Autumn For Real

Technically speaking, it's still summer for another week and a half, but around here autumn starts when the kids are back in school and opening weekend arrives for the football season.  This was SB on Thursday for the first day of school.

And yesterday we trekked to the new Meadowlands stadium to catch the season opening game between the Jets and the Bills.  My longtime readers know that we're diehard Bills fans, and WD is a lunatic Jets fan.  It killed me to create his Jets themed bedroom, but he is my baby, no matter how big.

One of WD's gifts for his 16th birthday was a couple of tickets to the season opener.  He elected to bring a friend that he's known since kindergarten and the 2 of them had a blast on the long road trip, playing games in the car, tossing the ball around in the parking lot, and of course enjoying the game.

We met up with some friends who only had to drive across from Manhattan to tailgate before the game.  The  Jets green clad boys were the minority in our group, but there was very little blue in a sea of green once we got into the stadium.

While some people tailgate with an rv and pro style smoker, all you really need is a couple of coolers, a propane campstove, a table to put your food on, and good friends.

Speaking of autumn, nothing says autumn like fresh pressed Cider Mill cider.

Speaking of food, my theme for this weekend's tailgate was bacon.  I've shared my recipe for Drunken Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Brats before, but I also made Bacon & Cheddar Potato Skins, and Sausage & Bacon stuffed mushrooms.

For dessert, I brought along some of the Chocolate Dipped Bacon that I shared last week, as well as football shaped brownies(recipe post coming soon.)

It was a beautiful day for a game, I only wish my team had played better.  There was far too much of this for my taste.

QB swallowed up by unblocked defenders, ball thrown nowhere near receivers, RB on the ground.

But as far as birthday gifts go, WD's team trouncing mine on a gorgeous end of summer day, couldn't have been planned better.  And after the game was over we were treated to a flyover.

It's time to clear away the summer decor(spring, really, we were gone so much this summer that I never got a chance to decorate,) and pull out the Autumn decor I created last year as well as craft some new items.

Thanks for popping in and welcoming autumn with me.

Sugar Sheets

I'd like to start this post by saying that I try not to pay too much attention to the number of followers that I have, but it's hard not to notice when those numbers move.  It's hard not to wonder why I might lose followers when it happens.  Well, last night I lost a couple and I can only imagine they were 49ers fans.  I'm Sorry.  I did not mean to offend anyone with the cake I posted at the end of yesterday's post.  It was all done tongue-in-cheek and it was a great game.  And the cake was a huge hit in real life. 

I've shared how to make fondant here.  And the heavily NY biased crowd at the party we attended appreciated my depiction of a Justin Tuck sack.  But they also were impressed with the Giants logos adorning the sides of the cake.

It all started with a new to me Wilton product - Sugar Sheets.

I printed out multiple logos.

And used a clean exacto knife to cut out the letters.

They just pressed into the icing and stuck.

Thanks for popping in and trying out a new product with me.  I'm linking this up to Something Swanky's Sweet Treats Thursdays.

Fall Ball & a Crazy Mom Rant

It's September, which means it's time for Fall Ball.  Fall Ball around here usually means some of this

WD being pursued in a hard driving rain.



and some of this,

SB at soccer practice

or even catching some late season baseball,

but it used to mean some of this.

WD playing QB.



WD stopped playing football a couple of years ago, but many of his teammates from his youth football years still play.  He's been friends with many of them, like The Tank, since he was 7 yrs old.  The two of them were on the same football team for 6 yrs together.

Now the Tank is a freshman, and plays first string defensive tackle on the JV team.  We of course had to go out and support him for his first high school game.  He faced double and triple teams all day, but still managed to notch several great tackles.

It was a beautiful day, and the boys had a great time cheering on their friends.  I had a great time, too, with one small exception.  I happened to notice a girl wearing this t-shirt.  WTF?

I can't understand how any parent could allow their child(and she was a child) to wear a shirt like that, much less at a school function.  I don't think it's appropriate for a 15 yr old, or really anyone at all.  (Okay, it might be funny on a 40yr old man at an adult party.)  Where do you even buy a shirt like that?  Strippers R Us?  While it's always a possibility that the girl snuck out wearing something else over the top of the shirt, the reality is that her mom was at the game, and she continually walked back and forth between her mom and her friends.  So what do you think?  Am I overreacting?  Is this just how it is?  Are things like this sold in the girls' department, and I just don't realize it, because I'm outfitting boys?

Thanks for popping in and listening to my rant.