#11 November date / New Year's Eve

Again, a little behind schedule, we managed to eke out this date just before the end of the year.  New Year's Eve we enjoyed November's date night of Chinese food and games.  We weren't sure if we would make it to midnight since we usually go to bed much earlier, but we ended up playing both video and card games long enough to watch the ball drop (in bed so that we could turn off the TV immediately and go to sleep in anticipation of Ephraim waking up for his feeding).  Even though we were tired, it was nice to enjoy some couple time after Bubs went to bed, instead of just going to bed ourselves.  It was a very successful year of dates, and I'm glad that I created it so that we had an excuse to enjoy some new and old activities together.

#10 October date

October's date was celebrated a month late, but for good reason ;) The date was dinner at Yianni's, an Italian restaurant near our college where we celebrated our one month dating anniversary and our graduation.  They have great early bird specials, and while we are usually the youngest ones there, we love it!  We hadn't been there in years, so it was great to re-visit, not to mention it was our first date night since Ephraim joined our family!

freezer meal extravaganza!

My college roomie and I decided to try our hand at making crock pot freezer meals today.  We found a blog off Pinterest that we liked, picked out 5 recipes, and created our shopping lists.  We thought it would be easiest to go to Aldi's together and stock up on what we needed for each meal x2.  Back at her house, J went down for a nap and we chopped, cut, measured, and filled our freezer bags.  We made Slow Cooker Meatloaf, Honey Sesame Chicken, White Chicken Chili, Beer & Beef Stew, and Beef Stroganoff.

We did find that we weren't as organized as we could have been, because in a few instances we bought way too much of what we needed (the list that was on the blog did not have the amounts of everything), and in other instances we didn't have enough for both meals.  So we left ourselves notes of what was lacking for a couple of the meals and headed back out to Wegmans to finish up.  Part of it was our own fault because we had forgotten to double everything.  Next time, we agreed we need to make a more detailed list with amounts, but overall, we think it was a success!

Each meal seems so yummy, but we haven't tried them out yet.  It was a fun afternoon doing it together and went much faster than it would have alone.  Once we eat the meals, we'll see if it was a complete success!

This was the blog that we used with the five meals that we made: http://bakedinthesouth.com/2012/08/crockpot-freezer-meals-part-2/

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!  No pics, of course, except for the patriotic trifle that I made :)

We enjoyed free ice cream, the parade, festival, and having family and friends over for a picnic, games, bonfire, and fireworks.  It was a perfect, relaxing day to take a break from garage sale preparations!

And, over this long weekend, I also get to see Deanna who's home from Nashville, and we are going camping for one night with the Irondequoit crew!  Can't wait :)

#6 June date

Squeezing them both in, we completed our June date on the second-to-last day of June.  #6 was getting ice cream at Pittsford Farms Dairy.  We went once and got chocolate milk in a glass bottle, but I have been wanting to go back for their ice cream.  It was down pouring when we went, but the place was still packed!  And so worth the trip, the ice cream was delicious!  Col got dirt, and I got cookie monster.  Yum!

dinner out

We had a yummy dinner out with my parents tonight thanks to a Christmas gift of a Groupon from Kristyn, my brother's girlfriend.  It was this tiny Italian restaurant named Roncone's in the city that we would have never found on our own, and it was so good! 

#4 April date

Date #4 was heading out to the original Jitter's near our college campus.  We aren't out that way often, but they have the best breakfast sandwiches and chai that I've ever had.  I made sure the gift card was the perfect amount and we enjoyed our sandwiches, Col a milkshake, and I a chai smoothie.  Delish!

Brown's Berry Patch

We've made it an almost annual tradition to head out to Brown's Berry Patch each fall.  This year we enjoyed pumpkin picking, free samples, lunch, donuts, ice cream (yeah we love food), and fun in the sun.  We even picked up a little mini pumpkin for Little L :)

weekend with parentals

We headed down to G-town to spend one last weekend there with my parents before they move.  We planned to eat our way through the places that have become quite frequent for us.  Friday night we had giant calzones from La Via Pizzeria, celebrated mom's birthday, and relaxed.  A musician from Tennessee, Justin Terry, was also staying at their house this weekend and did a concert on Saturday, so we met him.

Saturday morning Mendon gave mom a scare when she got out and ran down the street to a neighbor's house.  The mail woman had just been over talking to my mom, and when my mom opened the door to come back in, Mendon saw the opportunity and ran out after her.  Thankfully, the mail woman is friends with my parents, and Mendon just wanted to play, so she was able to catch her and was on her way back as Col and I stumbled out in our pj's with treats. 

