I'm SO excited....

....And I just can't hide it!!  


Everything has been arranged as of today for my puppy to be delivered to New York for me!  He is 7 weeks and 6 days old.  He's a fawn colored Bullmastiff, and I can't wait to pick him up!  He will arrive here on Saturday the 12th and I will go to the airport to get him.  He's got the celebrity treatment, right??  I grabbed a couple of pictures from the website of him at the breeder's kennel.  He's adorable, and I just want to cuddle him up!  

photo courtesy of Rocky Ridge Bullmastiffs

Photo courtesy of Rocky Ridge Bullmastiffs

Photo courtesy of Rocky Ridge bullmastiffs

Sorry the pics are small, but when I enlarged them, they became really grainy.  The 2nd pic is pretty clear and larger than the other 2 though, so at least you can see him!  I'll take lots of pictures once he moves in!


I've been wanting a puppy for some time now, and it finally worked out that we are able to get one.  




My mom has a Bullmastiff, as I mentioned in an earlier post.  They are very large dogs, but make perfect pets as they are very loving and gentle.  They also require very little grooming and beyond daily walks, not a lot of exercise.  They spend a lot of time sleeping because they grow so much in their first 2 years of life.  


Marc and I are starting to pick out some names, which ones do you like?


Gunner
Ranger [like ARMY airborne]
Maximus [Max]
Bruno
Rommel [This is Marc's favorite...]
Attilla
Samson
Hercules


What do you think?  I'd love to hear your ideas also.  We just have to meet him before we decide on a name for him. 


I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!
Cheers,
Kelli

Sunday Dinner

After last week's festivities, it was kind of relaxing to get back into our routine this week.  We both worked and only had one extracurricular this weekend.  Last night, we went out east to Marc's friend Bryan's house to celebrate his 40th birthday.  It was a fun evening of seeing old friends and meeting some new ones too.  Happy Birthday, Bryan! Hope your party was as fun for you as it was for us!


We went grocery shopping today and I am making dinner as I type this.  Tonight's menu is homemade meatballs stuffed with fresh mozzarella cheese, homemade marinara sauce, sauteed mushrooms, steamed fresh broccoli, and whole wheat fusilli pasta.  

We are making an effort to eat better, and trying hard to eat out less.  It's hard to do when company is in town, but now that things have settled down again, we should be able to do it without too many issues.  I made us salads for lunch today using fresh romaine, baby spinach, diced bell peppers, sliced turkey breast, cherry tomatoes, shredded low fat mozzarella cheese, diced bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing for Marc and low fat ranch for me.  It was really tasty! 

We are going to be hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year.  I'm excited to make all of the food for everyone to enjoy!  Thanksgiving is Marc's favorite holiday, by far.  I haven't figured out the complete menu just yet, but it will definitely include the staples: Oven roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, green  bean casserole, candied carrots, gravy, cranberry sauce..... There will be a few additions to this basic menu, I'm just looking for the right dishes.


In Marc's family, you don't get to eat Thanksgiving dinner until you've turned in your Christmas wish list.  What are your Thanksgiving traditions? I am looking for a couple more dishes or recipes to make and would love some suggestions.  Please comment with any ideas that work well for your family, and maybe we'll make some new traditions of our own!!!


I hope you're enjoying the fabulous Autumn weather.  It is most definitely my favorite season.  There's nothing better that Razorback football on a crisp fall day and some good home cookin' to warm up once the game is over....Just have to get back home to go to a game soon!


Cheers,
Kelli

It's been crazy busy around these parts

The past two weeks have been crazy busy here at our house.  This is going to be a LONG post recapping the festivities, cooking and whatever else we got ourselves into over the past couple of weeks...


Since we are finally getting some cooler autumn weather, I decided to make Chipotle lime chicken enchiladas.  This is a recipe I made up and we just LOVE them.  It had been too hot to turn the oven on, but now the weather is perfect and they totally hit the spot!

My Mom & Step-Dad, John, came to visit for a few days the weekend before last.  They brought their puppy, Moses, along.  He is a bullmastiff and is 10 months old and about 90 pounds or so.  He will grow to be about 140 pounds or more before he's done.  We LOVE him!

Moses!

Looking over the couch

They had been working in Ohio and just finished their project.  Since they were already 3/4 of the way up to NY, they decided to come stay with us for a few days.  It was nice to get to spend some time with them.  They arrived on Saturday the 8th and stayed until Wednesday the 12th.  Since Marc was working on Saturday, we got some Popeye's chicken and stayed at the house and watched the Razorbacks kick some Auburn booty!  It was a great game!  


Sunday, Marc and our brother-in-law, Jay took John fishing on the great south bay.  They went out early and managed to  find a sweet spot to fish.  They each caught a couple of striped bass.  I made big southern breakfast for everyone to enjoy once they returned from the fishing expedition.  Biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon & eggs.  It was delicious!!!  

