Happy Halloween

We had to continue the tradition of dressing up (poor) Shento for Halloween. This years costume started out going to be a clown but turned into multiple things (use your imagination) such as a leprechaun, a munchkin, a present, or a head of lettuce. We are grateful for a patient puppy that lets us dress him up for our entertainment. The trick or treaters loved him, but who wouldn't love a dressed up doggy who greets them when they come looking for candy.

Chit-Chat

Saturday morning we got to sleep in together and when we woke up Bear decided that he would take half of the day off to hang out. It was wonderful! We started the day with a walk on the river path. It is so disappointing because the leaves never got to be the really bright colors that the east coats is use to seeing. It was still pretty and the cool air is so refreshing. Every time we go on walks Bear and I get chit-chatting. It is our uninterrupted time that we can dive deep into serious conversations or not so serious, whatever we choose. It is our time when we find out how we are doing and what we are feeling about certain things. This particular walk we talked a lot about school and Bears proposal (which will be completed and turned in tomorrow..yeah) and how time is going really fast. This season has gone by so quickly. I remember putting Halloween decorations up and thinking that I was jumping ahead a little with putting Pumpkins up at the end of September. That seems like yesterday and it feels like we have not enjoyed those pumpkins enough. I hope that time will slow down. Although, I am getting really excited for the Christmas season.

Today

I want to be here

Drinking one of these 

and sitting and chatting with her. 

Oh how I miss my bestest friend in the whole world, more like a sister really. 

She is my rock, my family, my constant listener and advice giver and my own personal comedian. 

She is my everything, and I am so lucky to be able to call her my best sister/friend... 

A walk into the woods

One of our favorite places here in New Jersey is Rutgers Gardens. It is 50 acres divided into maintained gardens and untouched woods.  It is beautiful, quiet, and an ideal place to bring the puppy for a morning walk. Before we started our hectic week of running here and there, we started it off Monday morning with a peaceful journey into the woods. There is something about the atmosphere of these woods that makes me feel like a kid in an imaginary world. Running from bad guys, hiding under huge tree stumps, and of course, the prince charming by my-side to guide and protect me. Yes, these woods have a magical feeling to them. If you ever come to visit, I will prove it to you.  The walk curves along the river and over streams, eventually leading you into a tree forest. The trees are so tall they cover the sky above, making it dark and cool. The puppy is quite found of playing hid and seek here in this forest of trees. One of us will tell him to sit and we stay with him. The other will go and hide behind a tree. After a couple second we tell the puppy to go find "insert name". He starts to search, then panic, then search some more until he finds us. We (meaning Bear and I) start to laugh and we do the game again. I find that the simple things entertain all three of us :) This was a wonderful way to start our week. Thanks to the woods for being so magical and thank you to "my" prince charming for coming along.

Fire, Love and Cards

Date Night... Last Wednesday we reinstated our date nights. The nights have been getting colder and the fall air has been nippy.  I have even started to wear my scarfs and hats. This particular weeknight was very chilly.  This meant two thing. Homemade stew and a fire. We pilled the blankets in front of our fire and  played cards (Bear won), ate homemade green chili chicken stew, and cuddled the night away. It was very romantic, and a lot of fun too!

Mr. Brooks and the lovely Proposal

I have been running around our house disinfecting everything. I have been sick and if Mr. Brooks catches this no-fun cold, we will have a problem. You see, Mr. Brooks has been so busy that I am lucky if I get 5 minutes face time with him. I have never seen him like this. He is stressed to the max and there is a constant worry in his face. I just want to hug him so tight that I pop all the stress bubbles that our floating in him. But that is a dream. Maybe on November 2nd they will start to drift away. Mr. Brooks is writing proposals. For all of you people not up-to-date with graduate school vocabulary, a proposal(s) is a applications that you turn into a committee in hopes to get grant money to do research. This application process consists of writing very specific (and long) project outlines. When I say very specific, I mean ridiculously specific. Mr. Brooks has been editing and revising this lovely (I am saying that with my most sarcastic tone) proposal since June. I feel like it has become a third wheel to our relationship. We go to the park, on a drive, or to grab something to eat, and this proposal seems to find its way into the hands of Mr. Brooks. Oh how I dream of me and him again. No third wheel to distract us and put such concern in Mr.Brooks face. I hate that third wheel, and I want to beat it with a stick. I hate that it is making my Mr. Brooks feel like this and the only thing that I can do to make him feel a little better for a short amount of time is hug him or massage his head. Mr. Brooks, I love you to death and this will all pay off in the end. For now, we have to welcome the third wheel with open arms and continue to smile because we at least know that there is an end. November 2nd!!! Yahooo

