Have a great weekend :)

Adam came home for lunch today, like usual. He was at the stove and I was looking at his head of hair and made the comment "Are you going to get a haircut this weekend?" He said "Why do you say that?" and I replied with "Cause your neck looks a little WT...." He then said "Thanks babe..." and I knew he was thinking "That was a bitchy comment" so I took this picture to prove it.

Point made... happy weekend!!!!!
XOXO

It's totally awesome having a dog

For all you dog owners, I am sure you will agree with this post. Having a dog makes you feel so cool... you know why? Because:

1)They follow you around everywhere you go

2) If you are in a place they can't get to (ex: for me it's the laundry room) they cry until you come back- because they hate not being with you

3) They always choose a place to sleep that is as close to you as possible (under my chair when I am working)

4) They just love you so much and get so excited to see you EVERYTIME you enter the room

Summary: Tyson thinks I am God.

Here is a video we took of him a few days ago.

Thanks to EpagaFoto!

I am so excited because our wedding was just blogged about on EpagaFoto! I love Jessica Roark's blog anyways, so it is awesome that we are up there.

Here is her blog if anyone is interested: www.epagafoto.blogspot.com It is an excellent blog to follow, as well- just makes you happy, espeically for those of you that are making plans to be hitched!

As Brittany would say: Happy Hump Day! (JK BB)

I'm basically Julia Childs

Ok ya'll. So, this post might come as a surprise to most (if not all) of you. Since Adam and I got married, I have been on a cooking/baking kick. It is pretty much non-stop and I REALLY enjoy it! My specialty are cookies and I have made all types, so thought I would share the wealth of knowledge I have gained and share some of my favorites!

Sidenote: Adam LOVES cookies- I call him cookie monster because he will eat 10 at a time in one sitting and them complain how his stomach hurts. Me on the other hand, love the dough. Typically I don't even try the finished product because I am stuffed from eating the dough. So Adam and I make a great cookie-team.

1) I LOVE boxed cake mix- like you buy from the grocery store. As a kid, I would sneak a box of cake mix out of the pantry and just eat spoonful after spoonful of it. I literally could not get enough of the goodness. I was absolutely thrilled when I found a recipe for cookies that uses cake mix! Who would have thought?! They are super easy to make and this is the one cookie recipe I may have eaten more of than Adam.

Cake Mix Cookies
1 package vanilla flavored cake mix
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Beat egg yolks and margarine together until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cake mix while beating with an electric mixer. Mixture should be stiff. If it is sticky to the touch, refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Form teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 11 minutes.

**With this recipe, you can use any flavor of mix you want. I think next time, I might try strawberry**

2)Honest-to-God the Best Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies EVER!!!!! I have been working on this recipe over some-time. The first time I made these, was in Dallas when I lived with Elizabeth. Literally (not lying) her, Adam, and anyone else that tried them said they were the BEST cookies they had ever eaten. I think this is probably Adam's favorite.... I would suggest baking these after a long fight when you know it is your fault, or just to brighten some one's day- because you will be queen for a day with a couple dozen of these suckers... now, like I said, I have experimented with these over the past few years and think this is the best I can make them... hold on... have to figure out where I wrote it down. Be right back.. K found it, on the back on the KSU football schedule. LOL.

Honest-to-God Best Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies EVER

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups oats

1 cup Choc. Chips

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together the butter, brown and white sugar until smooth. Beat in one egg at a time then add vanilla. Combine separately, Flour, Baking soda, salt and add slowly to cream mixture. Mix in the oats and choc. chips and bake for 12 mins.

3)Pretty Dang good basic Choc. Chip cookies. I just made these this week for the first time. I have been searching for quite a while on just a great, basic choc. chip recipe. I feel like whenever I bake choc. chip cookies, they just turn out fine, not great. These were pretty fabulous and would recommend them!

Pretty Dang Good Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

These have been my favorite cookies baked so far. Other thing I have baked are:

• Cinnamon Rolls- from scratch... they were a flop due to the altitude, I think... need to adjust this somehow... made homemade icing with these, though, that was the BOMB :)
• Butter Cookies
• Brown Sugar Cookies
• Buttermilk Biscuits (which I was forced to do because I didn't want the Buttermilk Adam bought to go to waste)
• Vanilla Brownies
• Coconut Cookies

On to Cooking:

Well, since I have done so much baking, I have also started to experience my culinary side and make some main dishes as well. I have really surprised myself! For those of you that know me, before marriage- I NEVER cooked, I mean NEVER and didn't think I enjoyed it. Well, I have proven myself wrong.

