Here's the pumpkin salvage...
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Jack-O-Feast
Last weekend Brandon and I each carved a pumpkin. I set them outside this week, but quickly realized that the squirrels liked pumpkins too...to eat. I've been pretty amused by this, and have been keeping track of the gradual degradation. It actually makes the pumpkins look scarier with all the nibble marks on them!
Brandon's pumpkin must have been pretty tasty, because it was getting eaten up fast. So I brought it inside so he'd still have a pumpkin when he got here this weekend. It's been inside for a couple of days and getting a little soft, so I put it back outside this morning so it would be fresh for when Brandon got here today.
I put it outside around 8:30AM. At 9:15, Brett says from the kitchen:
"Uh...Brandon's pumpkin no longer has a face." He wasn't kidding.
Here's the tail-less culprit this morning. He's eatin' good in this neighborhood!
Last weekend Brandon and I each carved a pumpkin. I set them outside this week, but quickly realized that the squirrels liked pumpkins too...to eat. I've been pretty amused by this, and have been keeping track of the gradual degradation. It actually makes the pumpkins look scarier with all the nibble marks on them!
Brandon's pumpkin must have been pretty tasty, because it was getting eaten up fast. So I brought it inside so he'd still have a pumpkin when he got here this weekend. It's been inside for a couple of days and getting a little soft, so I put it back outside this morning so it would be fresh for when Brandon got here today.
I put it outside around 8:30AM. At 9:15, Brett says from the kitchen:
"Uh...Brandon's pumpkin no longer has a face." He wasn't kidding.
Here's the tail-less culprit this morning. He's eatin' good in this neighborhood!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Smells Like Leafy Underbrush...?
Tonight my friends Jacquie, Mary and I attended an Intro to Wine Class that was put on by a local liquor store. We sampled 7 wines total, a split of white and red. We sniffed, we swirled, we sipped. Considering my introduction to the world of wine began with a bottle of Boone's Farm (Strawberry Hill) back in 1995, I was feeling pretty high class.
Don't worry, I'm not becoming a wine snot. I don't even aspire to be one. As the instructor talked about what wine would be good with walleye, I was thinking "Miller Lite. Honey Weiss." I just find wine interesting, and while I do like drinking it, I also find the history and nuances of it intriguing. Like the instructor pointed out, wine is not like Coca Cola. Coca Cola prides themselves on making Coke taste the exact same no matter where in the world you buy it. Wine producers, on the other hand, pride themselves on making something a little different than everyone else, and different grapes are grown in different parts of the world. So the allure of wine is trying a little bit of everything and finding what you like. And I have to admit, it can be pretty darn fun if you don't take it too seriously. So while I appreciate a nice tasting wine, I'll take it with a sense of humor.
The three of us had a hard time "experiencing" some of the smells that were supposed to waft out as we stuffed our noses in our glasses. For instance, I did not get the aroma of "fresh mowed grass, green peppers, Kiwi fruit covered with lime zest" (seriously, who comes up with this stuff?) I got: grapefruit. That's pretty much it. I did not get "a changing parade of flavors ranging from leather to earthy dried mushroom to wood smoke to leafy underbrush." I did get the wood smoke, but I guess my sniffer wasn't up to snuff on the leafy underbrush. I'm not sure I want it to be. At one time we were even asked "Does anyone get the taste of licking a wet rock?" Uh...no. But I haven't licked a rock lately, let alone a wet one, so I'll take your word for it.
But I guess this is typical. The instructor made an interesting point. People have different smell or taste references based on their life experiences. For example (and a very simplistic one), a person who grew up in the city and maybe had more access to a wide variety of ethnic foods and flavors may have a completely different impression of a wine than someone who grew up in a more rural area, who may have been exposed to less of a variety.
Farmer Ted: This wine has a bacon fat aroma with just a hint of cow poo.
City Sandy: Really? I smell more of a Spanish tapas bar infused with a slight scent of smog.
