Getting Ready....

Last night, I made Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins in preparation for tonight. I used the recipe from this blog, Carrots & Cake. The photo on the CNC blog has the muffins looking puffy but mine did not puff up like a normal muffin.

I did not add the raisins or walnuts. They were a little dense but still very good! Evie even had a bite and liked them.

Speaking of Evie, Erik sent me a picture of her today from their mid-day walk. There is a pile of hay in Buena Vista Park and she climbed on top! Even she is getting ready for Fall. haha

Favorite Day of the Year!!

Today is my favorite day of the year - September 30th, the eve of October. I love today because it is the verge of my favorite month, October. I just absolutely love decorating for Fall/Halloween, baking Fall treats, going to get pumpkins, carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, and of course, HOCUS POCUS. Oh yes, tonight will be the first viewing.

I want to do some different things to decorate this year. I saw some cute ideas on the Martha Stewart site. So cute!

Meatballs & Hockey

Last night was very exciting. Erik picked me up from work & we went to our storage unit to get the Halloween/Fall decorations. I can't wait to decorate on Thursday!

Last night for dinner, we had pasta with turkey meatballs. A meatball fell on the floor and Evie sneaked up to it to eat it. Then, she sat next to the oven patiently waiting for more to come out of the oven. Add that to the list of foods she likes!

Erik had a hockey game last night. This is the first round of play-offs and they won: 5-1. Erik scored two goals and had one assist. I hope they win this year. They go to the playoffs each year but haven't won yet.

Hockey season is also back....Erik found a way to stream the games live from the computer to the TV. Lovely. We are planning on going to a Sharks game in March when they play the Rangers. That should be very fun!

Cool SF Video

Heat Wave

Yesterday was another hot day. It was in the 80's and stayed hot all night. A few of us are signing up for a Halloween 5K and we are going to start running together. Last night was our first night to run after work. Kira, Lisa & I met at the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. We ran down to AT&T park and back for a 3 mile run. I like running with others because I keep going. When I am alone, I would probably run down to the ballpark and walk back. But, I pushed myself.

We are going to try to run once or twice a week together. After the run, I then had to BIKE HOME. So I ran 3 miles, then biked 3 miles. So yesterday, I biked a total of 6 miles and ran 3. Oh and then had to walk Evie when I got home. Needless to say, I was exhausted and ready for bed!

I watched a little of DWTS but I don't really like anyone on this season. I mean, Michael Bolton? No thanks. Jennifer Grey looked amazing but she also looked like she was going to puke/die right there on the dance floor after her dance.

As for the mouse, we didn't see him again yesterday or this AM.....

Howling & Mice

Sunday was another lovely day in SF. It was warm & breezy! Erik went to work a little early. I went to the Farmer's Market to pick up some veggies & walked Evie. We then went to Fly Bar, for a little engagement celebration for Betsy & Greg who got engaged last weekend! After we got home, we watched The Lovely Bones & made pizza. It was a great weekend!

This morning, around 530, I was awoken by a strange sound. I thought Erik was having a bad dream and then I quickly realized - It was Evie! You know how she will howl at the fire trucks? Well, she was fast asleep on the bed and howling in her dream! It was hysterical.

This morning, I also saw something else that was strange. I was sitting in the living room, drinking my coffee & waiting for Evie to get up. I saw a tiny gray mouse scurry across the room. He ran out from behind the table that the TV is on, along the bookcase & stopped. When I stood up, he ran right back to where he came from. He looked cute & harmless.

Anyway, after work, three of us are attempting to run down to the ballpark and back. Our goal is to run a Halloween 5K on October 31st. I haven't run in so long - this should be interesting.

My own Martha Stewart

Erik made us something this weekend - cup koozies! He had an old wet suit so he cut off part of the arms to make the koozies - how resourceful.

He gardens. He makes koozies. He bakes bread. I feel like I have my own Martha Stewart living with me! :-)

Movie Review: The Lovely Bones

Erik and I watched, "The Lovely Bones" last night. We did not like it. It is a sad story about a girl who is killed by her neighbor, who is a serial killer and has about six other young girl deaths under his belt.

The family is torn apart as the Father spends the next year trying to figure out who the killer is.

The film flips back and forth from the story to showing the girl in the 'in-between' as she tries to give clues to her family about finding her killer.

We thought it would be scarier than it was. I didn't like the flipping back & forth. I thought the film dragged on. I give this movie a C. It was just OK. Since it was a book, I'm going to be the book was better.

Anniversary Plans

I'm so excited! We just booked a hotel in Monterey to go for a weekend to celebrate our anniversary in a few weeks. It looks so pretty!

We're going to stay at the Portola Hotel & Spa. It's right near the water, too. Not sure what else we will do in Monterey - I hope it is nice and we can relax on the beach, or go wine tasting. It's very pretty down there!

Hot Saturday

Friday night was a fun movie night. First, we went to dinner at Pluto's. Then, the movie. Then, to the Tipsy Pig for a much needed drink to calm ourselves from seeing that movie!

