Grandma Diaries (1)

The other day I was out to dinner with my Grandma D. We were at a lovely café, eating on the outdoor patio. Italian music was lightly playing in the background, all the while, we were sipping wine and enjoying the delicious food and pastries. Mid-pastry I asked my grandma if she had ever been on a diet. Her simple response was no.

I was taken aback by how easily it came out of her mouth. No thought, no care. Just a simple no. That has to be a refreshing feeling. To just simply state, that no, I have never been on a diet. My story would be very different. And I pondered that while I took another bite of the Chocolate Hazelnut bar we were splitting. But then she continued.

As a teen, she was an active girl on her families North Dakota farm. It wasn’t until she moved down to Minneapolis in her late teens that she began to gain weight. She worked at a bank, where she would eat lunch, and then her cousin and her would go home to a meal already prepared and set out by their aunt.

She remedied this weight gain by always having two plastic girdles on hand. She made sure I understood these were not the fancy, stretchy girdles that can be found on shelves today. The tight girdles essentially made her lose the weight she had gained as they were so tight, she had no desire to eat.

She remained a svelte 120-130 the remainder of her youth and middle age, gaining the most weight with her last daughter, born while Grandma D was in her early 40’s. This weight too, like the weight before, eventually came off, but this time it wasn’t a plastic girdle, but rather the effects of dealing with some tough times.

Things improved, and she found happiness again. Family dinners and going out to eat with friends have put her at the weight she is today, one she has maintained for years. While she is happy and content, she would like to lose some weight to fit into her nice suits, ones that will no longer be used for business meetings, but rather church and family outings. In her mindset though, this goal takes moderation and watching what she eats. No diet, just modifications.

So while I started out envying her journey, the confidence I assumed she had, I soon realized that we all have a different journey, and we all look at things in our own way. While Grandma D has never been on a diet, she has focused and been concerned about her weight. It’s interesting to get other’s perspectives, and especially the perspectives of our elders. I wonder what my story will look like years down the road.

A busy weekend...

This weekend was a busy one.  It was my bro's birthday, I graduated with my Master's Degree, and we celebrated both!

Today was the perfect Sunday for a family celebration.

The weather was nice, and the sun was shinning!  Goose spent hours in the backyard.  This was a new experience for her.  We have had her outside before, but we never really had her out for extended periods of time.  We kept a water dish out, and kept heading out to play with her, but she pretty much wanted to just be outside, relaxing in the shade.

Before all the festivities began, the sis and I hit up the gym for some body pump, and I followed it up with some broccoli and a veggie corn dog.  It was major yumm-o!

We had a great dinner, followed by some awesome cake.  The bro and I opened some wonderful gifts...much more than we deserved and it was just so relaxing.

Then it was time to get ready for the week.  I made sure to pack some good, healthy lunches.  I hard boiled some eggs, cut up fresh veggies, and prepared two lovely looking salads.

Added some cabbage, cheese, cucumbers, and carrots.

Packed my fav yogurt dressing and bbq sauce-I love adding just a dash of bbq sauce to salads...gives them a hearty feel.

Threw the salads in a big ass lunch cooler (thank you hubby-finally getting some use out of that huge lunch sack you gave me a few Christmases ago!), top with a banana and sparkling water, and I am set to go!

I also cut up a special k bar my dad brought in from Buffalo for me...little bite size pieces in a good portion size!  Way better then chowing down the whole bar...and it will last longer!  Woo hoo!

And I brewed a pot of strong coffee which I put in the fridge, and in the morning, I will add the coffee I have steeping in the french press.  Should make for the perfect Monday morning jolt!

 Here's hoping all this prep work will help me start my week on the right foot!  With being ridiculously sick last week, I am ready for a fresh start!

Happy July....

I had one of the most wonderfully relaxing and fun weekends!  I visited some friends in Moorhead, and spent some time with my sister.  It was truly a blast-the whole weekend!

The weekend was go-go-go...but in a good way!  I played some bar bingo, card games, ate ridiculously amazing pizza, and ridiculously amazing Fro-yo.  I went for a leisurely tube ride down a river with the sun shinning down and a cold one in my hand.  I took some down time and relaxed in an incredibly nice hotel!  If you ever find yourself in Moorhead, Mn, for whatever reason you might, the Marriott is INCREDIBLE!  I know it sounds unbelievable, but one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in.  And I have stayed in quite a few.

