we went to the zoo {part two}

i've already posted about how the twins and i went to the zoo last week. i have to say, this zoo experience went so amazingly well and definitely gave me the confidence to try it again very soon...before it's too chilly to visit the zoo. There are so many places i would love to take the twins to but i'm a little nervous, especially if it's a place that we've never been to before. But, they do so well when we do venture out of the house on an adventure so I'm determined to start going more. I am really seriously hoping (and actively trying/looking just so my parents know) for an accounting job and I don't want to wish that I had done certain things with the twins whenever that happens. So on to the million pictures I took at the zoo. sorry about the cuteness & picture overload...expect i'm not actually sorry :)

we visited the alligators...Jackson obviously feels the same way that i do about those animals ;)

Riggs LOVED the farm animal section...too bad Staci didn't let her get out of the stroller...oh well she still had a great time

autumn and new baby giraffe kiko (kiko was born just a few days before we visited the zoo)

the twins and kiko...the best i could do to get a picture of J&R and kiko

snack break while we watched the lions...don't worry Riggs is buckled in, she has just pushed the shoulder straps down...safety first i promise! also Jackson is seriously enjoying his cheerios

toddler playground inside the zoo. this is the first time we went to this particular playground and i loved it! it was fenced in with only one exit and the playground was definitely designed with toddlers in mind. we played here for almost an hour.

jack-jack made some new friends while playing. he was determined to follow the big boys onto the frog

expert climbers

i'm not really sure what these are called but they were a hit with the twins. i'm pretty sure Riggs would have stayed on it all day if i would have let her

yup we loved the zoo :) {and i'm majorly in love with this picture of me and jack-jack}

happy halloween!

clearly she's really in charge

creepy pictures with the creepy alligators in the background...and yes we visited the gators TWICE in one trip...the things i do for these twins 

made it to the big playground outside of the zoo

attempted to climb this but little girl was stopped before she got too high...or else i'm sure she would have made it to the top

sweet babies toddlers swinging 

we went to the zoo (part one)

Yesterday we took a little trip to the Greenville zoo. A new baby giraffe was there so it was pretty busy. I took a ton of pictures on my phone but for now, here are 2 videos from our day. I need to go and rescue someone who refuses to nap. Hopefully the picture post will be up soon!

oh and GO TIGERS! Happy Gameday y'all!

Things I'll be making or baking in the very near future...

Chicken Broccoli Supreme

Chicken Tortilla Bake

Ranch Chicken

Red Velvet Trifle

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake

Snickers Dip

Recent Recipes I've Tried

So some of these recipes are brand new and some are ones that I've used before but really love. Thank goodness for pinterest!

Poppy Seed Chicken
     I thought this turned out pretty okay. It's not my favorite casserole but it was good...and I liked it better the next day, which is always a good thing with casseroles. In my opinion, I think it might be better with whole chicken breasts or less sauce. I do think I'll make it again because it's super easy but I'll probably change it up slightly.

Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread

     I made this instead of buffalo chicken dip one weekend. I actually baked it and then drove over to a friends house for dinner and sangria (see below) and it was still warm and yummy almost an hour after taking it out of the oven. I think this would be great to take to a tailgate. It wasn't quite as good as buffalo chicken dip (a favorite of mine) but it definitely worked out great for the occasion and I'll make it again. 

Peach Moscato Sangria
     All  I really need to say is that this was amazing...especially if you like peach and moscato...or just fruit soaked in alcohol.

Baked Ravioli
     This recipe came from Charlotte's blog. I made this for lunch for the twins and I one day. It was a definite success...well Riggs and I really enjoyed it at least. Jackson kind of ate it but I definitely recommend this. It's really easy.  

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies
     I made these for the Clemson game this past weekend. I used break and bake snickerdoodle cookies so it was pretty much the easiest dessert I've ever made. But they tasted good and looked cute so really that's all that matters. If you like pumpkin, then you should definitely give these a try. 

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
     I made this for the first time last fall and decided to break it out again for a cookout a few weekends ago. I really like making trifles in general and this is a great one for fall. I use the pumpkin spice pudding that is only in stores in the fall but you can just follow the recipe and use vanilla pudding mixed with pumpkin. The pumpkin spice pudding is just easier...so I stocked up once I found it in stores.

