Mac’s & Grandma’s

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 3 Comments ↓

After five or six undocumented stops, our road trip finally ended at Kevin’s aunt & uncle’s house. We hung out in their living room and enjoyed catching up on family news. Kevin, of course, LOVED the opportunity to talk about Australia. I’ve teased him ever since we met about how much he talks about Australia. He spent a semester there a DECADE ago, but he is still the sitting authority on all things concerning the continent. ;) When we finally rolled out of bed in the morning, Uncle Ken and Aunt Phyllis treated us to breakfast at Mac’s. But not before Ken and I had our coffee! I love that I can count on Ken and also Kevin’s dad, Jim, to have coffee in my hand 30 seconds after I get out of bed. That’s a good family trait!

We loved that place. Not where you’d find Miss Healthy Pants, but we were on vacation. ;) I love those super old-fashioned places. They’re so much fun.  That place was HOPPING on a Saturday morning!

I scanned the menu to see if they had biscuits ‘n’ gravy. They totally would’ve fit the environment. Sadly, no. So I went for the vegetarian omelet without mushrooms with an English muffin. And of course. Coffee. Black. I feel like such a Tough Girl when I’m in places like this and can flaunt the fact that I drink coffee black like a real woman. Lol.

Because I am a Total Creeper, I was able to photo document this little exchange at the counter. The proprietor was giving this customer (he seemed like he was a regular) a hard time for importing Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I have no idea if it’s true, but I like to pretend that guy is Mac. He’s certainly the enforcer in the establishment. I also overheard him arguing in no uncertain terms with an elderly man behind us who wanted a booth to himself. The place is so busy that they have a 2-person minimum for the booths. Finally the old guy retorted that he would pay for two meals and they left him alone.

After breakfast, we headed over to see Grandma Kreisel. It was my very first time meeting her, but I had definitely heard about her… and her great advice! I loved looking around at all the family pictures. I had seen some of them already because we displayed family wedding photos at our wedding.

Look how cute! Kevin’s dad and his siblings. I want a picture like this with my sibs!!! Who should grow the moustache? Kelly or Luke? I think Josiah’s would still be pathetic…. :)

Kevin & his grandma were totally sweet. They were swapping old family stories about visiting Chicago and going to museums with Grandpa. Grandma K was as sharp as could be. She definitely knew all the family news  and was peppering us with questions. We brought some photos from the wedding, and I think she approved of my dress – so that’s good. Do you think Kevin looks like his grandma? Not as much has I look like mine. ;)

After sharing some more coffee & conversation with Grandma K, the husband and I hit The L to go downtown Chicago. This picture is deceiving because we are sitting. Trust me when I say that train was CRAMMED. Lotsa people all up in my bubble! It was one of those,”But I thought you were supposed to be a city girl moments.” Trust me. It’s a lot different being crammed in a concho than it is being locked on The L. Is there a better “l” word for that phrase? It just wasn’t coming to me…

I’ve got one other Chicago Weekend recap post in me (and it includes PIZZA), but I need to get crackin’ on some chores for now.

What’s your favorite thing about visiting grandparents? I loved seeing Kevin interact with his grandma. My favorite is definitely hearing all the old family stories! Although I do love a grandmother’s cooking too! We always loved playing cards with Grandma Alice, and maybe we can play Quiddler with Kevin’s other Grandma.

 

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Posted in Eating out, Family, Vida/Life

Our Longest Road Trip Yet

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 6 Comments ↓

Our longest road trip before this was probably the MPLS airport. :) Isn’t our luggage too cute? Most of it was a gift to Kevin James on his totally neglected super busy 30th birthday this year. Even Kevin noticed how well it color coordinated in our trunk. I threw in a air of Jessica Simpson nude heels – just in case! You never know!

Look who I found rifling through MY GARAGE SALE MONEY! “For the toll booth he says.” Uh huh! ;)

 

Oh so sadddddd! We had to drop boyd off with Kevin’s parents before we headed out of town. Look at those sad eyes in captivity.

Our first stop after we dropped off Boyd. We didn’t even make it out of Winona. That was predictable. Kevin and I love our Buddies.

While idly snapping photos in the car, I noticed how gross, purple, and swollen my poor little baby toe was after the Stair Tumble Incident. I couldn’t even get my Toms on!

