Back to Saturday

So...back to the weekend. I had planned on a lovely Saturday of planting flowers in the semi-fall air and relaxing on the couch....that was until my tire pressure light went off. As I got out of the car (talking to my dad nonetheless), I could hear the air seeping out of the tire. I knew it was all over at that point, so I hung up with my dad, and ran in to get Matt to see if we could salvage any part of the tire. No such luck. We took the old tire off and replaced it with the spare (bonus: I can now change my own spare tire if needed!).

I forgot to snap a picture of the busted up tire (probably because I was so distraught) but it had the biggest piece of metal lodged into it that I have ever seen. In fact the guy at the tire shop laughed at me when I asked if it could be patched. Approximately 3 weeks prior to this incident I was informed that my front two tires needed replacing. If I had to change out 1 now (b/c it was a back tire, of course I couldn't ruin a front one that already needed replacing...) I might as well do the front 2 tires. And, well, we all know that you can't just change 3 tires on a car.

So away we went to join Sam's and get a deal on tires (bonus: we are now members of Sam's and can stock up on all sorts of ridiculous things that we may or may not need). And somewhere in the mess of getting new tires and getting the car home, we lost a hubcap. Luckily, my husband is the best ever and found one at our local hubcap shop. I sure am glad this saga is now over & I am here to warn you to be careful when driving the streets of Bham.

And oh yes, dear blog, Happy 100th post!! It took me a while but we've finally made it. Now we're playing with the big dogs.

Fall Flowers

As it turns out, this was an eventful weekend (more on that later). But while you await my stories of fancy and woe, I'll share with you the fall flowers that I planted (just before sunset) Saturday evening.

I knew I wanted mums for the antique pot that sits on our porch. Previously, it was filled with dead pansies (oops...).

I bought some in this orangey-yellow variety (a manufactured variety according to some kind gentleman at Home Depot who shared with us some watering tips), not your typical bright yellow but lovely nonetheless. I like them.

After the mums were in, I planted a few pansies across the already landscaped area in our front yard. The old owner told me she always left the front few feet to plant whatever was in season and whatever she was currently loving. I didn't take advantage of this space of the spring/summer so I decided to give it a shot this fall. Here are our new pansies (mom, aren't you proud?):

Things I am Currently Loving...

Watching a little Texas Rangers baseball.....growing up in Texas, I've loved the Rangers for a long time. I will admit that my love waned a bit after moving away, but I have recently come back around to watching these guys give it to the Yankees (except, not tonight).

Spotting little rainbows from my car window (don't report me for snapping this quick pic on my iphone...which by the way doesn't even do justice to the vibrancy of the rainbow I saw)

The way that the light catches the stained glass windows in our church chapel after the day's services are complete.

My new steal of a deal boots that I finally found for this winter.

And last but not least my tweeting dog and husband!

Fall!

Look! The trees are finally starting to change and drop their beautiful colors all over the neighborhood. I think this means the seasons are finally changing. (let's just ignore the fact that it has remained in the 80s for most of this past week)

Hope you too are enjoying the beauty of a change in season.

Flip Burger

Last weekend Matt and I headed out for our once a week meal out on the town. (yes, we are too poor to eat out more than once a week these days...well that's if we ever want to save any money i suppose) Anyway, we decided to head over to Flip Burger at The Summit (a "burger boutique" if you will). We've eaten there before (which we realized was over a year ago....what????) so we both already knew what we wanted to eat. But this time we took a new adventure and ordered some drinks (why not splurge every now and again, yeah?).

In addition to my tasty faux-lafel burger, I ordered the pomegranate sangria (I love a good sangria...but nothing compares to the many I gulped down in Madrid). Because this restaurant is owned by former Top Chef runner-up Richard Blais they like to use liquid nitrogen and all that fancy sort of stuff, so my drink was smokey when they set it in front of me (are you jealous yet?). I was worried that I wouldn't like the pomegranate flavor but boy was I wrong. It was definitely worth the splurge and the meal was delicious!

The Dog

A couple of weekends ago we had a sick pup. She looked like this for a good 24 hours until all of her energy came back. I don't know how you people with children do it. I stayed up all night worried about my little pup and hoping she would feel better soon.

Luckily, she was feeling better the next morning and acting more like her crazy self. I love that dog sooooooo much.

