Niagara & Toronto Pictures

Just remember that these are from a $20 waterproof camera with old school film! Enjoy!

New Exploder

Since Derek now has a company car and I work from home, we essentially had two cars sitting around not being used. We have decided to combine and get a better, newer Explorer Eddie Bauer seeing as how we definitely need to keep an SUV for these winters. So below are the 'old babies' which were hard to say goodbye to and the blue is our new beauty which we LOVE!

(It kinda looks the same as our old Explorer, but is three years younger and is the newer, different body style with only 35K miles!)

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Another year of bliss in our perfect marriage. I couldn't ask for more than to have you by my side everyday forever. I can't wait for what the future holds for us as it will be a fun journey.

Thank you for making me smile daily.

I love you with all my heart.

Sarah

Oh Canada!

So for our 5-year anniversary, we decided to venture up North a bit and explore the Niagara Falls and Toronto areas. We had a great time and although there seemed to be a lot of trash everywhere and the people dressed extremely eclectic, we were overall impressed with Canada and liked these two areas!

The worst part? I forgot the stupid camera battery! I was charging it the night before and completely forgot to grab it. We had the camera... but no battery. What else was there to do than purchase a $20 disposable camera and look like we were from 1997 when clicking and winding pictures around the city?! So this blog is picture-less and you'll have to wait until I can actually get them 'developed'. Wow... old school, I know.

Here's a quick rundown of what we did and our thoughts in case you are ever in these areas!

Niagara Falls

Maid of the Mist - Obviously a 'must do' if you're going up there. Super fun to be that close!

Fallsview Casino - HUGE and tons of shopping and eating! No table games offered there though so we didn't do much gambling.

Toronto

CN Tower - 3rd tallest building in the world, but we only went about half way because SOMEONE is scared of tall buildings.

Beaches - Beautiful with kayakers and swans all over, but they had 'poor water quality' signs all over and there wasn't a single swimmer. Definitely more to see than to go into!
Second City - Derek and I loved the comedy of the Chicago location so we decided to make a date and see how the Toronto cast was. It was definitely funny and we'd recommend this to anyone who wants a good laugh!
Honest Ed's - I read online that you HAVE to experience then when coming to Toronto. Yes, it was huge, and yes, you could purchase almost anything and everything for under $1, but it was not our style. We did enjoy reading the history and seeing some of the old celebrity pictures who made their way through though!
Kensington Market - Cute shopping area with TONS of bargain stores and things to see!

Streetcars - I LOVED riding the streetcars everywhere. They were pretty easy to figure out and it felt very 1930's!

Chippy's - Per online, this was "Toronto's Best Fish and Chips" and boy was it yummy. Served made to order and fresh, the fish was delicious and the french fries were fat and juicy!
Gladstone Hotel - This is where we stayed and although we liked the location right on Queens street, it was a different experience. The rooms were TINY and had showers the size of those on cruise ships. They do support all local and organic items and the shampoo and conditioner were bars. I've never rubbed something like a soap bar on my hair so it was a new experience for me! The building was built in like 1885 or something like that and had beautiful, old woodwork inside with an old-time luggage elevator!

Also, while walking along Queen street one day, we stopped where a bunch of people were watching a stage, when a Miley Cyrus song started! Shortly after, she came out and was apparently doing a sound check for a show later that night. Needless to say, I was super excited to spot a celebrity on our trip.... even if she is a teeny-bopper!

Kitchen Ceiling is FLAT!

Remember the flood a few weeks ago that caused our horribly ugly kitchen ceiling tiles to become stained? Well it turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise for us.

Derek and I were never really fond of having tiles for a ceiling and it felt like we were thrown back to 1972. All we needed was some shag carpets and for Derek to grow out a mullet and we would have fit right in.

As of last Thursday evening, we now have new, thicker molding, patched and painted walls (where the holes were cut out), a smoothed and painted ceiling and two can lights instead of the old 1953 kitchen sink light! We are definitely super excited for our new kitchen ceiling, but honestly I am LOVING cooking more now that I have 150 watts of light as opposed to 60!

Here are some before, during and after pics. You can see the old light over the sink and yep, that's me painting the new molding away! The bottom right picture is the final flat ceiling with the fixture back up!

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Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to the best two dads out there!

Love,

Sarah and Derek

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I've never been the biggest meatloaf fan so I was hesitant to try this new recipe I found online.

We were just so tired of eating chicken that I had to spice it up with some lean ground beef! I probably could have tried to make it with some even healthier ground turkey, but didn't want to tweak the recipe just yet.

Derek ended up LOVING it and I thought it actually was pretty delicious. It was a SUPER easy recipe and the loaf ended up very sweet and moist! I'm pretty sure I'll be making this again sometime soon!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar                               - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

- 1/2 cup ketchup                                                    - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef                           - 1 small onion, chopped

- 1/2 cup milk                                                         - 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

- 2 eggs                                                                    - 3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

2. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.

3. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

 

What do you mix into your meatloaf?

 
 

 

Twinks

Guess who got some new matching bandana's for summer?

Book Review - The Lucky One

I LOVED this 2008 Nicholas Sparks book!

Somewhat different than his others, this story tells the unforgettable journey of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life. Reflecting on the idea of a lucky charm, the main character sets out on a journey to find his charm: a photograph of a smiling woman he's never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny.

Easy read (as Nicholas Sparks always is!) and a great 'journey' story!

First Lasagna!

I ventured deeper into the world of cooking this week when I made my first lasagna. I realize there are TONS of ways to make lasagna, but I found this online at my favorite website and we thought it was delicious!

It definitely made enough to serve about 6-7 people so we had leftovers for days!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1.75 pounds lean ground beef                      - 1 onion, chopped

- 4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste                    - 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

- 3.5 cups water                                          - 2 tablespoons dried oregano

- 4 teaspoons garlic powder                          - 4 teaspoons salt

- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper                - 2 tablespoons white sugar

- 12 ounces cottage cheese                          - 9 lasagna noodles
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese                  - 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until brown. Drain. In another skillet over medium heat, cook onion until translucent. Combine beef and onion in a large saucepan with tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

2. While sauce is simmering, blend cottage cheese, Parmesan and egg until smooth. Set aside.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

5. Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a Pampered Chef 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover sauce with 3 noodles. Cover noodles with one-third of remaining sauce. Top with half the mozzarella. Place another layer of noodles and one of sauce over the mozzarella; top that with the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining sauce.

6. Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top and bake 10-15 minutes more, until golden and bubbly. Then enjoy!

Stainless Kitchen Sink

Yeah!! We've finally gotten rid of the 1970's white sink and outdated faucet.

Looks MUCH better doesn't it?

A Weekend in Pittsburgh

Why Pittsburgh you ask? Well, it's only 2 hours away and why not?! Derek and I wished we had traveled more by car when we lived in Florida so we're going to make an effort to see a bunch of Cleveland's surrounding major cities. Here's a quick run down of some sights we saw! (Feel free to click on pics to make them larger)

First up was to eat lunch at the original Primanti Brothers. Highly recommended from several individuals at Derek's work as well as online. They are known for putting cole slaw and french fries actually ON their sandwich's.

OUR RATING: B- (nothing special... just a plain sandwich to us!)

Next was a quick run down the Strip - Pittsburgh's Historic Market District. We'd describe it as a farmers market/garage sale/antique sale. Would have been great if we needed some fruits or veggies for the weekend!

OUR RATING: B

Then we headed to the Monongahela Incline. It was #2 out of 43 things to do in the city of Pittsburgh and that does NOT say much for the city. It was a nice view up top but was exactly what one would expect.

OUR RATING: B

Following that we ventured a ways south to the Frank Lloyd Write Fallingwater House. It was definitely amazing how much he incorporated the natural land into the house and I can see why it's been noted as one of the top 40 sites around the country to see before you die. No pictures were allowed inside, but I snapped some outside. Definitely worth the visit!

OUR RATING: A+

Next up: Catching a Pirates game inside PNC Park. This ballpark was beautiful with the city as the background! It was extremely hard to move down to a lower section, however, with the ticket nazi's on watch but it was easy to get around and fun to watch!

OUR RATING: A-

And to end the night, we walked over to the Rivers Casino. This casino just opened last fall and unfortunately didn't have their 'table games' license yet so we were stuck playing slots. Derek did try this Blackjack table with an electronic dealer but it was awkward and we lost.

OUR RATING: B (I bet if they'd had their table games, it would be an A!)

The next day we got up and went to the Pittsburgh Zoo! It was a great, little zoo with peacocks walking the sidewalks, baby elephants and belly-flopping polar bears! I always feel like a 5-year old in zoos and am glad that Derek tags along for the ride.

OUR MY RATING: A+ (Derek might rate it slightly less!)

We ended the trip with a wonderful outside lunch at a local Grille and walked by the Carnegie Museum and Library. Overall it was a great weekend and we explored a new city that we might not have anytime else!

Happy Birthday Derek

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and best friend in the world. Enjoy this last year in your 20's before we both become "old"!

Love you more than ever!!

XOXOXO

Take a Hike!

This past Sunday, Derek and I decided to take a hike in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We ended up walking almost a couple hours and 240 feet in elevation definitely making it a cardio workout! No one else decided to hike that particular trail on Saturday making the entire forest ours. It was extremely peaceful and sitting on a log eating an apple in the middle of nature really makes you feel alive.

