Merry Christmas 2013! {xoxo}

This year I had trouble deciding what to send out for a Christmas card. I contemplated ordering a photo card because I felt behind schedule {thanks a lot late Thanksgiving} and there was a lot going on, but ultimately I decided I had to take the time to create something unique {and my lovely husband may have encouraged me because he knows I would've regretted it if I hadn't made them}.

Earlier this summer I opened a shop on Etsy to sell stationery and I have been working on adding more items to my shop; anytime I can exercise a little creativity I find that it usually leads to even more good ideas! I had a friend order some stationery sets to give as gifts this year and they included hand-drawn personalized icons, which is what gave me the idea for our Christmas card {they are not on Etsy yet, but I can do custom orders}! Thank you Maria! The stationery set I made for her birthday this year was one of my very first projects, so it's fitting that I would end the year with projects for her.

If you've read my blog before, you know that I like to write. That can be challenging when confronted with an itty bitty card that you're printing in a large quantity. My goals were that it would tell a story, spread Christmas cheer and the good news of Jesus' birth, be appealing to the eye and also appropriate for everyone receiving it. While I am creative at heart, that doesn't necessarily mean I am the best artist. I tried. If I had allowed my perfectionist side to come out during the making of this Christmas card I probably wouldn't have gotten it in the mail before Christmas day. Anyways, enough about my "creative" process. 

Here's the tree and the legend that were printed on the outside of the card {the tree was on the front, and the key on the back so you could lay the card flat and see them side by side as seen below}. 

And as I copy and paste the content from the card to expand on it, I notice a few misspellings. I guess that's what I get when I stay up until the wee hours of the morning... Oops!

HORSESHOE- Our home sweet home in Lexington and Lauren's brand new job. Lexington is considered the "Horse Capital of the World." Here's a brief background from Wikipedia: 

Lexington has been known as a major center for Thoroughbred breeding since the late 18th century due to the high calcium content in the soils of the InnerBluegrass Region, which leads to stronger bones and greater durability in horses. 

The city is home to two horse racing tracks, Keeneland and the The Red Mile harness track. Keeneland, sporting live races in April and October, is steeped in tradition; little has changed since the track's opening in 1936. The Red Mile Harness Track is the oldest horse racing track in the city and the second oldest in the nation. There you can see horses pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing, also known as harness racing. 

The Kentucky Horse Park, located along scenic Iron Works Pike in northern Fayette County, is a comparative late-comer to Lexington, opening in 1978. Although commonly known as a tourist attraction and museum, it is also a museum and working horse farm with a farrier and famous retired horses such as Cigar and 2003Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. The Since its opening in April 1978, the Kentucky Horse Park has hosted the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, which is one of the top 3 annual equestrian eventing competitions in the world and held immediately before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. In September and October 2010, Lexington hosted the World Equestrian Games,^[50] the first time the games were held outside of Europe. Since October/November 2011, the Kentucky Horse Park has hosted the National Horse Show.

The week of Thanksgiving I started a new job with the Race Track Chaplaincy of America {National Service Center}. It is an inter-denominational Christian organization aimed at ministering and meeting the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and educational needs of people working in the racing industry. {That's the short version, here's a great article about our organization that provides a larger picture}. I am blessed to have this new opportunity. 

ST. LOUIS ARCH- St. Louis & Kansas City road trip. In late April Alex and I drove West to Kansas City for the wedding of one of his former co-workers. Along the way, we stopped over in St. Louis! It was my first time visiting both cities and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought they were quite wonderful and it was an amazing trip, even though it was short! {Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/05/nothing-like-road-trip-to-kick-off.html}

LOBSTER- Road trip to Maine and the East Coast. We took an extended Labor Day holiday in order to drive East for the wedding of Alex's college roommate. Once again, I visited quite a few places I have never been. It was an exorbitant amount of driving, but we saw so many loved ones along the way and had a chance to spend some quality time together and just relax. I would love to go back to Maine one day, and Rehoboth Beach, DE. {Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html}

UK- Alex completed his third semester of his MBA program at the University of Kentucky. After finishing some prerequisite classes last summer, Alex started his MBA program in August 2012. Since then he has had class three days a week from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. {summers off!}. With his work schedule requiring a lot of after hours office time and traveling, it's been a grueling schedule. It was extremely challenging at first to adjust, but somehow we made it work. As I write this he's finishing up his last assignment for this semester and then he'll be done until Jan 15! I can hardly believe he'll be starting his last semester already; the time flew by and I am so proud of him. 

#3 CANDLE- We celebrated three years of marriage. Talk about time flying by! It's been a wonderful adventure so far and I am so thankful that we found one another. With Alex having a crazy schedule, we had a low key anniversary this year and spent the following weekend with his family who came in to visit {Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/10/september-celebrating.html}

WEDDING CAKE- Lots of beautiful "I do's". Last year and this year have been that time in our lives when everyone we know is getting married. It's so exciting to celebrate with them and reminisce about what it felt like to get married. We had eight or nine weddings this year! Congratulations to all of our friends and family members that tied the knot this past year! Here's a few blog posts about them:

• {from above: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/05/nothing-like-road-trip-to-kick-off.html, http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html}
• http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_08_01_archive.html

WELCOME MAT- Friends and family came to visit. We had a few visit from friends and family this year. It's surprising we had that many visitors considering how often we were out of town. Pat Janesz wins the award for being our most frequent visitor! Visitors are always welcome, so let us know if you'd like to come down for a visit or even just a stopover. We are not far from Cincinnati and are on the way to quite a few warm weather destinations!

