• Travel

    Florida Tour 2014 Overview

    November 26, 2015 - By 

    For those that want a complete overview of our Florida Tour that we took at the end of last year, here is a complete summary of the trip with links to more detailed posts about each place. Itinerary/Budget for trip: Click pic for larger version Quick Stop at University of Florida Weeki Wachee Springs Myakka River State Park Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza Fort Myers River District Sanibel Island Naples, Florida Everglades City Everglades City Everglades National Park Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge Morning in Key West Morning at Sea off Marathon Key Spreading My Dad’s Ashes Burdines Waterfront Restaurant Bahia…

  • Travel

    Visit to Kennedy Space Center

    November 25, 2015 - By 

    We got up early, had a nice big breakfast at the hotel in Cocoa Beach, and drove over to Kennedy Space Center. Driving there we saw several gators and even a wild boar, which you see below. Such an impressive view. We got their before the gates opened, but were able to ask a few questions, take some picture, and just hung out until opening. Rocket Garden is one of the first things you see when you enter. This is the spot where old rockets seem to scrape the sky at 80-100 feet in the air. You will see Juno…

  • Recipes - Sides

    Praline Sweet Potatoes

    November 22, 2015 - By 

    One of my all time favorite holiday recipes is this recipe that my Granny passed along to me, Praline Sweet Potatoes. So amazing. I was never a fan of sweet potatoes/yams until I tried this. I have people beg me every year to make this, so it is no doubt a must try! Servings: 10 large servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 2 40oz cans of mashed sweet potatoes 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup margarine, melted dash of cinnamon Topping: 1/2 cup flour 1 cup chopped pecans 1/2…

  • Travel

    Day Trip to Columbus, Ga

    November 21, 2015 - By 

    We live about 35 miles from Columbus, Ga and we used to travel there quite a bit to shop and for different places to eat. However, now that the Auburn-Opelika area has grown so much we really don’t have a need to go there like we used to. This past Sunday Alex had a friendly soccer game there, and it was so last minute we ended up having to get people to substitute for several church obligations we had, so just ended up heading over to Columbus after we had breakfast. I suggested we park downtown and walk along the…

  • Life

    Drew’s Eagle Scout Ceremony

    November 19, 2015 - By 

    A couple weeks ago we celebrated Drew’s accomplishment of earning Eagle Scout. Rob and I really wanted to make it special, so we spent a great deal of time. I hope to write some posts about Eagle Scout Ceremony planning, etc. in the future. Planning this Eagle Court of Honor was much like planning a wedding, so many little details. Our day kinda went like this; 8am church, 9am went to Golden Corral for a big breakfast since we weren’t going to eat lunch, 10am head back home so guys could pick up uniforms and any last minute things we…

  • Dessert - Recipes

    Praline Pumpkin Pecan Cake

    November 18, 2015 - By 

    I’m always on the lookout for different variations of holiday desserts. I get bored with the normal pumpkin or pecan pie. This Praline Pumpkin Pecan Cake is a true crowd pleaser. Pecan Pie + Pumpkin Pie = this delicious dessert! Servings: 12 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 50 minutes Ingredients: 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 box yellow cake mix 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts 3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted Whipped cream…

  • Life

    Senior Night

    November 17, 2015 - By 

    Friday night, Oct. 30th, was the last regular season Auburn High School football game, which brought Senior Night. Before the game, all the seniors from the marching band line up on the field with their parents to get their name called and receive a medal. We had family in town that weekend to watch Drew march possibly his last time at home depending on the outcome of the game. Being that we’re the season of “lasts” with Drew, I’m really surprised I’m not a bumbling mess. I think I was more of a mess with all the senior stuff last…

  • Life

    GoodnessKnows Snack Squares {Product Review}

    November 14, 2015 - By 

    Influenster recently sent me a complimentary box that included GoodnessKnows Snack Squares. They currently have 3 flavors; cranberry almond dark chocolate, apple peanut almond dark chocolate, and peach cherry almond dark chocolate. I got to try the apple variety, which contains 4 square bites of dried apples, crisp rice, toasted oats, and almonds with a dark chocolate coating on the bottom. While I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate, I found this dark chocolate on these squares to very tasty and not too overbearing or sweet; a great way to get in a little bit of that healthier dark…

  • Life

    Exciting News!!

