Wordless Wednesday™; "All I want for Christmas is you!".

xoxo, natty ♥

Fog!

We are welcoming in December with some epic fog! It stayed until late morning today and set in pretty early on in the evening; the temperature here is no big deal, cold-wise {despite my complaints; there, I admit it, I complain...} but this dampness really detracts from the general ambiance and makes my little ears cold when I'm running.
Oh Well.
I don't have much to say today, again, since I'm kind of inundated with school work. I swear, things are great until the end of the second month of school at which point The Pile of as-of-yet-completed grading goes through it's eight week growth spurt and I don't catch up again until June of the following year. With this said, I, here and now, challenge myself to get as much taken care of as I can before the Winter Break. That gives me 13 work days to get through this biz-nass not to mention the four weekend days between then and now. This includes getting done all the myriad filing that I need to do as well; I won't bore you with my precise organizational system but you can bet I sure thought of doing so!
Wish me luck! 
xoxo, natty ♥

Marvelous Monday.

Unfortunately for me and maybe fortunately for you out there in reader-land I'm tired and it's late so here's the low-down:

1} Monday's almost over!
2} I'm loving some bright socks that fairy Targetmother recently gifted me; their colorful stripes really cheer up a gray day!
3} Lunch for tomorrow is not ready but set out to be quickly thrown together in the morning making for an easy-get-out-the-door-routine.
4} I've rediscovered Suri's Burn Book.
5} It's almost December and it's in December when I get to go to Arizona TWICE!
What's been great about your Monday? Are you enjoying the weather where you are? Do you have any bright clothes to perk up the winter months?

xoxo, natty ♥

The Last Long Run.

Today I finished my last long run...before my upcoming marathon. I'll expound upon this later in the next two weeks but the short and sassy of it is that I'm running my second 26.2 miler on December 11th {think really fast thoughts for me early that morning!}. This will be the Mr.'s first so I'm doubly excited. We had initially aspired to run in a race the weekend before but failed in registering for it in a timely manner and last weekend {yes, that late} we scrambled. Some might think nothing of writing off the training as a good experience but I/we couldn't do that. Mike and I have been putting in miles towards this race since August. Actually, to reflect my Bay Area roots, we've been putting in hella mileage and there needs to be a marathon to top it all off. Luckily we found one that was still open for registration the weekend after our initially planned race which is super fortuitous, actually, since a week ago right now I was coming off of a little break in my training due to having a coldish thing so the extra week was just what I needed. I fully admit that what we did/didn't do was extremely foolish and irresponsible but I'm also really excited about this new marathon. It's in Tuscon which means we'll have Mike's folks there cheering us on and we can eat Jimmy John's which doesn't happen here in San Jose.
Anyway, today was the last long run of this long training plan. There will be no more double digit jaunts in the remainder of my training; I'm officially in my taper {breathe a sigh of relief here} and actually have been since our last 20 mile run two weeks ago but these last two weeks are really the crunch time as far as taking it easy on the bod. Tapering, though, has some weirdness that goes along with it, like freaking out over not running as much as one normally does and worrying about muscle atrophy which is totally irrational considering EVERYTHING but then again so is running distances in the double digits and thus I digress.
Again, like I said earlier, I'll elaborate on this theme in the days to come but please know, dear reader, that it's a great feeling to have trained so much and so hard and that I hope you are able to experience something similar whether it be a physical endeavor or academic pursuit or even under-water-basket-weaving speed competitions.
Good start of the work week to you!
xoxo, natty ♥

As a Married Couple...

our First Thanksgiving.

Don't mind the nasty lighting, we're still using a phone and not a camera.

I'm going to try to do this until we formally exchange paper goods otherwise known as our first anniversary {I'm a traditionalist, yo}; I already missed out on commemorating our first Halloween, Mexican Independence Day {September 16th}, Oktoberfest, and Armistice Day {November 11th - to celebrate the end of WWI, FYI}, amongst other things, but for future reference, they have here and now been duly noted in the annals of San Jose Señorita.
In other recent and related news, my new Social Security card came in the mail; I'm officially not Old Me anymore - I'm the New Me...exciting!
Good Saturday to you all, although it feels rather like Sunday or Monday, doesn't it?
xoxo, natty ♥

Devastatingly Delicious.

Pumpkin Cheesecake that I made is delicious.

It also involves several hours and cooking it in a water bath and I'm dang proud of how it came out.
What did you enjoy eating yesterday? {Secret: I enjoyed eating this today.}.
xoxo, natty ♥

Thanks.

