Tales of Me and the Husband

I snagged meself the coolest pumpkin.

I got this pretty pumpkin at my local Trader Joes.  You might want to attempt it, but be forewarned.  I had to climb over a pile of other pumpkins in tights to get to this beauty.  It was illuminated from behind as if the pumpkin was always meant for me and my table.  I even heard the Hallelujah chorus from the heavens as the pumpkin made its way safely to my cart, tucked between the chicken sausage and Ezekiel bread.  I may have had to sucker punch a few other mothers who had no idea that their Trader Joes trip could include more than a box of Honey Nut O’s, brown rice, and organic corn chips.  Well, ladies, go get your groceries because this week’s Trader Joes trip is not, in fact, going to include more than your Honey Nut O’s, brown rice, and organic corn chips.  Maybe a bloody nose, but that is it!  You’ve lost.  The pumpkin is mine.  Suckaz!
This became fiction just after the part where I climbed over other pumpkins to get to it.

what else we did this weekend… a shotty outfit post cannot be all!

i made cream of tomato soup courtesy of ina garten.  i’ve made it before so i didn’t take pictures beyond the tomato–and the soup is more, oh so much more–see the full recipe and pictures here.
we ate and enjoyed.  oh and had grilled cheeses too!  you probably can’t see this, but N put half a sleeve of saltines in his making it a soggy mush and bringing shame to the barefoot contessa namesake.  after that half a sleeve he said, “i need more.”  i’m pretty sure i have said this before but i just think teenagers’ tastebuds are the FUNNEST THING EVER.  NO SARCASM, IT’S GREAT, THE BEST.
we also locked this guy in the kennel but let him out just in time for school this morning.

guest post: travel the world.

hello all!!
it’s emily from techno anthro photo. i’m very happy to be here today— guest posting for the lovely bridget. (don’t you just love her?)

bridget asked me to post about travel today. she knew that would be music to my ears!!

if you know me at all… you know i love to travel. i have wings that need to fly! when i came to know (my husband) ben’s love for travel, my love for him grew exponentially.

ITALY. i still attribute my love love love for travel to the summer i spent living in italy. that summer opened my eyes to the beauty and addiction of discovering a new culture… new places… and new food of course. italy is all it is cracked up to be. and so is authentic italian gelato. some rome, lago maggiore and florence
milan… where i lived in italy
cinque terre and more milan. the architecture and culture and natural beauty of italy is endless!!

in addition… below are probably my top 5 favorite [new] places ben and i have visited this year:
montrĂ©al… and their biosphere. the magic gardens in philadelphia, pa.
the beaches in the dominican republic. assateague national seashore in maryland.
little italy in boston, mass.

ben and i are not what you’d call wealthy. but because travel is so important to us… we set aside some money each month especially for travel.

so. come visit ben and i at the blog. you’re sure to see more travel adventures there.

p.s. here are some helpful travel sites we use frequently:
kayak – great for cheap flights, great hotels and rental cars
cheap caribbean – for caribbean travel đŸ™‚
airtran – for cheap u.s. flights
ryanair – for euro flights
easyjet – for euro flights
air asia – for asia flights
tripadvisor – great travel advice!
zagat – ratings for restaurants
nytimes travel – see what the locals are doing

top of mind, spewing at the mouth, random stuff.

