It's Here

The day I've been dreaming of for eleven years is finally here. I'm off to brunch with some of my favorite people and then off to the chapel to marry my one true love...

Return of the Pancake Maker

I don't even touch the griddle.



Chocolate chips for the little ones...



As Max said "shockiyat ships. yummy yummy!"

Bedtime Stories

Grandpa's Pie

The real whipped cream beater lickers:



My co-captain in strawberry pie making:

Twisted Oreos

Boppy bought Oreo Fun Stix for certain little people in the house. I thought they sounded neat, until I realized the power they held. Evie drank her milk in less than 30 seconds I swear!





Everybody tried them...

New in Town

We've got house guests...and they barely bothered to say "Hi!" before jumping in the pool! I think they're using us for the pool...ha ha ha...

The Bee King

What we're up to...

With visitors on the way starting tomorrow Nathan and I have made ourselves in charge of desserts. We decided to make Jenny's FAMOUS brownies. The first time I had one I knew I had to be friends with her...to get the recipe of course!



Nathan's mom let her kiddos eat brownie and cookie batter. My mom was strictly against that because of the raw eggs. I still can't get used to seeing him eat it without fussing at him not to. Old habits die hard.



The ultra secret ingredient!



Now while they bake we're watching our first Netflix video ever (thanks to the Gaucher's giving Nathan such a great "man gift"). Oh how we love our Big Love!

WWW

Sorry for being away so long...but I promise I absolutely HAVE been keeping up with Weight Watchers during our packing, traveling, unpacking and more traveling. I stepped on the scale Tuesday morning with the thought "It's okay. You've been so busy. No matter what the scale says, you won't stay that big forever. You will lose that weight once things settle down." I mean, seriously, I was trying to pump myself up so that I didn't have a total meltdown. The result? I'm down 2.5 pounds. What? I was so surprised, I mean SHOCKED that I hadn't gained. I was expecting to be up at least five pounds between struggling with points and not having a gym membership right now. So now I'm down a crazy 23.5 pounds with about ten more to go until I'm satisfied with "the number" that I am.

So...on to the good stuff!

If you have a craving for ice cream but don't want to splurge too much check out your local Mickie D's. We love to hit them up for 99 cent vanilla cones. They taste delicious and are only 2 points! What a sweet way to end your day!

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but this is the only cookbook that I use now. Between this and recipes from a few WW blogger recipe sites it's all we need!

Here is a delicious soup recipe that we really enjoy from the New Complete Cookbook!

Corn and Bacon Chowder
makes 4 servings

2 slices turkey bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 T plus 2 tsps water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups whole corn kernels
1/4 cup light cream

1. In a medium nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon in 2 tablespoons of water until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel; discard the liquid.

2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and 2 teaspoons of water to the saucepan; saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the corn; simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.

3. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a food processor or blender; puree. (We use our Magic Bullet!) Pour back into the saucepan; stir in the cream and heat to serving temperature. Serve, topped with the bacon pieces.

Per serving (1/4 of soup) 209 Calories; 8g Fat; 4g Fiber; 6g Protein

First Dip of Summer

It was a surprise jump...and cold...but apparently it was worth it.





Just hanging around and drying off...

Pit Stop

What could be better than a Pit Stop at McDonald's for a $1 Diet Coke and a 49 cent vanilla cone (that's only 2 points!)???



Who's excited?



We are!



Gotta love road tripping...

Isn't she lovely?

This is my beautiful Grandma a.k.a. our race weekend hostess. She's a wonderful woman...just wonderful...

Love you Grandma...thanks again for a wonderful weekend!

The Bea

Because we drove up on Friday we had all day Saturday to hang out with my family. If you know me, I mean really really know me, then you know just how exciting that is for me. I just LOVE family time. :)

We were sooo lucky to have my Grandma, Collie, Em and Maggie Bea as our lunch AND dinner dates! Grandma made her FAMOUS (to me) egg salad for lunch and a carbo-loaded casserole for dinner to beef Nathan up for his race the next morning!

How adorable is this little girl??



Em is so darling with her...



Em made this bag for Maggie Bea because she loves "collecting" things and carrying them around. We all laughed about how children like gifts but not as much as the boxes they come in.



Collie and MB having deep discussions about Elmo. Why do all children love Elmo?



Most entertaining toy of all? The diaper baggie roll. It's like our poopbag roll for Sampson, except it's for babies dirty diapers. Maggie Bea loved playing with it...



Nate loved Maggie Bea's belly...so round and squishable!



Peek-a-boo!



Dinnertime with our entertainment for the evening!



Grandma's house looks the Pottery Barn. It's amazing. She has such great taste and style. And a majority of the items are family heirlooms...the clock, the lamp, the birds, the cream and sugar...so neat!

Race Day

Nathan's marathon began on Saturday when my Aunt Collie graciously drove us on "the route" for the next morning. Before we started the route we all ran into the Lambeau Atrium so Nate could pick up his raceday packet and t-shirt. Then we ventured along the 26.2 miles that he'd be running the next day. I was wiped when we got home, and I was just riding in the back seat the whole time!



On Sunday morning Grandma dropped us off at Lambeau Field bright and early (6:30 am) so Nate could warm up (in the 30 degree weather!) and get lined up for the race. At 7:30 he was lined up and off...with the goal of finishing under 4 hours.







I met Nathan 5 miles in and was able to grab this quick shot of him as he ran by.



He signed me up for text and email alerts early on in the process so I was able to track him throughout the race. I walked back to Lambeau where my Grandma picked me up and we headed back home to meet Bev and Nathan's Grandma who had driven in that morning to see him run. After some quick conversation we all drove to two more spots to see him on his course.



Then Grandma led us back to the stadium so we could see Nate run through the field and then the finish line.









Finish time???

3 hours 59 minutes and 6 seconds

That's right...54 seconds under his goal time!



Way to go Nathan!!!!