Happenings

Pickin Peppers

   

       

      
Remember way back in March when I posted about Bear's seedlings. Yes, those tiny seeds, the ones that I was skeptical would even grow. They grew and survived not being watered for 2 months while we were in Utah plus the deadly heat of New Jersey. They grew so much that their stems (gigantic steams) are taking up our vegetable planter. Those stems were starting to wilt because of the cold weather that is creeping upon us and the peppers were starting to look like they might die soon. We could not have that happen, so while Bear was away in Utah this weekend I decided to can them. About 100 peppers ranging from jalapeano to pablano. There were sooo many peppers that  after canning 3 jars filled with them I thought I better start getting creative with my pepper recipes. My creativity led me to make green sauce, hot sauce, and salsa with all of these peppers. Spicy, but delicious. And just an FYI, there are still peppers on the plants and they will continue to grow if it does not get too cold at night. Ahh..

Print

I think this lady has one of the cutest shops around. 

Her stuff is so charming. 

I want this buy this print to hang it in my living room. 

Go visit her shop at vol25.etsy.com!

What you don't know

I love coke and swedish fish... That can cure any bad day!
My favorite meal is Breakfast.
I have a pile sitting in my extra bedroom of things from the past three years that need to be organized and scrap-booked. I have high hopes of getting to that pile really soon. 
I keep everything... Everything that one day could go into a scrapbook. 
90% of the time that the hubby and his anthropology friends are talking, I don't have a clue what they are talking about. I just smile and nod. 
I have a slight panic attack if I think things are unorganized. 
The past couple weeks the hubby and I have been staying up way too late.
I am really bad at making lunch for the hubby. A lot of the time he goes hungry! 
I talk to my best friends at least once a day, sometimes it's more. 
I hate going to get my oil changed, and procrastinate as long as possible to go. 
I feel like I am a good judge of people.
Some of my best memories  were made in high school.
When I watched Coyote Ugly for the first time, I was about 16, I wished that one day I would live in New Jersey. BE CAREFUL what you wish for.. 
My sheets on our bed have not been washed for about 2 1/2 weeks.
I don't like to shower everyday. 
When I get sad, I still like to hug my stuffed animal. 
The pillow that I sleep with every night, I got when I was 14. 

A Day at the Farm

 

The writing and reading have sucked Mr. Bear into his own world. Inevitably, I get in his way and disturb him. So yesterday I decided to go have a little fun by myself and get out of the house for Mr. Bear's sake. I got my camera and headed to the Rutgers farm. It was so relaxing to walk around and hang out with all the animals. I sat in the pigpen for almost an hour watching and playing with the baby pigs. Everything about farms, from the animals to the smell, reminds me of home. Call me crazy but it is very comforting. Thank you animals for giving me a very calming day. 
P.S I brought Mr. Bear to the farm today so that I could see the baby pigs. They won my heart. 

I Almost Came Home With...

A cute, adorable little piggy.

 Not really, but I did have a hard time saying goodbye. 

I think I will go back and visit them tomorrow! 

The top baby pig was only 10 hours old. 

Halloween Magic

 

I love the seasons and I love decorating for them. Last week I put up all of our Halloween decorations,  from pumpkins to skulls.. It is finally starting to feel like fall here. The humidity has drifted away (thank goodness) and the air is now cool and crisp. Just how I like it.  Our house has been filling with the smell of pumpkin because of all the baking that has been going on. There has been loafs of pumpkin bread and some delicious pumpkin cookies. This weekend I will try a new recipe using pumpkin but for now I need to come up with a great halloween costume for the hubby and I . We will be attending Merkel's (one of our good frineds) annual Halloween bash in D.C and we need to be the best dressed. Hummm.. Any Ideas.

October Festival

 

 

                            

 

Every year they hold a cat and dog adoption October fair/festival near the town we live in. This year I was involved and had a photography booth set up. The hubby was such a trooper and went with me. We had a lot of fun together. The festival was at this beautiful 1400 acre farm/greenhouse. All of the booths were in the main green house surrounded by flowers and wonderful decorations. Shento also came with us. However, remember we were in a greenhouse and the roof makes a little noise when the wind blows. The second the roof started making noise(which was about 3 minutes after we got there)  Shento ran under a bench, curled up into a little ball and started shaking uncontrollably. He was embarrassing! It looked more like we abuse him then anything else, so the hubby kindly brought him back to the car. We did this three or four times throughout the day with wishful thinking that Shento might get better. We were wrong.

After the show we were able to walk around outside. There was a pond garden and pumpkin yard and lots and lots of plants. It was a beautiful day and the hubby and I really enjoyed being a part of the festival, as well as being able to explore a place we had never been.