Souper Sundays Week 10 & 11

Week 10: Vegetable Beef & Orzo Soup
Week 11: Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
(my mom suggested Amish noodles & Mike gave it two thumbs up!) I was even able to throw in some fresh thyme that is still thriving outside on our desk in its pot- in November!

An afternoon with Ayla

I had the pleasure of spending last Saturday afternoon with my one and only and therefore very favorite niece, Ayla. She turns 3 this Wednesday so my gift to her was a special one on one afternoon of just her and me and anything her little heart could desire! We started out at the book store and read probably 10-15 books of her choice and then she got to pick one to take home for her very own. Then we made our way to a couple of stores to try on shoes and shop for clothes. Then I asked Ayla what her very favorite thing to eat would be and without hesitation she knew she wanted pancakes. Well pancakes for dinner it was! She informed me that she thought she could eat seven pancakes and would also like some lettuce for dinner- so a side salad and chocolate milk also completed her special meal. The nice man at Perkins even let her pick a cookie to take home which turned out to be a major highlight for her :) After dinner we had a little more shopping to do and we found her a cute flowery dress and pink shoes for her brand new birthday outfit.

I had the most fun time and we were both pretty happy and tired by the time we got her back home to share our stories and purchases with the rest of her family. I sure hope this is a tradition I can continue with my precious niece and nephews- I'm pretty sure I had as much if not more fun than she did.

Week 8 & 9 & a surprise to go with it

Souper Sunday Week 8: Steak Fajita Chili- recipe from my sister's magazine Cuisine at Home!

Week 9: BYE week- read on to find out why I deserved a bye this last Sunday.....

Saturday I threw Mike a 30th Birthday Surprise Tailgate & Party! After misleading him to believe that no one could come tailgate but a very few friends- people started showing up from all over to surprise him at our Iowa v. Northwestern tailgate. Then the surprises continued as we convinced him it would be a good idea to watch the game at Old Chicago where his family and more friends were waiting to yell, "SURPRISE!" We had a great time and I thank everyone who made the trip to help surprise him and celebrate his turning the big 30!