on traveling with a spouse

My family and I are super experts at road trips.  We started with pillows and radio surfing (...this was before iPods...) and now we don't need pillows, we don't taunt each other (much), and no one asks "How many more miiinuuuteess?"  Each winter we make a journey to a place to snowboard or ski, which means at least 12 hours of driving time each direction.  Most years, it's 16.  That's a lot of car time, folks.

This Christmas was the second time the hubz has come back to my hometown with me (the first was as a boyfriend -- THAT was exciting), and I think I feel qualified enough to share a few ideas for easier travel with the spouse.

1.  Travel in the same car. Honestly, it's good to be forced into close company.  It's good bonding, it's good family time, everyone gets a chance to rotate seats, and you get to know each other in a whole new way.  Mostly, it's just a good fun.  

2.  Maintain your caffeine and food schedules.  This seems silly, right?  Every person in my family has a caffeine habit. Coffee is considered the Nectar of the Gods at my parents' house.  When one person doesn't get their regular Nectar, things could get rather touchy rather quickly.  There is also such an emotion as "hangry."  Hungry + moodyfrombeinghungry = hangry.  Both you and spouse do better with regular food and regular legal addictive stimulants. So do siblings. Usually.

3.  Set aside together time. Without family. Just you two.  It's nice, trust me. Sitting in front of the tv having coffee counts.  So does shooting each other in Halo.  As long as it's time to be together without having to share.  

4.  Don't panic. You like each other. 

xoxo Susannah

date!

Two weeks ago, hubby and I went on a new adventure date.  Do any of you other newlyweds try and find creative date ideas?  Well, I do.  I enjoy going on new adventures, and so does the mister.  It only makes sense to go on adventures together.

The most recent adventure was to a colonial farm! 

I wrote a little more about it here.

Have any other creative adventure date idea?

xoxo Susannah

Butterfinger Bars!

That is a totally misleading name for these, as they taste nothing like Butterfingers, but this is a Grandma recipe, and you don't mess with Grammie.*
Interesting side story*: All when I was growing up, I LOVED these things. And Grammie only made them at Christmas time. I'm not even sure I ever had the presence of mind to ask for them other times of the year, so strongly did I associate these with Christmas.
And then a few weeks ago, on a random July day, I made them.
And let me tell you. They taste just as good in July as they do in December. They also bring back lots of warm fuzzy memories, which really, all good food should right? Good. Recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or oleo(shortening)
4 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy is best)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2.Melt butter in microwave or on stove top
3. Pour oats and melted butter into 9x13 baking dish. Mix well until oats are coated with butter. Pat down.
4. Bake oats for 15-20 minutes(IMPORTANT: Do not over bake, as bars will crumble. I've found that 14-15 minutes at 350 works well. If worried, pull oats out early to test for firmness)
5. Let cool in pan to room temperature
6. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips over hot water(use a double broiler, or metal bowl over a small pot of boiling water)
7. Mix in peanut butter.
8. Spread over baked oat mixture
9. Place in fridge or freezer until chocolate is hard (I've found that if you're in a hurry, the freezer works best. My batch was solid in less then 30 mintues)


*This was confirmed last week when once by accident, and once on purpose I fudged the recipe.
The results were just awful.