On Saturday, It was SO hot here. Probably around 85 degrees. I got up, walked Evie, then did some laundry & cleaning. After we cleaned, we took Evie for a long walk. She was exhausted--the long walk + heat= tired dog. She came home from the walk, hopped right in the tub, then went under the bed.

After the walk, we went out to lunch at Squat & Gobble and grabbed a table outside. It was nice to sit in the shade and eat.

I had a tomato, mozzarella, arugula salad. Delish.

After lunch, we rode our bikes home and I took a nap. It was amazing. Then, we rode our bikes to Dolores Park for Movie Night!! The park was packed so we didn't really watch the movie which was The Big Lebowski. We sat and ate, drank, and chatted with Betsy, Greg, & Ben. It was nice to be outside and not freezing, in the wind, or fog!

Movie Review: The Town

WOW. Saw The Town last night for movie night & it was quite the film. I literally had anxiety through the entire movie. My hands were sweating and my heart was pounding!!

The movie is about four guys who grew up together in Boston and rob banks for a living. They wear really scary outfits to do so! They end up robbing a bank and taking a girl on a hostage joy ride. Scared she will rat them out to the cops, Ben Affleck's character - Doug, follows her and ends up falling for her. He puts everyone at risk for being found out by the Cops and by the girl.

Suspenseful is an understatement for this film. If you want an action packed film, go see this!
Also, Ben Affleck is HOT in this movie!

It's the Weekend!

Check out our weather today!! It was gorgeous out. I worked from home today & it was great to get out and walk Evie in the sun. Plus, all next week should be awesome.

Tonight is movie night & we are going to see, The Town. It is the #1 movie right now and looks good!

We have a bunch of things on the list to do this weekend such as play tennis, go to the beach, make pizza. I am also super excited because I am going to storage to get out my FALL DECORATIONS. That's right everyone - it is almost the start of my absolute favorite month of October, Decorations, Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, and of course....Hocus Pocus.

I already changed my blog background for Fall! Woohoo!! Have a good weekend.

NOLA Crew Dinner

Last night was so fun! One of the Dickinsonians that went to New Orleans with us was out in SF for vacation so we all met up. It was great to be together again.

Amy, Michael, & I....Michael & I drywalled that bathroom together.

Amy(visiting from VA), Amy, & I

The NOLA Dickinson ladies!!

The whole crew. Love it when we are all together.

Here we are in New Orleans. We're so lucky that we all live in the same spot and get to see each other!

Dinner for Two

Last night, Amy came over for dinner and I tried a new recipe - White Chicken Chili. I think the word Chili in the title is misleading because this was more of a stew/soup than chili. I added vegetables to the recipe including red peppers, green peppers, scallions, corn & carrots. It very good & filling. Perfect fall recipe!

Here is the recipe:

White Chicken Chili

Serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 medium onion, small diced

1 T vegetable oil

2 cans cannellini beans

14.5 ounces chicken broth

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup half & half

8 ounce reduced fat sour cream

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and chopped onion and saute for about six minutes, or until the chicken is seared and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another three minutes.

Add the beans, spices, chicken broth and green chilies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and half & half. Serve with cheddar cheese and additional sour cream to top.

*******

It tasted great as leftovers for lunch, too!

Also, I would just like everyone to know that Evie loves Amy. She runs to see her at the door and wants her to play with her!

Bingo & Beer Tasting

On Monday, I did Bingo for the ladies. They were arguing in Russian the entire time. I don't know what the problem was. They were mad at one lady because she kept asking me to repeat the number every time I said anything with a six in it.

Last night, Erik and I went to a fun event. We went to Pedro's Cantina for a beer tasting. For $5, we got 8 tickets each for beer tastings. There were a couple of microbreweries there with some great beers to try!



Here is a list of breweries that were there:
Grand Teton Brewing Co.
Dogfish Head
Anchor Steam
Linden Street Brewery
Black Star Beer
Thirsty Bear Brewery Co.
Shmaltz Brewing Company
Moylan’s Brewery
Trumer Brauerei
Drake’s Brewing


First up, we tried Tail Waggin' from Grand Teton Brewing Co. This beer was awesome - tasted like Blue Moon but sweeter. Apparently Blue Moon is a Belgian White and this was Double White.

The Grand Teton guy explaining beers

Trumer Pils had two beers on tap including a Bitter(?) which I thought smelled like an old lady. hah

At the Black Star table, we tried a double hopped golden beer which was good.

These guys from Moylan’s Brewery were hilarious. They were not taking tickets from anyone for a beer. They would just open up these big bottles and start pouring to whatever cup was sticking out. Then, the older pourer would finish the bottle off for himself. Of course, this was the most crowded table! They had a myriad of beers from Hefewizen to Blueberry beers. The best news is that this brewery is local!

After the beer tastings, we BIKED home. I did not use all of my tickets because I needed to get myself home. Erik picked up turkey burgers for us for dinner at Acme Burgerhaus. It was a fun night!

