, me and Brian got there first so we waited at the table for them to arrive. It was quite humorous as they all strolled up to our table...as the three we don't know blushingly smiled at me and Amy like we were cute college girls.

The one I called "Little Man" all weekend (he was the shortest) was a freshman in high school and the cutest little froshy you've ever seen. The bill of his hat was flat as a board, long hair of course sticking out from underneath, and he did the whole head nod up thing and winked at me. Let me tell you, he got game.

For a second, just a second, I felt like a hot college gal.:) I was flattered.

So, five high school boys and my half brother come to stay with us. Plus we have Me, the Mr, and Jakey doo. How the heck do you sleep that many people in a three-bedroom house and only one guest bed?

Sectional Couch to the rescue! Oh and Matt and Heather's air bed that we always borrow. I promise we will purchase one of our own one of these days. Our couch was utilized in full force and I couldn't have been happier about our purchase than that very moment.

Three boys sprawled out on the couch, one on the air mattress, one on the upstairs couch, and my brother took the guest bed. Perfecto! No need to spend money on hotel rooms when you have Casa de Kutter.

Saturday, we spent all day at the wrestling tournament. My nephews didn't do as great as they would have liked (5th and 6th place), but they can't win all the time. Sorry to brag on them, but they are little bad asses. They have been wrestling since they were little tikes and it's not uncommon for them to easily sweep these tournaments.

Little Man and the other boys all took second. Too bad none of them could pull off the 1st place spot. But for all the blood, sweat and tears they went through (literally, there's lots of blood in wrestling), they did fantastic!

 Lots of wrestling matches, all at once.

 It was hard to watch every boy wrestle. It was like playing musical chairs to get the best view.

So after the tournament, the boys wanted to do one thing: Eat. When you're constantly having to cut weight like they do all the time, they are always ready for some grub.

So they requested none other than Hooters. Pwf, typical high school boys. You should have seen their eyes. And heard all their comments about boobies. It was hysterical.

Here's the boys with our waitress. LOL.

Saturday night we enjoyed root beer floats, watching video recaps of their matches, and lots of talk about balls, boobs and singlets*.

I swear our basement smelled like athletic, maturing boys for days to follow. Brian even had to plug in a Glade Plug-In he thought it was so bad:). Gotta love boys!

What a great visit from the fam we had!

*Singlets are an interesting choice of uniform. Not that they get a choice, but they are just funny looking.

It's Friday, Friday

...gotta get down on Friday!

Who's heard this joke of a song? C'mon, it's only the best song ever created. Did you know that  yesterday was Thursday, Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterward?

I know those of you who have heard of it secretly sing it too. It's pretty horrible singing, but I will say that it has a catchy tune. Fun, fun, fun, fun. Ha!

Impressively, it has nearly 90 Million views on You Tube. Who knew horrible singing with equally horrible lyrics could get you that!?

Ok, now let's talk about my crazy week. Work got crazy. The second I think I will have a slow week...BAM! I get hit with a semi-truck. Not to mention I was out of the office for two whole days for a conference. You would think that sitting through seminars and break-out sessions would be a nice change of pace from work, but nope, all I could think about was how much work is piling up at the office.

Looks like next week will be loads of fun. And the entire months of May, June and July. Why you ask? Oh, only because my department of TWO (yep, only two of us coordinators in the good ole marketing department) will be diminished to ONE. That one being me, flying solo for three whole months. Why? Because my counterpart is going on maternity leave. 

Can you tell I'm super excited about taking on the workload of two people? Honestly, I can't complain. Comes with the territory. They did let me hire an intern which I'm super excited about.

She's a K-Stater (we only hire the best and the brightest) and the sweetest girl you'll ever meet! She seems a little more reserved than me, but I'm hoping I don't scare her too much....I really hope she likes tolerates me.

And doesn't mind the occasional F-bomb. What can I say? It just tends to come out sometimes.

