Fall Recipes

Today I will be sharing a few fall recipes with you.

This Harvest trail mix looks like an easy, delicious snack to have for the family or a fall gathering.

I made these once before.  This is a cute touch for an October snack 

Pumpkin Pretzels

This is another treat I have made before and they are delicious and also look super cute for a fall snack!

Oreo Pumpkins

I just found this recipe on Pinterest, so I haven't made them yet, but they do look good.  Probably not something I could eat many of (which is a good thing :)), but something to make and share when you have others around to help you eat them!

Pumpkin Cookies

So, I thought I would add something besides desserts :)

This Margarita Chicken Soup is one of my favorite soups and the secret ingredient is Sprite (or 7-Up)!

Of course, there are other great go-to soups as well:

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slow Cooker Chili (with no beans)

And for another delicous Crock-Pot favorite:

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

And for an appetizer:

This is also a new recipe I have found.  I honestly just began enjoying pumpkin flavored things since I have lived in Bogota, which is very strange because they don't even sell pumpkin spice or cans of pumpkins here!  I have a friend who had some imported and made some bread that was so good. The author of this Pumpkin Dip said this was a very mild pumpkin flavor and as a dip, you can control how much of it you eat.  FYI....I still don't care for pumpkin pie.

Last but not least, here are some good pumpkin flavored breakfast items:

Pumpkin Muffins 

Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice Muffins

 (this is a mix between a pumpkin muffin and a cinnamon sugar donut)

Pumpkin Donuts

We just found this recipe and looks like a good reason to buy a donut pan!

That's all for now.  I do have some more Thanksgiving themed treats, but I'll save those for another day in November!

Stranded ~ Movie Edition

This month for the Stranded series, the theme is which 3 movies would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island.  I am just thankful I will have a way to watch these :)

So there are many movies that I really enjoy, but I am going with the first 3 which come to mind!

1.  Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

This movie is great.  First, it is so small town Southern, which is my favorite theme of a movie.  It has comedy & romance, another favorite theme of a movie for me!  Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorite actresses. It has great lines in it and it would take a while for this to get old to me.  I think I could watch it many times, then just have it on "repeat play" while I was busy trying to send signals for help!!

2. Parental Guidance (2012)

This is another great movie that takes place in Atlanta.  I have always said this movie appeals to everyone.....kids, teenagers, parents, and grandparents.  It is full of comedy and some fun music & scenes too!  I have seen this movie many times and cry every single time.

3.  The Proposal (2009)

This movie just makes me laugh.  It also is a great mixture of comedy and romance.  Sandra Bullock is another one of my favorite actresses.  This movie takes place in a small town in Canada.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Monday!  September seems to be flying by already, which is somewhat good.  We do have a lot of things to look forward to!  

The girls both had youth group Friday night, so that meant a date night for Avery and I.  We went to a restaurant we haven't been to before and it was great.  The food was great, the atmosphere, and of course my date wasn't too bad either!

My dinner was salad with grilled chicken and tomato soup.

Saturday, I met with my friend, Sarah, for breakfast at the bread store on the first floor of our building. Then, I delivered a letter for our visa renewal to be mailed to the states with a friend who was traveling there Sunday.  In the afternoon, I talked with a friend from the states on the phone, watched a Hallmark movie, and was pretty much lazy the rest of the day & it felt great.

Sunday, we started our day by watching the 9/11 memorial tributes on Fox News.  I listened to the names being called out and bells ringing while I cooked breakfast and got ready for church.

I wore my USA flag scarf to church to represent my love for the USA & NYC in memorial of September 11th.  After watching a few specials, I had a few emotional moments.

We went to eat after church with our friend, Andres.  We went to a restaurant, called Masa. Avery & I had been there once before, but the girls had not.  They loved it!

I had the special, which was roast beef sandwich with cheese, tomatoes, & avocadoes with a salad to the side.

The girls ordered grill cheese and Isabella got these delcious platano chips!

We also ordred dessert.  Isabella ordered basically a cinammon/sugar pastry with a chai tea.

Brook had an ice cream sandwich.  This is the first time we have seen one here.

I took a few bites of it, and it was delicious!!  The ice cream was served between cookies.

Can you translate this??  If not, let me help you out....

"If there is bread, we are good!"

Our Monday is back to normal here.....school & work.  Have a good one!