In Mauston, WI, we hit up Culver’s. We were just craving something… crinkly. Kevin and had the exact same thing: buffalo chicken tenders + fries. I even convinced Kevin to share his Ranch with me – just like he did on our third date AKA The Day We Fell in Love. If you think about it, it’s only fair that he shares. I despise ketchup so I have to stretch out my Ranch dressing between both my fries and my chicken!

One of us – I’ll let you guess which one – forgot their little toothbrush. Somehow we realized it before we hit Kevin’s aunt & uncle’s house so we dropped by this little 24-hr grocery store. I took note that it had a Starbucks for future reference. ;)

I worked on two books throughout the course of the trip. On the way there, I read a few chapters of Committed. Perhaps I’m missing something because I’ve never read her first book, but I wasn’t really taken with it. In fact, I chose that book on Friday because I knew I could put it down without being cranky when Kevin got off the phone with his dad. On the way home, I broke into The Help. Kevin’s mom lent it to me. I was so grateful because I was #51 on the waiting list at WPL! Of course, I read the whole thing in a day. Finished it about 12:54. Toilets in the yard? That’s just comedy. Go ahead and read it… if you have an entire day free because you won’t be able to put it down. :)

Have you read either of these two books? I feel a little ashamed to be reading such bestsellers. I usually avoid them like the plague. Harry Potter, no thank you. Twilight? Yuuuck.

How do you entertain yourself on roadtrips? Talking with Kevin is my #1 favorite thing to do, but I also like to read, EAT, drink, play Words with Friends, text, plan blog posts in mind, and make up games with Kevin. Preferably all at the same time.

Stay tuned for another post or two about our awesome Chicago trip later in the day. :)

 

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Posted in Books, Eating out, Vida/Life

Married: Month 1

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 5 Comments ↓

Dear First Month of Being Married,

You were the best month of my life. Ever. Now I admit that Kevin and I are fond of using superlatives (best boyfriend ever, best day ever, etc.), but there’s no denying the bliss that accompanied the changing of my last name. My husband even compared you to “taking the first bite of a piece of apple crisp.”

On June 24, 2011, God granted our fervent wish and gave us gorgeous weather as we started you surrounded by our closest family and friends pledging our love and faithfulness. I’ll never forget how much I smiled that day. I thought I would be tired after posing for hundreds of pictures, but when it came time for me to walk down that aisle I was beaming.

We didn’t want to travel for our honeymoon. We just wanted to be. Together. Finally. After spending nearly two years apart, seeing each other every day has been a blessing in itself. And living together? Every few days I still catch myself thinking,”I’m going home with Kevin tonight!” Even when he forgets to set the timer on the coffeemaker, he has still replaced the lovely Megan as the Best Roommate Ever.

I tackled the job of stay-at-home trophy wife with unbridled enthusiasm. I’ve certainly struggled with the fact that I’m not earning any of my “own” money, but that’s for another post. I cooked, cleaned, and installed the tradition of Cookie Friday in our household. I suspect the 17-year-old emo girl version of myself would be appalled with the contentment I found in tending to my home and my husband. After all, as Grandma Kreisel would say,”Your husband is your investment. Take good care of him.” Kevin assumed his role as breadwinner, spiritual leader, garbage disposal fixer, and doting husband with style and grace. In fact, if I could tell that 2002 Corrie it would be: “He’s worth waiting for!” 

That’s not to say everything was exactly what I anticipated. I mean, who doesn’t like eating in bed? While living in the DR I fell into the habit of eating dinner while relaxing, writing emails, doing homework, and Facebooking bed. Kevin just doesn’t share my enthusiasm for 10pm jalapeño Sun Chips in bed while reading Oh Happy Day. My husband says his biggest surprise about our marriage has been my lack of mechanical skills. I cannot tell a lie. Friday afternoon I was trying to get the house spic ‘n span before our Chicago trip, and I was having a fit that I couldn’t get the vacuum cleaner to start. To make a long story short: it wasn’t plugged in. In my defense, the cord is one that retracts completely into the machine. And I haven’t vacuumed in years!

