Mandii's Muse

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. Mine was just ok, nothing too spectacular. On Monday of last week, I came home with a scratchy throat, and my voice was starting to go. When I woke up on Tuesday, I could hardly swallow, and had no voice. I went to Urgent Care, and while I tested negative for strep, I did have a bad case of laryngitis. They put me on steroids, and I just kept drinking tea. My voice still wasn't back on Wednesday, and I developed a cough and runny nose in the meantime. By Thursday my voice came back a little bit, so I pulled myself together to go to a concert that I had bought tickets for. My mom, aunt, and myself are really big Karen Carpenter fans. A small theater was putting on a tribute show, so we spent Valentine's Day listening to her. It was absolutely fantastic! Her show was approved by Richard Carpenter, and she took us along on a musical journey throughout their career. There was a lot of TV watching while I was sick, so watching my Blue De...

I meant to post this last week, but never did! So you are getting to see it today! This is just a little "what's up" on this Wednesday! 1. What I’m Eating this Week: I am thinking some soup, pasta, and baked chicken with a baked potato! 2. What I’m Reminiscing About: It has to be my recent experience at the Duke game , and all my trips to North Carolina to Cameron Indoor. I absolutely love basketball season! 3. What I’m Loving: I’m loving all the cozy winter wear I get to wear! Now, it doesn’t have to be below freezing, but I’m enjoying the sweaters, cozy robe, and warm fuzzy pajamas I get to wear. 4. What I’ve Been Up To: Not much! Just working, doing the usual grocery shopping/Costco runs, family time I get to have! 5. What I’m Dreading: I think I say this every single time, but I dread the Winter to Summer clothes switch over! It is such a chore that I dread every season. 6.  What I’m Working On: I’m working on upcoming blog posts for you! I’m a...

Well guys and gals, I headed into “enemy” territory and rooted on my Blue Devils while they played Pitt. I bought the tickets for my Dad for Christmas, and agonized whether or not I should get them or not. My mom was a big help in convincing me. I was a researching fool getting seats, I had multiple seating charts pulled up, multiple ticket companies pulled up, it was quite the process. Luckily, I was able to get seats on the first level AND on the Duke side of the court! Score! My dad and I knew going into this season that we really wanted to see this team play. We especially wanted to see Zion Williamson play. The dude is crazy big, and crazy athletic. The game was a 9:00 game on ESPN. As soon as I left work on Tuesday, I ran to Dunkin’ and got a latte to help keep me awake. Luckily we had a 2 hour delay that morning, so I was able to sleep in a little, and I had adrenaline going, so it wasn’t hard to stay awake at all. My dad and I opted to eat at home, so we hurried up an...

Tuesday was my birthday. I truly had a wonderful birthday week. It was celebrated with my family, and lots of cake. Monday, I went out to dinner with my parents at our favorite restaurant. I had a free dessert voucher from them, so I had the ho ho cake which we all shared. Tuesday, my actual birthday, I went and got my nails done with my mom. Then I went out to dinner with my parents, aunt and uncle, great grandpa, and grandparents. We went to our favorite burger place, and again, had more cake. Haha! Finally on Saturday, I had my birthday party at the house with my family again! This year we had sausage sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, dirty rice, coleslaw, and the best cake ever. It was fantastic! I was able to open presents, and got my traditional nutcracker from my Bubba, and my traditional Snow Baby from my aunt and uncle. She also gifted me a plate from the antique collection that I started collecting. If you know me, you know that I collect Nutcrackers, and SnowBab...

I shared my Wedesday before Thanksgiving over on InstaStories, but in case you missed it I thought I would share it here as well!  My mom and I had a nail appointment, so we finished that, and grabbed lunch at our favorite hot dog shop. Even though we were going to consume 4,000 calories the following day, they still tasted delicious. That evening, my poor Dukies were handed their first loss. The final score was much closer than this photo, but I for one, did not expect to go undefeated this season, and truthfully I didn't expect to win this game. Gonzaga is scary good, y'all. This Thanksgiving break should be named the ice cream break. We recently got a new ice cream maker and I have been having fun trying out some new recipes. I've made vanilla, butter pecan, and chocolate almond so far. For Christmas Eve, I think I am going to make peppermint ice cream. I've made it before and it is to die for!  As usual, we didn't have any food for Than...