Friday Favorites

These pictures were taken last Sunday at church.  Here are Isabella and Brook with sweet little Evie Jude, who is the pastor's daughter and she is also one of our teammates :).

Homeschooling Brook

I love the time with her and it is fun to interatct one on one together, even though we sometimes just need to retreat to our I-devices!

I have been trying to eat healthy again this week, although it did result in a 2nd degree burn from cooking on my writst last night :(.  Here is a sampling of dinner plates:

Grilled chicken, sauteed zuchinni  & squash, and criolla potatoes with onions

Hamburger patties with grilled onioins, tomato slices, zuchinni chips

Chicken tenders (breaded with coconut flour and spices) and carrot fries

Taco salad over platano chips

I hosted bible study Tuesday morning at our apartment.  We are doing a study of 1 Peter.

A new Pricesmart opened in a suburb north of Bogota, about 20 minutes from us, which is closer than the other location.  It is much quicker to go to this location, but the mode of transportation cost much more.  Avery, Brook and I went and this was Brook's first time to a Pricesmart! 

Nicole (my niece) and her husband Tyler are matched and waiting on a baby to arrive in their household sometime in the next few weeks.  Can't wait to be a great aunt!  

These are a few of my favorite things this week!  Happy Friday to you!

Random Facts About Me

Today I am sharing 10 random facts about me!

Names People Call Me - M squared, Mar, Pixie, Mom (from my girls), Babe (from Avery) , Aunt Marilyn

Jobs I've Had - restaurant (Golden Corral), tour guide (Graceland), airline reservation agent (Delta Air Lines), corporate travel agent

Movies I've Watched More Than Once - The Sound of Music, Grease, Ramona and Beezus, Parental Guidance, Sweet Home Alabama, The Proposal

Places I've Lived - Southaven, MS/Concord, NC/Memphis, TN/Bogota, Colombia, South America

Places I've Visited - Europe (Belgium, England, Switzerland, Germany, France), Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong), Central America (Mexico ~ cruise ports!), Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, St. Martin), South America (Colombia, Peru), United States (I am still missing about 10 states)

Favorite Foods - avocadoes/guacamole, bacon, roast, lasagna, pizza, fried okra, fresh chocolate chip cookies, strawberry pretzel salad, frozen yogurt

Not So Favorite Foods - nuts, beans, liver, caulifolower, brussel sprouts

TV Shows - Family Ties, Brady Bunch, The Love Boat (from my childhood), Friends, Seinfield (from my single days), Ed, The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Bachelor/Bachelorette (from the last 18 years)

Looking Forward To This Year - moving back to the USA

I'm Always Saying - Put on your own oxygen mask first

Concerts I've Attended - Huey Lewis and the News, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, John Mellencamp, Sting, Rod Stewart, Hall & Oates, and many others!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! 

I am blogging today about our weekend on Bogota Bridges.

Friday Favorites

Welcome September!  August was a busy month with adjustments back to school and lots of announcements and visa work for us.  That's not all behind us just yet, but it is nice to welcome Setpember.  For me, it represents the beginning of so many fun things when you have seasons. We've had fall weather here year round, so it is the other things I miss and look forward to one day....like seeing fall colors on the trees.  I am going to try to do a weekly blog on something related to fall this month.

I pulled out my cinnamon smelling candle.  I don't have pumpkin scent, so cinnamon is also a smell of fall for me! (Speaking of cinnamon, I made cinnamon muffins this morning!)

I have Bath & Body hoarding problem, but it sure is nice when I can just pull out my Cinnamon Pumpkin shower gel!

I spent 2 of my 5 days this week at home.  Like I didn't leave the apartment.

Planning a fun event in October is a favorite this week!  

 

Due to the teacher's have a retreat this weekend, Isabella is out of school today!  When she is out of school and there isn't homework, everything just seems more peaceful and relaxing around our home.

Our Friday consists of Avery working, I told the girls I would take them to lunch at the mall, Clara comes for Spanish class in the afternoon with Brook, Isabella has youth group (on a Chiva- from wikipedia: an artisan rustic bus used in rural Colombia and Ecuador. Chivas are adapted to rural public transport, especially considering the mountainous geography of the Andean region of these countries.), and Avery, Brook and I are going to our friend's (Andres) house.

Here is a photo of a chiva in case you're interested.....