Milestones.

Happy October 30, bloggies!

Holy. Goodness. (Can someone please explain to me how it got to be the end of October all ready?)

Lots has happened since my last post. I've ventured into realms of cooking that I've never explored before (stuffed acorn squash? check. Bohemian Wedding Cake-- ala eatliverun? check.) endured tornado-like winds (thankfully, there's no exciting story behind that-- no damage to the house, and the kitties were not blown away... I was momentarily worried that I'd have a permanent ringing in my ears due to the tornado sirens, though ;). I've dabbled in canning (inspiration from the lovely Julie), tested out our whirlpool bathtub for the first time (I am a wee bit ashamed to admit this, as we've lived in the house since April... but, Oh, tub. Bathing in you positively eclipses my lifetime of bubble baths before you...), and survived my 1st cold of the season (actually... I still don't feel like I've totally shaken it, and I've heard similar stories from friends.... there's something nasty out there, y'all...) Life's been busy, but ...aside from the whole sickness thing life's been good. Tonight I'm going to give you a little glimpse into this crazy-busy-good life, via stream of consciousness...

Bits and Pieces:

• I had this ideal that J and I wouldn't "cave in" and turn our heat on until November 1. And then yesterday J played the cat card. "But, Amy.." he said, "The cats are cold. I came home and they looked like little porcupines (all fluffed up to try and stay warm). And their little paws are cold." ...We totally turned the heat on last night.
• Honestly, though, until yesterday our November 1 goal seemed totally doable. Because Ohio weather has been a little kooky, even for Ohio. We've been having summer like 70-degree days that make it seem like, surely, the summer has not yet ended-- when in fact we are 1 month and 8 (?) days in to Fall, thankyouverymuch. (...Sigh. I'm notreally complaining about the 'heat'... but, seriously? I would have felt seriously jipped if we don't get at least several weeks of real Ohio fall-- cool 50's, with grey skies and crisp breezes. *Shakes fist at the skies* Hellooo.... this isn't Florida -- I want my 4 seasons, please!)
• I've been feeling very homey lately... with all the pies and meal planning and (erm) vacuuming (maybe because it's been so warm the cats have been shedding overtime?) I even had my first "gardening" attempt (I transplanted some mums into our front flower bed. If I manage to not kill them, perhaps I'll move on to tomatoes next year...) As of now, the mums are still stubbornly hanging in there... so there may be hope for me yet.
• Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention another (HUGE) milestone that occurred in tandem with the cold/sickness milestone. I actually was feeling crummy enough last Friday that I took the day off work, to spend the day curled up on the couch under 2 blankets with a tissue box :) Somewhere between hours 2 and 3 of my self-prescribed Grey's Anatomy marathon (Side note: I've never been an avid fan all by myself.... but I loved to watch it with friends in college. Until last Friday, I don't think I'd watched an episode since I graduated-- but you know what? That's some darn good "sick-tv"...) --BARON HOPPED UP ON MY CHEST, BURROWED UNDER THE BLANKETS, AND SNUGGLED WITH ME FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES. Needless to say-- for the cat who, most of the time tolerates me at best-- this was huge. I suppose it might have had something to do with the fact that it was cold in the house (read: it was in the 30's outside. I told you the weather has been temperamental....)-- but I prefer to think that he knew I wasn't feeling well, and was comforting his Mama the best way he knew how. (Furthermore, if that was the case, it worked. It warmed my heart all day long :)
• It occurs to me that this is becoming a very cat-centric post....
• So on a non-cat related note: I've been loving the "hibernation mode" that we have so naturally fallen into as the daylight wanes earlier and earlier. Although a part of me aches for the times when it is still light when we sit down to dinner, a larger part of me rejoices in wrapping up on blankets and snuggling into the couch after dinner, starting a new season of must-see tv together :)
• I LOVE HGTV.
• But I'm not terribly fond of the commercial that says, "Food Myth #X: Chopping & Peeling can be kind of relaxing at the end of the day..." ...Call me crazy, but to me, it is :) I'm loving coming home to chop(!) and create a warm meal. It's a fantastic way to decompress after a long (some longer than others) work day.
• I love that Gracie comes in and hangs out with me in the kitchen while I'm preparing dinner. She lies on the floor and watches me intently, close enough to "keep an eye on things", but far enough away that I don't have to worry about stepping on her. Sometimes she gets so happy she rolls onto her back and watches me upside down, purring all the time. I think she enjoys our nightly ritual as much as I do.

And with that, I do believe that we're all caught up :)

Your Turn: Any good Halloween plans?

My answer: We are being deliciously low key this year (ie: tonight we're chilling at home, eating stuffed peppers and watching Dexter, hehe :) -- no parties or anything. I did get into the spirit on Thursday evening, though-- which was trick-or-treat night. My favorite costumes of the night were those of our little neighbor girls (about 1 and 3 years old) who dressed up as Little Bo Peep and Little Miss Muffet (Miss Muffet was the tinier one, wearing squeaky shoes and carrying a spider candy bucket)-- I about died of the cute :)