Pumpkin Bars

I love a clean house!  Nothing feels better than when you are done giving everything a good scrub and it smells great and is all sparkly!

Fall is defiantly here in the North Country.  Cool sunny days and brisk nights.  I love fall.  It's is my favorite season.  The mums, pumpkins, apples, leaves, cider, and yummy comfort food.

Last night I made a pear and pork chop dish that was amazing.  I want to share the recipe once I tweak it a bit.  I also roasted a small sugar pumpkin and made pumpkin bars.  By small I mean small, I only got just over 2 cups of meat out of it.

Here is the recipe!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

(adapted from Eagle Brands Recipe)

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Rolled Oats

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

• 3/4 cup butter ( I thought this was WAY too much, next time I plan on using 1/2 cup

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin

• 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour,3/4 cup oats, nuts, sugars and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add butter, mix until crumbly with a pastry cutter. Reserve 1 1/4 cups of the mixture. Pat remaining mixture on bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice and salt; mix well. Pour evenly over crust. Mix reserved crumbs with 1 tablespoon flour. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm, very good with vanila ice cream and/or cool whip. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

exhausted

I'm exhausted tonight!  I have been really busy at work and am working extra hours since I took off last weekend for my weekend with P.  The money is great and I never mind having to put in extra hours if the payoff is time with P :)! 

I felt bad because I left work early today.  My stomach has been crazy for the past 4 months.  I couldn't eat all day and was in so much pain.  I keep blaming it on some on going stress.  I tried to lay down and relax when I got home, but I am so bad at that.  So I made:  roasted pumpkin for soup and freezing, pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, cranberry sauce, beer bread.  Lots of yummy food for the week.  Hopefully I get my appetite back and can eat some!

I am really excited to have my first ever Skye date tonight!  P got Internet and I have my new web cam.  I am a dork and am planning on fixing my make-up and hair before we start, hahaha!  I am really missing a lot this weekend.  I think because I keep thinking that a week ago we were together and it was so amazing!

Best Weekend Ever Recap

I'm home from Milwaukee...going back to reality this afternoon!  P and I had the best weekend ever.  Both of us felt like we couldn't have ask for anything more! 

 I was able to pull off my first surprise on Friday.  I picked him up at the airport!  I knew since Wednesday last week that I was going to be able to leave work early to get him rather than my mom's boyfriend.  It was so funny to see his face when I pulled up.  He just stared at the car confused until I got out and was waving.  I was so happy.  Even better we got a jump start on heading north.

Our hotel was beyond amazing.  It's on the list of historical hotels in the US.  The room was huge and the bed was like a big cloud.

Friday night we got a little dressed up and met his parents for dinner.  It was the first time I had met them and they were both so kind and welcoming.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and had some drinks, or rather WAY too many for me, talked and laughed.  Needless to say I felt like a big poop on Saturday.  We went to one of the places P really wanted to take me to for breakfast.  All I could manage to eat was dry toast and sprite...yeah like I said WAY to many drinks on Friday....

I was so lucky that P was so understanding that we scratched our plans for the afternoon and went back to the hotel so I could nap and feel better.  I am much a lucky girl :)!!  Saturday evening we went to a family birthday party with for one of P's cousins.  It was so funny when we pulled up I was getting out of the car taking my jacket off ( it was denim and I was wearing jean so I couldn't wear it together other than to keep warm in the car lol) and I saw through the picture window that nearly his WHOLE family was watching us!!!  I was instantly super duper nervous, P laughed it off and said they weren't watching( but later admitted they were lol) and I'd be fine.  I was fine because of course his family was awesome.  All the aunts, uncles, little cousins, and again his parents we all so friendly and welcoming.  It was also really amazing to see such a close family all together since I don't have much of one.  I really loved being there.

After the party we met 2 of this friends at a bar.  The funny thing everyone from his family and friends kept asking me was if I was a Bears or Packers fan and if I was from where P is currently living.  The team thing was really funny because I don't follow sports at all.

Out to Drinks with P's Friends

Sunday was amazing.  I was feeling 100% again!!  P really wanted to watch the Packer game Sunday night.  We had originally planned for that to be our "date night"  but I was totally open to just spending time during the day together and watching the game at night.  So we decided to get lunch and a movie.  The place we went to it now one of my new favorite restaurants.  It is a Dutch style place.  The one we went to is in a really cool hipster neighborhood.  The weather all weekend was AMAZING, nothing like normal October.  We were able to sit outside.  The best thing about lunch was we tried curry ketchup....it was soooooo good!!  Afterwords we went to P's favorite movie theater.  A 1920's movie place.  It is insanely cool and huge.  I loved it. 

That afternoon we took advantage of the nice weather and walked along the lake front.  We talked about how nice it is to be able to do normal couple stuff together all weekend.  Dinners, riding in the car, lazy afternoons, walking and holding hands.  I have a hard time relaxing at home and the whole weekend I was calm, relaxed, and incredibly happy.

Milwaukee's Lakefront

Monday was really nice to, but we both woke up knowing he was leaving and wishing he wasn't.  We first headed to my favorite coffee place in Milwaukee and had the best pumpkin spice lattes I have ever had, the Batista even made heart designs with the milk in them!  Then we had another relaxing afternoon of lunch (same place different location...yes the curry ketchup was THAT good) walking around and driving through a neighborhood we both love and pointing out houses to each other. 

On the drive back to Chicago my anxiety kicked in...  I hate having to leave him at the airport.  This time I cried as we hugged, I wanted to leave my car and jump on the plane with him.  I made it home ok, but once I got here I was hit with a huge case of I miss him.  The great thing is though 1 month from TODAY I will be visiting him :) YAY!!

