Crockpot Apple Crisp

If you're household is anything like ours, one of you likes to cook sweets and the other REALLY likes to eat sweets. Unfortunatly here, I fall under both of those categories. The Pro likes sweets, but one is enough and he's done. Me on the other hand, well I could probably eat the entire dish and once I have I realized....yes, I've just finished it all, basically on my own. Of course I don't know how to make anything in small portions...oh no, always WAY more than is needed. We are a family of two, and I make sweets like we have a family of ten! (Seems like it anyways)

Tonight I tried a new receipe that I knew even the Pro couldn't resist. Crossing my fingers he'll actually come back for seconds!

I found this receipe in a cool 'Crockpot' cookbook that we were given. Now who doesn't love cooking anything in a crockpot? Other than the cleanup, it's super easy with no fuss!

Trust me, you have got to try this receipe! Enjoy!

-2 Cans of Apple Pie filling (or any other flavor you like..I like blueberry & cherry would be really  good together)
-2 1/2 Cups of any granola cereal
-1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
-1/3 cup sugar
-1/3 cup melted butter

All you do is place the pie filling at the bottom of your crockpot, pour cereal on top, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar and drizzle with butter. Cook on low for 3 hours and there you go! Spoon into a bowl and top with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Next time I make this I'll probably add more pie filling and less granola just to make it taste more like a crunchy fruit-filled cobbler, but for my first try it was pretty good.

I may or may not have already gone back for seconds!

Football season in Texas

Well friends, it has begun...it's football season! Mild and avid fans alike look forward to this day for months, longing for the weekends where there is always a game on TV, a stadium seat to fill, the sound of the drum line and the smell of tailgate food. While I will say we here at TP&TP enjoy all of the above, I will also add the correction.....we don't look forward to this date for months. While it is probably always in the back of his mind, the PRO loves ALL sports. And I do mean all! (OK..there are probably 2 sports that I can probably name that he doesn't follow) Needless to say when football season rolls around, it hasn't just 'started' for us. This is not the 'beginning' of a great sports season. This is probably the middle. For us, (more specifically, Me) there is not one break in between sports. We go from baseball (PHEW...this is one long season) , straight into NCAA Football, NFL season, NBA, Golf tournaments, throw in some tennis, maybe some hockey at the appropriate times and WA- LA... 365 days of sports. Phew. Can you see my exhaustion at times?

While I am at times on sports overload, I know how much the pro loves it. I think if he wanted to he could probably host his own sports show, and trust me he'd never run out of things to talk about. Sometimes it's interesting just listening to him discussing a game with his friends...they are just so intense!

Although there are times that I just need a break from all the sports, I will be the first to admit, there is just nothing like the start of football season in Texas. It's our culture, it's our pastime. There is just something about the atmosphere that you instantly fall in love with. I may not always pay attention to the game and I may have had enough after the hours of discussing the game we just watched, but I will say, I love the smell, the sounds and the happiness it brings to this household.

Here's to listening to the first sounds of the fight song, the bright stadium lights, the much over-used 'wave', the smell of nacho cheese in the stands, to the occasional dirt storms that come our way- but we don't budge and to the pride-filled alumnus. We love our school. We love this game. Welcome to football season in Texas!

Playing Hooky?

Recovery week is over.

Week #5, day 1.....arms........ hurt...bad.......OUCH! Not sure I'll be able to make it through a whole work day on my computer. Lifting boxes of files, psh, forget it!

Hum? Does hurting arms classify as an officially 'sick day' ?

Thinking about it....thinking about it. And then my conscience kicked in. Geez. Now is about the time I wished my parents wouldn't have stressed so hard the importance of NOT playing 'hooky'!

Ha, I remember when my sister was really young she tricked our babysitter into thinking she was sick. So my parents made her tell her teacher the next day what she had done. Ha. It's kinda funny now!

1st mistake: getting caught.  Just kidding, I'm just living vicariously through her! I would never be brave enough.

Why did I have to be the rule follower in the family?!?!

Sometimes life seems to be more fun, ya know...if you can break the rules a little.

Oh Fall

MMMM just the thought of cooler weather, sweaters and scarves is making me SO eager for Fall!

Please hurry!

P90X.....

Have you ever tried this work out before? O...M....Gee. I like to think I'm a decently fit person, I take my trip to the gym on most days. (Ok before this I had a slump, but that's ok?!?! We all do!) So for the most part I keep up with my fitness.

We started P90X on August 1st, and have successfully (Nathan success = 23 days, Kaitlan success= 20.5 days....yes, it's true some days I don't feel like pushing myself, so I cheat. There I said it, I cheat!) completed 23 days of the program. This week we are on the 'recovery week' portion. Now I don't know about you but when I think of 'recovering' I think of a nice few hours of relaxing on the couch, watching some Bravo and possibly taking a little snooze. Recovery to me = means no exercising. Boy I was wrong.

