The first soup night

Last night as we sat down to dinner, my husband said, "It's the first soup night of the year!"

We were eating Taco Soup that I got from our supper swap, mostly out of necessity because it was the only thing I could heat up fast enough and serve and also get to bible study on time. BUT, the timing couldn't have been more perfect. We have been getting our first cold rain of the year which brought in cooler temperatures, making it feel just a little like fall.

I have no idea how long this cool weather will stay, but have no doubt we'll have another warm spell before winter sets in. Fall lasts only a few days in South Carolina, but we love it :)

I'm considering having soup again for "the second soup night" of the year, tonight.

Love,

Lockslie

Lasagna Casserole

Here is a recent recipe I got from our Supper Swap that has turned out to be a hit with everyone who has eaten it. Jennifer has already made it twice for supper swap since it got rave reviews the first time! I took a pan over to the Sweeten's (you'll have to email and ask to become a reader of this cute blog), shortly after their precious little girl was born. Kate asked for the recipe so she could share it with another new momma, so I figured I would put it out there to the blog world so everyone could have a taste! Hope you enjoy!

Lasagna Casserole

1 package egg noodles

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 lbs ground beef

4 oz cream cheese

4 cups mozzarella cheese

1 c. sour cream

Directions:

Cook egg noodles. Brown beef, drain fat, add spaghetti sauce and simmer. Mix cream cheese and sour cream. In a 9x13 greased baking dish (or tin foil casserole pan), layer noodles, cream cheese mixture, mozzarella and beef two times. Cover with foil. (Recipe can be frozen at this point, to cook after frozen, thaw completely, then follow the directions below)

Bake at 350 degrees covered for 30 minutes. Uncovered and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese on top is melted & bubbly.

Sorry I don't have a picture, but trust me, you want to try this!

Lockslie

Too Soon?

So, I officially finished all my wedding gift thank-you notes almost exactly before Emily Post's deadline of 3 months following our wedding (which would have been March 12). However, the gifts have kept on coming! I got a little lazy again and racked up a short little list of notes that needed to be written and I am happy to say, these are NOW also done. What a relief!

However, I'm starting to think it is probably about time to drag down those Christmas cards I bought on sale two Christmases (is that the correct plural for Christmas? is there a plural?) ago and get to work on writing & addressing them! WOW! I can hardly believe we are just 2 and a half short months away from Christmas!

Now, before you think I'm crazy buying my Christmas cards 2 years in advance...

3 Christmases ago, I sent out cards just from myself to some of my friends. It was fun because this was the first year most of my friends had moved away after college, and who doesn't like to receive mail at their first post-college address?

2 Christmases ago, we had just gotten engaged, and life was WAY crazy with wedding planning, not to mention attempting to finish up that last pesky year of Pharmacy school. I didn't send out any cards that year. But, I did have the foresight to think about the future when all the Christmas cards went on sale at the end of December.

1 Christmas ago, of course, since we got married December 12th, I used my thank-you notes as an opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday, since I was too busy to send out Christmas cards.

I absolutely LOVE Christmas cards, especially those with pictures. There is just something about hearing from friends & family from both near and far during the holiday season. Yep, that's it, now that I've thought about it, I think I'll fix up some hot chocolate, pretend like it is cold outside, and start writing some Christmas cards. I might even put a Christmas DVD on. Watch out. I'm addicted to the Christmas feeling, and I'm looking forward to celebrating for several months this year - probably about mid-October until mid-January, in case you were wondering :) And yes, I plan to buy my Christmas cards for next year when they go on sale THIS December.

What? It's too soon? Too bad... I've already begun humming Christmas carols!

Lockslie

Labor Day Weekend

We've been quite busy for the last few weeks, but this weekend has been especially nice so far (and thanks to labor day, it still isn't over yet!) So... to recap what I consider the first weekend of fall (a great, but entirely too short season if you define it by the weather here in Columbia)....here's some things we did....