So, this weekend I will be surrounded by seven boys. Eight if you count Jake. My half brother, two nephews and three other high school boys will be staying at our house.

Not sure if I'm ready for this, but it will be an experience:) They are coming for a national wrestling tournament. I come from a family of wrestlers and it's pretty much a sin if you're a boy and don't wrestle in our family.

We will be spending all day in a humid convention center transformed into a gym that will reek of smelly teenage boys.  But, I'm excited to see my nephews kick butt.

How are you getting down on this Friday?

The Beer Kitchen

This ol' blog sure is collecting some hefty dust lately. And I'm beyond behind on keeping up with all of your lovely blogs.

Life just gets in the way. That's just life.

I'll eventually emerge from this state I'm in and bounce back to the blog world.

Until then, I'll quickly tell you about my fabulous weekend dinner with the girls at The Beer Kitchen - a new, casual, fun spot in Westport (where 180 used to be).

My brother recommended this place and we could not have been more pleased. The one and only, Katie, was in town to shop for her wedding dress, so it was only appropriate we took her to a place she has never been. It was a new spot for all of us.

I was craving comfort food so I ordered none other than the Mac N Cheese. It was rich. It was creamy. It was delish.

Why do I always order Mac N Cheese at restaurants? What am I, 10?

The other items ordered at our table were a burger, the turkey turkey sandwich (yes, it's called The Turkey Turkey), and a salad for the girl who had to be all healthy and crap. Oh, and a jumbo order of french fries for all of us to share.

 Aren't those pickles freakishly green?

 

Thanks Smack, Katie and I will sit here with our Mac N Cheese while you eat your rabbit food.

We had a blast. Our early dinner turned into 4 hours of catching up, reminiscing about old times, and chatting about the exciting things to come such as Katie's marriage to Barry! We couldn't be happier for this girl who has been through a lot with this boy. She just couldn't seem to get away from him. They're soul mates:)

 Bethany & Katie

 The group

Me, Lang and Smack

Now go try The Beer Kitchen! You won't regret it.

Mean Green Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I am beyond done with this weather. I think you all know that. But, until then, I'll continue making soup.

A couple weeks ago, we made Broccoli Cheddar Soup, a recipe I received from a co-worker. Last week it was crock pot potato soup from Callie's blog. This Friday, it'll be Butternut Squash soup. See a pattern? Soups tend to be good Friday night meals during lent.

The broccoli cheddar soup was pretty tasty. I liked it more than Brian did, but I like vegetables way more than he does. This recipe happened to include a vegetable I had never cooked with before: leeks. I couldn't even tell you what they taste like, but I liked knowing I was getting two hearty vegetables in this soup.

You puree this soup in a blender, which I thought would be a major chore. It actually wasn't too bad at all and according to the recipe, adding the cheese in the blender ensures that it will melt evenly and won't clump. 

Oh, and don't let the green color of this soup scare you. It did me at first, but I got over that quickly.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 bunch broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems trimmed and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the leeks and broccoli stems and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the broth and water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the broccoli stems are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the broccoli florets and continue to simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Puree the soup with the milk, cheddar and mustard in a blender, in batches, until the cheese is melted and the soup is very smooth. Return the soup to a clean pot and cook gently over medium-low hear until the soup is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Broccoli & Leeks

Happy soup:) Luv me some pepper.

Season Change Antsy

This weather is quite depressing. As soon as I thought the sunshine was here to stay, the weatherman reports snow is a comin'. Yep, more snow. It's not uncommon for it to snow in March in Kansas, but people were seeding and fertilizing their yards just last weekend!

Man is it frigid. I had to dig deep inside my closet to pull out my already put away heavy winter coat.

Will spring and sunshine please come back?

I'm much prettier in the Spring/Summer season. Let's face it, that's what a sun kissed tan and cute dresses do for you:).

I'm ready for the season to change. And I mean full-circle. Not just a few warm days here and there, I want the real thing, baby.

