Thursday, September 29, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 9


Today is day 9 of Neely and Amber's Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge.
Today's topic: Favorite football pastimes

Green Bay Packers
Ohio State Buckeyes

We are football fans in this house. For college, we cheer for the hometown team, The Ohio State Buckeyes. AJ and I are going to a game this weekend on our roadtrip home. I am very excited. Usually we tailgate with AJ's friends, but the "ring-leader" is out-of-town for work, so we'll be figuring it out as we go. I'm sure it will involve some beers and loud cheering. 



As a family, we are Cheeseheads a.k.a. Green Bay Packer fans! You know, last year's Superbowl Champs!!! We spend our Sundays at home watching the game and enjoying "a spread" as Josh and Chloe call it. That translates to fatty football food. YUM! Ribs, wings, potato skins, taco dip, chili, etc. I promise, not all in the same meal, randomly could be any of these items. The kids love it! Anything to make the kids happy, they could careless about football, I'm pretty sure they are in it for the food. 


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 8


 Today I am (again) linking up with Neely and Amber for the Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge
Today's topic: Fall Travel/Road-trips/Vacations

With school in full swing again, there's not much vacationing goin on around here. Road-trips- once a month we travel back to the states for my two older children to visit their father. So there are a few fall road-trips to Columbus planned, not super exciting. However, it is my once-a-month visit with my bestie Charlie, (and I wear makeup & shoes with heels and my hair is not in a bun...and I drink cocktails and go dancing WAY past my bedtime), so I ALWAYS look forward to this trip.

I have been thinking, it would be nice for the Mr and I to get away, just for a night. I would love to rent a cabin in Hocking Hills for the night. I just feel guilty with Christmas around the corner. (We calculated our people to shop for/budget... I swear, my heart stopped for a moment.) We deserve it. We really need it. We've had two babies in two years. We have four children at home. We spend our 1 night in Columbus catching up with our friends (shame on us, but it won't stop) and we almost never hire a sitter here in London. So we are almost never alone. We need some romance, one way or another, we'll make it happen. 
image found @ www.cabinrentalnet.com
Doesn't that look amazing? *sigh* Maybe this is the perfect excuse to use my credit card.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 7


Today I'm linking up with Neely & Amber for their Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge. 
Today's topic: Fall recipe


Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin w/ Pecan Streusel

My picture from Saturday night :)

I found this recipe here: Brown Eyed Baker. The original recipe includes pecans but my kids aren't nut fans so I make them without. I've made these several times and they are a HUGE hit around here (code for MUST double the recipe when I make it). 

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours | Bake Time: 20 minutes

For the Cream Cheese Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Streusel:
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup pecans, roughly chopped *optional
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Muffins:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
5 ounces (½ cup + 2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make the cream cheese filling: For the Cream Cheese Filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the cream   cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, and stir to combine. Form the mixture into a 12-inch log on a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it, and freeze it for at least two hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
3. Make the Pecan Streusel: In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the flour, sugar, pecans, butter, and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
6. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently combine the batter, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
7. Remove the cream cheese from the freezer, and divide it into 12 1-inch slices.
8. Scoop a small amount of batter into the muffin cups. Place 1 slice of the cream cheese log right in the center of each cup, then fill with the remaining batter.
9. Sprinkle the pecan streusel on top of each muffin. Press on the streusel lightly to make sure it adheres to the batter.
10. Bake until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then remove muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let them come to room temperature before serving, or warm briefly in the microwave to take the chill off.


Nfu Oh 58 (my hand)  :)

After baking these yummy muffins, I sat down and gave my self a mani! Yay for new nail polish. 
The color was Nfu Oh 58. I've never used a Flakey polish, kinda weird, but oh my, do I love it! It starts pretty sheer on the first coat but builds really well. I did apply 3 coats to get the color I was looking for.  I also used 2 layers of a top coat to give my nails a more smooth texture because of the flakes. I agree with 
the Nailphile, my nails look like raked leaves. When you look at them you can see orange, yellow, and sometimes green. :) Love!!

image found @ www.temptalia.com

P.S. b.t.w.  I just ordered a polish that may be a perfect substitute for Chanel's Paradoxal- details on that soon. Hopefully, I'll be picking that up this weekend while in Columbus. Shipping to Canada is RIDICULOUS! Thank goodness for the in-laws a.k.a. my shipping address :).

Monday, September 26, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 6


Today is day 6 of the Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge with Neely and Amber
Today's topic: Fall TV (new & returning)

Wow! This is where you see how much TV I watch. Let me first tell you, I have a DVR, so sometimes it sits and waits for me, and fast-forwarding through irritating commercials really helps me save time. I'll narrow it down so as to not overwhelm you.
I'll start with returning favorites...

