September 17, 2013 by Stephanie

Do they make nose strips for dogs?

A lot of people have been asking how Grace and Crosby are adjusting to each other. They are now inseparable best friends.

We have really lucked out that both dogs have been pretty easy. They seem to really like each other. We have had a few minor issues with Grace adjusting. She is a little jealous, but we can honestly say that she has been doing better when we are gone since she has a pal now. Thank the Lord there is hardly any poop vomit anymore to deal with. Her separation anxiety is really being subsided by Crosby! She is just having anxiety now when we are home…

This is Grace playing her version of catch. She just pounces and then leaves it there.

They keep each other occupied for the most part. They have had a few little fights, but only one time did we have to intervene because we thought it would go bad. Tom brought out a voice that surprised both of us and the dogs. Grace is kind of a diva and starts most of them, but that makes sense since she was here first.

I love when you can get shots like these two.

He is a pretty cool dog. He loves standing at this corner. He would lay there all day if we (and Grace) let him.

They do a really good job taking turns eating. It is really adorable. I am not exaggerating that they will literally take turns and line up behind one another to eat and take mouthfuls to the rugs so the other one can get their share.

They have started playing tag with each other in the back yard. Grace is faster than Crosby, but she never actually picks up the ball. So he gets it every time and then they will chase each other around as Crosby throws it up in the air like he is playing monkey in the middle with her. One of these days I will get a good video of it.

They even share toys well. They usually end up chewing on the toy together. There is a bone there if you look under Grace’s chin that they are both chewing.

Seriously, we have the best dogs.

I have underestimated how big Crosby is though. He has a good 15/20 pounds on Grace. Yesterday I was playing around with them. Crosby attempted to give me hug, and I wasn’t ready for it and accidentally fell into our curtains in the second bedroom…pulling them down off the wall. Then he just slathered me with kisses as I laid there laughing.

We have figured out the sleeping arrangements now so that has been better for all of us. Although the next couple nights will be glorious with a little extra room while Tom is at field training. Some times long distance has its plus sides. Usually, Tom and I end up with no blankets and on our respective edges while both dogs snuggle each other in the middle of the bed with scads of extra room for stretching. Or we will make an obstacle course for them to the bed so we can get to sleep before they do and have our own snuggle time. It has become a production to go to bed in our house. And we are getting used to the snore machine.

Every day is a new day with things we have to figure out. I would say that the transition is a success, and we couldn’t be more happy right now with our little family!

Grace is trying to show Crosby that she has all the power.

Tom is testing out all of his hunting gear, and the kids wanted to be involved.

They are so much fun, and I love moments like this that they are side by side…and still.

We will be traveling for the first time with them in a few weeks. That will be the true test of how the transition is going.

Hope to see you all back for the fall craft on Thursday!

September 15, 2013 by Stephanie

Autumn On My Mind-Fall Food Must

“A Fall Food Must”

Do you have a favorite food that you associate with fall? This is the time to highlight those yummy fall goodies!

Rules of the Link-up:

1. Do one entry or all! It’s up to you!

2. Add your entry’s link below, and be sure to put the button in your post!

3. If you do link up, check out a couple fellow bloggers to see something new.

4. Your hosts (Elizabeth and Stephanie) would love a following on Bloglovin, but it is not required! We are just glad you stopped by for “Autumn on My Mind!”

We had a rough day yesterday. Years of training in housing came in handy when our washer decided to flood our upstairs while we were out. Luckily we came back when we did, for we only had a slight bubble in the downstairs ceiling, and nothing of great value was damaged. Come to find out the hose had slipped out of the machine…whoops.

Anywho, this mess along with the non-stop talk about grinding up deer meat and hunting season (we went bow shopping and shooting yesterday), I was glad to do some fall baking this morning.

I love baking. For me, it is a stress relief. I have not done much here, because I don’t really have anyone to give it to as I did back in Iowa. You see, I like baking it, but I can’t eat all of it fast enough. And I hate wasting food.

I figured, if Tom and I couldn’t polish this off, he could take it into work for those ever hungry Army men.

And who doesn’t associate fall with pumpkins? The pumpkin lattes, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin pie.

