The candy corn debacle

So, every year around this time everyone gets ready for the fall weather and tasty treats that come with the season. When I think of fall scents, I think of apple, pumpkin, spices and cinnamon. When I think of visions of fall, I think of leaves changing colors, sweaters and pumpkins. When I think of sweet treats, I especially focus on candy corn.

You may think the candy corn is a very simple concept. Heck, it's sugar and food dye, right? WRONG! In my family and circle of friends, the candy corn is reason for much debate, and I am very serious when I say that. Although the debate is not heated, it is a debate, nonetheless. The debate stems from the question, which side is the top of the candy corn? Now, you are thinking well of course I know the answer. But in our group it is a pretty evenly split topic. Ask a few of the people around you, and you may find the same debacle.

My husband and I along with our smart family members and friends (just kidding), think the pointy part is the top. I mean it only seems natural to me that the wider end would be the bottom. How would said candy corn stand on the tip? It can't!

Members of the other side of the debate said that the wider part is the top because of how how corn grows on a cob. Hello, I have yet to see a candy corn cob! In my mind, that makes their argument a moot point.

This started years ago, and it got to the point where my husband and I e-mailed Brach's (don't judge us; I know we are insane), and they took the politically correct way out. (Hey, I was surprised they even responded.) They said that when they create the candy corn the point is the bottom; but when it comes out of the molding, the point is the top.

One year for Halloween a husband and wife couple who are friends of my parents dressed as candy corn, each dressed to represent what side they thought was the top.

What side do you think is the top? Think about it; and by the way, you will never look at candy corn in the same way ever again.

My cousin's wedding

Well, we finally loaded some pictures on the computer, so I can update with some pictures...woo hoo!

Two weeks ago, my cousin Christine got married,and it was a night of fun and full of family time. She had an absolutely gorgeous September day for a wedding. It was sunny and warm, but not too hot.

I had to go to the actual ceremony by myself, since my husband and dad were working, and my sister had a football game. (My sister is the band's dance team instructor.)

Afterwards, we all caught up and went to the wedding together. My cousin Luke was in from Indiana, and he sat at our table with us,along with my dad's cousin Annette (and obviously my husband, mom, dad and sister. I think the highlight of the wedding was when the groom sang to the bride. It was so awesome. He sand Elvis Presley's, "I Can't Help Falling Love with You." I kid you not when I say he sounded like Elvis.I mean, Joe didn't believe the groom was singing until he got choked up for a second. That man's got pipes. AMAZING!

So, here are the pictures!





Here is my sister Kayla dancing with our little cousin Karlie:


And what would wedding pictures be without a picture of the bride and groom? It's not my picture, but it's from her Facebook page (not a professional picture). I don't think she'll care!

Week in Review - Oct. 3-9

Well, I think I will follow trend and start documenting my week, so that I can look back and see what I have been doing. Sounds fun!

Sunday - I woke up bright and early for work (Weight Watchers). I went to work and lead the meeting. Joe got up early, too, because he went to the Steelers' game (mean husband didn't take me). When I was done with the meeting, I went to choir practice and Mass, and I then headed up to my parents' house for Sunday lunch (a tradition my mom started soon after we got married). It's normally a bigger crowd, but everyone was busy this week; so it was just Mom, Dad, Grandma and me! We had chili and salad, and then I had a nice afternoon talking to my mom and grandma, while my dad watched the game in the other room. I decided I wanted to go to Old Navy for some unnecessary fall clothes shopping, and my mom said she would come too! Yea! I love hanging out with my mom. We are a lot alike, which sometimes leads to some heated discussions, but we get along 99 percent of the time now (as opposed to my teenage years). After we both spent entirely too much money, we headed to Starbuck's and got lattes on our way back home. Joe met us down at my parents' and we ate more chili before heading home and getting ready for the big work week.

Monday - I woke up, and I think I went on a long walk. (I am doing this post on Friday, and I am going to try to start doing it each day to make it easier.) I had taken the day off, so afterwards, I showered and headed to the store for groceries. I came home, put the groceries away, put a pot roast, sweet potatoes and carrots in the crock pot and made a homemade banana bread, since the bananas were going bad. Afterwards, I wiped down the counters, did the floors, dusted and ran the vacuum in the living room, tidied up the bathroom. I was quite productive and really enjoyed my day. Joe came home and we lit some candles and enjoyed a really nice dinner. Then we relaxed for a bit before bed.