The Vampire Diaries
This started as a guilty pleasure, but now I love it so much I don't care who knows. Even AJ enjoys it. We love that no one is safe! Anyone can be killed off at any moment. And, Um, Damon a.k.a Ian Somerhalder , wow, he is just gorgeous and he has a huge heart. Check out http://www.isfoundation.com/ All about taking care of the environment and being nice to animals. Very cool.


Law & Order: S.V.U.
I love this show. I have loved every Law & Order series, but this has
always been my favorite, so thankfully, it's still around. This picture isn't completely accurate as the cast goes, they are really shaking things up this season, but Mariska Hargitay is still there. She is another amazing person, her foundation, http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/ helps with violence against women and child abuse.



Bones
Love love love this show. It got me through many nights of insomnia during my pregnancy with Oliver. I love the chemistry between all the characters.






Other favorites, but I'm too tired to look for pictures and write a blurb...

The Big Bang Theory, How i Met Your Mother, Blue Bloods, Harry's Law, Body of Proof, Grey's Anatomy, & Modern Family
P.S. I have a thing for legal/forensic type shows.
P.S.S. I warned you... lots of favorites!


Now for a new show...



 Hilarious new show about a married couple who just became parents. AJ and I really relate to this show sometimes. I have told everyone to watch this show, and now I'm telling you, watch this show. You don't have to be married or a parent to enjoy.

There will probably be more, but premieres are just getting started, so we'll see. :)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Nfu Oh 61 Review

This will be my first nail polish review. Today I am discussing the much loved Nfu Oh 61. This is a silver holographic polish. 

I am so torn with this polish. (sigh) I wanted to love it so much. For $12.50 a bottle I should. However, I do have some issues with it. Let me start by saying I did purchase the advised aqua base to get the best performance from the polish. 

First of all, I must say, I LOVE the bottle, it's sexy. The top looks like a bustier and the bottle like a skirt, the whole bottle looks like a woman's figure (minus the head). Looking at the bottle it really seems to just be a pretty sparkly silver polish.

The length and shape of the brush appears to be average. I'm not an expert, I don't know any other way to describe it. The consistency, however, is unlike any other polish I have used before. I will admit, this is my first holographic polish, perhaps the difference is because of the shimmer it is trying to produce. This is also my first Nfu Oh polish, so... bear with me. Any ways... the polish seems, hmmm, I guess gritty is the best word to describe it. It did not apply smoothly. I had a lot of trouble with a strange texture (gritty-ness) with each brush stroke. This did seem to correct itself with only minor assistance from me going back over the nail with the brush.

The polish seemed to go on rather sheer which surprised me. I have read on other blogs that they were able to get nice coverage in two coats of color and I used the "magical" base coat. I used 3 coats. Then, out of habit I applied a topcoat. I have two babies in diapers, I wash my hands a lot, I wanted to protect this precious polish. I was upset to see the top coat seemed to make the polish finish appear more matte/dull. This top coat usually makes my polish very shiney. I was disappointed. When angling my hand in the light I could still see the holographic effect, so I let it go for the night. 

The next morning, I could still see brush strokes and the polish was not as opaque as I prefer so I added a 4th coat of color and did not add another top coat. It's really pretty under direct light. I am really eager to see it in natural light. I have seen pictures on other blogs that made me drool! I'm on day 2.5 of this manicure and there are no chips as of yet. Actually all 3 pictures above I took of my nails are from tonight. I am horrible at taking pictures and it's been raining for days so I can not get a good picture. The below picture is from www.alllacqueredup.com. I am HUGE fan of this site, if you've never been, and you're a nail polish addict, go there immediately. Isn't this B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! I am praying for sunshine tomorrow! It's pretty obvious the picture below was in full sun.
courtesy of www.alllacqueredup.com
I really need the sun to shine because I have another polish I am dying to try!!! 
Nfu Oh 58!

Perfect fall shade!!! Can't wait to wear it and review it. 
This image is from thenailphile. If you like what you see to the left read this review, it's what encouraged me to purchase it.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 5


Today is day 5 of Neely & Amber's Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge! 
Today's topic: Things you are looking forward to for fall

I love when the leaves change. The red is my favorite. 

My hubby is taking me to an OSU (Ohio State Buckeyes) game next weekend. I've only been to one other game and I was pregnant with Oliver. Booo no beer while tailgating. Then to top it off I was nauseous and the seating was cramped and there was a butthead behind me who kept pushing me because he was too drunk to realize he was practically knocking down a pregnant girl. 