OK, so that was taking it a little too far. But we had fun with this. Mary swore she smelled a little koala in an Australian wine we tried. And seriously, some of these wine descriptions do read like a personal ad:
"Most Cabs as they mature take on interesting flavors like cigar-box cedar woodiness, mint leaf, dried tobacco leaf and roasted cocoa bean. Savory beef steak or venison needs a big wine taste and Cabernets will meet the challenge." Boy, that beef steak is one lucky fellow!
It really was an interesting class, and we did learn a bit about wine and got to taste some wines that we might otherwise be too cheap to buy - though they did keep the choices within a pretty reasonable price range. We also learned that screw caps are becoming en vogue, so don't be afraid to diss the corks. By wine #7, we were all feeling warm and sassy and were having quite a bit of fun with it. I think Jacquie summed it up: "I'm starting a wine club. Members: 1." If you find the wine that smells like fresh mowed grass, Jacquie, let me know!
Tonight my friends Jacquie, Mary and I attended an Intro to Wine Class that was put on by a local liquor store. We sampled 7 wines total, a split of white and red. We sniffed, we swirled, we sipped. Considering my introduction to the world of wine began with a bottle of Boone's Farm (Strawberry Hill) back in 1995, I was feeling pretty high class.
Don't worry, I'm not becoming a wine snot. I don't even aspire to be one. As the instructor talked about what wine would be good with walleye, I was thinking "Miller Lite. Honey Weiss." I just find wine interesting, and while I do like drinking it, I also find the history and nuances of it intriguing. Like the instructor pointed out, wine is not like Coca Cola. Coca Cola prides themselves on making Coke taste the exact same no matter where in the world you buy it. Wine producers, on the other hand, pride themselves on making something a little different than everyone else, and different grapes are grown in different parts of the world. So the allure of wine is trying a little bit of everything and finding what you like. And I have to admit, it can be pretty darn fun if you don't take it too seriously. So while I appreciate a nice tasting wine, I'll take it with a sense of humor.
The three of us had a hard time "experiencing" some of the smells that were supposed to waft out as we stuffed our noses in our glasses. For instance, I did not get the aroma of "fresh mowed grass, green peppers, Kiwi fruit covered with lime zest" (seriously, who comes up with this stuff?) I got: grapefruit. That's pretty much it. I did not get "a changing parade of flavors ranging from leather to earthy dried mushroom to wood smoke to leafy underbrush." I did get the wood smoke, but I guess my sniffer wasn't up to snuff on the leafy underbrush. I'm not sure I want it to be. At one time we were even asked "Does anyone get the taste of licking a wet rock?" Uh...no. But I haven't licked a rock lately, let alone a wet one, so I'll take your word for it.
But I guess this is typical. The instructor made an interesting point. People have different smell or taste references based on their life experiences. For example (and a very simplistic one), a person who grew up in the city and maybe had more access to a wide variety of ethnic foods and flavors may have a completely different impression of a wine than someone who grew up in a more rural area, who may have been exposed to less of a variety.
Farmer Ted: This wine has a bacon fat aroma with just a hint of cow poo.
City Sandy: Really? I smell more of a Spanish tapas bar infused with a slight scent of smog.
OK, so that was taking it a little too far. But we had fun with this. Mary swore she smelled a little koala in an Australian wine we tried. And seriously, some of these wine descriptions do read like a personal ad:
"Most Cabs as they mature take on interesting flavors like cigar-box cedar woodiness, mint leaf, dried tobacco leaf and roasted cocoa bean. Savory beef steak or venison needs a big wine taste and Cabernets will meet the challenge." Boy, that beef steak is one lucky fellow!
