Fall is, without a doubt, my very favorite season. Not because of the pumpkin spice everything (I'm actually not a big pumpkin spice person) but because I love soup. And thankfully, my family does, too. I know it's not "officially" fall for six more days, but I am so excited to post these now :)
Sometimes, we'll have soup for dinner five times in a week! And because it's so versatile (you can turn pretty much any favorite meal into a soup or stew or chili of some sort), it never gets boring.
I have so many favorites, it's hard to even make a list. But after much consideration, I've narrowed it down to my Top 12 Favorite Soups (in no particular order--I couldn't choose a very favorite!):
I love baked potatoes, but I can never seem to get the texture right. They are either too mushy, too firm, or even rubbery. But this has the perfect texture and combination of all the "loaded" in potato soup and it's seriously SO EASY to make (considering you use frozen potatoes)!
This soup has such the perfect combination of flavors--the sausage and garlic being the most prominent (probably because I add extra garlic). Serve topped with parmesan cheese. So good!
This is a go-to when I just don't know what to make for dinner and if I happen to have chicken in the freezer. I don't even thaw it--I throw everything into the crock pot (pretty much zero prep work) and the soup is delicious! I always top it with cheese and Fritos :) Also, this is the tastiest way to get some extra fiber into your diet!
This is more of a soup than a chili. Don't let the photo fool you into thinking it's bland. It's full of flavor and it's absolutely delicious, especially on a cold day.
Again, this is a go-to recipe when I need something to throw in the crock pot. Split pea soup may not look pretty, but this is my kids' FAVORITE meal. They literally ask for this every week! Allow a full eight hours in the crock pot to get it nice and thick.
This will make your house smell like HEAVEN. I promise! The tomatoes and garlic roasting in the olive oil will make you want to take a bath in it. (Not really, but it's SO good!)
I happen to love Wendy's chili, and I used to eat it in college when I was on Weight Watchers. I would always order a baked potato and chili. Anyway, this recipe actually tastes very much like the Wendy's recipe!
This is the most simple recipe for soup you could possibly make (nearly as easy as opening a can!) but it tastes amazing! Even if you don't think you like lentils, definitely give this a try. The red lentils are much different than the green lentils that you typically see at the grocery store.
I don't know if I've ever even had Max & Erma's Chicken Tortilla Soup, but I tried out a few recipes for it and I love this one. (I cannot remember where I got it, so if you have the original, please let me know so I can give them credit.) This recipe basically involves opening a LOT of cans. Whenever I've made this, I get tons of compliments and several people ask for the recipe. It's almost embarrassing how easy it is!
If you think you don't like lentils, you've GOT to try this! Even meat lovers will enjoy this. In fact, it's one of Jerry's favorite meals! Don't knock it until you've tried it--really.
This may not look like a typical chili, but it has so much flavor and is super hearty--it's amazing! It's one of my favorite recipes when I'm just not sure what to make--I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand. I like to serve it with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips if I have them. But even if you eat it plain, it's so flavorful that you won't miss the toppings!
Way back before COVID turned the world upside down, I started thinking of plans for Jerry's 40th birthday this year (today). I wanted to do something that I knew he would love--a very cheesy, romantic getaway for the two of us. Somewhere tropical. Basically, the opposite of something I would choose! Haha.
I was thinking of the types of resorts on The Bachelor--the types of trips that I make fun of because of the corniness. I asked Becky for some ideas and I started researching destinations.
And then there was COVID. I had no idea that this quarantine was going to last so long, but I knew that the plans for a trip (or even a large party) were out of the question. My second idea was to have a "roast" of Jerry with our friends--he would LOVE that--but again, a large gathering was out.
I gave him an early birthday gift (the beer beverage refrigerator for the man cave). But I am SO SO SO ashamed to admit that I actually forgot it was his birthday today. I didn't realize it until around 2:00 in the afternoon when his mom called to wish him happy birthday. I started crying and apologizing and I just felt horrible.
He honestly didn't mind, especially considering all that I've been through this week, but I have NEVER forgotten his birthday before. So I am hoping this blog post will somewhat make up for it. This is going to be long--lots of pictures!--but only short captions.