After dad finished his sermon, we headed out to visit some nearby Amish farms and shops.  We've never been to them even though they are close by.  It was so fun to drive around and look for handmade signs and stop at whatever caught our eyes.  Most of the shops were right on each family's farm.  We bought cookies, a whoopee pie, bread, chocolates (sooo good), my parents got a quilted pillow, and the best stop was a toy shop.  The guy there was hilarious and played a few good practical jokes on us.  My parents got a little wooden wagon with painted ABC blocks that go in it for future Little L.  It's already found its way to one of the shelves in the nursery :) We also stopped at an Alpaca farm and got to see them up close and hear more about their fleece and the process to make yarn out of it, which was neat.  After our shopping spree, we headed back to town and went to the concert at the park right next to the church.  We enjoyed ice cream and some southern gospel/country music.  Col and I took Mendon for a walk, updated our medical grids for the adoption, and caught some HGTV.  When my parents got home from church that evening, we went to Red's for dinner and relaxed at home.

On Sunday we enjoyed church and the 20-somethings class my parents lead.  It was fun to see people and talk about our adoption.  Mom, Col and I went to the store to get some ear drops for Mendon as she woke up shaking her head nonstop, was itching, and had some yucky discharge.  Thankfully, after even just one use, she was doing much better.  My parents had a grad party to go to, so Col and I were going to tag along, and I was going to ride there with dad on his motorcycle because I've been craving a motorcycle ride lately.  We stopped at the store and when we tried to leave, the bike was dead.  After waiting for mom and Col to come pick us up, it started up again right before they got there.  We ended up just driving together to the party, but as mom and Col got the food ready for dinner, dad took me out for a nice long ride.  There is nothing like the wind blowing at you and the freedom of the countryside flying by!

We enjoyed a nice cookout for dinner and Kan Jam before heading back home.  It might have been our last weekend there staying with mom and dad, but I know we'll be back to visit the church someday.  Thankful for a fun weekend and the fact that we'll get to see my parents more often soon :)

puppy pic

I had a cooking partner at my feet tonight ;)

Saile Christmas : divine intervention & surprises

This year because of Christmas falling on a Tuesday and limited days off work, we celebrated with my family the weekend after.  Originally, we were going to do our Christmas Eve traditions on Friday and then Christmas day on Saturday, but that changed when Zack got his job and would be leaving with my dad to drive to L.A. on Saturday morning.  We geared up to squeeze it all into Friday night once we all got to my parents' house after work that evening.  However, due to car issues, Zack ended up flying out on Sunday afternoon, so we got our weekend-long Christmas after all!

Friday night we ate our roast beast (mom always called it that, like in The Grinch!) dinner complete with figgy pudding (yes, she actually makes the stuff mentioned in the song We Wish You a Merry Christmas - it's more like a bread cake).

Saturday morning we got up and did our stockings, then had the traditional giant homemade cinnamon rolls.  This year mom added a full breakfast of eggs, sausage, and bacon to the mix because we weren't eating until later in the day.  We then opened presents with Christmas music playing the background, and it snowed all day long (making it seem like Saturday should have been the actual Christmas day!).

The biggest surprise of the weekend was when my mom told me that a bunch of my extended relatives from both sides of the family were coming down for the afternoon/evening to have dinner.  What a wonderful surprise to get to see them all and celebrate together!  My grandpa Grower, grandma Saile, two uncles, aunt, and two cousins drove through the snow to visit.  We had a feast complete with ham, scalloped potatoes, rolls, veggie casserole, and fruit salad, all wonderfully homemade by mom.

After dinner we enjoyed playing games and catching up, and it was a treat to have dad home and off for the weekend.  The whole weekend was full of tons of food, games, and relaxing with family.

Sunday morning after attending church together, the five of us drove to the airport.  We watched Zack through security before giving a final wave goodbye.  It was sad to see him go, but so exciting for him to start his new job.  And, I am so thankful that by Zack's car acting up, God showed us that He agreed we all needed the full weekend together :)

we interrupt this busy season with a long overdue blog update

December has always been a busy month with Christmas and holiday celebrations, not to mention both the birthdays of my brother and I.  This year has been no exception plus add in the fact that we are buying a house and closing in early January.

Thankfully I've had time to enjoy the season and therefore my blog has suffered a little.  Here are some highlights:

-yearly holiday brunch with friends

-Deanna's going away party

-babysitting 3 precious babes over the course of a couple days

(nothing better than a baby falling asleep in your arms!)

-birthday dinner with my in-law family

-cookie swap with work ladies (we each had to make 96!!)

-dessert with Rach for my birthday
-my car looking like new after 10 days worth of repairs thanks to the hit and run before Thanksgiving
(and a small rust spot from another incident being repaired for free!!)

-holiday breakfast with tons of yummy food and a funny white elephant gift exchange at work

-first legit snowfall of the year, 12/21/12



*winter wonderland open house*

Today we held our last get together at our apartment.  We had a "winter wonderland" theme, and I tried to make all white foods (which half worked and was tasty nonetheless).  We had a great time with everyone and even were able to enjoy a little of the South Wedge holiday fest.  Thanks everyone who celebrated our last in the apartment!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

So much to be thankful for this year, and every day.

