Pumpkin Carving!

FALL IS HERE! To me it's not officially "fall" until there is some pumpkin carving action! I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday and picked out the PERFECT pumpkin and then today I carved it!

Randy has been talking smack about his own pumpkin carving skills - so it's up to you to help decide who is the best pumpkin carver! One of the photos below is Randy's (from last year) and the other is mine (this year!)

Which pumpkin do you like best? To keep things fair, I won't tell you which is his or mine.

Thought to ponder today ...

"How can I control my life when I can't control my hair?"

Kicking the habit??

There are a few things that I have gotten used to having on a daily basis ... and sometimes more than once per day. Those of you who know me well know what I'm talking about (no, not cupcakes ... I've seriously cut back on those!) - DIET COKE. I'd pack one for lunch to have mid-afternoon (for a little pick me up!) and then maybe have one for dinner. Don't get me wrong, I drink copious amounts of water as well, but I was definitely drinking too much Diet Coke, too often.

Believe it or not, I started out as a Diet Pepsi girl. In my teeny hometown, both DQ and Hardee's served Pepsi at that time, so that's all I was really accustomed to. Then I went to college and Kimmy & Kik introduced me to the world of Diet Coke. (Ok it sounds like I had been living under a rock, I had drank Diet Coke before, but it wasn't my soda of choice until college). I have been a pretty regular Diet Coke-r ever since. I prefer "fountain" soda to cans or bottles, so going out to eat I would end up drinking 2-3 glasses of the stuff. (Now you have an idea of just how obsessed I was with the carbonated heaven in liquid form).

It's been 2 weeks since I've drank it. It started out that I had failed to purchase more at the store - but then I got a pesky toothache that only got progressively worse every time I popped a top. So I stopped. Then I had the tooth extracted and didn't think that drinking soda would feel too lovely, so I haven't had any at all. I am very proud of myself. Hopefully I can keep it up!

To Wii or not to Wii

Ode to a Wii (an original haiku)
Controller strapped 'round my wrist
Sports Resort disc in
Avatar runs 'round and 'round

I totally want a Wii. This weekend we were thisclose to buying one ... but alas we were good and resisted the temptation.

Sometimes being good doesn't feel gratifying.

I still want one.

Yummy Bacon & Spinach Penne

I had some bacon and penne that I wanted to use up, so I created this recipe and it is soo good! (Some of the measurements are approximate, so just play with it!)

Whole pheat penne pasta
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
5 strips of bacon, cut into pieces
1 c. milk
1 can chicken broth
2 T flour
1 T butter
1/2 c. grated parmesan/romano cheese

While cooking pasta, cook the bacon in a large skillet. Cook until browned. Remove from grease with slotted spoon, reserving drippings. Add chopped onion to drippings and cook 2 minutes, or until cooked and remove from pan (reserving drippings). Lower heat to Med-High. In separate bowl, add milk, broth, and flour. Add butter to skillet and melt. Slowly add milk mixture to skillet, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook for 7-8 minutes until slightly thickened. Add cheese to mixture and stir. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, drain pasta and return to pot, stir in spinach until it wilts. Then pour sauce over penne and toss lightly. Top with additional romano cheese if desired.

This is very good - the sauce is very light and flavorful. Randy suggested that we add mushrooms next time, and I think will try that next time (sautee with the onions in the bacon drippings).

yummy!!

Shopping with the b/f

Last Friday Randy and I went to the mall. We went with a purpose: to find something to wear to Sara & Christina's birthday party. (SIDE NOTE: The party was at a restaurant/bar in downtown Raleigh, Solas. The restaurant is on the main floor, then there is a bar/dance floor on the second floor and then the third floor is a rooftop bar. There are cabanas draped with sheer white cloth, leather couches, ambient lighting - it is very swanky and hip. Sara & Christina rented out 3 cabanas, which meant that we had our own bartenders and the best view of downtown. Luckily for us, the weather was BEAUTIFUL last weekend - it was a great time!) Since it was at such a nice place, I wanted a new black dress to wear for the occasion (plus black dresses are versatile and timeless, so I knew that if I found one I liked I would get some great wear out of it).

We went to the mall and poor Randy was such a good sport as I proceeded to drag him around to nearly every women's clothing store. We went to Banana Republic, Anne Taylor (& Loft), Limited - - you name it, we went there. After 1.5 hours of looking I was about ready to give up & wear a dress in my own collection. (I was being picky with dresses because I had a budget in mind and all of the dresses I was trying on were either A) too expensive or B) I just didn't like them).

So the very last store we went to was Macy's. I was very frustrated by this time, and went to the women's department and tried on a few dresses that were on the clearance rack. NO LUCK. I got dressed, grabbed my purse and was walking out of the dressing room when Randy met me with a dress in his hand. "Try this one on," he said. (It happened to be the right size too. Good job, Randy). So I tried it on and BINGO! the dress was perfect. Unfortunately it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. I modeled the dress for Randy and he said that I had to have it. So I changed, he took the dress out of my hand and took it up and even bought it for me! What a sweet surprise!

So not only am I impressed with my boyfriend's taste in dresses, but I felt like a million bucks in the dress that he bought me.

*(I don't have a full length shot of the dress but you still get the general idea!)

I HEART FALL!!

I am looking forward to 5:18 p.m. (Eastern) on September 18th. "Why?" you ask. Because that is the first moment of my favorite season of the year (according to a bit of google-ing on the subject).

I love everything about fall - the cooler weather, changing leaves, PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES, and the outdoor activities that you can only do in the fall (bonfires and hay rack rides aren't too common in the big city, but it was a BIG part of fall growing up on a farm!)

Yesterday, the internet was exploding with excitement about the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I hit up Starbucks on my way down to teach - and it was absolutely perfect. The weather has been considerably cooler in North Carolina - it was in the 70s yesterday - and it was the perfect way to usher in the best season of the year.


CHEERS to fall!