Tuesday - I woke up and had to go to work. Yuck! I know that I work out at some point (think I did Tae Bo in the morning). After work, I had to stop at the mall to pick up makeup that I had preordered. I also stopped at the craft store and picked up a few fall lawn decorations. I love fall! I came home and made turkey breast cutlets with a cranberry and maple glaze, stuffing and corn. It was like Thanksgiving. Yum! Then, it was "Glee" night, and you know how we love us some "Glee." We found a new love for Grilled Cheesus. (If you watch you'll understand; if not, you probably think I am crazy.) That evening I started getting fall clothes out, and let's just say, that is still a process.

Wednesday - Wednesdays are busy days for me. I headed to work in the morning after getting up late. I was only a few minutes late though. During lunch, I did Tae Bo. Um, that was not a good idea. I got a little too sweaty for it only being lunch. I had to rinse off quickly, pack a lunch and head back to work. After work, I went shopping to waste 45 minutes between work and the time I had to be at Weight Watchers for my evening meeting. I went to the store and picked up birthday presents fro my niece, whose birthday is in November, and my godson/nephew, whose birthday is in October. After that, I headed to my meeting, and then went home. Joe ate leftover turkey for dinner and I had a grilled chicken veggie burger and brown rice. Then we got ready for our weekly movie night. Joe picked the movie choices (explanation on how we pick movies deserves it's own post). We ended up watching "Coraline." We had seen it before. It's a cute and creepy movie, if that makes any sense. It's along the lines of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," but a little creepier to me.

Thursday - I woke up and walked Maddy before work. I then went work and came home for lunch. I stopped at my parents' during lunch because my mom babysits, and I really want to see the kids! I then went back to work. After work, I went home and diced prepped dinner. I made some tasty white chicken chili. I make a lighter version using fat free milk and fat free sour cream. It was so good. Then my brother and sister came up for "Community" and "The Office." We ate some banana bread and heard about Kayla's trip to Boston. "The Office" was hilarious ("Sweeney Todd" episode). After Kayla and Derek went home, we headed to bed.

Friday - Friday, I got up and walked the doggie! It was the anniversary of the day we brought Maddy home from the shelter. I can't believe it's been four years since we rescued our pups, and I can't remember life without her. Happy Homeday, Maddy! I went to work and had a long Friday. After work, I came home. Since Joe had to go to work at 1 a.m., I decided to go with Derek, Kayla, Maria (my brother's girlfriend, and my brother's friend, Ben, to Kennywood's Fright Night. I was so excited to ride some roller coasters and have a ball. The park was open until 1 a.m., and there were haunted houses, and all the rides were open. It was so awesome. I got home at 2 a.m., and I got to bed at 4 a.m. Hello, too late for this old hag! I was so exhausted Saturday. Yuck!





Saturday - I woke up late Saturday, after my excursion to Kennywood. After I got my rear out of bed, I tidied up the house to get ready for a painter who was coming to our house to give us a quote on what it would cost to paint our living room and dining room. After he came and left, I ate lunch. Then Joe went to dinner and the Central football game with my family, while I dug out my fall/winter clothes. That is such an insane job, and I have way too many clothes. I took a break to eat a veggie chicken burger and brown rice with tomatoes for dinner. After getting the room clean, Joe came home and we relaxed on the couch before bed.

Today, I got up; went and did a Weight Watcher meeting; came home and visited with my brother-in-law, who asked Joe and me to be our nephew, Ethan's, godparents; went and picked up a birthday gift for my uncle and went to dinner at my grandma's. It was a great Sunday and weekend. But now, I need a weekend!

What I am excited about right now!

Negativity is everywhere, and I oftentimes let it get a real grab on me and get down in the dumps. So, I am going to be a half glass full person today and list 5 things I am looking forward to.

1) Christmas! Yes, you may say that Christmas is too far away, but it's not in my mind. I love the whole feeling of being together with my family, baking Christmas cookies, seeing friends, snow and beautiful Christmas music (especially the music). I also adore Christmas Eve Mass. Christmas is, hands down, my favorite time of the year.



2) Going to the pumpkin patch in a few weeks. Although we don't have kids, Joe and I have gone each year since we were married. We love apple cider, going through a shop they have, picking out pumpkins to carve, kettle corn and the crisp air. I also love fall!

3) Alumni Band. I mentioned before that Joe and I met in band in high school, and my parents also me tin high school band (same band). Our closest friends were friends from high school band, and we get together and "play" (if that's what you want to call the sounds we make) and visit with friends each year for homecoming. Next weekend is alumni band, and i am really looking forward to it. Traditionally Joe, my sister, my brother, my aunt, uncle and a lot of friends come back to participate. Oh the fun!



