A fun, Christmas filled weekend!

~ We went to our 1st Christmas party of the season Friday night. It was hubby's company party at Hotel Zaza in Houston and it was so much fun. I love getting all dressed up for holiday parties! We even stayed the night at the hotel because they had really cheap rates for his company. We had a room that was about 20 feet from the pool and if any of your have been to Hotel Zaza in Houston, you know how cool that is :) More pictures to come tomorrow!



~ Saturday we had brunch @ Empire Cafe (one of our favorite's) then knocked out a TON of Christmas shopping. We spent hours in Williams Sonoma, Costco, Pottery Barn and Anthropolgie.

~ Our feet were hurting from not sitting for so long so we decided to go see Breaking Dawn. It was a little slow in the beginning and it was driving me crazy how depressed Bella was throughout the first half but, it got really good eventually. I don't think it is as good as the first few in the Twilight Saga but still worth seeing. Can't wait for the final one to come out...that is when all the big action happens! We went home, ordered pizza, watched football and finished decorating our house and tree the rest of the night.

~ Sunday Chris went to the Texan's game ( WE WON! ) with his Dad and I spent the day cooking, baking and grocery shopping. I made the crockpot Italian chicken & pasta recipe that has been floating around Pinterest- it was DELICIOUS! I made gluten free strawberry & blueberry muffins for breakfast and baked some gingerbread cookies with homemade cream cheese frosting too. Our house smelled like an Italian restaurant and a bakery all day!

~ And last but not least....we got some REALLY, REALLY exciting news over the weekend but I can't share it yet! :) Hopefully in the next week or 2 though!! And NO, I am NOT pregnant!

Homemade Pumpkin Granola

I saw this recipe on Pinterest this week and had to make it! I made a few changes and it turned out really good. But even better than how it tastes was the way it made my house smell! AMAZING! Enjoy!

What you will need:
-5 cups rolled oats (old fashioned oats)
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. nutmeg
-1 tsp. salt
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup pumpkin from a can
-1 individual cup of applesauce (the little individual cups you eat with a spoon)
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
-1 cup sunflower seeds



What to do:
-Preheat oven to 325. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

-In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, salt, cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds.

-In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. Spread mixture evenly on baking sheet.

-Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove pan and stir/toss granola then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove, let cool completely then store in airtight container.



**Serve granola with yogurt, milk or eat it plain.

{Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins}

Here is one of my favorite recipes to make during the Fall. It is only 3 ingredients and they are delicious! I make them probably 20-30 times during the Fall and holidays. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 box of Spice Cake Mix (I always use Duncan Hines)
1 can of Pumpkin
1 bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips



Directions:

Mix the cake mix with the can of pumpkin together then add in chocolate chips (as many as you like. I usually use about 3/4 of a bag ). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes! And that is it! Really difficult huh?

Friday Randoms!

Cheers to the weekend! 37 mini conference calls, 2 reports, 1 very sad fatality at work and 2 completed projects...WHEW, Friday could not come fast enough! CRAAAZY week!!

Now, for a totally random post.....

-I was supposed to be going to LA on Monday but I had to cancel my trip because of how busy I was here. I was so excited to go but I am very glad to cancel it...way too much going on at my office in Houston right now. So, it will be postponed until sometime later in the year or early next Spring.

-Tomorrow morning we are heading to College Station for the weekend. It is hubby's fraternity's (Kappa Sigma) alumni weekend. We will spend the day tailgating then go to the A&M vs. Idaho game tomorrow night. I can't wait to spend time with some of our favorite people that we don't get to see very often because they live in Dallas!

Aggie Wives Club! We have one pregnant, 2 newly married and one engaged. Love these girls!! =)





-I got to spend time with one of my best friends, Jen from www.downwiththedearmores.blogspot.com, and her hubby, Josh, last night at their new house. They moved out to the suburbs a few months and now they are expecting their first baby, Ella Victoria, anytime between now and next Sunday!! Their new house is beautiful, Josh cooked a DELICIOUS dinner for us and I got to feel Ella roll & kick inside her Mommy's belly. When I was leaving their house I just kept thinking back to 15 years ago when Jen and I used to live in the same neighborhood in The Woodlands and we would walk to Randall's together and Jen was always so worried we were going to get kidnapped or murdered on the bike trails...and now here we are, still alive, married & starting families :) Here is Mrs Jen (aka CUTEST PREGNANT PERSON EVER). Can I please look like this when I am pregnant one day?!


-I am so ready to start baking all the yummy looking Pumpkin recipes I have found on Pinterest! Last year I found this super easy, 3 ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe (will post next week) and I swear I made it 30 times throughout the Fall & Holiday season. Now I have a whole new slew of recipes to try. God Bless Pinterest!

PUMPKIN PIE DIP


PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING


CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BROWNIES

Happy Friday!