Weird Weather

We have been having some weird weather the past few day. Its warm/muggy/humid and there is a mist that sits over the city. So, it's not really raining but it's not clear out. When you go outside, you get wet and have to squint to see though the mist.

However, the mist stopped and it was nice out tonight. Erik went to work and I took Evie down to Ocean Beach. She was running around and digging in the sand. There was a huge tide pool that she was running through, since she doesn't love the waves. We stayed & watched the sun almost set. It was warm out and there was no wind - which is rare.

After we came home, Evie got a bath & dinner. She tried to go crazy but instead climbed on the couch and went to sleep. I think running in the sand and water made her tired. Success!!

Movie Review: When In Rome

Tonight, I watched 'When In Rome' with Kristen Bell & Josh Duhamel. Whenever I see Kristen Bell, I want to call her Veronica Mars.

Anyway, this movie looked cute plus, I heard it was pretty good. Unfortunately, it was not. Bell is the girl who can't get a guy but her luck seems to turn when she goes to Rome for her sisters wedding. After getting into a fountain in Rome & removing a few coins that were thrown in by others - her life begins to change.

So will she get the guy?

A lackluster romantic comedy that I can't recommend for your Netflix list.

Apple & Berry Pickin'

On Saturday, Erik and I drove down to Santa Cruz to stop at a beer shop, pick apples, and of course, go to On The Border. We decided to bring Evie with us so that she wasn't home all day or at camp(since she was there for 10 days recently). She liked being in the car with us. Here she is on the start of our journey, ready to fall asleep...



First stop was 7 Bridges Organic Beer Store in Santa Cruz. Erik stocked up on Organic beer supplies for his next few rounds of brewing.


After the beer shop, we went to Gizdich Ranch. We picked apples AND strawberries this year.

Erik picking strawberries. There were tons to pick from & we went home with two containers full.


Strawberry Fields


We also went earlier in the season so the trees were full of apples!




Erik trying to take my picture while I'm facing the sun

We also found the little main store on the property this year & purchased an apple pie. So we have a pie for this week & then next week, I'll make one.

After picking, we went to On The Border for dinner. It was soooo good!! Evie loved riding in the car & getting out at each stop to explore new spots & we stocked up on goodies!

This Week

Well, after landing late on Sunday, I went back to work at normal time on Monday. I surprisingly was not that tired. I did not go food shopping until Wednesday though so Tuesday night, Erik and I got Little Chihuahua which is always great! Needless to say that when I went shopping on Wednesday, I went a little crazy stocking up on food since our kitchen was bare!

Anyway, last night, I made Chicken Picatta for Betsy & I. It is the Barefoot Contessa recipe & you can get it here. It was yummy! I also tried to make garlic mashed potatoes but so much garlic in that my tongue was burning. haha. Oh well, it was still a good dinner!

I also found a hummus that I finally like. I have tried many different flavors of hummus and just love this one - Spicy Three Pepper by Athenos. So delish!


In other news, I wanted to tell you about a manicure I got last week - a shellac manicure. This is supposed to last 2-3 weeks! The paint is special nail polish & the manicurist has you try your hands under UV light after each coat. There is no additional dry time, no chips, no smudges. It's awesome!! It is more expensive than a regular manicure. Here are my nails after 8 days:



I did chip two nails so far, on my other hand. One is because I picked it; I admit it. The other was because I wacked my hand on a door in a weird way. Otherwise, I'm really happy. You can find a salon that does Shellac manicures in your area, here.

Tonight, I am planning on going home to relax. I have a ton of laundry to do and just want to chill at home with Evie. Tomorrow, we are going Apple Picking!! We are going to go to the same place as last year plus, go to On the Border!!

Sarah & John's Wedding

After exploring Burlington & Lake Champlain, we packed up our stuff and headed down to Vergennes, VT. The wedding location was the Basin Harbor Club, which was a beautiful setting.



Father & Daughter - walking down the aisle



Groomsmen

Bridesmaids

Married!

The Leeuw's!


After the wedding, there was a happy hour by the water. It was perfect weather & so pretty!

After happy hour, we went inside for the reception. She had ammmmmazing food that was local and wonderful. We chose from dips, salads, pasta bar, and turkey or fish. So good!

Bride & Groom dancing

Me & Sammi, the Brides Sister

Me, Jeff, & Kristine. We all grew up in Milford and Kristine and I went to HS together!

Kimmy, MIssy, Me

After the reception, there was an after party at the bar on the property. It was fun to dance and get crazy like old times.

In the AM, we had breakfast and then we departed back for MA.

Posing in front of the main lodge


We drove back to MA and saw a ton of farms & cows! VT is very pretty

Once we got back to MA, we stopped for a much needed pizza lunch. Then, we relaxed before my flight. After getting to the airport, my flight was delayed and I did not get home until 1230am!! I flew Jet Blue for the first time though & it was great. You get FREE drinks AND snacks!!

Anyway, I was soooo excited to see Erik & Evie. I really missed our little family being spread apart for so long.

Here they are at around 130am, after we got home & ready for bed.