1940's Radio Hour

So, the hubs is performing in a show this month. In fact, he just left to do his Christmas Eve matinee performance.  The show is 1940's RADIO HOUR.  I LOVE this show! It's very near and dear to my heart. 

I first saw the show in 1996 at a summer stock theatre.  It was cute, sweet and a great picture of the 1940's, which is one of my favorite times! The music and the clothes were awesome in the 40's. I fell in love with the show then, little did I know I would do the show 4 times and Drew would do it 5. 

Our first foray into the show was Nov/Dec 2002. He played Wally, delivery boy, and I played Ginger, the ditzy blonde.   It was our first Christmas as a married couple and just a great experience. We did it a theater in Macon, GA and Drew's dad was actually in the ensemble with us.  Just a great, fun and special show. 

Fast forward to 2005. We were in Michigan working and Drew had been cast down in Atlanta at Theatre in the Square in the show as Wally for the 24th anniversary of the show. He left MI early and started rehearsals.  I came down to ATL once our show in MI was over.  Well the closer they got to opening it became apparent the chica in the role of Ginger was going through something and needed to be replaced.  So 24 hours before they opened they called me into the role.  I rehearsed on Saturday and Sunday and went on Sunday night.  We ran the show All of Nov and Dec.  It was a crazy, fun, beautiful experience.  We made some great friends and had a blast.  The Theatre asked us back the following year, 2006, for the 25th and final year. It again was a great experience and special to do the show again.

                                                                       Ginger 2006

The following year, 2007, another theater in ATL was doing the show and cast Drew as BJ and me as Connie.  They are the late teenagers on the radio show who are in love with each other.  He played an older role and I played a younger role.  It was fun to play opposite of each other, which doesn't happen a lot.  Not really my favorite version of the show, but it was a fun cast : ).
                                                                  Connie and BJ 2007

So here we are in 2011, back in Atlanta, and Theatre in the Square has revived the show for their 30th season.  And Drew is back as Wally, the 16 yr old delivery boy.  I had the opportunity to see him last Sunday.  I love watching my husband perform...it's one of those "makes me fall in love even more with him moments". He looks just as young as he did 5 years ago.  Love getting to see him perform and great to actually see the show again! If you ever get a chance to see this show..do it! You won't be sorry.
                                                        Ginger and Ann 2007

                                                          Wally and Ann-2007

WOWSER!!

December has totally kicked my bootie.  I'm so behind in my reading and writing.  Sorry guys!! Some of the reasons I've not been able to write.

1. Our home laptop hit a bad wall right after Thanksgiving....like almost died and the hamsters inside were running REALLy slow.  It was torture to use it.

2. Dec is crazy at work.  Lots of final class performances, holiday camps and planning for next spring and Yes, summer camps.

3. The hubs has been in rehearsal for his Christmas show which opens this Sat...So excited to see him. Will post more on this soon. (it actually opened Dec 17)

4. I've been working on Christmas projects/presents...and it's sucking every minute of free time.  I'm kind of honestly tire of doing them, but very close to the end!

I actually started this post on Dec 14 and am just now finishing it.  I will post it and attempt to truly write again soon.  Hope everyone is having great Holidays!

Friday Five-Favorite Christmas Movies

This is seriously my favorite time of year.  And nothing says Christmas better then a CHRISTMAS movie.  I am seriously obsessed : ). One year I complained that there were  no good movies on tv that year...the next year for my birthday the hubs got me all Christmas movies :). It's  really hard to pick but here are of my faves.

1. White Christmas-Well, duh, of course a holiday musical is going to make my list.   I love all of the classic songs, the great story and the cast! I could watch this over and over again. "Sisters...Sisters...there were never such devoted sisters :)"

2. Muppets Christmas Carol- Classic story w/ a great cast.  Love me some muppets (which by the way you need to see the new movie...superb)! There are some silly songs in this too and the muppet banter always makes me laugh.

3.Home Alone-I know this makes me a big goob, but I love the original movie.  It has great Christmas music and a fun plot.  Drew and I also quote this one...I know, we are dorks!

