Saturday morning we slept late and enjoyed brunch at Waffle House. This has turned into a weekly tradition for us since the restaurant is just up the road from our house. After brunch we worked on our house a little bit by installing a new mailbox and planting pansies (before & after pictures will be posted soon). By early afternoon it was time to enjoy Connor's second gift, two tickets to Clemson's Homecoming game against Boston College! One of my sorority sisters has season tickets and had an extra pair, so I was able to buy them from her at a low price. We had so much fun tailgating with old friends, walking through the homecoming floats, grabbing pizza downtown, and sitting with one of our favorite couples at the game. Oh, and our beloved Tigers won!
Sunday morning started early with me in the kitchen baking a cinnamon swirl cake for Connor's second birthday dinner. This time we invited his extended family on both sides; around 25 people. I spent the day baking while Connor worked outside with the new leaf blower my parents gave him. After the cake was done and the frosting was melting on top I started making pumpkin crunch, a recipe by my Uncle Mark. For the entrees I made black bean chili and white chicken chili in crock pots and homemade corn bread as a side. To finish it all off we had a toppings bar with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced limes. The chili was a big hit! While we didn't have any leftovers, no one left hungry, that's for sure! Connor has been sipping on leftover hot apple cider ever since.
I made the topper using paper straws, white & gold string, and gold washi tape for the flags. It took less than five minutes to make and added a lot of character to the cake. Here is a similar tutorial.