And now it is back to reality.  For two days that is!  Then it's the 4th and I am stoked to have the day off.

I feel rejuvenated by the fact that it is July 1st!  We are 6 months into the year, and 6 months out from twenty 13.

June really was a great month.  Chaz and I got to spend some wonderful time with his parents.  Way more time than we usually get to in a year.  Simply wonderful!  Not only am I blessed with amazing parents but I got damn lucky in the in-law department too!

We went to Alaska and visited Laine.  We have enjoyed great weather and some lovely outdoor meals.  Father's day was a blast with both sets of parents being in town.  That rarely happens anymore!

June however did have it's downsides.  Dealing with my ankle definitely depressed me from time to time.  I imagine the fact that my physical activity has dropped way down due to my injury really doesn't help.  But July is a fresh start.  July allows me to set some mid-year goals and just start getting some shit together.  Ready for this?!?!?!  I know this is a long post but hopefully it will inspire you to make some mid-year goals too!

In regards to the good old ankle:

1. 30 minutes of stretching/exercise daily
2. Make physical therapy appointments
3. Ice bath 5 nights a week
4. All of the above contingent on physical therapy appointment but I got an x-ray last week and nothing is broken!  Holla!!!!

In regards to life:

1. Make more meals at home
2. Clean litter box daily (that shits a bitch!)
3. Start a savings account simply for vacations
4. Start intensely funding our "Life" savings account
5. Pay off the credit card we used to fix Chaz's car emergency last month-did I let y'all know that his catalytic converter was stolen right off his car?  In the middle of the night?  In our parking lot?  And that our deductible was $500 and the repairs came in at $475 (duh?  isn't that how it works?) and we just decided to be grown ups and get his brakes done to?  $700 dollars later and we were ringing in summer! 
6. Pack lunches and breakfast daily.
7. Buy coffee only once a week (back to treating myself on Friday's only)
8. Daily planned physical activity.
9. Go to bed earlier (trying to shave 1 hour off!)
10. Make the effort to call my CO grandma once a week...I suck at talking on the phone.  I am either not by my phone, or I always feel busy.  I need to make the effort because it's worth it!  She brightens my day!
11. Create an intense budget and keep it up monthly
1. I think this will provide piece of mind and 
2. allow us to really save money and track it. 
3. This will also provide an easy forum to allow discussion about future plans.

Chaz and I are moving out of our apartment at the end of July...we only signed a 6 month lease and thank the dear Lord because this place is just too run down and after having parts stolen off of Chaz's car, it's just not worth staying longer.  We are moving back in with my grandma and taking the next few months to discuss some long term goals and hopefully make some decisions on where we want to settle for a while.  Not settle for good, because we like a little adventure in our life, but we want to make some concrete decisions!

Wish me luck!  I am looking forward to the second half of Twenty 13!  Hopefully you are too! 

Turn that frown...

And that I did! 

I was feeling pretty darn blue yesterday.  But I remedied it with the following

• A cupcake break with my dad.
• A loving phone call from my awesome husband at the perfect moment…he generally knows exactly what to say to flip my frowns.
• An email from my grandma.
• A 1 mile swim with my sister.
• An impromptu dinner with my mom and sister.
• All of this followed by a big bear hug from my hubby! 

It turned out to be a great day and I feel like my head is screwed on just a little bit straighter!

Reading the above also makes me realize that I would be pretty much lost without my amazing family!

Welcome home!

This past weekend in the CO was wonderful.  I had an amazing time with family and the weather was warm and sunny…my favorite kind!  We enjoyed tons of food and I even learned a new game…Bunko….straight up life changing! 

The driving wasn’t too bad…I am an expert at sleeping in the car, and I had packed a book, some movies, and knitting.  I didn’t eat too bad….but I didn’t eat too good.  I got home and after relishing in my welcome home gift,

I headed straight to the bathroom where I stripped down and started the mission I would like to refer to as, “Try to make it look and feel like you did not just spend over 30 hours in the car over the span of the last four days”.  Yes, TMI, but seriously, I have never been that eager to just rid myself of everything related to a road trip.  I even got down to the knitty gritty, removing my chipped nail polish and replacing it with a fresh, clear color…it’s the little things! 

