New Year's Wish

Make a Wish!
Happy New Year!

photo by bellarosebyliz
Wish, originally uploaded by bellarosebyliz.

Reminiscent

~The Shanakee~

Nearly 10 years ago, on typical Friday night the whole crew would get a little tipsy and converge on our favorite ole place where everyone knew our names. The Mighty Quinn would entertain in the usual way, half Billy Joel/half tanked and we’d sway back and forth in a small semi circles to Piano Man or any other song for that matter. I miss college so much. My Dad always said to enjoy it because they’re the best years of your life, and while I think the best years are yet to come, I’d say that those years are going to be pretty hard to beat.

So, one day a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this picture. It was probably taken on one of my many trips back to Wilmington (post college) when we would, again, reminisce about the good ole’ days.

Here’s to Friday’s!

Cheers.

From a blog by britt...

Let it snow...

Today it's snowing...For the second weekend in a row. Last weekend Alex chauffeured me around town in our frigid truck through the light snow so I could act like a photographer. So along with this blog are some of my masterpieces from last weekend.

We're planning on heading to the hills tomorrow (notice: hills and not mountains...it's Indiana after all) to get some snowboard action in. I should have some good pics to share tomorrow and probably a few amusing stories in addition.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

love,

Britt & Alex
(he's standing right behind me as I write this blog, sipping on his coffee and letting me know when I have misspelled a word, so today this blog is from both of us=)

A Merry Thanksgiving...

Getting ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving...



My Dad spent time this last weeked passing his legendary pumpkin pie making skills on to my brother. Every year for as long as I can remember, my Dad has made his pumpkin pies. And yes, that's plural because it's never just one pie, it's many. I kid you not, when Christmas rolls around, I cannot even look at pumpkin pie anymore and the seams of my jeans are holding on for dear life. But never-the-less, his pies are the best, and I look forward to them every year.




This year, my Dad not only baked pumpkin pies, but a pear pie as well. Now I can be sure and get all my vitamins this holiday season. The pie was amazing, we've already been eating it!


This year, Alex and I have decided that after we gorge ourselves on Thursday, we will wake up on Friday and over the next three days, knock out ALL of our Christmas shopping. Is that too lofty a goal? I think not.

And on a side note, Alex and I had this convo in the car on our lovely ride into work today~ Why do we say Merry Christmas but Happy Thanksgiving? Does anyone know this?

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

It was my turn....

One night last week, Alex whipped up this brilliant meal, all ready and on the table when I got home from volleyball. We chowed down on roasted chicken, assorted steamed vegetables and rice. It was great, and Alex was so proud that his chicken turned out so good (see pic)!

This Thursday, was my day to cook a nice dinner. Although it wasn't as good as the roasted chicken night (mostly because it wasn't cooked by Alex!) it was still pretty good. No matter if I burn it or under-cook it, Alex always loves a good filet. This time, it was over-cooked, with cheesy, twice baked red potatoes and we enjoyed every last bite.

Its Friday…seriously TGIF, because it’s been a long week for me. Thank god for Wednesday night and time with the gang! That was a real savior and Alex and I spent some much needed time laughing. We are so lucky that we have such a fabulous group of friends, seriously, we are so lucky.

I know that fall is a wonderful time of year and all, I mean, it’s definitely my favorite time of year but if I eat one more apple, just one more, I think I might…well, you know. I've picked apples from my parent’s orchard three times now, and with each picking I walk away with what seems like 40lbs of apples. I’m not kidding either. I compare the weight to carrying a 40lb bag of dog food, and it’s not far from that. Of course I’ve shared many, mainly with co-workers (who needs candy on Halloween when you can take apples home instead?) who are surely sick of me pushing my apples on them. At this point, I think they just take them to satisfy me and then pitch them the minute they sit down at their desk. Anyway, I like to spread the wealth. I’ve been eating, on average, 3 apples a day and stuffing a couple here and there and in Alex’s Superman lunch box to surprise him. Now the last 4 linger in the fruit bowl, slowly shrinking and shriveling and I just can’t do it. I just can’t eat one more.

Happy end of October everybody!

And the wedding plans continue...

Happy hump day everyone! Does anyone have fun plans for Halloween?

The wedding plans are coming along...we have numerous vendors booked which really takes a load off my mind. The RSVP’s are finally out! That was so exciting for us! It was almost as though dropping those postcards in the mail made everything official. I know, like it wasn’t already, but it just felt like finally…the deal was sealed.

Next steps: Well, as you may well know, I am marrying a computer geek and therefore it becomes completely impossible to plan a wedding without full utilization of Alex’s skills. That’s right, we now have a wedding website of our own. Check it out, all the details will be posted soon!

www.amammothwedding.com

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips...

Thanks to a good, mouthwatering conversation with my friend Jenn at work and a little blog called Orangette, Alex has been begging me to bake this bread every Sunday night. This last Sunday, he got his wish, and now we are running a few extra miles this week!