I've been ready for a few weeks. And so have my new dresses and open-toed heels that are anxiously awaiting to leave their hangers and storage boxes.

 

Love this little number. I have tried to wear it out a couple times already until Brian reminded me how ridiculous I would look wearing a dress this early. C'mon 80 degrees, I need you!

Don't the colors just scream summer? Found at one of my fave stores.

This one is from Express. I'm typically not into floral prints or ruffles, but I really love this one. The floral is quite subtle and abstract. My kinda print.

I plan to pair it with this nude belt and nude heels.

In other new finds, a pair of knock-off aviators and some new products I'm obsessed with.

I've been telling myself to drop the cash on a nice pair of Ray Bans or sunglasses, but I just can't do it. With as much as I break them, my cheap-o's will do. I picked these up last weekend for $10 at a little knock-off shop at Crown Center. I'm pleased with my purchase:)

Introducing my new friend, Lola. I'm in love.

I took a chance on Lola, opting for her over my other go-to scent, Armani Diamonds. She was a good choice. Thanks to the recommendation from my brother's super stylish gf.

Another new find: Kenra blow dry spray. My hair stylist turned me on to this protectant spray. I'm hooked.

Once you smell this stuff, you'll be hooked too.

My BF told me about this line of nail polish, Essie, now sold at Target. This color is Mink Muffs, a smoky plush taupe.

LOVE the color, but didn't find it to go on as smooth as usual. Maybe it was user error:), I wasn't feeling too well yesterday. I think I'm still partial to OPI, but I'll definitely be trying other Essie colors.

Have you found any new Spring attire you're dying to wear? Or any new products worth sharing? Tell us about it.

Technical Difficulties with the Blog

Alright blog friends, anybody else experiencing issues with uploading photos?

I just tried to upload a post that appears fine on the back end, but the photos are missing when posted. This is so frustrating!!

My posts would suck without photos.

I found a link that appears I'm not the only one struggling with this issue.

Stay tuned...hopefully Blogger will work it out.

Until then, I will be wishing I was here...(Obviously you can't see the picture because of the issue, but I was forced to upload a photo, and send the link to Blogger so they can continue working to resolve the issue.)

Update: According to Blogger, it's an Internet Explorer issue only. So, if you are experiencing the same issues, visit the link above and send your info to blogger. Otherwise, use a different browser in the mean time.

Hawt Dog

Happy Tuesday friends!

I tried a new lunch spot today and thought I would tell y'all about it. I didn't even know it existed until the gal I was meeting for lunch suggested it.

Dog Nuvo - A Gourmet Hot Dog Establishment

"Bringing America's Classic to a new level," Dog Nuvo offers gourmet dogs (natural casing and 100% All Beef) topped with hand crafted ingredients such as mustards, krauts and pickles. They also offer encased meats such as Heritage Chicken, Venison and Duck seasonally.

I had the Chi Town dog (pictured in the middle up top). Here's the description from the website:

Dragged through the garden! Our dog with that Crazy Neon Green Relish - a la Nuvo, Hot Peppers, Sweet Onions, Grape Tomatoes, Pickle Ribbons, Stone Ground Mustard and, of course, Celery Salt. Served on a Poppy Seed Challah.

It was quite delicious, for a hot dog. Somewhat hard to eat, but nothing a fork and knife couldn't handle. I thought the actual dog was a little measly, but I enjoyed the flavor of all the toppings with the dog. The gal I was with had the Mac N Cheese dog (not listed on the site for some reason), but she had rave reviews. We shared the Truffle & Asiago potato chips, which I would recommend.

My overall review would be to give it a try! It's not a place I would go for a date or anything, but something a little different and perfect for a casual work lunch. I'm looking forward to trying The Thai Dog, Le Poodle and The KC (smothered with Burnt Ends). Oh, and did I mention it's super affordable? Only $4-$6 depending on what dog you desire.