Again this week I needed to put in some crazy hours but it looks like I will be taking a little bit of vacation...can't sweat the small stuff.  In the end, it's all worth it, and that's what matters!  Even ditching out of work early yesterday only to go home and nap!  lol...but even with my week being travel and work crazy, I have been productive!  Not much by way of working out but I am making headway with my class, did some cleaning and organizing, and I am tracking what I am eating.  I am feeling pretty good, with a good amount of sleep, so really can't complain. 

This weekend I have a hockey tournament all weekend, and it gets to be a long weekend, only to be repeated next weekend but I have already planned to not go into work until 9:30 on Monday and Monday night I will take in a movie with my friend to make it ubber relaxing!  Seriously, probably the best plan I have come up with for combating stress!  Allow for recovery and plan something to look forward to!  Done and done!

Tonight I am running the lakes...hoping for a nice run that just comes easily...sometimes they can be a pain, and sometimes they just rock!  Hoping to Rock it!

Christmas in Minnesota...

We were lucky to be able to celebrate Christmas with both our families this year.

We were in Reno over Christmas but were able to celebrate with my family on New Years Day.

We had a relaxing day, with cooking, eating, and gift opening.

My parents, along with my mother-in-law, are shareholders in the Green Bay Packers. I am positive that they are still proud owners, even after tonight's game.

I made as many scarves as I could and gifted them to as many people as I could! Notice the scarves in the above and below picture!
And this is the lovely tree my parents put up!
Everyone, both human and animal, had a wonderfully blessed day filled with laughter and love.

First comes frosting, then comes cake

This is long overdue but the perfect companion to join the frosting recipe I gave you Friday!

For my aunts wedding, I made the cake and cupcakes. We put together a candy buffet for the guests, and had the cupcakes sporadically placed amongst the jars of goodies. The below pictures are courtesy of my wonderful husband!

The recipes for the cakes came from the Star Tribune. There was an article in the paper the week of the wedding. Talk about perfect!
The main wedding cake was a red velvet cake, and that recipe was not in the paper, but I used the paper recipes for the cupcakes and they were a hit. I thought I would share the recipes because they were wonderful and there is nothing like a homemade cake and frosting. The recipes were a bit time consuming, but not by much and the results were just delicious. I will have a hard time buying box mixes or jars of frosting from here on out.

Yellow Cake

Serves 12 or 24 cupcakes

1c. unsalted butter at room temperature

2 and 1/2 cups flour

1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 c. whole milk (you can use 2% or even 1%)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the pans, and dust with flour. For cupcakes, just use liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until combined but do not over mix!

Transfer the batter to the pans. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for15 minutes, and then transfer out to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baking times:

For two 8 inch rounds: 25-30 minutes. For two 9 inch pans: 22 to 25 minutes. For one 9x13 rectangle: 25-30 minutes. For 24 cupcakes: 15 to 20 minutes.

Chocolate Cake

Serves 12 or makes 24 cupcakes

1 and 3/4 cups flour

2 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter pans you plan to use and dust with flour. If doing cupcakes, just use liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powered, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; mix on low speed until combined.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scrapping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. (Note, the batter is very runny but don't worry, it works out!)

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cakes tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Happy baking and enjoy!

(correction-top two photos are by my creative mom)

And a Happy New Year!

I realized in my last post that I didn't include any Christmas morning pictures. I only have a few but here they are...I know my grandma in CO will enjoy seeing them!

Tonight we ring in the New Year. We are doing so in our household by having steak, chicken wings, fries, and salad, followed by popcorn at the movie theatre! Then we will celebrate at midnight with sparkling grape juice, Hawaiian bread and spinach dip! I am looking forward to a fun night! Check back to tomorrow and I will let you all in on my New Years Resolutions!

It's a wonderful life...

This year for Christmas, it was time to celebrate with the Durgin side of the family. Chaz and I boarded a plane Wednesday morning, and were in Reno by 1pm! It's so nice getting two extra hours!

We arrived to excited family members, and Chaz was like a kid in a candy store! He loves family time, which is why I love him!

