Fun Fall Checklist

Here are some music options while reading the checklist

Antonio Vivaldi's 'Fall'

or

"It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown' -Intro Music

My Fun Fall Checklist:

(In no particular order)

-Go Apple Picking

-Collect leaves with my kids

-Go to an Oktoberfest

-Eat a lot of Apple Cider Donuts

-Make Apple Crisp

-Go Pumpkin Picking with family

-Watch 3 really Scary Movies

-Watch "It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"

-Make a Pumpkin Pie

-Drink Pumpkin Beer

-Go to a Haunted House and Corn Maze

-Make Caramel Apples & Popcorn Balls

-Host a Chili Football Day

-Go for a Scenic Fall Foliage Drive

-Help with a Food Drive

-Play Football in our Front Yard or Catch

-Go to a great Halloween Costume Party

-March in the NP Halloween Parade

-Make Hot Apple Cider

-Trick or Treat

-Make at least one Halloween Decoration from my Pinterest Halloween Board

-Make and mail out Halloween Cards

-Do everything on this list!

This is another Pinterest inspired activity.

Pinterest Food Brag

Alright this post is to purely brag about my Pinterest accomplishments this week.  If you know me, cooking and baking is really not my forte.  I'm very late in the game on learning how to cook, so the more recipes I try and I'm successful with, the more I feel like a superhero.  Normally I feel like the people on this website http://www.pinterestfail.com/ Hilarious messes. But not this week!

So with my new found superhero confidence, plus the narcissism that comes with using FB and blogging that makes me want to share, share, share, I bring you my list.  All recipes were found on Pinterest, tasted great, and my family loved them.

1) Minestrone Soup
The flavors in this were great- but I would maybe cook the zucchini longer or before putting in the soup.  The recipe recommended adding it at the end and they were a bit too crunchy for my liking.

2) Crock Pot Corn Chowder 
Super easy to make.  Directions are right under the picture in Pinterest so you don't have to click around to find it.  My only 'mistake' was adding all the ingredients at once but it really wasn't a mistake because it still tasted great.

3) Lemon Zucchini Bread
I whipped this up while O and N were watching Mickey's Clubhouse.  Which I was proud of as far as timing goes.  Nothing is more challenging than trying to cook or bake with two little ones under your feet.  While baking it made the house smell great and was a hit with O and N too.  Yes I am counting the zucchini bread as their vegetable.

4) Buffalo Balls
This was the easiest thing to make on this list.  It was so yummy, perfect for game day, and company.  I had it sitting in the warmer for an extra 45 minutes while waiting for company that was running late and it didn't dry out at all.  (My company gave it a thumbs up too.)

5) "I love ramen" recipe from 'A Beautiful Mess' blog
This was my lazy lady lunch one day.  I love ramen too, not only because it really is yummy but because it cooks so fast.  I altered the recipe and added in bok choy and some left over veggies and chicken.  The best part about this recipe was my kids ate it.

Non Pinterest Food Accomplishments:
Apple Sauce & Tomato Sauce- pictures uploaded to Pinterest as well. (Both were canned)

To view the recipes go to my Pinterest Board- 'Delicioso' via http://www.pinterest.com/anniepilek/delicioso/

Christmas Post Cards

I've been feeling pretty crafty lately and I've had this one on the back burner for a while.  This easy, fun, and cute craft just took a few simple craft supplies and a sense of humor.

The Supply List:

1. "The Joy of Peanuts Christmas- 50 Years of Holiday Comics"- This is something I picked up at a thrift shop years ago and spent $2 on it.  It is filled with so many adorable, charming, and funny comics.  If you don't want to spend the money but like the idea use old newspaper comics.  Ask your neighbor or even sneak a comic out of the library paper.  (shhh!)  But really any kind of paper can be applied here you just have to love how it looks and says how you feel.
2. Old post card I got for free from Pathmark supermarket years ago.  I used this for two purposes; I added to the cover to create a new postcard and I also used it as a template for its size.
3. Cereal box.  I traced an already existing post card to get the dimensions correct.  (Some post cards I didn't want to change but worked great as a template.)
4. Scissors
5. Stick glue
6. Pen

Additional Supplies to embellish:

• Scrapbook paper
• Stamps
• Marker
• Hole punch

Holiday Postcards

These are still a work in progress.  I added a few Santa stamps to the negative space on one of them and I am regretting that because now it looks too 'crafty'.  I was going for a different look but you learn as you go, right? Either way I am pleased with the results.

I hope you enjoyed the simplicity and thriftiness of this craft.  

Enjoy your day!

