Day 305

It's the last day of October, and so here's a photo of my Precious Moments calendar...again.

Now, a normal person would have taken some kind of Halloween photo, wouldn't you think.  Not that I haven't taken enough of those all month, but maybe I could have shot a cute little trick-or-treater that came to my door?  Or just the neighborhood full of kids traveling about door to door.  Nope...not me.  Strange, awkward me...I give you the calendar.

This month it's that classic figurine of the little girl with the goose...Make a Joyful Noise.  Goodbye October, on to November.

Day 304

Like I said yesterday, today was Halloween snack day at work.  We had more snacks and treats than you could shake a stick at...from meatballs to s'more bites and spooky grog to wash it down.

But this lovely creation was Bre's contribution. She made a 'pumpkin' cake, by making a chocolate bundt cake that had bits of Snickers candy inside.  Then she frosted it orange, and drizzled caramel on top, and some more Snickers bits.  Then she took an ice cream cone, stuck it upside down into the hole in the center and frosted it green for the stem.  Pretty clever...and did I mention DELICIOUS!?!  Thanks Bre!

Day 303

Tomorrow is our Annual Halloween FAC Snack Attack Day.  An excuse for all day snacking at the office.  As usual, my contribution is cupcakes.  Tonight I made these Halloween fun-fetti cupcakes with orange colored cream cheese frosting, with orange and black sprinkles.  The cupcake liners and the decorative picks were from a little gift pack that Billie gave me for my birthday...they sure did come in handy in making these super cute and spooky cupcakes!!

Day 302

Oh bother...I lied.  The other day, I told you I would try really hard not to post any more Halloween decorations.  But who could resist this (I PROMISE) very last one??

It's everyone's favorite lovable bear, dressed up like Tigger for Halloween...ready to do some trick-or-treating with his little jack-o-lantern bucket.  He's just so sweet, I couldn't resist showing him off...and saving him for last!

Day 301

One of the firefighters on my department, Steve Austin, has a 10 year old son who was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (pictured on top of the fire truck).  Tonight, with the organizational help of many folks, a Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser was held at the Shilo Inn to help the family out.

Rob and I, along with Billie and Keith, Shauna and Osanin, Bre and so many others attended.  In fact, there was a great turnout, and over $11k was raised!  They had a photographer present, Scott Butner, who took the RFD family outside and shot this great photo.  So today's photo of the day is not one of mine, but is courtesy Scott.

I'm proud of my RFD family...way to go!

Day 300

Ho...Hum.  Friday at the Auchmoody's.

Another Boo to You... Halloween is now just around the corner, so this will probably be the last bit of decorations I share...at least I promise to TRY not to give the boring pics of decorations...at least until the Thanksgiving ones come out!

This sparkly blingy Boo is a nice addition to the backdrop of already pumpkin colored walls and decor in the house...classing up the place just a little bit!

Day 299

I know...I know, it's not even Halloween yet, but I made my first 'Christmasy' purchase today.

It's only a decorate box of Kleenex, but I just couldn't help myself.  I passed them up one other time already, and when I went to the store tonight, I talked myself into grabbing one.  I was afraid if I waited, they would all be gone...or at least picked over, and I really liked this little polar bear guy!  Isn't he cute and festive??

Day 298

Mmmm...cornbread muffins! I do love me some cornbread. 

I have never been a Jiffy cornbread girl.  For some reason it always had some kind of connotation attached to it for me...some kind of cheap thing.  But lately I've had a couple boxes on hand, and I tell you, in a pinch, they are darned tasty.  When I don't know exactly what to have for dinner...a couple BBQ chicken breasts, salad and cornbread muffins...they certainly do the trick!

Day 297

I think this is the absolute WORST part of going to the doctor's office...the dreaded scale.  I really do think that.  Those that know me know I do NOT like going to a doctor of any kind, but when I think about getting on the scale, I nearly start to panic.  Now I get on the darn thing each day at home...but I'm all alone!

Today I tried out a new doctor.  I have to say, I like their set up...a scale inside each exam room. Very private stuff...only the nurse has to know what a hog-body you are.

May I suggest this for all doctor offices?!?