Here are some of my traditional favorites:

-watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

-and consequently the dog show that's always on afterwards

-eating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, squash

-spending the day with family

And a few new ones this year:

-spending most of the day at home getting long-neglected things done around the apartment

-waking hubby up with chocolate chip pancakes

-receiving a picture text from my brother of the Kermit balloon live from the parade
-enjoying the evening with 42 family members from the Leathersich clan

(side note: I'm still slightly upset at myself for not trying the deep fried turkey option)

The night ended perfectly when as I was getting ready for bed my husband asked from the living room if I could stay up for another half an hour to cuddle on the couch and...he paused until I came in and said, "We haven't watched this yet," and pulled out Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.  If anyone knows him and knows me, this was huge!  I LOVE, or perhaps am obsessed, with watching holiday movies and he is a little, or a lot, less enthused.  So thank you Col!

Friday to Sunday we got to spend at my parents' where we ate even more, had another T-day dinner on Saturday, played tons of games, watched movies, and enjoyed the first full snowfall.

And true to form, I carried my camera around with me all day and all weekend and didn't take a.single.picture.  I really have to get better at this.

The Owl House

Thanks to a gift card from my W&B friends given to me when I left, Col and I finally got to go try out a new place near us, The Owl House.  They specialize in fresh, local, and also vegan/vegetarian food, and it was sooooo good!  It was in a small house-setting with low-light which made for a great date atmosphere too.

We started with their Cigarillos which were fried and filled with buffalo spiced chicken and cheddar cheese, then served with bleu cheese.  Delish!  I had the Matty's Moustache sandwich (pictured below) for my entree and that was too good not to take a picture.  Brie, apple, pear, arugula, and dijon on grilled sourdough.  Yum. 

happy, warm, good happenings

Phew!  We've been "bu-sy, bu-sy, bu-sy" (name that movie!!) with house stuff.  Update on that to come very soon :)

In the meantime, how awesome was today?

• 70 degree temps.  Yes, on November 11th!
• volunteering in the bookstore at church
• watching my niece hold the church doors open for everyone who went through
• shopping with my mother- and sister-in-laws and treating myself to my first pair of leggings
• walk to a neighbor's moving sale: we scored a Land's End jacket and brand new deck of Phase 10 for $1.25
• sitting on our porch drinking smoothies
• Yolickity's ice cream
• the Amazing Race

Other good things sprinkled in over the last two weeks:

• dinner and Gilmores with roomie
• movies 10 and lunch with friends
• watching Col play volleyball again at a friend's birthday party
• worship and celebrating with friends becoming members at church
• late night McFlurry's with friends
• lunch at Red Robin (yum!) with Esh's
• work girls' night

So who else is hoping for a winter full of 60-70 degree days?! :)

Happy Halloween 2012!

we made these mummies (a.k.a. pigs in a blanket but festive Halloween style) for small group :)

good things

-meeting/sharing meals with some very awesome families

-fall pedi with Deanna

-Leathersich extended fam gathering

-small group girls' dinner

-fancy [free] dinner out to Pane Vino w/ Col thanks to a gift groupon

-lazy Friday night at home with hubby watching Hocus Pocus and Friends

-Saturday night spontaneous fun with friends

-bridal show with Rach

-rainy night in with hubby baking chocolate chip cookies and cuddling during a "scary" movie

social weekend

Eileen came from New Hampshire to visit us this weekend.  Friday we had a game night and Saturday we traveled to Syracuse to visit Katie at her new apartment.  We went to the Apple Fest, a haunted house at Aaron's family's campground, and of course ate a ton.

It's always fun to get the old college crew back together, and it was the perfect overnight trip!

A dinner out with family to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday was the perfect cap to our fun weekend.  It was so relaxing to eat great food, sit by the fire, talk about life, houses, and babies with my mother- and sister-in-laws, play, laugh, and dance with my niece (can not WAIT for our next niece or nephew!). 

Life is good.

good things

-my niece's 3rd birthday party at Bounce-It-Out (only downfall: I'm too old to play)
-working part of the Fringe Festival for W&B
-continued work on re-doing our desk
-welcoming a new baby in small group with a meal
-catch up time with Teenie
-hibachi with family after a terrible.horrible.no.good.very.bad.day at work
-being cheered up by my favorite 3 year old
-dog sitting (and getting our fill of cable, namely HGTV)
-driving around to find a strong signal on Col's phone in order to make sure we can redeem our free pizza

[whoa, October!]

-watching Dancing with the Stars with Deanna
-hubby chatting with me this morning while I was getting ready for work even though he could have been sleeping (I did wake him up first...but it was for a good reason!)