We got up early; someone wasn't super thrilled about it.

We trotted!

Eddie ran with us.

We didn't get rained on despite the forecasts, which was awesome.
And now, let the giving thanks and eating begin!
Happy Thanksgiving y'all...what are you grateful for this year? Looking forward to in the next year? I am thankful for so very many things I won't list them here but I will say that I try to keep them in my heart not just on this day but the 364 other {& 365 other in 2012!}.
xoxo, natty ♥

Wordless Wednesday™; "a bit of thanks."

Fun Friends.

Captivating Creatures.

My Mama.

Fabulous Family.

Fabulous Family x2.

♥.

xoxo, natty ♥

The trots.

You're laughing about the title of this post, aren't you? I certainly am. The Mikester and I are all ready for the local Turkey Trot...that's the trots I'm referring to of course! 
I love this race because it gets me up on Thanksgiving and guarantees some physical exercise before the big eat-off. We've done this twice. Last year was frigid beyond belief for our fair city. This year it's slated to rain. Oh well...I'm excited anyway...picking up our packets tonight got me even more excited because of how lovely the race t-shirt is.
Check it out!

I could write a whole and longish post on racing schwag. Since a high school runner I've collected these things and I think that I will tuck this idea away for a future post that also includes things to do with race shirts other than physically wear them. One thing I've concluded is that long sleeved running shirts are the best. Also, the fancy wicking material stuff that they're made out of doesn't work well on me when it's a short sleeve.  I like being able to roll it up to make a faux-cut-off look.

That last thing I said probably didn't make sense to you...

I just really like long sleeves folks!
On that note, I am going to watch TV and then sleep in until whenever I want tomorrow! Or at least when the dog wants to wake up and we'll need to start cleaning the house for Thursday.
Also tomorrow, a few things I'm grateful for, photographically communicated.
xoxo, natty ♥

Marvelous Monday.

Without further ado.

1} Jeopardy is on and Mr. Guinness is enjoying the snide and pompous side comments of Alex Trebek. 

Snide pomposity aside, I'm still hopelessly devoted to the Canadian and his trivia show. 
It's also a great day because of the difficulty level {Nathalia appropriate} of the Monday newspaper crossword puzzle; 

woot for me!
2} There was a rainbow yesterday!

When it's damp and grody out it's nice to see one of these guys.

3} I'm feeling better...totally selfish of me to be grateful of this...but I'm knocking on wood nonetheless considering the absolute cesspool that is a high school...or any school.
4} My recent maybe-healthy addiction.

I try to have some nuts in my every day diet but usually relegate myself to the unsalted and roasted almonds because I have a slightly monastic streak in me and they fall into that type of food category. I recently decided to go nuts {I HAD to! HA!} and get what I really love, pistachios. I'm currently living in denial because I haven't looked up any of the stats; I'm most definitely not a calorie counter but I do try and eat healthy and keep the sodium levels down {despite loving salty things} and these are, as the ripped open bag advertises, salted, but oh well...life is short.
5} It's the week of thanks {although it should be every week}. I've been having some major internal issues/struggles/major annoyance recently with the sheer amount of holiday-ness and "shop, shop, shop...what else is there?" that I've been noticing what feels like every which place I turn. It hit me today, though, that some of my favorite childhood memories are yule-tide related. I was stewing about this issue at lunch today; sitting at my desk I started to get dangerously teary-eyed thinking about Christmas morning with my dear dad and I then felt a need to look past my orneriness and think a bit deeper about what I'm experiencing. I'll expound upon this theme later {after Thursday actually since I've decided that this topic is not allowed to be mentioned until after the last day-before-Friday of November out of sheer scroogy principal} but this week I'd like to ditch my 'tude and be...thankful...aware...present.
Good week to you all ♥.
xoxo, natty ♥

A few randoms.

