(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

Hi friends! Did you think I'd disappeared? I didn't! I just didn't blog for oh... 7 days. Oops! Last week was SUPER busy. My grandma was in town visiting and then Collin's brother and niece came into town and then Collin's sister and nephew came into town! Goodness lots of family to spend time with in such a short period of time and blogging fell by the wayside! I have LOTS of photos to share with you though! I still need to share my corn maze photos. And then there are the ones I took at Messiah while we were there for Homecoming almost two weeks ago! And then of course there are the ones from this weekend which I just love of our adventures with our niece and nephew! So, be on the lookout for some major photo sharing! Tomorrow I'll DEFINITELY post the ones of our corn maze fun from THREE weeks ago!

Anyway, we survived Hurricane Sandy. And honestly, for us it wasn't as bad as I expected. I know it hit other parts of the country, like New Jersey and New York City, much harder, but here in Southern Maryland it wasn't all too bad. It sure was windy and rainy though! It started raining Saturday night and didn't stop until sometime in the middle of the night last night. It was nice though because it allowed Collin and I to have three full days together in the same weekend, two of which we did not much of anything, and one that we didn't leave the apartment! We didn't lose power at all which was a real blessing. But we enjoyed our time together! It was hard for us to both come back to work today though!

Our boys taking a nap together.

This was taken on Sunday afternoon about 3pm. Notice how dark it is already... It was really sweet though having both of our boys snuggling with us.

I hope that everyone affected by the Frankenstorm is safe and well. It affected a very large area of people and I hope that everyone is okay! If you didn't feel the effects of this massive storm, how did you spend the end of your weekend and first couple week days??

Cindy

Fill in the Blank Friday

Hi friends! I'm so sorry that I didn't post my pictures yesterday like I said I was going to. I was just too busy and didn't have one second of time to choose and upload the ones I want to share! It's been a busy week in general and for that I'm sorry. And today (or this weekend) isn't looking any better for getting it done. Next week?? I WILL share them because I love some of the pictures I took!

Now onto Fill in the Blank Friday with Lauren! Let's get going!

1. One thing I plan on doing to relax this weekend is not much? We're going up to Messiah this evening to celebrate the Homecoming festivities! So tonight we'll be driving and catching up with friends, tomorrow will be spent on campus doing lots of fun things, and the evening spent with more friends, and Sunday we're driving home early to spend the day with my grandma who's flying in from Chicago on Saturday before we have to go to Bible study that evening! Whew. I'm tired just thinking about/typing that out...

2. A big pet peeve of mine is people that don't follow the rules of the road/are non-courteous drivers. Seriously, it's not that hard to drive properly. The thing that gets me the most though is crossing on the right on a solid line. It is illegal and it's not going to get you to where you're going that much faster. Maybe 5 seconds? Just wait behind the turning car. It's also DANGEROUS.

3. I am really loving having "new" jeans. My mom gave me a few pairs that she couldn't wear anymore/didn't want anymore and I love it because I actually needed new jeans!

4. The rain is necessary for well-being but it doesn't mean I like it very much. It just annoys me. Mainly because I hate being wet. If I know I'm going to be inside though while it's raining it doesn't bother me too much.

5. My favorite girly indulgence is nail polish. I love buying new colors and painting my toenails fun and bright colors! I hardly ever paint my fingernails though.

6. A song that I always get stuck in my head is nothing? I go through stages where I get songs stuck in my head. Lately I haven't had anything stuck in there. For a while it was "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. =)

7. The biggest cure for stress is playing the piano.

Like I said in question one, we're going to Messiah this weekend for Homecoming! I'm so super excited! I haven't been to Homecoming since the year I graduated ('08) so it's been a long while! And I've only been to Messiah one other time since then and it was just a brief visit to the campus. I can't wait to see my friends and participate in the Alumni Concert Choir concert. I really miss singing in Concert Choir. And Messiah just built a frisbee golf course over the summer so Collin and I are very eager and excited to check it out and play some disc golf! Plus, we are going to eat in the dining hall for lunch on Saturday. Collin wants to check it out and I haven't eaten there since I graduated and the food wasn't too bad. =)

And I'm really excited to see my grandma on Sunday. I'm really excited she's coming in for a week from Chicago! It's been a year since I've last seen her and I can't wait to spend some quality time with her!