Wednesday was a bit of eating, shopping, relaxing and playing games. And in Durgin tradition, everyone takes a go at cleaning up after dinner...Chaz and Laine tag teamed it the first night. What cute siblings! The mood was greatly heightened by this lovely little number being lit up each evening.
Thursday has us decorating a ginger bread house and putting together a puzzle. It was a great morning of relaxing and doing little projects together. Chaz had way too much fun decorating the ginger bread house. He showed his mad skills by adding icicles and other fancy adornments.
The rest of us just watched! I did however make that great looking wreath! Thank you to the lady at Michael's craft store who I watched while D. Lo shopped one day...your presentation paid off!
Friday Laine, Terri, Chaz, Ginny, Chaz's grandma, and I drove up into the mountains. We stopped in Incline Village, where Chaz's grandparents used to live, and then continued on to the Ritz to get pedicures. Of course Chaz passed on a pedicure so he headed back to Incline to do some shopping and take some great pics!
The Ritz was lovely, and after our amazing pedicures, Chaz joined us again and we had lunch in their main lobby. Great food, great drinks, and lovely views.

That night Laine took Chaz and I downtown Reno. We went to a basketball game and then hit up some bars and Casino's downtown. Way different then going out in Mpls. A different vibe with the Casino's and the night owl atmosphere but we had a good time just walking around, taking pictures, and eating way to much food! (Maybe the eating too much food was just me but boy was I full!)

Christmas Eve day we woke up and I made caramel rolls that my family has made for years on Christmas eve. We finished wrapping and shopping, and Chaz's aunt joined us from LA early afternoon.

That evening we enjoyed the traditional Durgin fondue. It was a lovely meal complete with a chocolate creme brule dessert (so fricken good!)

We also get Santa presents on Christmas Eve, which are usually pajamas to wear that evening and the next morning for present opening. Chaz's family opens gifts Christmas day but I was a good girl this year and didn't tempt them all to open more then the one gift like I did my first Christmas with them.


Fu even got in on the action!
Christmas day we opened presents. It was quite the event. We started with stockings. Each person goes around and opens their stocking in which almost every item is wrapped. It takes a bit of time so after that, we broke for a delicious breakfast of rolls and egg bake. The egg bake was out of this world! It was full of meat, bread, and eff, but the best part was all the vegetables.

After breakfast we opened the rest of the gifts. There was a lot of laughing, smiling faces, and excitement. The perfect Christmas morning.

We lounged around after that, played some games, and then had Christmas Day dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and lobster salad. Yummy!

Monday morning we headed up in to the mountains again, this time to visit a crystal mine. The views were breathtaking. Chaz took some lovely pictures as he usually does.

For the remainder of the day, we packed, lounged around, and played some games. That evening we went ice skating at a rink downtown, and the we out for some late night pizza and beer. A wonderful end to our amazing vacation.

Tuesday afternoon we boarded the plane headed home. It is always sad leaving family, especially after such a great time, but it was also nice to think about coming home to our own bed. That and we get to look forward to Christmas with my family this weekend.

I will leave you with this beautiful picture that Chaz took while we were in the air coming home!

Merry Merry Merry!

Happy Monday.

It has been a while, but I needed the break. I placed my focus on schoolwork, and made sure to get in a lot of family time during this holiday season. That is truly the most important thing in my life. Whether it's a dinner out with my husband, or driving around looking at Christmas light; an abrupt hotel stay with my parents and siblings which turned into a great occasion to bond; and visits and dinner with friends who I consider part of my family. It has been a wonderful year, and this month has been doubly as wonderful. Last year I was not in the Christmas spirit and I can report that this year, it is the complete opposite.

Yesterday would have been my great grandma's 90th birthday. I was lucky enough to have had her in my life for almost 20 years, and really cement a relationship the last year of her life. Even if I didn't know her as well prior to that, her personality, compassion, and love were infectious and though we only saw her once or twice a year for most of my life, she was still an amazing example of how to live, laugh and most importantly, love.

I celebrated the momentous milestone by cooking kielbasa, perogies, red cabbage and to top it all off, a berry cobbler. If you have 5 minutes and an hour of oven time to whip up a dessert that will warm your heart and soul, and that of those who join you in eating it, you have got to try this recipe.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/the_great_cobbl/

This recipe is simple and wonderful!

The Pioneer Women's Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups berries

Mix the flour and sugar, and whisk in the buttermilk. Add the melted butter. Pour into a well buttered casserole add two cups of berry's. (I used 2 cups frozen mixed berries that I thawed and drained). Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar on top (I only needed about half of that).

