Serve Apple Cider in an Apple

Happy Fall! Today the weather in Boulder, CO is absolutely delightful. A sunny 65 F so I spent my break between students lounging at the pool and reading a book. Rough.

I bought some yummy mulled apple cider from Sunflower Market today and saw on Better Homes a Gardens this great way to serve apple cider to guests, in carved out apples. I guess I need to have an autumn party.

Hot Spiced Cider

ingredients

• 8 cups apple cider or apple juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 inches stick cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• Small apple slices

directions  
1. In a saucepan combine cider and brown sugar. For spice bag, tie cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in double layer of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Add the spice bag to the cider mixture.
2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the spice bag; discard. Serve cider in mugs with small apple slices, if desired. Makes 8 (about 8-ounce) servings.

Homemade Fall Wheat Wreath

I have wanted a beautiful fall wreath for quite sometime now.  I looked at several stores and either found ones that I loved that were too expensive or ones I could afford and I thought were nasty ugly.  So I decided to make my own, which is the one pictured above.  I was inspired by these Martha Stewart wreaths below.

This is how I did it.

1. Bought a Grapevine Wreath from Hobby Lobby. Mine was 14" in diameter and it cost me $2.70 cause they were having a sale. SCORE.  Normally they cost $4.

2. Bunch of Wheat (I got mine at Tai Pan) for $3
3. Ribbon

Cut the wheat stem to be about 6 inches long (not including the wheat flower part). Randomly stick the wheat into the wreath and try to lay it flat so the wheat pieces don't stick up weird. Remember to continually go in the same direction with you wheat.  It took me about 20 minutes to do, so it is fast and I think looks pretty cute for only costing like $6. Tie the ribbon on and BAM you are done.

OohLaLa! Apple, Cheddar, and Thyme Galette

Doesn't this look insanely yummy.  Since I don't cook (as you can read about HERE and HERE) I am going to ask Paul to kindly make this for me.  What a great dish for the fall. I realize it is only August, but I am already thinking of all things fall (pumpkins, soup, crisp air, autumn leaves). Jo at Little Jo Home I guess great minds think alike.

The recipe can be found on Fresh 365 blog.

PS.  Who does the cooking in your house?  Did anyone else marry an amazing chef to save them from the horrors of the kitchen?

Sundays and Jo

Today I am grateful for Sundays.  Sunday is such a great day for doing nothing.  Thank you Sundays for coming around each and every week.

I am also grateful for Jo. Happy Birthday!  I hope you did something awesome (like ditch church).  Love you.Since I can't be there to celebrate with you just imagine that I did all of this for you:

Here is your festively fall table

And this beautiful fall birthday cake (Thanksgiving desserts HERE including this gorgeous carmelized apple spice cake)


 
And I decorated your porch like this.


And we did this just so you could wear your cowboy boots.  We actually rode the horses too, we didn't just sleep on them and give them Eskimo kisses.

Happy B-Day.
xoxo

No School Today

Today I am grateful that it was 60 degrees outside, sunny, crisp, and I don't have school today! Yeah me (I did have to teach singing though, but that is way more fun than school!)

My Mother

Today is my mother's birthday.  I am so grateful for her.  My parents left yesterday to fly back home to Utah and it was sad to see them go.  We had such a wonderful time together laughing and sight-seeing and going out to yummy restaurants and watching movies. 

One of my favorite things about my mom is her contagious laugh.  It is enough to make you laugh so hard you almost pee your pants.  Sometimes she laughs at the most ridiculous things and she wont stop for like ten minutes and for the next 2 hours she bursts into spells of laughter because she can't stop thinking about whatever it is she found so funny.

My mom had 5 kids-can you believe it-I don't even know if I can handle having one and she had 5 and to top that off she had all 5 kids without drugs.  Needless to say, my mom is one tough cookie.  A great example of this is when we lived in Michigan, I had to have been like 5 or 6 years old,  my mother made tuna macaroni casserole.  My oldest sister and a pill at the time as she was going through her pubescent years of her life said "Mom that is disgusting. I am not eating that." Mind you to set the scene my mom isn't a lover of cooking, so if she made a meal you better be proud of her and grateful cause she did it out of love for her family and not cause she loved to cook. So my mom was a bit fed up by my sister and just walked behind her and dumped the whole pan of food on her head. My sister was covered from head to toe in tuna macaroni.  Way to go Mom!  I learned right then and there to eat whatever I am served.  So thanks for that and thanks for being so great.

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

Bad Game and an Awesome Game

Today I am grateful that I didn't pay $200 a seat to go to the University of Utah vs. TCU game yesterday.  It was a sad game to watch- actually a bit painful.