Located at 18th and Main downtown, in the TWA building (where Souperman once resided). You can get your dog to go or sit down and enjoy the wait staff.

Winning Gets You This

We had a great date night, thanks to winning at last year's KSU Wabash Cannonball. Although it seemed a little strange staying in a hotel just 20 min. from our house and finding a babysitter for our fur baby (Thanks Matt & Heather!), it's an ideal way to get away from the daily grind.

Away from laundry, dishes, miscellaneous house projects and our ADD dog, it was just the two of us. And it was nice.

Our plan was to enjoy the Crown Center area before dinner and walk around amidst the sun shining. Welp, the lovely rain ruined it for us, so we made do with what Mother Nature provided.

First on the list was checking in, cashing in our complimentary night's stay at the Westin. Well, the hubs just so happened to forget his wedding ring (went golfing on Friday and left it in his golf bag), so he didn't have it on. We joked for the rest of the night how the front desk staff probably thought we were on a secretive affair getaway. But then again, there are tons of guys who don't wear their wedding rings (my dad is one). I don't think I would be ok with Brian not wearing his. :)

Our room was great. I know it's just a typical hotel room, but it was nice. The bed was comfortable (I'm pretty picky when it comes to this) and we had a spectacular view of Liberty Memorial.

From our balcony

I couldn't believe people were swimming. Heated pool of course, but still, it was quite nippy outside!

For the first hour, we walked around Crown Center, browsing the shops. I have actually never spent much time in Crown Center in the almost 4 years I have lived here.

Holy cow, it's a kid factory!

I can definitely see why parents bring their children here...I was drooling over every sweet smell that came out out of Chip's Chocolate Factory, Topsy's, Sheridan's, and the Crayola Cafe. It's a for sure way to keep a kid occupied...or a 27-year old sweets addict. I was craving a piece of fudge, a strawberry concrete, chocolate covered popcorn and a root beer float all at the same time. All things I can't have until Lent is over, boo.

Next, we jumped in the car to head to Liberty Memorial. We would have loved to walk, but I didn't have an umbrella, and it was pouring. Which is why we didn't even step foot out of the car. Oh well, another day.

Next stop, Jack Stack for dinner. We planned to go to Skies and utilize the amazing deal offered on Restaurant.com, but the earliest reservation available was 9:30 pm! So, we opted for Jack Stack and used a $50 gift card I recently received for being Volunteer of the Year for a marketing organization I am involved in.

I'm not as big of fan as BBQ as the hubs is, but Jack Stack is one of my favorite BBQ places when I'm in the mood for it. I love the cheesy corn. And we had the jumbo shrimp as an appetizer, which was quite delicious.

Next stop, The Cashew to watch the game. I don't know how we managed to be the only KSU fans in the entire bar, but we did. I know The Cashew is a KU bar, but seriously, I didn't think we would be surrounded by Wisconsin fans. C'mon people, you live in Kansas! Support a local team!

The game didn't end in our favor, but I'm forever proud to be a Wildcat. Pullen and Kelly deserve a lot of credit for our success this year.

Night shot from our room

Sunday, we woke up in utter darkness (gotta love thick hotel curtains) and dodged our normal 5:30 wake up call from Jake. Yes, our dog wakes up at 5:30 every single day. Even on weekends.

We finished off our stay at the Westin with a complimentary breakfast at their restaurant, The Brasserie. We had $50 to spend and we didn't even come close. Brian had the buffet while I opted for blueberry buttermilk pancakes and a strawberry fruit smoothie. Yummy! What a great way to start the day.

Lastly, we headed to the gold dome for church downtown, AKA, the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. I love this church, I always have. The only dislike we had was that the sound wasn't great resulting in a hard to understand priest. In fact, he was screaming into his mic during the homily at some points, which didn't make it any easier.

That concludes our almost entirely free date night. Score!

Gotta love winning.

What did you do this weekend?