Throwback Thursday

Party games before giant inflatables and Wii. Hopping with balloons in between your legs in the living room. And oh, so much fun.

Announcing Mr. and Mrs. Acosta!

In all the excitement that Bentley brought, I forgot to shine some light on a VERY special day.  A few weeks ago my very good, life-long friend Shannon tied the knot with the love of her life in Tennessee.  I was honored to be a part of their big day and support and witness the committment that lasts a lifetime.  It was a sweet little rustic wedding and Shannon was of course, a stunning bride.  I have known Shannon nearly my whole life and she is one of the few people that as little girls, we spent countless hours and nights whispering the outlines of outrageous wedding plans filled with doves and fireworks.  We dreamed of marriage bliss and imagined the kind of wives we would be and our strapping young husbands. It is one of the greatest joys to watch your sweet friend's 3rd grade dreams and prayers turn into reality.  It may seem a simple request, "marriage", but Shannon is a girl that puts her self second and her dream was really not to have a gown made of glitter and a horse and carriage, but to care for and cherish someone through life.  It had been four years since I saw Shannon, but I think when you have been though elementary tisks, the pains of middle school cliques, first high school heartbreaks, prayer and devotion, moving pains, secrets, tears and laughs over embrassing moments, and all in all, an open, honest, friendship- 4 years doesn't change a thing.  The kind of friend Shannon is will prosper and deepen into a holy relationship with her husband and I am so excited for them both.  The best is yet to come, love birds!

To make matters all the more better, my parents were at the wedding too! So, I was in wedding heaven AND got to hug on my mom and dad.  Besides the fact that Will wasn't able to come, it was a wonderful weekend. 

The blushing bride!

Shannon and her ladies.

1st dance

:)

Photo booth fun with the bridesmaids.

Garter toss.

Dad's 2nd date!

Dancing!

The toss.

Dancing the night away.

Dad drumming with the band.

Before the vows!

Dad guest starred as "drummer" with the band!

Bringing Home Bentley 2

What was once flattery, quickly turned into a problem. Bentley wants to hang out with at least one of us every second, of every minute, of everyday. When Bentley does not have a playmate, or more appropriately put, security, he barks...a lot. Apparently this is common of rescue dogs and has been defined as canine separation anxiety. I didn't even know this existed, but now that my dog is on anxiety medication and our evenings consist of conditioning and therapy activities, I am well aware of this disorder. He is such a sweet pup and Will hasn't thrown me out when my anxious tendencies get the best of me, so we are sticking it out for him. The vet seems to think I won't have a shadow forever and I'm hoping this comes soon because I wasn't expecting to have an audience in the bathroom until our first kid.

Besides vet visits and trips to Petco in attempt to find a vice to ease his worries, the last two weeks have been spent getting to know each other! Although I'm a little slower to attach than he seems to be, I am growing found of the little guy.  (I apologize about the number of pictures of my pet there are on this post.)

Popcorn time. 

Please?

Caught

Mae Recommends #3

Mae Recommends #3


Shark Tank: I like this show more to see what kind of businesses and inventions people come up with, but on quiet Friday nights (who am I kidding, every* Friday night) Will and I often have our TV timer set to catch the investors bantering and hopefully making offers to start-ups. On some scale the process depicts what was going on with Alkali a few months ago and we used it as a comparison to family and friends (and myself).

Flight Aware App: Thankfully, regular travel is not in Will's job description anymore, but for those of you who have husbands on the road or loved ones on vacation, this app is great to keep track of their flight plans. You can see where the plane is during flight, how long is left, when they arrive/depart, delays, flight stats (for extreme enthusiasts, I guess), etc. It basically lets you stalk people from your couch. It's great.

Consignment: It's amazing what you accumulate (and quickly) when you have the space. When packing up a 2 bedroom with basement and garage to then take to a tiny city 1 bedroom, I didn't even know where all our stuff was coming from. I had to downsize like crazy, but a lot of our stuff wasn't very old and still nice. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for donating and we had to do plenty of that too; but making an embarrassingly number of trips to the consignment store has been worth it. They take a cut, you get a cut and people get some really cheap, nice things. It's a win/win.../win. The great thing is, I cant even remember what I took there so apparently I certainly did not need all that stuff. Find your local consignment!

