Saturday Morning Love

Good Morning Friends!

My hi-lights of the week are pretty simple.


1. CARDINALS WIN WORLD SERIES


(via)

So proud of the red birds for winning the World Series for the eleventh time in history. The last time this happened, I was cheering them on from Seville, Spain in 2006. It was awesome waking up today and seeing almost every Facebook update filled with love for the Cardinals.


2. BAKING ENDEAVORS



I tried these Nutella self frosting cupcakes and I was disappointed. I obviously kept them in the oven way too long and they turned out dry. The best part of them was the frosting I added to make them tolerable.

For the frosting, I creamed together 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Nutella, I then gradually added in about a cup of powdered sugar and a bit of milk and blended until I got the consistency I wanted. MMM the frosting was the hit. The cupcakes...well I won't be making them again.


3. TORTILLA WRAPS FOR LUNCH


I discovered these tortilla wraps on a new blog I've been following, The Dashing Dish.
My version of lunch this week included a tortilla wrap filled with chicken and turkey breast, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, and a bit of ranch for the "sauce". What a delicious filling lunch. I'm sure there are tons of things you can pack these with and I'll be trying other combos in the future. Just a fun lunch to try if you're getting tired of sandwiches.

That's it for the week. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Saturday Morning Love: Warm Cozy Edition

Good Morning and Happy Weekend!

Here we are, Saturday morning again. The sweetest part of the week. I feel like everyone deserves a time of rest and relaxation after they work hard all week. I also believe that Friday and Monday should be included in the weekend.

I present to you the "Warm and Cozy" edition of Saturday Morning Love.

1. Heat.


(via)

This is NOT my living room, but doesn't it look COZY?? I so wish we had a fireplace. Matt is a lot more frugal about turning on the a/c and heat, but when I came home from work on Wednesday, the air inside was just chilly. I don't like walking around with freezing fingers and nose, so I did it. I love the smell of the heater when you turn it on for the first time. Ahh..and now we are nice and warm inside.


2. Electric blanket.


(via)

I wish this was my bed! It looks cozy and comfy. We put the blanket back on the bed a few weeks ago when we had a cold weekend, but we haven't turned it on again until this week. If you do not have an electric blanket, you don't know what you're missing. WARNING: If you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning WITHOUT an electric blanket, do not get one. It makes life even harder.


3. Coffee.



Yes, this IS my coffee pot. Mmmm...if you DO have to get out of bed, the best thing is a hot cup of coffee to keep you warm. It's no secret that I drink coffee almost every day. I finished up my bottle of Pumpkin Spice creamer yesterday, so I am holding out for a Starbucks treat today. What I like about coffee is the flavored creamers, not necessarily the taste of the coffee.


4. Slippers.



Yes, I wear these slippers in the winter. Nothing worse than having freezy toes! And that's all I have to say about that.

Well, this concludes the Warm Cozy Edition. Am I missing out on any other comforts of fall/winter? Let me know!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Hi there! Happy Hump Day to you.

This week is flying by for me...can't believe it's half over already.

Here is what I'm loving today.


(WILW)


1. Snuggling.



...in this Siamese Slanket. Not. Did you know there was such a thing?



2. Pumpkin Pie


(via)

I baked my first ever pumpkin pie last night. We will be digging into it tasting it tonight.



3. Nail Polish.


(Avon blue and Forever 21 glitter)

I love trying out new colors! I might be slightly excited about sparkly, really really glittery polishes, though they are so tough to remove. I feel like I'm back in 7th grade.



4. Fall decor



Matt brought some table centerpieces home from the banquet he attended on Monday evening. It's a little scarecrow in a rose plant. Isn't it cute? I have three of them. Crossing my fingers that I can keep these babies alive. Oh and next to it is a Bath and Body Works candle. Pumpkin Patch scent. Yummm!!



5. Cookie



Someone's about due for a haircut!



6. Matthew



I have an awesome husband. He is not only my best friend and biggest fan, but he supports me and encourages me when I'm down. Love you sweetie!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Christmas is Coming Early This Year!

Christmas is coming early this year. October 24th, to be exact.

YEEEAAAHHH!!!!

I'm a huge fan of the sweet tender voice of Michael Buble. In fact, I basically told my wedding DJ to feel free to play as much Michael as he felt appropriate during our reception. I just can't get enough of his pure, smooth voice. It is magical. If you don't believe me, click this link to hear some clips from his new Christmas album coming out next week. I promise they are not paying me to do this, I just love him that much.




The "Let It Snow" EP was clearly not enough Christmas music to satisfy the fans. I am so looking forward to some remakes of the classics like:

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas
Santa Baby
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
White Christmas
Silent Night

The leaves are just starting to fall off the trees and we haven't even had turkey yet, but darn it, I'm listening to Michael Buble Christmas music. I am clearly not right in the head.

Saturday Morning Love

Saturday mornings are my favorite part of the week. Nothing beats sleeping in, making a yummy breakfast in my pjs, and sipping a cup of coffee while I catch up on blogs and shows while the hubby sleeps the morning away.

I'd like to share two of my favorite Saturday morning recipes with you today. One is for the days you feel like being extra healthy and the other is to satisfy your sweet tooth. So here we go.

GREEN SMOOTHIE




1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup frozen fruit
1 cup fresh spinach leaves



Chop frozen fruit in the blender, then gradually add a little yogurt and spinach leaves until blended and smooth.