I am also grateful that my awesome nephew Ian rocks at football and helped his team make it to the championship game next Saturday.  Way to go Ian. I wish I could have been there to see it.  I really miss that- I would dare say it is the thing I miss most about living away.

Ian started the game off with a touchdown.  Ian scored the last TD (video at the bottom) to end the game with a 27 to 6 win.

Next up; Skyline...
  Ian is the one on the right.  Rock on Ian.

Go UTES

Today I am grateful that the Utah vs. TCU game is on ESPN so I can watch it here in Virginia.  Go UTES!

Clothes

Today I am grateful for fabulous clothes and how I can put on a beautiful or funky or dark or colorful outfit to express myself.  

Paul thinks that I mostly dress weird, but to that I say "oh well."  Speaking of dressing weird, I am not sure what exactly Princess Di is trying to express here.  Maybe she was having an awkward day so she thought she should dress the part.   I love you Princess Di, but seriously this look is not your best.  I do love your green slicker boots though.  I don't really love how your pants are hiked up to your bosom. 

 

Have a Great Weekend.  Today Paul, the dogs, my parents and I are heading up to Gettysburg.  I am so excited.

Walking

There is something magical about walking.  I love to go walking.  I even walked a marathon once.

Today I am grateful for being able to take the time to enjoy the outdoors and walk around with my parents and the dogs. 

I just smile as the leaves crunch under my feet while the sun shines on my face and the crisp air brushes upon my skin.  Thank you God for making autumn and thank you that I have 2 legs that work.  Sometimes it is so easy to get wrapped up in the daily grind of feeling frustrated about weight or wanting to look a certain way, but it is nice to stop from time to time and say "you know what I have it pretty good and my body is great just the way it is, cause it can get me from one place to another and I am ALIVE."

Go on a walk today.
xoxo

Autumn Leaves

Today I am grateful for the beautiful Virginia fall weather.

My parents and me with the dogs in Williamsburg, Virginia on Halloween.

Can you see this deer? He was in my yard today. It is just so magical to see such a beautiful creature.

 

Have you heard of Eva Cassidy?  She is amazing-her voice is so smooth and full of emotional.  I could just listen to her all of the time.

Check out Eva's version of Autumn Leaves.

Beautiful Thanksgiving Tables via Pottery Barn

I love Pottery Barn and all of its great decorating ideas.  Check out these beautiful ideas for tables for the holidays.

     

I also want to try to do 30 days of what I am thankful for since it is the season of gratitude.

Today I am grateful for my parents. 

I am so lucky. I have truly the greatest, most supportive, loving, caring, considerate, helpful, thoughtful, fun, the list goes on and on, parents.  Thank you for being so great to Paul and me.  My parents are here this week to spend time with us and to see the DC area. They have never been out here before and we are having such a great time.

Click here to see my cute parents when they got married. Love you Mom and Dad.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

If you like pumpkin pie, then you are going to love this.  I found the recipe at the Gardner's Cottage blog

In a blender...

1 c almond milk (I am going to use vanilla soy milk)

1/2 c canned pumpkin

1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 T raw oatmeal (to thicken, but not necessary)

1 T maple syrup (or to taste)

4 ice cubes

blend and enjoy!

I think this sounds tasty and am going to try it for breakfast.

Seriously, I have a Cute Family 2

More of my cute family. Also taken from Smithpix. All photos by Aaron Smith. This makes me want to go pumpkin picking. Has anyone else gone this fall?

Seriously, I have a Cute Family

Here are some great photos that my brother-in-law Aaron Smith took of some of my family at Gardner Village yesterday. I stole this pictures from his blog, Smithpix, and I hope he doesn't mind. He is just such a great photographer that I just can't help myself. Man seeing these photos makes me miss home so much.

I think Joshua is ready for the next Harry Potter movie.

I just love being an Aunt.

Turn Your Dog into a Pumpkin

Or maybe it is turn your pumpkin into your dog. Click HERE to see more cute pictures

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is absolutely fantastic and my bestest friend Jo, blogged about wanting a good soup recipe. I made this soup for her and her hubby once and I am pretty sure they loved it (maybe they were just being polite). I am not sure if I ever shared the recipe with Jo, so here it is. (sorry it is a bit blurry) I got this recipe from a friend named Bethany when we were in cooking group together. I think everyone will enjoy this soup.

Make this recipe tonight, rent a sexy movie, grab a cozy blanket and have a great weekend making out with someone you love. xoxox

Oh how I love this time of year- except for the fact that it is midterms. That I do not love one bit, but I do love these Halloween decorations.