• Cousin Fran & My College Roommates: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_04_01_archive.html
• My Mom and Her Friend, Denise {from High School} http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/07/girls-weekend-in-lex.html
• Janesz Fam: {posted above} http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/10/september-celebrating.html

BEER- Alex attended the Siebel Institute of Technology for a course,  "Starting your own Brewery." Life has just been flying by and as a result Alex and I try to take advantage of every opportunity that we can. Alex's dream is to one day open a brewery, so he took advantage of his summer break by heading to Chicago to attend a three day course at the Siebel Institute of Technology which is America's oldest brewing school {more history here}. They had instructors from various breweries and drank beer during class {for learning purposes of course haha}. Here was the curriculum: 

• Brewery Process and Design:
  • Anatomy of a Commercial Brewery
  • Buying Brewing Equipment & Fermentation Capacity
  • Buying and Starting Up Packaging Equipment
  • Site Selection and Practical Considerations in Building a Brewery
  • Utilities, Waste Water & Regulations
• Restaurant Operations
  • Restaurant Components and their Management
  • Steps in Creating a Successful Restaurant
  • Site Selection and Real Estate Considerations
• Marketing Your Venture
  • Public Relations and Events
  • Packaging Design and Point-of-Sale Materials
• Distribution
  • Finding a Distributor
  • Franchise Laws
  • Working with Distributors
• Business Plan Creation
  • Financial Measures and Statements
  • Anatomy of a Business Plan
  • Researching and Writing Your Business Plan

P.S. It's taking place June 9-11th, 2014 if you want to go!

OHIO OUTLINE- Cincy, Columbus, Cleveland. Repeat. I was very tempted to go through our calendar and count all of the weekends we were in each city, but I got tired just by thinking about it. We are lucky to be close to my family and some of Alex's extended family in Cincinnati, so we make that trip frequently. Sometimes we even just go up for the day. We also drive to Cleveland once every month or two, and whenever we do, we usually stop by Cincinnati for dinner with my family on our way back; it helps break up the drive! Two of my best friends from college are in Columbus, along with Alex's youngest brother at OSU, so we usually end up visiting there every so often as well.  

• Last Christmas: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_01_01_archive.html
• May/June: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_06_01_archive.html
• http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/07/add-another-c-city-to-list.html
• July/August {posted above}: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/08/first-comes-love-then-comes-marriage.html
• Sept {posted above}: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html}
• October: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/11/seeing-blue-scarlet-just-plain-clearer.html

BLOCK O- Columbus + Football Festivities. Alex won us football tickets through the alumni lottery so we went up for the San Diego State game which happened to be on his birthday. We went back up in October just to tailgate. Alex's former co-worker and Buckeye came in from Texas so we had a little gathering of old friends and new friends. It's surreal to walk around campus, because I feel so old, yet my experiences all comes rushing back to me when I'm there and it feels like yesterday.

• Sept {posted above}:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/09/east-coast-road-trip-alexs-bday.html
• October {posted above}:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/11/seeing-blue-scarlet-just-plain-clearer.html

WPJH- The initials of our families' surnames together. I am so incredibly thankful to have married into such a wonderful family and that my family adores Alex as well. Our families have a tradition of going out for drinks and appetizers every time the Janesz clan is in Cincinnati {usually Christmas and Memorial Day}. My parents are always welcome at the Janesz Family Sausage Making during Easter in Cleveland and the Harshman Memorial Day picnic. My caring in-laws came to Toledo for my Grandpa Wagoner's funeral this past March to show their support for my family. Our parents even spend time together when we are not there! I couldn't imagine our lives without all of them. There might even be a Peterson-Janesz family vaca in the future even...

• Last Christmas {posted above}:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_01_01_archive.html
• Easter:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_04_01_archive.html
• Memorial Day:  http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_06_01_archive.html

CANNED GOODS- Our Power for Life Food Drive. Alex was inspired to coordinate a food drive this past summer to help give back to the community {more here: https://www.facebook.com/PowerforLifeFoodDrive}. I also helped with some of the coordination, along with one of our friends, Amy, that also works in the electrical industry. After all of our hard work it was so rewarding to drop off all of the food together and discover that we had brought in over 700 pounds of food! Not bad for our first effort! Hopefully, we will be able to do it again next year.

PALM TREE- A trip to Charleston, SC for 4th of July. My lovely friend and my first college roommate, Karleya, invited us to join her and her husband on a road trip to Charleston, SC. Her parents moved there within the past couple years. The only time I had been to Charleston previously was to have dinner and pick up a cruise ship during my senior year of college. It was beautiful weather and company with no shortage of delicious food and drinks. Her parents are fantastic hosts and it's always nice to see them. I would go back without a doubt!

{Read more: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/07/add-another-c-city-to-list.html}

BRIEFCASE- Alex started a new job in April. During one of Alex's college courses Spring Semester 2012 his professor encouraged them to always be open to other opportunities. He took his professor's advice just as a learning opportunity and the next thing he knew he was starting a new job. It is always bittersweet to move on, especially when you still love your job, but his new job has been an amazing learning opportunity. It has provided him with the chance to learn more about the inner workings of a business as a whole and how to build a business. 

HAMMER & NAILS- Home improvements; all new ceiling fans & exterior lights, plus a garage overhaul! It seems like we are finally done with upgrades to the house for now. I still need to paint my back doors and we're hoping to update our small guest bathroom, but we are satisfied for now! Over the past two and a half years we have put a lot of sweat equity into this place and it's nice to see it come together. This year our biggest projects were replacing all of the ceiling fans and the exterior lights as well as overhauling our garage. A lot of the smaller projects I have done on my own, but these were two projects that Alex and I did together and I always love how well we work as a team. 

• Laundry Room: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013_02_01_archive.html
• Fan/lighting replacements: http://www.thejaneszfamily.com/2013/05/being-homebod-and-traveler-is-not.html, 
• To see the front porch railing and the garage overhaul visit my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/organizedesignbylpj. There are also lots of mini projects posted there too!