AP

Zoning In

Right now I am currently trying to broaden my exposure for Hudson Valley's Locally Speaking.  I added a whole bunch of pages to my FB page and wrote to a few locations asking them to add my page to their FB page and to become a follower.  We'll see how it goes.  I feel like this is what I should be doing right now so I am going with it.  I want to set a more of a workspace in one of the spare bedrooms but it can get a bit chilly in there.  It will be better than sitting my couch with the netbook on my lap typing.  I think in the end my back will be happy with the change. 

Yesterday was a great catch up day.  I did 4 loads of laundry, vacuumed, made chili, went on a snowshoe walk and worked on the blog.  Matt was at work so I didn't have someone interrupting me every 5 minutes.  I love him dearly but when I am working on the computer it will never be as important as whatever thought is popping in his head.  Today is a different day.  Today he has off.  Enough said. 

I am going to be heading out soon to get a much needed haircut and also update my passport.  I will have to rush my passport since I dilly dallied on getting my new picture taken for it.  I wish I didn't have to send a new picture since I just got my passport 2 years ago.  I could have taken one at home with a white background but it needs to be on photo paper and a 3x3.  So now I am going to run down to Rosendale to get a picture and paper work done all at the same time.  Then it will be official!  I will no longer be Annmarie Miskell but Annmarie Pilek and I will be heading off to Aruba!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish me luck!

November Movie Nights

Have a Movie Party or Date this month at your house- Bring it back old school

1. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Princess Bride
4. Spaceballs
5. The Never Ending Story
6. Wayne's World
7. SNL's - Best of Christopher Walken
8. Amelie
9. Shrek
10. Dumb and Dumber

I hope they grace your screen and don't forget the popcorn!

The time is a flying

I was going to write a post on Nov 1 about the last day of my 20's but instead I decided to just live itand not sit in front of a computer.  now that I am 30 I am back to writing because I am 'mature' and 'responsible' and I promised myself if I was going to make a blog I would actually have to make time to sit and write it.  A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks, besides the monumentous occasion of my 30th birthday- I hosted the haunted house at the Mountain House, which was a huge success!  (in mohonk terms it was a success)  Now I find myself in Oregeon.  Which by the way is a beautiful!  I had a few bumps along the way but I made it here in one piece.  I had to take 3 flights and a 45 min car ride to get to the resort - though I was supposed to go to a social last night for all participants I unfortunately passed out in my room  I couldn't help it!  besides being jet lagged and up since 4 am NY time I had a fireplace in my room-  that alone I think could have done anyone in. 

My one slight bump in the road was when I finally got to Redmond airport there was a nice looking guy standing there with an RCRA sign to Sunriver- I went up to him told him my name but alas my name was not on his list.  So he said I was probably being picked up by another shuttle and then ignored me.  So I got my bag, went outside, looked around....but no one was there except a cop.  So I went back inside asked around but no one knew what I was talking about.  In the mean time the other shuttle left.  I called the resort and asked if he could come back and get me because no one knew about the Redmond Airport Shuttle at the Redmond Airport.  I got on my laptop found the number for Redmond Airport and get a hold of someone.  In the mean time the resort called me back and said the driver picked up everyone he was 'supposed' to and wasn't going to come back to get me.  I couldn't believe it!  First off, this is a business right....so if anything with courtesy and hospitality put aside- he is losing some money here.  Second, what the hell.  You only worry about people on your list, since when.  That is not hospitality.  I would never do that.  You ask if you can help and at least lend some sort of assistance, not refuse to let me on your shuttle because you have an adgenda.  Strke one!

The redeeming facts were the smell of Juniper in the air from the evergreens and the very pleasnant converstaion with the shuttle car driver when he finally arrived.  They had my arrival time as 11:57 not 1:57- oh well.  The views along the way were pretty great too.  When I checked in it was so rushed and polite (interesting combo) that when I got to my room I realized I didn't erally know anything about the hotel.  She gave me a map but that was about it.  She didn't tell me about where to eat, no activities schedule, nothing-just a few coupons and vouchers for the Spa- of course.  Here is a piece of paper so you can spend some more money at our resort.  Whatevs-  As lame as Mohonk can be at times with behind the scenes nonesense- I really give our staff and routines much more credit.  Point Mohonk!

I am going to try to get in a 4.7 mile walk before 10:30 a.m. so I better get a move on-  More updates to come I am sure.

Another Road Trip with the Kids...

I am always trying think of ways to recommend travel tips to parents. It is so easy and convenient to pop in a DVD in the car and let the little darlings zone out and quiet down but do we really want to raise mini zombies. Though this might not work for children who can't read yet it seems like a fairly fun product that could be worth trying out.
http://shopopensky.com/anniepilek/buy/chronicle-books-travel-games