Fall Blog Challenge-Recipes!

Happy Tuesday, all!
After a sad defeat for the Skins, I'm back at it at work, but in a surprisingly good mood. I got a bunch of new games for my kids (and some of the older ones who grumble and moan about everything even seemed to enjoy them!) We'll put one in the WIN column for that alone! :)

Today I'm linking up with Neely at a Complete Waste of Makeup for the Fall Blog Challenge. Today's topic is recipes!



I love food, and I love finding new, and easy recipes! Emphasis on EASY, which is why (as many of you already know) I LOVE using my crock pot to make delish meals. So, today I am going to share with you two of my favorite Fall recipes, both of which involve pesto (another ultimate fave of mine!)

1) Pesto Spinach Lasagna

{via}

This is a meat-less recipe, and totally does NOT need meat to be satisfying, I promise. But, when I have made it, I've gotten the pasta sauce with mini meatballs in it just because!

You can get the recipe here from the Crock Pot Lady who, in my mind, is a complete genius and I love her and her recipes!

2)  Pesto Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

{via}

She made hers with a side of quinoa. I am not that fancy and also didn't want to add another step (aka, I am lazy) but you could if you wanted to. Again, this recipe is so freaking easy. You just literally dump it all together, poke some holes in the potatoes and then you are dunzo!

My friend who doesn't really LOVE a ton of pesto said that she LOVED this when I made it and shared with her. It's super easy! This meal is hearty but also pretty dang healthy! Great for some fall/winter weather!

I also added a layer of mushrooms under the cheese layer because I like mushrooms and it soaked up the taste of the pesto nicely. Feel free to add or leave out as you please. 

The entire recipe, also courtesy of the CrockPot Lady is here. 

What are some of your favorite fall recipes? Go over and link up! Share share!!

Fun-filled Weekend

Hey, all....it's Monday and I am draggin' just a bit. The weather is overcast here in D.C. (are you shocked??) and since it's still early in the morning, I'm a wee bit tired still. You know, the weather guy on the news said that out of the entire month of September in DC we have had ONE day that was mostly sunny? ONE! How freakin' depressing is that? If the sun ever decides to come out again, I might need to shield my eyes as I think my body has been adapting to this awfulness darkness and I might be taking on bat characteristics.

Anywho! This weekend was a lot of fun, and the weather held off for what I wanted it to. Friday MG (Match Guy if you forgot) and I went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant and then curled up inside for some night time movie watching and couch-cuddle action. It was raining all day and pretty much miserable out so it was perfect couch weather.

The next day was Blocktoberfest which I hadn't actually been to ever before, but it was put on by the same people who do Shamrockfest in March which I HAVE been to (think outside, all-day drinking, with tons of food, music and silliness) and have always had a blast at. This event was at a new location, the Yards Park, and none of us had been there before. Look at the picture tho:

 Looks like it could be coo,l right? Well, let me tell you, this Blocktoberfest was pathetic. There was ONE beer truck for the entire event, and two food trucks (an hour into the event one of them hadnt even set up yet) and maybe 35-50 people there. MG, myself and a couple of friends walked in and couldn't help but laugh at how few people were there. We got there an hour after it had started and I believe we stayed for about an hour (as long as it took to drink two beers and grab some food which we had tickets for), then headed out into DC to meet up with some other friends. I was entirely disappointed at how boring the event was.
Here's a telling sign: the port-a-potty's inside of the event were cleaner than the ones OUTSIDE of the event.
I would post pictures from it, but sadly I think we were in too much awe at how lame the whole thing was. If I had taken a picture, it would have looked similar to this:

except just add in a band playing, one really drunk old person dancing around to the music, and two girls who dressed up like beer maids lol.

The night turned into a lot of fun when we met up with friends and ended with us all nursing hangovers the next morning (several people ended up with the "beer flu" haha). MG and I might have eaten pizza at 10am Sunday morning. We'll call it "brunch"...yeah, that's it.

I spent the majority of yesterday catching up on my DVR, checking on the football games and being a total bum.

I'm excited for my Skins/Cowboys game tonight on MNF and am seriously hoping my Skins can get a third win for the season. I'm a realistic Skins fan, but I have my fingers crossed extra hard for this game!

I hope your Mondays go by quickly and easily! I'm off to get some coffee from our lounge. Mmm, coffee.....!

Head over and link up with Meg for Mingle Monday!

It's Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday!!!!!

TGIF, like whoa, guys! I am SO glad that Friday is finally here and all we need to do is to make it through just ONE more day of work. Hallelujah! (are the angels singing out loud for you like they are for me? Oh wait...that's just screaming children outside of my office...) hehe

Anyway, it's Friday, and I'm SUPER pumped. I'm linking up for Amber and Neely's Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge today!







Today's topic is: Things you are looking forward to for fall!
Well, there are a LOT of things that I'm looking forward to, the most exciting and recent of which is.....are you ready....
I'M GOING TO PUNTA CANA IN OCTOBER!!!!!!
My tan-losing self will be basking in the sunshine on the beaches of the Dominican republic at a 4-star all-inclusive hotel (hello, fruity drinks with umbrellas in them!!)
Here are some pics off of the hotel's website (I am drooling):

You may also be wondering who is going to accompany me on this long-weekend adventure and it is no other than Match guy who has now taken on the title of "boyfriend" (altho I think I might still call him Match Guy or MG on here for funzies).