...and you get this lovely colorful nutritious treat.



NOTE: If you hate spinach, do not make this recipe. Some people say you don't taste it, but with this recipe, there are few ingredients to "cover up" the taste.

Yum yum! I love making this after a good workout. It tastes delicious and it's packed with nutrients. I haven't experimented much with this recipe because I like it just the way it is but you could try other recipes like

Green Slime Smoothie



or this Groovy Green Smoothie.




Moving on to my all time favorite breakfast.

CINNAMON RAISIN FRENCH TOAST



6 slices cinnamon raisin bread
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 T vanilla
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
Sprinkle of Nutmeg
Dash of salt

Whisk all ingredients together, then dip bread into mixture. Cook on a greased skillet on medium-high heat until slightly brown. Remove from heat and cover with maple syrup.









And that concludes my Saturday morning deliciousness blog post. Enjoy!

DVR

Just thought you should be aware that the Focht family is moving up in the world of entertainment.

Less of this...



and more of this....




YEAH!! We finally gave in to cable. So here's the story of how this glorious miracle happened.

We were taking a leisurely stroll through the mall one evening when we popped into the AT&T store to inquire about wireless internet service. When we moved to Dayton, we were newlyweds with no money so we just found the cheapest service available and as soon as our contract was over with them, we were in the market for a better, faster internet experience. (you really do get what you pay for sometimes) Anyway, so when we walked into the store, I might have "mentioned" that we might possibly perhaps could be interested in getting cable as well as internet. Oops! Well, salesman Ryan gave us an offer we just couldn't resist that included Visa gift cards as an incentive for signing up, free installation, free dvr, free everything except for the monthly cost of AT&T U-Verse. Our package is the U-200 channel one, so we will be downgrading to a simpler package in a couple months because we just don't need all that. But my point of the story is....we are really enjoying fast forwarding through commercials and being able to record up to four shows at once for those Monday nights when we have to pick between How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, The Sing Off, and currently, the baseball playoffs.




Matt is watching the Cardinals whoop up on the Brewers right now. Unfortunately, U-Verse does not have a "kick husband out and turn girly shows on" button. But I'll catch up on those after the Cardinals have won the world series and my DVR is so full it won't hold any more shows.

Corn Maze and Pumpkins

Last night, Matt and I went down to Bellbrook to visit Adventure Acres Corn Maze. Have you seen the movie Signs? I felt like we should have been wearing foil on our heads to steer clear of any aliens that might have created the crop circles we were walking around in.



There were miles and miles of paths cut out in a corn field and we spent most of our time going in circles, I'm pretty sure. But how would you ever know? Everything looks the same. For example, this picture shows how big the thing was!



I couldn't believe how many people were there waiting in line for tickets when we got there. It is such a fun place for all ages because they had a children's play area, a petting zoo, pumpkin patch where you can pick your own pumpkins, hay rides, campfires, and of course, miles and miles of corn mazes to walk through. Or if you are of the junior high age group, you don't just stroll through the mazes leisurely. You push your friends into the corn, tickle each other, play marco polo, jump out and scare people, and scream bloody murder.

I love enjoying fall activities like this. We didn't purchase any pumpkins on our adventure last night but rather stopped by Aldi to pick up some humungo pumpkins for $2 a piece because we are cheap like that. Doesn't my front door look so autumn-esque?








This week I am going to try out this new recipe for a super easy version of Pumpkin Cupcakes. Since pumpkin is a veggie, these are obviously going to be healthy so I can have as many as I want. Right?

Blog Update

Good Day!

Remember when I said that August would be a much better month for blog posts because I failed to write even ONE post in July? Well September was identical to July and I totally failed to keep my loyal followers updated. For this I apologize.

Since my last post, I have been busy with a thing or two. First and foremost, the most exciting thing that happened was my little sister's wedding.






August 27, 2011 was the day my sister married the love of her life. After their wedding, they honeymooned in Cancun and have since then settled into their upstairs apartment at Dan's grandma's house in Syracuse, New York where they are surely annoying everyone with their sappy newlyweddedness.

Next on the agenda was Dad coming to Dayton, Ohio to participate in the Air Force Marathon on September 17. For an old man, he did a darn good job and we all had a great time watching him finish the race. Anybody who runs a marathon and finishes it is a hero in my book, but I am quite proud of my Dad's accomplishments as a runner. He has raced with some of the top dogs in Chicago, Pheonix, Champaign, Dayton, and even Boston. Go Dad!!



Here we are at the finish line. Matt, me, Dad, Mom, Krista, Dan

I always love it when the fam comes to visit and the past few months we have seen a lot of each other between the college graduation, pre-wedding showers, vacation, wedding events, and the marathon. We are taking a break from each other until everyone makes their way to OUR HOUSE for Thanksgiving!! Yes, you read that right. Matt and I are hosting the day of thanks and I don't even know how to cook a turkey. Yikes, I have a lot to learn before next month.

Fall has settled in nicely and we are enjoying the cooler temps and changing colors. Our maple tree in the front yard is turning the brightest red and is gorgeous. Here is a pic of it in all its glory last fall.



I think that's about all I have for you today, friends. I would try to make some sort of promise about being more faithful with updating, but I just don't want to set the bar that high. Thanks for reading!