When we laugh until we cry, when we give each other little smirks across the room, when he stops for me to take yet another picture for my blog, when we hold hands and I give his bicep little kisses while riding the L, I know we’re living our happily ever after. Month 1, you were a sweet, sweet time, and I can’t wait for Month 1,000 with my husband.

Love,

Corrie Anne Kreisel

P.S. Photo is a preview of our professional wedding photography by Melissa Laska.

July 2011 Highlights:

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Posted in Marriage, Wedding

2 Pizzas & 2 Dramatic Tidbits

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 13 Comments ↓

Why isn’t there a word for The Day Before Yesterday in English? I catch myself wondering that all the time (also: why does the buzzer on an oven not have a “snooze” button?). It’s highly inconvenient. There’s one in Spanish. I’m just sayin’! Anyhow. The Day Before Yesterday I made 2 super cool pizzas that I’ve not had a chance to share with you. Mostly because I was in the no wi-fi zone in Wabasha. I know this pizza looks highly patriotic, but those are simply the fruits I prefer for toppings! Okay?!

I used a recipe from AllRecipes for the crust. I just mixed the following ingredients together and diligently checked on it in my snooze-buttonless oven.

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

The topping was one container of Cool Whip + one package of cream cheese + a few drops of lemon juice + a sprinkling of powdered sugar because I decided I made it too sour with the lemon juice. The topping was amazing.

I must first confess that the first crust attempt looked like this:

That’s what I get for using “cheater cookies” for the crust. I spread it too thick which resulted in cooking it too long. Doesn’t it kind of look like Kansas?

The Day Before Yesterday I also made this Mexican Pizza inspired by a Pioneer Woman’s Mexican Flatbread Pizza,  part of her 16-minute meals feature. I had all the vegetables cut up leftover from the paninis (from the day before the day before yesterday!) or I’m thinking it would’ve taken me a little longer than 16 minutes, but I’m pretty lousy with a knife. Or any sharp object.

Speaking of sharp objects, I FELL DOWN THE STAIRS THIS MORNING. That’s what I get for reading email on my iPhone before my eyes are completely open. It was an epic fall. I actually didn’t catch myself at all – probably because I was protecting my baby iPhone. I just scraped up my entire right arm and mad stubbed my baby toe. I was flat on my face when I could hear Kevin bringing Boyd in. I had to yell at him,”DON’T LET BOYD GET ME” as I writhed in agony. Boyd would’ve definitely seen this as his chance to finish the wicked stepmother off. I’m fully recovered now except it kinda feels like road burn.

I also forgot one other piece of BIG NEWS. I finished my book! It took me almost a WEEK to polish off The Pillars of the Earth. I’m not going to recommend it to anybody. I’m just excited to have my life back!! It was awful being tied down to a book that I HAD TO KEEP THE DOORS LOCKED while I read it. There was far too much raiding and village burning and pillaging for me to actually enjoy it. So I’m just happy to be done. AJ cuddled up and read an Amelia Earhart biography while I finished it off. FREEDOM!!! :)

I’m on a pizza-making bender right now. Have you tried any other cool variations? I love making taco pizzas, and I want to experiment with some veggie pizzas. Happy happy Friday!

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Posted in Books, Food

Wild Times in Wabasha

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 7 Comments ↓

I love bothering my siblings. I figure that after what Hannah put me through as shrieking baby while I was an ornery teenager, she has the CRAZY BRIGHT 4AM iPhone camera flash coming to her!! That’s just sibling love right there. Kevin didn’t trust me to spend a day Home Alone so he shipped me back to my parents while he spent the day on a business trip to Denver. When I found out I was going there, I was excited right away to EAT THEIR FOOD all day long!! Isn’t it great how Mom and Dad always have a stocked pantry? Mom will say there’s nothing in the refrigerator, but sure enough, if you open it – IT’S PACKED!!! Although someone did get to all the “healthy cereal” before me. Oh well, if you’re at home you might as well eat like a kid!

Can you believe that I got a turn with this cereal bowl in the McMillin household!?!??!?! I don’t even like the leftover milk in cereal, but the novelty of this treasure was not lost on me!

The ice cream tower! I volunteered for ice cream serving duty at lunch. This qualified to taste a spoonful of each flavor. I think I love the Birthday Party the most, but it’s really excellent mixed with Cake Batter.