I decided to brush up on my baking by putting a twist on the traditional pumpkin pie.

So enter cinnamon cheesecake with pumpkin pie frosting!

I got this recipe from here.

I did adapt it a little bit. I don’t believe in “bathing” my baked goods….

I also didn’t make individual cups or the crust. I just bought a pre-made pie crust and made one full pie.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Pie “Frosting”:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cheesecake:

2 bars of cream cheese (8 oz each), room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Did you know that they made pumpkin pie spice? We sure didn’t. You can find it in the spice isle. They also make apple pie spice!

Baking and Making Part

To Make Pumpkin Pie Frosting:

Do this first since the cooling time will overlap the cheesecake prep time.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well blended. This will be very soupy, so don’t freak out. It will thicken up. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Remove and let cool, then refrigerate.

To Make Cinnamon Cheesecakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar, then mix on medium-speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix until smooth. Do not overmix. Pour batter into each crust-prepared baking cup until 3/4 full.

Then place the cheesecake pan in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges appear to be set and the center still has a slight jiggle to it. Turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly for 5 minutes. Then remove the pan and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

The pumpkin pie frosting is on the left and the cheesecake on the right. They can both stand alone, but definitely make each other better together.

When ready to “frost” the cheesecakes, remove the pumpkin pie and spoon the filling into a piping bag. We don’t have a piping bag so we just used a ziplock bag. Use as you would regular frosting.

Tom’s much better at frosting then I am so I had him do that part. We did end up just smoothing it out though because the color and the way it laid out it looked like something that came out of the dogs’ butts. I assure you, it is delicious despite the looks. The look of baking, I have not yet perfected…

And there you have it! This is super delicious. We just might eat it all…Tom is obsessed with it.

This dessert screams fall, and it may make an appearance again this season!

Thanks to Gimme Some Oven for the recipe!

Now it’s time for you to share your fall recipe!

Link up below by clicking the little smiley face dude! The link will stay open until October sometime.

Be sure to come back on Thursday for the next Link Up! The theme is “An Autumn Creation.” You can see the full schedule here.

Check out my partner!

September 13, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter- TV Review “The Office”

How do you even start reviewing one of the most popular shows in history?

I am going to go ahead and try reviewing the “The Office.”

This is my favorite Jim prank.

Tom and I just finished the final season this last weekend. We have diligently watched each season. We got behind the last two years because of Tom joining the Army. While he was at basic and deployment our favorite show went on the shelf until his return.

And now we have seen them all!

The Office ran from 2005 until 2013. It is based off the British version, just with an American twist.

It was a show about regional office of a paper company. The entire series was based on the fact that there was a documentary crew that followed the employees around. They just filmed real life.

It showed a 9-5 job and how relationships grow or don’t grow over time in the workspace. It displayed the quirkiness of real people and how they get through each day at jobs they don’t necessarily like. Except Dwight, he loves paper.

It is one of the few shows that cares about the fans, and they ended the show perfectly. You know how you watch season finales and there isn’t any clarity or they leave loose ends? Or you just hate that you spent all this time watching a show for an awful ending…ah hem Lost? Well The Office wrapped everything up nicely so there wasn’t any question where the story lines were going. It was a sweet ending to a marvelous show.

I will admit that I did not watch this show from it’s beginning. I came in several years later. I had seen bits and pieces, and thought it was dull and not my kind of humor. For years, I hated when Tom said, “That’s what she said.”

Tom and met in 2007 after the show had been on the air for a couple years. At that time, I was still against watching it and put my foot down in protest for a hot second. But, Tom is pretty persistent for those of you who haven’t met him. Plus you know when you first start dating someone, and you are willing to try new things that interest that person? Well that was me. He loved the show and eventually convinced me to watch from the beginning.

After the first season, I was hooked.

When you watch consecutively, you fall in love with the characters and are invested. You want to know when Jim and Pam will get together, which they drag you along for several seasons. You want to find out about Dwight and Angela’s secret love affair. You want to know if Dwight ever graduates from being the Assistant to the Regional Manager.

The show is super funny. I don’t know what I was thinking before…denial I guess. Let’s be honest, I was probably being too uptight about it. The good news is I obviously came around.

