The Accidental Boilermaker

Nate, me, and the other post-docs hosted our second VA psychology Halloween party today.  It was a little chilly, but sunny.  And we even set up a fire pit so people didn't have to stay inside the whole time. All in all, a success. Homemade ghosts Lots and lots of food My Halloween "costume" via Pinterest Nate's costume

Meredith is here!!!  She and Penny have been enjoying each other's company.  And we have also spent some quality time with the goats and chickens. She also helped me start a baby registry at Target.  It was a little overwhelming so afterward we got milkshakes at Chik-fil-a. The other big news is we bought a new-to-us car!  We traded in our old 2002 Ford Focus for a used 2013 Mazada CX-5.

Fall is officially here so bring on all things pumpkin.  I found these  muffins  and only changed one thing. Instead of pecans, I added chocolate chips.  An acceptable switch I think. And a picture of Penny sunbathing upstairs because she is such a pretty kitty.

We had our ultrasound yesterday.  It was exciting to see the baby.  The tech estimated he/she weighed about 11oz and she said they were very cooperative while she was trying to get all her measurements. 19 weeks

I love pumpkins.  We tried growing some for the first time this year and unfortunately did not have much success.  But we did get a few, including two big pumpkins.  And I know it is a little early for jack-o-lanterns, but I didn't want the seeds to go to waste.  So yesterday I carved my pumpkins and roasted the seeds. I am always surprised at how long it takes to scoop out the seeds, carve the pumpkin, and then clean all the seeds.  Growing up, my dad did all the hard work - we just watched and told him how we wanted our pumpkin to look. Two big pumpkins, two baby pumkins Jack-o-lanterns Yummy pumpkin seeds - the reward for all my effort

We decided to get out of town for the weekend and go camping.  We didn't go far, just an hour away to Bedford, VA and the Peaks of Otter campground.  The Peaks of Otter are three mountain peaks within the Blue Ridge Mountains - Harkening Hill, Sharp Top, and Flat Top - with Flat Top being the highest point in the state.  We hiked Harkening Hill on Saturday and then did Sharp Top on Sunday.  We want to come back and hike Flat Top when the leaves start to change in the fall.  It did rain both on Saturday and Sunday, but it didn't really spoil anything.  We hid out in the tent till it was over and were still able to have our evening campfires. Our campsite A view of Sharp Top from the Peaks of Otter Lodge. Sharp Top Summit Harkening Hill as seen from Sharp Top (you can just see the lodge on the right side of the picture). A view of Flat Top from Sharp Top. It's only 1.5 miles to the top, but it is up all the way. ...

By now I think most people know that Nate and I are having a baby but just in case...Surprise!!  We are having a baby!! I just finished my first crochet baby blanket, but it isn't for me.  A good friend back in Illinois is having her first in October and although I couldn't make it back home for the shower, I still wanted to give her a gift. My mom suggested the blanket idea and I'm glad she did.  I think the final project turned out nice. I ended up with a lot of leftover green yarn and wanted to make a little hat to go with the blanket.  I thought this would be a fairly simple project, but it ended up being much more challenging.  I finally ended up with this - too big for a newborn, but hopefully by December or January when it is truly hat weather in the Chicago suburbs, it will work.