Day 296

BOO to YOU!!

I'm back on the Halloween stuff because, well, life is just that boring! 

I mean it when I say this is a favorite.  I mean that little witchy is just too cute to be scary!

A few year's back I was a huge fan of a catalog called Terry's Village.  I bought all kinds of home decor from them, especially in the way of holiday decorations.  They had things that were just my style and quite affordable.  I have several sets of these block letters, for Fall, for St. Patrick's Day, etc.

I think they make a cute little addition to each holiday.

Day 295

Is it a drowned rat?  No...it's a little sopping wet pug named Lu!

Today was bath day for Baylee and Lucy.  I tried to get a good photo of Lucy in the tub, but all I kept doing was getting in Rob's way!  So here's the best pic I could get of this little curly tailed slippery girl - who by the way doesn't really seem to mind having a bath. 

And now she looks so pretty, feels so soft and smells so fresh!

Day 294

Not much going on today...just kind of your run of the mill Saturday. Rob and I didn't do much...in fact we didn't even leave the house.  We had hoped to see the Padens...or even the Hansens who made a surprise pop in visit...but couldn't muster the energy for either.  Consequently, not a whole lot to photograph today...so it's back to my autumn decor.

This is another of my favorites, although the lightening does not do it justice.  It too is a tea light burner...tea light on the plate, with venting out the whole in Mr. Scarecrow's hat.  He also sits in a window sill...in the living room this time, surrounded by some fall foliage.

Day 293

The Padens are here...the Padens are here...yay...the Padens are here!!

Fred, Christy and Kennedy (oh, and Truman too) arrived tonight for a weekend visit.  Miss Kennedy, the apple of everyone's eye was her usual charming and sweet little self. 

Rob and I, and Mom too were all over at Keith and Billie's to welcome them as they arrived...just to get some much needed Kennedy time.  Not that she slows down long enough for you to catch her...but if she does, a hug and smooch from her are the best!

Day 292

This silly little Halloween trio sits up in the kitchen window sill, year after year.  The set was a gift years ago from Billie.  She found them on a stop in a Harry and David store, and picked up one for herself, and one for me.

I have a tea light in each one...the perky pumpkin, the ghastly ghost, and the frightening feline...perfect for lighting up those spooky nights!!

Day 291

Here's our little touch of Italy...the red, white and green.  This is one of Rob and my's new favorites.  My version of Caprese Salad; sliced Roma tomatoes, chopped basil sprinkled about, and marinated mozzarella balls sliced in half, one atop each slice.  Finally, some of the marinate is drizzled all over.

These slightly-larger-than-bite-size morsels were on the dinner menu tonight.  Yum!!

Day 290

Happy Bosses Day to me!

For those of you unfamiliar, today happens to be Bosses Day.  I grabbed a card for Grant and passed it around for all the ladies in the office to sign.  We gave him the card, and Bre agreed to go on an afternoon coffee run too...Grant's favorite kind of gift...the gift of java!

Shauna and Bre gave me this lovely little flower arrangement and a nice card...as you can see marked Da Boss Lady (thanks Bre!).

I don't think of myself as the boss most of the time...just think of all of us working together.  But it was certainly nice to be appreciated in such great way. Thanks ladies - you made my day!

Day 289

Remember back a couple weeks ago, I showed you my dirty little secret...my mail hoard?  Well, I didn't get all the things done I wanted to this weekend, including the mail.  So I decided to stay home today and tackle, among a couple other things, that nasty looming pile!

After spending a large amount of time at the computer, balancing the checkbook and putting in receipts, I took a stab at the giant bag of mail.  I opened it up, paid a bunch of bills, threw out all of the junk and advertisements, and now this relatively small stack is all that remains.

Hopefully this is the end of my stuffed sacks of mail!

Day 288

We are gearing up...getting ready for trick-or-treaters!  Today I did a little grocery shopping and picked up some fun sized candies for our Halloween dish. 

When I opened all the packages and dumped them in, I thought they looked so colorful and fun, and with a little help from Instagram...there you have it, my picture of the day.

Unfortunately these happen to be a few of MY favorites...sure hope there are some left by the time the trick-or-treaters ring our bell!!