  • i had a dream i met stephanie nielson last night.  it was a good dream and she was so nice (totally what i expected, don’t you?).  we’re like bffs now and maybe i was even at her autumn dinner party (the record player was blocking my head, ok!)?  the cheese tortellini was sooo good, not dry at all steph, what are you talking about?!  
  • in random conversation, are you semi-sheepish about being like, “oh, i have a blog.”  i know before i actually had a blog and knew about blogs i thought blogs were like the means at keeping grandparents informed about the rate at which your child was growing (and they can be, theres nothing wrong w/ that peeps!) but now i realize there is a lot more to blogs but i have to remember that not everyone knows that just like i didn’t before last year.  so i have to quickly add, “yeah.  its a big deal.”  (haha no not really)
  • and my obsession with blogs is like self-declared obession with voyeurism–not in a dirty way.  why do i care so much about your life?  i don’t even know you.  i don’t know why but i do and i love you and we’re sort of like real life friends even though we’ve never met and is it awkward that i really do want to meet in real life so we can be more than just internet friends?!  phew, i’m out of breath.
  • i love when blogs make me laugh out loud.  this is not easy.  it takes a lot for me to laugh out loud.  seinfeld… occasionally.  friends… occasionally.  forgetting sarah marshall?  yes.  but for real.  it takes some effort on your part so consider it a high compliment if you’re getting laughs (i should have carly simon’s “you’re so vain… you probably think this blog is about you…” in my head right now), not that you would know because i am, of course, behind a computer screen all by myself.  but reagans blob makes me laugh out loud, or LOL if you will.  go there now.
  • on that note, i don’t link to many blogs or have a link list because i don’t want to hurt feelings OR show how many blogs i do read because then it seems like i don’t have a life.  just know that i read so many a day and probably looooove yours.  i follow like, oh, 100 blogs, but i have only linked to like five ever so no hurt feelings, k?  k.
  • i semi-wish i had a fashion blog.  i won’t be having one.  but some of them seem like so much freaking fun!
  • even writing freaking, i’m thinking, “ok who reads my blog that will be offended by that?”  there are some conservative readers to be sure.  my blog’ll have to stay clean.  my mind however… oh just kidding.
  • i am random inserting photos because i am well aware that a blog post of mostly text turns away readers and this is really all about you.

Let’s call it “meatloaf” for the sake of the kids.

This was one of my favorite meals when I was a kid.  I loved me some kidney bean loaf.  But, I grew up with a mother who believed in giving her kids fish oil and enemas and wheat germ (enemas didn’t really fit there now, did it?).  So, all of that is to say that kidney bean loaf wasn’t the weirdest thing that was on the menu.  When I first introduced this to my kids a few years ago however, I called it meatloaf.  I knew that they would decide, before trying it, that they didn’t like it based on the title alone.  So meatloaf it was.  And they tried and and loved it and now the secret’s out.  
Here’s the recipe.  Give her a try.
Kidney Bean Loaf
(makes 1 loaf)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 T oil
2 c kidney beans or 1 can, mashed (I use a Cuisinart for this step)
1 c soft bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 T tomato sauce
Brown onion in oil.  Mix all ingredients.  Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.
When it’s all warm and you try to cut it, it will fall apart a bit.  Fear not, it’s normal.  My family likes to put ketchup on theirs and the husband really likes eating his as a sandwich.

halloween/scenes at the hunt house.

Gracie lounges on what she considers to be her chair.  She had just finished up a chapter of Pride and Prejudice.  She’s feeling tired now.
Gourds in my pretty bowl.  This is my standard fall decoration.  I love these things.  And nothing says spooky like black candlesticks!
Pumpkins!  Look close or you’ll miss em!
Glittery Halloween decorations, and I don’t know about you, but I’m liking the use of purple in Halloween decorations this year.
Purple bat garlands.  Again, spooky!  Don’t be too scared!
Husband working.  
This is a pretty standard site in my house these days.  I really do love him for all the work he does even if I try to distract him all the livelong day.  The usual times when it gets annoying is when he’s talking to me and he is literally in the middle of a sentence (LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF IT) and just stops talking because something else came to his mind having to do with his work.  He’s publishing his thesis and it’s hard stuff and he’s a little bit perfectionist and for the record I love you for all you do for us even if it means I don’t hear the second half of your sentences and am left conclusion-less.
Haircut alert!  I miss his long locks but he’s much happier this way, and I semi-forced him to keep them long for like 2 years so, if there’s any justice in the world, it’s his turn to pick.
The little lady likes her oatmeal. 

This is the coolest.

I am dyyyyyyying to get to the Pacific Northwest.  I’ve never been and cities like San Fran, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are seriously calling out to me.  When The Bachelorette had that whole segment in British Columbia–remember?  When Deanna was bachelorette?  Or was it Jillian?  I can’t keep ’em straight–on the train I was watching more for the scenery than the whole love connections/rose ceremony (just lied a little bit).  When I clicked on this link, I was all the more convinced.

I totally stole this from Stefany’s travel dreams.  
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