Turkey Time with Family

Last Wednesday, we loaded up the goof troop and headed for Tennessee to spend Thanksgiving with Matt's family.  Despite snow, rain and narrowly killing my husband, we made it safely! 

After unloading the car and feeding the hungry pups, this girl poured herself a LARGE glass of red wine!  It was divine. 

Bless my sister in law and brother in law's hearts for putting up with 13 family members and 2 extra dogs!  Everyone converged on their house Wednesday night and Jennifer managed to get everyone settled, fed and hydrated.  Not only did she make food for Wednesday's supper, but also breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, the turkey and several fixins for dinner and breakfast Friday before everyone headed back out!  Super woman. 

Thursday morning was pretty low key.  Lots of catching up over coffee and breakfast casseroles.  Midday we started getting motivated to get our turkey dinner prepared!  The boys handled frying the turkey, while most of the gals made appetizers, sides and desserts. 

 

 

 

Matt's family also likes to indulge in craft beer, good wine and mixed drinks!  I fell head over heels for this recipe for an Apple Cider Moscow Mule...

Several of us headed out to battle the calories and snapped some great photos of the beautiful TN scenery!

After our walk, I put the hurt on some online shopping and knocked out several people on my Christmas shopping list.  Kohl's strikes again!  I also took advantage of Courtney's 50% off sale at Cowgirl Crush... Excited to see everything come in the mail this week!

Most of Matt's family took off back to their respective states (IL, NC, FL) after breakfast Friday morning, but we decided to hang out for another day!  And after being relatively contained by four walls, the four of us were ready to escape to town.  The four of us had lunch out, did some shopping and then headed back to the house to check in on the pups. 

Speaking of the pups... My girl Haddie was a rock star!!  She was a little timid (obviously), but warmed up to everyone pretty quickly!  She also found a buddy in Matt's cousin's daughter, Eve.  I was a touch apprehensive with the baby crawling all over, but Haddie handled it like a champ!  Everyone was smitten.

After an impromptu session for Christmas card pictures, we all headed into NashVegas!  The last time the four of us were downtown it was rainy and freaking cold, so the mild temps were so awesome!  We had supper at Demos' Restaurant and then went for drinks/live music on the patio at Rippy's.  Let me tell you "Rocky Top" sounds so much better when you're actually in Tennessee!

Sadly, our trip had to come to an end and it was time to go home Saturday.  On the way home we stopped for lunch at an old college fave, 17th Street, which is famous for pork barbeque!  We rolled into the lane at home around 5pm and EVERYONE, human and canine, was excited to be out of the car.  The rest of the night we seriously lounged on the couch and did nothing!

To round out the weekend, Matt and Bella got up and went duck hunting Sunday morning at the God awful hour of 4am.  Like the smart kids we are, Haddie and I slept in!  I was going to take Haddie for a run, but the 25 mph winds kept me in my pjs watching Christmas movies and decorating our big Christmas tree.  I'm pretty proud of the way it turned out this year!  Be on the look out for pics!

Linking up with Biana.

Weekend Festivities // Live Music and Fall Fun

Another great weekend has come and gone.  *sigh*  Thankfully, we'll have another one coming around again, but first a whole week of work!

Instead of diving into work, I'd rather relive this weekend's shenanigans...

Friday night we did a little drinking, dancing and singing to Mr. Aaron Watson!  Good times, great music!  Keeping my fingers crossed that he will be playing in Vegas when we head out in December.

After sleeping in 'til 10:30am Saturday morning I was feeling extra energetic and a little guilty about all those Redd's from the night before, so I headed out for a 4 mile run.  I felt extra spiffy in my coordinating workout gear!

Matt and Bella headed to the farm to plant his deer food plot and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen whipping up some tasty yummies!  Broccoli salad, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, bruschetta and apple crisp pie with salted caramel sauce.  The house smelled AMAZING!

After Matt got home and cleaned up we headed to Beitz's for supper and then we all headed off to hear some more live music!

Saturday night was Brushville, an up and coming country band who played at our wedding almost four years ago.  They've got two singles out on country radio, Bar Star and Baby's Got Her Boots On.  Check them out!  Here in central Illinois, they're a pretty big deal!

Since I slept like the dead Saturday morning, it was fitting that I was up bright and early Sunday.  But it was all for a good reason!  The first thing I did was prep a crock pot full of balsamic beef stew and then it was off to Apple 'N Pork Festival. 

Shockingly, I only bought one thing and it wasn't even for me... but a Christmas present!  I know... Christmas already!?!?  After checking out all the vendors that this year's festival had to offer it was time to head back and consume copious amounts of beef stew and apple pie while watching football!  After watching the Bears lose to the Packers (I guess it's only disappointing if you're a Bears fan, which I'm not... Go Broncos!) I started the process, and it really is a process, of decorating the house for fall! 