It's crazy to look back on the past year and remember everything that's happened. Sadly, my blog and my facebook pictures actually help me keep track of it all! It makes me very excited for what's to come next year. Now we just have to wrap up the rest of our week and then it's time to celebrate Christmas with our families. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And now to close, the most important part of our Christmas tree.

Seeing Blue, Scarlet & Just Plain Clearer

After Alex's family came down from Cleveland to visit it really started to feel like fall around here. The leaves starting falling and the temperatures started dropping {although it seems to have bounced back a little bit}. I raked leaves in our front yard a few times because I remembered how awful it was last year doing it all at once. Unfortunately my efforts didn't go too far; our street is named Oak Place Ct for a reason...

Our efforts from this past weekend

The leaves I can definitely do without, but it wouldn't be fall without football and tailgating. Alex's co-worker invited us to his UK tailgate a few weekends ago. It's fun to be in that atmosphere with the beautiful weather and all the delicious food and drinks {that's why I really go of course}, but I have to say it's very strange to look around and only see bright blue. I still haven't gotten used to that. I also haven't gotten used to all of the SEC talk. Not much Big Ten love down here.

Commonwealth Stadium

The tickets he gave us ended up being in an amazing spot. The first time I went to Commonwealth Stadium it felt like a high school stadium in comparison to The Shoe, but this time I could appreciate it's size because it meant no nosebleed seats! For me, that does make it a little more enjoyable because I can actually see what's going on down on the field and the players don't look like ants.

Karleya and I at The Rossi in Columbus

The next weekend we headed up to Columbus to Buckeye land. We stayed with my friend Karleya and her husband and had a little reunion with some of our out of town friends, Bri, Pete & Chrissy, who also happened to be Alex's former co-workers from Eaton {also known as the LDP {Leadership Development Program} group}. This time we only admired the stadium from afar, which was fine with me because the weather did not cooperate. It was cold and rainy the majority of the day. We did a little bar hopping and managed to stay warm enough to enjoy ourselves! I felt at home because everywhere I looked there was Scarlet and Gray with no blue in sight!

Me, Alex and Chrissy

Chrissy, Bri and I

Pete & Bri

Pete & Chrissy

Alex and I

After the game ended we had to walk our way through campus back to our car. It's strange to walk around campus because part of me feels like it was so long enough that I attended OSU, but the other part of me still remembers walking those routes like it was yesterday. Of course, in honor of reliving our college days we had to stop by the RPAC {the rec facility} to visit Alex's youngest brother Ethan who was working. Both Alex and I worked there in different departments.

After finally getting back to our car we watched a little more football and then retired. I am definitely getting "old" {in comparison to college} because my body cannot handle all day marathons like that anymore. I get more excited by the prospect of going to bed early than staying out late and partying. In the morning we packed up and had breakfast with Ethan, his girlfriend Anna and the LDP crew, Bri, Pete & Chrissy. It was a fitting end to our weekend of shenanigans.

The following weekend we went to a Halloween party hosted by some friends of our friends. It got the creative juices flowing to plan some Halloween costumes and it was nice to get out and meet some new people. Right before the party while we were getting ready we had a little candy incident that I wish I had caught on camera.

Rewind a couple days... while I was at the grocery I picked up some Halloween candy. I was attempting to hide it from Alex since he is a candy monster and I specifically did not mention to him that I had gotten it, until plans changed. I knew once he found out he would have to find it.

Well it turned out my LASIK surgery was scheduled for the morning of Halloween. I wouldn't be in any shape to hand out candy and Alex would be at class so I mentioned this conundrum to him. Fast forward to the day of the party... know that he had known about the candy for a couple of days he couldn't resist temptation any longer, so he went on a scavenger hunt around the house until he found the stash.

I attempted to hide it again until I could get it safely out of the house the next day {I donated it to my neighbors who hadn't picked theirs up yet}. I choose to put it in the dryer with some of my clothes thinking Alex wouldn't find it. Well, apparently it was so well hidden that when he put his Halloween costume in the dryer to de-wrinkle it he didn't see the bright green bag and he hit start. A few seconds later all of the candy was dumped out everywhere{because of course we had snitched from each bag since they were different varieties}.

I wish I had gotten a picture because it was a priceless scene. Alex was on his hands and knees scooping candy out of the dryer. Luckily the candy was not injured in the process and went to our neighbors the next day.

Later that week came the actually day of Halloween. Early in the morning Alex and I got ourselves together to head to the surgery center. My first treat on Halloween was a valium. Then before I knew it, it was already time to get situated for the light show. The procedure itself went pretty quickly and was painless. Mostly it was just a little uncomfortable at times and there were a lot of bright blinking lights. Afterwards I got my second treat of the day, a painkiller and some pretty goggles.

My stylish LASIK goggles

The drive home via the pharmacy was a little rough because my numbing drops had worn off and it didn't feel like my painkiller had kicked in. To top it all off I had goggles on my eyes and couldn't open them so I felt helpless, which freaked me out a little bit {I'm a little bit of a control freak}!

After 30 minutes, which seemed like forever, we got back home and I took some more medication to help me sleep. After four hours I woke up and the pain was gone just like they promised. I rested the remainder of the day and "listened" to a couple of my favorite movies on my laptop while Alex was at class {I could not fathom napping any more}.

Meanwhile, I received a text from my neighbor telling me trick-or-treating had been reschedule to Friday and that I could have my candy back. So it turns out I didn't miss handing out candy after all, and the best part was that Alex was able to join me too!

My eyes feel great and I have just been keeping up on all my drops. The results of my post-op appt were that I now have 20/20 vision! {I'm not exactly sure what it was before, I know my contact prescription was -4.0 and when I didn't wear them pretty much everything was blurry and I would get a headache within 5 minutes}. I still have a little blurriness, but that will gradually fade over the next week. I don't think it's completely set in just yet about the implications of this surgery.