Harvest Feast

Last Thursday evening (I know, I'm so behind this week), Matt and I received last minute tickets to the Harvest Feast, a fundraiser for a local non-profit that supports one of our favorite farmer's markets (East Lake) as well as an after school program and several other empowering ministries. Basically it was a time to gather in community and enjoy a meal cooked from fresh vegetables grown and harvested by local farmers (who were also present at the meal I might add).

The event was held out at Ruffner Mountain and as you can see from these pictures the view and weather were just perfect. It was a beautiful place to dine outdoors.

I didn't take any pictures of the actual food (sorry Jillian) but it was incredible. We began with appetizers of tomato tarts, fresh jams, jellies, and salsas, and some sort of zucchini quiche. The actual meal consisted of two different types of salad--one with zucchini and apples and another with fresh spinach and butternut squash. In addition, there were sweet potatoes au gratin, squash casserole, greens, & home made bread (with the most delicious butter spread made up of fresh blackberry jam & basil...yum). We topped off the evening with zucchini chocolate cake. It was an unbelievably delicious (and veggie friendly) meal.

We are so thankful for all of the hard work going on at East Lake and loved being a part of the celebration of their ministries!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Last week I decided that I wanted some combo Pumpkin and Cream Cheese muffins. After looking up a few different recipes, I decided on this one from Country Living. At first glance, they seemed simpler (and perhaps tastier) than other recipes I'd seen.

I altered the recipe a bit...mainly by omitting the pecans, I don't like all that crunch in my muffins, and using whole wheat flour, adding some oats, flax seed, and a touch of nutmeg. They turned out extra tasty and I love the sugary goodness baked on top.

Here is a finished muffin cut in half so that you can see the cream cheese inside! :) My only warnings are that 1) this recipe takes a long time to mix, pour, & bake...make sure you have a good hour or so 2) you should definitely put the full amount of cream cheese mixture on the inside, I skimped and it didn't seem like enough once they baked 3) don't put too much of the pumpkin mixture at the bottom of the muffin cup or you won't have enough to cover all of the tops! (and if not, they still work out well all mixed together)

All in all, I think I will be making these muffins again this fall!

Tuesday Night

(a picture that Matt mockingly took for me as I tried to snap something on my iPhone so that you-my fine blog readers-could see an image...sorry sometimes things just don't work out)

Matt and I headed out to Bottletree to see David Bazan play with his full band Tuesday evening. (yes, we have already seen him play an acoustic show earlier this summer....so what) Bazan was one of our first dates early on in our relationship in the ATL. So he holds a very special place in our life & his music takes me back to our first few months together. Crazy how music can do that.

More important than the great tunes (which by the way, a group called The Mynabirds opened for Bazan & they were awesome...kind of reminded me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. You should click that link and give a listen) but back to what I was saying-what is more important than the great tunes is the fact that Bazan didn't even go on stage until 10:15 or so and WE STAYED AWAKE FOR THE WHOLE SHOW! It's a miracle because we are normally in bed by then...but these days we are living the crazy life. (is that sad? or just true when you become a "real adult"?)

It's Fall

And I bought myself a pair of these from Gap:

They are skinny corduroys-in navy blue. I can't wait to wear them.

Oh, yeah, and this from Old Navy:

It's a poncho. Except I bought it in more of a beige color.

I know it won't last for long (since I hate the cold) but for now, I'm excited about the switch to a warmer wardrobe. (but instead of just buying new items, I really need to do a closet switcharoo....but I've been too lazy)

Sidewalk Film Festival

Last weekend, Matt and I headed into downtown Birmingham to enjoy the delights that the Sidewalk Film Festival brings to town.

Our first film of the day was a documentary about/created by Banksy...a graffiti artist that I love, particularly after seeing some of his originals on the Palestinian walls. The film was titled Exit Through the Gift Shop and proved to be both informative and entertaining. Although Matt and I are skeptical that the film's main character, a certain Mr. Brainwash, isn't just a set up by Banksy. (Matt is more convinced than I am)

The second movie we caught was Monica & David. It tells the story of two adults with downs syndrome who fall in love and get married. It shares their joys and challenges. And it will be showing on HBO October 14. It comes with high recommendation.

Our last film for the day was Beijing Taxi. This was probably my favorite of the day as it took you to another continent to experience life in a different culture. It looks at a number of different taxi drivers and explores why they have taken up this profession (or why they feel they have to take up this profession).

All in all, it was a great day of film-watching and a great celebration of something positive happening in downtown Birmingham. We will definitely be headed back in the years to come.