Books, Books and more Books!!

So my eyes have recently been opened to a little something called library book sales.  Apparently in the spring and fall seasons, many libraries put on book sales to raise money.  They take place at the library over a couple of days on the weekends.  Anyone can come and buy as many books as they want.  These books were all donated and then sold for anywhere from two dollars a piece to 50 cents.  They seem to start at a price and as the days go on, the prices go down.  My dear friend and I attended two of these sales in the last few weeks and got some awesome deals!  The box of books is from one sale and the bag of books is from a second.  Word on the street is some sales aren't as good as others, but that you can probably always come out with at least a few good ones!

I got so many books and unfortunately realized later that I had actually already read two of the books I purchased(oh, well, they only cost a dollar).  But to not repeat this many more times I took the suggestion of that same dear friend who went with me to the sales and started a "Book Book".  I used an empty notebook I had around the house and began to write down all the books that I got at the sales, all the books already on my bookshelves and other books that I have read in the past(as many as I could remember).  Of course being overly organized, I also coded it.  Check marks are for the books I already read and dots are for books that I already own.

Sounds really nerdy but I did this after the first book sale I went to, and then at the second one I made sure I wasn't buying anything that I already owned or had already read.

These books sales seem to be advertised using signs outside the library and one the library websites.  So come the spring season, go and check out your local library book sale.  You come away with some great books and are helping to support your local libraries at the same time!

Happy Reading!!

Drink Recipe: Apple Sangria Recipe

I love fall. I haven't taken full advantage of it because of a heavy work schedule and other excuses. So Friday, I decided to treat Keith and myself to some homemade apple sangria. Usually, I wing my sangria without any direction, like oh a bit more rum, or a lot more orange juice! This one I found a rough outlined and worked from there. Keith really enjoyed this, I thought it was a bit sweet. Enjoy responsibly:

What you need:

• 1 cup vanilla vodka
• 1/4 sugar to taste (about)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie seasoning (this was in the original recipe and was a nice addition!)
• 1 gala apple
• 1 pear
• 1 orange
• 2 bottles of white wine- I used pinot grigio

 How to make it:
In a pitcher, mix vanilla vodka, apple cider, seasoning, sugaring until the sugar dissolves. Cut up apple, pear and oranges and put into mixture. Add the pinot grigio and put in fridge for at least 2 hours. We had some Friday and Saturday.

Enjoy!

Weekend Outings: Pullman House Tour

Jenn's note: This post was originally scheduled to be posted Monday of last week. Let's pretend I posted it then. I have had a crazy busy week with work, and the week got on top of me. Anyway, enjoy.
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This past weekend I went on the Historic Pullman Walking Tour. It was amazing. This town, dating back to the 1800s, was developed by George Pullman of the Pullman Rail Car fame for his employees. The history is deep in this area of Chicago, I am not going to go into it, but serious look it up, super interesting! I have never been here before. Little did I know, I would leave this place in love and inspired.

Everyone we met, or the people who own the houses you toured were such cool people. They all seemed interested in history and most were artists. It was so neat to see this little 4 by 4 block neighborhood in Chicago, that seemed so passionate.

 I even found a house that is not too out of our price range, that has had me drooling. Keith and I keep looking at photos of it. It's so neat. Built in 1870s as a skilled workers home, it has such charm, I felt that click the instant I walked in the door. Who knows what will happen, but that house....man, I will be in my dreams for awhile.

Anyway, here are just a few photos of the adventure I had.

Fall Recipe: Apple Bread

Keith and I went out to the pumpkin patch/apple orchard/corn maze/family fun place on our day off together. The orchard was shut, but we did enjoy ourselves playing all day, and shopping in the store.

 I promise Keith is not as creepy as he looks in this photo.

 I cannot promise I am not this short.

 Keith enjoyed the slide.

Then we went to get the most perfect pumpkin. He is currently on our coffee table, and will be carved soon.

ANYWAY, it was fun. We got pumpkins, squash and a peck of apples. Keith and I have been devouring them because they are oh so tasty. Tonight I grabbed the second to last apple to set aside to make some apple bread. I am made this bread quite a few times and I found the recipe in my handwritten notebook, so I am not sure where it comes from. I believe it's a historic recipe for the 1800s. The breads comes out like a coffee cake, except with more liquid.

