Happy Halloweenie!

I’ve had to wait years to say this, but now that I have a dachshund, “Happy Halloweenie!” Payton is extremely excited about her penguin costume (not). Maybe she will like it better when we go to the pet stores near us for trick-or-treating! Her penguin sweater ensemble can be found here. 

Sweater Weather

Today’s post is short and sweet. Sweater weather is upon us and I couldn’t be more excited. Here are some of my current favorites; enjoy!

Winter Minestrone Soup

A couple of weekends ago, we spent a lovely Saturday morning running errands and walking around our neighborhood. After our errands were complete, we decided to make an impromptu visit to Sur La Table-which lasted about an hour. It’s almost impossible to go into Sur La Table and walk away empty-handed. My boyfriend looked at new cutting boards while I roamed around the rest of the store {read: while I placed things I didn’t need into my basket}. I fell in love with these soup bowls while we were there, so, naturally, we came home and made soup that night! It was so simple and the house smelled like an Italian restaurant. Though we made the soup on the stove, I’m certain that a crock-pot would work, too. This soup will definitely become part of the cool-weather recipe repertoire. 

{Soften a mille-poix-carrots, celery, onion-in a couple tbsp of olive oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper}

{Once mille-poix is softened, add 1 box of chicken stock, 6 cups of water, ~3 cups of crushed tomatoes, 1 chopped zucchini, 2 tbsp chopped thyme}

{Bring to a simmer and add a box of pasta and 1 can of cannellini beans; we chose wheels, but any smaller pasta will work}

{Once pasta is al dente, add salt and pepper to taste}

{Serve with bread for dipping}

The Girl Behind the Blog

While I love writing about holidays, making desserts and what I wore last weekend, I think it is easy to assume an online persona sugar coating how much fun it is to peel an orange. I’m absolutely guilty of doing this, whether it is yesterday’s post or a post I wrote three weeks ago. True, it’s fun to make dessert or photograph a shoe, but it’s a fraction of what I actually do every day. I am not saying I hate what I blog about; I actually love it and it’s a breath of fresh air amongst other things. I honestly wish I could be as excited about everything else I do. Coming back to reality, I thought I’d share a few things about the girl behind the blog. It's so easy to read a blog and think the writer is someone different. Did you know:

·        I am as type A as you could possibly get. When my boyfriend and I moved in together, I think he was taken aback by how much I cared about little things, like removing plastic rings from soda in the fridge and precise laundry folding.

·        Piggy-backing off of the previous fact, I am a neat freak. I hate dirty things, especially kitchens. Everything has to be spotless and smell clean at all times.

·        It takes about 30 minutes to get me out of bed. Aka: I hit snooze 7 times or tell my boyfriend to come back in five minutes to wake me up (5 times).

·        I drink a pot of coffee every morning. I am a mean, horrible, awful person without it.

·        The number of textbooks I have in our apartment is appalling. There are 5 cardboard boxes full of anatomy, neuro, and cell biology textbooks that I cannot part with, not even to the storage unit. Every other piece of scratch paper, however, is immediately recycled because I hate clutter and little papers lying around. I want to do a mass clean of our apartment to get rid of things all the time.

·        I talk about science, French language/culture, dentistry and wine so much people stop listening to me. I also think my miniature dachshund runs the world.

·        I am very frank with people about their teeth; if you have gingivitis, I will probably tell you; if I haven’t told you and you do have gingivitis, I’ve undoubtedly noticed.

·        I can actually parallel park a car

·        My mom taught me to be grammatically correct, even via text, and it makes my blood boil when people text like this, “wat u up 2.”

·        My eyes change colors

·        Thanks to good ol’ YMCA Camp MacLean, I can: build a fire, pitch a tent, go hiking, row a boat, teach windsurfing and canoeing, paint, play sock tag, chop firewood, and a whole lot more.

·        My sister is way cooler than I am

·        I am a very picky eater

·        Applying to dental school has given me insomnia; I sleep an average of 5 hours a night and am probably up around 2, 3, 4, and 5 o’clock. I do get tired again around 7 or 8, when I have to get up.

·        I talk to my mom and dad several times a day, each.

·        One of my pinky toes has no toenail because of dance; one of my toes also bends 90 degrees to the right at the knuckle because of dance.

·        I think images of stained nerves taken with electron microscopy, especially purkinje’s, are some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. 

·        I have been likened to an Oleander flower more than once. Take that as you will.

·        I love my boyfriend, dog, and family more than anything. I look forward to holidays and time we spend together being crazy. We wear funny hats and themed-earmuffs in hottubs. You are not permitted without one.

All that being said, I am fun once you get to know me and I do love my blog. I can’t wait to share all my holiday festivities with you! Anything else you want to know? Go ahead and ask!