Day 287

There he is.  My Punkin...pickin' punkins in the patch.  Isn't he cute, all rosy-cheeked and smilin'??

Today was designated as our Autumn Day...to do fun fall things.  First stop, Job's Nursery to pick out our pumpkins.  There were gourds of all shapes and sizes, white ones, green ones, and of course orange ones too.  We managed to settle on a few to adorn our porch throughout the season.

After Job's we headed to the Country Mercantile to check out their Fall Harvest Festival.  Of course as always it was very busy, but we managed to have a look around at all their food items and fall decor.  We did treat ourselves to a few of their delicious specialties to go...chocolates, ice cream, and of course chips, salsa and bean dip too!

Day 286

This is it...all that is left of our Sahara Landmark Pizza...and it was yummy!!  This just might be a new favorite for us, which is kind of odd.  I'm not a huge sausage fan, and I don't like ricotta, but there is something about it on this pizza, along with the sun-dried tomato pesto sauce and spinach that just makes this oh-so-tasty.

Tonight Rob brought home a couple new movies he borrowed from a co-worker.  So we ordered a pizza and settled in for a date night at home on the couch.  It was a nice way to wind down from the week and kick off the weekend.

Day 285

Today Rob and I acquired a couple new books to add to our library.  First, he went on a hunt this afternoon and after checking a couple different places, managed to find a gently used copy of Catholics for Dummies.  It sounds kind of funny, but Tom had a copy of this book on the first night we attended RCIA, and said it was a great book, even for a Deacon, so we figured it had to be good for us.

Then when we attended RCIA tonight, we were given a copy of This is Our Faith - Catechism for Adults.  I guess we now know what the next book is that we will be reading when we finish our novel!

Day 284

It is true...it's Harvest Time!

I just love these autumn decorations...they are a couple of my favorites for sure.  They are displayed on the top of my ladder shelf for all to see.  And because they are not Halloween or Thanksgiving specific, they can sit out through the entire autumn season.

The Harvest Time sign on the left is a vintage metal sign that I picked up a couple years ago...but I can't remember exactly where (odd for me, I know).  And the little ceramic pumpkin on the right is now a candy dish, but once held a Halloween floral arrangement that I received a couple years ago.  Miss Kennedy sent her Auntie Billie and her Auntie Trish Halloween arrangements to the office when she was just a wee little baby!  She's such a sweetie!!

I thought these two looked pretty good together...I enjoy them every time I walk past!

Day 283

I am so in LOVE!!!  I feel like Oprah...I have just discovered my new favorite thing!  Yesterday, I told you about stopping at Trader Joe's and picking up some new items.  Well...let me tell you...this new item is to die for!

This summer we were over at Melanie's and one of Ryanne's friends introduced us to this Speculoos Cookie Butter.  At that time, I just had a taste, and I did think it was pretty good.  So, when we were at TJ's, I grabbed one.  But, I didn't have anything in the cupboard to eat with it.  So tonight I stopped by the grocery store for a few items, and picked up these lil' graham squares.

One bite and I was hooked.  I really think this is my new favorite dessert.  Just dip a lil square in the cookie butter...like crackers and peanut butter, only way better and for dessert!  I highly recommend giving it a try!

Day 282

Yesterday, on our way home from Seattle, we stopped at Trader Joe's...of course!  Mom and I loaded up on a few of our TJ favorites, like Pita Chips with Cinnamon & Sugar, and Pear Champagne Vinaigrette. 

But there was also a few new seasonal things we grabbed as well.  One of them was this Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte Mix.  I grabbed it on my way out the door this morning to give it a try at work.  I think I may not have used enough mix in my giant mug o' tea, but overall, I'd have to say...pretty yummy!  I just love the tastes of fall!

Day 281

First, I must offer apologies...I realize it's kind of painful to look at.  But it's me...Trish the girl with weird ailments and afflictions!  And, for those who didn't get the privilege of seeing this first hand...trust me, this is actually better than yesterday!

