<3

This is worth its own post.

The Countdown Begins.

Less than 2 weeks until the Holiday Handmade Cavalcade.
Today I managed to print a lot of otter cards,
touch up and package the santa squids, AND
post both sets of holiday cards to my etsy page.







































There was a fail in all this success,
the giving penguins that just don't
want to print properly. le sigh.
I'm close to giving up on them-
but I want to give it one more shot
because I love the design so much.

Between all this cardmaking I
did manage to spend some time
in the kitchen. Last Saturday I made
Cranberry thumbprint cookies.

I wanted to make these cookies because:
a.) I fell victim to Whole Foods cranberry bog display
and ended up leaving with a bag of them.
b.) I could not wait to use my new cookie sheet and
cooling rack. I have officially become a kitchen nerd.
c.)I love cornmeal, and everything that
you can make with it.















I'm excited to start my holiday baking soon, not to
mention the decorating! But it is still 3 days til
Thanksgiving, and I cannot begin to think about
Christmas until Friday.

Latest Obsessions

* FlashForward. The show poses a lot of questions that seldom get answered but I am already sucked in so there is no use in fighting it.

*Concord Grapes. I've been buying quarts and juicing them.
It takes a few strains but the end result is delicious.
(and good for you, possibly helping anything from heart disease
to breast cancer)

*The Secret History of the World by:Mark Booth
This book is so interesting, but (for me at least) some
paragraphs require a second and sometimes third reading.
It's a lot of esoteric ideas to take in! But this time I am determined
to get through it-I tried once before and then became
distracted by other books that weren't attempting
to change the way I thought about the world.

Polyvore.com- I found this website thanks to Rebecca's blog post.
I was instantly addicted. Basically, you are creating
your own inspiration board-which was always my favorite part
of my fashion classes. Mine definitely aren't as intricate
as some of the others on there but it's fun to put outfits together.

Sick Day

I am actually taking a sick day.
This rarely happens.
I always keep on truckin'
and prolong whatever sickness I might have.

Not this time!
Today is dedicated to getting better,
and resting. I currently have enchiladas
from my favorite mexican restaurant
(De Mole) being delivered. All I have wanted
through this cold is spicy food.

Because I am feeling a bit loopy, I doubt this post
will come together in a cohesive way. So I will just
post my halloween photos and say goodnight until
next time.

My mom and I














Old Gregg and Howard Moon


















the bf, Joelie Bear and I *cutest nephew ever*














My sister Nan, butchering a pumpkin

Autumn in Sunnyside

Sunnyside Gardens is one of the most charming
neighborhoods in NY. Especially now
that the leaves are turning!

I took a few shots on my way to work, the first two
are of my favorite trees. They are female
Gingko trees, which turn a brilliant yellow
each fall. And they also stink. I wondered why-
so I took this off of Wikipedia so that we could all be
enlightened.

"Two ovules are formed at the end of a stalk, and after pollination,
one or both develop into seeds. The seed is 1.5-2 cm long.
Its fleshy outer layer (the sarcotesta) is light yellow-brown,
soft, and fruit-like. It is attractive in appearance,
but contains butanoic acid (also known as butyric acid)
and smells like rancid butter (which contains the same chemical)
or feces when fallen"










































This is a house that is across from ours
that has a lovely ivy rainbow that I could
not resist photographing.
















This cat always sunbathes in the same yard,
amid the same pile of leaves/twigs etc.

Consider the Octopus.

Last night I was watching The Amazing Octopus
on the Science Channel and it was indeed
amazing. It followed a female octopus from birth,
off the coast of New Zealand.

I didn't get through the whole thing because it was
almost 2 and I was exhausted. But I did see the octopus
escape from humans twice, and hear about something
called "octo venom." I did not realize that ALL octopi
were venomous! Was this common knowledge that I somehow
managed to miss??

Anyhow, the octopus has won my heart. I will be obsessing over
it for the next few weeks. Hopefully putting it on a card
for my etsy shop. Here are some videos about this wonderful cephalopod.

So much for goals.

I had high hopes of completing my list of goals
from the previous post.

But things rarely work out as I expect them to.
For example, the dumpling festival was the biggest
disappointment of all.
Not only was it raining, but it was packed and the lines
for each dumpling stand were at least a half hour long.

If people only had to hand over a ticket, and receive a plate
of dumplings-I really cannot fathom what the hold up was.
Zach and I were not happy, but we did have a delicious lunch
at Whole Foods instead. And our $10 we gave in hopes of
dumplings ended up going to the Food Bank of NY, so it
wasn't all in vain.

One thing that I did do this weekend was spend a lot of time
in the kitchen. And so did this gentleman.

















He likes to survey the floor for any rogue bits of food,
(which is not the most ideal situation )
as I managed to step on his feet many times.
But boy, is he cute.

On Sunday my original plan was to have a mini
epic feast, and then head to the East Village for
some pumpkin carving. The carving never happened
because I did not anticipate the length of time this
feast would take.

I have a whole new level of respect for the women
(or men) that take on the task of Thanksgiving.

I made a chicken, stuffing, brussel sprout slaw,
mashed potatoes, and for dessert apple dumplings.
(the bf loves apple desserts.) We paired this with
the delicious sparkling cider that we got at the market.


This is the spread.




























Please forgive my shotty
photo. The lighting in our apartment is really not the best.
I still need Rebecca to teach me how to take beautiful photos.


I also have this photo. My carton of celery sticks is
warning me that it may contain celery..