Happy Halloween

Kitty Halloween slippers (it says Meow on the bottom)



Kitty Halloween socks (perfectly hidden under black pants at work)



Photos from the neighborhood

Recent Study Finds...

Max has a blog! Recent Study Finds...

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More signs of fall

Cute little flat-top

Using Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Colori Socka Color sparkly yarn and 2.5mm needles (circular and DPNs), I made the Flat-Top Hat by Iris Schreier. Cast on Friday. Done yesterday. Is it any wonder that I like knitting hats so much? And baby clothes? I like small projects. Had to guess on how much to knit for the bottom... sort of eyeballed it and stopped at 22 ridges.



The remainder of the yarn will be paired up with some blue yarn to make the One-Piece Baby Kimono. The theme of the bedroom is Good Night Moon so these should fit in well.

CSA week 20

We were supposed to get double this week but I forgot to say something when I went in this week. I'll have to try to remember next week. Here's what we got this week:



Sweet potato pie I made for dessert on Friday:



Last week at the West End Farmer's Market:

Gratitude

Three Most Favorite Green Things Ever:

1) Being a positive influence on friends and co-workers. Today a friend brought her own insulated coffee mug to an all-staff meeting so she wouldn't have to use a disposable cup. As a bonus, it probably stayed warmer than everyone else's. Also, my office is working on getting rid of disposable styrafoam cups. That will totally make my day when that finally happens.

2) Email. What a great way to stay in touch with my family and friends without having to waste paper and postage sending letters, cards and photos in the mail. Which reminds me, I should start putting together my holiday e-newsletter soon.

3) Green Dimes and Catalog Choice. It took some time but I have noticed that the volume of junk mail and catalogs being sent to me has been greatly reduced. And while I love looking through all the holiday themed mailings, it's not such a sacrifice to not receive them. In a few weeks, it will be everywhere anyways and so much to enjoy the Christmas decor in person. And "reduce" is the first of the three R's.

Weekend in LA

We got in late last night... but let me tell you, it was a good trip.

Thursday
Got up early, even earlier than a regular work day, and took a cab to the airport. Checked in, went through security, found our gate... and then were told that our flight was delayed. Oh well. Checked our email on our phones while we waited and then spent the next 6 hours sitting on a plane (unfortunately in the row in front of the exits so the seat did not recline). I must say though, that was the worst part of the trip. From there it was all uphill. The hotel was in Redondo Beach and we had a view of the ocean from our room. We had a bite to eat at Ruby's and walked around the Redondo Beach Pier, rested and then met up with Brian and Lindsay.



Friday
Got up early again, but this time for Disneyland! We were there before the park opened waiting at the gates with the rest of the crowd to be let in. Breakfast in the park with the characters, rides, shopping, and lots of walking until 5:45pm. Dinner at Napa Rose was wonderful and we lingered until 8pm. A little shopping in Downtown Disney and found some cufflinks for Max (that he had forgotten to pack) and then we watched the fireworks from Main Street. It was magical - and I don't care if you think that's cheesy!



Saturday
Brian and Lindsay's wedding was at La Venta Inn. What a beautiful location! A cliff on a hill overlooking the ocean - I can see why Clark Gable used to go there to retreat. It was a morning wedding and the weather was perfect. I cried during the ceremony. Of course. :) There was a reception and an after party... a whole day wedding as it were. Max and I had fun, talked to many of the Mackey clan and some of the Taylor family as well.



Sunday
Breakfast at Ruby's, quickly packed our bags, checked out and luckily got to see Brian and Lindsay before we left for the airport.

Signs of autumn

Canadian Thanksgiving

That's today. Though many of my friends celebrated yesterday so that they could spend today resting. I haven't celebrated with my family in years but every year I think of them in November as I am making some of the family classics like sausage chestnut stuffing, turkey gravy, turkey stock, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. This year my brother is celebrating with his girlfriend, my sister and her husband are off on their own adventures, and my parents are enjoying a (mostly) quiet house. How times change.

To all my Canadian friends and family, Happy Thanksgiving!

