Fall: Let the cooking begin...

Ordering in Preparation for Fall....


Kenyon's Clam Cake and Fritter mix from Farm House Wares. I love my new hometown, but take every chance I can to celebrate the culinary joys of my New England childhood.. I love!!!!! Clam Cakes.. they are perfect on slightly chilly days... And the only place I have ever had them is the New England Area..

Warning!!!! You may think I am insane after reading this post...or Brilliant

"Christmas is only 128 days away"
Mentioning this in August is like saying you hear voices at a Psychiatrist conference... People will take notice, but not in a good way. But nevertheless, Christmas is only 128 days from today... but really who's counting. ;-)

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year... The gifts are great, the food is awesome and I love cold weather... But really for me it is all about suspending disbelieve. Christmas (from thanksgiving to C-Day) is generally 30 days, where the entire US population goes insane... and we celebrate it.

Mass insanity... trust me..

• We think it is a good idea to dress in sweaters with appliqué characters.
• Red and green suddenly become a conservative color combination
• We pretend to be nice to people we dislike... even buying gifts for them
• Maxing out the credit card for 10 minutes of Christmas morning joy seems like a good idea.
• Dressing up your cat as a reindeer is not considered cruel. ( my cat actually enjoys this, really)
  
• Making a 5 course dinner from scratch sounds fun
• Singing at work becomes mandatory
• and being a good parent means shoving some old lady out of the way at Walmart, so you can get the last Whatever Elmo doll...
  

I LOVE IT!!!!!

So why am I thinking of it in August.... Well last year we made cards and a few select gifts. This year. I want to make cards and cookies and what gifts I do give ( I am cutting down-like I say every year) will be handmade... (exception, being books, and some tech stuff). But mostly this Christmas, I want to savor and enjoy a stress free 30 days of celebration... This means, starting a little early...

In September I will start compiling my list of things I want to make and for whom.... I love making gifts... I can make things I might otherwise not be able to afford and the feeling I get giving a lovingly handmade gift is better than any chocolate I have eaten thus far... A feeling you get to experience every time you think of the recipient or see them actually wearing/using your gift. September being only 12 days away... you can see why all the excitement and anticipation..

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island on Saturday. It was very fall like with rain, a nice breeze and great views everywhere you looked.

My To Make List...

There are so many amazing tutorials on the Web of things I am dying to make. This Crochet Collar from the Ongoing Project is definitely tops my list. Now all I need to do is learn to crochet.

The Un Garden

Another photo from the Georgetown Garden Walk... This lovely dress form sitting on a porch surveying the garden.

The view from down below...

Sorting through my photos from the Georgetown Garden and Art Walk. This is my favorite. Something about the colors against the sky.

A Perfect Shot

I am a huge fan of the Blue Angels and look forward each year to their Seafair visit to Seattle. I hate the thought of war and think the military spends money that should go for social programs, however as a Die Hard Science Geek, planes are cool. And... the Blue Angels are amazing. Generally I end up seeing them by myself... and last year, I went down to Boeing Field to watch them take off. AMAZING!!!!

This year, I didn't make the time to go enjoy them.... Except for a brief moment from the deck of a South Lake Union Office... As they zoomed by I snapped a shot...