Fall Favorites: Food and Drink

Happy Monday!  Back to blogging today to link up with The Blended Blog!  On tap for today is Favorite  Fall Food and Drinks.  Mine??????

Pumpkin Ale....THE END!

Pretty much in all seriousness, pumpkin ale is it for me.  I've never been a pumpkin spice latte girl!  When the air turns crisp and it's time for Fall, there's nothing better than a Pumpkin Ale, on Sunday Funday watching the game, or any day in between really.  And even though I have my faves,  my quest to try every pumpkin ale is ON!!

Another fun drink I love but don't indulge in nearly as much is a Pumpkin Martini.  I have these with my mom on Thanksgiving...and maybe while she's putting up my Christmas tree for me we drink them together.


Being the "drinks" girl of The Blended Blog....not to be confused for the "drunk" girl of TBB, I actually posted some of my favorite fall drink recipes over there this time last year!!  You can find them here!

Oh wait...I got carried away with the drinks!  I forgot I was supposed to talk about food too!! 

Hmmmm....Favorite Fall Foods!
Once the cold weather hits, I really like to make chili in the crockpot. That really screams Fall to me.  The crockpot is a staple in my  kitchen in the fall!

And for dessert, it's gotta be pumpkin pie!!

What are some of your favorite Fall treats?  Let me know in the comments below!  And head on over to The Blended Blog to link up with us today!


And get set to link up with us next week...when we give a sneak peek inside our homes to see how they're decked out for the Fall!

TBB Asks: Fall Edition!

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a die hard summer girl.  But once I'm back in my routine and back to work...I'm all "Bring on Fall!"  I'm really excited that it's finally starting to feel like Fall in my neck of the woods.  I am so ready for skinny jeans,  riding boots, and scarves.

That's why I'm really excited for today's edition of TBB Asks!  It's really helping me get Fall ready!  YAY October!!

1- Favorite Fall Sweet Treat: Does A Pumpkin Martini count??

Get the recipe here!

2- I like apples!  But I honestly don't think I've ever eaten a yellow apple!  Red and green though?  YUM!!

3- Favorite Fall Sport to Play?  Hahahahaha  I don't play sports but I Love watching football on TV!

4- Best drink for Fall: Pumpkin Ale hands down!!

5- Favorite Fall Activity My town's Chili and Chowder Festival!

6- Must Have Fall Purchase  Hmmm...I don't think I have one!!  Maybe a blanket scarf!?!?  or Military Jacket (but I have multiple of both of those!

7- Pumpkins-Pick your own or store bought?  One of these days I'll get back to the pumpkin farm!

8- Real or Fake Pumpkin?  Both!

9- Favorite Halloween Costume- My go-to is a Country Girl!  Easy Peasy!

10- College Football or NFL? Love Notre Dame and watching football on Sundays so I guess I'll say both!  But football is so stressful!!

11- Fall or Halloween Decor?  I definitely have more Fall decor!

12- No leaves to rake!  YAY!!  

13- Favorite Soup?  Love me some chili in the fall!!  (in the crockpot!)

14- Favorite Fall Candle Scent: Autumn Wreath by Yankee Candle.  Love putting Fall scents in my diffuser too!

15-  I'm a fan of Pumpkin Spice!

16- Booties or Boots?  Both!  But these days, I grab the booties more often!!  I like that they are fun and low and I can walk in them!!

17- Favorite Halloween Candy Definitely Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!!

18- PSL?  Believe it or not, I've never tried one!!

19- Hayride or Corn Maze?  Both are fun!

20- Favorite Fall TV Show Love when ALL my shows come back in the Fall!!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Wanna join in on all the Fall fun!  Head on over to The Blended Blog and link up your answers with us here!!

September Reads with the Ladies of The Blended Blog!

Back to Blogging today to talk...BOOKS!!  My favorite!  

I feel like I didn’t do much this Summer! But I read...so that’s something!

Lately The Blended Blog Book Club has been mixing it up!  For September, three of our contributors, Sheila, Deena and Alison shared their favorite authors and recommendations from each to read.  

As I read the post, I realized that the book Deena talked about, Open House by her favorite author, Elizabeth Berg, as being a book she picked up long ago, for Oprah’s book club was a title I had gotten too, for that very same reason!  But I had never read it (or maybe it’s been so long, I never even remembered reading it).  Seeing that it was almost 20 years ago!!  

So I grabbed the book from my shelf, dusted it off, and started reading!