Along the way, we saw several deer (including a fawn), tons of chipmunks and squirrels and some very colorful birds. Oh yeah... and HUGE bumblebees! We had some great weather and some of the views were spectacular.

We tried to snap a picture of one deer, but they were so far away that the pics are kinda blurry -

We'll be back another weekend trying out some different trails!

Greek Festival Fun

Last Saturday, Derek, Lesa (my Mother-In-Law) and I ventured down to a local Greek Festival. While the booths and festivities weren't up to par with those I had been to in Kansas City before, the food definitely was. Our gyros were full of meat and juice and the pastry/dessert options went on for a mile! We couldn't resist getting a 'to go' container full of goodies to enjoy this week! My favorite? BAKLAVA!!

Now guess who is nagging Derek about taking a trip to Greece?!

Timeline of a flood.

Wednesday at 6:00 PM

After my mother-in-law (who was in town visiting) showered up, I was just about to jump in when I hear "Sarah, I think we have a problem!!!". This is what I found -

Wednesday at 6:05 PM

Once I realized that our master bathroom was flooding through to the kitchen, we quickly threw down every 'dog towel' (those kept for muddy paws and baths) I had in the house followed by about 18 cups and bowls to catch the dripping water. This is what the kitchen now looked like -

Thursday at 2:00 PM

After the flooding stopped, and while I was impatiently patiently waiting for a call back from the home warranty plumber, I snapped this picture of the damage -

Friday at 9:10AM, 11:54AM and 12:28 PM

The plumbers arrived and the first cut was made which ended up not being enough. So two, larger cuts followed until we had a gaping hole in our ceiling AND wall in order to "assess the situation". (And yes, there is over a two-hour window in which the plumbers were 'out getting supplies') Two hours? Really? Here are the holes -  

Friday at 12:55 PM

The toilet was moved and the house was 'snaked' all the way down to underneath the basement -

Friday at 1:36

This baby was finally cut out and removed. Note the HUGE hole in this cast iron pipe. They assumed it was original with our 1930's house and assured us it was just normal wear and tear throughout the years - 

Friday at 2:12 PM

Finally, the new piping was up and the plumbing fixed. And this is exactly how the kitchen looks as I sit here typing this -

Next up - Getting quotes for replacing the ceiling and walls which THANKFULLY the warranty mostly covers!

Fun times in the world of home ownership.

Gladstone Hotel

Because of so many flights back to KC along with vacations to Colorado, DC, Pittsburgh, Florida and Dallas all this year, Derek and I decided to stay in the states for our 5-year anniversary.

Well, kinda.

We are so close to Canada that we're going to drive up through Buffalo and celebrate our anniversary in Toronto. Can't WAIT to see what this city is like and all it has to offer! More to come later, but I just had to share my excitement for the awesome hotel we'll be staying in! I searched high and low and the Gladstone Hotel is one of the few TOP hotels to stay in.
Check it out - http://www.gladstonehotel.com/hotel/rooms. Every single room is different and inspired by a separate artist! You even get to pick which one you want... out of what's left, obviously.

Have fun browsing the rooms. I know I spent a while checking them all out!

Let me know if you have any suggestions for things to do and places to eat! (Yes, we're already doing the Maiden of the Mist!)

Indians vs Royals

I surprised Derek with some tickets to see his beloved Kansas City Royals play the Cleveland Indians up here last week! Because both teams are horrible, it was a 'super saver' game and tickets were pretty cheap. Needless to say, we were about 15 rows up behind home plate and had a great view! Progressive Field is very nice and the view of downtown in the backdrop makes for a great evening! ..... even if there WERE only a handful of other Royals fans!

(click to make a bit larger)

Baby Jackson!

Congrats to my cousin, Steven, and his wife Krystal for the birth of their first born!!

Little Jackson was born at 2:44 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19th weighing in at 8 lbs 15 ozs and was 21 in long with a 15 inch head. He has just a light covering of hair on his head and has already opened his eyes quite a lot!

Can't WAIT to meet the little guy in July!!!

CONGRATS AGAIN GUYS!!!!

Book Review - The Choice

So I'm on my Nicholas Sparks kick right now and although I'm still waiting for Dear John to make its way to Redbox, I decided to keep going with this author and read his 13th book. (Yes, I'm wayyyy out of order). Sparks' books are easy reads and generally all have heartwarming, fuzzy stories..... just the way I like them!

The Choice was very different from Dear John in that about 2/3rds the way through the book, the plot does a 180 and your caught in the middle of an entirely new storyline! This book tests the boundaries of love with the question: "How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive"? It follows two completely different individuals who fall in love and the choices a husband has to make during their lives.

If you are a Sparks fan, you'll LOVE this book! A+ from me!