We ran a few errands then went into Queens to have dinner at Zum Stammtisch with a couple of friends from the office.  It is the best German food I've ever had, and I've been to Germany!  We started with the steak tartare, the grilled wurst platter, and beef goulash.  For entree, I had the jaegerschnitzel.  If you happen to be in NY and are looking for a great restaurant, It is highly recommended. 

Monday, I had to work so Marc took Mom & John to Manhattan to do a little sight-seeing.  He took them to the Intrepid museum, the Top of the Rock, and down to Battery park to see the Statue of Liberty.  They had a great time and enjoyed their day.  Tuesday, I took them driving out along the North Fork of Long Island.  It's a really scenic drive, and since it was  a Tuesday, we didn't run into traffic.  We went to dinner at Ciao Baby.  That is definitely one of our favorite restaurants.  We even convinced John to try some new foods! (Believe me, it's a real accomplishment.) He has a tendency to be quite bull-headed stubborn where food is concerned! :)


Wednesday morning, we were all up really early so Mom & John could get on the road before all of the traffic got too heavy, and so Marc could get to La Guardia airport to start picking up our friends who were coming into town for Oktoberfest!  I stayed home to change out the guest linens and do some laundry.  Rob arrived by 9 am, so Marc picked him up and brought him back to the house.  


Rob has been up here several times to visit, but had never seen a Broadway show, so he got us all tickets to see the Addams Family on Broadway.  It was fantastic.  Brooke Shields was Morticia Addams.  We were in the 4th row, and it was delightful!

Brooke Shields as Morticia Addams

After the show, we went out to Queens for dinner and to kill time waiting on Dessie's plane to arrive.  We picked her up and headed back to the house.  Once she was settled in, we met Tex out at the Argyle in Babylon for some drinks.  We didn't get to bed until around 3 am, so I guess it was a good night!  


Thursday, we went into Manhattan and met up with Kevin & Taylor and went barhopping.  We were going to try to show Dessie some of the sights, but it was unbelievably foggy and we couldn't even see the tops of most of the buildings, so we just decided to have fun going from bar to bar.  We started at McCoy's Irish pub, then went to Thai Q2 for dinner.  Once we finished there, we went to the Russian Samovar, then to House of Brews, and finally ended the night at The Snug.  

Dessie on my lap

Kevin on my lap

Rob on my lap

Taylor on my lap...I'm seeing a pattern!

Rob, Nate, Dessie, me, & Taylor at McCoy's

Starving in front of Thai Q2

From Russia, with Love...

From Russia with Skepticism...

Dessie, Me, & Rob at House of Brews

Des with the paddle...The staff promptly took it away from us!

Nate, Me, Taylor & Kevin at The Snug

Dessie playing darts at The Snug

Friday was Oktoberfest.  Dessie and I went shopping in the morning so she could get a dress, then we headed back to the house to get ready.  We hired a bus to drive us so no one would have to worry about being the designated driver and we could all enjoy ourselves.  

Georgia Tea for the limo/bus

Tex, Marc & Rob all dressed up

Dessie & me

James opening the Vino

James, Chris, Me, Marc, Rob, Dessie, & Tex

We noticed our mouths were open in a lot of pics because we laughed so much all night long!

Marc & his sister, Jennifer

BEER!

And this is what happens when one leaves a camera unattended on a table!

Dessie stood on a chair to be taller than Marc

Chris & James

We had SO much fun at Oktoberfest.  This was my 5th year to go, and was by far my favorite.  Our table was the place to be, we were all laughing and dancing and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.  It's obvious by a lot of the pictures, because many of our mouths are open in a lot of them!  We were laughing, not catching flies!


Saturday, Rob, Dessie & I took the train back into Manhattan.  We met up with Kevin & Taylor at Russ' apartment.

Dessie & me waiting for the train

On the train

The Empire State Building

He made a fantastic meal for all of us, which we thoroughly enjoyed before heading our for another round of bar-hoppping.

Me and Brent

Kevin & Dessie

Dessie & the pig at Rudy's

Once we finished dinner at Russ' apartment, we went out to Rudy's for some beers.  It was really crowded, so we left there and went to The Bull Moose saloon.  That was the last stop for me on Saturday night, I was EXHAUSTED! Marc and I went home, and Dessie & Rob stayed in Manhattan with our friends to do some more barhopping and sight-seeing.


Sunday, we laid very low and relaxed most of the day.  We went to the Cake for dinner, then to bed early to rest our weary livers heads.  


Today, everyone got packed up and driven back to the airports.  We had so much fun over the past week and love when company comes to visit.  Now I have to get the house back in order and get ready for the next big thing, which is VEGAS!!! 


Now, I know that was long, but where else am I gonna write it all down so I remember it??? 
I hope y'all have a fabulous week, and I'll try to keep up better since I have some free time now!