I started wearing glasses when I was in 4th grade and got contacts the following year. They have been such an integral part of my life that during my LASIK consultation I literally asked... "So, how long after the surgery until I can start wearing my contacts again?" As soon as the words tumbled out of my mouth I realized what I was saying and I started laughing. I haven't known anything else for a very long time {16 years, or almost half of my life}, but I am already finding out and let me tell you, it's totally worth it.

Menu: Fall in Lexington

There are times I might go a little overboard planning {that's not my definition, but it might be others}. I love food, planning, and being creative, so it's easy for me to lose track of time when I'm creating a menu for our guests.

I try to stick with flavors that match the season, incorporate a lot of fresh foods and provide a good balance between healthy and decadent. You have to spoil everyone a little bit. My goal is to make them feel like they're on vacation! Here's a copy of our menu from the weekend and all of the recipes, including some of my prep tips. {I created the printed menu as well, so if you're interested in having some made up for Thanksgiving or a special event, feel free to contact me and I can create custom printed menus for you!}

 

Spinach & Artichoke Dip - Restaurant Style
slightly adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic {I used pre-minced garlic in a jar, if you'd like to use fresh follow the link above}
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 oz.) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 (8 oz.) package cream cheese softened

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, mix all of the ingredients together and then smooth the top so it's even. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheeses are melted and bubbly.

Note: I made this a few hours in advance and let it sit in the refrigerator until our guests were about 30 minutes out from our house and then I popped it into the oven. This recipe is super easy and extremely delicious. I served it with blue corn chips and pita crackers.

Kickstart Fruit Kabobs
adapted from "Easy Breakfast & Brunch: Simple Recipes for Morning Treats" 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of diced pineapple, drained {or fresh works too, it's just more work!}
• 1 honeydew melon cut up into small cubes
• 2 fresh peaches cut into medium slices
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon clear honey
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice {substitute with cinnamon or nutmeg}
• Wooden skewers of any size {I made 12 long skewers, approximately two per person with a few leftover for seconds}

Directions:

• Thread your fruit of choice onto the skewers in any order.
• Put the orange juice, honey and spices into a small bowl and mix. Brush over the fruit skewers.
• Cook the kabobs under medium-hot broiler for 5 minutes turning frequently.
• Brush with any remaining orange juice mixture while they are cooking to prevent them from drying out. {I even ended up using more orange juice to keep the fruit moist and juicy}.
• Serve warm with some greek yogurt and homemade granola {see next recipe}.

Note: The options for what type of fruit you would like to use is really up to you. The actual recipe also uses prunes and dried apricots as well. I chose the fruit that I did so I could assemble the kabobs on Friday and not have to worry about any of my fruit getting brown. If you would like to use bananas sprinkle them with lemon juice and toss gently to prevent them from browning {I wouldn't try making these in advance though}.

House Granola
adapted from "Easy Breakfast & Brunch: Simple Recipes for Morning Treats" 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole almonds
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 5-6 dried apricots, chopped
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds {I did not add this ingredient}
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, then transfer to a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
• Remove from the oven and stir well. Return the mixture to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the granola is crisp and light golden.
• Remove from the oven. Serve hot or cold with milk or yogurt.

Note: I made this granola on Thursday evening since I needed to leave a lot of the other prep work for Friday. This granola does not come out very clumpy, so add more sugar and maple syrup if desired. You can store it in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

Spicy Butternut & Lentil Soup
from Seasoned to Taste: City of Chattanooga Official Cookbook 
{Serves 6-8}

Ingredients: 

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup red lentils {I had to go to the organic section to find these}
• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp curry power
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes {I did not drain these}
• 2 cups milk or plain yogurt {I used the leftover whole milk from my ice cream recipe}

Directions:

• Bring the squash, lentils and water to a boil in a large stockpot. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the squash is tender {for a creamy soup, puree and return to the stockpot at this point}. I asked for a consensus from my guests and they voted to keep it chunky. 
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and celery. Saute for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add to the lentil mixture. Add the salt, curry powder, coriander, nutmeg, lemon juice and tomatoes. Return to a simmer. Stir in the milk slowly. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes and then ladle into soup bowls. 

Note: I cut up the butternut squash on Friday and put it in small containers in the refrigerator. I also had the onions, celery and garlic ready to go in another container. If I had been feeling more ambitious to prep more in advance I could've measured out all of the spices into a ziploc bag as well. The end result is a vibrant vegetarian soup with lots of flavor. Perfect for fall!

Homemade Apple Pie
adapted from the German Apple Pie recipe in  "Taste of Home Cookbook: Revised Edition"
{Serves 8}

Ingredients:

• Refrigerated pie crust
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 cups sliced peeled tart apples {ours were fresh from the orchard, bonus!}
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 egg white

Directions:

• Follow the directions on your pie crust for the bottom layer.
• For filling, combine the sugar, flour and teh cinnamon; sprinkle 3 tablespoons into crust. Layer with half of the apples, then sprinkle with half of the remaining sugar mixture. Repeat layers. Pour cream over all.
• Follow the directions for the top layer of crust if you wish, or you can leave it off. I brushed mine with an egg white so it would brown nicely. {If using a top crust, make sure to use foil to cover the edges of the pie for part of the cook time so they don't burn}.
• Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 55-60 minutes or until apples are tender {if there's not top crust}. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. 

Note: I made the pie on Friday so I would have time to clean up before our guests arrived and also a little additional time in case I needed to make another pie or do some damage control since this was a new recipe. The original recipe also includes directions to make the bottom pie crust, and they do not use a crust on top. I opted to use pre-made crust and use a top and bottom. I like how the whipping cream keeps this pie together nicely after it's sliced.