It really was an interesting class, and we did learn a bit about wine and got to taste some wines that we might otherwise be too cheap to buy - though they did keep the choices within a pretty reasonable price range. We also learned that screw caps are becoming en vogue, so don't be afraid to diss the corks. By wine #7, we were all feeling warm and sassy and were having quite a bit of fun with it. I think Jacquie summed it up: "I'm starting a wine club. Members: 1." If you find the wine that smells like fresh mowed grass, Jacquie, let me know!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Chasing Hayley
Another pretty laidback weekend under our belts. Saturday night our niece Hayley stayed overnight, so that brought some excitement! We watched Disney movies, played Barbies, read books, played Connect 4 (which involved her just putting the pieces wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted), baked cookies...it was a lot of fun.
Thought this pic was kind of cool, with her reflection in the fish tank.
Another pretty laidback weekend under our belts. Saturday night our niece Hayley stayed overnight, so that brought some excitement! We watched Disney movies, played Barbies, read books, played Connect 4 (which involved her just putting the pieces wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted), baked cookies...it was a lot of fun.
Thought this pic was kind of cool, with her reflection in the fish tank.
Cozy with Cousin Brandon. Nine years apart, and these two can still make each other giggle uncontrollably.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Busy Weekend
Well, this was a fun weekend all around. Friday morning, my cousin Emily gave birth to her first child, a little girl named Allison. We are all very excited for Emily and her husband Chuck! There are some pics of the new family in our cousin Kristi's blog if you want to check them out. Grandma's house will be chock full this Christmas Eve - it will be fun to have babies around again. Congrats to the Palmers!
Brett and I had this whole weekend to ourselves, as it was Brandon's weekend to be at his mom's. We had a light supper and then cruised the new SuperTarget that just got built nearby. It's BIG. While there Brett bought the new DVD that came out of the Disney classic The Fox and the Hound. Apparently this was one of Brandon's favorites when he was little, therefore one of Brett's favorites too. I had never really seen it before, but we watched it when we got home and it's really cute! It also features some well-known actors as the voices - such as Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney, and a very young Corey Feldman. I don't think I'll spoil anything when I say that the fox in the movie starts out as an orphan. This got us thinking - what is it with Disney movies and orphaned kids? Think about it:
Cinderella - orphan
Lion King - father dies
Finding Nemo - mother dies
Snow White - who were her parents?
Jungle Book - orphan boy raised in the jungle
Bambi - mother dies
Little Mermaid - no mother
Dumbo - no father?
And the list goes on. Things that make you go hmmm...
Saturday morning was spent on laundry and putzing around, but at noon we went to Simply to the Table. This is a business that is run by two women friends that I used to work with. They have a set menu each month, and you choose a number of meals from the menu based on the package you purchased. Everything is set out for you with very clear instructions - and the best part is, you don't have to clean up! You package everything for storage in the freezer, and you are given a label with instructions for preparation. We both had fun doing it, and now we have 8 meals in the freezer. This is our first time, but I have a feeling we'll be back.
Saturday afternoon I baked an apple pie! This is only the second one I've ever baked, and the first one for Brett. I told him I felt like baking, so he could pick anything and I would try it. He of course picked his favorite. So I got Mom's recipe and gave it a shot. It didn't turn out quite like hers, but it actually tasted alright. I'm still kind of in baking mode, so I may try something else this weekend.
Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends, Jay and Dawn, and to the movie Man of the Year. This is the new Robin Williams flick, and we really enjoyed it. There's a lot of great political humor in it that is so relevant to the present. It also raised some interesting thoughts, such as the fact that the general public is increasingly going to comedic news programs such as the Daily Show with John Stuart for their news. Speaking of politics, is anyone sick of all the campaign commercials yet?
We had a leisurely Sunday morning and spent the afternoon lounging and chatting with Brett's family. Overall it was a really great weekend!
Well, this was a fun weekend all around. Friday morning, my cousin Emily gave birth to her first child, a little girl named Allison. We are all very excited for Emily and her husband Chuck! There are some pics of the new family in our cousin Kristi's blog if you want to check them out. Grandma's house will be chock full this Christmas Eve - it will be fun to have babies around again. Congrats to the Palmers!