4. Scrooged-A great mixed up version of A Christmas Carol from the 80s w/ Bill Murray.  Carol Kane as the ghost of Christmas Past is Hi-larious!

5. Elf-This is probably my favorite Christmas flick. Some of my favorite lines come from this and Drew and I quote them year round.  Will Ferrell is great as Buddy the Elf and Zoey Deschanel is great side kick. Love seeing NYC at Christmastime in this too.


Runner ups: Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, Holiday Inn, Love Actually, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle of 34th St (original), It's a Wonderful Life

Drew's Faves: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Gremlins(i don't count this one...but he does...lol).

Happy Thanksgiving My friends

On this great day of family, food and gratitude I will share 5 more things I am thankful for.  I hope you have all had a blessed day and were with your loved ones or got to talk to them. 

1. Wonderful cooks-I've been blessed w/ 3 fabu moms (Mom, Mama Deb and mom in law Iris) who are all great cooks. They each do things a little different and it's all special and yummy!  I am thankful for the love of cooking  and skills they gave me.

2. Crafts-I really enjoy making things for people and it's been great to find new ideas (thx pinterest) for Christmas.  I've been a crafting fool and it's perfect during football season!!

3. Travel-I am grateful for the experiences Drew and I have had and love for adventure we share.  I look forward to the new experiences we have ahead.

4. Blogs-I have upped my blogging this year and it's been a good time.  I've made some new interwebs friends, learned a lot, found some great recipes and seen some great pics.  I'm grateful for the memories preserved.

5. My marriage-I've said how thankful for my husband but I am forever grateful for this relationship.  We have forged ahead  in this journey together through good times and bad, learned and grew, laughed and cried, hugged and loved.  This relationship is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  I am thankful for this union : ).

Hammer Time

As you might be able to tell from other posts we are doing some minor changes in the house.  Painting, installing new doors, updating here and there etc.  Well...our house looks and feels like a mess right now b/c we, like big ole goobers, started 3 or 4 projects all at once.  This past Friday the hubs got a little hammer happy.  The story goes a little something like this.  Warning there is a TMI in this story.

I drove to Augusta (about 2 1/2-3 hours away) to pick up my niece, Chelsea, for my sis-in-law, Lynn.  The plan was that I would grab Drew  once we got back to ATL and we all would meet Lynn and my bro for dinner.  I called him about 20 min away and told him we were near and he sounded a little funny. He called 5  min later to tell me that we had a slight problem and that he'd accidentally hit a pipe and had to fix it.  See, we are restoring our guest bathroom (new vanity, tile, and putting in new sheetrock).  Well, he decided that Friday night, right before dinner, was the time to take out the old sheetrock. He was being careful...but hammer time got a little too exciting...and he hit a pipe...and it broke.  wanh wanh!

Long story short...he worked on it until 12:30-1am and couldn't fix it b/c he needed a part from Home Depot. So we went to bed w/ no water in the house. And the tmi here is that the dinner I had was great going down...but not so much later that evening. SO plumbing problems were abound in our house! And I teach on Saturday mornings....and we had no water....hmmm.  When he finally gave up on the plumping that night/early morning he told me he'd wake up at 7 and turn on the water so I could brush my teeth/wash my face before classs. 

Fast forward to 5am...my adorable cats decided to find a bag of catnip and play with it...under our bed...for 2 hours...I was so mad.  Sat morning mommy was a major cranky pants!  No shower and no sleep...at least my hubs did make coffee when he turned the water on.  The other good news is that I got a text about 10am that he was able to fix it after he got the part at Home depot.  YAY! The hubs made a boo-boo but at least he figured out how to fix it. I got a shower after class and our cats were in a fog all day and covered in catnip. Drew offered them some cheetos ;)

Oh what a night!  Thanks for letting me share.

Things I'm Thankful for part 3

Hi Folks, here are my Tues and Wed thankful additions.

1. Music-I will always be grateful for music.  It stirs my soul and constantly makes me happy.  I love all types of music and my memories always have a song or type of music tied into them.  I am thankful for those musicians who didn't give up their piano/music lessons as kids! Keep rocking out you music makers!

