(96). Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Relaxing day today for the most part.  The 6 mile run this morning was not as enjoyable as it was last week.  Not sure if it’s due to the fact that I’ve been trying to do more hill workouts on the treadmill mid week, or if it’s because last week I took Friday off and yesterday I got stuck to the schedule and got a workout in (late albiet, but in!).  I guess we’ll see how next week goes.

The Huskers won against Baylor (! finally after the past two weeks of insanity), which set the day off on a good note.  Roasted some pumpkin seeds while Nick was at the airport picking up Nikhil….  made them in three flavors this year:  salted, curry, and smoked paprika.  Tried to brine them before roasting (based on this post I found last week), but I didn’t notice a difference at any rate. The flavored seeds were good, but I think good ol’ sea salt and olive oil is still my favorite.

And we were off to Patterson’s Happy 30th/Halloween festivities!  I’m still not a huge fan of our point and shoot camera, so the pictures taken on it were minimal, but alas – for your viewing enjoyment.  I do with we had a before picture of Julie as a bunch of grapes – what a brilliant costume!  Melanie may be posting more pictures at some point today – hers are sure to be more complete than ours!

Nick & Colleen as German Folk

Mehul & Liz as Cash for Clunkers

Hilary as Swine Flu, Christy as a Redskins Fan, Patterson & Lee as Star Trek folk

Greg as Dan Snyder, Nikhil as the Big Bad Wolf

Julie as a bunch of (here, deflated) grapes

(95). Getting my Minges Fix & Halloween Baking

I’m very all or nothing when it comes to a lot of things.  Exercise is one of those things, and with the ramping up of the running, I’ve been back to working out 6 or 7 days a week.  Which is great – overall I fell a lot better when I’m doing that (somehow I lose all motivation with moderation of 3-4 workouts a week) – but I’m finding that it’s taking a bit to adjust and I’m really tired in the mornings.  To the point where yet again today, I slept in till 6:30.  Must start getting up a bit earlier once again.  Maybe that can be the goal for next week.

Anyway, I was really looking forward to getting out of work today because Melanie and I had plans for lunch and a dog walk in Bethesda this afternoon.  The rain held out this week (we’ve had to postpone twice now due to the rain and Snowy’s stitches which can’t get wet), so this was the first time since we got back from our trip that Mel & I had a chance to just hang out.  It was a great afternoon!  Even with the chill in the air, the walk was all festively autumn, and lunch at Cosi never disappoints.

Got home, power nap – and baking for tomorrow nights festivities.  Wasn’t really sure what to make, but then I saw this post and thought these Ghost Cupcakes were adorable – and was thus inspired to make them at home.  (Added bonus – I’ve never made fondant before, and with the hot tip that marshmallow fondant is much better than regular, found a recipe and was able to try that at home!)  My cupcakes turned out pretty cute – I couldn’t find gumdrops as the ghost base so I used Halloween Peeps which worked out pretty well.  I think I probably should have made the ghost eyes a bit bigger, but all in all, no complaints – AND I’m really excited to try out the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake!

Tonight, Nick and I are rocking the scary movies for Halloween  – starting with Killer Klowns from Outer Space, which I’ve actually never seen before.  Totally excited

(94). Pumpkins!

Tonight was a night that I had been looking forward to this week.  The night of…. pumpkin carving.

My pumpkin this year was inspired by this post, and I think looks a bit better in the light than it does in the dark, so it is the only pumpkin you’ll see with the lights on:

Nom nom nom. Tasty mini pumpkin.

So yes – tonight, Mehul and Liz joined us for a bit of Teen Wolf, a bit of Veggie Chili, and a bit of pumpkin carving!  (And – they brought a tasty bottle of Finger Lakes wine &&  Pumpkin Whoopie Pies – YUM!)

Really happy about how all the pumpkins turned out – Liz’s pumpkin is so cute, Mehul’s is all artistic, balancing front and back carvings with wall reflections, Nick’s is really scary, and mine turned out pretty decent for freehanding it.

Liz's Pumpkin

Mehul's Pumpkin & Reflection

Colleen's Nom Nom Pumpkin

Nick's Scary Pumpkin

The perfect end to a day that started out sort of eh,  was pretty good at work actually, got a bit worse after work, and then was blue skies and clear sailing all evening.  Is it Friday yet?  Oh so close.  Are roasted pumpkin seeds in our future this weekend?  I’d say the chances are pretty good!

(86) Pinot’s Entry to the Dogtopia Pet Halloween Costume Contest

Right up until the deadline to pull out the camera and get some pictures this year – this is Pinot the Pumpkin’s entry into the contest. (Voting starts on Friday – and she’d love your vote )

Cashew is not sad that she can’t go to dog daycare, but she is a bit upset that she wasn’t allowed to enter the contest. Alas, she’s taking her anger and frustration out on the grass she got for her birthday this year.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  These aren’t really the best pictures, but considering it’s only 8AM, they will do

Pinot is spending her first Halloween with us dressed as a rooster, and Cashew has lost the braids this year to dress up as a pig.  Welcome to the Rutar farm in MD. 

As far as Nick and I, we’re part of a group that is dressing up as characters from the board game Clue.  Nick is going as Mr. Green (with the wrench), and I am going as Mrs. White (with the candlestick).  We found all of the elements of Nick’s costume yesterday, mostly at the Salvation Army- and it’s awesome.  Mine, we found a few new accessories to go with the dominatrix (2003) turned french maid (2006) ressurected (2008).  Can’t say I haven’t gotten any use out of that little pleather black dress!  Pictures on that will have to be forthcoming.

Yesterday we also took a trip to the orchard to pick out pumpkins – the crisp chill to the air this week has deepened the colors in the trees and there isn’t any mistaking that it’s fall!  What a great season.  We went home and carved our pumpkins last night while watching Slither, and then around midnight we were enjoying all of the roasted pumpkin seeds.  Autumn is such a wonderful season.  Our pumpkins turned out pretty cool this year – my spider and Nick’s haunted cemetary, along with standard small pumpkin faces for Cashew and Pinot.  Pictures of that will be forthcoming too.

The housing projects are still in full swing…  more on that later!

Have a spooktacular halloween!

Pre-Halloween

Aw – doesn’t Cashew look adorable in her little Halloween costume? Yeah – she loves it.
Woohoo to our pumpkins! From left to right… Colleen, Nick, Doug & Mehul….with zoom in views of Colleen & Nick’s pumpkins too.
Yum – that means roasted pumpkin seeds! Halloween is almost here!

Roch-cha-cha

The weekend at home was awesome We should go back more often!

Highlights:
-Friday lunch @ Dibella’s
-Hooking mi madre up with the laptop
-Friday dinnah @ the Webster Inn – wow has it changed since the last time I went! Nick’s experience, that has been building for 5 years, was not up to par – they don’t even have prime rib anymore! But it was still good to go, once and for all.
-Haunted Hayride in Williamson with the crazy tall gorilla looking things – scouring our change to afford the picture you see above.
-Exposing Matt to margaritas, car bombs && guiness @ Mex & the Blue Room – we don’t know what he’s been drinking all this time, honestly.
-Garbage plates from Marks (yum, especially when you have them once every couple of years)
-My room at home no longer looks like a 12 year old lives in it
-Parenting 101 the musical was really funny …dinner with mom out was good too
-Alumni at ADP – was good to see AA & PB
-Family bonding @ brunch on Sunday – Kenny’s new girlfriend rocks
-Hanging out the Patels
-Cashew was good during the car trip & it was cute to see her so excited to have stairs haha