congrats little steve

steve maricle.

you are like my little brother.

and i am so excited for you and Laura Beth.

Congrats!!!!!!!!!

look at that rock!

the lovely Laura Beth

oh wow, look what you get...

it was gonna be cameron, watch out LB

Congrats Steve & Laura Beth, we wish you the best and are so excited for your new journey!!!!

she hates it when...

we do this to her.

mom and david sent us this pirate hat with hair attached for schnooze.

she hates it.

she didnt even move a muscle when we put it on her.

i think she is scarred for life.

sorry little baby dog.

candlesticks

1. buy some ugly candlesticks from the thrift store

2. hurry up and paint them FAST!

(b/c they are soooo ugly)

i painted them dark burnt umber and victorian blue

3. i tried to use the crackle paint and then painted a lighter color

on top, but that didnt really work out so well...

4. get kick ass candlestick centerpieces

what the....

from 9new.com
it's snowing!

yippee su su

sus and chris updated their blog... WITH PICTURES!

i love sus and chris and miss them so much!
but i get to go see them in may!!!!!

pics of sus and chris

i stole these pics from one of sus's facebook friends from the Peace Corps

so i don't know what they all are, but they are swazi pics.

a boy that i just want to squeeze his cheeks!
oh shoot, better leave my catapult at home.

oh little sus and chris

do they match on purpose?

about to get sworn in :)

my little bro and sis, they are so cute

what their huts look like in swaziland.

sus's has a tin roof though

a monkey!
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that's all i know :)

you're gonna be popular

Friday night I got to do something awesome!

I went with 2 gals to see Wicked

we made it a date and ate dinner first!

we ate dinner at cuba cuba
isn't it the cutest?

they are known for their mojitos...

and just after 1/2 of one we were feeling it!

right before the show

Liz, Shellie, & Kim

it was so much fun!!!!

today

today:

first off, people, it snowed last night.
what?
yes. i know. snow. oct 8th.

i will plant my bulbs today like a little old lady.

happy 30th birthday cousin lauren! you are awesome!

tonight i go see Wicked with the girls!!!

yippee!!!!

i'm backkkkkkk...

i just haven't had anything to blog about lately, but i guess i could have just bored you to death with the boring stuff i've been doing. also i was un-motivated to type.

so i'm back :)

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cam's watermelon... the size of a lemon.

it fell off this morning.

i'm not sure if they will produce anything edible before it snows.

which butternut is from my garden???

the one on the right.

you can't tell can you??

i am making a recipe (at bottom) from rachael ray tonight using mine :)

i've been studying for this

i don't even remember how to study.

needless to say, the past several weeks have been peppered with these tools.

picked these all from the garden just before a frost.

aren't they pretty?

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been talking to sus about visiting in MAY!!!

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going to see Wicked Friday with some gals!

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will post more later!

Autumn Harvest Chili
Serves 4
Butternut squash make the "bowls" for this chili!
· 2 small butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
· 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 1 medium onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
· 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
· 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
· 1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
· 2 small zucchini, diced
· 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
· 3 tablespoons chili powder
· 1 box frozen corn (10 ounces)
· 1 can black beans (14 ounces), drained
· 1/4 cup tomato paste
· 1 cup apple cider (the cloudy kind), as needed
· 2 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF.Place the butternut squash cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle it with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and some salt and pepper. Roast the squash in the oven until tender, about 45 minutes. When the squash has finished roasting, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler.While the squash is in the oven, place a medium size saucepan over medium-high heat with the remaining two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, mushrooms and zucchini to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender, about 7 minutes.Add the spices, corn, black beans and tomato paste to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the apple cider to the pan (start with about 1/2 cup and add more as needed – you want a thicker chili) and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Scoop the finished chili over the butternut squash halves and sprinkle with the cheese. Place the squash under the broiler to melt the cheese, then serve.