I am not going to list out all the recipes that I have made, but please email me if you are interested (emilyagriffin@gmail.com) in making any of these and I will email you the recipe.

• Chicken Enchiladas- Recipe from Nichole Yocum... AMAZING. I have cooked these a few times. Once just for Adam and I and the other time when Adam's friends were in town. Big Hit! Just as good as restaurant and super easy and fun to make
• Chicken Linguine- Recipe from Liz Ruck. Very Yummy! I have made it with Chicken and with no meat at all, just broccoli and tomatoes.
• Awesome/easy Chicken and Rice with some veggies all baked together in the oven
  
• Another Enchilada Recipe... Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese enchiladas. The more you cook, the better understanding you have of what goes together, what temperature and how long to cook things, etc. I made this recipe up as I went along so I am very proud of these :) simple and absolutely mouth-watering. I am planning on making them again this week and just made these on Sunday for Adam and Phil Mann. Here is this recipe:
  

Spinach, Mushroom, and Cheese Enchiladas. This will make about 10ish

A lot of spinach (probably at least 2 boxes full or 2 heads, depending how you buy it) A lot of mushrooms (at least 8oz.), maybe about 1 half onion, 4 garlic cloves (minced). Cream cheese, sour cream, enchilada sauce (I used green chilie sauce cause they were out of this at the grocery store), Jack shredded cheese and mexican cheese. Oh! And Tortillas of course... the 6 inch ones

Preheat to 350 degrees. Take a 9 x 13 pan and cover the bottom of it with the enchilada sauce and put aside. Put a little olive oil in a pan with the garlic and onion. Get that goin. Next, put in mushrooms to start cooking (few mins )and then add the spinach. I added some taco seasoning to this mixture, I think it won't matter either way. Lastly, Add the cream cheese (about the whole block) and a dallup of sour cream. Mix all together. Get your tortillas ready. Put some of the mixture on the tortilla, cover the mixture with the Jack cheese, roll and place in pan. Continue until mixture is gone and you have your enchiladas all lined up. Cover the enchiladas with enchilada sauce, so there is a layer on the bottom and over the top of them. Put lots of shredded mexican cheese blend and jack cheese on top and stick in over for 20-25 mins. Serve!

A post dedicated to Adam Griffin

Adam just cracks me up sometimes. As you all know, he can be pretty hilarious at times, especially when he is in the limelight with some good friends surrounding him. I think what makes me laugh the most is when he is NOT trying to be funny. It is amazing the things that women/wives just "know" that seem to be commonsense, but that boys just don't know. I have a few quick stories I think you all can get a kick out of. Love you Adam!

• Adam was running to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I asked him to buy me some milk while he was there... he returns with Buttermilk in hand and claims he thought is was the same thing. Thanks Babe!
• Tyson went #2 on the floor the other day, I was getting ready to jump in the shower, so Adam gladly says he will pick it up. We have 2 trashcans in the house (one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom) and one bathroom (which I am in ). He cleans it up and heads out the door to work. After my shower I start pondering where Adam threw the poo away if I was using the bathroom.... no way would he have thrown it in the kitchen trash- would he?? So, when Adam gets home for lunch I ask him "Did you throw Tyson's poo in the kitchen trash?!" he relies with "you caught me..." All I have to say is SICK.
• This next one is from a convo we had last week about how screwed we would be if I got pregnant. Not because we couldn 't handle it, but because we have no money and would definitely need to move to a larger house. That lead into a conversation about how fun it would be to have twins... we both agree that this would be awesome and already have twin boy names picked out. ANYWAYS, this leads to the Adam Griffin quote of the week "I would rather have twins now, then wait and have one later" (talking about the trade-off in life... if that makes sense).

XOXO

OMG It's too hot to say hi (stolen title from The Future Mrs. Wassinger's Blog)

Hello everyone! I got a bit of a laugh from Erica's post on her AC breaking in her house (www.planningforthenextbigthing.blogspot.com) because I can't rememeber the last time our temperature in the house was in the 70's.