Jim’s pranks are my favorite. He doesn’t really work; he just tries to find ways to mess with Dwight. He was so creative! Tom’s favorites are the jello calculator and when Jim bought hundreds of feet of red wire and strung it around the office and surrounding areas.

This show meant a lot to us and our relationship. This show really helped us through our long distance while at Clemson and Iowa State. We would wait to watch it together when we were reunited for weekends. We would hole ourselves up and watch hours of it at a time, which is really the best way to watch any series. And each year before a new season would come out, we would re-watch the entire series.

It’s hard to explain the greatness that is The Office. They really did a wonderful job casting. I look at people they auditioned, and I just can’t picture anyone but those picked. Wonderful compilation of people.

The only season I wasn’t fond of was season 8, and mostly because we hated Nellie and Robert California. I think they could have done better. But maybe they were just setting us up for the end and to be pleasantly surprised.

I cried during the last three episodes. The last episode of the series Tom and I were both crying. I was bawling really.

I just felt so connected. When you are with a series this long, it’s like you live in this world. These characters become a part of your life, and they are your friends. I had to say goodbye forever to these characters. There is not an episode of this show that I haven’t seen. That was a hard pill to swallow to know that I wouldn’t see them anymore.

This is why I love T.V. I love feeling all these emotions and being connected to the story. (And in case you were worried, I know that I am really not friends with these people.)

This is our favorite show as a couple by far. It is one that we will watch again all the way through, maybe every year. Yep we love it that much. It’s like getting a hug from an old friend to watch this show; a friend that you like hugging, mind you. And that says a lot since I generally detest hugs…

If you haven’t given this show a chance, I promise watch from the beginning and give it a chance. I am so glad that I did!

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with this work or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

Come back on Sunday for “Autumn on My Mind.” Sunday’s episode is about fall food and sharing recipes. You can see the full schedule here.

Have a great weekend!

September 12, 2013 by Stephanie

Why I Love Fall Link Up

Today is the first day for Autumn on My Mind!

We have a pretty easy prompt for today!

“What I Love About Fall”

Link up with us to describe what you are excited about this autumn. We want to hear what you love about the fall season. That could be everything pumpkin flavored, the scarves galore or how the leaves get crunchy. Tell us what you “fall” for!

We have a few simple rules for this link up.

Rules of the Link-up:

1. Do one entry or all! It’s up to you!

2. Add your entry’s link below, and be sure to put the button in your post!

3. If you do link up, check out a couple fellow bloggers to see something new.

4. Your hosts (Elizabeth and Stephanie) would love a following on Bloglovin, but it is not required! We are just glad you stopped by for “Autumn on My Mind!”

I always think of this song when I think of fall. Plus it was one of my favorite marching shows I ever did because the saxophone part is pretty swell and just so upbeat and fun.

Here is why I love fall.

1. The colors-I love the variety of hues you see. I love driving through the country and seeing the skyline just colors every day. I am really excited for my drive to work this fall since the trees are huge and glorious here.

2. Marching band. What can I say? I am a band geek at heart. I love cheering on my teams! I love hearing them practice in the morning on my way to work. Oh the memories…

And nothing says fall like wool uniforms.

I would try to learn the cheers too at every game. If I did any reality show, it would be like “MTV Made” where they make me a cheerleader/pommie. No lie…

3. School starts. Even though I am not in classes, I love the excitement of school starting and getting to learn new things. So many great things have happened at the beginning of the school year. I still feel the need to buy crayons and a Lisa Frank trapper keeper each year.

4. The fruit picking options: blueberries, blackberries, apples… I just love getting out there and getting my hands dirty!

5. Crunchy leaves. I will go out of my way to step on crunchy leaves.

6. Football. It probably started from watching the Chiefs every Sunday with my dad growing up. Then have my Friday nights, [then Saturdays] filled because of marching and having to pay attention and learn the game because of pep band. The infatuation for the game blossomed, and I love watching my teams each week. (Tom doesn’t so much appreciate the yelling and cheering that occurs, but oh well!) And thanks to my time at Clemson, I also was exposed to the best tailgating experience. Really no where can compare to the “Most Exciting 25 Seconds in Football.”