    November 13, 2015 - By 

    It’s the time of year when seniors in high school apply for college. Drew applied at the end of the September and has been anxiously logging in everyday to check his application status. Over the last month or 2 many of Drew’s friends have been getting accepted. One of our friends, who’s a professor at Auburn, warned us based on Drew’s scores, he probably wouldn’t get accepted till after the New Year. Well, yesterday Drew was home sick and he got a text from one of his good friends, JR, saying he had logged in on his phone (at school)…

  • Dinner - Recipes

    Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers

    November 11, 2015 - By 

    I don’t know about you, but I occasionally get a serious hankering for stuffed peppers. Lately I’ve been wanting to try something a little different. I found a recipe by Martha Stewart and I while I’m not a huge fan of hers, I decided to give it a try with a few alterations. This turned out so good. I like cutting the peppers down so that you don’t have as much pepper to eat in one sitting. Servings: 4-6 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 3 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings…

  • Travel

    Fort Lauderdale Riverfront Cruise

    November 10, 2015 - By 

    After spending the night in Fort Lauderdale at the Comfort Suites Airport & Cruise Port, we grabbed a quick breakfast snack from the hotel and then headed down to the river to inquire about a Fort Lauderdale Riverfront Cruise. Here’s a few pics from the drive. Since we were there in January during peak season, we were lucky to get a spot on the next cruise. After Rob purchased the tickets [23/adult, $13 children (4-16)], we had a few minutes to kill before getting on so we walked around before boarding. The cruise lasted about an hour and took us…

  • Recipes

    Crockpot Meatballs with Ragú #simmeredintradition #ad

    November 8, 2015 - By 

    Being married to an Italian decedent, I’ve heard stories of Rob’s great grandparents who came over “on the boat” from Italy to New York. With little money and lots of hope, the one thing they were armed with was tons of delicious recipes passed down from their family. This is much like the story of Assunta Cantisano, Ragú’s originator, who left Naples, Italy to immigrate to America in the early 1900’s. After arriving in the U.S. and getting settled in Rochester, New York, she planted a garden and began using those fresh vegetables to make her family’s pasta sauce. With…

  • Chicken - Recipes

    Spicy Chicken Veggie Soup

    November 5, 2015 - By 

    In the morning before I left for work, I threw the raw chicken (each chicken breast cut into 4 or 5 big chunks to help them cook quicker) along with the chicken broth, carrots, onions, and garlic. I allowed that to cook for about 4 hours on high. When I came home and lunch, I pulled the chicken it, which by the way was fully cooked and cut it into small bite-size pieces. Then I threw in the everything else except the zucchini and squash because I didn’t want them to get soggy. I bumped the crockpot down to low…

  • Travel

    Alabama Coast Top Casual Seafood Restaurants #StayAlBeaches

    November 4, 2015 - By 

    When I’m planning a trip, I always like to have a list of great restaurants so that when we’re starving and don’t want to think about where to eat we cazzn just refer to the list. When you travel to the coast, if you’re like me you have to have some seafood. Lots of seafood! Today I’m sharing with you some awesome casual seafood restaurants in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area. When we travel to Gulf Shores for a soccer tourney, one of our team’s favorite place to go after a game LuLu’s. Fun atmosphere and a with a large…

  • Cheesy Potato Soup - prepare in the crockpot and come home to a nice warm meal!
    Dinner - Recipes

    Cheesy Potato Soup {Crockpot}

    November 3, 2015 - By 

    The weather here is getting colder (at least a few days each week) and I love that because that means its soup weather. This Cheesy Potato Soup can be prepared in the crockpot and who doesn’t love that! Servings: 12 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 5 and half hours Ingredients: 5 pounds russet baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup butter 1 cup half and half 12 oz. bacon, cooked until crisp, drained on paper towels, and crumbled (easiest way to cook bacon here) 6 green onions, chopped Salt and freshly…