Wednesday, October 29, 2008

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!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

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...

Friday, October 17, 2008

TGIF!!!!

my uncle from Vintage photos

Have an EXHILARATING weekend!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

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)

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Thoughts on Alex...

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.

Monday, October 13, 2008

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...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

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…

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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...