So, not only am I looking forward to escaping the hellaciousness of work for a bit during my two week break in October, I'm also really looking forward to spending time with MG. We have already seemed to make a ton of plans for future things, so I'm really excited about it.

And, the more mundane, but still awesome things about Fall that I'm looking forward to:

Cuddling on the couch when it is cold (with MG or my pup, Cooper, or both)

Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread Latte's

Watching Cooper run through the leaves (he's cream so he will stick out nicely against the Fall colors)

Cute Fall clothes...perhaps finally finding that perfect pair of Fall boots that I have been searching for!

Finally visiting my buddy Genna down in VA Beach and seeing her fab new place!

Getting the second half of my bonus from work (which will go directly to car insurance and property tax...boo)

Going to Cox farms in VA with friends for some scary mazes, hot apple cider, delish popcorn, and pumpkins!

Making a trip out with some friends to the local wineries in VA, especially once the leaves start changing!!

There are TONS of things I'm looking forward to for this Fall! :)

Happy Friday, everyone!!!

It's Ok, Thursday

Happy Thursday, friends! Only one more day til the weekend! I have my fingers (toes, legs, arms, anything cross-able) that the weather lets up some and we can get some sunshine for the weekend. A week of over-cast skies, rain clouds, rain is SUPER depressing. I feel like we are having a repeat of two weeks ago!

Anyway, to brighten my mood some I'm participating in one of my fave link-ups with Neely at A Complete Waste of Makeup for It's Ok, Thursday!





It's ok.....
....to want to hit the snooze button 800 times and contemplate not going in to work (don't worry, I got up and I'm at work)....
....to be sick and tired of your hair looking like a ball of poof because of this stupid humidity (how do you girls deal with keeping straight hair straight with humidity???)....
....to have had nachos and beer for dinner last night (can you tell I'm on a TOTAL health kick? Not...)....
...to get annoyed (playfully annoyed) when Match guy beats me at Words with Friends for like the 4th game out of 6 that we've played...
....to be glad that Match guy doesn't just LET me win, despite complaining that he is kicking my butt (even tho I tell him he SHOULD let me win if he knows what's good for him lol...totally kidding!)...
....to be totally bummed that my credit card bill is already stupid high and I haven't even bought anything fun for myself (between weddings, hotels, presents, gas, etc. it is adding up quickly!)...
....to miss one of your besties....
.....to be super excited that I hit 100 followers yesterday! Woohoo! Thank you, followers!......
....to be crazy behind on my tv shows and SUPER thankful I have a DVR so I can sit on my lazy behind tonight and watch tv to my heart's content!....

What's "ok" with you today? Go link up! It's fun, and it doesn't hurt one bit-- I promise :)

An award? For moi?

Hey all, I'm back with my second post for the day (a semi-rarity around here), because this awesome chica, Casey over at Poodleism has passed on an award to me:

She is a SUPER cool blogger, highly entertaining (I love her humor), and is one of the people who inspired me to start writing a blog (when I read her blog I was like "I totally relate to this girl--maybe I should write a blog too!") So, thank you, Casey!

So the rules for receiving this award are:

1. Thank the person that gave you the award.  (check)

2. Share three random facts about yourself.

3. Pass the award on to five other bloggers.

Three random facts about me....

• If you've read my blog, especially within the past week, you know that I LOVE dolphins (not quite like the principal in Bad Teacher, but close haha), BUT I can't swim. I know HOW to swim, took swimming lessons when I was little, but to no avail. If it was sink or swim, my hiney would be sinkin' quickly past the fishies.
• I have lived in the DC/MD/VA area (or DMV as we like to call it here) for my entire life. My parents still live in the house that I grew up in, I went to college at the University of Maryland, lived at home during grad school where I commuted into DC, and now live in Virginia and commute into DC for work. I'm one of the very few people in the area who is actually a native DMV'er.  I love the city, and all that it has to offer, but sometimes I think since I've only ever lived here, I sometimes take it for granted.
• My absolute three favorite movies of all time are: Serendipity (it's so sweet and totally all about fate which, as a girl, how can I NOT love?), Mannequin (a Kim Cattrell throw-back, but I used to watch this movie so often when I was younger that I could probably repeat the lines to the whole movie to this day), and The Cutting Edge (again, another one that I used to watch, especially during the phase in my life that I was obsessed with watching ice skating....I even met Kristi Yamaguchi once!)