4) To see where my life is in a year. Although I don't like to jump ahead, I am looking forward to what life will bring. We are looking into changing careers and some things in life in general. Stay tuned!

5) Getting my house cleaned for the holidays. Although the process is tedious, I love the finished product. I do a real deep clean right before the holidays. I just love the feel of every closet and drawer being organized and every nook and cranny being cleaned!

Travel Thursdays! Honeymoon, Part One

My husband and I love to travel. Growing up, my family always took annual vacations. We didn't always go places that were really exotic or far away, but I think we went every, single year. Some of the places I remember are: New York, Tennessee, Canada (Niagara Falls), Hocking Hills in Ohio, Virginia (beach, Busch Gardens, etc.), Maryland, Gettysburg, lots of camping in our motor home, Sea World, Washington D.C. and Disney World. I want my kids to someday have the same fond memories that I have of vacationing. My husband's family didn't vacation quite as often, but when they did, they went big: Disney World.

In the four short years we have been married we have been to a lot of places: Disney World (honeymoon), Minnesota, Virginia, three cruises and a wonderful trip to Ireland this past summer. We have also been on a lot of mini trips and adventures. I would like to start chronicling our vacations. Some of the details of the trips that were taken in the beginning of our marriage may not be as detailed because it has been a while, but I am going to try.

On Thursdays, I am going to try to blog some of our adventures!

I guess I should start with our honeymoon in August of 2006. We decided to go to Disney World, which really fit into our wedding theme of "Happily Ever After!" I think the best decision we made was leaving the Monday after our wedding, instead of the day after. We got married on Aug. 12, 2006, and we spent the next day opening gifts, eating wedding leftovers and cookies and visiting with our closest family members and friends. It was wonderful.

The next morning, Aug. 14, we woke up in our new home (we didn't live together before our wedding night) and headed to Pittsburgh airport to catch our flight to Orlando.

I always tell Joe that one of my favorite memories of when we first got married was when we were sitting in the airport eating bagels and sipping on coffee while we waited to board the plane. It was such a simple time, but it is one I will always cherish. It was our first real conversation as a married couple, and I will never forget it.

Once we flew to Orlando, we got on the Disney transportation, sans luggage. (The beauty is that they take the luggage to the hotel for you, if you are staying in Disney.) Then we headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge! It was new at the time, and we got a great deal because of that fact. We had a safari view room and a balcony, and we were so excited that the animals could come so close to our windows. Joe loved the giraffes! We were also pleasantly surprised to see a towel animal on our bed.





Once we realized our luggage was running a bit behind schedule and we wouldn't have it in time to have a nice dinner that night, we decided to head to Hollywood Studios.

We explored the Hollywood Studios, and we made sure we got our bride and groom Mickey ears! Those ears proved themselves necessary for extra special treatment throughout the rest of the trip. We hit some rides and watched "Fantasmic," our favorite show at Disney, and then we called it a night! Side note: We love "Fantasmic" so much that we used it as the entrance song for our reception!

The next day we were up bright and early and ready for the Magic Kingdom, the most important park in all of Disney World, right? We rode rides, explored the park and watched the coronation ball of Cinderella. At the coronation, Joe told me my wedding dress was prettier than Cinderella's; we were such newlyweds! The castle was beautifully decorated because it was the 50th anniversary of Disney World. Gorgeous!



The most bizarre part of the trip was when we went to Mickey and Minnie's house, and we were getting ready to meet the mouse, and a little girl came up to me and said, "Are you Renee?" I was floored; I mean I know I am awesome, but I didn't think the whole world knew my face (just kidding). Anyways she went on to tell me that her grandma worked with me, and she knew we were going to be at Disney around the same time as each other, and the ears gave us away! I couldn't believe she recognized me; we only saw each other once before. Bizarre! What are the chances?!

Anyways we met the mouse and had pictures with him, and he admired our rings, and then we met Chip and Dale, and we got pictures. We hit a lot more throughout the day before we rested and got ready for the Main Street parade and fireworks!







The next day we headed to the Animal Kingdom where we got to ride the new Expedition Everest (awesome). It was toasty that day. I mean who in their right minds heads to Florida in August? Um, that would be us. We saw some shows, rod ethe dinosaur ride, ate some ice cream (this is where Joe and I fell in love with the Toll House ice cream sandwiches...yum) and headed to 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch. We got some great marital advice from our waitress (who has been married three times; means she knows what not to do, right?).

Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the luau at the Polynesian Resort. We got prime seating the front, had a table to ourselves, got to dance on the stage with other honeymooners. It was top notch!