2. Brance/David/Justin-these 3 guys are super special friends to us both.  They were a big part of our college and NYC adventures.  They all are uber talented, God-loving, southern bred, hilarious guys who love us unconditionally.  They are all going to be on Broadway one day...so watch out!! We are so proud to have our Sunnyside/Astoria buds in our life. Our kids are going to have great uncles : ).

3. Christy/Denise-I don't have many close friends in atl...but these two girls are very special to me.  I feel like I'm repeating what I just said about the boys, but they are both super talented, loving, caring and hilarious!  I am thankful for more time with them in the ATL.

4. Theatre-this crazy career we both have has brought us so many friends and family.  I am thankful for the amazing people we've met on this journey, the shows and theatres that brought us together, the talent that taught me, and the art we created together.

5. Books-I love to read and am so thankful for imaginations and life stories that take me on adventures. A good book and r & r make for one happy Lins.

6. The essentials-I just feel so blessed to have a roof over my head that has running water and heat/ac, clothes on my back and food in my belly.  Not everyone has those things...and I don't want to take them for granted.

7. The Journeys-I am thankful that God has allowed me the opportunity to see my loved ones through some of life's ups and downs.  These times stunk going through them...but the other side is a beautiful picture!

8. Family time-Being w/ our family makes me so happy.  The memories made on each visit are special and I pray I always remember these times.  The food, games, travel, holidays...it's just all plain special.

9. Washer/Dryer-I have lived without them and I LOVE having one in our house and not having to scrounge for quarters : )

10. Musicals-If my life were a musical and everyone sang and danced all of the time I would be one happy camper.  Bursting out in song is an everyday event for me and I love watching musicals on tv or live where people do this ALL of the time.  Again...thanks all of you talented folks for creating!

What I'm Thankful For...continued

This weekend has been nuts.  Here are my 5 Sat, 5 Sunday  and 5 Monday thankful statements.

1. Forgiveness-This sounds so silly...but I am thankful that I can ask for it when I make a mistake...and thankful I can give it to someone in return.  I am human...and make LOTS of mistakes...ha!  Appreciate the chance to right my wrongs.

2. Coffee- This wonderful beverage from a magical bean has taken over a special place in my life.  NYC made it an everyday desire...I've given it up for Lent...but it's back in my life.

3.  My HS BF Brandy-Brandy is a wonderful friend who has been in my life since 1992.  We've been through silly hormonal teenage times, college disasters, summer love, worked together, been through weddings and babies together.  Love her dearly and constantly reminded of her amazing presence in my life.

4. My college gals-Amy, Maggie, Kate, Andrea and Angie.  These girls are my life and I am so thankful for them during the good times, the crazy times and SO glad we can all support during the rough times.  I am thankful for our sisterhood of the travelling journal...now where is that thing?

5. Being in Atlanta-I am learning to love being back.  We are getting into a groove and it's nice.  I appreciate a lot that I've forgotten about.

6.  Publix/Trader Joe's/Target-I love a good grocery store...I'm a big snob when it comes to my groceries.  It's really nice having a plethora of options in the city.

7.  A church-It's nice to finally feel like we have found the place we are supposed to worship. It's a HUGE part of our life and it's been refreshing to feel peace about this now.

8.  My health-I'm very thankful that I'm pretty much a healthy person. I appreciate that I love veggies and try to eat well (most of the time) and attempt to work out. 

9. Future babies-I am thankful that our day is coming when we will add to our brood.

10.  New babies-All of the new kiddos in my friends lives this year are amazing little miracles and so glad I've been able to share in the happiness.

11.  Cheese-I am thankful for this goodness that makes me have to work-out more!

12. Bonding time-hubs and I have had a great amount of fall bonding time...and it's been a blessing.

13.  Litter boxes-I am thankful that Artie and Harpo like using them in Atl.  Wasn't always the case in NYC and Charleston.  Also thankful my husband cleans them for me!!