Brett and I had this whole weekend to ourselves, as it was Brandon's weekend to be at his mom's. We had a light supper and then cruised the new SuperTarget that just got built nearby. It's BIG. While there Brett bought the new DVD that came out of the Disney classic The Fox and the Hound. Apparently this was one of Brandon's favorites when he was little, therefore one of Brett's favorites too. I had never really seen it before, but we watched it when we got home and it's really cute! It also features some well-known actors as the voices - such as Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney, and a very young Corey Feldman. I don't think I'll spoil anything when I say that the fox in the movie starts out as an orphan. This got us thinking - what is it with Disney movies and orphaned kids? Think about it:
Cinderella - orphan
Lion King - father dies
Finding Nemo - mother dies
Snow White - who were her parents?
Jungle Book - orphan boy raised in the jungle
Bambi - mother dies
Little Mermaid - no mother
Dumbo - no father?
And the list goes on. Things that make you go hmmm...
Saturday morning was spent on laundry and putzing around, but at noon we went to Simply to the Table. This is a business that is run by two women friends that I used to work with. They have a set menu each month, and you choose a number of meals from the menu based on the package you purchased. Everything is set out for you with very clear instructions - and the best part is, you don't have to clean up! You package everything for storage in the freezer, and you are given a label with instructions for preparation. We both had fun doing it, and now we have 8 meals in the freezer. This is our first time, but I have a feeling we'll be back.
Saturday afternoon I baked an apple pie! This is only the second one I've ever baked, and the first one for Brett. I told him I felt like baking, so he could pick anything and I would try it. He of course picked his favorite. So I got Mom's recipe and gave it a shot. It didn't turn out quite like hers, but it actually tasted alright. I'm still kind of in baking mode, so I may try something else this weekend.
Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends, Jay and Dawn, and to the movie Man of the Year. This is the new Robin Williams flick, and we really enjoyed it. There's a lot of great political humor in it that is so relevant to the present. It also raised some interesting thoughts, such as the fact that the general public is increasingly going to comedic news programs such as the Daily Show with John Stuart for their news. Speaking of politics, is anyone sick of all the campaign commercials yet?
We had a leisurely Sunday morning and spent the afternoon lounging and chatting with Brett's family. Overall it was a really great weekend!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
K-Mart and Danny DeVito?
OK, so I know I'm a posting fiend lately, but I had to share this in hopes of providing some humor to my 3 readers. I had a series of really weird dreams this morning...vignettes if you will...in between the time Brett left for work and I got up (and a couple of snooze buttons in between).
These are in no particular order, and I know there is more that I cannot remember...but I think these hit the main points.
#1 - I am standing outside of a house, checking out the bathroom window to see if I can squeeze through it. I decide I cannot, and just go to the front door and ring the doorbell. Why I didn't go to the front door in the first place, I don't know.
#2 - I am talking to my brother Justin on the phone. He hands the phone to his girlfriend Kriston. She is talking with a Chinese accent. I am thinking "what the hell?" She is not Chinese.
#3 - I am somewhere that looks like a sporting event, except everyone is outside at a happy-hour type thing before we go in the stadium. I see a guy I used to work with. I go over to shake his hand, and immediately notice that this typical manly man is wearing a very tight pink V-neck spandex T-shirt, and his chest hairs are sticking out. He is talking to me about a job, and all I can do is try not to stare at the chest hairs.
#4 - I drive into the parking lot of a K-Mart store. I go inside and pick up some kind of seeds to plant. While walking down another aisle, a friend and her kids are shouting my name and running to catch up with me. I tell them I am there to buy fish food.
