Sledding

A few snowstorms ago(we have had 3 large ones so far this winter) Steve and I decided to go sledding. We picked up two sleds at Ace Hardware, I chose the good old saucer sled and Steve went for the toboggan type sled. Afterwards we bundled up and then we had to find a good hill. This wasn't an easy task. It seems that around Johnson County most of the good sledding hills end at major roads and people still sled on them! I was not up to that. So we drove all around one of our larger parks and finally found the perfect hill. We sled for a good hour or more. It was just as fun as we remember it being when we were kids. :)

2011

Happy New Year from the Kozlens!

I've been bad about blogging the last month or two. I am going to work on picking it back up again. I think 2011 will be an exciting year for us and I'll want t0 keep everyone up to date on our lives. :)

Wonderful

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a husband who is super handy. Especially when you own a house and are very picky about how things turn out. :) Over the last few years we have lived in our house Steve's skills have been put to the test by himself and by me. He's built some window treatments off of little direction from my aunts and I. Made an awesome brick patio and re-did most of it after my criticism. He has done countless other projects, but his latest tops them all. We have redone our basement, it was livable when we bought the house....if you wanted to hang out in what looked like a crappy barn. The whole room is amazing, thanks to Steve. You can read all about his amazing work here. I want to talk about one part of the room...the mantel. He took this drawing I made and turned it into reality.

Now I know nothing about building, nothing about how wood goes together, dimensions or anything. I just knew what I wanted it to look like. This poses a very big challenge to Steve. He now has to take my drawing and make it look as great as the picture in my mind. Minus one mini blow out at home depot (I am sure the Home Depot workers have seen greater arguments), I think it went quite well. I am sure Steve might say differently, as he had to actually put it together. I must say though that I LOVE how it turned out, it definitely met and even exceeded all my expectations. It looks better than it did in my mind even, but you should just see for yourself!

Thank you Steve!

Pumking Carving!

So we had gone and picked pumpkins, that means we must carve pumpkins! This is a James' family tradition and I try to get Steve into it. He's not a huge fan of it though, so we seem to do it every other year so far. I tell him he better start enjoying it before we have kids cause then we are for sure carving them every year. Growing up we always went to Eckart's to pick pumpkins, then we would design what we wanted and help dad carve them. He would have out all kinds of tools, each year figuring out which ones worked best perfecting the art of pumpkin carving.

Me digging into one of the pumpkins. Got to get it cleaned out really well! This is the part Steve hates the most.

Steve helping me draw out the design for my pumpkin.

Our creations! Mine is the SK2 one and Steve's is the birds and the moon.

Our front deck stairs were perfect to display them on.

We also sprayed them with a concoction of jalapeños and hot sauce we blended to keep the squirrels away from them. Don't breath near it though or it will burn your nose! It worked though, no squirrels eating our pumpkins this year!

Pumpkin Patch!

A few weekends ago Steve and I went to Lawrence, KS to pick pumpkins! We went a few years ago and it was a good time. We had gone late in the season though and our choices of pumpkins were slim. This time we went a week after it opened and there were a ton to choose from!

Steve on the tractor heading from the barn to where the pumpkins are.

Trying to pick out a pumpkin! There were a lot of odd shaped ones that I wanted. In the end though I picked a normal looking one.

We eventually found two that we liked.

Steve carried them both to the car for us. Afterwards we went to downtown Lawrence for lunch. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Fall is Here!

I love fall! So many things about it...the smells, the leaves changing colors, breaking out scarves, boots and hats, home decor and of course the food! Pumpkin is one of my favorites. I love pumpkin everything. So when I got a free pumpkin the last week of our CSA I figured why not make my own puree and cook the seeds. Mama told me I wouldn't want to do it, but I figured why not try!

I cut the pumpkin in half and put the halves face down on a cookie sheet. Then baked for an hour and 45 mins.

It made the house smell delightful! I then let it cool, scooped it out and pureed it in the blender. Since then I have used the puree to make pumpkin cupcakes and pumpkin bread. Both of them were delicious.

While the pumpkin was cooking I made a butternut/acorn squash and sweet potato soup. It was beyond good...just ask Steve.

I also saved the pumpkin seeds from the one I cooked to make the puree and roasted them with olive oil and sea salt. We ate them as a snack all week. I just love fall!

Chicago

We went to Chicago at the end of September to celebrate our first anniversary. It was such a great time. We had a blast seeing the city. It was also very relaxing, something we had been needing!

We went to the aquarium. It really is one of the better aquariums I've ever seen, not that I have seen a ton. :)

We rented bikes from a stand outside the aquarium. We saw a ton of the city on the bikes, Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the River Walk. It really is a great way to see a city.

At Millennium Park, in front of The Bean.

We also had to hit up some Chicago style pizza. It was delicious, but it has nothing on St Louis style.

We also went to a Cubs vs Cardinals game at Wrigley Field. Too bad the Cards lost. We still had a ton of fun though. Thanks mom and dad for the tickets!

I also kicked butt in pin-ball. I got my name on the score board in the top 40! haha It was pure luck and a lot of beer I think.
I know we wont be able to celebrate every year of marriage this way but it was a great way to spend the first one for sure. Any trip with my best friend is a good trip though, no matter the occasion. :) Click here if you want to see more pictures from our trip.