This post is getting really really long....  We had a great trip and I am sure I'll add more as the week goes on.  I am looking forward to staying really busy at work this week, a busy mind is better. 

Thankful Thursday

• I am so thankful for this warm sunny Indian summer.  I love how the colorful leaves look bathed in the sunlight

• I am thankful that P was so wonderful last night when my stress reared it's ugly head, he let me talk to him about how I ACTUALLY feel.  I love that I can be so honest with him :)

• I am thankful that our wonderful weekend starts tomorrow!!  There is so much I am so excited for.... seeing him for the first time in two months, meeting his family and friends, just having a ton of fun together in general!  Plus some fun surprises!

• I am SO thankful I got my work blow dryer back today!!  I dropped it (our little secret) at work 2 weeks ago.  Luckily I buy dryers only from Solano and they have the most amazing custom service/repair policies!  They fixed up good as new plus it's clean :)!! One funny thing on the repair ticket under dryer condition one option is "full of hair" lol!  Luckily that was not check by them on mine.

• Again this week I am really thankful to my co-workers.  They all are so supportive and understanding that I don't get to see P often.  I have done hair for 6 years and NEVER had holiday time off.  We get blacked out from taking time off from November to the end of December.  They are letting me go see him the middle of November and have the Friday after Thanksgiving off! I am so so grateful and excited!

Fourty Eight

In less than 48 hours P and I will be in Wisconsin enjoying our mini vacation!  I am so excited!!  I had a bit of unrelated stress rise up in the past day, but knowing I am getting away so soon is helping me push it out of my mind.

The weather is so warm right now.  It's going to be warm and sunny all weekend.  Plus all the leaves are changing, soooo pretty.

I wish I had more to blog about....  I am just doing my last minute stuff like packing, painting my nails, and doing a face mask before I see the boyfriend :)

I can't wait to post about all the fun stuff we do and some photos.

October, Wonderful October

I have been waiting for this day for 30 days! 

Last night I was exhausted from a finally really busy day at work and from the emotions from the last week.  I went to bed really super early.  P called to say hi so I of course chatted with him.  It was wonderful.  We laughed and I felt so happy :)!  I thought I would catch up on some TV but ended up passing out again....12 hours later I woke up feeling fabulous, today feels like the fresh start I have been waiting for.  Happiness and joy are ahead :)

Today is such a gorgeous way to start October.  It's crisp, sunny, and I can see so many pretty colors from my view blogging at my mom's kitchen table.  The house is soooooo quite and peaceful.  I love quietness. 

My mom and Steve went to their second home for the night last night so there are four less dogs here today.  Violet is totally confessed.  She ran upstairs this morning (just like every morning) like a crazy beast looking for all the dogs to get them rilled up.  She ran to my mom's room, she ran around the family room, I shooed her out to the yard yelling after her "sorry ViVi the pups are not here"!  She keeps going in and out searching for them....

Today I have a fun day of shopping ahead.  I tried a bunch of outfits on last night for the evenings when P is home.  I need a few more things and another pair of jeans.  Then movies tonight with another friend!

It's Fine

Fall is here.  Burr!

It's cold, so super duper cold today.

 I had to wear a coat.

I want cider.

The leaves are changing.

I want my house to smell like pumpkin, spice, and everything nice.

I love fall, amen.

P and I were talking tonight again about his trip home. I want to be like enough talking already! Just get here!!!  He told his parents that he's coming in October and asked said he'd like to have them come to dinner with us.  I am really excited/nervous.  From what he said they also seem excited to meet me.  I am most nervous about what to wear to make the best impression.  I want it to be a great outfit, I have one in mind but I am afraid it may be too much.  I am going to need to break down and use a huge DSW gift card I've had from last Christmas and buy some awesome new brown boots! I am also thinking of baking something and wrapping it up for them.  I don't know if it's to over the top, but it's sorta who I am.  Just like I can't spell or use correct grammar I love to give too much to people :)

We were also talking about a new show, Whitney, coming out on NBC.  It looks so funny.  He was saying that he read an interview where she said how when women say "it's fine" it really means "I want to stab you".  I totally broke out laughing because of how true it is.  The past few weeks have been stressful (if you didn't know) and several times when I was annoyed with his responses I shoot out a "it's fine".  Now he knows the truth :).  Although I never wanted to stab him, a knock with a water bottle maybe.....lol


Just an FYI for everyone who uses glass storage containers instead of plastic they break in to itty bitty shards upon hitting tile floors.  I accidentally dropped a Pyrex container tonight and it literally broke into 1 gazillion pieces. What a mess!

Flat Lander

I am home from Florida.  The trip was not what I totally expected, needless to say I am so happy to be home.  I texted P when I landed that " I was never so happy to see cows, corn, and flat land". 

Before I left I really thought my life was changing but now it's gotten even more crazy.  I now need to find an apartment here is less than 20 days, 16 to be exact.  I am really over whelmed by this but I know that I have no choice but to find some where, at least now I am about 80 % packed and ready to roll.  P and I discussed me moving to his time zone but in the end it seems like it's best for me to stay here.  I know in my rational mind this is the best choice but my heart is sad because I know the long distance relationship will have to continue.  Over the past week he has truly shown me how amazing he is. I am placing all my trust in his judgement right now because I know he will do what is best for us.

People say it there is a reason for everything....  I know there is one for this month, I think I will go in to October knowing how strong I can be.  October is my reward still!!!! :)

On a happy note is seems like fall is really here, which means yummy pumpkin spice coffee!! YUM YUM!!!