Maybe it's the fact that every morning my alarm clock goes off at 5:45 and I'm dreading putting my workout clothes on, finding my tennis shoes (one of them is occasionally missing because Mr. Bentley decided he would be funny and run around the house with one, in hopes of me chasing him...either that or socks), pouring myself a glass of water, then having to drag a 90 pound dog out from under the coffee table because he knows us working out means he has to go into the kennel. I mean, come on.....who wants to go through this process at 5:45 in the morning?!

Maybe it's the fact that the work out immediately starts with jumping jacks or something else NOT slow or calm. Jumping jacks?! How about a slow stretch?! Now that sounds nice and relaxing! Who starts getting tired during the warm up. Yup, it's me.

Or Maybe it's the fact that while I'm doing the workout I notice the millions of little black dog hairs that have made it's way from Bentley's body to my living room floor. At this point my mind starts to think, ' I wonder if Nathan would let me quit the workout IF I decided to sweep the floor?' ' This would only benefit him from getting Bentley hairs all over him?' (Oh what a sight!) This would only mean that he potentially wouldn't need to help clean the floors later?! Well, it was a nice thought at least.

While I could think of a ton of reasons why I dislike doing P90X the minutes before and the usual 45 plus-minutes during, I will say I always feel good once I get to the 'after' portion. It is such a tough workout, but it definitely makes you feel good after.

It's been almost 30 days now. I'm not sure that I've noticed any results, but it's nice to have a workout partner to keep me accountable. And not to sound super cheesy, but kind of nice to share this experience with the hubs. I'm not sure what I would do without his persistence. That and the love-hate relationship we share for this workout plan.

If you're interested in starting this plan, I would definitely recommend it, but get ready. You will definitely get your workout! Physically and mentally. All you need is determination and drive and you'll make it through.

So here's to the next 60 days.

I can do this!

Oh yes, much overdue.

After my last post I was quickly reminded that I never posted the 'after' picture of our hutch. So here it is friends, a photo journey of the amazing transformation. We had a few hickups, but the pro did a wonderful job!

Hello New Backsplash

No too long ago Nate and I decided we needed a slight kitchen update. We decided that we might as well do what we can before the day comes that our expenses go to other more important things. We started with updating our kitchen cabinets. When we originally bought our house we attempted to stain them, but that didn't work out as planned. Plus once we started to stain one we didn't think the dark stain went all that well with our chocolate brown walls. So, needless to say we kept them just as they were for about a year. In true fashion we had project fever. Did I mention I have a love-hate with projects ? After a long weekend of transforming our cabinets, all was good in the world of the princess and the pro. (I will mention that we bought this awesome easy-but tiring cabinet painting kit....we stretched it enough that we were able to paint both bathroom cabinets as well as the one in our laundry room.)

Here is the before:

(I must admit I'm the world's worst 'before' pictured taker. I guess I just get so antsy for the final product that I forget the before stage and just look forward to the end. Please excuse the mess in the first few pictures. It was project time people! Clean, shmean psh!) You can see, certainly not bad looking cabinets, but we definitely are into the more 'updated' look.

And After:

 Okay, Okay you caught me again... I got a little over anxious just to take a picture of the after that I didn't even bother cleaning the counters. You get the idea though! Hard to tell from the pictures but the cabinets are actually an in between chocolate brown and black. We were afraid the dark color would make the room super dark since our walls are already dark, but we LOVE the look!

Now I'm sure you're wondering, 'I thought this was post was about a back splash?' You are right! Since painting the cabinets, flash-forward a few months and ta da.....I give you our new back splash! I would LOVE to take the credit of this project, but I must give ALL the credit to the PRO. He did this project all on his own. (Which is probably a great thing. While, we have very similar personality characteristics, one thing that I am not great at is: measurements, planning when measurements are involved and being patient when measurements are involved. Yup, you might as well not ask me because I am NOT the girl for the project. The Pro on the other hand.....GREAT at this! I'm talking about the man who literally mapped out- with measurements included how he would put up Christmas lights. And no, mapped out is not a figure of speech in this case, he actually drew a sketch of the roof and....ok, you get the picture, another story for another time. I digress.)

Before:

The Pro hard at work:

TA DA:

Doesn't it look so much better?!?! We love it so much! Please remember I helped pretty much, well not at all....but this was such an easy project!! Okay, so it seemed! Very affordable too! If you're on a budget and wanting a simple update, let me know, I'm willing to negotiate manual labor straight from the pro himself. Ok, just kidding. (Sorta, I already tried to quote my mom...the pro wasn't too thrilled to know I contracted him out!) But seriously, it was very affordable, we got everything at Home Depot, started and finished the project in just one weekend. It looks amazing (Yes, I am a little biased) and the Pro did such a wonderful job! Good thing for husbands who are willing to plan, measure and have patience!