Yes, I realize I already had my baby. BUT, my SIL is pregnant too (with her first baby) and is due October 14th! I can NOT wait to be an aunt. I am so super excited!!! It was really neat being pregnant together. Sharing our excitement and complaining together.

More baking! I love to bake. Especially this time of year, especially pumpkin. This is where I would share my favorite fall recipe, however, you will just have to wait till next week. 


I need to come up with more stuff to look forward to. With a newborn baby we will be taking it easy for the most part. I want to go to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. If we can accomplish that, I'll be happy. Now, if only the weather would cooperate. It rains a lot here in the fall, hence no apple-picking this Saturday.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 4


So, today is day 4 of the Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge. Today's topic: Fall decorating.

I am actually hoping to do some real fall/ Halloween decorating this weekend. Most of my decorations are looking kinda lame and tired. I need some new stuff. Here are some of my inspirations...(thanks to Pinterest)

Um, hello, Gorgeous!! I heart this SO much! I will have to track down the source of this pretty little thing and see how to purchase or make it.

I usually do some sort of pumpkin, bale of hay and mums combo with my front door. Sometimes throw in some cornstalks. My front door has never looked this good!
Wouldn't these make my mantle pretty. One problem, I love candy. Having 3 big candy dishes so easily accessible would be really bad for my post-baby weight loss efforts.

I would love to sit here a little longer, but I have a toddler who needs to be in bed.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 3


Today is day 3 of Neely and Amber's fall challenge. Today's topic:  What do you do for Halloween? or a Halloween memory.

I remember when I was little my mom would take my brother and I to my grandmother's for trick-or-treat, a.k.a. beggar's night. We always had chili for dinner. That was the tradition. It is one that I have tried to continue for my own children. We missed a few years when I was a single mom. (Hard to get that chili made and ate before going out when you don't get off work till a half hour after trick-or-treating began... )

This year will be nice and calm. Joshua has decided to be a cowboy (like 2 years ago) and Chloe wants to be a vampire again (like last year). My kids are sooo creative. We need to come up with ideas for the babies. We have some ideas but who knows what we'll come up with.

As for AJ and I, we watch horror movies for the whole month of October. I've been trying to start early, but he isn't going for it. I love love love scarey movies, he humors me.




Oh, and here's a confession, I very much dislike (we don't say "hate" in this house) carving pumpkins! Yea, I said it. Ok, it's really the scooping the pumpkin guts I don't care for. I love the selecting of the pumpkin, how excited the kids are for carving night, and I love the results. Ugh, but pumpkin guts, not a fan.

I'll leave you with some pics of the kids from last year.
Joshua as General Grevious

Oliver as a cheeky monkey
Chloe as a vampiress

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 2


Today is Day 2 of Neely and Amber's fall challenge, today's topic: Fall clothes/trends/makeup
 
I am a little behind in this area. My baby, Tyler, is 1 month old today. I have not paid a lot of attention to clothes over the last year because I have been too big to enjoy anything cute. I refused to invest a lot of money in maternity clothes. So I did some browsing on Polyvore...

Polyvore.com
How freakin' gorgeous is this set?!?! I would totally rock this for date night with my hubby, provided we remember to actually plan one of those. ;) 
Polyvore.com

This just looks warm and comfy, great for running errands, shopping or chasing the kids at the park.

And now for my favorite accessory... Nail polish!!
This is my mini-set, love! I got the last one at Trade Secrets.

My mani last Wednesday, Essie's Power Clutch.
These were pretty much the ones I wanted for this fall. I have lots of fall-ish colors.
google.com
I would like to add OPI's Lincoln after dark. I can not believe I do not own this color.
image found @ www.temptalia.com
Then there is Chanel's Paradoxal. I think it's so pretty, but I can not bring myself to pay $25 for a bottle of nail polish.

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 1

P

I am really new to this blogging thing... like this is my first post! I'll be trying to link up with Neely and Amber for their Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge. I am playing catch up.
 Fall is my favorite time of year, so of course this was very appealing!! So let's get started with
Day 1: Fall Traditions.

I am a self-proclaimed Starbucks addict so it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that I've been waiting all year for this season's specialty to return...
google.com


In this house we are huge football fans, more specifically we are Green Bay Packer fans...

And every October since I was a kid I have gone to the apple orchard, so now I take my kids. This is last year's trip and I can not wait to go again this year!
Other favorites that come with the fall are bonfires, s'mores and the changing leaves.

Pinterest.com (http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com)