Weekend on the East Side

This past weekend we finally made it back to Livonia for the first time since we moved across the state in August!

Before we made it to Livonia we sold one of our cars! Ever since moving to Grand Rapids we hadn't been driving Bu enough to justify the monthly payments so we decided to throw it up on Craigslist Monday night and it was sold on Friday! Thomas bought it when he got back from Afghanistan and she made many trips back and forth between Michigan and Louisiana. Thomas and I loved that car, but now we're saving ~$500 a month and that feels great.

One last picture together ;)

Friday afternoon I spent making homemade caramel apples with my grandma and cousin Sarah. I wish I took a picture, because they turned out delicious! Then we went out to dinner with my in-laws to celebrate my FIL's birthday and had a great time catching up with them. From dinner we spent the night catching up with friends and watching Restrepo, a heartbreaking documentary about the Afghanistan War. I think everyone should watch this documentary and I even think that it should be playing in High School history classes. I was stunned during the majority of the film and I am married to a veteran who served a year over there! Being told stories and watching them are completely different.


Saturday morning we spent at the Henry Ford Museum with my in-laws. We specifically went to see the Gridiron Glory: NFL Football Hall of Fame exhibit, but we also toured the museum as well. The exhibit was really cool and now Thomas and I definitely want to make the trip down to Canton, OH to see the entire thing.

 

Tom Brady's Draft card ;)

 Ford Field built out of LEGOS!

I have man hands... and I'm pretty sure I'd make a great QB if I tried ;)

Once we finished the museum we headed to my grandparents house where we had a family dinner. My entire family was there and it was great being able to see everyone at the same time! We spent the day catching up and watching the UofM vs MSU football game. MSU kicked butt so my husband was thrilled, but my family was not. Personally, I don't really care that much about either team. It's always a great game though.

On Sunday we met Thomas' grandma for lunch and then I met up with my three best friends from home at the mall for shopping and dinner! It the perfect weekend, because the weather was great and we were able to see everyone that we've really missed! :) Now I need to get caught up on laundry and chores... yippee ;)

Random Brain Dump..

My blogging "come back" has been lackluster to say the least and for that I apologize. I've had a hard time finding the creativity and motivation. I draw a blank every time I sit down at my desk to write despite the list of topics I have written down. So in an attempt to channel that creativity today I'm just going to write whatever random thoughts come to mind. Enjoy ;)

• The weather change has really done a number on me. I've had a constant headache for two days now and I'm finally over my first cold of the season. While I'm not the biggest fan of fall {because it means that summer is over and winter is coming..} Grand Rapids sure is beautiful with all of the trees changing colors. I already miss the warm weather though...

 

• Speaking of Grand Rapids we finally feel settled in and that we are home. It's such a fun city and there is always so much to do. I can't wait to continue to explore it and experience all it has to offer. I have a feeling that we'll be here for a while ;)

• Today was my first day off since I started at Macy's sixteen days ago. Granted, half of my shifts are only 3-6 hours so it doesn't really feel like I haven't had a day off yet. I still have time to keep up with house duties, my TV shows, and blogging {when I feel like it} so it isn't too bad. I definitely thought that I was done with retail years ago, but it's the best job for me right now. I might even stay after the holiday season is over and work one or two days a week while in school.

• I'm loving that all of my TV shows are back. When the weather is colder I love curling up on the couch at night and watching my shows. As of now I'm watching Sons of Anarchy, SVU, Scandal, How to get Away with Murder, and Revenge.

• Duke has become a cuddle bug and I love it! Almost every night he hops in our bed and curls up in between Thomas and I. It is my new favorite thing :) He's such a little ham.

• We're heading to the East side this weekend and finally get to see our families and friends that we haven't seen since we moved in August! It'll be a jam packed weekend, but I can't wait :) I've really missed my grandparents and brother. Hopefully I remember to take pictures so I can write a weekend recap post next week.

• I am completely overwhelmed at the idea of having to revamp my wardrobe for grad school. I've always been a yoga pants + hoodie kind of girl and that isn't going to fly anymore. I've slowly begun to pick up a few things here and there, but I'm hoping for a big shopping trip with my grandma before school starts. I've started a Pinterest board and if any of you have outfit or fashion blogs recommendations please send them my way! I mainly need tops and accessories.

What's Been Going On...

Long time, no blog. It's been harder than I imagined getting used to working again and staying on top of my other duties. And unfortunately when that happens the blog has to take the back seat. However, I do have some free time so I thought I'd pop in and give a little update on life as of late.

• The biggest thing that happened this week was that I was accepted into grad school!!! After applying three times I finally got in! To be honest, I still can't believe it! The program starts in January and is only four semesters long so I will graduate with a Masters Degree in May 2016. Thank you for all the well wishes!