Jeni's {Ugandan} Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
from  "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home"
{Makes 1 quart}

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 ounces {3 tablespoons}cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out, seeds and bean reserved
• 1 cinnamon stick {my own addition}

Directions: 

• Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
• Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla seeds and bean {and cinnamon stick} in a 4-qt saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a one-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the vanilla bean {and cinnamon stick}. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours. Keeps for about a week. 

Note: Since the ice cream was also a recipe I had never made before I made it earlier in the week and let it set in the freezer. I wanted to ensure that I had extra time in case I wanted to make another batch! This ice cream is so creamy and delicious, one scoop goes a long way! My vanilla beans had been given to me by a friend. I was letting them sit in bourbon to create my own vanilla extract, so I stole a couple out of the container and threw them in to the ice cream mixture with a couple tsps of the bourbon. I was hoping the bourbon flavor would end up in the final product, but unfortunately it didn't so it must've burned off!

Yummy Breakfast Pastry
from Seasoned to Taste: City of Chattanooga Official Cookbook 
{Serves 4-6}

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-count) can refrigerated original breadsticks

• 6 oz. cream cheese softened (I personally think you could get away with using even less)

• 1 medium egg yolk

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• 3/4 cup blueberries (or any other fruit)

• Egg Wash: 1 medium egg white & 2 tsp. water 
• Glaze: 1 cup confectioners' sugar & 2 tbsp orange juice {I did not need this much glaze, you could probably half this}

 Directions:

• Unroll the breadstick dough lengthwise on a 10x15 baking pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Pinch the center seam of the dough to seal. Beat the cream cheese, egg yolk and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Spread down the center of the dough. Top with the blueberries.
• Starting at the top, bring each bread stick alternately towards the center in criss-cross fashion to cover the filling, braiding the dough all the way down. Brush with a mixture of the egg white and water. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
• Beat the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl until smooth. Spread over the pastry as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Note: This was a recipe I have made previously. The store did not have refrigerated breadsticks,but they did have pastry/dough sheets so I unrolled that and then used a pizza cutter to take a few strips off to use for crisscrossing on top (probably about a third). It worked extremely well! I also bought puff pastries in the freezer section as another backup. I also like this recipe because while the pastry was baking we could finish up the scrambled eggs, bacon, and setting the table so everything was ready at the same time.

{Side Note: Thank you to all of my friends and family that gifted me with these wonderful cookbooks!}

September = Celebrating

After Alex and I returned from our East Coast trip and Columbus we were ready to be home for a little bit. Unfortunately our schedule said otherwise. After having a low key birthday celebration at home it was time for something bigger! I headed to Cincinnati and had a relaxing dinner with two of my friends from college. Alex met up with me later that evening and we had cake and gifts with my parents. I also gave my Dad his birthday gift since it was coming up soon after.

The next morning Alex and I got up early to take part in an Alzheimer's {Association} Walk. It was a great excuse to get up early and get a three mile walk in, as well as a way to support my friend Amy who helps plan the association's walks. So far in our lives our families have been blessed as far as this disease goes, but other families have not been as fortunate. The money raised from events like this help fund research and programs that can help.

Alex's company CE Power Solutions was one of the event sponsors

After our invigorating walk we headed  back to my parents' house for the afternoon. We met our friend's Rob and Tricia in Mt. Lookout Square at The Wurst Bar for dinner. It was their first evening away from their new baby and they did amazing, I was impressed {even if you guys don't feel like it is, you do a great job at making it look easy!}. Everything on the menu features sausage of some kind. Yumm.

As always, our dinner went too fast and then it was time for the next thing on our agenda, the Darius Rucker Concert. We drove the rest of the way downtown to the Horseshoe Casino. It was packed and there were so many flashing lights my brain almost overloaded. We had bought our concert tickets three or four months in advance so we had been looking forward to it for a while. It was a good concert, although a little bit short! We were standing outside the entire time so I didn't mind the length too much.

The next day we went to church with my parents and had a little lunch before heading back home. We had a busy week and then it was time to travel again, this time to Cleveland. We were able to get there a little bit early and considering we had driven quite a bit over the last few weeks the trip went pretty fast. As soon as we arrived we enjoyed a "Friday Night Round Table" as has become the tradition in the Janesz household. Usually when Alex and I, or one of the siblings, is coming in for the weekend everyone gathers around the dining room table on Friday night with a beer and we just talk and reminisce for hours. I love that spending time together is a priority for them. It's so special and I am honored to be part of it.

The next morning Pat took us to his new house to show us around and tell us about his plans for renovating. The place has great potential and I am very much looking forward to seeing what he does with the place. Later that afternoon we got ourselves all prettied up and drove to the Elyria Country Club to see Alex's friend Billy get married. There were a lot of people he knew from his high school years there and it was fun to meet them. It was an amazing wedding ceremony with lots of love and laughter and an entertaining reception as well. As beautiful as it was, and they have all been this year, I was a little glad that it was our last! All that dancing and traveling will wear on anyone after a while {the tally was up to eight}.

After our typical Sunday of mass, brunch and football it was time to head home again. The next weekend we had "off" and we were able to relax and just spend some time together. Alex has been traveling quite a bit for work and is busy during the week with school so it was nice to have some quality time together. We went apple picking and bought some fresh apple cider, pumpkins and pumpkin nut fudge. It was the perfect weather for it and the apples we brought home were gigantic!

