Halloween Cards

 I just stocked up the shop with some new cards for Halloween!

Perfect for kiddos, friends, parents, siblings, co-workers, & well, just about everyone!

(I mean, really, who doesn't love getting a little snail mail??)

Take a second to check out the new designs over here!

Cheers,

-N

Notes from the sloth...

I know I'm a tad late in posting this, but I finally got around to asking Dave to take over my blog one last time, so for your reading pleasure... 

1. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

I would be a sloth.  Probably a three-toed sloth to be a little more precise.  Hanging from trees.  Sleeping.  Eating.  Sounds pretty great.

2. What is your favorite meal?

A good Mediterranean spread.  Some tabbouleh, dolma, hummus and kebabs.

3. Do you use any forms of Social Media? What is your favorite?

I use Facebook.  So I suppose it's my favorite.  Most notably, however, it is my least favorite.

4. Beer, wine, liquor, other, or none of the above?

I like most beers and all wines except for the very dry red wines.  As far as liquor is concerned I'd rather eat chalk.

5. Complete the sentence: "Never have I ever..."

...gone streaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Phew, am I glad to hear that!)

We had such fun with this link up, thanks for putting it together, gals!

A Few of my Favorite Things; Food

It's officially Fall. 

Which means winter's coming & I'll be packing on my hibernation weight. 

(I think I was designed to hibernate... True story.)

Anyway, with that in mind, and cold weather on the way (and already here some days), I figured I'd share with you a few of my favorite foods. They're great all year round really, but since I eat just about double in the colder months, I thought now would be a good time to share. 

TJ's Dark Chocolate

Self-explanitory.

Quinoa

Considering how much of it we eat, I'm rather price conscience of it. We used to buy our quinoa at Costco, but recently they switched suppliers which raised the prices - boo. Now we're getting it from our local grocer, which sells their own by weight, and is actually super affordable. Do a little price comparison before you buy it. You may be surprised where you find a good deal.

One of our favorite ways to eat it is in this casserole.

Cheese

Goat cheese, Feta, Gruyere, Cheddar, Brie... you name it, I'll eat it.

Whether it's feta tossed in a salad, Gruyere in my favorite (quinoa) patties, or shredded cheddar on a tortilla as a quick lunch, we always have it stocked in our fridge.

Also, Brie is particularly popular this time of year as a side or appetizer to any dinner party.
Bake it, pair it with a favorite jam, and tasty crackers, and your mouth with thank you.

Beans

Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans... again, I'll each just about all of them.

After making salsa and cold bean salads in the summer you can take these into the winter and make some tasty chili's, soups, and stews.

Corn Muffins

These are a bit of a comfort food, but oh-so-easy and scrumptious! 

I always have a box or two on hand, and every once in a while I'll pop a batch in the oven (wait impatiently for 15-20 minutes) and then gobble them up. 

You can also pair these with your chili and stew from those aforementioned beans, yum!

What are some of your favorite things - food wise?
-N

This post is part of a short series of my favorite things. 

I'm always looking to share and exchange favorites/traditions/recipes, etc. so I figured this would be a fun way to try and do that. Feel free to write your own post, share some of your favorites in the comments, and/or link-up below!

It's Open!

Finally! 

After a summer full of hard work & preparations, I have opened (the virtual doors) of my Etsy shop!

I am so excited to be able to share my creations with you all!

Here's a sample:

Take a look for yourselves, and let me know what you think ツ
(Seriously, I'd love to hear your feedback!)

Cheers,

-N

So Long Sweet Summer

This past weekend Dave and I soaked up every last bit of the beautiful warm summer weather.

We went on a (long overdue) picnic, relaxed under a clear blue sky, meandered through a museum, played volleyball with strangers, then enjoyed 9-holes of disc golf, and came home to a tasty surprise.

We had sandwiches (or "sammies" as Tom Haverford calls them), sour cream & onion chips, a favorite salad, pickles, and fruit salad. All in that adorable picnic basket my mother-in-law got us!

 Then we just laid there. In the warm sun. It was glorious.

Then we went here,

 and admired this guy's artwork.

(Here's a sample - not my photo)

It is an incredibly detailed and thought-filled collage of Van Gogh's famous piece, Wheat Field with Cypresses. It was breath-taking. 

After that, we headed to our favorite coffee shop to welcome the on-coming fall season with a pumpkin spice latte for me, and a caramel latte for the fella.

Yum.

We headed home - decided we hadn't gotten our fill of the perfect weather - and went back out.

We were invited to play volleyball with strangers (who were very kind - I am very bad at volleyball).

We tossed a few discs around, and then called it a day. 

We came home to this package from my aunt:

It, too, is an indicator of the on-coming season, and a personal favorite treat.

I knew what it was the second I saw it.

Ah, what a wonderful way to end the day.

And summer.

How are you spending the last days of summer?

-N

Things like this make me miss college...

The goofy ideas and totally "go-for-it" attitude just don't flow the same in the "real world"
What a shame.

...While grocery shopping

 Just a quick post about things that I think about while grocery shopping.

1) Gosh, I'm so hungry - why didn't I eat before doing this!?

1) If you have an Aldi near buy, make sure you shop there as much as you can!

Here are a few reasons to back that up:

a) They offer a lot of really great products, at really great prices

b) They take care of their employees. The cashiers start at $11/hr

c) They work with local farms which not only lowers their costs, and thus their prices, but also gives you the chance to support your local farmers! (Of course farmer's markets are a great way to do this as well, but their hours and locations may not be as convenient.)

d) They encourage all of their shoppers to bring reusable bags - by charging .25/bag. Again, this helps keeps costs down, but it's also great for Mama earth!

2)There is no difference between brown eggs and white eggs.

While at Trader Joe's the other day (a parent company to Aldi, actually), I noticed they were charging $2.50 for a half dozen brown eggs and $1.50 for a full dozen white eggs.

Do you want to know where brown eggs come from?

Chickens with brown/reddish feathers and lobes.

Do you want to know where white eggs come from?

Chickens with white feathers and lobes.

That's it.

(Now stop overpaying for eggs.)

3) Star fruit is not only super cool to look at, but it's also pretty great for you.

It has a ton of antioxidants, potassium, and vitamin C - but it also doesn't have a ton of sugar or acid.

Although we need natural sugar in our daily diet, many fruits are quite high in sugar and can count against some diet and weight-loss programs. Also, since it is not very acidic and it still kind of tastes like a citrus fruit, you can eat them more frequently without harming the enamel on your teeth.

Bonus! - #4 - My regional grocer recently started selling ostrich eggs.

I only have one question... 

Why?

Until I think of other things while grocery shopping,

-N

My life

This is the story of my life 

 

(Clearly this is blogging gold.)

((You're welcome))