14.  Running water-after the weekend we had (post to come soon) I am thankful we have running water again!

15. Pumpkin-I am thankful a simple pleasure brings me so much happiness.

Friday Five- What I'm Thankful for

I've not been blogging this week due to this week being NUTSO.  Also, my heart has been heavy w/ the loss of a friend and some other things I will share in a later post.  I have been pondering all the things that make me thankful...and I could go on and on with this list...and maybe I will add some each day until Thanksgiving day.  So here are five of the things I'm thankful for, in no particular order. 

1. My Hubs-  I'm thankful for a best friend who loves me inside and out, with the good, bad, and ugly.  He has helped me to grow and change in so many ways.  He puts up w/ all of my weird quirks, my silly made up songs that I sing at the top of my lungs at random times, my love for bad (and awesome) tv, my love of cheese and Ricky Martin.  He knows when to offer an ear, hug, or go the extra mile.  His relationship and love for Christ is awe-inspiring and drew me to him in college.  He is a kind, funny, loving, hottie hubs and he is going to make a fantastic father one day.

2. My family- I have been blessed w/ a great, wonderful, large, wild, yours,mine and ours family.  God blessed me w/ a wonderful Mom and Dad and a special Mama Deb too.  I was blessed w/ half and step brothers and sisters who I love dearly.  My aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas, and cousins have all been a special part of my life.  If that wasn't enough, I was blessed w/ the BEST in-law family.  My extra mom, dad, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and always welcomed and loved on me from day 1. I seriously love EVERY single member of my family!! I do have to say the nieces and nephews have been the best icing on the cake!!
                                                         My Dad and Mama Deb

                                                        Drew's folks visiting us in NYC

My sis and Mom

Drew's siblings and spouses

3. My Faith-I am so thankful for a relationship with an Amazing Lord who continues to love me and teach me daily.  I am grateful that I can pray daily, as many times as I want, and I live in a place that my religious beliefs are not dictated by a government.  I am thankful when I feel down or low that there is always a peace that passes all understanding.  In times of death and unanswered questions...I am even more thankful for a relationship with my Savior that allows me comfort. I am thankful today for Grace and mercy!

4. My Furbabies-My annoying, meowing, loving, carpet scratching, cuddling furballs bring me so much happiness. They give me much joy and laughter.  I am thankful for these little cats and their distinctive personalities and quirks.  I am also thankful that they are rescue kitties...and we were able to give them a home.

These first and last pic is Harpo and the middle one is Artie.  Love her passed out look w/  her tongue hanging out.

5. My Job-I love teaching kiddos and the fact that I get to teach musical theatre, dance and acting gives me so much joy.  There are days that I want to pull my hair out and days when my heartstrings are tugged on so greatly.  I always love to be able to challenge the older kids and see them get it.  I love the looks on the 2 and 3 yr old faces when they get to put on a costume and be a princess or ballerina.  I am especially thankful that as I patiently wait for the day I can be a mommy, that I am surrounded w/ loving kiddos! 

Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup

Ok, this recipe seriously rocked!! Day 2 was even better.

Recipe is courtesy of Real Simple

1 tbls EVOO
1 onion chopped
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (4cups-ish)
1 tbls fresh thyme (I used dry b/c I forgot to buy fresh)
salt and pepper
2 15oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed (I didn't rinse mine)
1 bunch of spinach (4 cups)

Heat oil in pot over med-high heat and add onion and cook. I also added garlic.  Stir often until soft, 5 to 6 min. Add tomatoes (i had fire roasted toms) and add their juices and cook for 3 min.

Stir in squash, thyme, 5 cups of water (i did 1/2 chicken stock and 1/2 water), 1 1/2 ts salt and 1/4 ts of pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 15 min.  Stir in beans and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted and beans are heated (2 to 3 mins).

We had multigrain (trader joes mix) biscuits w/ it and was a hit. The hubs was a fan.  This is a keeper in the Archer casa. Enjoy!!

Friday Five-What I love about Fall

We are seriously in my favorite season right now. I know we've been it in for a while but I've just been basking in the glow of it : ).  I love it for many reasons.