#5 - I am in Galena, IL with some of my friends from Minneapolis. We are walking through this mall-type thing that looks nothing like Galena, and there is some music festival going on. We go into a crowded bar, and I see this guy across the room. I tell my friends, "hey, I have met that guy before, that's Charlie, he knows my cousin Kristi, she used to work with him at a clothing store." I go over to say hello, and Charlie is Danny DeVito. (FYI Charlie does exist and from what I remember, looks nothing like DD).
So, this morning I recalled all of this in the shower and busted out laughing. Where did it come from? I have no idea. But I think it means I need more sleep.
OK, so I know I'm a posting fiend lately, but I had to share this in hopes of providing some humor to my 3 readers. I had a series of really weird dreams this morning...vignettes if you will...in between the time Brett left for work and I got up (and a couple of snooze buttons in between).
These are in no particular order, and I know there is more that I cannot remember...but I think these hit the main points.
#1 - I am standing outside of a house, checking out the bathroom window to see if I can squeeze through it. I decide I cannot, and just go to the front door and ring the doorbell. Why I didn't go to the front door in the first place, I don't know.
#2 - I am talking to my brother Justin on the phone. He hands the phone to his girlfriend Kriston. She is talking with a Chinese accent. I am thinking "what the hell?" She is not Chinese.
#3 - I am somewhere that looks like a sporting event, except everyone is outside at a happy-hour type thing before we go in the stadium. I see a guy I used to work with. I go over to shake his hand, and immediately notice that this typical manly man is wearing a very tight pink V-neck spandex T-shirt, and his chest hairs are sticking out. He is talking to me about a job, and all I can do is try not to stare at the chest hairs.
#4 - I drive into the parking lot of a K-Mart store. I go inside and pick up some kind of seeds to plant. While walking down another aisle, a friend and her kids are shouting my name and running to catch up with me. I tell them I am there to buy fish food.
#5 - I am in Galena, IL with some of my friends from Minneapolis. We are walking through this mall-type thing that looks nothing like Galena, and there is some music festival going on. We go into a crowded bar, and I see this guy across the room. I tell my friends, "hey, I have met that guy before, that's Charlie, he knows my cousin Kristi, she used to work with him at a clothing store." I go over to say hello, and Charlie is Danny DeVito. (FYI Charlie does exist and from what I remember, looks nothing like DD).
So, this morning I recalled all of this in the shower and busted out laughing. Where did it come from? I have no idea. But I think it means I need more sleep.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Wallets Made of Duct Tape?
I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend, and it was beautiful! Brett and Brandon left around noon on Saturday to go on a fishing trip until Sunday morning, so I had the house to myself. The weather was gorgeous and warm, so I enjoyed a walk on Saturday afternoon. I also went to a party on Saturday night with my friend Jacquie. Our friends Lowell and Bobbie had a "Harvest Moon" party at their house. We enjoyed getting to know our friends' family members...it's always so interesting to see if they look alike, or how they interact with each other. We even met a guy who had made his entire wallet out of duct tape...who would've thought? Apparently there are entire websites dedicated to this sort of thing. I also learned what a church key is (it's not the obvious key to your local religious institution). Apparently it's a type of metal bottle opener. So he carried around a church key at all times - in the duct tape wallet - just in case he needed to crack open a beer. Interesting characters all around. Lowell and Bobbie have done a great job with their house and it was all decorated for the fall season. And the harvest moon was beautiful. We had a good time!
I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend, and it was beautiful! Brett and Brandon left around noon on Saturday to go on a fishing trip until Sunday morning, so I had the house to myself. The weather was gorgeous and warm, so I enjoyed a walk on Saturday afternoon. I also went to a party on Saturday night with my friend Jacquie. Our friends Lowell and Bobbie had a "Harvest Moon" party at their house. We enjoyed getting to know our friends' family members...it's always so interesting to see if they look alike, or how they interact with each other. We even met a guy who had made his entire wallet out of duct tape...who would've thought? Apparently there are entire websites dedicated to this sort of thing. I also learned what a church key is (it's not the obvious key to your local religious institution). Apparently it's a type of metal bottle opener. So he carried around a church key at all times - in the duct tape wallet - just in case he needed to crack open a beer. Interesting characters all around. Lowell and Bobbie have done a great job with their house and it was all decorated for the fall season. And the harvest moon was beautiful. We had a good time!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Happy Birthday, Bud
Today the littlest Overmohle has a birthday...my little bro Justin is turning 21. Can you believe it? I hardly can. I don't think he reads my blog (much more important things to do, you know), so I feel free to post a photo of when he was a little. Even if he does read it, I'm just pulling rank as a big sister! Happy Birthday, Justin!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
TWINS WIN THE DIVISION!!
