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Tuesday's Tidings for October 6, 2015

October 5, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

Our Oregon state zoo has had more babies be born! Two baby caracals were born on Sept. 11 and the zoo has just released a few pictures and boy are they cute! I can't wait till they are ready for public viewing!
Recently, Josh and I were interviewed on Marketplace.org on buying a house in the burbs. If you want, you can click the link and take a listen, lol!
Josh and I spent time with family in Washington this last weekend. One day we spent the afternoon in an area called Green Bluff in Spokane, WA. We checked out the Apple Festival and ate some yummy food. If you're in the area, I suggest you check it out!
I found these cute mason jar measuring cups on Amazon and they are so good! I had to stick them on my wish list.
What's your favorite fall color? I love all the colors of the leaves of the trees and I find I'm drawn to the red leaves over and over again!

Weekly Menu 10/5 - 10/11

October 4, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hello everyone, sorry I was MIA for the latter part of last week. We left for vacation and I just haven't had time to post anything or get online and do much social media sharing. I'm up in Washington visiting family and when you're visiting family, I really think that is the way it ought to be, completely present and enjoying every moment. After all this isn't family we get to see to often.

Today, we're headed to Sunriver for the week and while I don't anticipate doing any cooking until we get home, I still thought I would share a weekly menu with you. But instead of what I'm cooking, I'm going to share some recipes I've been pinning that look really good that I would put on my menu.

How's that sound? [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for September 29, 2015

September 29, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

It's just going to be me (Chels) this week sharing a few things with you this week.

I went to Bath and Body Works over the weekend because I ran out of bubble bath and needed more. I was super excited to buy "A Thousand Wishes" in the bubble bath. But guess what? They don't carry the bubble bath in that fragrance and I was really disappointed. They seem to carry every other fragrance but that one in bubble bath. What gives? I ended up buying "French Lavender & Honey" which smells really good.
Have you guys tried Starbuck's new drink "Toasted Graham Latte?" It reminds me of the S'mores Frap but with autumn flavors. It's very good, but it's got nothing on the PSL.
I never thought I would be one to buy jeggings, but I found these LC Lauren Conrad Jeggings at Kohls and Josh bought them for me and they are so comfortable and cute! I love that they have a stretch and I can bend over without showing my boo-tay! If you are in the market for jeggings, I recommend these ones.

Weekly Menu 9/28 - 10/4

September 28, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This week we have the last few days of September and the first few days of October! Isn't this time of the year such a beautiful thing? This weekend, we packed in all of our outdoor cushions and rugs and decor and put it all away. I was sad as I placed the last chair cushion on top of the stack because we didn't use the outside eating area as much as we wanted too, but I'm just going to chalk it up to a busy summer and we didn't get the backyard prettified till the end of summer.

Next year right?

I have to tell you, we're leaving on vacation this week. We're heading up and over to Eastern Washington to visit Josh's sister and hubby for a few days before we start our family vacation trip in Central Oregon. The menu this week is a bit disjointed because of that. I'm all about fixing easy dinners this week. But, this week and I think next week, I'll share some dinners I've found on Pinterest that I think look delicious for you all to look at. How's that sound? [Read more...]

Pumpkin Spice Crêpes

September 24, 2015 By Joshua Rief 1 Comment

Crêpes. Or crepes, if you really just can't deal with circumflexes invading your daily life. But crêpes are French, of course, which is undoubtedly one of the many things that make them so dang scrumptious, thus the traditional spelling. But I digress. We love crêpes here at Catz. Our kids love them. They love them so much that I had to purchase a second crêpe pan just to satisfy their little crêpe cravings!

Shockingly, then, there is but a single crêpe recipe on our site. This situation must be rectified. [Read more...]

Crispy Chicken Tacos

September 23, 2015 By Joshua Rief 2 Comments

There's just something about this recipe for crispy chicken tacos - there aren't ever any left overs! You can't make enough!

Sadly, undeniably, as we move from late summer into early autumn, grilling season begins to recede into recent memory (at least here in the Pacific Northwest - we know you southwest and southeasterners get to grill all year, and, yes, we are jealous!). Typically, that means fewer posts from me and more from Chels, which I'm totally okay with - I'm just standing here in the background with the camera snacking on a variety of pumpkin-infused goodies. Really not such a bad situation after all.

However, I do still get into the kitchen on a regular basis, even during the fall and winter. My cooking medium of choice when the grill is not available? Why, that would be hot oil. Who knew? [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for September 22, 2015

September 22, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. Remember last week when I said that I was on the hunt for a China hutch? Well, I found one! I've had success with Craigslist in the past - we've sold a lot of stuff on there and we've found a few items too, but I found exactly what I looking for and I got it for a bargain.

2. I think Josh and I have been hit by the DIY bug. I think maybe it's because there seems to be a bit more freedom when you're a homeowner. We haven't done anything too big yet. Just building a gate to the rv parking, bringing new life a to an old bookshelf, and made a "welcome" sign for the front porch. We are working on something else, but we want to make sure it actually works before we talk about it. In fact, we'll post about it if it does. We're taking pictures, lol!

3. In movie news, our pre-ordered copy of Cinderella came from Disney Movie Club and watched that with the girls on Friday for our movie night. It is really a cute movie.

[Read more...]

Weekly Menu Sept 21 - Sept 27

September 21, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

September was here and then WHOOSH! It's practically over! This is the last full week of September and fall officially starts on Wednesday! Whoop Whoop! Which means that I am officially going to bust out my fall decor.

I want to go apple picking, pumpkin picking, and hunker down in sweaters. How about you? Have you all noticed that the morning air has a chill? I love the brisk mornings and the way the air smells. I looked outside our backyard window last night and noticed the leaves on our "full grown" tree turning beautiful ombre shades of red. I say, "full grown" because our backyard has only two trees. One big and one that just really started sprouting up this summer. I'm hoping by next year it will be bigger and more beautiful.

Do you have trees changing colors in your yard? [Read more...]

Maple Pumpkin Cake

September 17, 2015 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

My daughter Eden has really long, beautiful brown hair. Aside from having a few trims, her hair has never been cut and she is fiercely protective about it. Her hair is so long that I have to tie it back nearly every time she eats because she'll end up with whatever she ate in her hair. I can't tell you how many times I've brushed maple syrup, toothpaste, and ice cream out of those lovely locks!

Of course, she won't let me cut it, either. All I have to do is mention a haircut and she freaks out and shrieks. Which, by the way, she has one of the highest pitched voices ever, so her shrieking will likely one day shatter all the mirrors and windows in our house. [Read more...]

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

September 17, 2015 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

These flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies are easy to make, require a single bowl for prep, and can be made gluten-free!

Okay, you guys are going to love these cookies! Why are you going to love them you ask? I'll give you three reasons:

Easy to make.
You only need one bowl.
They're perfect if you're on a gluten-free diet - no flour!

It really doesn't get better than that! You could really use any peanut butter you like here. I've made these with creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy and I've also made these with Justin's peanut butter - which in my opinion tastes like the peanut butter you used to be able to grind with straight up peanuts in the store before Covid. Who remembers that? I like the Justin's peanut butter because it has more texture, but you do you boo!

One of the things that is fun about these is that they are a fun twist on a peanut butter cookie and a chocolate chip cookie...a hybrid per say. If your kids love either of those cookies (or maybe your husband), these would be great to make. One of the benefits to these, besides the reasons lifted above is because the ingredients are minimal, you can knock these out quickly in the kitchen - and they cook for a short amount of time!

Even better!

[Read more...]