life lately: meet snook [the story of how we kinda, sorta, definitely adopted a kitty].

So, I'm not really a cat person. We couldn't have them growing up since my mom, sister and brother are allergic to cat hair, so we had the best outside dog that has ever stepped foot on this earth instead. But last week, we noticed the sweetest little stray kitty on our street who was just meow-ing and meow-ing for some food.

So we gave it some cream. And the rest is history. 

On Sunday afternoon, we decided it was time to give the kitty a name. Landon had the brilliant idea to bring out a map of Texas, drop a sharpie on it, and whatever city the sharpie landed on would be the kitty's name. Lo and behold, there is a SNOOK, Texas. Which is just one tiny letter away from Snooki, but I didn't ask to drop the sharpie again for fear that we'd end up with a name like "Stephenville" or "Buffalo Gap". So Snook it is. And is it any coincidence that Snook has the same coat of fur as Zeb (the aforementioned best dog ever)? I think not.

And sometimes, we find it napping in the neighbors yard.

Let me rephrase that.

Sometimes we find it napping in the booster-seat-on-top-of-four-tires in our neighbors yard. Naturally.

Well, Snook, we really like you, and I think your stomach would say the same for us. Thanks for being the best cat I've encountered since my BFF's big-bellied feline, Whiskers. I think we'll do well together, once you learn that the curtains are, in fact, not a rope swing.

xoxo.

P.S. Snook is fast asleep in my lap as I type this. Presh.

life lately: the first snowfall

 We woke up on Monday to a thin, beautiful layer of white covering the ground. My first Texas snowfall (I had a hard time believing this was possible just a few months ago)! I love love love snow, especially because it's so fleeting in Oregon. Here's some shots I took around the HSU campus (where I work) on Monday morning...

Since these were shot with HSU cameras, I should mention that these photos are property of Hardin-Simmons University.

xoxo.

Has it snowed where you live? Have you ever had a White Christmas? We had one in Oregon a few years ago, it was the best!

life lately: giving thanks.

If there's one thing I'm grateful for, it's family. We were fortunate enough to have Landon's family come visit for Thanksgiving last week, and we had a great time. There was lots of disc golf, lots of food, lots of card games (where we learned that Landon likes to cheat...) and lots of time spent together.

 DeAnn and I prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for the family, and it was pretty delicious, if I do say so myself! You can see the full menu here.

(we had to snap a photo of our taste tester, who also tried to take credit for cooking the whole meal). 

And while I missed the Turkey Bowl (it was another victory for the cousins team), I had a good little "FaceTime" session with my family before the game, and they tweeted updates during the game. All in all, it was a fun and delicious day and we're grateful that Landon's family made the trip!

xoxo.

P.S. We'll be flying to Portland in 22 days!

life lately: not my plans.

xoxo.

P.S. Only three days left to enter...

life lately: it's the holiday season...

It just so happens that this is my favorite time of year. It used to be tied with summer, but now that we live in Texas, summer has been downgraded. I'm loving the fall here in Abilene. We have lots of clear, sunny, chilly days that make for perfect mornings wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot cocoa.

First up, Thanksgiving of course. We're staying in Texas for Thanksgiving, which marks the first year that I won't be in Portland. While I'm sad to miss the Turkey Bowl, I'm thrilled for the holiday because Landon's family is joining us here in Texas! With no dining table and a small oven, it will certainly be a Thanksgiving to remember, but we're really looking forward to it. I created a menu for us (part of my 12x2012 list!), so I thought I'd share it here...

The holidays also mean good things for CookingThyme, my mom's cooking school in Portland. Check out the holiday classes they've got planned.

Killer, right? I wish I could be there for some! Speaking of being there, we just booked our Christmas tickets last night...we'll be back in Portland for THIRTEEN days around Christmas and I can't wait!! Family, food, festivities and my beloved city...three cheers!

And finally, with the holidays comes the Cold Hands, Warm Hearts swap! This is my first year participating, and we just got our swap partners last night! Mine is Amanda from And They Will Become One Flesh. Can't wait to swap with you Amanda!

It’s the holiday season
(The holiday season)
With the whoop-de-do and hickory dock
And don’t forget to hang up your sock...

xoxo.

life lately: trunk-or-treat.

Alright, here's my Halloween post, a day or two late. Does your city have trunk-or-treats? I had never heard of them until we moved to Abilene. They're hosted at churches around Halloween, and everyone brings their car with a decorated trunk to pass out candy...super fun! I like this idea much more than door-to-door trick or treating.

So, the challenge was to come up with a killer idea that fit the budget. First idea: Kate Middleton + Price William...until I looked at the cost of a decent blue wrap dress. Scratch that. Second idea: sicky-sweet birds...until I realized I'd have to hand-stitch feathers onto our outfits (add "sewing machine" to the list of appliances we don't have). Scratch that.

But, Landon had the answer all along: The Oregon Trail. I spend a total of $10. We somehow already had everything in the photo below...which made me think we must be pretty primitive people...

I had a blue dress from H&M with a prairie-ish looking top, I just needed to perfect pioneer skirt to wear over it. I found this beauty at Goodwill for $3, and as I was checking out, the cashier said (without a hint of sarcasm), "Well, now that's a pretty skirt." ...uhh, yeah.

Of course, no pioneer girl is complete without a bonnet and a little mud on the face...

Of course I didn't have a bonnet lying around (what?), so I had to make one. I just took a circular piece of fabric, stitched around in (about 1 inch in from the edge), and cinched the fabric.

The only things I spent money on were the lovely skirt above and that little black lantern, which was $3. Next, it was time to pack the trunk. Which I'm sure made our neighbors think I was some kind of time-traveler. Or hippie.

And of course, our covered wagon had to be covered! Don't worry, no sheets were harmed in the making of this covered wagon. I just strung a piece of yarn through a white sheet from IKEA, and attached the sheet to the car by tucking it into the back doors and tying the yarn to the bottom of the car (I just tied them to some piece of metal under there...hope it didn't do any damage!).

And did I mention that I did all the prep sans-Landon? He was at a cross-country meet this weekend, but he made it back just in time for the last 15 minutes of trunk-or-treat. 

We were swarmed with little vampires, princesses, vampire princesses, and the like...

Conclusion? Trunk-or-treat was super fun...I'm already looking forward to next year!

xoxo.

P.S. Thank you for your very sweet comments yesterday. It is such an encouragement to know I'm not the only one, and I loved your tips...will definitely be using them! Xo.

life lately: simplicity

 Lately, we've been enjoying quiet, simple days that start with pumpkin spice waffles...

 (waffle recipe here)

with a good helping of homemade syrup...

cups of steaming hot tea...

and pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (is there anything better?)...

cut in half, to share of course...

 (recipe from the latest issue of everyday food)

(cupcake dome here)

It's the simple things, right?

xoxo.

P.S. I survived my first two days on the new job! I'll even post my first day outfit to prove it...

I also started decorating my office (which is one of the things on my twelve by 2012 list), but there's still lots of empty wall space and shelves to fill!