Recipe: Monkey Munch!!

Unfortunately I have spent the last few days at home sick with an upper respiratory infection, and to be quite honest, after three days I am definitely over it and ready to be back to work and normal life! This little sickness has worked out very well for Brian though, not only have I been home so he has gotten to enjoy my company (ha! We all know how pleasant I can be when I’m feeling sick) but I am also starting to go stir crazy and have been looking for ways to entertain myself. So what else would I do? Cook!! So after my trip to the Doctor today, I ran over to the grocery store and got all the ingredients for Monkey Much!

Any fan of TLC’s ‘Jon and Kate plus 8’ has heard of this fabulous treat. It is a wonderful chocolatey take on Chex mix. It is incredibly addicting and delicious so I thought I would share the recipe.

Monkey Munch

Ingredients
9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
1. Put Chex in a large bowl and put aside.
2. Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter into a quart-sized microwavable bowl.
3. Stir the ingredients together.
4. Microwave the mixture uncovered for a minute on high. Stir the mix again and continue to zap in thirty second intervals until it mixes smoothly.
5. Add the vanilla and stir.
6. Put combination into a 2-gallon, Ziploc freezer bag.
7. Add powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake until distributed.
8. Spread Monkey Munch out on wax paper to cool and dry.
9. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for storage.

recipe courtesy of RecipeZaar.


I hope everyone enjoys this as much as we do! With Brian being such a picky eater, I tend to have to search for interesting things to cook for us, not just deserts but dinners as well. I am going to start putting up some of our better recipes to share with everyone. I figure if Brian likes it, someone else might as well!!

Enjoy!

vacation's over :[

I know it has been WAY too long since we updated but at least I have nothing but good news for this post! First and foremost, Bella is doing fabulously! She got quite the haircut after the stitches came out, and despite the fact that we thought she was very naked looking at first, the short ‘do is growing on us every day.


In the past few weeks we have been a very busy little family! Brian’s hunt for a new job will hopefully be coming to an end soon (not to jinx anything of course, so I will post more details as we get them), and despite the interviews we even got a vacation in!

I spent the weekend of the 16th down in Cape Charles to see Erin and Rick get married. I drove down with Rachel and Meredith and stayed with them and Shannon in a gorgeous suit for the weekend and got to see one of the prettiest ceremonies I have ever witnessed. The newlyweds said their “I dos” at sunset on the beach and I seriously doubt their was a dry eye anywhere on the beach. We spent the night at their reception dancing away like we were freshman all over again! They couldn’t have had better weather or a more perfect day and the bride was stunning, in her Oakley shades of course!

The last SINGLE 3/4 picture!

Meredith, Rachel, and I..

Perfect!!


After a weekend with the girls Brian, Bella, and I all got in the car and drove to visit Mum and Dad in Massachusetts (finally!!) and what a trip it was! Even though we hit more traffic then we have ever seen before, both ways, it was definitely worth it. The first day we helped Mum unpack and organize the basement, and then headed to Weymouth to visit Nana and everyone there. Courtney (the best Junior Bridesmaid EVER) came back to Scituate to spend a few nights with us, and we got the chance to hang out on the beach, which was by far my favorite part of the trip!

Bella in her car seat on the way up!

Mum and Courtney (& her fabulous straight hair!!) at dinner.

The Beach!!

The water was cold for Bri!


Hands down Brian’s favorite part of the whole week was probably our drive up to New Hampshire. He has been talking about going to the arcade, Fun Spot, for practically ever now, so we took the drive up for the afternoon. Fun Spot is the largest arcade in the world and was featured in the movie "The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters", basically if you want to set a world record for video games, this is the place you HAVE to do it. Brian played every game he could get his hands on, but I stuck with Tetris, and walked out with not one, but THREE high scores. And yes, I am very proud of myself!!

Welcome to Fun Spot! Yes, it is THREE floors..

Tetris Champ!!

Bri and the famous Donkey Kong machine!!