The next week brought more traveling for Alex, which unfortunately fell on our three year anniversary. We celebrated the night before with a cookie cake and the same wine we had on our honeymoon in Costa Rica {part of Alex's birthday gift to me}. It's fun to celebrate big sometimes, but I love the low key celebrations and instead having impromptu moments amidst our everyday routine. A little spontaneity makes life feel special. While I feel really proud of our three year anniversary both of our parents have numbers that follow a three. At the beginning of September my parents celebrated 35 years and at the end of the month Alex's parents celebrated 31 years. Something to aim for, wow!

This past weekend we hosted Alex's parents and his brother Pat at our house. I loved planning the menu and coming up with ideas for their visit. If you've read our blog before you know these are some of my favorite things to do! While most of your guests are just happy to see you, I also like to try to make them feel as comfortable as possible while they're away from home. This is the tactic I use to ensure that they come back again and again ; )

Friday night when they arrived we had our "round table" around the kitchen island. After a good night's sleep we all convened for breakfast and then Alex, Ed and Pat went out to golf. Linda and I did a little pilates and then went to a tea shop I've been wanting to check out. We might have also had a little fun shopping for accessories too!

After we all had lunch back at the house we sat out on the patio and relaxed for the afternoon. We had a celebratory dinner out at The Village Idiot {one of our favorite places for beer and food} and then we watched the Ohio State game with a little homemade apple pie and homemade Jeni's ice cream. This morning we went to church and had a delicious brunch before they had to hit the road. It's been raining most of the day since then and it's quite fitting because now the house is so quiet and it's a little depressing. Well, maybe some more pie and ice cream will cheer me up!

At The Village Idiot

Here 10 Tips for Making Your Guests Feel Comfortable:

1. Think about your weekend menu. Make sure you have everything you need and prep anything that you can in advance so you can spend more time with your guests. {Check out this weekend's menu in the next posting}. I also like to take into consideration what we will be doing. For example, I knew we were going out to dinner on Saturday evening so I planned a light lunch.

2. If you're planning on cooking make sure each meal is made up of a few different items so people have something to eat even if they dislike your main entree or have a food restriction you were unaware of. Buffets are a great option because it allows people the opportunity to pick and choose without feeling rude turning you down on certain items.

3. If you're planning on going out to eat make reservations if you can. Be conscious of picking somewhere that fits the entire group, instead of just picking a place you've been dying to check out that only caters to a very specific clientele.

4. Make sure water and drinks are always easily accessible and that you have snacks out {I like apples and bananas}. Your guests don't want to go through your cabinets and may feel uncomfortable asking. I always like to make sure coffee and tea are ready to go first thing in the morning so everyone can help themselves whenever they get up.

5. Provide fresh towels and extra blankets in visible spaces in each room. If you have to set someone up on an air mattress make sure to layer a couple blankets under the sheets to make it a little more comfortable. I also like to provide extra pillows and leave the air pump accessible for them as well.

6. It's always smart to have extras in the bathrooms as well. Extra toilet paper and maybe a few items in the drawers in case somebody forgets something vital. We have a couple soaps and shampoos in the shower and a whole jar in the guest room as well. In the bathroom drawer we have extra toothpaste, a toothbrush, bobby pins, feminine products, a hair dryer etc.

7. If somebody asks you if they can help, let them! Your guests don't want to feel useless or guilty that you're doing all the work. Keep it simple, like asking them to open the wine, or cut up veggies for a salad etc.

8.  You don't have to go crazy planning everything, but it's nice to have a few activity options already thought out so you can all enjoy the weekend without messy logistics. I like to have a variety of activities written down so we can pick in the moment, but still avoid those awkward moments of sitting around saying, "what should we do?", "well what are the options?"

9. Even if you don't have time to do a thorough cleaning of the house, at least make sure it's tidy and smells decent! No one is going to notice if your floor isn't spotless {only you will}. I love to spread out candles and flowers to make the house feel cozy. I also like to turn on the lamps in each room instead of using the overhead lights.

10. Don't get so caught up in the details that you don't enjoy your guests! Make sure they know you appreciate them making the trip!

PigTales Stationery & Gifts

So it turns out today is my birthday. I'm a whopping 27. Both Alex and I are officially closer to 30 than we are to our college days. Where does the time go? By this age I thought I would have things a little more figured out then I do. I should feel accomplished being a successful college graduate living in my own home and married to my perfect match with an amazingly supportive group of friends and family. Right?

However, being the type of person I am, it's not enough. I want to know what my passion in life is going to be and I am having a hard time accepting that my job might not fall into that category at this point in my life. So while coming to terms with this fact I have been playing around with a few ideas that could be potential full-time {passion} jobs in the future. The first is utilizing my organizational skills to help people conquer their unruly spaces. So, if you're looking for a professional organizer, contact me and I can give you some great rates and tell you more about the process : )

The second is my stationery business. For as long as I can remember my mom has always written letters to friends and family and she passed that tradition to me. While not too many people write long handwritten letters these days I still do so to both of my grandmothers. The rest of my "letters" are more often in the form of a notecard or a thank you card. 

I used to receive stationery sets as gifts and I would buy 5-10 greeting cards at the store at one time to use for those special occassions {$$, can you believe how expensive cards are?}. I have a card organizer with slots for different occassions and months so you can plan ahead and store cards. I love all things associated with cards. I get excited when it's time to buy more stamps because it means I get to pick out a new design. I have beautiful return address labels that I bought when we first moved into our house. I very seldom use them though because they are too pretty and I don't want them to run out {I'm working on breaking that mindset}. I have sharpie pens all over the house because they're the only thing I'll use to address my envelopes. 

This spring some of that changed when I bought a stationery program for my computer. I had printed our wedding invitations from my computer a few years ago and Christmas cards more recently {and plenty of other creative projects} so I thought why not. It's a great way for me to express my creativity, despite the fact that, while I have great handwriting, I am not always the best artist! I have always loved little stationery boutiques and have frequently made the comment that I would love to own one some day.

