Five on Friday

I've been looking for some blogging ideas. (My life just isn't that exciting...) Something to give my loyal reading audience something new to read. I am going to do a "Five on Friday" type of list. I'll list my 5 favorite things of any given topic. And today I will start with my Five Favorite Horror Movies, since it is Halloween after all. These are my favorites of the past... since I can't really recall the last time I watched a horror movie! Notice that 2 of the 5 are Stephen King movies. I think 6-10 would be more of his movies. I used to be a big fan.

Feel free to list your own in the comments or on your blog.

1. Friday the 13th Part 1

2. American Werewolf in London

3. Children of the Corn

4. Halloween

5. Christine

Coffee Goodness

So a month or so ago I wrote a blog entry about the high prices of coffee. Well the outpouring of generosity amongst my family members has been quite impressive. I think my mother & my mother-in-law felt bad for me. I may never have to drink that awful Maxwell House from a can ever again!! Thank you!!!

'Manda Panda

Sticking with the Halloween theme... let's talk costumes! I have to share my favorite costume growing up. I'm not sure what year it was (somewhere between '75-'77... I think...) but this was definitely my most memorable costume. My favorite animal was of course a Panda, so my mom made me a Panda costume. You can see my little face peering out of the mouth of the bear.... oh and you gotta love the 70s flowery plastic bag I had in my hand to collect all my treats!

Anyone else got a favorite they'd like to share??

I Want Candy...

Halloween is Friday... let's talk candy! Favorite Halloween candy. My favorite are little Snickers bars. Come to find out, that's what everybody's favorite is. According to this article anyway. What is your favorite??

Weekend Activities

We picked up the new couch on Friday and set up the living room. We're very pleased with the outcome. The furniture is from American Signature Furniture... There were a couple of small tears on the back of the couch so we stopped by the store yesterday to tell them about it. They were more than willing to work with us to fix it. They're going to send someone out in a few weeks to completely replace the back of the couch. We thought we were going to have to bring the couch back and get a new one, but I think this works out much better!

Also this weekend Eric & I went out for some drinks and fun! We rarely do things like this, so it was a nice treat. We met RB, LK and KW and had a great time! Click here for photos.

A Squirrel Ate Our Pumpkin

This is the scene we came home to this afternoon. Well, I added the clip art squirrel. But I imagine that's what he looked like as he enjoyed our tasty fall decoration. Looks like we won't have to waste time carving them this year! Just add a candle and it'll be as scary as any other pumpkin in the neighborhood. However, I'm wondering how much of it will even be left by next Friday...

Sweater Weather & Cakes

It's my favorite time of year. Well, it really isn't. But I'm trying to look at the bright side of the impending long winter. I love sweaters. And today was the first day that I wore one. I need to get the others out, wash them and see what I have from last year. I should probably hunt down the turtlenecks too. I pretty much wear one everyday until the flowers start blooming in the Spring.

I got an email from Kraft Foods today. I get these quite often, and highly recommend them. They had a photo of a pumpkin shaped cake that I have seen in years past. But this year I'm thinking I might actually try to make it. It seems fairly simple. I have a bundt pan and the stem is just an ice cream cone turned upside down with frosting on it. I think I can do this... and I think I will! This weekend. I'll post results when I have them. Unless it turns out horribly, in which case I will never mention the cake again.

The "S" Word

Yep. I heard it. I heard the "S" word today. Snow. In the forecast. I know it was inevitable, but there's always that twinge of hope that maybe, just maybe this would be there year it forgets to snow. It was for just flurries, thankfully. But just hearing the word makes us realize that winter is on its way.

But in some comforting news, I made a great "comfort food" type dinner with the leftover pot roast. I cut the roast into smaller pieces, heated it up in a pan with a can of cream of mushroom soup. Added a bit of sour cream and more of my favorite Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. Then poured it over a bunch of penne pasta. Kind of like a variation of Beef Stroganoff. It was quite good and I can't wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It's the dinner that keeps on giving!

What a Crock

Earlier this week a friend sent me a few links to her favorite blogs. I enjoy reading blogs and there was one in particular that I'm really enjoying. It's called "A Year of Crockpotting". The blog writer made a resolution to use her crock pot every single day in 2008. That's quite a hefty undertaking! I too love the crock pot, but every day? I'm not sure I could do it. I do seem to use it about once a week though. And today was a crock pot day. I made a good ol' fashioned Sunday Pot Roast. I thought I'd try to create a blog posting using the technique of the "Year of Crockpotting" blogger.

The ingredients.
Top Round Roast (1-2 lbs)
1 onion, sliced
3 beef bouillon cubes
3-4 cups hot water
Several dashes of Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste

The directions.

Pour the hot water into the crock pot. Dissolve the bouillon in the water, stirring to make sure it dissolves well. Add the roast. Sprinkle the onions around. Leaving a few on top of the roast. Then sprinkle the Cavendar's Greek Seasoning on top of the roast, and add salt & pepper if you like. Cook on low for 6 hours.

At about the 6 hour mark, I took off the string that was holding it together and I sliced the roast. Then I let it cook for another hour or so. I served this with homemade mashed potatoes and buttered corn. We also like to sprinkle shredded cheese over the meat & potatoes. (Idea borrowed from the "Hot Beef Sundaes".) I had also bought some nice Pillsbury Biscuits today at the grocery store to go with the meal, but unfortunately I forgot to make them.

The verdict.
This is where the finished product photo is supposed to go. We were all so hungry, we dove right into the meal, and I forgot to take any photos. As usual, the roast was very good. I highly recommend trimming all the fat before cooking. I made some gravy out of the juice too. But you can just use the juice if you'd rather. It's still tasty and it's much easier than making gravy.

