High Five for Friday!

It's Friday folks!  It's been a great week and I'm looking forward to the weekend.  This will be the first weekend in four weeks that we haven't had a football game on Saturday (although there is an away game that we will be watching later on Saturday night).  We're going to have so much time we're not going to know what to do with ourselves!

We had a good week, even though it was a little rainy and cold.  We made the best of it and even managed to have so me fun.  Here's a roundup of the top five:

1. Doug took a course on Tuesday night from five until eleven, so Tuesday was a mom and Drew day.  We ran some errands, spent some time roaming the mall, and met Doug for lunch so that Drew would get to at least see him that day.  It was the first time I'd really ever spent any time at the mall with Drew, and it turned out to be pretty dang fun.  He walked around like a big boy and held my hand the entire time.  He was so well behaved and did exactly what I asked him to.  Did I mention he held my hand the ENTIRE time?!  How fun is that?!  He rode the rides and we checked out a life size cardboard cutout of Champ (Montana State's mascot).  We didn't do any shopping, but that's not what we were there for.  It was fun and I could see myself taking him there to walk around this winter when the weather is bad and we still want to get out of the house.
   
2. This week I decided to start making arm knit scarves again.  I tried out a new color blocking style and I really like it.  The scarf I made turned out perfectly and it gave me so many more ideas for more scarves to make.  It's such a fun, easy little project and I really enjoy doing it.
   
3. Wednesday night, Doug took Drew to the cyclocross races, so I had the house to myself for about half an hour.  Not a lot of time, and I didn't really do much besides pick up toys and clean the kitchen, but it was nice to have a minor break and I think Doug and Drew enjoyed their "man time."
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Thursday night was date night and we went to Copper for dinner.  The food was delicious and we had a great time.  We even went for a short walk down Main Street after dinner and Drew held my hand the entire time.  It was a little chilly so it was a short walk, but fun nonetheless!
   
5. Drew was super sweet this week and we had so much fun.  He's really starting to be a good listener and I love that he knows exactly what I'm saying all the time.  Now, we just need him to start talking back!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

As many of you know, my grandpa had unexpected surgery last week.  He's doing well, but it was an intense procedure and the recover period is lengthy.  Drew and I are going back to Rapid next week to visit with him and also see the rest of my family.  We're excited to make the trip back and excited to see my grandpa and Drew's great grandpa.  As always, prayers for his speedy recovery are much appreciated!

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be back in a couple weeks!

Crockpot to the Rescue!

As many of you know, September was the month of home football games for us.  We had one every Saturday during the month of September, which is a little out of the ordinary, but ended up being pretty good.  For the most part, we had great weather, and honestly, it's a pretty fun way to spend a Saturday.

The hard part is dinner on Saturday night.  Inevitably, the games wear me out and the last thing I feel like doing when I get home is coming up with something for dinner, let alone making it.  Being outside in the elements, whether it's hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, really takes it out of me and all I really want to do when I get home from the game is relax.

This year, I found the perfect solution.....the trusty crockpot.  Every Saturday before the game, I would start something in the crockpot that would be ready when we got home.  It worked out perfectly.  I would throw it together in the morning and then when the game was over, we'd be ready to eat!  Perfect!

We had Mexican chicken chili, spicy sausage and potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, and jambalaya.  All of the recipes are from Mix and Match Mama, who I adore.  She has the easiest, quickest recipes that I've ever found, and honestly, I haven't made a bad one yet.  All four of these were winners.  Doug really liked the chicken tortilla soup and I really enjoyed the Mexican chicken chili.  You can't go wrong with any of them really!

It's been a great tradition and one that I see myself carrying on throughout football season. It's been so nice to come home to dinner with no effort after a long game.  Have I mentioned how much I love the crockpot?! It's the perfect time of year for them and it doesn't get any easier than a good crockpot meal!  Yumm!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We had a fun, yet rainy weekend last weekend.  My mom, sister, and brother-in-law came to visit, and let's just say the weather was less than stellar.

Friday night, Doug, Drew, and I met my family in Livingston on their way to Bozeman to check out a new brewery there.  The boys had some beer and the girls played with Drew!  From the brewery, my mom took Drew back to our house so that he could go to bed and Doug, my sister, brother-in-law, and I went to downtown Bozeman for dinner. We were a touch early so we got a quick drink at Plonk and then made our way to Open Range for dinner.  Open Range was wonderful again!  They have awesome food.

Saturday morning, the boys were going to go for a bike ride, but unfortunately it was pouring rain.  They decided to skip it so we all stayed home, playing with Drew and hoping that the weather would turn around for the football game that afternoon.

Come game time, the weather was a little better.  At least it wasn't downpouring.  It was a little windy and a little chilly, but that was better than heavy rain.  We enjoyed the game and the Cats won, so that's always a good thing!

After the game, we came home and had dinner.  I had started the crockpot before I left that morning so it was waiting for us when we got home.  It sure was nice to not have to worry about dinner after a long game.

The boys went out Saturday night, but the girls stayed in with Drew.  We were tired and cold and thought a night at home sounded more fun than going out in the crummy weather again!

Sunday morning, my family left early.  I think they were in a hurry to get out of the miserable weather and make their way home.  It's too bad the weather didn't cooperate more so we could have done more fun activities, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes.  Hopefully it will be better next time around!

High Five for Friday!

Happy Friday friends!  I'm so excited that it's the weekend again.  My sister, brother-in-law, and mom are coming to visit this weekend which makes me happy.  I always love having my family around.

It's been a good week for the Neil household.  We've had incredibly warm weather, which made it possible for us to get outside and have some extra Fall fun.  Here's a wrap up of the week!

1. On Tuesday night, Doug and I were watching The Voice.  Drew's bedroom is right next to the living room where we were watching, and as I've mentioned before, Drew lives for music.  Well, I'm pretty sure he could hear the music coming from The Voice and he couldn't sleep.  At about 8:30 pm, we heard his little voice coming from his bedroom. I went to check on him and he was wide awake.  We decided to let him come hang out in the living room with us so he could dance to the music.  He was so excited that we let him get up.  It was about the cutest thing ever!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Wednesday was a beautiful day, so we went on a family hike that evening up Triple Tree.  The leaves were beginning to change color and it was gorgeous.  What a fun way to spend the evening!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Drew and I have been playing machines this week.  He's growing up so fast and it's been so fun to watch him progress.  He's a curious little guy and so we do lots and lots of playing!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Yesterday was a bit of a tough day for me and my family.  My grandpa had unexpected surgery, so we've all been thinking about and praying for him.  If you're the praying kind, he could use some prayers!  Anyway, it was a tough day to say the least, so getting out of the house for dinner and date night was much needed.  We had dinner downtown and then went to the Wildrye distillery where they had some live music that little Drew man could dance to.  It was a nice way to take my mind off things and unwind a little.  We love you grandpa Ross!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. This weekend is homecoming for MSU.  We're planning on going to the football game, even though it sounds like the weather is going to be less than ideal now.  We may try to hit the parade as well, we'll see.  I'm just looking forward to having some family here.  That always makes for a good weekend!
   
   
   
   

Hope you had a great week and are ready to enjoy the weekend.  Happy Friday!