Just a Canary Bird...

Wow, September has came and gone already! We celebrate a lot of family birthdays in September. Mine, my Dad's, and the Hubby's are all within a week of each other. We celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. The Hubby surprised me with some pretty flowers! Fall is here and of course Indiana weather can't decide between summer and fall temperatures. The week started off in the 80's and the low this weekend will be 44... really?!? We went to the local orchard this weekend and got pumpkins and apple cider! It was packed! The Hubby has been trying to teach me how to play chess. Can we just say it is a frustrating game? I am not good at thinking ahead on strategy or figuring out why he is doing what he is doing... if I can ever check-mate him, I will be amazed! I saw this article on Facebook and loved it. People really do not understand how a small, insignificant question can break your heart every time.  I am also 2-1 in my Fantasy Football leag...

Today is our anniversary! We have been married for 4 years. I cannot believe that 4 years has passed by already. We have been together for 8 1/2 years and I couldn't imagine my life any different. I love the Winnie the Pooh quote, " If you live to be 100, I want to live to be 100 minus a day so that I would never have to live a day without you ." I was so lucky to find my other half. Since we have been together for so long, I put together some of my favorite memories we have shared! Happy Anniversary! Love always, Kara

One of my favorite actresses is Mindy Kaling. I think she is hilarious, beautiful, real, and a great role model. She has taken control of her career and doesn't let anyone tell her she can't do something.  I found this quote by her and I totally agree! source So many kids today, boys or girls, really base their self worth on what others think about them. What they don't realize is that in the scheme of things, those people in high school are a speck of sand in the lifetime they plan to live.  I saw a quote somewhere that stated, the friends you have in high school were your friends because you saw them five days a week. I completely agree. It is rare to hold on to a few good friends, because most of the time those relationships are relationships of convenience. High school isn't an easy place to be, but if you get through it so many wonderful things await beyond that.  September is suicide awareness month. I really just wish so many people truly saw things...

WE MADE IT! Whew, I'm so glad Friday is here. I'm in a good mood today because the Broncos won last night AND Peyton did great! If they would just let him throw the ball and not bother with all this running nonsense, they would be just fine. Hopefully, the rest of my fantasy football team will perform this week. I need to get a win! We had a great time last night. I went golfing with the Hubby. Well he golfed and I caddied for him. Really I just am keeping him company and probably being annoying most of the time by asking him, are you sure you want to use that club? Oh well an annoying caddie is better than no caddie! We will be busy with golf sectional this weekend. I am hoping the weather holds out, we are supposed to get some rain! source I hope you have a fabulous weekend! Until next time, Kara

Football season is finally here. In our house this means soup, snacks, fantasy teams and afternoon naps (for me at least).  Let's not discuss how mad I am at Peyton Manning... I just don't think he realizes how important he is to my fantasy team and how he under-performed this week. C'mon Manning! At least my food is always good during football season, even if my players aren't playing well.  Since I'm on the low-carb diet, it's hard for me to eat a lot of dip without chips, so I decided to turn one of my low-carb wraps into chips, so I can eat this dip. Because it is heavenly good! Bacon-Ranch Dip 1 container of sour cream 1 packet of dry ranch seasoning 1 bag of real bacon bits 1 cup of shredded cheese, I like the mixed bag kinds This is a easy recipe that is just so good! You just need to throw all these ingredients into a bowl and mix them up. Store in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving! You could add some green onions for a l...

In Indiana we are known for our being able to experience all seasons in the same week!  Well I think we steadily fit a couple in this week. It was 95, then dropped down to a high of 67 and a low of 48 within two or three days! It's like you need to carry a tank top, light sweater, and your winter hoodie all around in your car because you just never know what the weather will be like when you get done with work at 5:00. ANYWAYS, this weekend the weather felt so much like fall; which leads me to get my Halloween decorations set up, thinking about going to the apple orchard to get pumpkins and to get apple cider and cinnamon sugar donuts!  Since I haven't had time to head to the orchard yet, I picked up a gallon of apple cider at the grocery store and decided to make our favorite fall cocktail! Caramel Apple Cocktail 8 oz of apple cider 2 oz of Smirnoff Kissed Caramel vodka This cocktail is super easy and yummy! You could enjoy it warm or cold. The H...

