Crafty Pumpkins

On Sunday I purchased two pumpkins, a few thumb-tacks (I chose the "black leather" finish....75 tacks were about $3.50 total), and.....voila! I created these beauties:
I do have to give credit where credit is due -- I found the idea on Pink Cupcake's blog. Since SB and I won't actually be around to cut into the pumpkins and light them up as jack-o-lanterns, I think that this still shows the spirit of the season. Daisy was more interested in eating the stems than posing for the camera :)

First Tennis Match in STL

Yesterday marked the start of the USTA season in St. Louis for my new team. The 4.5 women's teams here have a "pre-season" that lasts from October till January - and allows us to play with 5.0 players. I was nervous going into our first match because I haven't been playing much since the move....probably a total of 3 times in 3 months (ugh!). So I was even more uneasy when they slotted me to play 1 doubles......but things went pretty well. My on-again off-again serve was on (yay)...and the only thing that didn't feel great was my return of serve. I played on the deuce side of the court (which isn't necessarily where I feel most comfortable) b/c I played with the team captain and she only plays the ad side. It was a great, close match (point-wise) - but we won 6-2, 6-2. Unfortunately our team didn't get the W, but I was happy with how things went!

Must read. Like now.

Yesterday was the perfect day to curl up under a really cozy throw and just read. It's cold here, and SB and I both have colds. I started the day on like page 400 of American Wife: A Novel.... it's such a page-turner that it was just calling my name to finish it. I highly recommend this book. It's purely fiction, but it's based (quite closely) on Laura Bush's life -- from high school to post-White House. The kicker for me is that it's based in Wisconsin - in Riley, Madison, Milwaukee and Door County (and then on to Washington DC, of course). I now feel the need to do a little research to see if certain parts really occurred in Laura Bush's life (ie: unfortunate accident, and the Chicago incident with Gladys Wycomb).
The main character, Alice Lindgren - grew up in Riley, and then moved to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin. She stayed in Madison, and became an elementary school teacher, and later the school's librarian. The episodes in my hometown were so true to the city that I feel like Curtis Sittenfeld, the amazing author, clearly did her research to get to know Madison during that timeframe. The book follows her through various episodes of her love life, her friendships, and her family's trials and tribulations. It was during her Madison elementary school years that Alice met Charlie Blackwell, the son of the state's governor, and a very politically-active family. Charlie Blackwell (aka: Dubya) changed Alice's world as she knew it. They had a very passionate relationship, and Alice came to know the ins and outs of the state's most powerful family. The ending left a little to be desired, but everything up till DC was awesome. In short.....it's a "must read." Like now.


PS - do you guys use the site GoodReads? It's a site that allows friends to share their book reviews with each other, and keeps track of what you read and how much you like it. It's nice to be able to look at what I've read over the last 3 years (since I started using it), and see what I liked and what I didn't b/c it's so easy to forget!! Check it out.

Date night!

SB and I will be heading out tonight for the Blues vs. Thrashers hockey game. It's the opening night for the Blues at home -- which always ups the "cool factor" a bit. Now that neither of us works in the NHL anymore, this will actually be the first hockey game that we've been able to watch together in the stands!! The last game we watched together was the Thrashers' playoff game (in 2006, I think) - from the press box, but we were technically working, so that doesn't totally count. It is raining cats and dogs right now here, but I'm excited for tonight!!

Weekend Recap

The weekend absolutely FLEW by! We started it off with a fun run together.

Then SB and I went here:...to meet up with an old friend/colleague who now represents an amazing artist (he had a booth at the festival to show a few pieces of art). We also sampled a little of this:Then we watched UGA's game....(not a good outcome):Then we met up with the old friend again for an amazing dinner at Flemings. It was a full day!! On Sunday we lounged around, watched the Rams (ouch...they're 0-4), and then ran some errands. Nothing too exciting, but it was a great weekend :)

I give up.

I started reading Wicked a few weeks ago because I'd only heard amazing, fantastic, unbelievable reviews about the book. PLUS, the Broadway show is coming to St. Louis next summer (I'm already planning on going), and I figured that reading the book would make the show that much better. So, fast-forward to today....and I'm like 200 pages in, and I hate it. I'm not into it at all. I don't think I've ever given up on a book before. Usually I just trudge through it even if I hate it, just to say I've read it. Well, yesterday in the waiting room of our local automotive service center (getting the ol' oil changed, and feeling like a big dope because I don't know anything about cars or maintenance or even the kind of oil that my car uses), I decided that if it couldn't even entertain me in that circumstance, well it just had no hope. It's back on my shelf, and I'll be happy to give it to anyone interested in testing it out.

So, with that book out of the picture, I've now read every book in the house. What's a girl to do then?? Head to the library!!!! That's right - forget Barnes & Noble and Target, I'm now a proud new owner of a library card. I'm so excited. I haven't had a library card since high school...it's about time, eh?? This is what I picked up:

I'll keep you posted on these when I'm done. I'm already 50 pages into The American Wife, and I really like it.

Falling for Stripes...

Ruffles are an obvious trend this Fall. Head out to the mall, and you'll see them a million times over in just about every store. Another trend you'll notice is STRIPES! Here are a few of my faves:

(Vineyard Vines)
(Gap)

Divine Brownie Recipe

Last Friday was my dad's birthday. To recognize his big day, I sent him a care package with homemade brownies (from scratch). I tried a new recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks - The Foster's Market Cookbook. There are two amazing Foster's Markets -- one in Durham, and one in Chapel Hill, NC. My group of friends frequented the one in Durham as often as possible in college. They had the best salads and everything was so fresh and tasty. Sarah Foster is the founder and owner, and she used to work as a chef for Martha Stewart's catering company. Anyways...back to the brownies. Here are a few pics from the baking adventures.....

Meet the beloved KitchenAid mixer...

In a word...YUM!
And here is the recipe. Yes, there is a ridiculous amount of butter, sugar and eggs -- but these are seriously worth the splurge.

Foster's Brownies:
*makes 2 dozen 2.5"x3" brownies

2 C. all-purpose flour
1.5 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t. salt
8 large eggs
4 C. sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 T. pure vanilla extract
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Cream together the eggs, sugar, buttter and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until all the dry ingredients are moist and blended....do not overmix. Spread batter evenly in pan, and bake 35-40 min. Let cool completely.

Eat, Pray, Love.....the movie!

Am I the only one who hadn't heard that the phenomenal book Eat, Pray, Love is being made into a movie? (side note...if you haven't read it, you simply must! It's a great, easy read) Julia Roberts appears to be starring in the lead role. I'm SO excited....she's the perfect actress for the part, and I can't wait to see this one. Here's Ms. Roberts out and about in Haryana, India:

Summer In A Bite

Right now these are my favorite things:
I know that I should be over summer, and getting excited for fall -- but it has yet to really get cold at all here, so I'm not necessarily feeling it just yet. BUT I am really excited for the weekend. My sister, BIL, and the 2 older kids are all driving here tomorrow! I can't wait to show them the house, visit some fun sights in St. Louis, and then we'll all go to the Rams v. Packers game Sunday. PLUS my sister and I will be able to fit in a run together Sunday morning (fingers crossed there will be no more snake sightings!!!)