The day kept getting better and better. I love Kwik Trip dates with my dad. It’s really easy to talk me into them while my husband is away. We drank some Diet Cokie buddies with little flavor squirts of cherry & vanilla. I love those flavor squirts!

Look who wanted to match me today!?!??! I was dressed first!  Since it finally coolled off, Josiah and I decided to take the two mangy mutts for a run, but they weren’t decent for a photo here so I cropped their little snoots out.

Jack knows how to be cool on a run. Doesn’t he look like a little cat trying to catch a fish? Josiah says he paws at the water when it’s not cold enough for him! These dogs are spoiled!

Boyd felt the need to do his full-out flop move after only about .97 miles of jogging. Maybe if he didn’t continuously pull as hard as possible on his choke collar! I’m still absolutely mortified by Boyd’s behavior in public, but I refuse to let him get the upper hand and win even once. That means we spent a good fifteen minutes just trying to walk in the door nicely after the run. Boyd likes to try to drag me once he smells that we are in a block of the house (mine or the fam’s). Why won’t he just SUBMIT?!  After the dog wrangling, I enjoyed another 5k jog with Dad. Including three blocks of jogging while talking on the phone to Kevin. He didn’t even know. ;) I guess we could’ve passed the Pledge of Allegiance talk test!

I’m off to pack for Chicago!!!! I’m so excited for some quality road trip time with my hott husband! We have tons to talk about after being apart A WHOLE DAY (I sent him at least 350 texts). Thanks for all your great suggestions on fun things to do in Chicago.

Do you have a teenage brother who tries to dress like you? What do you do about it? Any advice on training a crazy deranged dog? And, are you ever tempted to raid your parents’ pantry? I should’ve planned ahead and brought something back for lunch today… haha.

*Related posts:

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Posted in Family, Running

Cookie Friday @ the Fam’s {Peanut Butter Snicker Cookies}

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 6 Comments ↓

Before I start, let me warn you that these lovelies could aptly be subtitled “millionaire cookies.” I was able to steal all the base ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs from my mom. But buying all the Snickers, chocolate chips, and peanut butter for a double batch cost me a fortune. Luckily, I coerced Josiah into chipping in to pay for some of the Snickers.


The poor sibs also go roped into kitchen labor. Hannah had to carry all the groceries home from SuperValu.

Josiah was tasked with cubing 8 Snickers bars… without eating any!

My lovely assistant. Can you believe I captured that face on Hannah Elizabeth-Rose?

(Recipe via Brown Eyed Baker)

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

Yield: About 24 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 10 to 11 minutes

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups chopped Snickers candy bars (about 4 regular size bars)
¾ cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and mix again.

4. Add the flour mixture and beat until flour disappears. Stir in the chopped Snickers and chocolate chips.

5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. (I weighed mine out to about 2 ounces of dough per cookie.) Gently flatten each cookie ball with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until cookies are slightly brown on the edges.

6. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 to 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Kevin ranked these #2 on his list of favorites right behind Monster Cookies and right before Best Big, Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Last, but not least, he also loved the Chocolate Almond Cookies. These are a really soft, chewy cookie. Just the way I like them! One final piece of advice is to definitely extract money from your siblings or neighbors to make these! ;)

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Posted in Cookie Friday, Family, Food

The Nerdlyweds

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 3 Comments ↓

This is the last honeymoon recap. I figured it was about time since SATURDAY is our 1-month anniversary! Woohoo! While finally removing the 900 photos from my iPhone, I found this series of extremely nerdy sort of side-by-side photos and just had to share with you. Vote for the nerdiest in the comments!


OCB – our first lunch as a Mr. & Mrs. Kreisel. We are too cool.

I loved driving around the honeymoon with our car all decorated. So many strangers congratulated us. It was so sweet!

We even hit up T.J.Maxx! We didn’t buy a thing!

So which do you think is the nerdiest? Tough decision, right? :)   Yay. Right now I’m thinking about the I <3 Nerds shirt I used to have in high school/college. I miss it.

P.S. You can also click back to read about our good times tandem biking, hanging with fam, barn dancing/clogging in Lanesboro, canoeing, and attending an outdoor concert. You can also check out the Hawks View Cottages where we stayed during our honeymoon.

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Posted in That's comedy
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