We regretfully did have to end our vacation, but we did get to spend our last day at a cookout with almost my entire family! Good food, good drinks, and a GREAT family are definitely the BEST way to end a wonderful vacation.

Backyard view..

View from the deck.

One of my beautiful bridesmaids!!

Wonderful fam :)


Now though, it’s back to the real world. School is starting back for me, so my summer is definitely over. I will try to update more, and please keep your fingers crossed for Brian’s new job!!

We Are Radar Free!!

That’s right! Our pup is no longer running around with a satellite dish around her head! We got the ok to take the crazy hood off at her vet visit yesterday. She also had all of her stitches taken out, and the Doctor was very impressed with how well she was recovering. Every time we are there they tell us how impressed they are that she has recovered so well, and so quickly! Now it’s just a matter of getting her to her grooming appointment tomorrow morning. She was originally scheduled for her regular appointment the weekend after her original accident over a month ago, so you can only imagine how long and matted her hair is now! She is a downright mess! I will post pictures tomorrow of her makeover, it should be amusing since I am sure she will have to be shaved pretty short!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!

Don't let her fool you! Even though she looks slightly miserable, she is really just waiting for a treat! Normally she does very well with photo shoots, but it must be her satellite dish that makes her a little less interested in the camera these days.

But regardless, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MUMMY!! I am feeling a little sad today, I think this is the first time I was not about to spend the day with her or at least see her around the time of her big day. But Mum, you are in our thoughts today and Bella can't wait to come see Gemma at her new house next month!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

In other news, I am enjoying a weekend off! We went and saw the new Batman movie, Dark Night, yesterday. Brian has been itching to go, even refusing to watch the previews when they came on tv since he wanted to be completely suprised. I have to admit though, I think I enjoyed it just as much as he did! We highly reccomend everyone go see it!! I also got lucky enough to have tomorrow off so I will get to go with Brian and Bella to have her stitches taken out. Then I am planning on going out to visit my friend Kristy and her new daughter Olivia at their new home, followed by my normal Monday night class. So it will be a busy day but I have had some time to relax already before starting my week back to work on Tuesday.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, I will update tomorrow after Bella's vet visit. We are hoping today will be the last day with Bella as a satellite dish!!

Pics from Brian!

So, I know katie has been the only person blogging on "our blog", and she will be the first to tell you it is all my fault! So I decided to upload some pictures as my first "official post." Enjoy!

Katie and I at Barry & Amber's wedding in NY


From left to right:
Me, Nick, Katie, Jon


This was when Bella was not doing so good. Very sad



Bella hates her radar dish, but she makes the most of it!


Katie having no-hood cuddle time


Katie's birthday present from her parents. A great gift indeed! I love these chairs




I apologize for poor picture quality as most of these were taken with the blackberry.

A Quick Congrats!!

It’s official! My parents are no longer homeless!! Yesterday was a huge day for them, all of their stuff finally came at the crack of dawn to their BEAUTIFUL new home! I am so happy for them and can’t wait to go visit!!
So CONGRATULATIONS Mum and Dad!! Hopefully we will be up in August to see the new house for ourselves!



Scituate, MA

Our gal is HOME!!

She’s HOME!!! We are so excited that Bella is finally home with us and her tail is back to wagging!! She does have to wear a big cone around her head that makes her look slightly like a satellite dish, causing Brian, Nick, and Jon to call her “Radar”, but I would much rather her be here being called names then still be at the vet!! The incision from the final surgery runs from about the middle of her belly halfway up her side towards her spine. Its pretty gross looking but the stitches will come out either this Thursday or next depending on how well it is healing. But like I said she is in pretty good spirits. I think it has been a small blessing that Nick and Jon have been here, their constant showering of attention on her has really helped get her back to acting normal.

Please excuse the short post that is lacking on details. I just wanted to update on the little one before I fall into bed! These boys keep me up way too late!! Goodnight everyone, have a wonderful week!!