Happy Howloween!!

From our lobster to you!!

Spooky Pumpkins

We didn't have much to do today, so we decided we should carve pumpkins. We headed to Wal-Mart to pick out the pumpkins and buy our carving tools and headed home. We were surprised with Wal-Mart's selection of pumpkins - they were huge!

Here we are cleaning and carving - I cleaned, Brandon carved

We both picked out spooky faces. Brandon says mine looks slightly "special", but I think his is mean looking.

Aren't they cute?!?!

I scooped out the seeds and saved them for a new recipe, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the finished product!

I could get used to this

I took the day off today to go furniture shopping with my mom! I didn't have to wake up with an alarm, I could take my time getting ready, I tried on a few different outfits, I got to play with Koby, watch an entire "Good Morning America" and now, I'm casually playing on the computer, watching Food Network and just enjoying my time! I could really get used to this - at least once a week :) I think Mr. Koby could get used to this as well. It's almost like he's been giddy with excitement that I haven't left the house yet. And, I think he likes snuggling up next to me for his morning nap, too! It's funny how routine life can become and even with a routine, how rushed I feel.

We're headed to Manhattan this weekend for the K-State vs. OU game. If you think about it, say a little prayer for us tomorrow around 11:00. I think our Cats are going to need all the prayers they can get to just survive the game! And, before you start to think I'm not a very good fan, you are wrong. I will forever be a fan, but I'm also a realist and know that we're not having the best season. But, we will have a good time - the whole family is getting together, so we'll get to play with the little girls and maybe hit Aggieville! Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post when we return since my blog has been rather boring lately!

It's Finally Fall!!

Things I'm loving right now:

* Spending relaxing evenings with Brandon
* Pumpkin anything - candles, flavors, decorations
* Sweatpants and sweatshirts
* Homemade cinnamon applesauce
* Lower gas prices - I filled up for $33 the other day :)
* Productive days at work
* Fall TV
* Good friends
* Time spent with my nieces
* Koby's Halloween costume - stay tuned
* Merona long-sleeved shirts from Target
* Long scarves
* Our new computer :)

Things I don't really love right now:

* The fact that it is pretty chilly in our house - Brandon has the temperature set at 67 degrees :(
* K-State's football record
* The election coverage
* Dirty dishes in the sink
* The inability to really "blog"
* The thought of Brandon having to travel at the end of November

I mentioned homemade applesauce above, so I'll leave you with the recipe:

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into quarters
1 c. water
1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. red hots

Place peeled and quartered apples in a large pot and add water. Cook on medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes or until apples are soft. Mash with a potato masher, add the sugar and red hots and continue to cook until the red hots dissolve. Pour into storage container and chill.

The Past 48 Hours

In the past 48 hours (Tuesday - Thursday) I have: - Worked a full day in the office - Worked at a County Commission Candidate Forum Tuesday evening - Drove 3 hours, in the rain to York, Nebraska AFTER the forum. We arrived at 12 midnight. - Slept for 5 hours - Woke up and had breakfast with my boss and her aunt and uncle - Got back on the road and drove to Omaha, Nebraska - Met with the Omaha Chamber marketing/communications people during their business tradeshow - Walked around the tradeshow for a few minutes - Ate some lunch - Drove 5 hours back to Wichita - Unpacked my bags - Slept again - 8 hours this time - Woke up and attended a 7:30 Sunrise Scrambler - Worked another full day - Came home and crashed on the couch with my two guys (Brandon and Koby)

Needless to say, I'm a bit exhausted, but the trip was worth it. We got some great ideas for our tradeshow and a few bonus ideas for the Chamber! However, I am still very excited for the weekend and a little down time.

A Great Weekend

We've had a great weekend - not too much to do, but still enough to keep us occupied and happy!

On Friday, we braved the Northwest H.S. vs. Garden City football game. It was Homecoming for NW and they were playing Brandon's alma mater, so we thought it was the perfect game to go to. Well, the wind was blowing like crazy and GC wasn't playing so well, but we still had fun. It was especially fun to watch all the high school kids milling around. It just made me laugh to know we probably acted the exact same way! Also, on a side note, I did observe something very different from my high school days - the homecoming candidates dresses were VERY, VERY SHORT!! I coudln't believe what some of those girls were wearing..WHOA!!

We spent Saturday doing errands - grocery shopping, oil change and Hobby Lobby. We also went furniture shopping and I found another couch that I really like while ruling out a few from my last post. I think we're getting closer to making a decision, now it is just a matter of the arrangement of the furniture in our living room (which is proving to be more difficult than I imagined). Then that evening, we helped a friend celebrate his birthday at P.F. Changs! I forgot how much I love that place!

And today, well, we've had a relaxing day. We went to church and heard a very good message - "Is Jesus the Only Way to God?". It was really a very creative way to present the gospel. Then, we came home and made some chili, since it is a somewhat cool and blustery day. After lunch, I took a nap while Brandon watched stupid movies and football, and then I woke up and started laundry and ironing. Oh yeah, and I made some pumpkin bread and pumpkin cream cheese (for bagels)! Yum!

We have a busy week ahead as I will be in Omaha Tuesday and Wednesday and Brandon's office has an open house on Friday - they are celebrating 30 years!

To end, I'll leave you with my pumpkin cream cheese recipe - it is great on toasted bagels or as a dip for graham cracker sticks!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. pumpkin puree (you can use the remaing pumpkin puree for pumpkin bread!)
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I used cinnamon)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients with electric mixer until smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Hunting

Koby is quite a hunter. Sometimes, he hunts for his toys, sometimes he hunts for bunny rabbits in the backyard and sometimes, he hunts flies. Today, he found a cricket, he chased it and he ate it. Then, he licked his lips with delight.

I have also been a hunter these days. Except, I'm not hunting for crickets or flies or bunny rabbits. I'm hunting for new furniture. While I love my red couches and they will always hold a special place in my heart, it's time they go to a new home. I would like to sell them because structurally, they are good shape. They might need to be recovered, again, but they are good couches. Anyways, this is not about the old couches. I'm hunting for new couches. I know what I want, something with a tight or semi-attached back, modern, but not too trendy and fabric that is durable and pretty. Here are a few that I have found:

I like the mostly straight lines on this couch, but I fear it's a little too traditional.

This might be my favorite of all that I have found. It's modern, but not too trendy, it would transcend through time and it has a lot of flexibilty as far as fabrics go. I defintely don't like the fabric in the picture.

This couch is a good mixture - slightly traditional with the cushion backs, but still has the modern lines. This couch also has a lot of flexibilty with fabrics.

I've thought about doing leather as well, but I'm not sure how it would hold against the wear and tear of the above said hunter?!?!

I'm not saying I'm going to buy any of these particular couches - they are just the couches I've seen in person - but, I need your help. Weigh in with your opinions! Which of these couches do you like best?