Home Improvement

A couple of weekends ago, Matt decided to tackle one of the projects that we have been itching to do in the kitchen. Above the stove was a perfect nook for an over-the-range microwave, however, the space has stood empty since we moved in. Instead our microwave has been taking up valuable space on the kitchen counters.

We called our friends Jeff & Ryan to come and give us a hand as we worked to secure the microwave above the stove. Here is our work in progress...

And here is our final product (although we did have to call an electrician to come and get the wiring working the next day so that we could have power):

It is amazing how much more counter space we have now! And it looks great too!

Because Today is the Day

Well really tomorrow is the day but today at midnight the new Harry Potter 7 Part I comes out! Hooray! When my sister came in town for Samford homecoming a few weekends ago, we headed over to Dreamcakes for a little treat....and look at what we found:

It's a Sorting Hat Cupcake which means under all that chocolate ganache at the top is a secret icing flavor used to indicate which house you are in. We couldn't leave the store without buying one of these magical cupcakes. So we took it home and with great anticipation sliced it down the middle.

Strawberry icing=Hufflepuff

Really I wanted Gryffindor but life is not fair like that! Happy Harry Potter Day!

Garden: Still Hanging On

Our garden is still clinging to life as the fall begins to make a real appearance in Alabama. The Better Boy tomatoes (pictured below) have started blooming out of control.

I doubt they'll last much longer but look at all those tomatoes! The Roma tomatoes have put up a fight as well. And they. are. huge. Just look at the size of that thing:

I wish our little garden could last forever but I know that's just not how it works. Plus I can't commit to watering it nearly as much as I did in the summer because it is just way too cold for that. We did, however, decide to take on at least 1 winter plant. See here:

This is our 1 kale plant. So far, so good. I'm hoping I can keep that sucker alive and fix up some tasty salads or greens or something!

Hammock!

I have been wanting a hammock in our backyard for a long time. I think it would be the perfect oasis in which to nap, read, rest, drink a cool beverage, you name it (although, it is currently a bit too cold for any of those activities). When we went to SIFAT last weekend we finally had the opportunity to buy an affordable hammock that also benefited the local community in Ecuador where the hammock was sewn.

We brought it home and Matt went to work to hang it between two of our trees in the yard.

I am thankful that he is so handy & got the hammock up in about thirty minutes!

Once it was up (and we made sure it was secure) Maggie and I hopped right in to enjoy the new addition to our little oasis in the backyard.

I can't wait for the weather to warm up (I know...already...I'm not much of a winter person) so that I can lay in the hammock for hours on end!

SIFAT

Last weekend, Matt and I travelled to middle of nowhere Alabama for a speaking engagement he had at SIFAT, Servants In Faith and Technology. In my short time in Bham I've heard a lot about this organization so it was great to finally be able to make a visit.

The scenery was lovely...it made for a great escape from the busy-ness of city life. And although it was a little chilly, the night sky was so clear and beautiful.

I spent a good part of the weekend in this hammock reading Leaving Birmingham, a memoir of sorts by Paul Hemphill. So far, so good.

We also spent some time walking out on the grounds of SIFAT. They have a wonderful space called the Global Village where different groups can come out and stay in mock ups of homes from the 2/3rds world. We explored the greenhouse & live animals (sorry, the llama was too far away for a good photo).

In addition to offering a space to learn for local folks, SIFAT hosts international groups to help teach them new technologies for accessing water & skills like leadership development. (you can read more here) I am certain Matt and I will be making a trip back to SIFAT before too long.

Halloween

We are all Halloween-ed out in our household. Sunday Oct. 24 was the carnival at my church and Wed. Oct. 27 was the carnival at Matt's church. (it was totally worth it to see all the cute kids in costume!) Plus we went to a showing of Scream in our new downtown Railroad Park AND handed out candy at our own house Sunday night. Whew.

Anyway, for the carnival at Woodlawn we did a trunk-or-treat type set up with some games to boot. Matt was insistent that we go with a Star Wars theme....after a few weeks of fighting back, I gave in (knowing I had a costume at home that would be free!).

The backdrop for the car took us nearly an entire evening (a very stormy one I might add) to create, but below is our finished product (without the lights on). I think it turned out well.

Once we got to the church we stuck on some little Star Wars cut outs and had kids throw a ball at them to get some candy (and some awesome Star Wars prizes we found on our hunt for decor). See here:

All in all, I'd say we pulled of Star Wars pretty well. I hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween as well!

Fancy Gadget

So...along with four new tires from Sam's we bought this beauty:

Matt's reasoning for this purchase went something like this, "if we have to buy all that stupid adult stuff, like tires, we should also buy something fun with our new membership." I protested for a bit, but then gave in upon thinking about all of the delicious drinks we could make....and the morning coffee mess it would eliminate.

While all is good and fine now (and this pictures demonstrates it's ability to even make an iced coffee!!), that was not the story from the beginning. This is actually our 2nd machine because the first one we brought home had some sort of glitch. It was weird. And sad after having purchased four new tires (losing a hubcap) and having a messed up new toy. But Keurig set it all right and now this beauty is our new best friend! Stop in for a cup of coffee next time your here!