Cereal Day

Cereal, cereal, cereal.  I love cereal!  A big bowl of it is my favorite way to start every day.  I weekly visit the Sprouts bulk bins to fill up a bag of whichever granola happens to be on sale that week.  I seriously feel like I'm lacking something all day if I don't get my bowl of cereal in the morning. :)

So I'm sure you can presume that I was very excited that there is a whole random holiday dedicated to cereal.  The day happened to also fall on the same day that I was overseeing a big test material return at work. I wanted to do something fun and special to let the school assessment coordinators that I appreciate all their hard work.  Being cereal day, of course it needed to involve cereal.  So I bought the little individual cereal boxes and came up with some super cheesy sayings.

It helps the second one make sense if you
say it out loud to yourself

Each coordinator got to choose their favorite cereal, probably from their childhood.  They all got a good laugh and smile out of it.  I was excited to even have one other person that actually knew it was Cereal Day. My co-workers still think it's hilarious that I do things like this.

Now the day could not go by without celebrating myself.  I stocked up ahead of time so that I could have a bowl of cereal at every meal of the day.

Breakfast
Blueberry Flax Granola

Lunch
Got the mango in too!

Dinner
A nice new variation on Cheerios

Every single one was delicious.  I could get use to eating cereal with every meal.  Haha!

I do feel the need to tell a little side story on my breakfast granola...So I decided to make a quick stop at Sprouts on my way home one night.  I walked in to find the store completely picked over because everyone was preparing for the "blizzard" that was predicted for the following day.  I decided to go ahead and do my shopping and just get whatever I could.  I was just about done with my shopping.  The last thing I needed to get was some chicken because I didn't want it sitting in my cart the whole time.  I went over to the chicken and started to look through to see which one was just the right size.  I finally pick the chicken I want and turn around to discover that my cart is not there.
I look all around and begin to think that I must be losing my mind.  "Did I leave my cart somewhere?"  "Am I going insane and it's really here, I just don't see it?"  I backtracked my steps, but became certain that I had taken my cart with me to the chicken.  I must have looked absolutely ridiculous walking around the store with such a confused look on my face.  Then I started to wonder if I was on some kind of candid camera.  I thought for sure someone was about to pop out laughing and telling me to "Smile!  You're on candid camera!"  But no.  No candid camera.
I ended up back at the chicken where a family had been near by the whole time.  I asked them if they had seen anything, and they had.  They said they noticed a man in a green shirt and green apron walk of quickly with my cart.  They thought it was strange, but reasoned that he must have been with me.  It did not solve my problem, but I was at least thankful to know that I had not completely lost my mind.
I tracked down a worker and told him my situation.  He couldn't find my cart, so he went to the manager.  The manager apologized and said that one of his workers must have rounded it up as an abandoned cart.  Abandoned?!?!?  I was standing right beside it.  Trying to stay positive about the fact that it could have been much worse if I had put my personal belongings in the cart, I grabbed another cart and started all over again.  But quite honestly, I was tired, hungry and just wanted to go home.  I did not anticipate being there so long.
One of the items I had in my original cart was a big bag of the granola on sale that week.  When I went back over to fill up another bag, there were 2 people waiting to get the granola.  I got behind them to patiently wait to fill up my bag.  The first lady filled up a whole bag.  The second lady filled up a whole bag.  They wiped out the entire bin.  "You've got to be kidding me!  Where are the cameras?  This must be a joke!"  Again, no joke, no cameras.  I go find the same manager I spoke to earlier to ask if they had any more in the back.  He runs off to see and comes back to inform me that that was the very last of it.  He must have seen the total defeat in my face.  He felt so bad.
So as a reconciliation for all that had occurred, he told me I could fill up an entire bag of any granola I wanted.  Price didn't matter.  Just fill it up.  I perked up a bit at this.  The Blueberry Flax Granola is by far my favorite, and it doesn't go on sale often.  I took my bag over and filled it up!
Long story short, it was one of my more frustrating shopping experiences ever, but it ended in quite a blessing.  I will now be enjoying delicious bowls of blueberry granola for many mornings.  And it made a great start to my Cereal Day!!!

That right there is many happy mornings!

Thanks Manager Jason!

International Pancake Day 2013

It's one of my top favorite random holidays!  Many of you probably remember last year's celebration in Pohnpei.  That's certainly a memory I'll never forget.  There's always something special about celebrating the day with people who have never experienced the fun of Pancake Day before.  This year was no exception.  Each year I have two personal rules for the day:

1. Pancakes must be eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
2. I must have different pancakes to keep it unique and interesting.

I'll be honest, I start planning this pretty far in advance.  It takes time to develop just the right menu so that you get a variety of pancakes throughout the day.

I kept it simple for breakfast because I wanted to focus more on lunch and dinner when I could celebrate with others.  So I just made myself some simple, yet unique pancakes for breakfast. 

