Breckenridge in the Winter - part 2!

Oh Breckenridge, I can not wait to go back because Texas just does not do it for me!

We flew in on Saturday and spent most the day looking at snow, EVERYWHERE! I just can’t put it into words how much prettier Colorado is than Texas.

We woke up and the view of the mountain was beautiful!!

It was day one of skiing! Let me start by saying this was my 4^th day of skiing ever! The first 3 days consisted of me crying every time I fell because I just did not understand why I couldn't ski and then I would cry just thinking about skiing. But day 4 was GREAT! I was not sure what was in store. Michael said he was going to ski with me, but I knew that did not mean greens so I had to step it up. Luckily this time I could. We went half way down a green and off to the blues we went. It was actually a little warm, sunny and just around 32*(warm haha). As the day went on Michael was a little bored and wanted to do a more skiing so he went off with his sister while I stayed with Michael’s dad! It had been a long time since the last time he had skied, but he was GREAT at it! Just like riding a bike he said. Michael's dad is really patient, so he spent some time helping me become more confident! Thank you so much!

Monday it snowed all day! When we woke up we could not even see the mountain.

Michael and I went to a yummy breakfast in town and then spent the whole day on the slopes! It was such a fun day! Very cold and windy but couldn’t complain one bit! We tried some new runs, I got a little more confident, and Michael was not as bored as the day before. (Michael  is more advanced than I am - I am not as confident going super fast down blues as he is, but I am getting there) 

Michael’s parents spent the early afternoon with a realtor looking at homes!! Maybe one day they will own a home in Breck! That evening we went to dinner in town and spent the evening hanging out and playing games!

Valentine’s day was beautiful! When we woke up and could see the mountain, but could see more snow on its way! 

We had yummy crepes for breakfast and then went off for the last day of skiing. We all went to peak 7 and loved the new terrain. It started snowing on our way to the mountain and continued for the next few hours. The slopes were pretty much empty which was perfect! Afterwards we went back to the condo, got cleaned up and left. We were able to go by and look at a house Michael's parents really like before leaving for Denver which was lots of fun!

Michael and I lucked out and got to ski for free for 2 of the 3 days! Because Michael’s parents are looking for a home, their realtor had free passes and we were able to use them! YAY!! That was a nice surprise when we got to town!

We had such a wonderful trip! Michael said it was the perfect amount of time. We only missed a few days of work, but were able to spend lots of time doing what we wanted. We are so happy we were invited to go back a 2nd time with his parents! Thank you so much for taking us with you guys! 

Here are some random pictures from the weekend:

Day 1

All of us

CRAZY SNOW on Monday!

Too cold to show our faces

3 of us :]

Michael loved the natural icicles

Ahhh! So beautiful!

Snowing on the mountain

Just perfect!

Colorado, we will be back soon!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday so it was the perfect opportunity to make a new dip to share!

Michael and I love jalapeno poppers and love dip, so the idea of putting the two together sounds great!

Ingredients:

2 8oz containers of fat free cream cheese
1 cup low fat mayo
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
4 oz canned green chilies
4 oz drained jalapenos
8 oz cooked and diced bacon

Directions:

Mix together softened cream cheese, mayo, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Once mixed add the green chilies and the drained jalapenos. Mix in bacon and pour mixture into a 9 inch baking dish. Cook at 350*F for 20 minutes, or until the top starts to brown. I served the dip with crackers.

If you haven't had a jalapeno popper, you are missing out!!
Enjoy!

Morning of Pampering

It has taken about 7 months, but I am starting to cash in on my birthday present from Michael.

My birthday was on July 7th and Michael's gift to me was a day at the spa. He bought a spa package, but it can be separated and used at different times, which is good for me since we normally have busy weekends. I have been wanting to go to the spa since football season ended, but for some reason our weekends have been too busy for me to plan some time, until today.

I had an hour massage that started my day off perfect. Thank you Michael for knowing me so well and getting me the perfect gift!

I have had different spa experiences and this one was one of the bests. The Boardwalk Spa is located off a quiet road, very nice people, relaxing soft music, and smelt like violet and eucalyptus. Exactly how a spa should be!

I have enough left on my gift card for two more trips back to the spa, so I can not wait for the next few weekends where I can start them off like I did today.

