In short...

I had a good day.  My boss bought the office breakfast, Oktoberfest started, I had fried pickles for lunch (nope, totally not on my diet!) and spent the evening with David and Kate making Halloween party invitations!     I had a good day!

Updated Halloween Decor

I felt like the living room was missing something so I added a couple glittery skulls and I really think it pulled the final look together.

Fall 2011 To Do List

1. camping!  I really want to go, but times running out!  Hopefully!
2. pumpkin picking
3. halloween party
4. anniversary celebration (check!)
5. chili cookoff
7. drive to skyline
8. go to a haunted house/maze/etc
9. decorate for halloween (check!)
10. watch Hocus Pocus and Halloween
11. go to the drive in horrorfest
12. decorate cookie haunted house/graveyard/coffin/etc
13. photo shoot with allen kids

Sarah on 09/25/2011

Just a quick post about who I am right now.  SInce this blog is supposed to be about preserving memories, I thought I'd preserve who I am right at this very moment!

• listening - Adele, the Civil Wars, Bob Dylan, anything from the 90's
• watching - Star Trek (original series and next generation), Felicity, Family Ties
• planning - halloween!  
• dreaming of - having a baby, not having a baby (you could say i'm not quite ready yet), turning a hobby into a career, a white christmas, a bitchin' halloween party, mass effect 3
• doing right this moment - blogging, petting the cat, dreaming of coffee, waiting for Jon to wake up
• feeling - well that's a loaded bullet point!  i feel content, but at the same time I'm anxious to move forward.  i'll blame it on a mini early mid life crisis.  i love my life and the people in it so very much and i'm really enjoying where i am in life at the moment, but at the same time, i'm ready to start a new chapter.  confusing huh?
• apparently i'm liking bullet points!
• loving the hubs more each day i'm with him!
• so very happy that summer is over and fall has arrived!

I suppose that'll be it for now b/c I don't know what else to say!  Toodlepip!

Halloween Decor 2011

Here are some pic's of our Halloween decor this year!  Some is the same from last year and some is different!  Sorry for the bad pic's.  I can never seem to get good pictures of decor.  If anyone has suggestions on how to get those pretty pictures, let me know!  It's something I need to work on.  Anyhow, sad to say but these aren't all our decorations, just the ones in our living room.  Yep, I like to decorate!

A Weekend in Bullet Points

• friday night go to Dustin and Amber's for hanging out time.   
• got kisses and hugs from zoey and spitup from brooklyn.  love those girls!
• watched part of 300
• came home and straight to bed
• saturday morning grocery shopping
• cheesy corn chowder making commenced while jon worked on his computer
• halloween decorating!
• zach came over to visit and brought gears of war.  not a fave of mine b/c there really isn't a plot.  i like a story in my games
• kate and i went to columbus to do some halloween shopping!  such a fun time!  we hit up halloween city and target and got some good stuff!  
• home to the boys!  had sonic for dinner (really must crack back down on my diet) and watched Team America: World Police
• bed for me!  I was bushed!  
• That's where we are right now.  I'm righting a blog post at 8:06am on Sunday morning.  Thinking of have a cup of coffee and listening to some Adele since I am addicted to both!

Cheesy Corn Chowder

Totally yummo!  Try it out!

Ingredients
1 can cream corn
1 qt chicken 2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp season salt
3 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
8 strips bacon, fried and chopped (I used the precooked kind, worked great)
1/2 cup velveeta queso blanco

Mix it all up and bring to a boil.  Simmer 10-15 minutes.  Eat!

The First Day of Fall

It's HERE!!!!  My all time favorite season is HERE!!!!  Bring on the pumpkins and sweaters!

{don't know where I got this picture}

Did you know...

...that it's the autumnal equinox?  Something to ponder.

09/18/2011

Our first anniversary.  I can't believe it's been a year.  I love this man so much!  We are pretty low key people, so we didn't do anything extravagent for our anniversary.  I got up early and did the grocery shopping for the week.  When I got home, Jon suggested we get McDonald's breakfast, so we got that and ate breakfast in bed while watching an episode of The Real Ghostbusters.  After that we got showered and then basically hung around the house.  We cut our wedding cake top and each had some of that.  It tasted great!  I was unsure of how year old cake would taste, but it tasted as good as it did on our wedding day!  I was very impressed!  I don't know why, as our baker is a friend of the family and always makes amazing cakes!  Yum!  We went to David and Kate's for a lunch/dinner of pizza and we talked about Halloween party plans.  We came home and watched some Star Trek: The Next Generation (we are totally hooked) and have been relaxing.  I wouldn't mind celebrating every anniversary this way!

Our Weekend Via Instagram

 

I'm Dreaming of A...

...Diiiinner Paarrttyyyyyyyy!  I really want to through a dinner party!  Or some kind of party!  I love the idea of making individual treats and eats like these.

 {via http://bouffeebambini.blogspot.com/}

 {via http://bouffeebambini.blogspot.com/}

{via http://bouffeebambini.blogspot.com/}

{ via http://bouffeebambini.blogspot.com/}

 {via  http://themammamiablog.com/}

 {via http://pizzazzerie.com/}

{via http://www.delish.com/}

{via http://blog.myweddingreceptionideas.com/}

Our 1st Anniversary

One year ago I married this man I call husband.  It doesn't seem like it's been a year yet!  Time has gone so quickly!  I look forward to a lifetime of memories with you hubby!  I love you Jonathon Rhoades!