Well I figured that was a pretty big leap at this point in my life so maybe I would try out my own online boutique. Less overhead and less capital needed! I opened an Etsy shop and so far I only have my simplest monogram design posted {in two sizes}, but I am excited to add more options. I am planning on having some seasonal items as well as sets of cards that cover multiple occassions. I am also hoping to add some of my mom's jewelry and some gift wrapping sets as well {wrapping paper, box, tag, ribbon, tissue paper etc.}. 

For now my simple monograms are a great way for me to get my feet wet and I love that you can customize every single piece of your stationery set! I personally love choices. You can choose how many cards you would like to come in a set, your background color, your font style and color and what type of monogram you would like to you use, a single initial or the traditional three initial monogram for a couple or a single person. Furthermore, if there's something you would like to change that's not shown, you can always message me on Etsy and I can do a custom listing. If you have ideas about what you would like to see I would love to hear them! 

One of my biggest challenges was deciding on a company/shop name. I wanted to be able to express my name with a small icon, as well as the traditional text. That got me thinking about things that represent me as a person, but could also relate to stationery. I finally decided that I loved the idea of using a green piglet. Green just happens to be my favorite color, but you're probably wondering where the piglet comes in... 

Growing up my grandparents had a pig farm so I spent some time around pigs and one of my favorite pictures of me as a youngster is holding a piglet. It also just so happens that my hometown of Cincinnati used to be nicknamed Porkopolis. In the mid 1800's it was the country's main hog packing center. Nowadays you'll still see remnants of this nickname, including events such as The Flying Pig Marathon, which is a qualifier race for the Boston Marathon. 

Since meeting my husband I have learned how to make sausage {pork} from scratch and I participate in this yearly Janesz Family tradition on Holy Saturday. Plus, I happen to have German lineage so I think I'm just hardwired to like that type of food haha. 

Sausage Making a Few Years Ago

Now the challenge was how to create a name to tie it all together. After posing the question to several people hoping it would spark a good idea, my mom actually came up with the name PigTales Stationery. I love it because it's whimsical and fun and it's a play on words. It's referring more to the art of storytelling and I love the idea that stationery can tell a story. It may be the colors you choose for your font, or that the type of style says something about you, or the initials might represent the fact that you're newly married. 

Depending on the day and who I am writing to I gravitate towards different styles so I love the opportunity to mix it up and print cards on demand for my own use. The more obvious piece to the storytelling part is the room left on the inside for you to use your own words! And now to end my tale with a pig. If you look just closely enough you can see a little J in the piglet's tail. Now tell your story by customizing your own stationery from my shop! 

East Coast Road Trip + Alex's Bday

Alex and I have had plenty of opportunities to travel over the summer. Most of these trips have been over a short weekend, or maybe an extended holiday like our 4th of July trip to Charleston. We finally had the chance to take a "vacation," once again extending from a holiday weekend, Labor Day Weekend! This trip stemmed from our friends' wedding in Maine! We've never been out that direction, so we boldly decided to drive so we could see some people along the way, and take in more of the sights than we would be able to if we traveled by plane.

We had determined our plans for the front half of our trip in the middle of the summer, but the second half was tricky! There were so many possible stops on the way back that it was really challenging to narrow it down, but finally a couple weeks ago we made a decision! Here's a little more about our crazy trip of 2600+ miles:

DAY ONE {420 MILES}
Alex and I drove six hours to Pittsburgh, PA to stay with the groom-to-be for the night. There was going to be a caravan leaving from Pittsburgh the next day so we were inspired by their route and timetable for traveling. {I forgot to mention that before this even occurred Alex had already driven 700+ miles throughout TN and NC earlier in the week for work}.

DAY TWO {436 MILES}
In the morning we met Alex's sister Eileen for breakfast in Oakland {near downtown}. She's a Senior in Musical Theater at Point Park University there. Typically during the year she's busy working and performing so we don't get to see her as much as the other siblings! We had to take advantage of the opportunity to see her while we were in town. After breakfast I was a little disappointed when we had to drop her off at class, because we had such a nice visit!

Then it was back in the car again for our next destination in New York. We drove about six more hours before we arrived in Pawling, NY {near Poughkeepsie} at my friend Maria's place. We were college roommates at Ohio State and now she's a wife, mom and grad student! Maria, her husband Kevin and their two year old daughter Josie, have been living in Upstate New York and the surrounding area since graduating, so needless to say, our opportunities to see them are few and far between! We had dinner and enjoyed a relaxing evening together. It was wonderful to see them in their own element and spend some quality time together. I always want more time with my friends and family, but I've just learned to appreciate the time we do have together because it's better than nothing!

DAY THREE {296 MILES}
In the morning Kev made us a delicious frittata and then we explored their new digs and the school campus where he's teaching and coaching this year. It was so fun to see and I can't wait to hear their stories next time we're all together!

Then it was time to get in the car again for some uncharted territory this time. We drove through quite a few states that we have never been to which is always intriguing. There are so many similarities between each state, but there are also those little unique identifiers as well that are fascinating to discover.

We finally arrived in Maine at the Kossow Lodge around dinner time {located in Raymond, ME about 30-45 minutes north of Portland}. The rest of the gang from Pittsburgh was there as well so there was quite an entourage of friends. It was really cool to see so many people come to town for the special occasion. After a quick change we all drove over to the bride's {Ashley} mom's bar in a nearby town. We enjoyed pizza and beer, their version of a rehearsal dinner. It was great to unwind, play some games and try some new beers with new friends.

DAY FOUR {0 MILES}
The next morning Alex and I went for a nice long walk and explored the area around Lake Crescent. Our legs definitely appreciated the exercise. The rest of the afternoon we helped prepare for the wedding before getting ourselves together. It was pretty hot and steamy, but luckily it cooled down by ceremony time! I was expecting it to be warm during the daytime, but was pretty surprised at how warm it remained in the evening hours as well.

