Apples, Apples, Apples...

My hubby and I love apples.  He brings one to lunch almost everyday for work and I usually eat at least one a day.  Unfortunately, we've been spoiled by a local apple orchard, so we'll only eat apples from there. The other day, one of my facebook buddies posted a baked apple recipe that I just had to try.  I love making baked apples but usually I slice them and just bake them with cinnamon (I just asked my hubby how to spell the word cinnamon and he says, "C-I-N-N-A-M-O-N, CINNAMON" —just like he was representing his school in the spelling bee—how cute!)...

So I had to try this recipe, but I tweaked it, just a little bit.  

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large good baking apples, I used MacIntosh 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of almond butter for each apple top
• 3/4 cup boiling water

Use some big apples

It might be messy, but you have to core them, but not to the bottom; make a pocket

Stuff them with the mixture, put the almond butter on top

 The almond peanut butter is also from Soon's orchard and is pure; no sugar or oils are added.  Instead of eating the warm apple with ice cream, I went for some vanilla yogurt (not frozen).  It was a healthy and delicious alternative!  I'm not much of a baker because we try to stay away from sweets, but this was a little piece of heaven on this snowy night.

The Finished Product

Since I have a snow day from work, we're both getting stuff done around the house; so on another domestic note, I ordered a canvas from Overstock that came in the mail the other day and is now in it's proper place in my kitchen.  

If you know anything about me, you know that I love stars and moons.  I love looking at this picture; my hubby thinks the little kids are drinking alcohol in the old advertisement, but I'm pretty sure it's a syrup of some sort.  Although I really don't care what the ad was for, it's still fun to think about.  Anyone have any other guesses?  

The Thought of Snow Terrifies People...

Even though we live in New York, I swear the thought of snow must just scare people to death around here!  Tuesday is normally my shopping day and I know that I was terrified at the thought of going to the grocery store on a day like today when the snow was just waiting to start falling from the gray pink sky.  

I ran some errands and then headed to the stores; unfortunately, I couldn't help myself from hitting up TJMaxx before buying groceries for the week.  Let me tell you how much of a destresser it is to go and buy stuff when you know you have a gift card!  It's just so freeing!  I was going to head to Victoria's Secret to buy some new stuff, that was much in need, but instead I bought about six bras and twenty pairs of panties for about $70!  Insane right?!  I knew that stepping into TJMaxx would just make my day that much better before heading into a grocery store from H-E-Double hockey sticks!

It amazes me to see the look in people's eyes when they're shopping for a snow storm.  Like if they don't get in two hours of shopping eight hours before the storm starts, then all hell will break loose.  People bump in to you, they push you out of the way for things, and when the cart traffic jams start, no one will budge from their spot in order to let someone pass.  People are crazy!  Who needs four loaves of bread unless you are feeding a family of ten for a week!  It's a couple of inches of snow people, and we live in 2011, you are realistically not going to get stuck inside over a few inches of snow.  

I came home, amazed by my TJMaxx purchases and started up the crockpot.  How can you go wrong with the crockpot when a snow day is going to happen?  You can't.  It's perfect and the house smells amazing.  

I'm just really not looking forward to waking up in the morning to tackle the driveway.  Why can't snow days be like when we were kids and it was actually fun?  Stupid grown-up life.

There Are Only a Few Things I Hate in Life...

Of the few things I hate in life, snow is one of them!  Well, not exactly the snow, but shoveling the snow, driving in the snow, and being just plain cold in the snow!  Don't get me wrong, I love to look at the snow, but when it comes to actually being in the snow, I've come to hate it!

In New York, we missed the white Christmas by a day, but I can't complain too much because there were a few snowflakes flying in the air.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't think I could live in a place where it's warm around Christmas; it's just, weird.  Although, I'm sure they're not complaining right now about the weather like I am.

Every year, my hubby and I argue over the clearing of our driveway.  It's one of the only things that we can't do without at least one spat.  It never fails.  He wakes me up way too early to help him shovel and I bitch and complain, but I put my winter jacket and boots on kicking and screaming!  I absolutely hate shoveling the snow.  My back hurts.  My feet get cold.  My glasses fog up.  The worst part of it all is, he doesn't give me the few minutes to get some warm caffeine into my system before working me to death.  Now, I may be exaggerating, but he's very OCD about how the driveway is cleared.

Now, first I have to say that our driveway is very steep.  If you come up our driveway, you have to use your parking break.  Every time.  And my little civic is not the best in the snow.  We only got about seven inches at our house, but when I came home from work early yesterday with only about three on the ground, my car still couldn't get up all the way.  It sucks!  I guess that's why the hubby insists on clearing the driveway until the blacktop shines.  First, we shovel out our cars, then we snow blow, then we get the shovels out and scrape it down to the blacktop.  Then, we either hope for the sun to shine or we put salt down to melt the last of it.  Then we have to clear a path for our stairs going up to our porch and our back porch and of course to our propane tank (did you know that you have to do that if you receive gas or propane from a company?  I didn't!).  It's just exhausting!  It took us about two hours today and I'm pretty sure that after we had lunch we both passed out for at least a half hour.  Ordering our lunch from the spot we like to go is kind of funny; I place the order and then they ask the name and when I say it's for my hubby they go, "Oh, it's for you guys!  Hi honey, we'll have that ready for you!"  It's kind of comical.  I guess we're eating out a little too much lately.  The ten pounds on my ass kind of helps tell that story a little better than my words could ever describe.

So, our snowstorm is over and our driveway is sparkling.  At the end of the day we're both so happy that it's over; we look at our neighbors' driveways and wonder why they would decide to wait until 6 p.m. to start shoveling and we're thrilled at our accomplishment.  Is it an accomplishment when you have the shiniest driveway on the block after a snowstorm?  Well, we think so.