In Denver, most people don't have AC because the weather is so temperate. If you can make it through the few really hot weeks in the summer, then why waste the money on installing an AC unit? Yesterday, it was 87 degrees when we went to bed and 82 when we woke up. I have officially become accustomed to this type of sleeping condition, although 87 was a little TOO hot if I do say so myself. Next summer, Adam and I will be investing in some more fans and possibly a few window units to cool us down. Honest to God, if it is in the 70's in our house, I get cold now :) isn't that crazy? I am very sad/glad Ashley Payson has not visited yet. Sad, because I miss her, but glad because she has an extremely sensitive temperature zone and would not be a happy camper in this heat!

Toodles!

Need to clear the air

Adam and I want to formally apologize to our friends and family for the recent news article released in the Kansas City area. We were experimenting and learned our lesson. We feel it is very important to clear the air and let you all know we are extremely sorry for any emotional damage this has done to our relationship.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1392318.html

Funny, funny moment in the Griffin household- Adam and Tyson

Moments like these are why I started a blog. Enjoy :) PS- sorry, I filmed it longways on my camera and can't figure out how to rotate the video.

Ruff ruff!

This is me! I am about 10.5 weeks old

Hi everyone! My name is Tyson and I would like to tell you all about me. I have lived with Emily (Mom) and Adam (Dad) for about two weeks now. I love them both soooo much, especially Emily, because she hangs out with me all day and lets me attack her feet while she is trying working at her desk! What is really cool; is I am trying to dig a hole to China in the backyard!!!! I haven't gotten very far yet, because mom and dad get mad at me when they see me digging, but I don't care- as soon as they go back inside, I start digging again. I know I will get there soon! Sometimes, when I am digging when they are not there, my nose gets covered in dirt and since it is white, they know what I have been up to.

The hole I am digging. It is bigger in person, than this picture is showing

I also love socks and shoes! They are my favorite thing to chew on. My dad leaves his shoes on the floor every night so it makes it very easy to get to them! One time, I had Emily's favorite pair of sandals in my mouth and she got really mad... I don't get to chew on Emily's shoes anymore, but I know Dad doesn't care, cause he leaves them out for me to play with every day!

I don't understand why mom and dad don't like when I bite them? My sisters and brothers used to do this all the time and we loved it! I got my first big spanking from mom the other day when I bite her ankle. I thought she was trying to play with me and that is what she wanted?! Good thing the spanking didn't really hurt, because I still like to bite her and chase her feet around the house. When I am hyper- that is all I can think about! Yesterday, I bit a hole in the bottom of her sweat pants... isn't that sooo funny!

Recently, they bought this big, scary wire cage that they make me sleep in. At first I didn't really like it, but now- I have new a new big cushion in it and I kind of am getting used to it (but don't tell mom and dad because I know if I start crying at 5 or 6 in the morning, they will let me sleep in their bed with them); then I get to chew on their ears and eat Emily's hair. Since they are soooo sleepy they don't even stop me!!!!!

I have been a very good boy about going to the bathroom. I know that I am only allowed to do that outside and that is it! But that is easy and every dog should know that?! I don't understand why other puppies have a hard time, because it is so easy for me!! Mom says I am the best puppy she has ever had because I don't pee in the house. I also love to cuddle and mom has been teaching me new tricks! If I do them, I get a treat which I love soooo much. She says if I keep practicing, I will be the best dog in the world! I already think I am, though..... My most favorite thing about my Dad is he gives me belly rubs when I get home from work. Sometimes, I get so excited when he comes in the door that I might pee a little bit!

Did you know I am just like Nastia Lukin (the gymnast)? Outside, we have steps that go down to the grass. Well, at the top of the steps there is this very thin ledge and if you walk on it, you can stand on top of the grill!!! Isn't that neat? Well, I made it to the grill once, but then I fell off the top of the grill. The other two times, I fell when I was on the ledge walking over to the grill. Since mom and dad keep the cooler right there, I fell on top of the cooler and then to the ground. I don't think I am going to try it anymore. Today, I was going to walk to the grill and as soon as I got on the ledge I started wobbling back and forth. I just knew I was going to fall so I started crying. Luckily, Mom heard me and she came to the rescue before I fell on the cement again. Maybe when I am older, I will try again.

Our house is full of toys just for me!!!! Mom and Dad must have bought everything for me to chew on. My favorite things to chew and play with are the rugs, a basket they keep in the living room, any sort of string or buckle, cords and probably my most favorite is my food bowl! I love to eat so much because my food is very yummy, but then I get to play with my bowl all around the house! It is so funny when it makes loud noises.

