Pumpkin Time & Sneak Peek Work Halloween

It's pumpkin time at work! I know my mom and friends look forward to our work halloween festivities so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at everything. Check out last years Halloween from Leah's blog. I am a team captain and as a team we had to carve a pumpkin for judging.

Here are Lacey and Erica scooping it out. We went with a white pumpkin!

It was Laceys first time scooping and carving a pumpkin. She did great!

 Me and Erica. I was basically moral support, Erica really took charge and got the job done.

Here is our finished product! It's a mummy!

 We also are having a costume contest. So here are some of the best ones I've seen this morning so far.

 Little Miss Muffet and Jelly Bellies! Sorry I think I was laughing when I took this picture.

 Grapes!

 And a chicken. How creative is everyone. You can tell that the last two are product designers. We are having a party tomorrow so I can't wait to show you our costumes. Hope you have a fun and safe Halloween weekend!

Taste of Atlanta 2010

This past Sunday was Taste of Atlanta. I have never been before, but was so glad we decided to go. I found discount tickets for $18 (normally $30) each for 15 food tickets.

Every booth you went to had a sign that said what foods they had and how many tickets it would take to get it. It was only between 1-3 tickets for everything.

Every booth had such great presentation even though it was a small booth and outside.

For 3 tickets we also got huge bbq sandwiches, ribs and riblets.

Amber and Bob came down with us to enjoy the festivities. As you can tell Amber was enjoying her food already (sorry I had to put the pic up, its the only one I had of you two).

Mmmmm.

Here is more sampling of everything I/we ate. Sun dried tomato bow tie pasta, yogurt dessert, chicken and waffles, fried pickles, pizza and butternut squash ravioli.

My favorite part of the day was when we found out that Robert Mondavi booth was having a wine tasting and it was FREE! So we hopped in line and although we didn't make it in the demonstration we still got to taste as much wine as we wanted.

 Here are the manly men drinking their wine.

 We had so much fun, I think we got in line at least 4-5 times.

 The guy on the left was my favorite bartender as he'd fill my glass almost halfway each time I had a tasting. I would definitely recommend going to taste of Atlanta if you've never been. We plan on going again!

Oktoberfest in Helen

 After our trip to Amicalola falls we ventured over to Helen.

 The leaves were changing all around us.

 The traffic was insane trying to get into the city limits. It took us over an hour to go almost 3 miles. All the buildings have the same style, even Wendy's and the huddle house.

I thought the whole month of October was Oktoberfest, but maybe it was just so nice out that everyone went down to celebrate.

 We ended up stopping at The Black Pearl, a dive bar that smelled like smoke everywhere! We parked outside the city limit, had a beer, used their restrooms and walked the rest of the way to all the action.

 People were gathered all along the roads and into the restaurants.

 Here is a good shot of all the cars and people walking the streets.

 There were designated areas where you could drink your beers and hang out.

 On the way to the beer tent area we stopped off for some posed photos.

 Chris and Marla posed too.

It felt like a big college party with everyone just hanging out and drinking beer (minus the keg party beer pricing).  I would like to come back when its less crowded to check out all the cool restaurants it looked like they had. It was fun to participate in Oktoberfest for a little bit. Definitely a must see if you've never been.

On the way home we stopped off at David's sister Gina's house for Ian's 5th birthday party. Here is Ian blowing out the candles while everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. It was such a long, fun day!

Amicalola Falls

On Saturday we started out the day with a trip up to Amicalola state park. Apparently everyone also had that idea as it was SO crowded and hard to even find some where to park. I was excited to see the waterfall and do a little hiking. I just didn't do my research because I had no idea there was going to be that many stairs to walk up just to see the falls.

The views were spectacular and we all had fun exploring.

By the time I made it up the 175 steps to the bridge I was feeling very light headed and need to sit down. I really felt like I was going to pass out. I think I was very dehydrated because I didn't eat or drink much at this point in the day.

While I was trying not to pass out David made sure I was okay and then continued on his journey. He was determined to get to the top, which was an additional 425 steps!

 This is David at the top!

The view looking down.

By the time David walked all the way up and down those steps I was ready to take our picture by the falls. Thanks for leaving your shirt behind last time you were here, Michelle.

After our hiking was over we decided to drive up to the Amicalola Falls Lodge to take some pictures. It is so nice in and outside there!

 It was the perfect time of year to go up and enjoy the nice weather and beautiful views. Stay tuned tomorrow for our trip over to Helen, GA.

David's New Truck

One of the perks of Davids new job is that he gets a nice new truck to drive with a gas card! He just got it and it matches our family vehicles perfectly, because it's silver. My suv is silver and Davids F-150 truck is silver so this new truck matches well. Of course its not all fun and games, since a truck means travel. We are just thankful that they are compensating him for drive time, new truck and a gas card. It's nice to be appreciated.

Here she is!

I think David named her the Silver Fox.

I love how it has 4 doors and a roomy interior. We also had a great fun filled weekend with Chris and Marla so I'm getting those photos and posts ready for you, so stay tuned!

Chris and Marla are coming!

My brother and sister in law are coming to visit this weekend! They want to experience fall and they picked the perfect time! We have been full on fall for a few weeks now and we can't wait to show them around North Georgia. We have a bunch of things planned that I can't wait to go to. Here are some of the highlights:

 Amicalola Falls

 Helen

Lake Lanier Haunted Nights of Lights

Taste of Atlanta!

Fun With My Apron

I've been wanting to share this photo of my favorite apron for a while not. I am not sure if I have posted this or not so if I have, I'm really sorry. Lacey went to Europe last year and brought this back for me. It is perfect for cooking and I seriously use it at least 2-3 times per week. LOVE IT. Thanks Lacey. Yes, this photo was from the summer as I am wearing one of my sisters summery outfits.

I also wanted to share another recipe for freezer cooking. I went to the store and got a couple aluminum pans with lids on them. Since I was making my baked ziti for my neighbor, who just had a baby, a disposable container works the best.

Baked Ziti Ingredients-
(Keep in mind this recipe makes two 9x13 pans of pasta)
1 lb Mild/sweet sausage removed from casing
1 lb Lean ground beef
2 lbs Rigatoni or ziti
1 bag of mozzarella cheese
Ricotta cheese (optional)
2 jars of pasta sauce

-Combine meats in a frying pan and cook until brown. Drain the juices so its not too oily. While you are cooking your meat start boiling your water. Add sauce to the cooked meat and simmer until your pasta is ready. Mix together pasta and sauce mixture in your pans. Add a hand full of mozzarella cheese while mixing. Top with the rest of the cheese. If you are giving away you can deliver as is or freeze. De-thaw in the refrigerator and cook for 20-25mins at 350 degrees.  

I made ours that night and served with garlic bread and salad. Mmm mmm good. The neighbors loved it, too!