pop

This is probably one of my favorite pictures I have of Ben. It was taken at the zoo in Seattle. I love the vibrant colors of the bird and I think the blue background is striking behind both Ben and the bird. Plus this picture is a simple reminder of a fun day.

hot & cold

yes, i changed the layout again. every time i consider breaking up with this blog, i end up doing a total makeover instead. i really don't want to end things, i just wish things could be like they used to be. i need inspiration. i guess i should stop waiting for a big exciting thing to share, and just start sharing the small stuff again, like i used to. i have a full list of people i follow who are faithful to their blogs, so they keep me motivated to hang on. maybe this time it will stick.

soup soup dee doup

I'm working on a nice fallish dinner of brocolli cheese soup with French Bread on the side. The recipe I am using is a mock of the Panera one that Ben found online. It seems promising so far. The recipes I have used before have always called for processed cheese, so I am hoping using sharp cheddar while vastly improve the taste. And while it still might not be healthy necessarily, it has to be better than the processed cheese. The photo below is pre-cheese, but it is already looking delicious-nice and creamy. I am stirring it obsessively, as I have had a bad experience of letting the soup stick and burn. Embarrassing. Not this time!

Also, I whipped up some rice krispee treats for dessert. I buy them frequently during the week at work so I finally decided to do the wise thing and make my own batch. Although it might not seem so wise if I eat half the pan...

Happy Fall!

Here's the soup recipe:

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
1. ½ an onion, finely chopped
2. ¼ of a cup of melted butter
3. ¼ of a cup of flour
4. 2 cups of chicken stock
5. 2 cups of half & half
6. 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese, the sharper the better for more flavor
7. 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg
8. 1 cup of finely chopped carrots
9. 1/2 lb. of fresh broccoli
10. Salt & pepper
Directions
1. Finely chop half an onion and Saute it in a saucepan in you 1 tbsp. of melted butter
2. In another pan at medium heat, cook the melted butter and flour. Regularly whisk for around 3 ½ minutes.
3. Keep whisking and gently add the half and half
4. I know your hands getting tired but keep whisking and add the chicken stock
5. Let this liquid lightly simmer for 20 minutes
6. Add all of the broccoli, carrots, and onions
7. Cook over low heat until all the vegetables are tender and soft
8. Add salt and pepper to taste, and when you do taste, don’t burn your tongue. It’s hot. Reminder* the salt in this recipe really helps to bring out the flavor of the cheese, so don’t forget it.
9. Pour everything into a blender. Use the equivalent of a “mix” setting.
10. Take it out and put it back in a pot at low heat. Slowly add the cheese and stir constantly until it is uniformly melted and blended in and then sprinkle in the nutmeg.

chiefs 'n chopper...

• 90 day evaluation tomorrow at work, meaning we have reached the 3 month mark since our move to the OKC. time flies when you're having fun!
• i am trying to maintain working out 3 times per week. about a month ago i went for a consultation to learn the proper way to lift weights, so that has helped add structure to my work out. my cardio probably needs a little tightening up. currently all i do is play basketball (by myself), but it does involve a lot of running back and forth across the court-which is much more exciting than running on a treadmill.
• i skyped with my new little niece for the first time today! Evie will be 3 weeks on Saturday, and she is just adorable-of course! hard to believe that both my siblings have children now-a new generation is upon us!
• fall may finally be here...the past few mornings have been very cool and crisp, and it has stayed fairly mild all day. ben and i are giddy about the arrival of what we like to call "sweatuh weathuh"
• ummm...the chiefs. 3-0? what?? craziness. needless to say, it has been a fun season so far. thankfully, danny has directv and we are able to watch every chiefs game at his house.
• speaking of the chiefs...this is a pretty great video of Dexter McCluster rapping about driving safety. we watched this over and over-hilarious!
• well, i think that's about all i've got this evening....i'll leave you with this little tidbit from founder's day in Piedmont, OK:

one-we are the cardinals...

It's that time of year again...I have fallen in love with high school football over the past few years thanks to having the opportunity to watch the Raytown South Cardinals. It's tough knowing that I won't be able to watch them this year. Now that we are in OKC, we will have to find a new team to follow. Since Ben works in Piedmont, OK it only makes sense that we should follow their team. So, Piedmont Wildcats it is. Tonight is the first game, and I am thoroughly looking forward to it, but it is hard not to think about where I really want to be tonight. The Cardinals will always hold the number one spot in my heart, but I suppose I will have to find a little room for another team.

Here is a photo from last week's game, taken by Darryl Woods, Sr. of D Woods Photography.

home

Here are some shots of our apartment. We really lucked out on this place, it has been great so far. We actually just had our new bedroom set delivered today, which inspired me to finally post some photos.

The outside of the building. It has 4 units-we are on the top floor, and on the right unit-the one with the blinds open. They stay open all the time, Debs loves sitting in the windows watching-which is great, because we have tons of windows, as you can see. Not sure if you can see it, but there is a lot of ivy growing on the other side of the building. Very charming.

Pretty Cool.

I love that we have a doorbell.

Just inside front door. This is the one room that is not done yet. Currently it is storing some random items that we still need to figure out what to do with. Hopefully the mattresses will sell on craigslist very soon. Eventually this will be our dining room. Note the floors-this photo does not do them justice. They are the original floors, and they are gorgeous. I love the dark finish.

View of fireplace in room that will be dining room. I love the fireplace, even if it is not a working one. It's nice to have a mantle for my lovely colorful votive holders.

First view of living room.

Second view of living room.

Third view of living room.

Little nook that was advertised as dining area, but we decided to make it the office. And Debbie's restroom-there are trade offs that have to be made when living in a small apartment! I am currently researching litter box solutions for small spaces, so hopefully we will have a better place for it soon.

Deck off of kitchen. Looking forward to using this space more when it cools off.

The kitchen is across from the little office nook. I love the exposed brick.

Perfect little nook for Debbie's food. Note the little swish of her tail in the photo. :o)

Bedroom view from door. Love the new dresser and the nice big mirror.

Debbie staring intently at the "other cat" in the mirror. She's cute.

New bed and nightstand.

Nice big closet! Good thing it's big because it's the only one in the whole apartment. But hey, it forces us to keep our possessions to a minimum.

Bathroom, right off bedroom. Love the convenience.

So there you have it, our humble little home. We have loved our return to apartment living. We enjoyed our house, but it was way too big for us-we had 3 rooms that we never used in our house! It's nice too be back in a space that is just enough. We plan on staying here for several years.