Kittens From The Dark Side

Fall is a gorgeous season here in Minnesota!
Since we've moved back, we've realized that sadly, overall Minnesota is much warmer than it was before we left in 1996. Fall seems to come later and winters are not as snowy or cold. We still are going to enjoy every bit of the lovely weather!

There's even beauty sneaking up out of our wood pile!

One evening, Greg saw Nora playing with a little mousie by our bed. He thought it was a toy until he realized it WASN'T. Nora is a great huntress already, even though she wasn't even one year old yet.

The mouse was adorable and we took it outside. Sadly, it didn't survive long.

I got to shop again with my Mom and Aunt Cindy!

We went to ROSS, which just opened in Minnesota!

We also went to Marshall's and Burlington.

Marshall's:

This is a great sweater!

And great pants!

Burlington:

I should keep in mind that I don't love open-front sweaters. They make me feel like a 70-year-old kindergarten teacher.

I love this coat!!!

And this beautiful blouse was fun during the festive season!

We got to carve pumpkins with my family again this year!

Here's the result!

I decided upon a celestial theme this year!

A star:

Another star and a moon with craters:

A crescent moon:

I was pleased with my pumpkin and my equipment!

Greg did some dancing and singing.

Grandma got to see the girls' Halloween costumes!

Esme was Hedwig! (I think Cora was, too!)

Greg took over his T-rex costume!

In Arizona, people don't put pumpkins outside much because it's too hot and they rot overnight.

It's fun to be able to decorate with them here!

And then it was time for my 50th birthday!

My running app celebrated me. I ran 340 since my last birthday!

Greg organized a kayaking trip down a stream near our house, guided by a college friend who has done this paddle before. We went right under the cute little driveway bridge we regularly drive by!

The clouds were lovely.

I was grateful that it was a very chilly day FINALLY (in the 50s).

My friend Cindy got me this vintage 1974 cap!

Later that evening, my dear sweet friend Paige came over to cook a yummy meal with me and then we watched "Frankenweenie"!

I used some gift money I got towards this lovely onyx and gold pendant in celebration of my birthday and the many people I love.

During the week of Halloween, I got to see my friend Heather.

I made chocolate cupcackes!

And I celebrated Greg's wonderful T-rex costume!

I love this ghostie sweatshirt I found a couple of years ago!

Heather brought her cute daughter Hannah over on Halloween and she liked Greg's costume.

I love running in the chilly weather! I love the colorful leaves!

I love the sights and smells of fall!

Here's another fun shopping and lunch with my Mom and Aunt!

Some fall days mean I can have the windows open and I love it!

I love running in the rain, too!

Then we got to celebrate Thanksgiving with my dear family!

My parents made a delightful (and delicious!) turkey out of veggies!

I took my own feast, of course, and it was easy and delicious.

I made guacamole (with corn chips), mushroom bourguignon over mashed potatoes, and potato croquettes. It was simple and easy and tasty.

It was lightly snowing all day, which was cozy!

And then it was time to put up the Christmas lights!

I did it on a warm day before a COLD front came!

I got a cute little glass lamp and love it on our dresser!

Ivy sat on my book!

She has been sitting on my lap more and more and I LOVE IT!

Another fun shopping trip with my Mom, this time at Target!

There was rain . . .

There was lovely frost:

I found the perfect lampshade for this birch lamp! Yes, from Goodwill. It looks very cute in the guest room!

I did the last mow of the fall, and it is nice that there were no bugs and no sweating!

And we got to have Esme and Cora overnight again!

Esme wanted to make volcano cupcakes (with RED filling). I had frozen cherries, so we used them. The filling was too thick, but it was a fun experiment!