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, and have ushered in the holiday season in grand fashion. It seems so strange that Thanksgiving has passed and we are on our way to Christmas. This season is definitely my all time favorite. I love the magic that this season brings. Did anyone score any good deals for Black Friday? I'm more of a cyber Monday kind of gal, so I am probably doing that as you read this right now! I will probably split this into two posts, because while I was busy during the break, I also just relaxed a lot too. Here is how I spent part of my Thanksgiving break. Here was my Tuesday before Thanksgiving! My parents and I have a tradition of going to Kraynaks. I've spoken about this store before, but during Christmas and Easter they have a section of their store decorated with trees, and other seasonal items, and you can walk through and look at them. They also have Santa and the Easter bunny there and you can get your picture with them as well. My parents...

I hope you weekend was relaxing and enjoyable! Mine was pretty relaxing, and chilly! I'm still getting used to the colder weather. Will we have an "Indian summer?" That's yet to be determined! My church had a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. Think of it as a trial run to the big day. It was nice to fellowship with our church family outside of Sunday. Mom and I spend the morning in the kitchen. I made a chocolate fudge cake, and my mom made sweet potato casserole. Then, I made my Brunch Egg Casserole for Sunday's breakfast. I think both are going to be on the menu for Christmas! (I like to practice my recipes for Christmas early, get all the kinks worked out for a smooth baking come Christmas! Sunday I went to church and afterwards, I practiced with the ladies for our Christmas Cantata. This was our first Sunday without using the backing tracks, and I think we did pretty good. It can only go up from here right? Please keep our ladies in your prayers for us to ...

The first weekend in October is OglebayFest. If you have never been to Oglebay , it is one of the most beautiful places in West Virginia. Nestled on a mountain steeped in West Virginia history, Oglebay is a year round center of activity! Oglebayfest has a section for the Ohio County fair to show off their award winning produce, flower arrangements, and livestock. When my family and I  went, we were lucky enough to be in the livestock tent when a downpour happened. On the hillside by the mansion, is where all of the crafters set up. There are also lots of food vendors that you can sample wine, dips, and even some local honey and maple syrup. Next year, we decided that we are eating at the German food area! The food sounded so good! Here is a little more information about Oglebay: Oglebay is home to the Good Zoo, a zoo that has a cheetah exhibit and other animals. If you want to make a weekend out of it, Oglebay is known for their Festival of Lights, where the entire park is d...

Wanted to share some quick Friday Favorites with you! This week was a busy one with birthday's! My best friend Courtney celebrated hers on the 1st, and my mom celebrated hers on the 2nd! I celebrated my friend's by taking her out to lunch, and then we went to our local animal park to feed the animals. Then I treated her to a manicure! It was the most perfect girls day, and I was so happy that I got to celebrate her birthday with her! For my mom's birthday, my dad and I prepared breakfast and cleaned it up. She went to lunch with her brother and sister in law, (Hi Aunt Mare!) and then we all went to dinner at our favorite restaurant. I had the tacos, the best! She said she had a wonderful day! Also this week, it was my turn to host our monthly "Faith Group." We continued our study on Max Lucado's book Anxious for Nothing, and it was a great night. I also tried my first ever pumpkin spice coffee. I don't know what took me so long, but I ...

I'm soaking in the last little bit of Summer and enjoying Labor Day with my family! I hope you are doing the same!

Phillip G Cochran Church I'm not entirely sure when I've had a summer this busy. Honestly, I swear there has been something going every weekend. I'm not complaining. Okay, maybe a little bit. How in the world is it almost AUGUST? SLOW DOWN Summer! For reals! One of the highlights this summer has been all of the weddings I've been to. I'm a sucker for a wedding. I went to a beautiful one, and want to share it with you! First of all, the wedding was in the Phillip G. Cochran Memorial Methodist Church. This is located in the little town of Dawson, PA. Can I just tell you it was absolutely stunning! This church is listed on the National Register of Historic places. The bride's father officiated, and they had a traditional ceremony which I love. So heartfelt and meaningful! The reception was at Linden Hall. My parents had visited there on their honeymoon. Remember when they went here too? Again, this place is just beautiful. The food was outstanding, and the...

How is it 2016 already? Time sure does fly! So, I was really bad about taking pictures for New Year's. It is a relatively low key event for my family. My grandparents and aunt and uncle came out for New Year's Eve. My family decided on a taco bar, and it was a HUGE hit! I got to use some present and former Christmas presents which I love! My fondue pot came in handy for keeping the queso warm, and my new 2 quart crockpot was great for keeping the rice warm.  My mom, aunt, uncle, and I started off the night playing Uno. Funny story, there was a time a few Christmases ago where they got me an Uno game for 3 years straight.It is now a running joke in our family! Then, we played Dominoes or Mexican trains. I love, love, love this game! I don't play it enough, so I am going to have to have a "game night" and have some of my friends play it with me. Have you ever played this game? Cashew, Clarice, and I right before the ball dropped. He was in bed, I was heading for...