Bake at 350 degrees for around an hour.

This recipe was top notch and a great night cap with a scoop of ice cream.

My mother-in-law also celebrated her birthday this weekend so it was a special weekend all around. She is also a wonderful person who I have had the privilege of knowing for over 11 years and I am lucky to get to call her my mother-in-law.

Other then that, my weekend was amazing. I spent time with friends, had a wonderful evening with my parents and sister at the Wild game, and spent Sunday doing some last minute shopping and relaxing.

I am looking so forward to leaving for Reno on Wednesday morning! I am just so excited to see family and take a break from it all!

Up Nordt...

I had a great weekend up north visiting my friend Tonya and the bro! It is nice having them in the same area so we can all visit. Mike ends up spending most of the weekend with us so it is pretty nice.

I can't give too many details as we were busy making Christmas gifts but let's just say the weekend included a bit of the following:

• hanging out in the garage until 2 am letting Mike play DJ, switching between Christmas and Rap music while Tonya and I labor away.
  


• shopping and heading out for a break to see the new movie Jack and Jill (it was good, but worth waiting till redbox to watch at home)



• caramel puff corn



• wine



• multiple outfit changes



• eating French toast both mornings, Saturday with bananas, Sunday stuffed with peanut butter

And as you can tell, with my busy weekend, I didn't take time to really hop on the computer so I will first let you know that I lost 3.2 pounds last week so I took off that weight gain from the previous week and am down a total of 3.9 since I recommitted to WW three weeks ago. And I really believe, it is not about the number, it is about the way I feel, and with my added workouts, I have been feeling healthy and strong. The number just helps keep me on track. If I don't focus on that number, I may slowly increase my food intake and totally negate the workouts and I just want it to all be a good, healthy mix.

And last, I owe a few thankful updates! I missed a total of 4 with today being 5 but I still thought daily about what I am thankful for.

• I am thankful for work out dvd's that make it easy to sneak in a workout when life is busy and I don't have time to leave the house.



• I am thankful for Faith and Kea who provide loads of cuddles and really brighten the house. On mornings when we get to sleep in, Faith loves hopping on the bed for some mega cuddle time and I wouldn't trade it for anything.



• I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy and one that provides for my family.



• I am thankful for good friends, combined with good laughs and good wine.



• I am thankful for the Holiday season and while I am getting excited for Christmas, I will thoroughly enjoy Thanksgiving and not put up any Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I want to relish in each holiday and take in all the family time. Sometimes, it has to last you most the year so I really try and cherish it!

This ain't no cheesy post...

I was going to post a cheesy potato recipe last night, but then I realized I saved my pictures in a weird spot and now the husband has to come to the rescue...so that may be a few days.

I am however excited for tomorrow's weigh in! I have made the gym my biatch this week and I am hoping for some results, no matter how little! Slow and steady wins the race...that about sums up my whole road to being healthy adventure.

Just to recap, two weeks ago I weighed in down 2.3. Last week, I forgot to weigh in on Thursday, but I hopped on the scale Saturday and was up 1.8. No excuses here. I know what happened. I jetted off to Colorado, didn't eat the best I could, and didn't really get back into my grove once I returned. That's life though, and I will have weeks like that. I don't let the number define me, but I let it guide me. I want it to be my compass towards the best/healthiest decisions as often as it can. And sometimes I will get off track, but at least I know I can find my way back. So here's wishing me luck tomorrow and no matter the number, I know I feel great and I know my body is happy!

What am I thankful for today?

I am thankful to have wonderful parents who love, support, and have guided me in the past. Even as an adult, I look to them for advice. I know that no matter where life takes me, I will always have my family. They have engrained that in me and I am thankful to have the stability that that provides.

before the day slips away...

It is after midnight, but with daylight savings, I still have an hour to let you know what I am thankful for today!

I am thankful for a wonderful brother who I have an amazing relationship with. We can do just about anything together and have a great time. I know that for the rest of my life, I have this cool dude that I get to call my brother and that no matter what, we will always be there for one another. Thanks for being the best brother Mike. I love you!

Put a ring on it...

It is a crisp, chilly fall day here in the MN. The sun is shinning bright and I can't wait for 5 o'clock. I am ready to start my weekend and relax a bit!