1.  The Fall Foliage-My husband might disagree b/c he is the one who rakes the yard but I love all of the leaves.  I forgot how beautiful the trees in our yard are. Also, driving around ATL I've seeing some really pretty fall scenes.  I get to take a lot of back roads to work on Thursdays and there are some gorgeous views on my way there.  We've travelled a lot and I've been able to see fall in other places in the US.  Michigan by far had the most beautiful fall. It surprised me how gorgeous their trees were. 

 

2. Pumpkin everything-I am sure I drive you nuts w/ my love for pumpkin but it makes me happy. I love the decorations, the coffees, the breads, the schmears, the actual fruits (or is it a veggie?), everything!!!
                                                   

3.  Soups-I love the chill in the air b/c I can start experimenting w/ new soup recipes.  It's always fun to try new ones or make the tried and true recipes we love.  We made a new butternut squash and white bean soup last night that was a winner. I will share recipe later today.  Riddle me this....why does soup always taste better the next day. There is a restaurant in Vinings (cute part of atl) that serves all of their soups a day old b/c they are always better once everything melds.

4. Fireplaces-I was at my brother's house a couple of weeks ago and they had the fireplace going...it was So nice and cozy.  I almost dozed off in the chair I was in, now that would have been embarrassing...what am I 80?  Anyway, we have one in our house and I am inspired to start using...of course we have no furniture in the room that it's in but we will have a picnic one night and enjoy our open room w/ the fireplace...ha!

5.  Good tv-all the good tv comes back. We watch way too many shows but I don't care.  It's research for our craft...yeah, that's right ;). This season we are watching How I Met Your Mother, Chuck, Dexter, Community, Modern Family, Up all Night, Parks and Rec, Office and I am sure there is something else I'm missing. I am really ready for 30 rock to come back. 

Do you like Fall? What do you like about it?

Don't forget to link up your FF w/ Kat from Living Like the Kings.  She has a great one today about Thankfulness!

Not so Deep thoughts-2nd week of Nov

Here's what is going on in my life and crazy head this week...

1. Had a really rough teaching experience today.  I mean like almost in tears and even the moms felt bad for me.  I KNOW my text class will be better bc it can only go up!

2.  If you remember my post about craigslist you will know we are fans.  My hubs (and his amazing craigslist searching skills) has nabbed us a vanity for our guest bathroom for uber cheap and it looks nice...score for the Hubs!
3. We painted our guest bedroom over the weekend...and I'm still in love with the color...good thing, right?

4.  I am making a new soup from a real simple recipe tonight. It it's good I will share.

5.  I am going to a baby shower this weekend for my good friend Jenn. She and her hubby adopted a little girl from China.  Jenn and I met in 2006 when we started teaching together and they were starting the process then.  They just got her in October.  I've already met her and she is such a sweetie.  They named her Sarah Grace and she is getting lots of loving from her brothers Andrew-2 and Joshua-What a blessing!!

6. The cinnamon broom in our house is rocking my world.  I don't know why I resisted getting one all of these years.
7. Running a business is really hard work...I am thankful for a great boss and a loving husband.

8.  The weather has been in the 70's this week and today it got colder...I'm ok with that.

9. The hubs and his buddy Tim are going to install some french doors in our den.  Say prayers for them!  I'm excited to see how it looks when they are done.

10. Tomorrow is going to be a very hard day for my sister for various reasons that I won't share on the interwebs.  Please keep her in your prayers!

11. I have no motivation to go to the gym lately...I desperately need to find it. 
12. My roller skates came in last Friday! I'm ready to rock and ROLL ;)

I heart my Furbabies

I just got home from work and jumped on the computer to do a couple of work related things and my boy Harpo jumped into my lap for some loving. I decided to capture our time with this really awesome shot!

                                                                Another winner!

                                                                He's winking at you guys ;)

I decided I'd go find his sister, Artie.  She was sleeping on our bed. She was not happy with me for waking her up or really not into the photo shoot I wanted to do.

                                                    She wouldn't even look me in the eye.

                                She started to take a bath to ignore me some more...thanks Artie!