It was a happy day in the great north today, as the Minnesota Twins clinched their division and earned the right to start the playoffs at home in the Metrodome. I love this team - they are all so young and excited and playing SO GREAT right now. It's going to be fun to watch!
Iowa Bound
This weekend I headed down to Dubuque, IA to to visit my cousin Kristi. I arrived Friday night, and we headed up to a local tap to hang out with her boyfriend Chad and some of their friends. It was a delightful night of cheap beer, good conversation and a rockin' jukebox (by cheap I mean REALLY cheap at $1 a glass...you don't see that in the Cities!)
Saturday Kristi gave me a little driving tour of Dubuque. It's really a pretty interesting river city with a lot of history. They are doing a lot of renovating and updating of the downtown area, and it will be interesting to see how different things are the next time I visit. After the local tour, we drove across the border to Galena, IL to have lunch and do some shopping. Galena is a charming historic town with reknowned boutique shopping that covers everything from home decor to clothing to knitting and beyond. We found some really cool stuff, but it was more about looking and not buying. The best part of the day was just sitting in a coffee shop and catching up. We don't get the chance to do that very often!
We returned to Dubuque and that evening went to a local bar to watch the Iowa vs. Ohio State game. Unfortunately the Hawkeyes lost, but it was nice to be in my home state with so many Hawkeye fans in one place.
Today I was able to make it back to spend a little time with Brandon before Brett took him back to his mom's. We kept close tabs on the baseball scores and got the see the Twins celebrate their division win, which was exciting! Now it's typical Sunday evening activity...I'm upstairs watching TV and putzing on my laptop, and Brett is downstairs watching the football game!
It was a happy day in the great north today, as the Minnesota Twins clinched their division and earned the right to start the playoffs at home in the Metrodome. I love this team - they are all so young and excited and playing SO GREAT right now. It's going to be fun to watch!
Iowa Bound
This weekend I headed down to Dubuque, IA to to visit my cousin Kristi. I arrived Friday night, and we headed up to a local tap to hang out with her boyfriend Chad and some of their friends. It was a delightful night of cheap beer, good conversation and a rockin' jukebox (by cheap I mean REALLY cheap at $1 a glass...you don't see that in the Cities!)
Saturday Kristi gave me a little driving tour of Dubuque. It's really a pretty interesting river city with a lot of history. They are doing a lot of renovating and updating of the downtown area, and it will be interesting to see how different things are the next time I visit. After the local tour, we drove across the border to Galena, IL to have lunch and do some shopping. Galena is a charming historic town with reknowned boutique shopping that covers everything from home decor to clothing to knitting and beyond. We found some really cool stuff, but it was more about looking and not buying. The best part of the day was just sitting in a coffee shop and catching up. We don't get the chance to do that very often!
We returned to Dubuque and that evening went to a local bar to watch the Iowa vs. Ohio State game. Unfortunately the Hawkeyes lost, but it was nice to be in my home state with so many Hawkeye fans in one place.
Today I was able to make it back to spend a little time with Brandon before Brett took him back to his mom's. We kept close tabs on the baseball scores and got the see the Twins celebrate their division win, which was exciting! Now it's typical Sunday evening activity...I'm upstairs watching TV and putzing on my laptop, and Brett is downstairs watching the football game!
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