Tonight I am going to throw together a nice little dinner for my man and I. Today marks three years since he asked me to marry him and I love any reason to celebrate so bring on some festivity!

I couldn't ask to be married to a more amazing man. Aside from the fact that he does my laundry and keeps our belongings anally organized, he is the most tender, caring, and loving man I have ever met. He is such a sincere soul and puts me first in every sense of the word. Sure he can be stubborn, and of course he has a few annoying habits (don't we all), but those are so easily over looked when he wraps me in one of his warm embraces. I can easily say he is perfect, perfect for me that is!
Happy Anniversary love!

What am I thankful for today?

I am thankful to have family that I can travel and see the world with. When I was little, my family was always on the go, whether it be swim meets, hockey tournaments, trips to visit family. Some of our best family time was spent in a hotel room, just the 5 of us. And I continue to travel with my in-laws. 3 years ago when my husband purposed, we were on a cruise with most of his family, celebrating his grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. I am so blessed to have these opportunities that allow family to really spend quality time together!

A weekend of surprise...

This weekend I jetted off to Colorado for a pretty impromptu visit. Two weeks ago my sister helped me book tickets to visit my grandma and aunt, and it was even easier to surprise them since she was out there and could pick me up from the airport. The few friends and family I told kept it a secret, which can be hard now a days with facebook and what not.

We surprised my aunt and grandma on their Friday afternoon coffee run. After they came in and started ordering their drinks, I popped around the corner and surprised them. It was a very happy, uplifting moment!

We spent the weekend relaxing, partaking in some Halloween festivities, and having some great meals as a family!

These are the moments that make life exciting and I am so glad I took the time to book a flight, and head out of town, even if it was just for the weekend!

My brother is a freshman in college...

I was the first Bonnell kid to step foot on the campus of Concordia College as a college student. By sophomore year, there were two of us as my sister was starting her first year of college.

With two of the three Bonnell kids enrolled at Concordia, that meant lots of family trips up to visit.

About a month back, my friend Alyssa and I were reflecting on college life during a dinner out as both our siblings are freshman this year. We laughed about how much fun it was, and the silly things we did. I told Alyssa about the one family visit in particular where Kory and I snuck our brother into the dorms for a sleepover. Since Concordia is a strict school, no boys are allowed in the girls dorms after midnight, and vice versa. My sister and I had to get creative in order to pull it off!

We decided to load our bite size brother up into my roommates big suitcase and wheel him in....of course, to not look suspicious, we rolled the suitcase out earlier in the day. We just thought we had it all figured out! And of course, to make it more interesting, and to be super cautious, we loaded Mikey up in the suitcase in the parking lot, and rolled him the whole block back to the dorm.

When Alyssa and I talked about this a month ago, I wrote it down as a topic to blog about. I have been putting it off, trying to think of the best way to tell the story, but when my sophomore year roommate posted this picture on facebook today, I knew a visual would do it justice!

Bridal Shower Part 2: Games!

Last week I filled you all in on the food part of the bridal shower I hosted for my aunt...


http://proudlybrewed.blogspot.com/2011/08/shower-part-1-food.html

I really feel the food is the key ingredient to a rockstar shower, of any kind, but ALMOST as is important are the decorations and the games.

I like games played at shower's. I don't love them, but it can be a great way to pass some time and get everyone engaged. Plus, if you pick games where there are prizes involved, everyone really goes hog wild!

I decided on the ever so common and popular toilet paper bride. If you have never played or watched toilet paper bride....well...I don't think we can be friends anymore. Just kidding! Toilet paper bride is one of those games that starts out with everyone cringing and morphs into everyone laughing hysterically by the end of it. Simply put, break your party up into teams, separate them throughout the house, and give them 5 minutes to create a designer wedding gown out of toilet paper! Bring everyone back together, let the teams explain their design to the bride and then the bride can chose a winner. I like to provide the winning team with a small gift and what better than toiletries! The dollar travel section is a great place to get body wash, lotion, body spray, what have you.

This is my grandma's sister and her double cousin posing as brides (my mom snapped this photo!)

Next we played Bridal Bingo and the dice game. Bridal bingo is simple. You can either use templates printed off from online, or, you can print blank sheets, along with a list of words, and have everyone fill in their card prior to playing.

