it's that time of year again...

football season! Now, for those of you who don't know, I am in a mixed marriage. That's right, my husband is a Buffalo Bills fan.

Stop laughing. The Bills have had some devastating losses in their past but this year looks hopeful. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a Steelers fan, but it would be nice for his team to have a winning season. It would be the first time in the eight years that I have known him.

J and I have attended two Steelers vs. Bills games since we have been together. The first was New Years Day 2005. In Buffalo. The Steelers third-stringers defeated the Bills first-string. It was really pitiful. The fans were not happy. I was just asking for it since I was in full Steelers regalia. One drunk guy decided to swear and point at me, as if it was MY fault that his team lost. We hurried back to our car.

The second game was just last year. It was the Steelers home-opener. The Steelers won again. People were shouting at J this time. Our friend Matt shouted back. We sat in peanut heaven, but it didn't matter, we were at Heinz field! A drunk guy two rows in front of us was escorted out. It was classic.

We had fun at both games. Last year we defintely had better weather. We are hoping to attend all the Pittsburgh/Buffalo games. Hopefully the fans will be nicer to us both.

hello

Agh!! Where has the summer gone? I'm sitting here typing this on a 65 degree day in August. I'm not ready for jeans and hoodies just yet, Mother Nature.

I've been a complete slacker and haven't posted in over two months *hanging head in shame*.

I won't post about my whole summer since June, no one really cares, but I will try to highlight some things.

We are getting a new roof on our house. We had other plans for the money that we will be spending on said roof, but unfortunately, it is a necessity so it is first priority. I am excited for the new look it will give our house, however, because the shingles are going to be a darker color. Normally it wouldn't matter because you can't see the roof, but we have a split entry home so it will be noticable.

For the first time ever I planted a vegetable garden. This year it was small, but I have plans to expand it next year. I have already gotten several zucchinis from my own plants and are currently waiting for some eggplants and peppers to ripen. There are dozens of tomatoes out there as well. Most of them are still green at this point, though. I'm really proud of myself for planting and maintaining this little garden. I'm even more excited for next year when I have more room and I can apply the lessons I learned from this year. We also have a pumpkin plant growing, or should I say, taking over our yard. That sucker is huge! I hope the pumpkin grows as quickly as the plant!

That's the general update. I do want to give a shout-out to my friend for the awesome crockpot receipe. Its waiting for my hubby to get home from work so we can enjoy it. It smells amazing!

dinner and flowers

**i tried to post this last night, but blogger ate my post...grr....

Dinner was super yummy tonight! I got the recipe from one of the wonderful ladies on a local message board that I frequent. The husband even enjoyed it and he doesn't like trying new things! Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested:

Mexican Pierogie Bake

Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and layer:

1 box frozen pierogies

1/2 can refried beans

seasoned, cooked ground beef (I used approximately 1 lb.)

frozen corn

sliced black olives

green chilies

salsa

shredded Mexican cheese

**repeat layers for double batch

Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. Top with sour cream and guacamole.

Also, I know that I promised some pics of the new grass. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but I do have some pictures of my yellow roses that are blooming away, so that will have to do for now.

grass!

If you look back at previous posts you will see one about my atrocious backyard. It was overgrown with a delerious amount of annuals and poison ivy. Well, that has all been cleared out and we now have grass growing! It's a little patchy and we didn't do all of it yet because I'm leaving some space for a vegetable garden, but it is very exciting to us! The most amazing part is how quickly it seems to pop up. Last night there was one area that was just beginning to fill in and this morning when we took the dog out, the grass seemed to have multiplied overnight! Thank God for rain!
I was going to snap a few pics to post, but since it is raining, that will have to wait until tomorrow.

happy earth day!!

so little time

I'm pretty sure my hubby and I were holed up in our home all winter and are now trying to make up for lost time. The past two weeks have been busy, especially the weekends, and it looks like it's going to continue to be that way.

Don't get me wrong, I like "doing things". However, I hope that no one decides to pop in and visit us in the next month because my house always pays the price when I'm busy. The previously mentioned dog hair tumble weeds and dust begin to form a gang and next thing you know there is riots in the hallway....ok, not really, I'm exaggerating, but it starts to get gross.

Things here are good. Everyone is healthy and happy. We are excited about getting our backyard finished so we can start having people over for cookouts. I'm really looking forward to having some outdoor living space. I will post pics when we get it done.

stress

I started seeing a chiropractor a few weeks ago. For everyone who does not "believe" in chiropractic medicine, stop reading *here*. For everyone else, read on.

My doctor is really great. I'm currently seeing him twice a week, but only for a couple of weeks. He has really helped and I defintely feel better! He has had me doing balance exercises, but other than that, he really hasn't asked me to change my life at all. He told me today that my body needs to learn how to adapt to my environment and life instead of the other way around.

That statement really made me think.

Can my body do that? Should I force it to do that, or should I just change the things I do? It would just be easier for my body to change. I like easy.

He said that I should begin exercising more, but that was his only recommendation, besides this. He recommends the relax into greatness mediatation cd to his patients. I may try it. I figure if it doesn't work, at least I got a few minutes of relaxation under my belt.

He says that I tend to hold stress in my spine. I figure that sounds about right. Most of the closets and storage places in our house are full, so my spine seems like the next best place to keep things. (insert chuckle *here*).

Anyway, he feels that some basic meditation would help me reduce my stress. Oh, and I need to figure out a way to not sit Indian-style on the floor when playing with the kiddos. Suggestions, anyone?