CSA week 19

Eggs of course, savoy cabbage, turnips, kale, zucchini, a red bell pepper, two apples, and some tomatoes.

Any suggestions on what to do with the kale or the cabbage so they're not bitter?

Constant Princess

I just finished reading Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory and shared it with a friend who also enjoys her books. She alerted me last Thursday that there was a live chat with the author on Washington Post.

Here's my question:

Alexandria, Va.: Are you able to do your research in other languages? If not, do you find this to be a barrier?

Philippa Gregory: No, I am so sorry that I can speak French enough to muddle through but I am not good at reading, and I cannot read any other European languages at all.
Fortunately all the Tudor documents are translated into English and published in full by the Victorian historians and I can read them, but it does mean that I don't really dare to work on the history of other countries.

She also answered my friend's question:

Waldorf, Md.: Ms. Gregory, I was first introduced to you back in college (2003) and got started on "The Other Boleyn Girl", a fascinating story and so well written! I am also a huge fan of Showtime's series "The Tutors", are you familiar with the series? I know in terms of historical accuracy it falls short, but I think that like you it bring to life the real issues of the time and what women had to endure.

Philippa Gregory: I have only seen a few episodes of the Tudors and I agree with you that it is a lively show - I am troubled by the continuing slimness and good looks of Henry but I think we have to expect television to be entertaining and not necessarily accurate.

Also somewhat related, tonight I'm going to see The Duchess. I can't wait! Not Max though... he has a paper to write.

p.s. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

At last...

When Max calls me and when I call him the ring tone is the same, At Last by Etta James. It was the last song at our wedding and since we never had a song before our wedding, it has become our song. And I love that it is played at weddings so much! And on the radio... sometimes we dance in our kitchen when the song starts playing. This weekend marks the passing of more than a dozen years since our first kiss, when we first started "dating" in high school. Are we really that old? I guess so. :)

Happy Anniversary my love.

Revisit

Remember the red dish cloth I knit back in May?



In just five months of use, it has faded and shrunk to this:



Max doesn't like using it because he thinks it's too big to wash dishes with but maybe after a few more trips through the washer and dryer it will be just right. :)

CSA week 18

Rainbow chard, eggplant, zucchinis, apples, tomatoes, radishes, garlic, shallots, peppers and of course, eggs. From the farmer's market: concord grapes, red bartlett pears, basil

This weekend was for cooking and baking. I made apple cinnamon steel-cut oats for breakfast (heavy on the cinnamon), chocolate fruitcake (won't know how that tastes until the end of the month), concord grape pie, baked yams, French onion soup, roasted lamb shoulder with gravy, broth, and beet soup for Slavomir.



Fruitcake before and after going into the oven.



The pie was delicious, flavorful and sweet. Worth the effort.



Even Erin enjoyed it!

White knuckle terror

It's been awhile since I've been driving, probably a couple of months. That was a mistake. I got out of the habit and lost some of the instincts needed to not be so scared out of my mind when I'm driving.

Yesterday was the first time out. In an effort to be confident and just go for it, I decided on a route that I had never driven - that even Max had never driven - but on the map it looked straight forward... drive all the way down one not so big road and then there were some turns and a few smaller roads at the end. The map can't show that the road is hilly or that it feels much windier than it looks. Ugh. We made it to our destination but I was completely shaken and I even scared Max. Ha! Still, he said I did fine. Probably drove slower than everyone else on the road liked but I was driving at just above the speed limit, no one beeped or honked or yelled at me. Definitely white knuckle terror.

Today we left the house at 8:30am and the goal was to drive to a friend's house and back, which meant going on the highway for a few exits. Getting there was okay. I did better last time but it was also earlier and there were almost no cars. Today there still wasn't alot of cars but it felt like it by comparison. On the way back, it was the first time I had ever driven it. Again I did fine but I was scared as hell, which made Max really scared as well... he kept saying, "You're doing fine. You're doing fine. You're doing fine." By the time we got back to the house, less than 30 minutes later, I was completed soaked through with sweat. Still, I did it. White knuckle terror and all.

It's Sunday people... stay off the roads because the lady drivers are out! :)