Pumpkin Carving

To kick off our Halloween weekend Neill and I carved pumpkins with a friend last night. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that mine is the one in the middle. It was supposed to be a cockeyed vampire pumpkin, but it kind of just looks like a fifth grader did it. Oh well.  Neill did his band logo and James just made a goofy face. I love how he did the eyes! I would have never thought of that. I'm going to have to brush up on my skills before next year.

I must admit though, my favorite part about pumpkin carving is the seeds. I love scooping them out with my hands and getting all gooey, I love roasting them in the oven, and I really love eating them when they are done! nom nom nom. If you are carving pumpkins this year YOU MUST make the pumpkin seeds. Just clean off the seeds in water to remove any residual pumpkin mush, coat in olive oil and salt, spread on baking sheet, and roast in oven at 325 for about 25 minutes.

Scary Movie

Don't you just love scary movies? There is something so fun about gripping the edge of your seat and feeling your heart pounding (without any real danger!).

This Saturday I'll be celebrating my love of scary movies (and Halloween) at the Hyde Park Arts Center for Scary Movie Party, a showcase of DIY no budget scary movies. I'm hoping to be successfully spooked!

Here is the trailor for the movie my hubby is in


Sunset Bloody Sunset by Sebastian Lama SMP 2010 Trailer from SCARY MOVIE PARTY on Vimeo.

It should be a scream!

Life Gets Better

I decided to take a trip down memory lane today and think about where I was at this time last year. I think my blog post from October 25th, 2009 says it all:

"FML


i woke up at 6 am to grade papers".

And that was a Sunday!

It is easy for me to get caught up in complaining about how hard x,y, and z is (mainly because I'm a wimp), so it is nice to have this very real reminder that things are actually pretty good for me right now. Life gets better. Sure, it probably gets worse too - at least sometimes. But, I believe that eventually everything will even out. Last year on this date I had to wake up ungodly early on the weekend to get some grading done, but this year I got to sleep in and spend all day working from home. And by working, I mean avoiding my real statistics work to blog and think about dinner.   

twice baked potato for dinner. yes please! image source.

What were you doing this time last year?

The Violet Hour

A few weeks ago Neill and I finally decided to try out The Violet Hour - a speakeasy style cocktail lounge with a refined atmosphere. Considering that it is only a few blocks from us,  I'm embarrassed it took us this long to visit. But, I've always been turned off by the constant line of people waiting to get in and the "we're too cool to put a sign up" vibe I thought I was picking up. It didn't seem like a place for me. But, as it turns out, having no sign is part of the speakeasy theme. And while there is a line to get in, its because they only let people in when they have seats for them. So, there is no crowding around the bar waiting to get a drink while scanning the room hoping for a table to open up. Instead, you are shown to a seat and helped by a waiter. It is all very dignified.

So yes, I broke my own rule and waited in line for a chance to see for myself what the buzz is all about. And you know what? It wasn't that bad (the waiting that is, The Violet Hour was much better than "not that bad"). Our group of four kept the conversation lively and the hour nearly flew by. (To avoid the line go early! We got there around 9:30). Once in side, I was struck by the design. Reminiscent of a French Salon, the walls are a beautiful blue and there is white crown molding. We were seated in a private enclave made up of two love-seat style, high wing-backed seats. The music was pleasant, but quiet enough as not to intrude. Everything seemed to be done to create intimacy and leave plenty of space for quiet conversation.

Oh and I haven't even mentioned the cocktails yet! Each special and delicious sounding, our group had a great time discussing the menu. I had two wonderful gin cocktails, each deliciously foamy because of the addition of egg whites. The second wasn't on the menu, but I told our waitress how much I had enjoyed my first drink and she offered to bring back a "surprise". How fun! At the end of the night, our waitress offered us each a free shot of whiskey or chartreuse, a french liquor. While I ended up sipping my chartreuse, I loved the herbal flavor. Plus, we all had a good laugh at the contrast between the elegant atmosphere and free shots. 

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at The Violet Hour and I hope to make it back one day. At 12 dollars per cocktail, this isn't somewhere I would plan to spend all night, but I see it as a perfect spot to go for a few special drinks.

[Photo Credit:Clayton Hauck for Metromix]

New Look!

My little corner of the internet is sporting a new look! My goal was to make the blog more visually interesting and more user friendly. I'm so excited to have the page links, right under the blog title! They aren't filled in yet, but eventually a centralized list of all of my wedding posts will be featured under "Our Wedding" and I am going to post links to all of the places I have reviewed under "Around Town". I plan to post new reviews and tag them to that page as well. Once everything is transferred over, I will likely delete my yelp account and just post them on This Is How It Goes. I've also added search capabilities and updated my reading list. Ooo and now, if you like a post you can easily share it on google buzz, facebook, or twitter using the little buttons at the end of each post. 

Hope you like the new design! Happy reading!

xoxox
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