That takes us through Wednesday, The rest of our honeymoon will be in a later post because this could get really long, and we are only halfway thorugh. If you have gotten this far, I admire you! Plenty more fun to some!

"M-I-C, see you real soon; K-E-Y, why, because I like you, M-O-U-S-E!

Do I really need that?

This will be a pictureless post, but it involves a topic I struggle with each day, and with this being my online diary, I have to be real, right?

Growing up, we always had what we needed. My parents sent us to a good private school; we always had nice clothes, great birthday parties and Christmases where the living room looked like a toy store exploded. However, we were not rich. My parents always provided for us, and for that I am thankful.

Mom and Dad did not give us something every time we went to the store, and we didn't get every last thing we asked for. We had to earn things, but I looked forward to Christmases and birthdays because I knew I would get new toys (probably everything on my list).

My Dad was and still is a very hard worked with great work ethic. He is a plumber and pipe fitter, and I admire how hard he works and provides for our family. We joke that my dad is tight with money, but he really wants to make sure the money doesn't run out.

My mom stayed home with us until I was in the fourth grade, and I will always cherish the times playing at home with my mom, going to story hour at the library with my mom and learning from her every day. She is such a great friend now that I am older (couldn't stand her as a teenager, but that is a whole different post).

Since I didn't have to want for too much as a child, I want the same thing now. I don't like that one bit. My husband and I are not rich, but we do OK. We try to keep our credit cards clear of debt, and we like not being in debt, but to do that we budget.

Every season I want new clothes, new decorations for the house and anything else I see. Although we give ourselves spending money, I want more than that. Ha! I don't go crazy spending money on unnecessary things in my life, and I certainly don't get everything I want, but I do find myself wanting ... a lot. I am sure I am not a lone.

The funny thing is that those things I want cost more than the Barbie I wanted or the new coloring book.

With so many people out there who can't provide a roof over their babies heads or food for the table, I should be grateful, and believe me I am. I just wish that I could realize it while I am staring at that sweater in the store or pair of shoes on the shelf. We do donate to charities and give to those in need, but do I give enough?

I do have everything I need: a great husband, a wonderful family, parents who are together and healthy, our health, a house, a car, food and peace with God. What else could I need? Nothing really.

I am not saying I am not going to want new stuff, Joe, if you are reading this. But, I think I need to refocus sometimes. We did work hard so we could buy things, I just need to realize how good I have it.

Sorry, I am rambling!

I think I will need to read and reread this post as Christmas draws nearer. There are so many people who are in true need. I am a lucky girl.

Recap

I am still alive, just very busy. Whew! This past Friday, we went to our high school football game, and I helped with the Royalettes, since my sister (the instructor) was visiting a friend in Boston.

After the game, we came home and winded down before bed. On Saturday, I woke up a little later than usual. After eating lunch, Joe and I ran out to our alma mater because they were having a harvest sale. We got a heck of a deal. We picked up a bale of hay, a pumpkin, small pumpkins and several gourds for $11! They look really nice in front of the house. Afterwards, we stopped by Tim Horton's for coffee. Then we headed back home to get ready for my brother's 20th birthday gathering at my parents' house. My mom made chili, salad and cornbread. Can you say yummy? We had spice cake with homemade caramel frosting for birthday cake.

After a very late night, I had to get up very early Sunday morning for work. After the meeting, I headed to choir practice and church. Then I went to my parents' house for leftovers. Joe got to go to the Steelers' and Ravens game. I hate him. Just kidding, babe! While he was a t the game, my mom and I headed to Pittsburgh to go to Old Navy, and we bought entirely to much! We had a blast! We stopped at Starbuck's on our way home. Then we headed back to the house, and after justifying our unjustifiable purchases, we ate again.

Then we came home and went to bed.

Today, I took the day off work. I woke up and walked Maddy. Then I came home, showered and made a weekly menu and grocery list before heading to the store. After grocery shopping, I came home, put a roast, carrots and sweet potatoes in the crock pot and made a homemade banana bread...DIVINE smell in my home. For the roast, I tried one of those new spice packets. I used the one for pork chops, and it was really tasty. Then I cleaned the counters, threw a load of laundry in the washer, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, scrubbed the floors, dusted and ran the vacuum in the living room and wiped down the sink and toilet. Then we had dinner with a nice fall candle burning. After dinner, Joe helped clean up (actually he did most of it), and then I had a conference phone call at 8 p.m. Now, I am sitting and watching a little television, trying to unwind.

What a day! I love accomplishing a lot. I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow...yuck! Pretty soon, I am going to start my annual big clean of the house (walls, curtains, cupboards, everything. I love having a clean house for the holidays!

I just love fall!