Puddle Jumping

Erin and I went to the Notre Dame Bookstore with my mom.  Erin picked out her very own pair of Notre Dame pants (pink of course!)  She had at least three pair in her possession at any given point while we were there.  It was a rainy night and I had grabbed an umbrella.  Erin insisted in carrying it herself.  She was too cute for words.  So cute, strangers stopped and asked to take her picture!

Library

Erin, Daddy and Mommy went to the library after work to pick out more books. As always, Erin had a wonderful time looking at all the books and picking out her favorites.  We also picked out two c.d.s to listen to in the car (one for Mommy's car and one for Daddy's.)  She couldn't wait to get in the car to try them out!

Notre Dame vs. Washington

As has been the routine for the last two home game weekends, we returned to my mom's for the Notre Dame/Washington game.  The day started out yucky/dreary/cold/icky/(insert any bad adjective here).  But the skies cleared just in time for us to get a small amount of tailgating in.  We went out with the largest group of tailgaters to-date (probably about 15 or so!) Melissa and Cory, Erin and Justin, Justin's sister and friends, Ryan, Bridget and Dave were among the tailgaters. 

We made it to one or two tailgates but didn't last too long. A bunch of our coworkers were supposed to be out at a carrier's tailgate. This is what the tailgate looked like when we arrived.  The party was hoppin'!

We attempted to find a number of other tailgates only to no avail.   We gave up and headed back to the house about an hour and a half prior to kickoff. Erin did not however cooperate and nap like she had done the past two home games. Well, she didn't until we were about to get back to Grandma's!  Then she napped in the garage for about an hour. 

Foodie Friday!

We tried a new recipe this week. It was a hit so I thought I'd share them with you. I'm always looking for new recipes so I want to share my successes with you and maybe you'll enjoy them as much as we did!

Tex Mex Calzones
Delicious! I made my own crust and that turned out fabulous. It is somewhat low calorie and tasted full fat. It was like a taco pouch!
Original recipe from Sparkrecipes.com but I used homemade dough (found here), ground beef, added corn and sprinkled the top with garlic pepper and parsley flakes just before baking.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t dark chili powder
1/2 c red bell pepper, finely chopped
3/4 c salsa verde
1/2 c corn
1 batch basic pizza dough
1 c Mexican blend cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
garlic pepper
parsley flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Adjust oven rack to upper third of the oven.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add onion and garlic; continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add spices and cook for 1 minute to bring out the flavors in the spices. Add chopped pepper and corn; continue to cook 1 minute.

Remove mixture from heat and stir in salsa.

Unroll dough and divide into 4 equal portions. Working with one rectangle at a time place, 1/2 cup of beef mixture on half of the dough then top with 2 tablespoons of cheese.

Using a pastry brush or fingers, brush the egg mixture on the border of the dough. Fold dough over turkey mixture and press with a fork to seal. If you prefer a crisp crust, brush some additional egg wash over the top of the calzone. Sprinkle with parsley and garlic pepper.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Movie Tuesdays

It is a party everywhere Erin goes! Rock On!

Erin dancing in the car @ Yahoo! Video

"Puh-Puh" and Garbage

Erin has started saying "puh" for please. So anytime she wants something, "Puh, Puh!" How can you say no to that?!?!

Puh-Please @ Yahoo! Video

Erin has also started learning to throw things away! She was at Grandma's house over the weekend and when Grandma would tell her it was time to change her diaper, Erin would lay down in the middle of the floor! Then when she was done, Erin would take her dirty diaper and disappear. At first Grandma wasn't sure what she would do with it. Then Erin went into the kitchen and threw it away!

We were cleaning her up yesterday with a wet paper towel. Erin took it and disappeared again. She had gone into the kitchen and thrown it away as well! Definitley a girl after her Daddy's heart! Now we just have to be careful that she only throws things away that we want her to!

Halloween Cookies

We are getting into the Halloween spirit around our house. We brought out the Halloween decorations and began putting them up this weekend. I'm also getting things together for Erin's Halloween costume (she is going to be a chicken!)

Erin and Mommy made Halloween Sugar Cookies (click here for the recipe) and they turned out pretty well. Erin really enjoyed decorating the cookies with sprinkles. (She even snuck some bites of dough and sprinkles while mommy wasn't looking. Stinker!)

making cookies @ Yahoo! Video

Hillary & Evan's Wedding

I went to a co-worker's wedding over the weekend. Ryan was at the Purdue/ND game (ugh, glad I didn't go!) and my mom watched Erin for the night. I went with Diana and Zach and a former co-worker/friend Paige and her new boyfriend Doug (Dug and Page).  The wedding was in Niles and the reception was on Davis Lake in Edwardsburg.  It was a gorgeous view but a little chilly!

We had a really nice time and it was good to catch up with Paige. We haven't seen her in at least a year! She moved to Kansas City two years ago and I've missed her terribly! Diana and Zach got to get a break from their little one too.

Way cute Centerpieces!

Paige and Megan

Megan and Diana

Congratulations Hillary & Evan! (Unfortunatley my camera battery died early on in the evening and I didn't even get any pictures of the bride and groom! I'm such a terrible wedding guest.)

I Got My Hairs Cut!

I went way out on a limb and chopped off about 2lbs of hair! I couldn't take it anymore and I have no more hair left. Well not really, but it sure feels like it!  I really do think it was about 2 lbs!

Tailgating: Part Duex!

The Notre Dame/Michigan State game was this weekend.  We went to my mom's for the day and had a nice time.  Erin did better sleeping this time and took a nice nap in the stroller while we were tailgating.  (I forgot my camera so I didn't get this adorable shot!)

Erin enjoyed playing with Riley and Layla.  They got along so well and played well together. Erin and Layla were especially interested in each other. It was really cute to watch!

Erin chasing boys! @ Yahoo! Video