Neisch Dinners

Yay for Pinterest and making dinners a lot more yummy at the Neisch house!

I would say we make at least one new recipe a week and so far we have not been disappointed with what we have tried. We have been trying to mix it up and not repeat dinners that often, so luckily I have a huge bank to chose from on my food board.

I wish I was able to come up with a recipe on my own, but I just can't. I tried to think about what ingredients I could buy to make something new on my own, and I just kept thinking of ingredients that go into dishes I already know how to make.
So I thought I would share some of our new favorite recipes that are here to stay. We have altered almost all of them somewhat but I will attach the recipe so you all can try them too!

Toasted Raviolis -

We tried this one twice. The first time we fried them in oil and they were good but not what I was hoping for. Too greasy! So a few weeks later we tried them again and baked them in the oven. They are MUCH BETTER baked.


Penne with Chicken Pasta -

We really liked this! We both love broccoli and white sauce so this was a perfect meal.


Pesto Baked Potatoes -

I think Michael was a little unsure when I told him we would be making these for dinner, but he let me try making them and surprisingly really liked them. I loved how crispy the skin got when they were re-baked after they were stuffed. I can not believe all the years I skipped out eating potato skins.


Chicken Gyros -

If you have never had a gyro, you have to! They are delicious! When we get them when we are out, they are greasy and full of yumminess! When we made them at home they were not greasy at all, but still full of yumminess. This meal was very fresh and light! The only thing was the recipe made SO MUCH sauce, I have no idea why, just about 10 times the amount we needed. I should have realized it when I was making it, but I didn't. My bad. We made homemade naan as the bread and this will be made a lot more in the Neisch house!


Baked Manicotti and Fried Mozzarella -

OH MY GOSH! I can not believe it took us so long to make both of these! Michael and I loved cooking this meal. The manicotti was so cheesy and delicious, and the fried mozzarella sticks, no words to describe. I am getting hungry just thinking about how yummy this dinner was!


Lettuce Wraps -

We have made these about 3 times since we made it the first time! This is the fastest meal we make with lots of flavor! We actually ate this last night for dinner, we love these! (We alter this a bit and do not add the peanuts or water chestnuts.)


Queso Chicken Pasta -

This is the closest to a casserole that I have gotten Michael since we got married. Michael has this thing where he thinks he does not like casseroles, LAME is what this is haha. I love casseroles and I love how easy they are to make. This meal was so cheesy which means so yummy!!




Creamy Grilled Chicken Penne -

We made this tonight. The sauce on the pasta was so flavorful, but not over powering and the chicken was wonderful! The marinade on the chicken made the entire house smell great as it was cooking. This will be another recipe we make a lot. (We left out the capers from the recipe.)


I am a lucky lady who has a husband who loves cooking with me and who is great at doing it.

Diaper Cakes

This past weekend I went to two baby showers, one for a little girl and one for a little boy. They were both so fun!

I have not been to that many baby showers as my friends are now just starting to have babies. So the fun is just starting!! For both friends, they are due so soon and I can not wait to meet the little ones!

I was very surprised by the diaper cakes that were there! The first day was for the little girl and they had this adorable girl tricycle with a monkey driving! I had never thought about making a diaper cake look like a tricycle, but such a cute idea!

She also got another diaper cake as a gift from a friend that looked like what I would imagine a diaper cake to look like.

They are doing the nursery in a pink and green monkey/jungle theme, so that explains the monkeys. But aren't those just adorable!!

A few of my friends and myself through a shower for the same friend a few months back and she got a pink giraffe diaper cake then too (she has gotten a lot of diaper cakes so far - lucky girl).

Then the next day I went to the little boys shower and another cute tricycle!!

One day I hope I can be as creative as the people who made these adorable diaper cakes! It is so neat when people come up with new ways to to make traditional things.

Dream Home Ideas via Pinterest

Michael and I are big dreamers and can not wait to one day build a dream home. I have been spending lots of time looking a homes for sale all over the states we would be interested in living and love thinking of what we could change. We can not wait for Michael to graduate from grad school so we can buy (or maybe build) our first home!

