Autumn

I love autumn:
The smell of woodstoves, and leaves, and coolness in the air.
The putting on of corduroy clothes.
Flannel Sheets.
Halloween.
Harvest-time (Yummy veggies at the market!)
Cool evenings to snuggle on the couch.
The beautiful colors.


This autumn, I'm taking my camera with me wherever I go to document the beauty I see, especially in the urban setting I live. Also, I have vacation next week: my plans include making and canning applesauce, sewing 2 skirts, baking bread, and who knows what else!

Finally on the wedding front:
Our reception venue is booked as the Zoo here in town (!)
I have a hold on the venue for our ceremony (A local state park)
Our save-the-date cards are here and awaiting addresses!

Next up: Officiant and photographer!

What a busy time of year, but so fufilling!

Wedding Plans

Well, this week I'm making some actual progress on the wedding planning:

• I went dress shopping, and found a possibility
• I have an appointment at our reception venue to sign a contract!!
• I designed and ordered our save-the-date cards
• Started an address label document on our computer so that we can just keep printing it each time we do a mailing (save-the dates, invitations, thank yous...)

I know it doesn't look like much, but it's important headway :) More to come later as my plan this weekend is to chip away at that list a little more! On another topic, I want to make my own dishsoap. I found one recipe, but found it to be not as explanatory as I'd like. Any suggestions for recipes?

hours.

There simply are not enough hours in the day, both at work, and at home. I'm still working on preserving produce for the winter, mostly drying, but I might try canning some things this weekend. Can you can Chicken broth? Wedding planning is coming along, I'm ordering the save the dates this week!!!!! It's less than a year away, and I feel slightly overwhelmed with everything I have to do still....Also this week: Finalize and sign contract with reception venue. Next up: Wedding dress shopping! I noticed that the vintage/used wedding boutique is having a 50% off sale...so maybe this weekend....anybody up for shopping with me?

Busy-ness

We've been so busy the last couple of weeks, here's a taste of what we've been up too!

delicious supper:
black bean and corn burritos and Honey Dijon Dill Cucumber Salad
(both my own creations!)

Another tasty supper: Roasted Tomato Mac & Cheese

Drying zucchini chips for soup this winter

Making homemade laundry soap

A trip to the fair with my work, Mike volunteered with us

Zucchini Parmesan:
My version of eggplant Parmesan,
but I've never actually seen a recipe
for it so I made it up (it's more fun that way!)

Housewarming party for and with friends

Also, I've made tomato sauce from scratch, and done some fall cleaning. Autumn, here I come!

Bought some seconds tomatoes at the market this weekend, need to freeze/can them, but they're not Romas. Any ideas of how I can best preserve them for versatility?

Summer's last hurrah!

Tales from a great weekend!

A Boots n' Shorts gig: A lot of my family came-Mom, Dad, Brothers Bob and Matt, and long-lost Uncle who was in town for a bit before settling in Ohio!

Always wanted our name in lights!


"My two sons:" Dad, Bob, Matt

Matt and Mom

Dad and Bob (yes, that is the shocker *rolls eyes*)

Dancing fools! (Matt and Uncle Andy)

"Is there a snake in your boots?"

Fun with hula hoops!

"The Monkey and the Engineer!"

Brother Bob and I

Andy and I
(apparently there's the shocker again....*Sigh*)

Andy and Bob
(never mind my brother flipping the bird)

Matt

Family Photo!!
Mom, Me, Andy, Bob, Matt, Dad (and the drunk cigarette bummer in the background!)
(For all you college friends who thought my Dad didn't exist, here's a photo!)

Got a good-ish harvest from the garden this weekend:That's two tomatoes, two cucumbers, and a small handful of wild strawberries!

Then, I was a domestic goddess:
Oven drying roma tomatoes for the winter and freezing blueberries for the same:

Hickory Fest 2009

This past weekend we went to an amazing bluegrass festival in Wellsboro, PA called Hickory Fest. It's our third year attending, and we intend on making an annual pilgrimage to the Stony Fork Creek Campground. The setting is beautiful, the music inspiring, and the people that attend create such a feeling of warmth that each time we go, we vow to attend always!

I wanted to share some photos of our weekend with you:Neat-O cloud

fog

Banjo Mike

Nighttime jams

Spider web in the grass with dew

Lawn cutouts of famous musicians-see the Jerrys on the end?

Happy people

I can Hula!

Look at me go!

Happy Chicas! Janet, Dawn, Me

Hula Mama!

Special thanks to my Hula Mama!!! I never would have tried it if it weren't for her hula hoops!!!

bountiful harvest

This is the first tomato from my garden this year!


It was made all the more exciting for two reasons: 1. Last year, I did not get a single tomato from my garden. 2. Something took a bite while it was still green but I left it on the vine to see what happened. The unbitten half was as tasty as tasty could be!

Then, Sunday evening, we got home from an amazing 4-day bluegrass festival trip to find two more ripe tomatoes in my garden!We had stopped for lunch on the way home from the festival, and we got some pesto to bring home for supper. I made up a quick pesto/tri-color rotini/tomato/chick pea salad for supper:

Would you believe that those tomatoes were the best tomatoes I have ever tasted? Can't wait for the others that are ripening on the vine as we speak!

Unfortunately, I think my mom's garden got the tomato blight :( But her zucchini plants are ENORMOUS!!! After being away for 2 days, she got 5 of these guys (and 2 normal sized ones!):


We grilled one up for supper last night at mom's house, and with the leftovers, I made this tasty Zucchini/Balsamic dip-I don't remember what went in it, but I know there was some garlic, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and to thicken it up some, some pita bread soaked in balsamic vinegar. Whizzed up in the food processor, it was delicious!!
We were also blessed with 2 of our very own zucchini/canoes to take home with us. I shredded one, it yielded about 8ish cups of shredded zucchini-and I still have another one to contend with! I'm considering hollowing it out to make a canoe-could I shellac it and take it to the Adirondacks do you think?