Anniversary Weekend

Our 1st anniversary is tomorrow!  I can't believe it!  We started celebrating yesterday, so I guess we're celebrating all weekend!  I like it!  Yesterday Jon surprised me with a beautiful Willow Tree musical statue!

Isn't it pretty!  It plays Canon in D.  I love it!  We weren't going to give each other presents, but the stinker cheated!  We stayed in last night and just enjoyed time together.  Today we stayed in bed late and watched cartoons.  Once we got up and about, we headed up to Columbus.  We stopped at Hobby Lobby and Jon picked out his anniversary present (since we were, you know, giving each other presents now).  He got a model boat to build.

Then we headed to Target where we got a few Halloween things.  It didn't seem like they had everything out yet, so I'll have to check it out again in a couple weeks.  After that we headed to the mall and did a little Christmas shopping (we are way ahead this year), stopped at Bath and Body Works, and took pictures in a photobooth.  After that we had lunch at Red Lobster, which is where we ate out on our honeymoon.  I love Red Lobster!  Anyway then we headed home for a 2.5 hour nap.  It was a really good nap too.  I made black bean soup for dinner and now we're chilling out watching Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Tomorrow we are going to eat our cake topper and relax at home.  
That's our weekend thus far.  It's been an awesome one!  I love this man I call husband!

Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans, one pureed

1 qt beef stock

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 tsp garlic powder

1 bay leaf

Mix it all up and heat to boiling.  Take of heat and eat!

Creamy Chicken Enchilada's

8 6 in tortillas
2 cans chicken, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 block cream cheese
1 can rotel, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 tbsp taco seasoning

Mix the chicken, soup, cream cheese, rote, and taco seasoning.  Fill tortillas with mixture and lay seam down in a 9x13 backing dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Stepmom Day

What a good day today was!  I got to spend some one on one time with Josh, which doesn't happen very often!  We went to Beef and Boards Dinner Theater with my mom and dad.  Jon stayed home.  I left him sitting on the couch and he was still there when we got home.  Go figure, lol.  Anyway, Josh and I saw Singing in the Rain!  It was really good!  We can't quite figure out how they got it to rain on stage though.  Hm...

Remembering

  No matter your beliefs, political/religious/or otherwise, many people's lives were lost and many others affected in a senseless act of violence 10 years ago.  Take a moment of silence today to remember the people of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Fall

The weather lately has been very fallish. It makes me think of all the things I love about fall.

Pumpkin patches,

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Cozy sweaters,

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colorful leaves and jumping in them,

{World of Stock Photography}

hot apple cider,

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Pumpkins Spice Latte's from Starbucks.

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The crisp air, the blue skies, the cool temperature, boots, chili, the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, high school football games, pumpkin pie, do I need to go on?  I love fall!  Everything about it!

Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks.  Nuff said.

I'm Just So Happy! It's Fall!

I am just in such a good mood today!  I feel so refreshed!  Nothing can bother me today!  I know the fall weather has a lot to do with it.  I LOVE fall!  It is by far my favorite season!  I love the cool temps and blustery days!  So today made me start thinking about why I love fall so much. Here is the short list.
1. fuzzy socks
2. color changing leaves
3. cool/crisp weather
4. Halloween
5. sweaters
6. boots
7. trips to the pumpkin patch
8. warm cider
9. caramel apples
10. raking leaves
11. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
12. Hocus Pocus
13. chili

I've noticed that when I make lists, I like to end them at 13.  It's my favorite number.  Anyway, there are just a few of the reasons I LOVE fall!  My hopes for this fall, or my 2011 fall bucket list as it were, includes the following:
1. camping trip
2. pumpkin picking
3. halloween party
4. celebrate my 1st wedding anniversary!
5. jump into a pile of leaves
6. chili cookoff with the in-laws
7. a drive along skyline (beautiful view with lots of trees for lovely)
8. drink some piping hot apple cider
9. go to a haunted...something!
10. carve/paint/decorate pumpkins from the patch
11. decorate house for fall/halloween
12. make smores around the fire pit
13. take Zach's senior pic's and pic's of David and Kate

I think that's all doable.  Fo' sho'.  

Perfection

It is cold out today!  It really feels like a fall day!  I'm so excited that fall is here!  I'm ready for cool days that just scream hot cocoa and pumpkins.  Even though it's cloudy out, I'm still just enamored with this weather!  I am just so happy today!  Right on the heals of an awesome weekend!  My only bummy bit is that it's over!  Jon and I got home this morning from vacation, unloaded the car, and lit some candles and my new oil burner.  Then we turned off the air and opened the curtains to soak in some of this lovely fall weather while we ate lunch.  Now we're watching Dragonball Z.  Topeka is curled up on my lap.  He was so excited to see us!  Seriously though, other than the fact that I have to go back to work tomorrow, today is total perfection.

Labor Day Weekend 2011 via Instagram