What can I say, I love Fall!  We were married in October, so I have lots and lots of decorations left over from the wedding that I use to decorate the house every year.  I overheard Matt say to Bella, "Holy Fall shitzel Bella!  Doesn't it feel like we're in a pumpkin patch?"

Linking up with Biana and Meghan.

Weekend Replay

I'm all for a quiet weekend at home, but given the option I'd choose fun and friends any day!  Who's with me?!?

After work we loaded up the car and hit the road south bound for Missouri.  Matt and I were both anxious to see our college pals and the four hour road trip was the only thing standing in our way!

Thankfully, the trip down was pretty uneventful.  We dealt with a little rain and some traffic around St. Louis, but nothing too terrible.  Come to find out, we timed everything just right and missed all the Cardinal baseball traffic as we went through!

When we got to Eric and Jamie's the party was already in full swing.  The bonfire was blazing, the beer was flowing and as predicted, so were the stories!!  Honestly, those stories may be old and tired, but they still bring a smile to my face!  

Saturday morning came a little too early for some, but for the most part we were all up and at 'em in pretty good time (and shape)!  After lighting a fire under the slower movers, we lit out to meet the company we rent the canoes from.  

I've only ever floated/canoed with this company, but how they typically organize everything generally goes like this:

1. Pay for your group.

2. Drive down the hill and park vehicles where we will finish on the canoes.

3. Load coolers and people into a large wagon and ride down to the river.

4. Organize canoes and float off.

This year we had a bit of a snafu between 3 and 4.  

Everything was all fine and dandy.  We had loaded the excessive amount of beer all our coolers and were on the way to the river.

 

When there was a bit of a problem... 

Now, you can't convince me that the hitch broke just because of the weight of 17 people and all those frickin coolers, but it sure didn't help!  And it makes for another funny story that will be told for years to come.  

We finally managed to make it to the river.  Hallelujah!

This year, Matt and I decided to shake things up and not be each others partners.  Sometimes it's just for the best.  Jamie and I decided that we were going to pair up and the husbands could be partners.  Best. Decision. Ever.  

Laughing at you and your partners mistakes is WAY more fun that being PO'd at the end of the day because you (or your significant other) did something dumb.  And this way, Jamie and I could chit-chat and gossip for the next six hours!  It worked out perfectly.  Jamie and I had a blast and I was still speaking to Matt by the time we were done!  

Being the lone 'girls only' canoe you can also get away with certain things too!!  

"Paddle boys, paddle!"

After countless laughs, multiple cans of beer and several miles spent on the river, a few of us took the lazy way out and fast-tracked to the finish. 

 

In our defense, there is always an amazing spread of food waiting for us back at the house.  That and a hot shower!  After we got back, cleaned up and our bellies were full of food most of us retreated to the bonfire and you guessed it... more old stories resurfaced!  And because it's what Illinois men do when they get together, there was also euchre into the wee hours of the night.

By 9 o'clock Sunday morning, everyone had packed up and headed for home, but it's tradition for us to stick around and have brunch with Jamie, Eric and his parents.  Mostly we relive the float trip and make notes for next year (t-shirts and music on the river!), share what's new or swap recipes.  This year, I came home with a new recipe for pasta sauce that I'm anxious to try!  And since there's 30 tomato plants in our garden, I think we will have an opportunity to make something new this year!

On our way home, we stopped at our friend's house for their daughter's 1st birthday party.  Jill out did herself decorating and everything looked spectacular!  Even more exciting than the decorations, Adelynn's last gift that she opened announced that she would be getting a new baby BROTHER in December!  The family is obviously excited, but I think John is super stoked for a boy to even up the score at home.  

So tell me, did you go-go-go this weekend or did you recharge your batteries?  

Linking up with Biana and Meghan.

Weekend Recap

Holy smokes.  This weekend wore. me. out. 

Friday night after work I headed to the barn to get Louie ready for our first big show of the year.  After getting him all glammed up, I loaded him in the trailer and headed to the show facility.  Matt met me there, thank goodness.  He was a huge help getting Louie settled and me all organized.

It takes a lot of 'gear' to show horses.  Saddles, bridles, blankets, show halters, grooming supplies, feed, supplements, hay... The list goes on.  And that doesn't even count the stuff for me!

Friday night after tucking Louie in the for the night, Matt and I grabbed some Mexican food.  I had a margarita to help calm my nerves!  It was tasty, but I can say that I've never met a margarita that I didn't really like.

Both Saturday and Sunday mornings I was up and at 'em at O Dark Thirty or 5 in the am!  I got my make-up and hair done before leaving the house.  One less thing to actually worry about at the horse show.  I really need to get photos of the whole process that is 'showing horses', but it's really the last thing on my mind on those mornings!  After getting myself all prepped, I drove over to the show grounds to feed Louie and start getting ready. 

Long story short... 

I was worried that he wouldn't settle in and relax at this first overnight show, but he was a trooper!  We had a great weekend!  Louie and I placed in every one of our classes.  We also earned both state and national points with the American Paint Horse Association. 