Ingridents:
Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 T butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup of milk

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 T butter, soften
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 apple, diced

Okay Now how to make it!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt and baking powder. In separate bowl,  cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and milk and stir. Then add flour mixture. Pour mixture into a greased 9" round pan, or a loaf works fine too. For the topping, mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. (Personally, I do less of the butter and brown sugar since this is what liquifies and I don't like mine too gooey. I also add more cinnamon.) Put apples on top.  If you bake in 9" round pan, cook for around 30 minutes or until bread is cooked. Timing might change.

Okay, sorry no photos of it, I forgot my camera! So enjoy the bread, but remember it is a bit gooey and messy, but delish!!!

Wedding flashback.

The blog creators- Jenn (mustache) and Meg (Lips) with Meg's sister (Hat) and Jenn's partner in crime (viking hat)

This week has gotten away from me. I have a post waiting in the wings, but I need help from Keith to finish it so that one will have to wait. So I decided to explore a little more of that little wedding we mentioned a few weeks ago. Today, Keith and I have been married 4 weeks (and in 2 days-a month!) So I thought I would share something we did to make the reception more "us." I already posted about the centerpieces, but here is a small thing we added to the centerpieces to make them really Jenn and Keith. 

We added trivia cards!!!! This photo (taken by my photographer) shows the small trivia cards. I went through the internet and pulled my favorite trivia questions together. I had several different categories, including a Jenn & Keith one. Then we put three to a business card, ran them through out printer, divided them and there you go! It took me a longggg time to find these trivia questions, so I thought I would just put a sample of them on here, in case anyone else wants to do them. We did get a lot of GREAT feedback about them.

( just an example of our category) J & K- Where did Keith propose to Jenn? Mackinac Island, Michigan

Science- What is the most abundant element in the universe? Hydrogen

Geography-What is the capital of Maine? Augusta
 

Movies- What government agency did Walter Peck represent when he order the Ghostbusters to shut off their laser protection grid? EPA

States- Tortilla chips and salsa are the official state snack of what state? Texas

Music- What is a gob stick to a jazz man? Clarinet


Sports- What MLB team was first to have cheerleaders? Florida Marlins

So, there you have it! Just a few to get your creativity flowing.

D.I.Y. Upcycle T-shirt Scarf in under 10 minutes

That's right, I said it. A t-shirt scarf in under 10 minutes. Even the crafting challenged can do this easy project. I made a few for my mom and aunts last Christmas, and they all really liked them. Ignore the bad photos to go along with this post though, we are still getting our house into livable shape AND photographing your own project is a skill I need to work on.

Materials: This is easy!

• good scissors
• a t-shirt. I would recommend the larger the better, this was an X-L I thrifted and washed. I also recommend one without a logo/printed on, that stiffness that usually comes with design/logos make ones of the steps really hard.

So now what do I do? 

Lay the shirt flat, cut the hem off at the bottom and set aside. This project is so easy, you don't even need straight cuts.

Start on the left side of the shirt and cut horizontal strips about 1 inch thick. Again, they do not have to be terribly even. Cut until you reach a pocket/design/or sleeves and discard top half.

It should look like this when you are done. 

Take each strip and pull on them gently. These will make them longer and roll them so make them fit better in your scarf. Make sure to do this to every strip, and pull until it is the length you want. 

Remember that hem from the beginning? Yeah, bring that back and cut it on one side to make one large strip. Bunch all the stretched strips together and at the back tie the hem around the bundle. Just make a simple tie, with a long enough ending that sticks out to end the scarf. Then start wrapping the hem around the bundle. I usually do about 5 wraps.

Then tie the lose end of the hem to the original knot end of the hem sticking up. Cut off excess and tuck strips under the wrap. 

 

 

This is the finish product folded in two. 

Here is it is on me, after a long day, hence the hair. 

Anyway, this project is really simple. The hardest part is the hem wrapping, which once you get it is a breeze. Enjoy making these bad boys for the upcoming cold weather (let's hope! 80 degrees in October is just wrong!)