Get your skeleton...

Image via Design Crush

See you in November....as if that isn't scary sounding enough!

Taking Notes

Image via TV Fanatic

Does anyone else watch Glee? I resisted last season, claiming that it was too over the top for my liking (and that coming from a musical lover) but I've since given in. And I'm in love with Emma's high-waisted skirt and cardigan pairings. It's like she's stepped out of the pages of an Anthro catalog.

Knit & Purl

The afternoon finished off with a quick but rumbly storm. The gray clouds moved in and the sky got a bit darker. I plopped onto the couch and mindlessly twirled some mustard yellow yarn into a ball while I watched reruns of Gilmore Girls. 

I almost thought I was back in Seattle.

Takes Me Back

If you ask my mom, she might say that I ate a lot of weird things as a kid. Frozen bread slices. Mustard sandwiches (to clarify,  just mustard on bread). But one of my elementary school lunch staples has made a comeback: applesauce and yogurt.

Okay, people made fun of me for it back then. Husby makes fun of me for it now. It's weird looking, I'll admit. There's just something about it that intrigued me after all these years of abstaining.

This time around I make the grown up version....TJ's unsweetened Gravenstein applesauce, TJ's nonfat plain greek yogurt, and a sophisticated dusting of cinnamon. 

For beginners I'd go heavy on the applesauce; for a protein-packed snack, give the yogurt an even chance. Swirl it around until it looks like cottage cheese. 

Now if I just had some leggings and braces, I'd be right back at the cafeteria lunch table at Durham Elementary.

Beach Day

Everyone said it would be too cold, but 75 degrees sounded like a perfect day for it. Especially to an Oregonian. We drove out to Norfolk and met some old friends from college for brunch. Then we spent a few hours on the beach, soaking up the sun and enjoying the last days of October. I still can't get over the fact that it was warm at the beach in October...

There was also wave running.

Frisbee throwing.

Bird watching.

Sun setting.

I hope we can go again soon. I don't mind bundling up next time.

It Gets Better

President Obama joined Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" campaign today.  Let's spread the word. 

"Because we want you to know that we care, and that you mean something, and that you are person who is loved, who is valued, and deserves to shine bright."

Music to My Ears

Image via The Sound of Music FB page

I've noticed a lot of hooplah about The Sound of Music lately. First I heard about a sing-along at 500 movie theaters across the nation---one happened a few days ago in Richmond, but unfortunately I had no takers for tag-alongs. 

And then yesterday I found out that Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, and ALL of the Von Trapp children are going to make an appearance on Oprah next week on the 28th. It's the first reunion since the movie debuted 45 years ago. Gahhhhhhhh!!!!

I should have mentioned at the beginning of all this that The Sound of Music has been my favorite movie since the age of four two and a half (my mom just called to correct me on this). When I went to Salzburg three years ago, my friend and I biked to each spot where any filming took place. The Sound of Music---to me---is a pretty big deal.

Now about Oprah. Since my job is very, very part-time at the moment, there exists the slim possibility of falling into the daytime television trap. But I wouldn't. Ever. Soaps, talk shows, and cheesy court trials just aren't my thing. However, I should admit that I did watch an episode of Oprah the other week. She was featuring the family of TLC's Sister Wives. An interview with a man who just married his fourth wife and has 16 kids and they all live together as one happy family.....well you can't NOT watch something like that.

Regardless of any judgment out there, I'll be tuning in next week. I'm eyeing my curtains right now in case I need something new to wear....


Update: Find 'then and now' photos, a quiz, little known facts and more post-show fun here.

Dress Up

Our Halloween deco from college...very bibbity-bobbity-boo, don't you think?

I don't think I've ever seen so much outdoor Halloween decor. Ever. On my run (read: walk/jog) the other day, I saw neon webs, warty pumpkins, electronically programmed blow-up spiders that glare in your direction when they sense movement, gravestones, orange lights, and detailed jack-o-lanterns that looked like they'd been carved with an exacto knife. This holiday is taken seriously around here.

Which brings up the subject of costumes. I've got something in mind, but I need a few more days to figure out details. Chris wants to go with last year's idea, which we also did the year before. That's one of the perks of spending three consecutive Octobers in three different states.

This time of year makes me want to track down a copy of Hocus Pocus. That movie was scary when I was a kid---it always seemed to take forever (max 96 minutes) for the sun to come up and the witches to go away. I also remember watching Double Double Toil and Trouble with my sister (1993 must have been a big year for kid-targeted Halloween movies). Though it seems that the Olsen twins are a bit scarier nowadays...

Pumpkins on Parade

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate...

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!"

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "Well we don't care!"

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun."

And woooooooooo went the wind

And OUT! went the light

Then the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Fast Food

I'd been wanting to get a picture of the ENORMOUS Arby's signs along Broad Street and was able to snap this one last month on my phone (ignore the fact that it was raining and I was driving---I was entirely careful). Welcome to the South, hungry eaters.