The Hunger Games

What a good weekend. Good time with friends, old and new, and a great time with the kids today. So very thankful that the kids finally cooperated (after awhile) and we all took a nice nap this afternoon. Now I'm starting to make dinner and the kids are watching Monsters Inc.

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).

Chili Dog Casserole

So I've decided I'm going to start skipping around in the blog, instead of just going in order of things happening. Why? Because some of the things I forget how I felt about them (recipes, movies, books, etc) more easily than the really cool stuff that me & the kids do together. So in order to do a better "mini" review on things, I am giving myself the right to skip around once and awhile!

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!

That's What I Am

Not much to report on the home front. Just getting use to the new schedule of everything - it's weird having so much time to myself. Most of the times I don't know what I should be doing. I know I should be cleaning the house more and probably working on homework but honestly I don't feel like doing it. Last night I watched a movie I haven't seen before and then talked to a friend on skype.

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.  

Peanut Butter Dip

I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since I've posted. I'm sorry. There has just been a lot going on lately. But I will try to get things updated as quickly as I can. School started last week, and although I dropped one of my classes, I still have 2 fairly high demanding classes so don't hold it against me if I slack once and awhile!

So a few weeks ago I find a recipe on pinterest I knew I just had to try. The recipe originally came from HERE and I knew the kids would just love it and I was right! I also enjoyed it (but when don't I enjoy something with peanut butter in it?). It is such an easy quick dip to make for your kids to dip their fruit in and it is now something I will keep stocked in my house.

Generation's B-Day Party

It's Friday! Yay! So glad it's almost the weekend. With my allergies/cold this week has been pretty miserable. I'm feeling a little better today, but it's probably because I made Scott shut all the windows and turn the AC back on. We're suppose to be going to Lake Mill's tomorrow but I'm still not sure if I'm going to feel up to it or not yet, I'll wait until the last minute to make a decision.

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).

The Leftovers

I can't believe summer is almost over with. I start my semester in 5 days and Connor starts school in 13 days. I can't believe I'm going to have a kindergartner in under 2 weeks! Where did the time go? We got all of his school supplies a couple of weeks ago now we just have to sharpen the pencils and we're good to go. I'm so hoping it'll go smoothly but I haven't a feeling this is going to be a huge adjustment for us.

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?

Wild

What a weekend it was. Hope every one's weekend was better than my friend's. Can't believe it's Monday morning already, and of course it has to start out like crap. Connor was in a mood, I slept crappy, figures it's Monday, lol. Oh well, I guess the week can only get better!

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.

Billy & Candie's Wedding

Drama, drama, drama. Wow! Wont go into any details but my phone has been blowing up since yesterday at 7 a.m. I'm so glad we have unlimited texting now. I've only had the new phone for like 2.5 weeks and I've already sent over 2k text's. I know, it seems crazy, but someone told me their kid sends about 15k a month, so it doesn't seem as bad, lol.

So 2 weekends ago Billy & Candie got married! It's so nice to see people getting married who you know are each others soul mates. They are just so incredibly happy and it shows. Their wedding and reception were very nice (minus one very rude server). They had a photo booth, just like her sister, and I wish we would have thought of that. It's such a cute idea! We ended up giving them some awesome pampered chef mixing bowls (they love pampered chef from what I've heard) so I hope they love them! I wish them all the luck in the world and hope their honeymoon is awesome (they delayed it for a couple of weeks).

Egg and Cheese Puffs

So the kids had their final swimming lesson last night. Savannah ended up staying home with me though because she has a slight tummy ache. So far so good today, but I don't want to curse it by saying she's better yet. Connor was in his second round of Dolphin/Preschool-2 class and he still didn't pass. But it's okay, he made some great improvements. Last time he had half of the 20ish check list things that he needed to work on this time it was only 4.

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.

Christian Family Reunion

Poor little Savannah, I think she's kind of got an upset stomach. I'll spare the details, but it's not very fun! Hopefully she gets over it quickly, kids are usually pretty resilient. Last night of swimming lessons tonight for the summer. Can't believe summer is already winding down. They just go by way to quickly, don't they?

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.