In honor of his 40th birthday, here are 40 of my favorite photos/moments of Jerry:
I wanted a little garden and got this idea to use a kiddie pool from my friend Hilary. I hated the way the dirt smelled (fertilizer?) so Jerry did the planting for me. I was so grateful!
Jerry and Chandler. Jerry adored Chandler, who was the most loyal cat ever, and still talks about how he misses him.
After I ran my first marathon (in Cleveland, 2012), I had a black toenail and another that seemed to be falling off. Jerry asked me if he could paint my toenails. He was pretty enthusiastic about it!
This was shortly after Jerry completed Insanity (a truly "insane" workout plan). I couldn't believed how defined his muscles were! He didn't even realize it until I showed him this photo.
Purina invited me to a cat adoption event about an hour from my house, so I took the family to check it out. They had people there giving massages and manicures. So, Jerry and the kids each got a manicure! I love it :)
I find this picture so funny because I think Jerry's face goes PERFECTLY in the painting!
I love this picture because of Jerry's shirt. He designed it before he went to San Diego to visit John. It says, "I'm Jerr-ific!"
Jerry grew to love Mark almost as much as I did, and Mark really loved Jerry. Sometimes after we visited Mark at the nursing home, he'd pull Jerry down to whisper in his ear, "You got to hold on to her! She's a good one!" <3
Jerry and I CRACK UP whenever we see this photo... I have no idea why it is, but his head looks enormous and his neck looks ridiculously long. We think it's hilarious.
When Noah was a toddler, he absolutely LOVED to watch the garbage truck go by. There was a Hispanic man who drove it, and he didn't speak more than a couple of words of English. But he would see either Jerry or I holding Noah on the porch every Monday morning to watch for the truck. He learned that Noah loved to watch, so he would drive back and forth a few times and dumping the big bucket into the back, then crushing the garbage. Noah loved it!
This picture was just moments after Eli was born in January 2006. Jerry adores babies, and the second Eli was born, Jerry was by his side.
This is a day when we took the kids to see Thomas the Tank Engine at Greenfield Village. (Whoever came up with that show... UGH!) While Thomas was the most boring show ever, the kids loved riding on the train. And I love this photo because of how much Jerry and Noah look alike!
We did the Warrior Dash in 2010 in Joliet, IL, and when we got back to the hotel, Jerry took a hot bath while wearing his viking hat. I just thought this was a cute picture!
For Noah's birthday in 2010(?) he invited friends over to go on a nature walk in the marsh across the street and then have a party in the back yard. I love that Jerry took the kids on the walk--they loved it!
Jerry was on a co-ed softball team for work called "Chix N Sticks" (haha) and I loved the pink shorts and socks he wore!
Jerry desperately needed a haircut, and he decided to let the kids give it a try with the clippers. It was so much fun! This is what it ended up look like before I finished it off ;)
This was Jerry's very first time eating a Big Mac... can you believe it?! He even worked at McDonald's for a few years when he was in high school!! (He loved the Big Mac, by the way, and I think it's his go-to at McD's now.)
This is one of the sweetest things Jerry has ever done for me. He knew how much I LOVED my old scale. I'd had it for the longest time and it was the most reliable scale ever. I'd tried other "fancier" scales, but always went back to this one. Until one day, it wouldn't work anymore. I was really upset about it, so Jerry (not know what he was doing at all) tried his best to fix it for me. He wasn't able to, but the fact that he tried so hard meant a lot to me.
We went to an aquarium in Tennessee and saw these fish--we couldn't stop laughing at the "faces" on them!
This was right after Jerry and I got married. I hadn't seen this picture until much later, but I love it! Clearly, he was thrilled to be hooked to me for life ;) (He had no idea what was in store for him, haha)
I took the kids to a fountain to play on a hot day while Jerry was at work, and he somehow got out of work early. He surprised us by showing up at the fountain, and without hesitation, he jumped in with all of his clothes on. The kids thought it was hilarious.
My friend Stephanie took this photo of Jerry during a photoshoot she was doing for me (when I was at my goal weight). Jerry was looking really good, too, so I wanted some pictures of him!