In Our Backyard

Here are some foliage shots from our backyard, taken this morning. It's not quite past-peak here. But probably will be by next week. Jenny was enjoying some time in the yard too. The squirrels are very busy getting ready for winter. So there's lots of activity for her to watch.

You can click on the photos to see them larger.

National Cupcake Day

Today was National Cupcake Day. And these are the cupcakes that I devoured this morning. They were quite tasty! They came from "Cupcakes & Smiles". Sooo good!!

I am a Cinnamon Latte

I am a Cinnamon Latte

Deep down, you are a sensitive soul. You just want to be loved and appreciated. You may have a spicy attitude, but you're all sweetness on the inside. You are dependable and loyal. You have your life together, and you're able to be there for other people. You like nothing more than a warm, cozy house filled with friends and loved ones.

Find out what kind of latte you are!

More updates

We shopped for a few rugs for the new floor and bought a set of 3 that look like the above rug. That's the biggest. There's also a small runner and a smaller rug at the bottom of the stairs.

We also decided to get a new love seat and chair. It was time for the flowery set to go... I was a little sad to see them go, but I think Eric was pleased. Our new chair is above, but the love seat is on order and will arrive next weekend. The chair is very comfy, everybody seems to like it. After the couch arrives, the room will be complete. And we can move on to the next...

Clickity Clack

Jenny loved running on the new floor!

"Wood" Enough

It's done! The beeeauuuutiful new floor is done and complete. The "wood" (Pergo) really looks like real wood. Here is an image of the dining room. If you would like to see the process and more finished photos... click here! Oh, and on a side note, I highly recommend the "magic movers"... even I can help move a piano! (And a special thanks to Mom, Dad, Margi & Roger for helping to clear the room on Sunday.)

Good Times

Phew! What a weekend!! With thanks to all who traveled from afar and for all who attended our soiree. It was an absolutely fabulous day. Margi & Roger win for farthest traveled, flying all the way from Chicago. Next comes Amy with her drive from NH then my brother Jeff and his two sons from Rye, NY. My parents came up from Pennsylvania and Peggy, Paul, Rachel & Nick from Binghamton. And all those from the area, thank you for taking time out of your weekend to spend time with us! It was an event we will cherish for years to come. Here are photos from the big day.

* * Be sure to check out Rebecca's photos too!

I Love Pumpkin.

And I now also love Tim Hortons. There's a new franchise near where I work and I tried them out today. I got a pumpkin spice coffee and a pumpkin donut. I was in heaven. Where has Tim Hortons been all my life??

And speaking of pumpkins, on the way home, Alex and I stopped and picked up a few pumpkins for outside decorations (and for carving later). It was pouring rain as we were picking them out, but it didn't matter. It was fun. And I hear the next 5 days are going to be nothing but mild temperatures and sunshine. Sounds like perfect weather for a party!

Meet Our New Floor

We're replacing the old worn out rug in the living/dining room area with this beautiful "wood" flooring. We brought it home the other day to acclimate it to the house. The installers will be here on Monday to tear out the old carpet (which is below the new flooring) and install the new floor. I can't wait to not find little pieces of old carpet all over the house! I will post before and after photos once it's been installed and the room put back together. Below is a "before" photo. That's the carpet that will be replaced. Can't you picture how nice it will look with a "wood" floor? I can't wait!

The Blind Rock Star

Today at work, not too far into my morning, I realized one of my contacts had a big tear in it. I tried to keep it in as long as possible, but it hurt. So I removed it. And went with one contact all day. And I know, you're thinking... don't I carry my glasses with me or an extra set of contacts? Um, no. I don't. So my day was pretty fuzzy after that and by the end of the work day, I had a huge head ache and was so glad when I finally made it home. I think it's time to have a back-up pair of contacts in my desk at work.

After dinner tonight (which were wonderful leftovers from last night's Chicken BBQ feast at Sheila's house... YUM!), Alex and I formed a band and rocked out to "Rock Band". I played the drums and he was on guitar. We couldn't convince Eric to join us on vocals though. But we were an excellent team, our best song of the night was Mississippi Queen. We were awesome. We'll start planning our tour soon.

October Birthdays

Happy Birthday Gary & Alex! Today we went to Sheila's house (Eric's mom) for a birthday celebration. It was Eric's brother Gary's birthday today and Alex's birthday is tomorrow. It was a wonderful evening of BBQ chicken, cakes and Wii Boxing. Sheila got a Wii recently and the kids (even the big kids) really got into the fun. Here are photos from the day.

Fall Baking

Alex and I made a delicious Apple Crisp this evening. I peeled and cut the apples, Alex mixed the topping together. The finished product is pictured above. It was the best crisp ever!

Here's the recipe (from Betty Crocker):

4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup margarine, softened
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening.
2. Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.

Welcome to my new home.

I see you found my new home on the internet. I'm glad you stopped by! I thought it was time to create a new name for the blog, since I got a new name, so too should the blog. The old blog will remain in place for archiving purposes, but I will no longer update it. So change your bookmarks, your links and your favorites, this will be my new home on the web! (Sorry for the inconvenience, it'll only hurt for a minute.) But, just in case you forget the new blog name, the last post on the old blog will have a link to the new one. So no worries!

Fall is here in full-force. I made my first apple pie of the season yesterday. And it was chilly and raw today. The rain was falling as fast as the leaves. And I dare say it had the feeling of snow in the air. I'm sure not ready for that though. I'd like fall to last as long as possible. Or at least through Columbus Day. We have lots of visitors in town next weekend and I'd like for them not to meet any Lake Effect snow during their journey!