A few months ago we went to the parade of homes event in the BCS where we went to homes that local builders had built or were in the process of building. We love the idea of building, but know this may not be the most reasonable option for our first home (we will see though). I guess it will also depend where we move to. If we move to Colorado this thought will be thrown out the door, but if we stay in Texas this may happen. 

Most people who know me, know I love Pinterest and I love finding pictures of beautiful rooms. The best part is to later show Michael and then talk about what we both would do if we could build this. 

Here are some pictures by rooms of things we love -

Kitchen:

We know we want gas range no matter what! We love to cook and can not wait till we can have a really nice stove. We also do not like white or light oak wood. We perfer dark wood and we love seeing the grain show through. Stainless steel is the way to go if we were buying new appliances, but it is not a must (at least right now haha). We love stone in the kitchen and a nice island will have to be a must. We hate where we are now, we are cramped and run into each other like crazy. An island will be perfect to help solve space issues. And a nice stone on the counters is a must as well. We can not wait to have a dream kitchen. We have talked about if we buy a fixer upper, we will look at the kitchen size first to decide if we could gut it and build something to our liking. Sounds funny to some people, but we will spend most of our time in the kitchen and the living room so we want these rooms to be just the way we want them.

Laundry/Mud Room:

Having two labs who can not get enough of swimming or playing in the mud, we love the idea of one day having a mud room and laundry room mix. The image with the little dog bath is a great idea but Samson would never have that. As much as this dog loves swimming, he HATES HATES HATES bath time. I do love how bright that picture is with all the windows. I hang dry some of my clothes so having the rod above the washer and dryer is a great idea. I had never thought about having a slot to put the washer and dryer in where there was folding room on top, but that is genius! You wouldn't have to leave the room to fold the laundry. I really like storage and especially if that means you can put things away so you don't have to see everything sitting out all the time.

Master Bedroom:

 

Before I start with this, no matter what step in our life, we will always have a sleigh bed. I LOVE our bedroom set we have right now. We bought our bedroom set with wedding money and this was something I could not wait to get. It is dark wood (our favorite) and the sleigh bed is what I had dreamed of for years. So in all these bedroom pictures you have to imagine a sleigh bed. I love tray ceilings in bedrooms so this would be really nice. We both like the darker colors of paint in the bedroom, it makes it feel warm and cozy. Wood beams would be amazing and so would stone, talking of warm and cozy haha. I am not looking for a log cabin or anything, but something with texture would fit both of mine and Michael's styles. I think french doors would make the room perfect, but it just depends on where we live. I will have to say, the master bedroom is not something I have found lots of pictures of what I would say is my ideal thought, but I have an idea in my head that I have not been able to find in a picture yet.

Living area:

I have never had a window seat and after seeing many pictures and seeing one being built, we will someday want one in our home. I love how cozy they look and perfect use of space. I think one would be perfect in the living room. Imagine it snowing outside and you are bundled up with a mug of hot chocolate watching the snow fall on the mountains. Wow that would be beautiful! One day this will be us. When we live in Colorado there will be no need for air conditioning (only heat) so having a door that can be half open would be a nice treat! And dark hardwoods throughout the house is what I dream for. I know Michael loves carpet, but I am a wood girl and that is where my heart is.

Bathroom:

Oh Bathrooms! I love long hot showers, but not baths! I think bath tubs are very pretty and look nice, but for me there are sort of a waste of space. I would much rather have a nice big tiled shower with a rain faucet shower head. When we have kids we will need a bath tub, but that could be in the other bathroom. I love lots of space so if the bathroom was big enough where the bath tub was not in the way I would not be against having one in the master bath. I also think long mirrors are a great touch to a bathroom. The fourth picture has heated floors which would something Michael would love. I think tile looks very pertty in a bathroom as well and if it could be tied all in together it would look beautiful. And like I said earlier I love storage so in a bathroom this will be a must. 

Porch:

I love the thought of a wrap around porch! Sitting on rocking chairs, drinking lemonade, watching a sunset, and the pups sleeping next to us, that would be perfect! One day I hope we can have this!

The thought of buying or building a house for our future family just makes me smile. I can not wait till we get to experience this next step in our life together. I know these are all wishes and dreams and maybe one day they will come true. I am grateful for everything Michael and I have and will be grateful for everything we have in the future. I will be happy as long as there is love and a roof over our heads.