It's September, that means it's birthday month. My birthday was last week, my Dad's was Tuesday and yesterday was the Hubby's. I always like to make something for the Hubby on his birthday. He will eat cake if we are somewhere like a wedding, but not very often does he just want a piece of cake. He likes brownies, cookies, and candy bars.  For his birthday this year I decided to combine two of his favorites: chocolate chip cookies and Kit Kat candy bars! This cookie is sweet, chewy, and delicious!  Happy birthday honey! Kit Kat Cookies 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 10 snack size Kit Kat bars, chopped in thirds 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Start out by creaming together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.  While that is working in the mixer, in a se...

Starting the week off with a holiday really throws off your sense of what day it is. I woke up thinking today was Tuesday.... lucky for me it's Wednesday! Whoop Whoop! That is a win in itself. I'm also super excited because we are supposed to have cooler weather coming just in time for the start of football season this weekend. Speaking of football... I am in a Fantasy Football league at work and I am feeling confident with my draft picks. Here you can look for yourself!  My strategy was picking players that I have heard of... I don't want any no names, otherwise I won't care. This way I get to root on my individual players. I was able to get my favorite player, Peyton Manning! YAY, let's go Broncos! I'm hoping the weather will be cool on Sunday, so I can make chili and some snacks for opening Sunday! Have a great day and don't forget to set up your line ups tonight! Until next time, Kara

Is it really September already? Really?!? It feels like yesterday was the beginning of the summer. BUT September kicks off the start to my favorite time of year! I love the end of Summer/Fall/Christmas season! It means holidays, food, sweats, blankets, and being cozy! With that being said.... it seems like the perfect time of year to line up some good reads when you can't be outside all the time! I am still on hold for a ton of new books, but here are a few of my recent reads! Nice Girl's Don't Have Fangs- by Molly Harper This was a hilarious read. It was witty and I enjoyed the relationships between all the characters. source Don't get me wrong I think the main character Jane is a little high and mighty on herself, but still it's a funny read!  It's the first book in the Jane Jameson series. Here is the description of the book:  Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian an...

This is our 3rd a final dessert of the week from Chelsea's shower this weekend!  Let's recap. We had the Cherry Limeade Cupcake! It was a lime cupcake with a cherry buttercream. Then we had the Dulce de Leche Churro Sticks. It's pie crust filled with dulce de leche and they were rolled in the cinnamon sugar! Our final recipe this week is the Cake Ball Truffles! Cake Ball Truffles 1 box of yellow butter cake, plus the ingredients listed on the box 1 container of vanilla frosting chocolate almond bark This is the type of recipe that once you learn the process you can change up all the flavor combinations. Just make your boxed cake mix according to the instructions. I always add an extra teaspoon of vanilla when I make a boxed cake mix. I baked mine in a 9 x 13 pan. After it's baked, you want to let it completely cool. Then once it's cool, you just want to destroy the cake. You can use the food processor or just use your hands to make it ca...

We are back with recipe #2 from Chelsea's bridal shower! I am a sucker for anything remotely caramel flavored. When I saw Cookies & Cups post a recipe for these churro sticks I was pumped! I thought this is something a little different for the shower. This recipe is pretty simple and the possibilities are endless! And honestly, who doesn't like anything rolled around in cinnamon and sugar?!?  Dulce de Leche Churro Sticks 1 box of refrigerated pie crusts 1/2 can dulce de leche 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon 1/3 sticks butter, melted Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I floured my counter and rolled out both pie crusts.  Then I took about half my can of dulce de leche and spread out all over one pie crust.  I covered the first pie crust with the second and used my pizza cutter to cut strips. I then placed the strips on my baking sheets and used a fork to seal the edges of the sticks. I baked them in...