The simplest form of entertainment and time-wasting is the dice game. Sit your guests in a circle, pass around two trays with dice in them. When someone rolls a pair, they can grab a gift, but not unwrap it. After all the gifts have been spoken for, everyone unwraps their prizes. However, they don't get to keep them. The next round is 5 minutes long and when someone gets doubles, they can steal a prize from anyone. This part of the game can get a little wild!

I suggest having plenty of prizes on hand. Pick up item from the dollar section of the baking aisles. I grabbed cookie mixes, cake mix and frosting, lotion, notepads, recipe cards, pot holders, salad spoons, just a bunch of random items that women swoon over!

I prepped the prizes the night before, wrapping them in colorful bags which is super easy and fast. I suggest eliciting help! Here's a quick shot of my little helper!

Yep! That's Kea (aka. White One!). Did you see her amongst the gifts?!

Next week, or maybe later this week once I get caught up on homework, I will fill you in on the decorations and talk themes!

Wedding Shower and Graduation...oh my!

I will have a lot to recap, and I won't get it all in right now, but this past weekend was a blast!

On Saturday I hosted a bridal shower for Krisite! It went so well and everyone had a great time. When hosting a party, that is really what you want so I would say it was all around successful! I will provide more details later and fill you in on what I did!

Then yesterday we celebrate Mikey's graduation/leaving for college with a low key, family and friends party. It was relaxing and fun with some great summer time food!

This week will be busy with flag football starting and the continuation of school work...oh, and Mikey leaving on Wednesday for school :(

Speaking of school work, did I let you all know that my computer got a virus and crashed? And that I have no way to download the special software I bought for this really wonderfully fantastic statistics class I have to take...yeah, that's been a peach!

More to come later tonight!

No longer at a loss for words...

Loss is hard to stomach.

It is hard, painful, and just seems to stick around.

There is something that stings a bit more, especially when the individual is young. Especially when they had so much life to live.

I have known LeeAnn since 9th grade. She is my best friend, pretty much my twin. She is the girl who made her self at home the first time I brought her home. The girl who spent 4 nights a week at my house during high school, who would drive to school with me, share clothes with me, eat batches of puppy chow with me, buy groceries and pack cold lunches with me. The girl who is there, whenever, no matter the hour. The girl who shared her family with me, and I shared mine with her. The girl whose family is and always will be her everything.

LeeAnn lost her sister at the beginning of June. I lost a little girl who I had watched grow up. We lost a young, beautiful, insanely energetic Maddie.

Life has been different since her passing. I can be driving in the car, and my mind will wander for 20, 30 minutes. I will ponder what she was like, how lively and upbeat she was. I think about who she would have been, and where her life would have taken her. I hear certain songs on the radio, and they make my stomach turn. I find myself looking at facebook pictures and realize that 45 minutes has passed. I just get lost in the situation. I get caught up in her life.

I wish like nothing that we could rewind, that I could say something, that we could all have made her change her mind. I wish with everything inside of me that her life would not have ended. I wish I wouldn't have to watch my best friend and her family mourn. I wish I didn't have to watch her mom break down. I wish there were no memorial pictures on facebook, no picture montages online. I wish she was at home, with her family, right now, enjoying a warm August evening.

I wish the little girl who caught the bouquet at my wedding, was alive and well and thriving.
But since she is not, all I can do is pray with everything inside me that someday, her family won't hurt this bad. And I know it may come, but it sure is a rough journey.

The summer is hott...

For birthdays that is!

Seriously, when July hits, I make sure I buy a host of cards and put away a little extra money for treats and gifts!

NOT that treats and gifts are expected, but it is something I personally enjoy doing! So in true Adara fashion, I am late in recognizing, but no less appreciative of these people in my life and the special day they have celebrated in the last two months!

So a big happy birthday to...

My dad Chris
My father-in-law Denis
My brother Michael
My best friend Tonya
My best friend LeeAnn
My cousin Ryan
My sister-in-law Laine
My dog-in-law Fu
My mom Joni
My soon to be cousin Dawson
My best friend Laura (who celebrates her birthday today)

and I will round out my birthday wishes by getting a head start on wishing my Grandma Lainy an early Happy Birthday...she will be celebrating her day of birth on September 3rd!

If I missed anyone, I apologize...please let me know and also understand that keeping track of this many birthdays is fricken crazy! But also a blessing!

Happy Birthday Everyone!