halloween carol

Did anyone sing a Halloween song in grade school beside me? Ben doesn't know it and it's really bugging me!

I will try to "sing" it for you:

H - A - double L - O - W - double E - N, spells Halloween!

Whether this song has others words, I don't know.

**OMG** I just found 2 hilarious audio clips thanks to Google. The first is sung by another poor soul like me who couldn't remember any of the words. The second version is an authentic copy. Words and chorus PLUS creepy sound effects. Hilarious!!

halloween week

I love the week of Halloween! Decorations are up all over the area...some good, some not so good.

good scary
orange lights
scarecrows, mummies and ghosts
straw and pumpkins

bad scary
inflatables
20 headstones - it's a yard not a cemetery
electronic stuff that shrieks

I'll post a photo of our pumpkins later this week...and hopefully I'll find some time to bake pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies. I feel like Halloween is sneaking up on me!

hats off to cold weather

Hats are definitely one of my favorite things about the fall and winters months. A cheap accessory that is stylish and functional!

I know some people complain that hats make their hair flat or static-prone ... I can't relate. When your hair is coarse and unruly like mine, hats are an ally. They can calm big hair and shield it from dampness.

Most of my hats have fond memories (the free Michigan hat I got at my first hockey game. Another purchased in LA even though there were so few days to wear it). I can't wait to find my next treasure!

homecoming

We celebrated ISU Homecoming yesterday by going to the parade and football game. We lost the game (in the 4th quarter. again), but it was still a beautiful, fun day.

The highlight of the parade was the Big Red Marching Machine dog. Too funny. He just needed a mini instrument to carry.

And it's always fun to see Reggie Redbird. Kids and adults love him.

staycation

This word has been everywhere lately - a "vacation" for people who can't afford/don't have time to leave home.

Besides making a point to explore our community and try new things, my other favorite, easy adventures are books. I love travel narratives and stories set in other countries.

Right now I'm reading The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst. Like most of Furst's books, it is set in Europe during pre-World War II. The descriptive narrative transports me straight to Paris, Warsaw - wherever the story twists. It was rainy here last night which made it even easier to imagine my dark, gloomy surroundings as a European spy.

I'm sure I'll need even more staycations as winter arrives so share your book recommendations!

pumpkin patch

It was a lovely fall weekend in central IL. Un-fall like temperatures in the low 80's, but it's hard to complain when you know winter is coming.

We visited a pumpkin patch on Saturday and found a few good pumpkins to take home. It's so hard to choose - I wanted to get 10! Apple cider and donuts also made it home with us (insanely good).

Elsewhere in town many high schools celebrated Homecoming and we hosted Band Day on Saturday (high schools from all over the state compete).

We're looking forward to ISU Homecoming next weekend. Woo hoo for fall!

what are we waiting for?

We opened two bottles of wine on our anniversary that we've been saving since we got married. One was great; the other so-so. We still have more than a few bottles to open too so it'll be exciting to see what we get down the road.

Open That Bottle Night is a specific day dedicated to uncorking wine that's collecting dust. It's such a fun idea!

Other than the wine (and at least we drink from our special collection once a year), I am generally against "saving" stuff....gifts, new clothes, whatever. I used to be a saver. Then we lived in a lot of closet-sized apartments and having "special" things stashed away or sitting around just didn't make sense...or maybe it was just the fact thing I saw the special things constantly because there was no space to hide things away and I didn't have the willpower to resist...?

Regardless of the reason, I am no longer a saver. New items or special gifts are meant to be enjoyed so do yourself a favor and enjoy it as much as you can.

a money tree

is my anniversary present! We exchange traditional wedding gifts each year (in order so far: paper, cotton, leather, silk and wood).

Ben got some miscellaneous cooking items and a hand-carved wooden box from India.

Our fifth anniversary was a good day (other than Michigan and the Cubs losing) and it was fun to think we now share our anniversary with a lot of other couples since yesterday was a Saturday. The weather was just about exactly the same as our wedding day: sunny and 70 degrees.

If only we were off to France today as we were back then.....

five

This Saturday marks our 5-year wedding anniversary! I can't believe it.

In honor of our fifth, here are five things I've learned since we got hitched.

1. Marriage is not "just like living together"
2. Compromise, compromise, compromise. You will not always get your way.
   
3. Louder voice does not equal increased understanding
   
4. Sometimes it's best to hold your tongue. Very. Hard. But almost always the right choice.
5. Practice patience and you'll get better at it (I like to think so anyway)