Target Athletic Fit tees: Will is long and lean and most men's T-shirts are short and wide. But for the 347th time in my life, Target has provided me with exactly what I'm looking for and no belly shirts for my husband. Their Mossimo brand of Athletic Fit are long and tailored and around 10 bucks. Will has very specific things he is particular about and with t-shirts one of them, Target has saved this headache. His wardrobe consists of one in every color and the same fit in button downs. If you don't have the belly shirt dilemma going on at your house, I would still recommend them.

Chobani Bites: I like Greek yogurt, but the thickness and protein packed recipe of Chobani often has me sick of it after 5 bites and the rest ends in the garbage. Enter, Chobani bites! They are smaller containers and have delicious favors (Carmel with pineapple, coffee with chocolate crumbs, raspberry with chocolate crumbs). Mmmmm. I suggest gracing your taste buds with this goodness.

Groupon: I'm late on getting on the bargain boat of Groupon, but in Waverly, Iowa it was the talk of the town when the movie theater featured a deal and that was our one option for participating. In a bigger town there are tons of deals on Groupon and it has become habit to check it often. It's also great marketing for businesses as after going to a "real" salon for a haircut, I'm not sure if I can go back to Supercuts again.
www.groupon.com

McDonald's Shamrock Shakes: It's that time of year! St. Patty's is just around the corner and Mickey D's is back with the Shamrock Shake. It's the one time of year I give this place business and business in booming. Delicious.

Edy's Fruit Bars: Coconut: This post is getting a little long winded and all you need to know is these are delicious and made with real fruit.

New Girl: Quirky and adorable Zooey Deschanel stars in this comedy sitcom. It's 2nd to "Friends" of course, but at some point it's time to move on and the similar wit of this cast seems to be helping with the separation.

Peppermint Cliff Bars: Also, delicious and I'm hoping they weren't a seasonal thing for Christmas.

Soup and Snuggles

I can't say I miss the snow and allotting extra time in my morning routine to get bundled and layered in preparation for the tundra that is Iowa.  I do miss the coziness of snow days or lazy Saturdays when the agenda is staying in from the cold and snuggling in with a good movie, hot drink, and grazing on soups.  This week the temperature has taken a plunge to a bitter 55 degrees and I have realized (with relief) this is as brisk as its going to get.  So, I have tried a couple new soups and they both turned out delicious.  My fellow Iowans need the comfort of a warm medley more than I so here are the recipes: 

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

Note: I threw everything in a pot and let it simmer for awhile rather than following all the steps below and it turned out delicious.  But for recipe followers out there, here it is: 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans).  (*~2 cans)
• 4 cups water or bean broth (*I used veggie broth)
• 2 unsalted vegetable bouillon cubes (*I didn't include these)
• 6 ripe plum tomatoes OR 1 large can crushed unsalted tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp raw cane or turbinado sugar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large carrots
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 pinch chipotle pepper or to taste
• 1 Tbsp dried basil, or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or basil

Soup Directions:

1. Combine drained chickpeas in a sauce pan with 4 cups water, broth, 2 veggie cubes, bay leaves
2. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer
3. Heat oil in a large soup pot
4. Trim and peel and thinly slice carrots and celery
5. Peel, core and mince the garlic cloves, and fry for 2 minutes 
6. Add the chopped carrots and celery, stir fry 5 minutes
7. Add the spices and stir for 2 minutes
8. Add tomatoes, turn the heat up to medium high and stir fry 5 minutes
9. Add the beans, bring to a boil
10. Stovetop: Cover and simmer covered for 1/2 hour or until veggies are tender
11. Crockpot: Add everything to the crockpot, cook on low for 4 hours
12. Add tomato paste, salt & pepper, optional soy sauce if desired
13. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with fresh minced herb, parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella (dairy or non-dairy) if desired
14. Serve with chunks of fresh chewy artesan bread to dip in the soup

KALE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

(Again, I threw everything in a pot and let it simmer.)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2 cans white beans (great northern or cannellini)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 4 cups chopped kale (we used the Spigariello from our CSA box)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1-2 teaspoons of chili powder
• kosher salt

Directions:

1. In a large pot, at least 6 quarts, heat the olive oil.

2. Dice the onion and garlic and add to the pot.  Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.

3. Stir in the kale and cook until it starts to wilt, about 5-6 minutes.

4. Add the beans (drained), chopped carrots and vegetable stock. Turn the heat up to medium high until the soup starts to simmer, then cover and turn down to medium low. 

5. Add chili powder and salt to taste. You can also add other veggies you have in your fridge. 

6. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Makes about 6 servings.