Pumpkin Muffins

So it seems as though I was infected with some sort of domestic gene yesterday.  Perhaps it was in effort to redeem myself from the ridiculousness that was Saturday night.  You know it’s bad if you got home at 9 pm and can still call your night ridiculous.

the ladies of the football team

The reason truth or dare was played at the bar

I’m pretty sure we were minutes from being kicked out of the bar when we decided to change locations.  Apparently patrons who hadn’t been there since 3 pm did not appreciate our rowdy game of truth or dare.  Psh, whatever.  Prior to joining our football team in their post win celebrations at the bar, Dani and I actually partook in some culture downtown.

Dani’s youngest sister, Brooke, is a 14 year-old ballet superstar studying at the Kirov Academy in DC, and on Saturday her and a few other girls were part of an exhibit in tribute to Degas at the Phillips Collection.  They were emulating Degas’s Dancers at the Barre, and for 2 hours moved in different poses and stretches for observers.

Pretty amazing huh? Brooke lives at Kirov and studies dance and her regular 9th grade classes.  I barely made it through regular high school, haha.  It was a really fun afternoon and a cool exhibit to check out.

So yeah, then yesterday I was struck with some weird productivity and domesticity and tackled a lot for a Sunday.  First up was cleaning out the refrigerator to make room for a 21 lb frozen turkey.  We’re having “friends” Thanksgiving on Saturday and as usual I am in charge of providing the bird.  We had a lot of expired condiments in our fridge, and now we have a lot of room.  It’s nice.

After making room for all the food I needed to buy, I turned down an invite from the roommates to go out and watch football and instead headed over to Harris Teeter.  $104 later I was set, with not only Saturday’s turkey, but my groceries for the week, talk about an over budget trip.  Ugh.  Once home, I chopped up some onions, peppers, and chicken sausage, threw them in the crock pot with some wine, and dinner got to work cooking itself.  Then I was hit with the urge to bake, luckily I foresaw this urge and had happened to pick up a box of Spice Cake mix while at the store.  The simple box mix, combined with one can of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, wielded these awesome muffins.

At the last minute I decided to throw in some chocolate chips, and it was a wonderful decision on my part.  These are phenomenal, and I froze a few immediately to keep myself from eating all 12 in one week.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (Makes 12)
1 Box Spice Cake Mix (I used Dunkin Hines)
1 Can (15 oz) Pumpkin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Ginger
Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease your muffin tin (or line with papers).  In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth.  I just used a metal whisk, since muffin batter shouldn’t be too thin.  Spoon even amounts into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Football, Beer, Bar Food

So, I didn’t get any of the cleaning done that I wanted to over the weekend, but I did do laundry on Friday night.  I know, I’m so out of control.  I was almost hoping our football game on Saturday afternoon would be cancelled and I’d have a chance to actually clean.  It wasn’t, instead I ran around for an hour in a mud pit trying not to break my knee in half.  We lost our game.

After the exhausting ass kicking only two things sounded good to me, beer and bar food, so Adrienne and I headed to our league sponsored bar to hang out for a bit.  Two $2.50 Miller Lights and a plate of chicken nachos later, I was ready fora nap, instead we bought Red Bulls and went home to clean up before heading out for the rest of the night.

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day with promise of turning into a beautiful fall night, so we went over to Whitlows to hang on the rooftop and watch the Caps game.  Unfortunately Adrienne and I were accosted almost immediately by two young men who couldn’t take a hint and were neither of our types, even if I was single.  Some gems from the evening:

• Guy 1 referring to his future ex-wife while talking to Adrienne
• Guy 2 trying to get down on one knee and kiss my hand. Please do not touch me
• Repeatedly telling me how my grey and orange sweater matches my eyes. My eyes are blue.
• Complimenting my eyebrows and then trying to touch them. Again, please do not touch me
• Deciding my sweater resembles Freddy Kreuger’s. Yeah, I also kill people while they sleep. Watch out.
• If you are repeatedly asking us why we’re not talkative and just staring over your shoulders at the TV, just go away.

Adrienne and I eventually had enough and made a swift departure with our friend Ricky to head downtown to meet up with our friends who were at the Caps game.  Luckily, that part of the night was much more fun, and when I finally face planted in my bed at 2 am I was beat.

Yesterday I got my grocery shopping done for the week before collapsing on the couch for the remainder of the day.  My late night and inability to sleep in did not mix well and I was exhausted.  Darren called at one point and told me I sounded like shit.  Thanks hun, I appreciate it, haha.  Here’s to hoping this four-day week goes by quickly, because I am anxiously awaiting 5:15 pm on Thursday night when my boo gets here!

What are the worst pick-up lines you’ve ever heard?

Sunday Routine Returns

Is there anything more terrifying that sneezing while driving in traffic?  I honestly don’t think so, and I sneezed no less than 10 times on my drive into work this morning.  We’re all lucky I managed to avoid slamming into the cars in front of me while having my sneezing fits.  Geeesh.

As you know, I spent my Friday night being a loser and stayed in crafting a wreath for my front door.  My mom, Aunt, and sister are coming to visit this weekend, so Saturday I spent an absurd amount of hours cleaning my room and bathroom.  I even rotated my mattress, who am I?  Actually, the indent on the side I normally sleep on was really starting to become prominent, so it was about time I flipped that sucker.  Now, I roll into the middle because one side is so much higher than the other.  Oh, just another joy of the LDR.

Saturday night I did manage to drag myself out of the house for a few hours.  I met up with some friends in Clarendon for a few beers and attempted match making.  Anyone in the Arlington/DC area looking for a man with a fun southern accent?  If so, I have a friend who would be perfect, inquire within!  Four beers and a few hours later, I said my goodbyes, and was home in bed by 12:30 watching Sex and the City reruns.  It was a lovely night if I do say so myself.

Yesterday was the return of the NFL season, and I am thrilled with the performance by both my fantasy team and real life team.  Go Birds!  I basically lounged around all day watching the various games and checking scores and updates on my laptop.  Twas lovely. It was also lovely getting to talk to my love for over 2 hours on Skype last night.  I haven’t seen him since the first weekend of August, and won’t see him until October 20, and I miss him oh so much, so it was really nice to “see” him last night.  Ten points for Skype!

Alright kids, back to the grind of the work week.  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!