I really enjoyed the novel and wondered why I it took me so long to read it.  The main character, Sam divorces and finds herself opening her home to strangers to make extra money.  It’s her interactions with the people she meets during this “Open House”, that make the story funny, interesting and really great.  I also enjoyed some of the characters she met while working different jobs as a temp, too.    I liked and could relate to Samantha’s evolution and insight during this difficult time, even as someone who has never been married and laughed through the interactions with her friend, King, as someone who is navigating life as a single girl now.  

This was my first Elizabeth Berg title and I look forward to reading more from her!

Join us for October Reads and reviews on October 28th!

Is there anything worth watching these days??

Two weeks ago I posted about how I was taking a little blog break!  And while I've taken a break, I've missed the blog and interacting with my blog friends.  I'm just taking things a bit slower these days.  Over the last couple of weeks back at work, I've already been collecting lots of funny material and taking some pics for future fashion posts!  I will say though, that I miss my days lounging in swimsuits!  Especially since were having a sorta of Indian Summer this week!  Fall just get here already! I'm busy and tired but I'm getting back to normal...or maybe just getting used to my new normal.

 I'm returning to the blog today for some fun!  This week is usually my most favorite time of year: Fall TV Premiere Week!  But I'll be honest...there is not one new show that really jumping out at me!

I'm angry that Kevin Can Wait, one of my most anticipated new shows of last year, was way underwhelming and then now has killed off the wife to make room for Leah Remini.  So needless to say, I won't be watching anymore.

And I really enjoyed Chicago Justice for the few episodes it was on last season.  But feel like it wasn't given a chance and kicked to the curb to make room for the Law and Order True Crime Series about the Menedez Brothers.  Booooo...

So my TV viewing score card has dwindled this year...

I am sticking with This is Us...because I watch every week with my neighbor!

I've never missed an episode of Blue Bloods...even though now most Friday it get DVR'd!

And last wee, after not watching for a bunch of seasons, my excitement for Dancing with the Stars was reignited!  So I am going to stick with it!

But other than that nothing new is really drawing me in!  Except maybe SEAL Team...and maybe just because David Boreanez is bloody damn hotttt....

This is where you come in!!  I need your help!  Please let me know what new shows you're most excited to see this season or let me know of one I may be missing out on!


Thanks and Happy Premiere Week!!

Something's Gotta Give...

And I think it's the BLOG!

For NOW!

You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging!  I recently went back to school after a fabulous summer off basking in the sun and spending time with family and friends.  I thought when I was back and work, I'd have a better routine down and would be blogging more!

But then I got back to work and discovered that I have a new role (or roles).  In addition to my duties as my school's librarian and technology teacher for everyone is grades Pre-K through 8, I now also have my own homeroom and teach them Religion for a period a day.

After I found out that a new Science teacher would be hired for strictly Science, as opposed to having a homeroom like everyone else, the principal offered me the job!  I took it because they are a small class who I have known and loved for years. I wanted them to have stability and familiarity with someone like me.

But with the added classes, more homeroom duties, less preps, and more planning to be done (I've never taught this religion curriculum before and am kind of learning it myself!) it doesn't leave me a lot of time on my preps at work to do other things I used to do.  So now rather than blogging nights, I'll be taking lots of school work home.

While I get settled and try to get myself into a new groove, I think it's my blogging that gonna have to take a back seat.  I'll never give up blogging totally because I love it, and I'll still be posting from time to time on The Blended Blog!  But if you see me go silent for weeks at a time, you'll know why!

I appreciate you reading the blog and I appreciate your patience during this time! Blogging really is a highlight for me and brings me great joy, but right now I am putting my kids first...they're my first homeroom class in five years!  And I'm really excited about it!

Until next time...

It's OKAY...the Back-to-School Edition

Back to work today!  It was for meetings..tomorrow's the real first day!  With the kids!  after today I have mixed emotions.  There's lots happening and changing, so I thought today was as good a day to link up for It's OKAY Tuesday!  Because sometimes you just gotta take a deep breath, blog, and bitch, and think...it's OKAY!

It's okay....

-to set 8 alarms and snooze them each a half dozen times after a summer off!

-to be excited to see teacher friends...

-then be deflated by 7:30 a.m. and think it's all downhill from here!

-to want it...and not.

-to go out for drinks after school on the first day

-to love of my public library!

-to treat myself  an Erin Condren Teacher Planner...even though I said I wasn't gonna spend money in September!

-to feel accomplished after finally getting a Peapod order after 6 months!  (EEEKKKK..that's a lotta pasta and eating out!!

-to be in bed by 9:30 because you didn't sleep a wink the night before the first day!

-to be going to bed with knots in my stomach.