We live in New York and we constantly wonder why the news overplays coverage of a snow storm.  We live in New York people!  It snows here!  Granted, the city got more than us this time around, but man can they beat a dead horse!  It snowed, wait for it to stop, stay at home until it's cleaned up, end of story, right?  Nope, never.  They need 24 hours of coverage like it's TBS covering "A Christmas Story"!

I survived the blizzard of 2010... or even better, I survived another round of my hubby and I clearing our driveway.  Go me!  Now, get me a heating pad, a blanket, and a cup of tea and I'll be happy.  Maybe some cuddle time too.

My Family...

It's days like today where I'm stuck inside, alone in a snowstorm, that I remember how much I loved the days when we were kids and would build forts as high at the front porch at my grama's house. We would get all bundled up and go outside and make igloos out of snow. We'd shovel with our little shovels, granted my brother definitely did more than me, but I still helped. Just like I try to help the hubby now. Snowdays at my grama's were the best. Then we'd come inside and get down to our skivies and under huge comforters and do our favorite past time— watching television and eating.

I miss those days and more than ever I miss my family.

It's so strange that the older we get, the idea of family just changes. Some family moves away and some family moves on to Heaven. What I knew as family when I was a kid is different then I know now. Family to me when I was a kid was about mom, dad, brothers, grama, grandpa, cousins and an aunt and uncles. Now family includes my immediate family still, but so many have moved on while others have moved in.

Thankfully I'm blessed with a beautiful family. I just miss them. When I was younger I was upset about my parents not being together. Now I look at it all as a blessing. I wouldn't be who I am today without those obstacles. And now I have more people around to love me and my hubby because my parents have found people in their lives as well. My stepdad has been a great addition to my little family– a man who I know would do anything for me and has. And my dad's fiance is a new addition that I wish was around while I was growing up. Maybe things would have been a little easier on us then. Maybe we could have been a little closer when I was younger if he had someone back then who seemed to care about his kids as well as her own.

I know it's all a cycle. Most of us aren't friends with the friends we had in elementary school. Most of us aren't lucky enough to keep those connections going for an entire lifetime. I've got two best buds that I know will be with me throughout my lifetime. I had tons of friends when I was younger, but I know now that it's not quantity, it's quality. And I couldn't ask for more.

As this cycle continues I know one thing for sure; my hubby is my family now. And once we decide to start the cycle again and maybe have a child of our own, I look forward to a few things... I'd like to have dinners with my family and with my friends. I'd like to be lucky enough to get together with them not only on birthdays and holidays, but whenever we feel the need to. Family and friends have an open invitation. No need to call ahead of time, just stop by. That's how it was when we were kids, that's how I wish it could be now. I know my mom knows that the door is always open. I love that feeling. I love that she knows that family is always welcome.

I wish my brothers could be around when we decide to have a child of our own. I wish they decided to have children. I wish that our kids could play together... stuff that just isn't in the cards. But a girl can dream right? At least he/she will have gramas and grandpas to be spoiled by.

I just miss those days when nothing mattered but having an extra pair of gloves and an extra pair of pants to change into when the first stuff got soaked from the snow...

Oh to be a kid again.

Snowed In...

Our Big Snow Storm and It's Not Over Yet

So today is one of those days that we all dream of: a day where we don't need to make up an excuse to stay home because mother nature already provided it. I was off from work today anyway because I'm sick. Well not exactly sickkkk, but contagious. That's right folks, I've got pink eye. Hilarious right? I feel like I'm in first grade again. The young girl at work had it this weekend, but didn't think there would be an issue. Well, if there is sickness around, count on me to contract it.

Since I am snowed in I plan on accomplishing a lot today. At least that's what my plan is. I should clean both bathrooms from top to bottom. Then I should take a long jetted bubble bath. Yup, things I should definitely do. I should go and shovel the snow off of the front porch and try to an attempt the use of the snow blower. Then I should take a long jetted bubble bath. I should look longingly at my new dining room table. Because it is so beautiful and deserves to be stared at. I can't believe how well it fits in to our little home. But then again, that's why we picked it. So, never mind, I do believe it.

Our Old Small Table

Our Empty Dining Room Waiting For the Table to Arrive

Our Gorgeous New Table!

Totally Loving This Table From Wooden Treasures

I should catch up on my Times and New Yorker magazines. I should finally finish Dear John so I can drag my hubby to the movies to see it, even though the movies usually disappoint. But this time, I read the book because I want to see the movie, so I don't have much invested. I did finally watch The Time Traveler's Wife which is one of those amazing books that just didn't work as a movie. It worked a little bit. Well, if it wasn't for the beginning of the film I would love it. But I still enjoyed it, especially because I have a girl crush on Rachel McAdams and on the house they live in. I should do some laundry, but will most likely leave it for my hubby, since I do plan on taking a long jetted bubble bath. I should do some pilates or some yoga. I should attempt to clean the basement. I should update our scrapbook, well, my scrapbook, hubby thinks I'm a dork for scrapbooking every moment of our life together. I should organize the closets...

There's only one thing hindering me from doing all the things I should do: Nyquil. Oh Nyquil, you helped me to get to sleep instead of keeping the hubby up with my persistent cough, but now you've made me feel like I have weights pulling down on my eyelids. Maybe with a few cups of green tea with lemon and honey in the raw, plus my vitamins, I'll get stuff accomplished from my Should Do List, but until then I'm here watching a marathon of old Roseanne episodes.

Anything that you should do today? You got to love snowy days...

View From Our Front Porch