So Sweet...

No sweeter feeling than being on 

CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! :)

Merry Christmas to you!

5 years ago...

12.16.06



Still in love after all these years...

SO. It's been a while...

So. It's been a while.  My bad.

It's not as if exciting things have been happening.

It's not as if I haven't had funny, sad or wonderful stories to tell.

I was busy. Forgive me?  Ok, cool :)

Here is a little sneak peek to my life the last few months I'd like to call, 

"THE TOP 10 THINGS I HAVEN'T TOLD YOU"

10.  I have been busy with school this year.  Like, busier than I should.  Mostly because I haven't used my time as wisely as I should this year...more on that later...

9.  Weird things happen to me and my husband.  For example, I got "surprised" by a former classmate on my birthday, which you may know was back in September.  Story to come later in another post.

8.  We refinished our laundry room, which I have to admit I'm surprised I'm counting that as exciting.  But, I guess your list of what is exciting changes when you get older.

7.  My big brother got married to his love in October.  The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful, as was the bride, and I am thrilled to have a new sister-in-law.  Jenn could not be sweeter and really fits in well with our family.  We all love her!

6.  Zora got squirted in the eye with dish soap.  And, as it turns out, that's more traumatic than we thought.  It was the weirdest accident ever.  Will update later. 

5.  Unless something happens with #1, I am going to COSTA RICA with the Senior class in March!  I could not be more excited.  Great group of students; awesome sponsors.  It's going to be a blast!

4.  I almost stole a library book...story to come.

3.  I directed a variety show and a Christmas performance with my drama class.  Both were a wonderful success!

2.  Speaking of which, I am directing a play again this spring...and am happy to announce that it will be "Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Jr."  I praise God for all of the excitement surrounding this title among the students!  I can't wait to get started in January. :)

1.  My favorite reason why I haven't blogged...Z and I are going to be parents! [someday...] We are adopting!  As I was asked yesterday by my Creative Composition class what my favorite part of 2011 has been, the decision to adopt was without a doubt my answer.  So, instead of doing anything else [like blogging], I feel like I just want to research baby things, read baby books, and work on setting up the nursery for our impending babe.  Explains the time issue this semester that thankfully I've gotten under control. :)

Thanks for bearing with me in my absence. :)

God bless you as you prepare for Christmas!

Forward Down the Field!

Today is the first regular season game of the Detroit Lions and, although my hubby would disagree, I think the Lions are going to have a great season if their pre-season (a 4-0 record!) is any indication.  Though I would not readily admit that I like to watch football, there is some thing very "fall" about crowding around the TV to watch the pigskin fly.

This adorable little pup loves the Detroit Lions, too.

 

P.S.  Tune in to Detroit Lion's Blog SideLion Report to see some delicious tailgate party recipes each Thursday!  This past Thursday featured recipes by yours truly and fellow blogger and friend Rachel of Parton Ponderings.

Cupcakes, Bridal Shower Edition

I was delighted when planning for my soon to be sister-in-law's shower that we decided to serve cupcakes for dessert, and I knew just the place to find the right recipes for cupcakes!  Annie's Eats is a blog that I turn to time and time again when I need a recipe, especially cupcake recipes, that I know won't disappoint.  And, boy oh boy, did these cupcakes NOT disappoint!  Both recipes used for the shower originate from Annie's blog and I had so much fun creating these delights for the shower. 

The first recipe I used was one I selected for the flavor and for the presentation.  Because my brother and soon to be sister-in-law's wedding colors are blue and yellow, the Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes seemed like a great choice!  The cake was moist and tangy and the lemon cream cheese frosting was so delicious I was trying to think about how I could get away with eating it all by itself. :)  The complete recipe can be found here.

The second type of cupcake I made (because as my friend Catherine knows, you need to have variety :) ) was also an Annie's Eats recipe, which my friend, Rachel, has made many times before.  I'd rather eat Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes for the rest of my life than anything else.  :)  This recipe is for the chocoholic in most of us.  Not only are these cupcakes delicious, they are oh-so-cute!

I wish I had one of these cupcakes right now.  :) 

A Very Bridal Shower

On September 3, my mom, sister and I were able to give a kitchen-themed bridal shower for my soon to be sister-in-law, Jenn!  It was a lovely afternoon. :)  My brother Rob and his fiancee Jenn have chosen blue and yellow for their wedding colors for many reasons and I think this trendy combination is going to be just beautiful on their wedding day.  So, naturally, we decided to decorate the shower in accordance with the wedding colors.