I owe a HUGE "Thank You!" to Matt, my parents, my pal Maggie (who came over and was my groom/personal attendant/gopher) and my paint horse friends for all their help and support this weekend!

Handsome Louie and I in our finery!

The exhaustion and jello legs are totally worth all the fun I had this weekend!  And I'm already counting the days until our next show... 

26 days.

Weekend Recap Via Instagram

This last weekend was a whirlwind!  I was up and at 'em and out the door by 7:45am to get to the DMV.  I recently bought a new horse trailer and needed to get the title and license plates squared away.  From there Bella and I headed to our friends house to spend some time at the pond.  Bella LOVES going over there and gets all spun out about a mile from their house because she knows where we're going!  Jill and I floated while the dogs swam, terrorized the wildlife and generally ran around like goofballs.  It was so nice to relax!  I didn't get any photos at the pond, but we spend a lot of time there in the summer so I'm sure there will be some soon.

From the pond, I headed to see one of my best friends and her new baby!  They'd been out of the hospital for about a week and I hadn't had a chance to get down to see them yet.  My Friday schedule was totally crazy, but I was able to spend about 45 minutes visiting.  He's a cutie pie!  From there I headed back home to shower and change for a birthday party for my secretary at work.

Saturday morning I was up early again, this time it was to go and get my horse ready for our first horse show of the year!  YEA!!  I had to clip, cut, wash, band, and polish him up so he was all purty for the show.  Here we are all dressed to the nines and looking fabulous!

Louie gets very worried when he has to stand by himself at the horse trailer, he really like a buddy... either horse or human, he doesn't care!  And he was driving me crazy before we went into our first class because he was causing such a ruckus, neighing for anyone who would listen... dancing around... pawing with his front feet.  So I told him, in my toughest gruffest voice that he'd better shape up or else....  Our first class of the day was Showmanship at Halter, which if you don't know anything about horse showing is a pattern class and the handler, in this case me... is judged on how well I complete the pattern with my horse.  In classes like this I like to be the first one to go, but the only drawback is you have to stand there and watch the other contestants go.  I stand there and critique their patterns and try to compare my pattern to theirs...  After everyone had gone the announcer clicked his mic on and said "Placings for Adult Showmanship are as follows... 1st Place... entry number 571... Myla Ringler and Thru Thick N Tin."  The judge selected Louie and I as the winner!!!  Woo Hoo!

I was a happy girl! 

Sunday morning I was pretty excited to sleep in past 8 o'clock!  Matt and I were pretty slow moving, but we really had to drop the hammer and get in gear because we were heading to Chicago for the day.  We stopped at my parents house, wished my Dad a "Happy Father's Day", dropped Bella off and headed back out.  Long story short we successfully used our navigational (and marital) skills to get to and from Chicago riding the Metra.  Not to pat myself on the back, but we also dominated riding the CTA to Wrigley Field for a Chicago Cubs game!  

Hanging out in the city was wonderful and the game was fun even though the Cubs lost....*sad face*  We made it home safe and sound around 2am Monday morning and let me tell you getting up for work was tough tough tough!  Play Hard, Work Hard!

Super Saturday

Saturday was a pretty big day around these parts what with the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo being the same day and all!  Some friends had decided a while back that they wanted to host the big party this year so Friday I spend cooking and baking for the festivities.  I made some corn salsa, a black bean layer dip, zucchini brownies and a derby day pie.  You can't call this specific pie by it's official name, "D#$%y Pie" because there's actually a trademark on the name, so I was brainstorming all day and came up with 'KY Pie', as in Kentucky Pie.  It never really clicked until I said it out loud in a room full of people that it could be interpreted as a certain kind of lubrication, not as a state abbreviation!  Oh boy, did everyone get a kick out of that! Listed below is the recipe I used and some not so great pictures of the process...  I don't have a big fancy camera to take beautiful pictures with, sorry!

Derby Day Pie  

1/2 c butter, melted

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp bourbon

3/4 c pecans, chopped

3/4 c chocolate chips

Pie Shell-I followed this great lady's recipe!

Put the pie shell in a shallow pie plate.

In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients in the order given.  I flip flopped the butter and sugar, and it still came out okay...

 Just keeping it real folks...

 This was all that was left of the pie, two thumbs up.  Side note, the pie would be even better served with some vanilla ice cream. Next time!

This year's Kentucky Derby was a great race!  Bodemiester, the horse who broke first and lead almost the whole race had a great trip.  Unfortunately for him, but good for me, I'll Have Another came from the #19 post on the outside pole to win!  My pocketbook may be a little more fat than it was yesterday prior to the race... It seemed fitting that I'll Have Another won the race on a day that we spent with great friends, good food and amazing margarita's! 

The Derby Gals (l-r) Me, Jody, Karen and Cheri