So on Monday I decided to try a new recipe that I found on Pinterest. The original recipe came from HERE. The only thing I changed in the recipe was how I cooked it. Cooking things on high for only 3-4 hours in a crock pot really isn't an option for me, so I turned it on low at about 7:30ish a.m. I took the first bowl and ate out of it at about 3:30 and it stayed on till 5:00ish when everyone was done eating. I thought this tasted really good however I felt the kale seemed a little overcooked. The potato's and sausage seemed perfect, so if I were to make this again and it was an option, I'd probably throw the kale in about 1/2 way through instead of at the beginning. Either way, I'm sure I'll make this again! It's not quit as great as Olive Garden's soup (but maybe that's because I didn't have the yummy bread sticks to go with it), but it's definitely good enough to make again!
So last weekend I finally had the chance to watch The Hunger Games movie. I loved the books and was really hoping I wouldn't be disappointed with the movie. I got it from The RedBox for free (gotta love finding coupon codes online) and watched it with a friend. Although there were obvious changes made from the book to the movie I believe they did a great job with it (unlike Water for Elephants - that was just to many changes, which ticks me off). Now I can't wait to see the second one (just starting to record it if I remember correctly). 
On that note, last night for dinner I made a Chili Dog Casserole. I originally found the recipe on Pinterest, which originated from THIS blog. Ingredients: 2-15oz cans of chili (I used one "normal" can of chili with beans and one can of spicy without beans), hot dogs (yes, I buy the $.79 ones at Woodmans cause I'm cheap, lol), tortillas, and cheese (I used a mix of Colby & cheddar). Okay, I know this definitely is not the most healthy thing I've ever made but on a lazy Sunday night it was just what I needed. With having the one can of spicy chili in there it gave the whole thing a nice little kick without being overbearing, so the kids could still eat it. Justin ended up coming over for dinner and I still have enough for 2 lunches (well 1 now since I ate one today). This recipe will be put in the "make again" category!
So a few weeks ago we picked up from the library That's What I Am. The main reason we picked it up was because of Randy Orton being in it (WWE wrestler that Connor really likes - and I think he's pretty nice to look :) ). I didn't really know what to expect from the movie but I really enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone. It's a great story about sticking up for yourself and others, even in the case when people believe something completely not true about you. I know most people probably haven't heard of this movie, but it's worth checking out. 
So almost 2 weeks ago we all went down to the VFW for a Generation's B-Day Party. The party was celebrating several of Scott's family/friends. The party was mainly to celebrate GG's 80th B-Day, but then we also celebrated a 20th, several 50th, some 60th, and some 70th Birthday's too. It was a lot of fun but we did cut out before 8 p.m. so we could go enjoy a bonfire at Aunt Missy's (since this summer has been crazy and we haven't had a chance to go out there as much as usual). 
So for this months book club, it was Jessica's turn to pick and so we read The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta. Overall we were all pretty torn on how we liked the book. A couple of people loved the book and a couple of people (myself included) seemed to not. I felt like there was way to many things left open that could have been addressed. Me & Sarah both felt it would have been more interesting if it would have focused more on the people who disappeared and how that happened. Either way it was a pretty decent book. It wouldn't be one of my first choices to recommend to someone but I wouldn't say not to read it, make sense? 
So a few weeks ago I finished reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This is actually the first book I've read on my kindle! I "borrowed" a copy from the Library for 3 weeks but didn't end up needing it for that long. I enjoyed the book and her journey on the trail. The thing I feel it was missing was more details about after she got off the trail. The story is all about how she changed on the trail and it tells us eventually where she ends up but doesn't really specify how long it took her to get there. Was it something immediate? Otherwise it was a very interesting book and I'm glad I read it. 
So a couple of weeks ago for work we had a pot luck. I made some of my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins but for Scott I decided to try a new recipe, so I went to allrecipes.com and found THIS recipe for Egg and Cheese Puffs. I followed the recipe exactly and they were a big hit. The recipe actually made several more than it stated it would so there where plenty of leftovers. I actually popped a small bagful in the freezer for later. Word of advise, use the metal liners for them. A bunch of people in the comments section said that without putting a liner they stuck really bad, so I used regular liners....and they still stuck really bad. A co-worker said to try the metal ones, so I'll do that next time I make these. 
So a few weeks ago was the Christian Family Reunion. There's always a lot of people and this year there was a lot of great food and a fun bouncy house for the kids to play in. This is the first time I've gone in a few years - for some reason they kept sending the invite to Scott & Amanda, so I refused to go until they got it right, lol, well this year they got it right. A difference this year was a kids raffle. Each kid got a ticket, and 5 kids got money. Savannah got to pick the $20 prize, and Ella won! Unfortunately we didn't get to stay long because it was the same weekend as the Festival, but next year they've moved weekends so that shouldn't be a problem. 
So it's been 2 weeks but I still wanted to write about the St. Dennis Festival. It's the annual festival that we do every summer, it's the church where we got married and both kids were baptized in. It's always a lot of fun. Lots to eat, drink, and games to play! Connor went to the treasure chest way to many times! And we played a ton of pop toss and filled our fridge up with Gatorade. Buddy & Connor both got their face painted and all of kids got balloon animals (none which lasted very long, lol - oh well!). It was a really fun weekend like always and now we get to count down until next year's festival!
So recently I checked out from the Library Sparkpeoples: 28 Day Bootcamp. Unfortunately I only got to check it out for a week so I only used the video 4 times. The whole DVD is an 84 minute workout (way to long for me, since there's always so much going on) but it is neatly broken into smaller segments. The first night I did one of the 20 minute sections, then the second night I did a slightly longer section and the 3rd and 4th I started from the top and did the warm up and the first 2 - 12 minute sections. All are really great workouts but I think I sweat more by starting at the beginning and doing those first sections. Either way, whichever combination you decide to do you'll get your heart rate going. The biggest criticism I have is that they seem to go really fast doing the exercises. Sometimes it took me awhile to really figure out what they were doing. I wish they would have slowed some of those down so I didn't feel like I was moving at hyper speed. Overall, I would say this is more of an intermediate DVD (b/c of the speed) but it is one that I will check out from the library again.
A couple of weeks ago was the Dane County Fair. We've gone on Sunday the last couple of years but not always with the same people. This year we went with the Moore family and with Scott's parents. I got some sugar covered nuts (yum), the Moore's purchased some tastey chips, and Jim & Pat bought some yummy wine slush stuff. And of course Connor had to go win his "fishy" friend! We only ever stay a couple of hours but it's always a lot of fun. I really wanted to take one of the cute bunnies that I saw home! The animals were probably the kids favorite part.