Its official

This puppy should be parked in my driveway in a little over a week. Woot woot!

most awesomest pie ever

I just made this pie, with Winesap apples, courtesy of our friends Doug and Jennie. I had to share the recipe right away just in case I die of happiness (or sugar shock) in the next few moments. Seriously, I think its the best apple pie I've ever eaten. The only change I made was to add a bit of fresh ground nutmeg and use a home made crust (of course) instead of store bought. I was a worried at first because it seemed really tall with all of those apples in it. Like a little mountain, but they cooked down just fine, as you can see. You can fine the recipe I used here.

Good news on the job front!!

I was offered the position I REALLY wanted. Its only about a 20 minute drive to work and it will even be a pay increase over what I made in my old position. I am on cloud nine over this! I have been so sick of not working, feeling like a total loser and missing my old job so much. In this position, I will be doing the same thing I did before, only I will have more responsibility since I will be covering a larger area. I feel really lucky, as I know lots of other super qualified candidates applied for it. I just had to share my happy news!

P.S. The candy corn cookies were a huge hit at the bake sale. I heard they sold out right away :-)

candy corn cookies

I stole this cute cookie idea from this blog. I actually used this recipe instead, though. I made them for a bake sale and they turned out really yummy :-)

Funky aprons

My friend Jane has just opened a cute new website where she is selling her "Funky Chef" aprons. Jane and I used to work together in Plymouth, and we often shared our dreams of making money with our handmade items. I was there when she was just starting her business, and now she has her adorable aprons in some area stores and online. I'm very proud of her! You can check out her online store here. Here are a few of her creations that I particularly love:

Festivities

Some pics from our Halloween party yesterday:

Mom and Dad (maple tree and oak tree)



Corn hole tournament



Cami and Seth



Me (toasted marshmallow)



Corey (zombie)



Lexi, Monica and Zack



The garage



Doug and Jennie

Fall Randomness

I took this picture of Corey's valiant attempt to jog with both dogs. He is back on his jogging kick (a good thing) due to a bet with his brother and brother-in-law. It is basically a "Biggest Loser" type of a contest, with the winner getting a nice chunk of change. Corey, never one to back down on a challenge, has lost 10 lbs so far. I'm very proud of him :-) Now, if only the dogs would cooperate with the running. Tater, Corey's usual companion, always does quite well, Chloe took after me (as much as a dog can take after a human), and had to be dragged for the 2nd half of the run. Needless to say, I think Chloe will stay home with me next time. I love this picture. The trail in our back yard is even more beautiful now that the leaves are starting to turn.

I'm still having fun with my daily "365" project. Today was "Karate Kid Pose" day in Flickr Group Roulette. If you want to see my interpretation, click here.

I shall leave you with another random photo from yesterday.

Not much going on here

Corey and I are making Cornhole sets for the Halloween party next week.

Stinky swallowed a bunch of thread (when I found him, the string was coming out of his mouth and I followed it back to the bobbin, which was still on the sewing machine). The vet says only time will tell if its going to do any real damage. Of course, I'm worried about him.

On a random note, I just finished off the persimmon ice cream from the little local ice creamery. Yum. I highly recommend it.

Here is Corey being silly. Note the sicssors in his hand.

chilly air > intimate seating arrangements

Recent dropping temperatures have led to much cuddling in the household. Cat + dog, and other interspecies cuddling is not uncommon. We are just not prepared for these 50 degree days after sweating in the mid 90s just a few days ago. Don't get me wrong, I love the cooler weather, I just need some time to adjust.

new project

I'd been trying to figure out what to do with our living room. The location of the front door creates an odd area where we can't put any furniture and it just needed "something". After seeing this mural, I decided that was "it". Every room needs a little vegetation, right? My clone volunteered to help with it. She is a much better artist than I am.

pictures from today

Corey and I took some pictures by the fence in our back yard. The sun was setting, which made for some cool lighting. I really like the way they turned out. I think the ugly chain-link is starting to grow on me...

Think Pink

This is a tribute to all my friends and family members who have been affected by breast cancer. To my friends who have bravely battled this evil disease, I applaud you for your courage and strength.

Even members of the “itty bitty committee” need to think about breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we all need to do our part in spreading reminders to do monthly breast self-exams, get mammograms, and donate to breast cancer research. I made my donation. Have you? You can donate to Susan G Komen For The Cure, where they will put your dollars to good use. You might also want to check out the Blogger Boobie-Thon, where you get to ogle boobies for a good cause. If you Flickr, post your pink photos to the Passionately Pink For The Cure group and Yahoo will donate $1 for each photo submitted (up to 2 per person, per day).

Thanks to my Flickr friend M@ for inspiring me with this boobielicious challenge.

Evil twin

Well, I'm off to my brother's house to babysit my little niece tomorrow. I'm feeling much better now, I just don't have much of a voice. Corey keeps making fun of me. I'm sure little Lexi won't care if I sound a little froggy.

Back soon...

Ugh

After a 2 day hiatus, by cold is back with a vengeance. The nasty little bugger. I was up all night hacking and crumpling tissues. Poor Corey, for having to sleep next to me. Tea, honey, the couch and my comfy blanket are my friends this morning.

Wildlife

This probably isn't appropriate, but I don't really care...






Happy Monday.

Edit: LOL. I must be pretty sick, because I forgot what day it was. It was actually Tuesday when I posted this!

Wedding fun

I've been MIA this past week, helping with Corey's little sister's wedding preparations. I even got into florist mode, making bridesmaid bouquets and other flowery goodies. The wedding included a beautiful outdoor ceremony on the dock of a pond, and a fun reception where we danced until we dropped.

Unfortunately, now I've come down with a bug and feel really cruddy. I'm taking lots of vitamin C and hoping for a speedy recovery.

On a happier note: my computer fix, which included pieces of a styrofoam plate and masking tape, seems to have worked! 7 full days and counting with 0 problems. I feel like MacGuyver.