Wednesday night I thought I felt a sty coming on, and when I woke up Thursday, sure enough there it was.  I could actually see which eyelash follicle was irritated.  At that point, with a couple hot compresses, I thought I had it under control.  I should have know better...this is me we are talking about!  Boy, was I was mistaken.

Friday on the way to Seattle it was really becoming quite red and irritated.  By Saturday, it was so swollen and painful, each eye blink became a chore.  By late last night, after a couple rounds of antibiotics and many, many, many hot packs, it gave way, much to my relief.

So here it is today...the 'after'.  Still quite puffy and red (and hideous to look at), but thankfully much, much better!

Day 280

Another beautiful day in the Seattle area!  We couldn't have asked for better weather today as we headed into Issaquah to walk the streets and take in Salmon Days.

To get down to the street fair, we parked at the transit center, and took school bus shuttles that dropped us off right downtown.  I'm guessing it has been quite some time since Mom has ridden a school bus...I know it's been ages for me! 

To say Salmon Days was jam packed is truly an understatement!  It was wall to wall people up and down the streets.  There were lots of vendors selling art and crafts, along with tons of food booths.  At the end of one of the streets is the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery.  But right outside the hatchery is a little stream, and if you walk up on the bridge you can look down and see the salmon swimming upstream...just like Rob and Darcy did!

Although it was extremely crowded and I left empty handed, I'm really glad we were able to go and check things out this year.

Day 279

We hit the road today and headed to Kent to visit the Hansen clan.

A few weeks ago, they invited, Mom, Rob and me over for a visit so that everyone could meet Rob, and they picked this particular weekend because it's the Annual Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah.  So this afternoon, we packed up Mom's car and headed out.  It was an absolutely beautiful day to drive through our state and over the Cascade Mountains.  Lots of sun, and leaves starting to turn the bright colors of fall.

We hit the Hansen house just around dinner time, and as we got out of the car, the first thing I saw was this little family of black cats greeting us along with a nice round pumpkin.  Seems Halloween has come to Kent too!!

Day 278

Today, several of us from our office attended a seminar called Developing Your Emotional Intelligence.  It was a pretty good class, filled with a lot of information; admittedly some stuff you already know because common sense dictates, some you have already heard in other self-help or business workshops, but some of it was new or had a different twist to it that made you go, hmmmm.

The first half of the day we spent concentrating on us, individually. Learning about our communication style(s), before moving on in the afternoon to 'them', and what we can do better in dealing with others.

I thought it was a pretty good class, and a took away a couple good tips, not only for use in the office with co-workers, but also at home. (Like 'QTIP'.  That's a good one for me to remember...Quit Taking It Personally!!) Because it is a fact that we all could use some help in communicating with others... especially me!

Day 277

Oh my, is the mail an issue at our house!  Just take a look at this sack stuffed full with mail.

I have to admit, I have always been really bad about all things mail...getting it out of the box, opening it, throwing out junk mail, organizing it, etc.  It just seems like nothing good ever comes in the mail...only junk or bills, right?  Rob on the other hand is a faithful picker-upper and opener, each and every day in fact.  But in general, that's where it ends.  He too is not real great at throwing out the junk or organizing what's left.  So the two of us together can tend to accumulate some significant piles of mail.

This weekend we are headed out of town, and Alex is coming to stay with the pups.  So in an effort to tidy the house up a bit tonight, all I could do with the sea of papers on the kitchen table was toss them into this grocery sack...and make a mental note to myself yet again...must get better at organizing mail!!

Day 276

I'm a couple days late again, but say goodbye to September...and on to October!

The plate for this month's Precious Moments calendar is a little boy and girl on a tree stump, called Love One Another.  I have to admit, I'm not entirely sure why they were chosen to represent September, but loving one another is never a bad thing and always good to remember, right?

Day 275

It's just me again.  Every once in awhile I snap a picture of me. 

I was feeling feisty today and snapped this one, sent it to Rob and told him I looked pretty today.  Not sure exactly why...maybe I was just still feeling a bit 'up' from church yesterday...who knows. He seemed to like it anyway...he gets so frustrated at how down on myself I usually am.

Anyway, it's just yet another picture of me, sitting at my desk...trying to have a more positive and open attitude!