Congratulations, Rob and Jenn!  I can't wait for October 8th! :) 

Let me see that SUSHI roll!

Last Friday, the members of Team Snarton came together for an epic date night to UMI Sushi in Ann Arbor.  Delicious delights were shared, including the favorite California roll (I know, I know...not very adventurous..), Pork and Vegetable Dumplings, and Tempura Veggies. 

Another Team Snarton success!  

Foodball Frenzy

Getting as excited for football as we are over here? Ok, ok...maybe my husband is getting more excited for it than I am, but I do love football inspired foods! Check out this post I wrote almost a year ago for my friend's and sister-in-law's blog The Thrifty Table. Enjoy!

The first time I had this spicy, creamy, perfect-for-tailgating dip was when my husband, SideLion Lead Blogger Zac Snyder, and I were camping with our friends. Though it was summer, the weather was rainy and bleak, much like fall weather here in Michigan, and this Buffalo Dip warmed us through and through. The combination of hot sauce and cream cheese make a knock-out combination for any football game. This delectable dip may make you wonder why you ever ate buffalo wings off the bone!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Recipe taken from franksredhot.com

8 oz. package of cream cheese

½ cup Blue Cheese dressing or Ranch dressing

½ cup hot sauce

½ cup crumbled blue cheese and/or shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cans chunk chicken (drained) or about 1 ½ cups shredded chicken

Dipping items, like celery, carrots, chips and/or crackers

Steps:

1. Melt your cream cheese over the stove at medium heat or in the oven at 350 degrees, stirring gradually.

2. Mix in salad dressing, hot sauce and cheese.

3. Fold in chicken.

4. Bake the mixture at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the dip is heated through.

5. Enjoy with carrots and celery, or with crackers or chips.

Travelin' Fool

Man, have I been traveling this summer!  The ONE upside to having sibs move out of state is that it gives us good locations to go visit. :)  Thus, a travelin' fool blog post is in order. 

One fun visit this summer was to my brother, B's, place in Chicago! We had fun going to great restaurants, seeing where my brother lives, visiting colleges and shopping. I LOVE Chicago. :)

The next weekend, we traveled to our nation's capital to hang out for the weekend with my older brother Rob and his fiancee, Jenn!  We had a great time sight seeing (aka finding air conditioning as it was in the hundreds of degrees while we were there!) and visiting with each other.  Below is the [obligatory?] picture in front of the white house...

Most recently, we were able to spend a beautiful and relaxing weekend at Big Star with our friends, the Partons.  We enjoyed swimming, reading, and games...and most of all enjoyed watching (and making?) the dogs swim...

poor little pups on the raft..he he..;)

It's been an awesome summer so far, and I can't believe that we go back to school in just a few weeks! 

Must See Thursday!

To coin an advertising phrase from back in the day of Friends (perhaps one of the best sitcoms to hit the air?)...there are some great shows on Thursday nights.

Tonight I may just need to check out the new season of Project Runway...it just makes me want to shout, "DESIGNERS!"  I'm a sucker for all that drama...

What is your "must see" show?

First...

Hello, readers (or, reader [singular]??)!  P here...so I can't believe that I've joined the world of blogging!  So, in the tradition of my friend who helped me set up this blog (am I so old that I needed help?!), I will share with you a few things about me! :)

recently, i'm...

loving: SUMMER!  and the summer schedule--it rocks. :)

consumed by:  ...wouldn't you like to know...  ;)

looking forward to:  going to the cottage this weekend with Doug and Rachel :)  aaaanndd seeing how the dogs interact...should be interesting ;)  Oh, and looking forward to fall..my favorite season...apples, chilly nights, pumpkins, beautiful leaves...what's not to love!?

contemplating:  riding my bike to school next year...could I be that teacher?

reading:  Oh man have I been reading!  That is one of the best parts of summer...recently I have enjoyed The Help and I am currently enjoying Cutting for Stone--both great reads!  One on Kindle; one in old-fashioned paperback.

missing:  my brothers...I just saw them, but I wish we all lived closer to each other!  

baking:  delicious muffin bread (a cottage tradition)...maybe I'll share the recipe (stay tuned!)

thinking:  that I can't believe it's almost August...