And now, to give this title to some other bloggie friends who I love to "follow":

• Trish@ Tales From Trish  (she's my real life in-person friend and a super great one at that, former college-roomie, and to top it all off her blog rocks my socks)

• PinkLouLou@ Confessions of a 20 Something (I love her posts, they are so funny, she's super relate-able and I could totally see myself being friends with her in "real life")

• Meg @ Deviled Megs  (again, her humor is right in line with mine, and she's a fellow DC-blogger as well)

• Faye@ faye'sbook (she and I have VERY similar tv-watching habits and a mutual fondness for Michael Stagliano from the Bachelorette/Bachelorpad lol)

• Lindsey@ The Bargain Blonde (she is totally sassy and sarcastic and I find myself cracking up at the stuff she writes. Not to mention I have taken much advice from her on beauty products and how-to's and passed along the info to others, too!)

These are definitely a few of the blogs that I make sure NEVER to miss a post from! Stop by and check 'em out if you haven't already!

Super excited, still, for the blog love! Happy Wednesday!

WILW and Oh, How Pinteresting!

Happy Hump day, friends! It's Wednesday and dreary as all get out here in the Nation's Capital, but I'm glad that I at least have two of my favorite link ups to participate in today: First up, I'm linking up with Jamie at this kind of love for What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm loving that the movie Dolphin Tale is coming out this weekend. I'm a HUGE dolphin lover, and a movie about dolphins (and a feel-good one at that) is right up my alley. It's ok if you want to make fun of me...I know there are people out there who want to see it too (thanks for writing the other day and letting me know I'm not the only one haha)

I'm loving that I am 2 followers away from the 100 mark!

I'm loving that I met Match guy. He's amazing. 

I'm loving that more of my friends are playing Words with Friends now. Although it means that every time I open the app, I end up having about 15 games to play, but it's still a lot of fun, even when I lose.

I'm loving that it's Wednesday. Halfway point for the week--that much closer to the weekend (that I am hoping ends up not being full of rain like they are projecting).

I'm loving  that I have Blocktoberfest in DC tickets for this Saturday (hence why I'm hoping it doesn't rain). As if drinking last week wasn't enough, now I have tickets to do it all day, outside. Awesome. haha

And, as always I am loving linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting!

This week's Pinterest finds have included:

I did a double-take when I first saw this pin, and then cracked up. Right up my alley in terms of humor. 

I couldn't agree more with good ol' Lucy

I felt like this was a nice outfit to transition from Summer into Fall. And I love that bag!

I still want my pal Trish to make this for me! So pretty!

So true! If only...

Skinny Taco Dip via mmmm, I wanna eat it now!

I would NEVER get this done, however, I think it's funny

And I couldn't think of a better picture to end on (and get the day started with) than this
little guy's smiling puppy face!

  

What are you finding Pinteresting this week?

Hope you all have "pinteresting" Wednesdays that fly by! :)

Totally Random Tuesday post

Hey all, happy Tuesday! I dunno about you, but it already feels like it should be at least Wednesday. But, alas, it's not.

I have some random things to blog about today so forgive the "all-over-the-place" nature of this post! Let's get to it:

Why is the weather forecast for DC, yet again, another week with rain in the forecast for EVERY day? No bueno. It's hard enough to get up in the mornings now that the sun isn't up when I get up, but add rain to the mix and it's just that overwhelming blah, "I-want-to-put-on-my-PJs-and-stay-in-bed-all-day" feeling. I'll try and snap out of it!


 I'm waiting to hear news about my grandpa. He has been having lots of medical issues over the past year or so, but I got a call from my mom the other night saying that he had an infection and despite being on antibiotics, still had a fever. Apparently the people at the care facility were calling my aunt to come in yesterday to talk about "options." Although this isn't a HUGE surprise, it's really sad, and preparing for someone to leave you is heartbreaking. Luckily my mom seems to be doing ok, but I have a feeling the next few days are going to be tough.

~~~~~

On a happier note, I'm mailing off my gift to my new bloggie friend Rachel.We both participated in Meg's (at Life of Meg) Fall Frenzy gift exchange. It was a super cute idea, and a fun challenge to try and find some things based on a bit of information for someone who you don't know at all. But, how fun is it to get a package in the mail with goodies in it? I'm hoping that Rachel will like the things that I picked out for her! (The picture to the right is not a picture of what I bought for you, Rachel, don't worry! haha)

It still amuses me how one little word can make a bunch of 3rd graders (and probably older) crack up laughing. I literally thought this one boy yesterday had said something about "fart"....I figured he didn't actually say it, but I asked him if that's what he said anyway (mainly because I had a feeling it would be funny and I needed a laugh). He cracked up laughing....MAJOR case of the giggles, and the girl I see him with did too.So, the three of us sat in my office, giggling together for a few minutes. Sometimes a good laugh is what you need to make it through the rest of the day.

Am I the only grown-up who wants to see a Dolphin Tale? I know it's a kid's movie, but 1) I'm obsessed with dolphins (love love love them!), 2) Morgan Freeman is in it, and Morgan Freeman is the ISH! and 3) it's a feel-good story! What's not to like about that? I have gotten more crap from my friends for wanting to go see this movie, and I don't get it. I also don't really care cuz I'm going to see it anyway, but, really....it looks so cute! Am I the only one? (If I am, please don't respond and make fun of me like my friends have...lol)


Alright, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed the randomness of this post and are able to make it through your Tuesdays! Catch ya on the flip side!