Anyways, I am getting VERY tired from typing. I think I am going to take a nap now. I hope everyone is having a good day and please come visit me, mom and dad soon! Ruff!

You know you're married when...

Getting married has been awesome, not only do I get to hang out with my best friend all the time, but I also get to learn something new about him almost everyday. Some of them good, some of them interesting and then, of course, the few things that take a while to get used to. There have been a few things that I have learned along the way, that one doesn't think about prior to marriage. Of course, I love Adam with all my heart, but I decided to start this "you know you're married when.." post and keep it on-going the more I learn and figure out.

1) You know you're married when your car insurance rate goes up because your partner does not have a stellar driving record (who knew his driving record would affect me?!)

2) You know you're married when you spend your free time researching recipes to cook for dinner... believe it or not, I do all the time :)

3) You know you're married when your expenses double for the month (double incomes are great, but that just means double the expenses too, so it really just evens out).

4) You know you're married when you are addressed or introduced as "married people" or these are my "married friends" instead of "Adam" and "Emily"

5) You know you're married when you are allowed to open the other one's mail :) especially when it relates to a bank account or credit card bill

6) You know you're married when you go to all the trouble to change your name on everything and just when you think you are finished, your new Capital One credit card comes with the names:
Emily A Grissis and Adam G Grissis (confirmation right there that the customer service is outsourced, probably to India).

7) You know you're married when, even though it has only been 2 months, you have been asked approx. 30 times when you are having kids.

8) You know you're married when your husband asks if he can go out (hehe)


That is all I got for now, but I will be updating this list occasionally... for all you married folks, I am sure you can relate and for those who aren't... get excited and just wait... signing off...

Food Inc.

If you could do one thing to invest in your own health, happiness and future it would be to watch what you eat. I am not talking about eating the "light" labeled foods or the 100 calorie packs instead of the usual amounts you may intake... but to simply eat as close to nature as possible, meaning organic produce and naturally raised/grass- fed meats.

As most of you know, Adam and I only eat organic foods. Some people think we are crazy or slightly "hippie" :), especially since we have a tight budget, but spend A LOT more on food than we could be, but after seeing Food Inc. this afternoon it re-confirmed why we do it. I don't want to go into what the movie was about, because everyone should see it for themselves. I think most Americans are uneducated about the food industry and don't understand why it is important to "know" where your foods are coming from. Diabetes used to only occur in adults, but in the last decade has started appearing in children at an exponential rate. This is not because they don't have "self" control, but because we don't realize what we are putting into our bodies on a daily basis. The food industry has basically programed our bodies to crave three things... sugar, salt and fat. What is sad is that it costs less to buy a McDonald's hamburger, than to buy a pound of organic potatoes, tomatoes or whatever is in season. I think one thing I realized after seeing this movie is the fact that human greed has taken over this county. Whether it has been the mortgage industry, tobacco, or food industry... it all relates back to greed. When it comes to the food industry the goal is to produces as much as possible at the cheapest rate, no matter the cost to the consumer's health, environment, or animals. Greed has become such a part of the American mind that I can't even picture what it would be like without it, obviously something very different. Please, go see this movie- not for me, but for yourself! A few interesting facts to leave you with:

• Did you know that the meet industry uses ammonium fillers to put in hamburger patties to kill the possible e-coli? Which we then eat?
  
• Did you know that cows were not created to eat corn and yet that is what they are fed? They were designed by God to eat grass, but yet due to the cheap cost of corn- are fed corn- which actually makes them sick and then they are pumped with antibiotics to keep them from getting sick? This is why you should be eating grass-fed cows
• The soy-bean industry is handled by one corporation that has genetically modified the soy bean to withstand "Round Up" (the weed killer) which means that this is sprayed on the soybeans and kills the weeds and peticides... but stays on the soybean and it is not necessarily a "soybean" anymore

There is so much more information and interesting facts that the average American should be aware about it. I am heading to bed, but here is the link for more information. www.foodincmovie.com

He finally did it!

So like I said in my last post, Tyson finally did "shake". We have been practicing like 10 times a day for the last week and just when I thought it was hopeless... he did it! Here is a video I took of him. So precious. Now he knows "sit" and "shake". We are onto "lay down" next.