Here's to an awesome weekend filled with fun, friends, and family! Hope yours is, too!

Cindy

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

This morning we were blessed with a beautiful sunrise. I was so happy! And what made it even more special is that the sunrise was just the beginning of a beautiful day! It's sunny, there's a little bit of chill in the air, there's a slight breeze, and the leaves are becoming more and more full of color! So happy!

I hope that Wednesday is beautiful for you wherever you may be! Happy middle of the week! I'll be back tomorrow to share some pictures from our adventure to the corn maze/farm this past Sunday!

Cindy

Hello, Color!

Here in Southern Maryland the leaves haven't begun to change in full force yet. But, there are some leaves that are becoming colorful! According to weather.com we are currently "Patchy" in terms of our fall foliage. I do expect however that within a week or so we'll be Near Peak if not in Peak. And I am SO excited! I love to take pictures of all the beautiful fall colors! =) I noticed these trees outside of work yesterday that had some beautiful color to them so I snapped a few with my iPhone as I was heading home in the afternoon while the sun was hitting them just right.

I can't wait for the complete overhaul of the trees so that they are just full of vibrant colors! It's my favorite, for sure!

How are the leaves where you're at? Are they full swing in change or is the change just beginning?

Cindy

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

Piano kitties are the cutest. Love my sweet boys.

Hope you are having a lovely Wednesday, sweet friends!

Cindy

Life Lately

I haven't posted too much "life" stuff lately. Mainly because not too much exciting stuff has happened. It's been great though. And this past weekend was a lot of fun. I didn't take very many pictures of what was going on this weekend but we had a great time!

Saturday after Collin got off work we went to PRAD (Patuxent River Appreciation Day) at the Calvert Marine Museum and had a delightful afternoon! We had delicious cheese steaks for lunch, enjoyed live music, saw lots of great arts and crafts, enjoyed a petting zoo, walked around the museum where we saw the rays and skates, fishies, comb jellies, seahorses, and crabs. And Collin and I played with the rope and practicing our knots at the knot tying board. He taught me how to tie a bowline so that if I ever fall into a hole I can tie off a loop so he can pull me up. lol That's the exact reason he gave me for wanting to teach me to tie that knot. =P

Sunday was a beautiful church service and then we spent the afternoon with my parents and I went "shopping" in my mom's closet and got three new pairs of jeans! Then my mom and I went to Michael's to buy supplies for a wreath and an arrangement. Then the two of us made a pretty flower arrangement in a fake pumpkin for me to put on our porch. It's so pretty! During all of this Collin and my dad were home watching TV and napping. What a life. =)

Yesterday was wonderful because Collin and I were both off work! We organized our hall closet, went to the thrift store, had lunch with friends, watched some TV, relaxed, and did some other miscellaneous work around our apartment and it was great. All in all it was a wonderful weekend!

Dinner of spaghetti and roasted asparagus one evening. So delicious!

An eery sunrise that produced a red glow.

The newest episode of Collin's podcast. So, so funny! Go listen (and download/subscribe) here!

My sweet kids. Stank used to hate the cage but we decided he's been spending lots of time in there lately because it keeps Seabass from attacking him.

Steak, herb and butter rice, and broccoli. I think it was one of the best flavored steaks we've personally ever made.

I hope you, my friends, had a great weekend too! I hope that it was very enjoyable and filled with fun and relaxing! This is a short week since yesterday was a holiday and Friday is my Friday off! Hurray for a three day week! =D

Cindy

Fill in the Blank Friday

Hello my dear friends! It is so nice to know that today is Friday. It has been a long week and those never seem to go by fast enough! But this weekend is special because it's a three-day weekend (yay Columbus Day!) and it's the FIRST holiday that Collin and I will both have off from work (that we're not away from home) where we can spend the entire day together since we've been married. Wow. So I'm pretty excited about that! And, other than going to a local festival on Saturday afternoon, we have no plans!

