Stock the Bar

Michael and Emily's "Stock the Bar" engagement party was a great time last weekend. I think they received enough alcohol to last quite awhile. I know I'd be happy to help take some of it off their hands! :-) Family and friends from all over attended, and we had a great time celebrating the upcoming wedding.

Family picture:

Mom and some members of the Bern Squad.

Michael and some friends.

Soon to be sister-in-laws!


Can't wait for the big day on May 1, 2010!

Suprise, It's Elvis!

The morning after the wedding my mom planned for Elvis to make an appearance and sing Happy 60th Birthday to her friend, Ann. He surprised her as we were eating breakfast that morning. First, the loud music came on the speakers and then Elvis came strolling in! Ann was shocked and wanted to crawl under the table. We got a good laugh!

As you can see from the pictures, this man didn't look exactly like Elvis, and he sure didn't sound like Elvis. Boy was it hilarious!!






I don't understand what people of that generation saw in him!

October Wedding

October weddings are the best (maybe I'm a little biased)!!

On Saturday night we attended the wedding of a long time family friend. He got married in Ohio on the campus of Xavier University. The ceremony was wonderful, and the 80-year priest was quite hilarious!

The new Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien!

Following the ceremony, we celebrated all night long at the reception!


Way too many drinks on our table. Note the lovely place cards using the cork of a wine bottle. Cute! I will say that is alot of bottles of wine though, considering there were 275 guests!


It was cold before the dancing started (I don't generally wear Justin's jacket).

The next wedding will be Michael and Emily's!


Congrats!

Little Miss Domestic

After a busy weekend of running in the Dick Lugar 10K on Saturday morning and going to the Kenney Chesney concert on Saturday night, a day of being domestic at home was much needed. Justin's parents gave us TONS of tomatoes, green peppers, red peppers, green beans, cucumbers, and corn on the cob that was quickly going bad unless I did something with them asap. So I set out on Sunday morning to make tomato sauce, chicken tortilla soup, and freeze the green beans and corn. It was quite the day in the kitchen!

First up:
Chicken Tortilla Soup (in the crockpot)

My recipe:
2 large chicken breasts (put in frozen, but shred when they are cooked through)
2 can black beans undrained
1 large can green chilis
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 cup salsa
corn (I used about 1.5 cups cut from the cob)
tomatoes, diced (I used about 3 large tomatoes)
minced garlic, onion powder, cumin, cilantro, salt, and pepper

Let simmer in crockpot all day and serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips on top!


Next:
Homemade Tomato Sauce

The chopped tomatoes ready to go:


I loosely followed the recipe found here, but I did everything x 4 and added a chopped onion and green pepper. I froze most of the tomato sauce for later, but saved some for Justin to make spaghetti while I am out of town this week.

Finally:
Corn and Green Beans

Before (there was more):


I blanched them in boiling water for 3-5 minutes and then transferred to ice water for the same amount of time. Then I cut the corn off the cob. I froze the corn and green beans in individual portions.

After:


Whew....quite a day in the kitchen!!

Go Colts!

Charlie is so excited that football season has begun! He's got his jersey on and is ready to cheer for the Colts as they have a great season!!

RibFest, anyone?

If you're a follower of the famous Stevenson blog, then I apologize because you've already seen these pictures. Really I just wanted to add to Lindsey's sentiments that RibFest was a bit disappointing. I mean $40 for some so-so ribs and fried potatoes that we had to eat while standing up without a beverage?!?! Not my idea of $40 well-spent! Good thing Scotty's made it up for it with their pitchers of Woodchuck Cider and half-prize appetizers. I think next labor day weekend we'll skip the RibFest and head straight to Scotty's!

Yum, ribs!!

Cousins!

This past weekend Charlie and his cousin, Jack, enjoyed some play time together. Ok, maybe that is a lie. Jack enjoyed the play time. Charlie, on the other hand, tolerated Jack as he acted like a crazy little puppy all night long! They were very cute together, and I think they will be good friends in the future! :-)




This was pretty much the theme of the night - Jack trying to play with Charlie, and Charlie trying to ignore him. They were so funny!