There really is something in those hills.

Part of my grad cohort after a Tiger game.

We tailgated before, and after, pretty much every game guaranteed.

I am really bummed that I will not be making it to either Central or Clemson to watch a game this year.

This was my first tailgate at Central since I was always in the band. And it only came 5 years after I graduated! Go Mules!

7. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It is the perfect holiday focused on family and service, without having to worry about gift giving. And really it is all about the food…Love me some cranberry salad, marshmallow yams, and stuffing with noodles.

8. Hoodies. Fall has the best weather for hoodies. If I could, I would live in hoodies. I own a hoodie for every school I work at, plus several from Worlds of Fun, my fraternity, and some just because. I have a giant stack of them in the closet. They are just so comfy. I do need to get one for Austin Peay though…

9. TV. shows return from the summer hiatus. I am a TV junkie, and I love fall premieres. One of my task list items this weekend is to set up the DVR for all my shows! Cannot wait to have some closure from all those season ending cliff hangers.

10. The weather isn’t awful. My husband is hot blooded so this weather is perfect for him, which means that he is much more likely to enjoy the outings that I put him through. Which then means, that I enjoy them more too! Yes outdoor date ideas! It’s also not just events for dates, but fun times with friends and family at things such as corn mazes and pumpkin patches. There is just so much fun stuff to do!

We went through a Corn Maze, and of course they had other fun stuff to play around with.

My family last year at a pumpkin festival. We were only missing Tom who was having a very different kind of fall in Afghanistan. Look at the Missouri Hills behind us! Glorious!

Tom said that he loves this season because all of his favorite hunting seasons are now. He said his mind always goes to a deer stand when he thinks of fall. He is trying to convince me right now that he needs a new bow….

So we all have our reasons for loving the season. Link up and show us your reasons!

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I am having trouble with my links today. Of course it worked when I did the test site, but not when it needs to go live. I am not sure why sometimes they show, and sometimes they don’t. Anyway, if you don’t see the graphic for the link, you can either click the first link shown above, and it will take you to a separate page, or you can go to Elizabeth’s page by clicking the image below.

Check out my collaboration partner!

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=799a29d528&view=att&th=140fbefbf325f363&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_hlbsjpcs0&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P_ShA-cx8FtQAlIq0Jr2U9k&sadet=1378950264721&sads=4ngo0ZMBW2Z5Jr4QBlljsGUAsAw&sadssc=1

September 10, 2013 by Stephanie

And the Birds Sing

It’s been awhile since Tyrone has graced the blog…

Such a great song! I am still debating on making it to one of his shows on his fall tour. Money and travel really do throw rocks in planning for funtivities. If you have him in your area, you really should try to go!

Anywho…

Recently, Tom and I had a painting date night. There is a really sweet little shop that hosts painting lessons a few times each week. The women who run the place, are adorable and definitely made the night super fun.

As with most social painting places, they provided the paint equipment and the canvas to take home. They do one design so you have to pick a night that you like what’s on the menu. You are able to change the colors and little details, but the underlying subject is the same.

Tom signed his with the Rakkasan symbol in the corner, and he ended up taking it to work for the office they all congregate in. He has even recruited several other guys to go with us the next time. Awesome right?

It was a fun night, and we have planned to do it every couple months for fun.

The rest of my post will be a plea to help someone I know further his education.

Dan is a student I worked with at Iowa State. He has entered the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway for his grad school endeavors. He is a super talented person, and I am glad I had the pleasure of working with him. He was intentional with his conversations and made sure everyone he spent time with knew that he was present and they were his main priority. I was always amazed at his tenderness and capability of serving others. He is going to be great at his profession of choice!

This was a conference trip we went on together for housing. (I am the one in the yellow cardigan in the right hand corner.) Shout out to the Cyclones this week against Iowa. Let’s go Iowa State!

In order to reach his goals without the financial headache, he needs help in this contest! If you are ever so kind, it just takes a second to vote! Just click on the link and hit the thumbs up. Once it is circled in green, you have voted!

http://www.drpeppertuition.com/profile/1483130943

Again, he is a great human being who needs a little help! Thanks a million friends!