                                                           She looks like a little bear

                           Something disturbed her bath. It was her brother Harpo joining us.

She went right back to sleep.

 Harpo was just confused at why I was taking pics.  My brother and friend Brance think that the Dragon from "How to Train a Dragon" looks like Harpo....what do you think?

                                                             I love my furbabies!!

Yay for Friends!

The past two weekends have been just awesome.  Interaction w/ fellow Atlantans has been great : ).  On Friday my gal Brandy came to visit w/ her daughter Lynsey. 

Brandy and I have been friends since 1992 and have been inseparable since then. We got to visit and all went to lunch together.  Lynsey is almost 11 months old an incredibly adorable.

She is the happiest baby and I was so thankful for this special visit with them.

Friday night we had our dinner w/ church peeps and it was super yum.  The chili was seriously ah-mazing and the fellowship was great.  Saturday I taught and had a great trip to Trader Joes.  I finally got a cinnamon broom and let me tell you our place smells GREAT! Then I hosted a mini craft afternoon w/ a couple of friends.  Nothing like girl talk and crafts...lol.  Saturday evening we joined our friends Tim and Denise for dinner.  After dinner we hit this brewery with great views of the city.  I of course forgot to take pics of the views but I will say that it was a great reminder of another reason why I love living here.  I did manage to get pictures of everyone w/ their funky brews.

                                          Tim got a brew called Thor.  It made him strong : )

                                      Denise got a Manhattan w/ an aged, oak barrelled bourbon.

                                                    The hubs got an oktoberfest brew.

 This pic quality stinks but you can see that I got the shaft w/ my drink. Just kidding, I sampled a pumpkin beer that was awful and then got a saison beer that was great.

This was called 5 seasons brewery and I highly recommend.  Their menu looked great and it was all organic and local stuff (we had eaten at another good place called Six feet Under beforehand).

Sunday we had a great church service, I made us blueberry chicken sausage and french toast and then we did house stuff.  We finally chose some colors and we painted our guest bedroom a pretty, lavenderish gray.  I will take a picture soon.  I am really happy with the color, as is the hubs.

Today I got to meet up w/ another BFF, Andrea, for coffee and window shopping.  We had a great time visiting each other and catching up. We did deal w/ one of those pesky mall mart vendors...he was very rude but we didn't let it ruin our fun!!  Andrea and I are buds from college and she and her hubs and their adorable son live in the ATL area.  If you know something about ATL is that the 'burbs are huge.  We are about 40 min apart which is not terrible, but we definitely aren't able to get together as much as we like.  It was a great treat : ) An interesting fact about Andrea is she is a runner and doing a BIG one Thanksgiving...whoo hoo Andie!

                                     We probably should have taken this turned around...oh well!

Tonight I am heading to an Arbonne party.  Have you ever used their products?  I haven't but am interested to learn more.  Will let you know if I find any interesting products.  Hope you guys have a great week!

Friday Five-Actresses I adore

First I want to say that I am a BIG dork and just found my drafts that I had been loosing...there were 15 in there...ughh...I need a computer brain! Also, I started this on Friday and then ran out of time. So we will pretend I posted this on Friday : )

My Friday Five is in honor of living actresses I adore.  There are definitely others I like but these ladies were on my mind today.     

1. Kerry Butler-She is mostly a theatre actress but has had some guest appearances on tv shows such as 30 Rock and Lipstick Jungle.  I got the opportunity to see her in XANADU back in 2007 and she was phenomenal.  She has also been in Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, currently in Catch Me if You Can as well as lots of other shows.  Her hubby is a puppeteer for Sesame Street and they adopted a baby from Africa several years ago. She is UBER talented and just great to watch and listen to. 

2. Reese Witherspoon-I first fell in love with her back in the early ninties w/ such movies as The Man on the Moon and Wallflower.  She was just adorable and a great actress.  She quickly grew into one of my favorites with such classics like Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama.  Also, the fact that she did her own singing in Walk the Line definitely gained her some points in my book. I think the fact that she was a southern actress who seems pretty down to earth always made her endearing to me.  She also lived on Sullivans Island (Charleston) for a while so I think she has good taste in southern, coastal towns : ).