This is how excited Jerry gets for Christmas! Literally. And Jerry was particularly ecstatic during this Christmas because my friend Caitlin, who lives in Boston, managed to get her hands on a bottle of Utopias, a beer that is only made once every two years by Sam Adams. It's $200 for a bottle! Jerry loved being able to share a little with his friends when they came over for a Christmas get together. (It's meant to be sipped in a very small portion because it's VERY potent.)
This picture cracks me up because of these ridiculous "chairs" that Jerry and I have. They are basically like beach chairs, but they don't really have a bottom (just a piece of canvas to sit on). They allow you to sit up or recline. We use them in bed once in a while, but mostly just when we go on a picnic or something. They're pretty hideous, though!
In this photo, Jerry was in one of the happiest moods I'd ever seen him. He was SO excited to visit Fenway Park in Boston, and it was the highlight of his trip.
I love this photo of Jerry teaching Luke how to make the "Jerry face" for pictures!
I love this photo of the two of us--peas in a pod--when we were up north at Jeanie and Shawn's place. We sat and had coffee in the hammock and it was super cozy. It gives me warm fuzzy feelings to think about it :)
As you know, we love quoting from Forrest Gump. This was our, "I'll lean back against you, and you just lean right back against me. This way we don't have to sleep with our heads in the mud." --Bubba
I lecture him about sunscreen ALL THE TIME and he still ends up looking like this sometimes:
Jerry's senior photo :) (He used to have a mole on his cheek, which he had removed in 2002. In school, he was teased for it--people called him "Chocolate Chip" or "Holy Moley!"
This was when we were waiting to get the Certificate of Occupancy for our home in 2003. We were so excited to move in to our first place together!
Jerry may have been slightly high on morphine when I took this photo, but he was telling me to take a selfie with him in the background "looking all sick" so that my haters could talk about what a horrible person I am to be so vain--bahaha!
And of course I love this photo... I'm so jealous he shamelessly asked for a selfie with "Ian Gallagher" at a Star Wars event. He told him that he wanted the photo to "make his wife jealous".
One of the only photos we have of Jerry when he was little. Remember when it was popular to have the photo-in-photo like this done? haha!
Again with the Forrest Gump reference. Jerry was trying to sit like Forrest was when he was waiting at the bus stop.
Of course we had to get his picture with the "J. Foster Jewelers" sign :)
Totally in his element in Seattle. A flight of beers!
This was just moments after Noah was born.
Jerry got so emotional when Noah was born that everyone in the room thought he was going to pass out! (That's my friend Sarah in the background, clearly finding it amusing.)
Finally, I picked this one because I thought it was funny--we were playing Guesstures (similar to charades) and Jerry was acting out one of the clues. I don't remember what the word was!
And there you have it! Forty pictures for forty years. And as a bonus, I'm going to include two of my very favorite videos of Jerry:
I think I have the plan for my Cookies Fall Challenge. I have a few ideas, but here is what I've come up with so far:
1) A checklist of items to complete in a run or walk, very similar to the Cookies Summer Challenge.
2) I will form teams of people to accumulate mileage and compete with other teams. Sign up for a team, and I will make the teams as fair as possible, and then log your miles. It will be a competition to see which team logs the most miles.
3) A "Fall Hard" challenge--very similar to "75 Hard"--where I will have "rules" (a little more flexible than the 75 Hard rules) to follow through the end of fall. I've already thought up the rules for this, and here they are (like I said, they are VERY similar to 75 Hard):
*Follow a diet of your choice--write out your "rules" prior to starting the challenge. You cannot change them midway through, so make sure you choose rules that are challenging but not so hard that you will quit.
*Exercise 60 minutes a day, with a minimum of 30 minutes outside. You can split the workout into two workouts maximum or just do it all in one go. They can be very tough workouts or very easy--your choice--and you can decide these on a day to day basis. You cannot add up steps throughout the day to count them as a workout--the workout needs to be deliberate and done in one or two goes each day.
*Drink 64 ounces of water a day. You can add a squeeze of lemon or lime, but coffee, tea, flavored waters, etc, don't count.
*Read 10 pages of a book (any book you'd like) every day.