PS- I have been doing doggie IQ tests with him and lets hope the IQ tests are for grown dogs, not 9 week old puppies, or Adam and I are in trouble :)

Our Health-Food Eating Dog

I am all about training Tyson these days. I really want him to be a well-behaved dog, properly socialized, etc. I think Lainey (which lives with my parents now) is a great dog, but definitely not perfect and I wish I would have done a few thing differently with her... Anyways, this leads into my story......

The other day, I ordered some books on training your dog. One of the books is titled "11 things you need to do to keep your dog happy and healthy". Chapter 1 is over what to feed your dog. Well, I have already bought Tyson some Natural food that I thought was OK- not complete crap, stuffed with chemicals and artificial dyes. Chapter 1 of this book talks about how disgusting the pet food industry is and how is got started... which is interesting! Basically the grain companies have moldy or old grain that they can't put into the people products and the meat industry has meat from diseased animals, deceased animals, or just left overs that they can't use. Way back when.... the grain and meat industry got together and decided to mix their old/left-overs together and call it "pet food." On top of that... the food is stuffed with preservatives (chemically based) and artificial dyes. Not good for pets, just like this would not be good for humans.

This book emphasizes how the #1 killer of pets these days is cancer... probably from the food we are giving them. They say we should be feeding our pets "people food" (chicken, beef, veggies, etc). The guy who wrote this actually cooks for his dogs everyday. Well, you know me, I immediately chop up some broccoli and zucchini and serve it to Tyson.... do you think he eats it? NO. I mixed it with his dog food and here is a picture of him trying to dig through the bowl and pick out his dog food- not veggies. The broccoli and zucchini ended up all over the house :) pretty funny.

One thing I have given him that he LOVES is hard boiled eggs. I serve them to him with dinner every night. And this book does recommend ONE commercialized brand that is actually "human ingrediant certified" or something like that- which I am guessing means, we could eat it and not get sick. It is called Innova and Tyson will be switched to this after he finished his current bag. You can look it up online to see what pet stores it is sold at close to you. With this food, feeding them some people food should make them happy, healthy pups!!!!! Recommended is: oats, brown rice, chicken, beef, etc. and fruits (not all) and veggies too!

Also interesting- what you CAN'T feed them: Chocolate, grapes, raisins, mushrooms, onions, macadamia nuts, deli meets (hot dogs, pepperonis, ham), anything deep fried, anything that is really spicy, anything with lots of salt, gravy, fat, sugar.

So I guess this was an informational post- but I personally found this info very interesting. If anyone is interested in this book, I have it on my computer and can email it to you. Some of it is a little over the top, but all in all, it has some great info :) PS- we are soooooo excited because Tyson finally knows what "shake" is. We have been working on it over a week and he did it today- so proud!

Not sure why I decided to start a blog....

Well, it is a random Wednesday in August and like usual, I am working from home and possibly a little bored. I would have never thought I would be the blogging type until I realized that Adam doesn't think my stories are that funny... like my friends do. Maybe you all have just done a great job of faking it over the years, but I think I have good stories, so I decided to start writing them.


About me: Adam and I were just married on June 6, 2009. We moved from Dallas, TX to Denver, CO pretty much on a whim. We were a little tired of Dallas and had always heard great things about Denver- so decided to give it a shot. So in the midst of planning a wedding, we moved to Denver and I ended up getting a new job with an awesome company called American Traffic Solutions (ATS). Basically I sell red light cameras and speed cameras. Though I don't tell many people what I do anymore (some people are soooooo against these) I have truly enjoyed my position so far. Oh! and by the way... we just got a puppy named Tyson. He is a lab/shepard mix (maybe) from the rescue. So, not to be too much like Ali Moore's blog, there will be some stories about him along the way.


Disclaimer:

• I am an awful speller- so there will be several misspelled words throughout my blog
• I sometimes am a little too wordy
• grammer is not always steller
• I really like using smiley faces... :)
• My brains gets ahead of how fast and I can type and I might leave out a word or two... or don't double check my typing and might put an "if" instead of "in" or an "I" instead of an "It" etc.
• I also make up words (just learned "confirmational" is not a word.. been using it in my job for the last 2.5 yrs- woops!)
• I type things how they sound. For instance, I was typing to Adam once and we were talking about packing. I said something like..."you need to pack your toilet trees" he said "my what???" ... "your toilet trees, Adam... you know toothbrush, razor,etc..." Why didn't I know it was "toiletries"???? Cause nobody ever told me.

Anyways, so lets get this blog started! Below is a family picture from last weekend.