All good things must come to an end I guess. I love Christmas. The moments leading up to Christmas, carols playing, candelight Christmas Eve service, Christmas morning. Gift giving and receiving, Christmas afternoon naps. All of it. So I guess I will have to wait until next year, but I wanted to share with you some of the fun from this Christmas! This is NOT tea.  Right after my birthday, I got sick. With bronchitis. I could.not.stop.coughing. I had no voice, and no energy. It was horrible. I suffered with a cold/sinus crud all through Christmas. The days leading up to Christmas were a complete blur. I worked, then was usually out running errands until 9 then came home and got prepped for the big day. One trip I did enjoy was getting my favorite Wedgewood Pizza. Christmas Eve Eve I worked a half day. I came home and finished wrapping some gifts. Luckily, there wasn't a whole lot left to wrap! Then I made my Italian butter, and salad dressing for Christmas Eve dinner. ...

Image It is no secret that Christmas is approaching very fast. Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends, not our phones. I've found that a lot of people today don't know how to spend time with one another. So I've come to give you some suggestions! Instead of having people segregate to one area of the house here are some things you can do as a family that will get you laughing and spending time with one another as a family. I love to gather my family around and watch home movies! There is nothing like gathering around the television commenting on how much everyone has changed . If you don't have home movies, pull out some old photos! Younger kids would love seeing their parents as youngsters. My family and I also love to play board games! Some of our favorites are Uno, and Dominoes (also known as Mexican trains) Password, Catchphrase, and Yahtzee. This gets everyone together and engaged with one another. If nothing else, turn off the TV, place a...

Alright, I took a total of two pictures for Thanksgiving. #badblogger My aunt hosted dinner this year and she set an absolutely beautiful table. I wish we both would have gotten a picture of it, because it was so pretty! My family was in charge of two sides: green bean casserole, and cranberry applesauce. I made a chocolate pecan pie, since I don't like pumpkin pie. Our plate looked something like this:  This was last year's plate, but this year looked very similar! There were eight of us, but we probably could have fed 38 people! Our family knows how to cook, and cook for many VERY WELL!  After dinner and dessert, we kind of became entranced with the 5 hour train ride to Healy, Alaska on Destination America. I mean, we could blame the food coma we were in, but we were all loving it!  It was a rainy, foggy day, but I promise that's Pittsburgh! Saturday after Thanksgiving, my family headed to Pittsburgh to meet up with my aunts and uncles, and cousins o...

Monday nights this summer have been called "guinea pig" night at my Bubba's house. Basically, I make a new recipe and try it out on my family at her house. If it was a total bust there was always pizza, but, it has been a real success! I've found recipes that I can add to my collection, and continue to hone my cooking skills while I'm at it. This one was a winner! My Mom makes really, really great barbecue sauce. We really don't even buy it anymore. When I saw this recipe, it was different style of barbecue sauce, and I wanted to try my hand at making my ownI found this recipe on my BlogHer feed from  Quirks and Twists . I made a few changes based on the ingredients I couldn't find, and it still turned out wonderfully! Here is the recipe, and as usual, my thoughts are in italics . Honey Balsamic Chicken Sandwiches Ingredients: 1 pound chicken 1/2 C water 2 Tbsp garlic 1 bay leaf (I didn't use this) 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 C onion 1 C bals...

Perhaps you weekend was crazy like mine, or maybe it was more relaxed and low key. Either way, I'm thankful for weekends. Let's start at Friday shall we? Friday my dog Cashew was supposed to get a bath. Right as my mom and I were getting ready to leave, my dad walks in with paper towels wrapped around his finger. He was trimming bushes and sliced his finger with the trimmer. Thankfully, it is just a really bad gash that probably should have had a stitch, but is healing slowly. So I bandage him up, and we are running late to the groomers. I called and told them that we were on the way, and find out that they couldn't take us. So we rescheduled. That should have been an indication of the weekend ahead. This was prior to the madness! Saturday I had bought tickets to go to the Cleveland Indians game. My parents always do nice things for me, so I wanted to repay them a little bit. The day was gorgeous! It was sunny, a nice breeze, and we hit absolutely no traffic until...