*Write in a journal once a day--even if it is just one sentence. I love my "Some Lines a Day" journal! (affiliate link)
*Take a progress photo once a day--a mirror selfie, or ask someone else to take one for you. Preferably a full-length photo. You don't have to share these with anyone; they are just for you.
Does anyone have strong opinions on the challenge ideas? I wanted to do something different than the summer challenge, but when I asked on the Facebook group, there were several people who really liked the checklist.
I also wasn't sure if I should keep it to just exercise (running/walking) or to expand on that and make it more about self-discipline (the "Fall Hard" challenge).
Anyway, I plan on doing something like the "Fall Hard" challenge for myself. I've really liked doing 75 Hard, even though I eventually modified my rules a bit after learning that I wasn't doing them 100% correctly.
I wish I hadn't looked into the podcasts to see which was "correct" and which was "incorrect" as far as the stupid rules go. I was so confident for weeks while doing 75 Hard until I learned I might not be doing it correctly, and then I didn't worry so much about whether I was "right" or "wrong".
This week didn't go nearly as well as I'd hoped. I can't even describe how stressed out I was. With the kids starting school (and nothing going as planned) and all of the stuff on my "to do" list, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. I even had a few panic attacks this week, which hasn't happened in a LONG time.
My weight hasn't gone up, but I don't see a difference in my comparison photos, so it's a bit discouraging.
I haven't really solved anything that I was stressed out about (except that I got my printer working this morning!) but I am sure I'll figure it out. I was talking to Jerry and I think I might even order a couple of nightstands on Amazon instead of building them myself. I would love to build them, but lumber is VERY short right now and it's hard to find what I need. It would be one less thing to worry about.
If you plan on joining in on Cookies Fall Challenge, please let me know what sounds best to you! I plan on posting the "rules"/sign-up sheet next week. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by!
I don't have a photo for today's post, so here is a funny one of Joey, Chick, and Duck!
As expected, I am extremely sore today! All the pulling out bushes and weeds and plants from the landscaping has my upper body feeling like I was hit by a truck. Even my hips hurt this morning when I went for walk.
Today hasn't been a good day (mentally). I feel drained and still so overwhelmed. The kids' schooling is at the top of the stress list, but I am also worried about getting the porch done before the weather gets too cold. A lot of stores are sold out of the lumber I need, and even if I DO find it, I don't have a way to get it home. This is when I really wish we had a truck.
I'd also promised Noah that as soon as the garage was ready, we would build his corner desk. Again, I don't have a way to get the supplies home from the store.
Like I wrote yesterday, the landscaping is a mess. I have to thoroughly rake through all of it, getting out all of the roots, rocks, mulch, etc, as well as kill all of the grass, in order to get it prepared for new plants.
This all sounds so silly if you look at it individually, but each item on my "to-do" list adds up and I get so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to start. I know I need to focus on one thing at a time, but it's nearly impossible with the amount of things that need to be done in a timely manner (like the kids' school work and the porch).
On top of this, I want to refinance our car. Since COVID, the interest rates have gone WAY down, so I want to refinance as soon as possible. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm not sure what I'm doing, but the savings will be totally worth it.
This morning, I had a bit of a breakdown. I had all of the porch and desk plans typed up and ready to print on my computer, along with a list of supplies that I'd need to buy. When I clicked on "print", nothing happened. My printer kept showing errors and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what was wrong. I've tried everything!
After an hour of messing around with it, I just started crying out of frustration. The kids need the printer for school, and I do a lot of printing myself. I did all of the troubleshooting tips and I still can't get it to work.
Despite getting upset today, I managed not to turn to food to escape reality for a moment. My walks have actually been a nice respite to break up my day.
(I honestly don't mean for this post to sound whiny. I was feeling so stress-free for a while and then all of these seemed to happen at once and I feel so much pressure to get it all done.)
Speaking of walks, I've been trying to come up with a Cookies Fall Challenge (like the Cookies Summer Challenge) and was wondering if anyone has ideas. I could do another checklist, but I think doing a mileage/distance challenge might be fun. Just something to keep us motivated to walk or run through the season.
I'm thinking of splitting people into teams of about 10-12 people and having them combine their mileage (competing against the other teams). This way, if someone doesn't want to do their walking or running, they would be letting their team down in a way. Nobody wants that, so I think that would be a good push to keep going.