SMores Brownies
     I decided to make these kind of at the last minute to take to a dinner one Friday night. Mine ended up being more like a glob of brownie goodness with marshmallows and graham crackers mixed in, once I tried to cut the brownies. So while the appearance (once cut) wasn't the greatest, it tasted really good so I guess it ended up okay. I think this is an easy way to make regular brownies a little more fun. 

Friday!

~Happy Friday Peeps~linking up with lauren again~
1. I've been working on updating and changing my resume and the only thing I could think about was this scene from Legally Blonde. I'm not a big fan of movies (I'd prefer to just watch tv shows) but I can recite almost every line from Legally Blonde and it's definitely one of my all time favorites! Oh and I really wish I could have a pink and scented resume...and I love the line about waking up one day and deciding to go to law school because sometimes I feel like that's how I ended up in grad school too!

2. I went shopping on Monday and got some fun jeans that I can't wait to wear. I really hope this colored denim trend stays around for a while because I think it's pretty fun. I also got the rest of Nealee's shower gifts bought so now I just have to put everything together. 

3. My crafty side has kind of been going crazy so I worked on this Monday night. Not super exciting or anything but at least I got to exercise my craftiness a little bit. I have a few more bottles to do and then I think I'm going to hardcore start working on ideas for my brother's rehearsal dinner. 

4. I got my first spiced caramel apple cider from Starbucks Wednesday evening. I love this drink and it really makes me think of fall (and winter) so I'm happy this drink will be making a frequent appearance in my life again.

5. Clemson has another home game tomorrow and I'm pretty excited. Georgia Tech is always a tough game but I'm ready for a good home game!

31 days & gift giving

You may have noticed that a lot of bloggers are participating in a series in October focusing on 31 days of blogging. A lot are simply using this idea to blog everyday about what happens each day. Nina {at according to Nina} is doing a series on 31 days of gift giving. She has only just started it and I'm already really enjoying it. She decided on this topic because gift giving is her love language...and since I share that love language with her, I'm super excited about this!
I love buying gifts randomly and surprising people, even if it's just something small. I even have a pinterest board labeled ultimate gift guide. It's all about random, fun and unique gifts for people. Here are a few of my favorite ideas from this board. 

{original link here}

mailing a box of balloons full of money and notes for someone's birthday. I can definitely see myself doing this for my future nieces and nephews...and probably the twins too. I think  that a kid (or an adult honestly) would love opening a box and seeing this. Plus it would be super cheap to mail. 

{original link here}

frozen cookie dough...this way they can cook as few (or as many) cookies as they want...or if you're like me, you'll probably just eat some of the cookie dough. i think this would be a great addition whenever you take a meal to someone. 

{original link here}

this is a bridal shower gift but it's so cute, i had to share! you fill a basket with champagne bottles, each labeled for a different occasion. i definitely want to do this for Nealee...i just need to figure out which shower I should give it to her at. I'm sure this idea could be adapted to fit other stages of life too!

{original link here}

a stay at home mom survival kit. i this this is such a fun gift to give to those new moms who will be staying home. Again, i think this could easily be changed to fit other occasions in someone's life. i also love that this is a pretty random gift but i'm sure it's something that would be greatly appreciated! (and honestly the beer might be my favorite part)

Happy gift giving!

Fan or Follower {week one}

Sunday evening, my small group started a study following the book, Not a Fan (written by Kyle Idleman). The basis of the study is to help show you whether you are a follower or just a fan of Jesus.

I think this is going to be a very eye-opening study and something that will definitely make me think about things in a different light. The main idea of this first week was that we needed to have a DTR moment with Jesus. A DTR {define the relationship} talk is vital in every relationship if things are ever going to progress. I have to admit that when this term was first used, all I could think about was a scene from How I Met your Mother. {Lily locks Barney & Robin in a room because they refuse to define their relationship and Lily thinks that they need to} Once I moved on from that thought, I realized how true this is. I really do need to define my relationship…because I think just saying I’m a Christian and that I believe, doesn’t really seem adequate enough. So currently, I’m working on this.

The fan or follower concept was related to a football game. Kyle made a comparison that I thought was extremely thought provoking. He said that he wondered how many church sanctuaries have turned into stadiums, full of just fans.

So I’ve been thinking about where I stand on the fan or follower question…and I’m still thinking on it. 

wearing orange outside {9.21.12}