Pancake #1: Cherry Vanilla Granola Pancake

Going Pohnpei style with the addition of the banana topping

Last year I really liked the idea of pancake sandwiches for lunch.  I decided to do a variation on that idea this year.  Browsing through Pinterest, I saw a picture of spinach pancakes with hummus.  I thought to myself "What a great idea!!!"  So I figured out how to make them and went with it.  I couldn't make enough for everyone at work, so I just had a few of my co-workers join me for a pancake lunch.

Pancake #2: Spinach Pancakes (Most Unique Award)

Just blend up fresh spinach with egg, water, and flour.

Believe it or not, there is no food coloring in these; just spinach.

What color!  Not your typical pancake.

They were a hit!  They quickly became the talk of the office.

My co-workers think it's so funny that I do stuff like this.  They probably think I'm a little crazy, but that's okay because it is my nickname after all.  And they have a lot of fun with it too.  My head boss now asks me almost every day if I brought anything for a random holiday.

Now, on to dinner.  This is where I went a little crazy, but I couldn't help myself.  There are so many great options out there.  I invited a few friends and neighbors.  It's so exciting to be close to these people again!

Pancake #3: Banana Bread Pancakes (Best Taste Award)
Pancake #4: Blueberry Lemon Pancakes
Pancake #5: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
Pancake #6: Rootbeer Pancakes

There were so many that I made labels to let everyone know
what they were getting.

Pancake # 7: Roasted Potato & Vegetable Pancakes

Roast potatoes, red pepper, and onion

Blend them together and pan fry to make a delicious
savory pancake option.

Now dessert is what I had been looking forward to all day!  This was the highlight of Pancake Day 2013.  It was the element that had never been part of one of my pancake celebrations before: FIRE!!!  I recently purchased a kitchen torch after having so much fun with my mom's over Christmas break.  With my love of making marshmallow treats, I knew this would come in handy.  It made dessert interactive as everyone got to great their own s'more pancake: graham cracker pancake, spread with melted chocolate, swirl a little marshmallow creme on top, and toast!

Pancake #8: S'more Pancakes (Most Fun Award)

Dwayne was up first!

Meredith with a nice flame to toast that marshmallow right up.

Scott, the kitchen torch pro.

Lorenzo made it look so easy and even warmed
up the whole pancake with the torch.

Christine with great focus to get just the right amount of toasting

I had a bit of an advantage since I had toasted at least 50
marshmallow swirls preparing to submit my cookie recipes
for the contest.

S'more Pancake masterpiece!

That's the way to conclude another splendid Pancake Day!  It wouldn't be nearly as fun without all the friends that celebrated with me.  Thank you for embracing my craziness! :)

National Chili Day

This was my first random holiday celebration with my new co-workers.  I fixed up a whole Crockpot full of chili for all to enjoy.  It was a very cold day, so chili was the perfect way to warm up a little.  I decided to go with a chili recipe that Nikki made while we were roommates.  It's not your typical chili, but so delicious!  It's called 21 Ingredient Chili.

Obviously how it got the name

Mmm...doesn't it make you want a bowl?

Even though it's 21 ingredients, it's actually not that overwhelming.  Many of the things are items I keep in the pantry all the time.  And what you do have to go get is totally worth it.  Hurry up and make a batch before winter soup weather comes to an end!  Here's the recipe if I've convinced you to give it a try:

21 Ingredient Chili (From A Year of Slow Cooking)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut in 1-inch chunks)

1 onion, diced

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can corn (drained and rinsed)

1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (whole can)

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari Wheat Free are gluten free)

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (this has heat, if you are sensitive, start with 1 tsp. 3tsp = 1tblsp)

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon white pepper (this has heat, if you are sensitive omit completely or go slow)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 cups chicken broth

add salt to taste at the table, if needed

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your cooker; frozen is okay, but cut it into chunks. Add the diced onion, canned beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, and grated sweet potato. Now add the mustard, honey, and dried spices. Carefully stir well to distribute spices the best you can. Pour in the chicken broth.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until chicken easily shreds with two large forks. Although you could cook this on high in 4 hours, the flavors will meld best when cooked low and slow. Stir very well and serve in a large bowl with your favorite chili toppings. We like shredded cheese and sour cream.

Back to the Springs!

It's hard to believe that just 2 weeks ago I was in Boulder, still unsure of what I was going to do next.  After a lot of answered prayers and God-given peace, I'm now back in Colorado Springs!  What a whirlwind change.  I accepted my new job on a Monday and started orientation on Tuesday.  Thankfully the next weekend was a 3 day weekend, which allowed me to actually move.  My wonderful parents made the trip back up to Colorado, with the help of our #1 travel agent, Zach.  They flew into action even before I could get up to Boulder to get me packed up and ready for the move.  Monday morning my favorite moving company showed up to move me right back to where they moved me from just 7 months before.  It made it very easy for setting up the move when I could just tell the lady to reverse the addresses. :)

So long Boulder!  It's been a great experience!

Hello Colorado Springs!  I know they just loved carrying
all of that stuff back up the stairs.