Here's to a better day tomorrow....it will be!!

THE KIDS ARRIVE!!  And the second I see them...it'll fix everything!!!

Thanks for stopping by today...it makes my day!  Hope you had a great Tuesday!!

TBB Asks: The Back-to-School Edition! {Link UP!}

After a wonderful vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my family last week where there wasn't much sun (like at all!) but where my sister was MARRIED!, I'm back to blogging!

These monthly posts with The Blended Blog have been so much fun.  I am really getting to know so many bloggers better. September for many is Back-to-School, so we thought it be the perfect time to share some school memories!  I'm writing this post through tears because, I'll be back at school tomorrow myself!!  Hehe!

1.  Love school or hate it?

Definitely depended on the year (or the day!)  but overall I think I loved both elementary school, high school and college.

2. We always started school here after Labor Day!  As a teacher ,I still do.  My nieces and nephews don't go back to school until the Thursday after Labor Day this year, which I think is really late!

3.  Wake up: Eager Beaver or Slow Poke?  Definitely a SLOW POKE for sure...then and now!

4.  Favorite breakfast?  As a kid...Pop Tarts

5.  Favorite Cereal: Peanut Butter Cap' Crunch...but mostly as a dry snack in a baggie.  I still buy it today and have been made fun of for it on numerous occasions!

6.  School uniforms my entire life...I went to catholic school thru 12th grade.

7.  New outfit for the first day of school?  {See above} But now that I'm the teacher, I treat myself to a new outfit for the first day every year.

8.  Rode the bus!  Since I went to Catholic school, it required travel!  But I was always jealous of the kids that walked.

9.  I was always a backpack girl.  I had one of those L.L. Bean one's with my name on it back in the day, when they were popular.  Glad to see they still are!

10.  School lunch or bring from home?  That really depended.  In elementary school, I feel like the options for lunch were limited, but in high school I bought more often because there was a plethora!

11.  Chocolate milk!  But usually just a thermos or juice box as a kid!

12.  LUNCH BOX!!  Always!  Starting with my Get Along Gang lunch box in Pre-K. Pound puppies, hugga-bunch I had them all through the years.  I loved that they came with that thermos with that big brown flip up!

13.  Favorite thing to do at recess:  I know this is weird but when I was in fifth grade my friends and I used to play a dice game called CELLO...with quarters!  YES..I gambled on the playground in elementary school!! LOL (We didn't have a typical "playground"...just blacktop!)

14. Favorite School Supply: This is a hard one...I always liked getting a new planner in high school.  In elementary school, I think it was crayola crayons...the smell of those new pack of crayons!  And it always had to be Crayola!  Still does!

15.  Chalkboards forever! {this coming from the tech teacher...}

16.  I prefer mechanical pencils, nice and thin and clean!  No smudges!!

17.  Homework right after school!

18.  Favorite after school snack: I don't remember eating much after school, to be honest!

19.  Favorite after school show: DEFINITELY the all new Mickey Mouse Club or MMC as it was called!!  EVERYDAY!! The new version of the show was so fun and in the later years had Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Keri Russel, Ryan Gosling...just to name a few!  

via

In the early nineties there was also this super cheesy show on called Swan's Crossing.  It starred a teen Sarah Michelle Geller.  It was on everyday but it only lasted 13 weeks.  My sister and best friend loved it though.  And good god was it beyond super cheesy!!

20.  Favorite Subject: ELA and American History 

21. Least Favorite Subject:  MATH....100% YUCK!!

22.  Best Friends in High School: Melanie and Kerri

Mel and I have been best friends since we were 2.  We lived around the corner from one another.  I went to our town catholic school for Pre-k through 8th grade.  Mel went to an all-girls catholic school for girls pre-K through grade 12.  So when I graduated 8th grade, I went to 'Mel's School' for high school.  She always used to say, "I can't believe you go to my school!"  Kerri went there starting in ninth grade as well.  We are all still friends today!

23.  We were a small all girls high school, so we really didn't have a mascot.

24.  ACT or SAT? We HAD to take both! #thumbsdown

25.  Favorite Year:  No idea....most would say Senior Year right?  But that's not mine!  I know that for sure!  I really liked 1st, 2nd and third grade a lot!

26.  I totally wore my class ring!  In both high school and college!

27.  I love a good party, so I go to the reunions!  From high school at least.  Went too and helped plan the 10 reunion and next year we'll celebrate 20!  EEEEEKKKKK.

Talk about memory lane!  Whew!  That was fun!  Answer there questions and link up with us too!!  Hope everyone has a great back to school! 

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