Now, to kick start this great weekend here's some blanks! You can play along by visiting Lauren!

1. The last thing I ate was Honeycomb cereal for breakfast a few minutes ago.

2. The last time I went to the beach was in April when we went to Atlantic Beach for our anniversary.

3. My last vacation was to Front Royal, VA where we went camping over Labor Day.

4. The last place I drove was to work. =/

5. The last song I listed to was "Streets of Gold" by NEEDTOBREATHE. I'm currently listening to Joy 102.5 WOLC via the Internet so I've got constant music going. =)

6. The last thing I watched on TV was 30 Rock. But it was via Netflix streaming. We don't have cable so anything we watch on TV is either via Netflix or Hulu on my computer hooked up to the TV. (We had Hulu+ but decided it was an unnecessary expense).

7. The last time I said "I love you" was this morning to Collin before I left for work.

What fun blanks about "lasts"! Usually you think of lasts and it can be depressing but these were fun!

I hope you my dear friends enjoy your weekends whatever it is you may do! Go enjoy some fun autumn goodness! And if you haven't, check out the recipe for some cookies I posted yesterday! They would be perfect to make this weekend! =)

Cindy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This past weekend I was baking up a storm all day Friday! That evening our new young adult group at church was hosting the dessert portion of a progressive dinner for the students of an on-campus Christian group at our local college. It had a great turnout and my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies seemed to be a hit! I thought I would share with you guys this delicious recipe. It's perfect for autumn and those pumpkin cravings people get! Plus, they are so quick and easy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Then add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Add in vanilla and chocolate chips.

3. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly brown and firm.

Enjoy making these yummy cookies! I will say, they are more cake-like than cookie-like but who cares!? =) And I can guarantee they will make your house smell so good! Let me know what you all think!

Cindy

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

The past couple days have been interesting, weather-wise. It was really nice and cool over the weekend and so sunny and beautiful! Then Monday evening the rain showers started and yesterday the temperature (and humidity... ick) rose and it poured off and on all day. Today is going to be some of the same, only it's more humid! Blah! Currently the window is so fogged up I can barely see out of it. Anyway, this weather has made for some pretty great pictures!

Watching the rain through my office window yesterday afternoon during one of the many downpours.

This set of storm clouds moving out.

Bright, fluffy clouds accompanied by the sun moving in temporarily.

It was quite a day! Hopefully today will bring a little more sunshine and a little less rain. And I hope that the autumn temperatures return real soon! From the forecast it looks like they will on Sunday and stay that way from here on out. I hope so! I want to participate in fun autumnal events and it would be weird to go to a corn maze and pumpkin picking when it's 80 degrees outside!

Hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday, dear friends!

Cindy

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Over the weekend I made a delicious Crock Pot meal for Collin and myself. I was home all day Friday (until we had our event at church in the evening) but I was baking and cleaning and knew that if I were to make something for dinner I would feel very rushed so I decided to throw something together with my Crock Pot. It was so delicious and I promised on Instagram (username - iwanttobeaham - Follow me!) that I would post the recipe this week. Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients
2-3 lbs chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
Minute Rice (prepared)
cooked corn
1 cup cheese

Instructions
1. Place chicken in Crock Pot and cover with soup.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
3. Once chicken is fully cooked stir in rice, corn, and cheese.
4. Enjoy!

See how easy that is? I cooked mine on high for 4 hours and it was perfect! It made the house smell so good. Or that could have been the baking I was doing, but whatever. =) Anyway, considering I just basically threw some stuff together so we could eat before having to leave at 6:30, I thought it was delicious! This would be the perfect thing to put in the Crock Pot before work or even before church on a Sunday to have a nice after-church lunch! And if you knew you'd be short on time when eating time came, prepare the rice ahead of time and keep it in the fridge and use a can of corn! I hope you enjoy this delicious meal!

Cindy