CAROLINA FOOTBALL kicked off Thursday night... there's just nothing like sitting in the stadium when 2001 plays and the players run out onto the field for the first time of the year! Gotta love football season. Here's the view of the sunset from our seats in the stadium.... it was such great weather once the sun went down

Since the game was Thursday night, Ryan and I both took the day off Friday... we spent the first bit of the morning playing with Beaufort at the Riverwalk. Our little furball LOVES to run around in the grass, chasing tennis balls, and meeting other dogs! Hopefully the riverwalk will become one of his favorite spots to walk and play! This is a picture of him today after he wore himself out visiting friends!
I spent most of the rest of Friday hanging out with my sister and my nephew Cooper, who celebrated his 2 month birthday this week. I can hardly believe how big he is getting already! He is growing so fast, and soon enough we'll be running to keep up with him. Also, his mom joined the blogging world and didn't inform me for several months. You can go visit them at the link above to see some extra precious pics of him :)

We've been watching tons of football, hanging out with family, and spending lots of quality time on the couch, too! Fall has arrived and we're relishing in this long weekend since our Saturdays will be filled with football and weekends will pass by much more quickly for the next several months.

Hope your labor day weekend was as relaxing and wonderful as ours!

Love,

Lockslie

Introducing.....

For a long time now, we've been wanting to get a dog. I would probably say we've been talking about it for several years! We always came up with a reason why it wasn't a good time for us yet.... too expensive, living in two different houses, traveling too much, too busy with other things in our life. I think my husband was starting to lose hope that it would ever happen!

At long last, our new puppy, Beaufort, will be coming home this Tuesday! We are BEYOND excited to add him to our family and can't wait for him to be here with us. In fact, two weeks ago when we went to pick him out of the litter, we wanted to bring him home immediately.

Here's his very first pic...

I'm sure his cute little face will be filling up this blog in no time flat as he grows up. He's a Goldendoodle (mix between a Golden Retriever & Standard Poodle) which we are told are some of the smartest and most loving dogs. This is good because we have a lot to learn about training him and starting out with good habits! Any suggestions for us first time dog owners?

Lockslie

FINALLY....

We FINALLY have a new computer which I love. This is a crazy busy weekend for us (maybe because it is the first weekend we have been home in a whole month), but I promise new blog posts soon! There is MUCH to write about as our summer has been jam packed with fun stuff. Can't wait to tell you more about it!

Lockslie

Did I say I was back?

Perhaps I spoke too soon.... computer is still a little messed up and we are in the market for a new one, so it might be few and far between for posts... but I promised to tell y'all about something cool I did.... so here it is!

So every now and then, something comes your way that is both fun and makes your life easier. This month, I had the opportunity to join in a "Supper Swap" with some girls from my office. Here's how it works....

You pick a day/time/place to meet up. We met in the back of a Wal-mart parking lot on a Sunday evening. Each person in the group picks a freezable/storable meal to make. Then, depending on the number of people in the swap (it's 4 in our case), you make a dish for each family. So, you have a dish of your own to keep, 3 to give away, and you get 1 dish from each other person!

I ended up with 4 fantastic meals, and only had to buy the ingredients and prepare one! It may seem like a lot of work, but since I made enough of the same meal for 4 families, I was able to buy the ingredients in bulk, thus saving money. Also, the time I spent to make 4 of the same recipe was much less than it would take for me to make 4 different recipes.

Since it's only me and the hubby, each of these meals makes for great leftovers, or a great night to have over family or friends since we have plenty to share. I'm joining in the swap once each month which will give us about 1 pre-made meal a week. This works great for nights when I know we'll be busy -- and the other girls in the swap say it makes cooking with children around MUCH easier, too. The other benefit for me is exposure to recipes that I've never made before and might shy away from on my own. If we cook it and like it, I'll get the recipe and make it again some time!

I encourage you to get together with some friends and have a supper swap of your own... you won't regret it, PROMISE!

Hopefully more posts coming again sometime soon...
Lockslie :)