Or another idea would be to combine the mileage to "travel" from one place to another--say, New York City to Chicago--simply based on miles. It could be a race between teams. We could use a map to draw lines each week to see who is in the lead.
So anyway, those are just a couple of ideas. If any of you are interested and have input, please let me know. I really need to get it posted by next week, because fall is coming up so quickly!
I'm already anticipating how sore I'm going to be tomorrow. My whole body aches!
I woke up super early this morning (5:00), and I laid in bed with Duck for a little bit (he still likes to drape himself across my neck). I read a little of my book, trying to kill some time before the kids had to get up for "virtual" school. Finally, I decided that I was going to head out for my walk at around 6:00. It was still dark outside, though, and I hate walking/running in the dark!
It's one of the items on the Cookies Summer Challenge list, so I thought it would at least be a good opportunity to check that off the list. I dressed in my reflective vest and my headlamp, and headed out for a dark walk with Joey.
It felt SO nice outside--the temp was in the 50's! I still wasn't thrilled about walking in the dark (a lot of people let their dogs wander, and I'm always afraid of coming upon one of them). Joey and I walked my favorite route, and it was nice to be done just as the kids were getting up for school.
Once the kids were started with school, I started writing up plans to build a desk for Noah. He wants a corner desk for his bedroom, and I told him we'd make one together once the garage was finished. I went in his room to take measurements, and then I realized that his current desk would be good inspiration for the nightstands I wanted to make for Jerry and me.
I can tell that his desk is handmade (my mom bought it at a garage sale) and I really like the way the drawers were done. I figured I could make just the side with drawers, modifying the size and drawer sizes, and turn it into a nightstand. Then I spent way too much time measuring and planning out the nightstands as well as Noah's corner desk.
I'd like to make it shorter (and not as deep) and have all three drawers be the same size.
I'd planned to go to Lowe's to pick up supplies for the porch and Noah's desk, but before I did that, I wanted to start tearing out the landscaping so that I can be sure about the porch plans.
This is why tomorrow I'm going to feel like I got hit by a bus. I spent the next few hours removing all of the landscaping... I took out a bush and a few hostas. Then I searched for and removed all of the roots from the three huge bushes/tree things that we'd removed. This is what it looked like a couple of months ago when Jerry removed the enormous bush thing...
He removed the stump, but none of the roots! There were two other bushes just like that one (only one of them was round and only about three feet tall), but I don't have a photo with it in the picture). That's the one I removed today.
Right now, it looks terrible because I'm not done yet. I wanted to start completely fresh with the landscaping--so I tore out everything. We are going to kill the grass as well, and then have the landscaping go right to the sidewalk.
I also removed the railings from the porch. It already looks better without the railings, which were totally falling apart! But we need to replace all of the deck boards because they are curled and warped. The porch is 17 years old and was built very cheaply, so it definitely needs to be redone.
The problem is that the lumber for decking is extremely hard to find right now! I'm going to keep looking, and I desperately hope we can find what we need before it gets too cold.
Removing the roots from the bushes was the hardest work for sure. The bushes had been there since we moved in here in 2003, so they were REALLY long. I was very proud when I pulled them all out, though. It's so satisfying to pull a root and have it go 10 feet across the landscaping, haha.
And Jerry was thrilled, because he hurt his back at work and he was dreading having to remove the bush and hostas today. Next, we have to kill all the grass, weeds, and literally everything where the landscaping goes. And then start fresh!
In addition to my two 45-minute walks today, I actually went for a third walk (only about 15 minutes)... I was feeling irritated this evening, and rather than go looking for something to eat to take my mind off of it, I went out for a short walk. It wasn't intense or anything, but it was nice to get out of the house for 15 minutes. I'd like to keep that in mind for the future! It sounds so easy, but when I'm in "a mood", it's hard to remember ;)
Jerry is off work tonight, so we're going to play Codeword Duet! Have a good night :)
(By the way, if you haven't seen The Social Dilemma on Netflix, go watch it right now! I'll try to write about it soon. Just trust me, it's worth watching.)