Here's the recipe (courtesy of Organette) and my before and after from Sunday:

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar

This lovely stuff comes together in less than an hour, including baking time. And unlike more conventional quick breads, which are best when allowed to cool fully before slicing, this one doesn’t suffer when it’s eaten warm. That makes it, in my book, a perfect last-minute dessert or afternoon treat. It’s a good one to have in the old repertoire.

Oh, and while we’re here, let’s talk about frozen bananas. I always keep a stash of them in the freezer, and I highly recommend it. I chuck them in there, peel and all, and when I want to use a few, I just pull them out, sit them in a bowl, and let them defrost at room temperature for a few hours. It doesn’t take long. You can then use them in place of fresh ripe bananas in any baked good, and they’re easier to mash, to boot. The only bad thing is that they look pretty nasty. Think wet, slippery, and slug-like, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Before

From a blog by britt...

3 very ripe bananas (the size doesn’t much matter; medium to large works)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For topping:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Note: This bread, like many banana sweets, freezes beautifully. Sometimes I even like to eat frozen, cut into thick, cold, chewy slices. It’s the perfect snack for a hot summer afternoon.

After

From a blog by britt...

Two minutes later~

From a blog by britt...

TGIF!!!!

my uncle from Vintage photos

Have an EXHILARATING weekend!

Just for a few Laughs...

It's almost Friday!

Look what I found in my old picture files!

From a blog by britt...

From a blog by britt...

From a blog by britt...

It's the girls!

Thursday by my lonesome...

A good friend will climb with you to the top of the highest hill, roll down it with you laughing, and not care about how muddy you get along the way. (Quote: Bloom-grow-love)

Thoughts on Alex...

iamBritt.

Why I have the best man in the world…

He cleans the house more than I do. He tucks the dogs in at night. He makes a mean latte. He opens the car door for me. He runs at my pace, with me, even though he could leave me in his dust. He’s my computer genius extraordinaire. He learns my favorite songs on the guitar, and plays them often. He’s the hardest worker I know. He loves soccer AND volleyball, and is better than me at both. He gives me back rubs constantly. He makes me laugh. He makes coffee for me every morning just the way I like it. He likes organic food. He puts up with my less than perfect characteristics on a daily basis. He’ll let me teach him yoga. He cleans up dog vomit, even after I said I would do it (though I believe that’s because he thinks he’ll get the carpet cleaner than I will!) He lets me take pictures of him constantly without complaining. He’ll give up his new car for me, and drive my old clunker that doesn’t have AC in the middle of summer. He eats healthy. He cries while watching Extreme Home Makeover. He dresses good, and likes to shop (when we have money!). He has the best taste in music, yet will willingly listen to my cheesy 70s/80s soft rock per my request. He always puts the toilet seat down, and gets mad at ME when I don’t close the lid. He’s older than me (he’s 30!). He does such an amazing amount of laundry sometimes I can’t believe he has THAT MANY dirty clothes. He does the dishes. He takes out the trash AND unloads the dishwasher AND never gives me a chance to do it. He tells me I’m a good singer. He likes sitting at borders with me. He snowboards one season and is better than me, and I’ve been doing it my entire life. He has a fear of spiders that always brings me to tears in laughter. He likes to go everywhere with me (or at least makes me believe this). He grounds me. He is the most trustworthy, reliable, easygoing, lovable person in the world. He loves ME.

A case of the Monday's

It's definitely a Monday...

From a blog by britt...

It's been a long day. At least it started off at home with coffee. Not sure if I'll be able to say that for the rest of the week though. Last weekend was nice. We drove down to Brown County to enjoy the fall foliage that wasn't in full bloom yet but was still nice. The weekend goes by entirely too fast these days.

Guess what's on the agenda for this week? Wedding planning, wedding planning, wedding planning. Oh yea, did I mention wedding planning? Why is this like pulling teeth, for both Alex and I? I've just come to the sad conclusion that i don't like planning! But when it's all said and done, I know that we will look back and realize that it was all worth it!

From a blog by britt...

In memory of Summer 2008...

It's almost Friday...

From Just Scanned

In the midst of putting away t-shirts and digging out the sweaters, I think it's just hit me that summer is actually over (I know, like the pumpkins didn’t give it away)! I miss the sun already and the lake house, and my flip-flops. Oh well, soon, spring will be here and you know what that will bring…Wedded bliss for you know who! The plans are coming along and I’ll share some ideas as soon as I get a few free moments, which amazingly enough, have been very few and far between.

Hopefully I can get out and take some pictures this weekend, but until then I will leave you with my favorite picture from this summer at the lake…

What keeps me sane...

Running...

Today over lunch on the canal. Who says Indianapolis isn't gorgeous!

From a blog by britt...

From a blog by britt...

My day today is like this...

From Just Scanned

Just spinning in circles...

Idle Tuesday...

Ok, it's Tuesday~
and I have finally decided to start my own blog. Although I don't expect my blog to serve any real purpose, I do know that if it does anything at all it will at least provide comic relief to my best friends out there who are all scattered about the U.S.. I know you ladies are laughing now, and maybe that's what will make this all worth my while.

As Babe Always Says~ "love yous"