After the ceremony we enjoyed cocktail hour while the bridal party took pictures. I loved trying some of the local seasonal beers. I am a sucker for a good fruit beer or a pumpkin beer. Dinner consisted of lobsters, clams, corn and baked potatoes. Ashley's family is from Maine so they came around to check on all of us Midwesterners to see how well we were doing with the lobsters. It seemed a little involved if you ask me! I was glad that I ordered chicken. I got a few lobster bites after Alex had put in all of the hard work haha.

Then the dancing ensued until finally the only people left were those staying at the lodge. We just couldn't resist the amazing weather so we all decided to get into the lake around 10 or 11pm; it was such a blast!

DAY FIVE {542 MILES}
The next morning we woke up and it was down pouring! I was glad the weather had held out for the wedding, but wasn't so excited to have to pack up the car in it! This was the longest leg of our drive, but it went surprisingly smooth {9+ hours}. We passed what felt like an infinite amount of Dunkin' Donuts and went through toll booth after toll booth. After driving through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and half of Delaware we finally made it to Rehoboth Beach with our wallets about $40 bucks lighter {Note to self: don't forget to budget toll roads next time}.

We checked into our hotel about two blocks from the boardwalk and after freshening up we hit the town on two legs with the goal of not using the car until it was time to leave. It seemed like a lot of the crowd had headed home now the the official holiday weekend was over, but it was still pretty busy! We found a great little spot on Rehoboth Avenue called the Back Porch Cafe. We ordered some crab ravioli with lemon sauce and a filet to share. It was rewarding to indulge a little bit after all of our driving! Afterwards we walked along the ocean and grabbed some ice cream to share {Love to share everything with Alex because then I can try more food without getting so full and it's more cost effective!}.

The Boardwalk from the Beach

DAY SIX {16 MILES VIA BIKE}
After a good night's sleep we walked back to the boardwalk to pick up a couple of bicycles. We biked over to the next town, Lewes {the first town in the first state} and then back to Rehoboth Beach. I don't think I have ever biked that far so I was pretty proud of myself! After returning our bikes and changing we split a couple of fish tacos at a nearby Mexican restaurant before hitting the beach. The sun was shining and there was a perfect breeze. I love a good warm breeze. We even spotted a few dolphins pretty close to shore! Unfortunately, the water was a a little too chilly for swimming by our standards, but all I really needed was the view anyways!

After we were both showered and fresh again we hit the town for a little restaurant/bar hopping {I  know I am on vacation when I'm showering every night before dinner}. We ended at a restaurant with the most amazing rooftop. It was a Japanese restaurant and the entire roof was a giant coy pond. There was a deck built on top that had one main walkway with a few alcoves off of it where there were wooden tables and pagodas with white curtains. We enjoyed a few cocktails and some Smoked Edamame while the sun went down. The only thing that would've made it better would've been a view of the ocean.

DAY SEVEN {278 MILES}
After a brief, but relaxing stay, it was time to pack up the car again! We drove about 20 minutes to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE where we had a tour and enjoyed some beer sampling as well as a couple beer flavored Italian sausages {I'd love to try to replicate some of those. What a perfect pairing}. Then we drove to Alex's Aunt Wendy and Uncle Bill's place in Verona, VA. It was our first time there and it was almost idyllic. I wish we could've stayed longer to visit them and explore the area, but it's definitely close enough to home to plan another trip out there! Normally, when we see them during the holidays it's when all of the extended family is together, so it was nice to have a little time with just the four of us.

DAY EIGHT {397 MILES}
The next morning we packed up again, this time for home. Since leaving Rehoboth we had gained a pack of beer from Dogfish Head and a few fresh zucchinis and cucumbers from Wendy and Bill's garden. Yumm! After one more six hour stint we were finally home! I loved seeing how the scenery changed from state to state. Our final drive through VA and WV was really picturesque {Ohio is still the winner for the most boring drive!}. Once we arrived home Alex had to head to his first class of his second and final year of his MBA Program. I promptly unpacked everything, hit the grocery store and started all of our laundry {a week's worth of clothes x2, four beach towels, a set of sheets and a few blankets}. It's not fun to unpack right away, but I find it gives me more peace of mind that night and I don't have to dread it the next day following vacation!

And as if that wasn't enough, there's more to this "vacation"...

DAY NINE {16 MILES}
The next morning we got up early and headed downtown to a Habitat for Humanity build site. The timing was just too perfect, we couldn't pass it up! Alex gets time off for community service so he was able to add it on to our vacation. It's something we'd been wanting to do for a while. Alex and I spent the whole day working out all of our muscles, including those that I didn't even know that I had. It was so rewarding to see the house go from just a foundation to one with walls and a floor plan.

They still have quite a lot more work to do on the house, but we're hoping to volunteer again once it's time for the interior painting. That's really my forte as opposed to swinging a hammer and carrying 2x4's!

DAY 10 & 11 {210 MILES}
After an evening of pizza and an episode of Sons of Anarchy {our guilty pleasure} we packed up again for another road trip! A shorter one this time. Alex had gotten alumni tickets for OSU vs San Diego State. He wanted to go to the game and it happened to be his birthday as well, so we said why not? We drove up to Columbus and met up with two of his brothers, the youngest is a sophomore at OSU and the other lives in Cleveland so he had driven down to meet us.

We tailgated and then went to the game where the sun beat down on us and the team beat down on San Diego State. After the game Alex spent some time with his brothers and their friends and I had a relaxing evening with my friend Karleya, whose birthday also happened to be this past week! This morning we all went to brunch together at North Star Cafe before Alex and I headed back home. Home Sweet Home. For at least five days anyways...