3. Keri Russell-Of course I loved her on Felicity and even the MMC, but the movie Waitress really sealed the deal for me.  She is brilliant in the movie! She also seems to not get wrapped up in the whole Hollywood thing. I can respect an actress who does her job and stays LOW on the drama!

                                                      

4. Bebe Neuwirth-Another multi-talented actress who I first knew as Frasier's ex-wife on the tv show Cheers.  Once I realized she did theatre I fell in love with her. She has also been in some of my favorites shows (Damn Yankees and Chicago).  She is an amazing dancer and a great singer.  You might recognize her from How to Lose a Guy in 10 days!

                                                       

5. Lauren Graham-I of course know her originally from Gilmore Girls but she is also on Parenthood and has done several movies.  Have you ever seen her in an interview? She is hilarious and quirky! I also give her props for doing theatre too, even though she got panned in Guys and Dolls I still support her.  I adore her and would love to work with her one day!

                                                 

Apple Betty recipe

On Sunday I showed you my plan for the day in pics.  The day was a success. 

The chili hit the spot.

 The cornbread wasn't bad either.

My crafts are turning out pretty cute (one is a semi bust but still working on it) but you have to wait for pics on those.  I couldn't decide what to watch out of my dvds so I decided a little Ally McBeal on netflix would fit into my plan perfectly.

The icing on the cake was dessert.  APPLE BETTY...my stepmom, Mama Deb, used to make this all of the time when I was a kid and I LOVED it.  I decided w/ our apples from our recent trip I would make some.  The recipe was easy and simple and the Drewster was pretty happy too.

Apple Betty
2 cups of apples chopped (I used 3 apples so probably close to 3 cups)
1/2 c. sugar (I used a 1/3 or 1/4 a cup, can't remember but it was just right for us)
1 tsp. cinnamon ( I threw a little extra in and added 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg)
3/4 c. quick cooking oatmeal
3/4 c. self-rising flour (I also used a healthier flour)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. melted butter

Mix apples, sugar and cinnamon and place in a greased 9x9 inch casserole dish.

 

 Combine oats, flour, brown sugar and butter.

                                     

  Crumble over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Voila! A warm, easy success on a cold night.

 

.

October flashback in pics

I never got a chance to blog about these little adventures and share many pics from October.

We headed up to the Apple Festival in Ellijay, GA in the middle of Oct with my brother and sis in law.  It was a great day adventure full of food, family, trashy crafts, some neat crafts and lots of apples. 
Our first stop at the festival, after the long trip in the car, were these classy bathrooms :(.  It was awful but when you gotta go, you gotta go.

After our pit stop we started looking at the sights. We were very disturbed by these dolls.

 And confused!!

The German dude was a bit random too.

I got oddly excited about the pony rides...I didn't go on one.

After we shopped a little, I got a neat pottery spoonrest for the kitchen and cool bird feeder for my mama Deb, we decided to eat some treats.

We waited in line for these apple dumplings and let me tell you is was SO good. In fact it was so good I couldn't take a picture...hubs and I inhaled ours.  We also got a bag of granny smith apples to take home. SO good!! After the Apple Festival we headed to Woodstock to have some tacos in honor of Drew's birthday.  I didn't get pics of those either but they were good.

Several days later we headed down to Decatur to celebrate Drew's birthday with our friends Denise and Tim. We went to a really cool restaurant called Leon's.  Jonah Hill happened to be dining there while we were. He totally wanted to be a part of our group : ). Denise wanted to surprise Drew with a dessert...she got him this AWESOME treat of bacon w/ a side of peanut butter. Sound weird? It was AMAZING. Seriously, the best bacon I've ever had and the PB was natural and yummo.

Drew's Birthday Bacon

He's so happy : )



                                                    Our buds, Tim and Denise

Several days later my mother in law was in town on her way to TN and she brought me a birthday pie.  It was SO good...we didn't have any candles.  Tea light anyone?