 We got to work right away to get everything settled in.  Everything pretty much went back where it was before, so in some ways it kind of feels like I never left.

I've hit the ground running at my new job.  They wasted no time getting me involved and working on various things.  Everyone in my office has been so welcoming and a very enjoyable to work with.  My boss even had flowers waiting for me on my first day.

So sweet!

Of course I wanted to make a fun treat to share with co-workers.  Valentine's Day fell just two days after I started, so it was the perfect opportunity to make something fun.  I was also excited to reconnect with friends here.  So I invited Meredith over for dinner and Valentine treat making.  Little did she know that I had not moved any of my furniture down at that point, so we had a make-shift dining table.

Plastic patio furniture given to me by my neighbors.  Hey,
it works.

She also had no idea that not only were we preparing for a holiday the next day, but we were also celebrating the random holiday for that day.

Tortellini Day!!!

After enjoying our delicious tortellini, we got to work on our Valentine treats.  I figured I might as well kick off my work treats with my signature homemade marshmallows.  I got a little inspiration from Pinterest to dip them in chocolate and decorate with hearts.  Again, my kitchen supplies were still a bit limited, but we figured out a way to rig up slightly ghetto way of melting chocolate.  It took some time, but we eventually got the process going.

We had chocolate and powdered sugar ALL OVER the kitchen.  Haha!  But we had a great time and were quite happy with our little project.  And I think my co-workers will keep me around ;)

I've been pretty spoiled so far with my work weeks.  The first week was a 4 day week.  Then the second week was also suppose to be a 4 day week, but we got a big snow and were blessed with a snow day!

It was the talk of town that District 2 called a snow day the night before.  That's almost unheard of.   I was so thankful for a day stuck inside.  It was the perfect opportunity for me to get everything completely settled and in its place. Plus it has made it much easier for me to transition back into the working life.

I got to have a girl lunch with my former office-mates yesterday.  It was great to get to catch up with them and also confirm that I made a very good decision when I left.  As much as I love them and enjoyed being in the office with them every afternoon, it's way more fun to just hangout with them on the weekend.  I'm really excited about this new opportunity to put my classroom experience to use in a different way.

Hanging out with them also gave me an excuse to try my
hand at dog biscuits.

It was Dog Biscuit Day of course!  Minnie loved them :)

Alford Wedding & More

As most of you know, Nikki has been a dear friend since college and the best roommate I could ask for over a total of 4 years.  This past weekend, however, it became official that we could no longer be roommates.  She married the love of her life, Gabe.  I was blessed to be part of it and see these two become one and start a life together.  It was a beautiful weekend and a wedding that fit them perfectly.  From a mix of humor and seriousness throughout the ceremony to making their entrance to Star Wars, it was totally Nikki and Gabe.

We made this!  Yes, we're pretty proud of it ;)

Ready for the ceremony.  Gabe's sisters are
very musically talented.

The bouquets were so unique!  Loved them!

The stunning newly weds!
Mr. & Mrs. Gabe Alford

The reception was a lot of fun.  It was a great time to reunite with people, which is one of my favorite parts of weddings.  It brings people together to celebrate people you care about.  We played games, ate a delicious meal, and enjoyed fighting for the quickly disappearing wedding cake.

Hot chocolate bar!  Wonderful idea for a winter wedding.

Mom & Dad got to come too!

The pine cone collecting paid off!

Yes, Gabe cut the cake with a sword.

While I'm pretty bummed that Gabe took away my roommate, I'm so happy for them!  "What God has joined together, let man not separate."

After the wedding, I got to spend great quality time with my mom and dad.  I always love when they get to visit.  We got to watch the Super Bowl together (or my mom and I at least ran in the room for the commercials) in typical Eastup style: with homemade pizza!

I get my very own...

they get to share :)

Dessert was Carrot Cake Energy Balls in honor of
Carrot Cake day which happen to fall on the same day.

They rarely get to visit during the winter, so we took advantage of the opportunity to hit the slopes for a day.

A great ski area just a short, windy drive from Boulder.

Skiing comes back to you just like riding a bike.

Excited about a beautiful day in the mountains!

Beautiful, but very windy!  See the snow blowing?

We were exhausted and a little achy, but it was worth it.  The sun was shining, there were no lines at the lifts, and it was good father-daughter time.
The next day we went out for recovery brunch.  The Buff is a local restaurant that has made it on to Man vs. Food.  My mom had been dying to get back there since the last time the visited.  The food is pretty scrumptious!

Huevos Rancheros

Homestead Skillet

Eggs Benedict

Of course the joke is that "we ate in The Buff" and it was quite noteworthy.

The weather was great the whole time they were here, so we took advantage of it and did many Boulder attractions: The Buff, Pearl Street, Beaujo's Pizza, 29th Street Mall, and Flagstaff Mountain.

Incredible views from Flagstaff

The clouds look like they were painted on.

 All in all, it was obviously a wonderful weekend that I think we will all remember!  And it again reminded me of how thankful I am for family and friends.  What a blessing they are!