• I have worked everyday for the past 10 days at Macy's and I don't have a day off until Wednesday! I can't complain though, because the extra money is nice. I have a whole new professional wardrobe to buy! For the most part I'm enjoying it, but it is nice to know that it is short term. I thought I was done with retail five years ago. 

 

• The discount isn't bad either ;) I got this beauty for 40% off this week! I plan on using it for my school bag.

• On top of these great things I came down with a horrible cold this week which put me completely out of commission when I wasn't miserable at work. You should see the dirty laundry pile and the dishes! Ahh!  I hate getting behind, because then I get so overwhelmed.

So that's whats been going on in a nutshell. I'm drowning in tissues, dirty clothes, but so ecstatic to start the next step in my speech-language pathology career :)

Weekend Recap {Duke's Birthday + Doggy Cake Recipe}

There's no question about it, fall has arrived in Western Michigan. The leaves are changing colors and have started to fall, I am currently wearing gloves while typing this post {it is extremely cold in our office!}, and we spent the entire weekend watching football...  However, we did venture out to the movie theater to see Gone Girl and we were both incredibly impressed! We're also really excited for all the new movies coming out over the next few months.

On Saturday we celebrated Duke's birthday which means I have a few fun pictures to add to this otherwise boring post ;)

Doggy Cake recipe {adapted from here}

Peanut Butter and Banana Doggie Cake 
  - 1 cup all purpose flour  
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt  
- 1/4 cup creamy all natural peanut butter
- 2 bananas, smashed  
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- approximately 3/4 cup water


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F  
2. Spray a standard 8 inch round cake pan with non stick pan spray  
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add the oil, egg, peanut butter and smashed banana and mix with a wooden spoon.  Add in the water as needed to make the mixture the consistency of a typical cake batter
4. Pour the batter into the round pan and bake for about 40 minutes {It only took ~25 minutes for me so just keep an eye on it}.  Remove cake from pan and allow it to completely cool before icing {I used the creamy peanut butter as frosting after the yogurt chips would not melt}.

 He was not really amused with the hat...

 I HATE our floors, but what can you do?

You could say that he loved being spoiled all day long and loved all of his presents :) He's my best bud and I loved spoiling him!

PS- I'm slowly learning how to use my camera in Manual mode, but I still have a longggg way to go so I apologize for wonky lighting.

Five on Friday

This week has just crawled by so I'm glad it's finally Friday! Don't you hate how time seems to crawl when you're waiting on something? Hopefully next week goes by faster!

ONE. Duke's Birthday
Tomorrow Duke turns two! How is he already two?! It seems like just yesterday we were having his first birthday pawty. This year I'm attempting to make his cake myself so we'll see how that goes. I've really enjoyed spending so much time with him since we moved to Grand Rapids, he's my best bud.

TWO. Matching PJs
It's amazing how much more feminine you feel when you were cute, matching pajamas to bed! I always find adorable ones at Target.

THREE. New Winter Coat
A few weeks ago I saw this coat at The North Face and couldn't stop thinking about it. I was way overdue for a new coat, I've had my current one for six years and it's been sewn a few too many times. I ended up finding it on sale so I snatched it up. It's perfect- warm and feminine!

FOUR. Silhouette Vinyl Projects
After owning the machine for 9 months I finally used it! I made the labels for our pantry and a decal for my phone charger! I still have a lot to learn, but I'm loving it so far.

FIVE. Gilmore Girls on Netflix
Where you can find me when I'm blogging, folding laundry, ect. Netflix is a fabulous thing!

Linking up here

October Goals

How is it already October?! This year has seriously flown by in the blink of an eye! I swear the older you get the faster time goes by. Before we know it it'll be 2015. Today I'm posting a few things I want to accomplish this month.

1. Work as much as possible- I am no longer unemployed! I'm working at Macy's for the holiday season. I figured that if I get into grad school the holiday schedule works out perfectly, because it ends in January. And I can't lie, I'm really excited about the employee discount ;) I start training on Monday and my "home" departments are HANDBAGS, fun jewelry, and intimates.

2. Finish one book- I haven't been reading as much as I used to and I've been "reading" the same book for two months now. It's hard to find the time now that fall shows are back and I'm blogging again, but I need to finish it!

3.  Visit an orchard- West Michigan has a ton of apple orchards and the one on the top of my list is Robbinette's. Our friends have raved about it and I figured we need to enjoy the Fall festivities before the snow comes!

4. Stay on top of blogging- I still have to finish my pages (about, bucket list, ect) and I'd like to be consistent with my posts. I'd also like to start an organization series soon!

What goals do you have for this month?