* Danger Will Robinson Weekend Reader: this is a Long Post, even though it didn't start out to be, my fingers are just feeling especially loquacious today.
* It's raining! 
* I'm sitting by the fire and not running around in the rain and I like it that way...for right now at least.
* My "cold" is still lingering; it's almost like a half a*% cold that can't quite decide if it should stay or not and I'd really prefer it to make up it'd dang mind already. I took the generic Target brand dayquil/nyquil pills yesterday. They shouldn't be called "pills", though, because "pills" conjures to my mind dainty little tablets that can be taken quite easily with a sip of water or Pinot Grigio. These dudes, though, are massive and oblongly shaped so that there's a bit of a bulge in the center. The dosage is two of these puppies and they do not go down easily. Figuratively and literally for me because both the day and night versions made it so that my limbs are tingly and my head is cloudy so I'm going to stay away from those things from now on.
* We had fun at a 1920s/Gatsby themed party last night; I declined the advances of the craps and roulette in the game room and stuck to "Go Fish" instead.
* It's my friend Monica's special day today; ¡feliz cumpleaños chica!
* On Friday while our home fires were most definitely not burning, Mike and I walked around the mall to a} be in the light and b} re-live some middle and high school memories. There's a garishly lit and very bright pink {not to mention terribly over priced} candy store in the mall {people of my generation, do y'all remember the Sweet Factory? I seriously LOVED that place and would get the chocolate covered gummy bears mixed in the same bag as the giant Jaw Breakers and the strawberry cheesecake and coconut Jelly Bellys. This place, though, was not a cool; to loud and trying to hard. They did, however, have these creatures:

blech!!!!
* I meandered around Target Friday night and looked at some frames. We got our wedding pictures on a disc but didn't purchase any pints because we had the rest of our wedding to pay for and whatnot. Are there any recommendations for places to get quality prints? I use photobucket to store them online but haven't been thrilled with their printing services. I also have iphoto on my computer and those print out better {they're through Kodak I think} and we are Costco members but I haven't gotten anything printed there either. I had fun, though, looking at some cute frames that could hold some wedding/engagement shots. We did our "engagement shoot" two weeks before we got married but we were technically still engaged; ha! 
I'll probably snag some frames from the likes of Marshall's and/or TJ Maxx since I somehow feel better about frames from there; something about the random assortment and the bargain. I love this style, though:

the faux-vintage resin frame thing.

I also like the idea of having lots of pictures in one frame and not just one big one. I'm not so much a fan of the large portrait style and I think it's because of my tendency towards bright colors and patterns; I like a lot going on at once.
* I'm making my ultra-caloric Brussels sprouts/prosciutto/heavy cream dish for the day of thanks gorging that's coming up this week. We were chatting at breakfast today about how eating out on that day would make things SO much easier and I think I would like it because it would mean that I wouldn't HAVE to graze all night and eat twice my weight in whatever is out to be had; I would be limited to just my plate and maybe a bit of what's on others' plates but that's about it and would probably feel all the better for it.
* Something that I've got on the burner for that next chunk of free time in my life {queue in canned laughter from invisible audience} is sewing. I forayed into this activity when in my youth and going through my calico-loving Laura Ingalls Wilder days and was thrilled when someone gifted me the hand-held sewer that had been advertised on the TV.

The contraption did not yield very impressive results and it also broke within a few days; this may or may not have been because it was an "As Seen on TV" product and/or because I wasn't even ten years old. I tried again in high school but needed some help from my step-mom to finish the skirt I attempted. I've also tried to follow a few patterns here and there but the fruits of my labors have always been lackluster. I don't think that I was fully paying attention to those patterns and the sewing machine that I was using was {and still is, it's in the hall closet} a genuine antique Singer whose bobbin had serious issues with staying in place. I was about nine when the hand-held experiment failed {I was trying to make a doll...} and it has been almost a decade since I've really tried to do anything {other than our work capes} so I think I'll be a whole lot more successful this time around, keeping in mind the following:
       - I'd like to have access to a fully functioning and non-finicky device. Maybe even have my own.
       - There are SO SO SO many cute and well-explained tutorials out in never-never land a.k.a. the internet. 
Hopefully with the above mentioned points I'll find some fun in sewing land and live to come back and show the proof here on this very blog.
My actual, point, though, with having typed everything I just did, is that we started a little thing. Our school offers a variety of Justice-Immersion-Service-Learning trips to the students. These are amazing opportunities for the kiddos to see the world at large and learn about the issues that are all around us locally and globally and to learn and understand a bit about sustainable development and the roles that they can take currently and in the future once they've gone to college and become adults. This program can't run by itself, though, and will gladly take donations to help cover the cost of travel scholarships for students as well as a variety of other needs. There has been a little farmers market on campus twice this year in conjunction with a local urban farm that we work at and for the past one faculty and staff were invited to sell things and the proceeds would go towards the justice immersion program. We decided to make re-usable ziplock baggies!
They're not as fancy as some that you can get on etsy but they're great and re-usable and cutely colored. I didn't actually sew any but a friend of mine/coworker brought in her sewing machine and some students helped us cut and sew them together. They spread them all out on my desk and look how pretty they are!

 

So, all in all, I'd like to start sewing.
* This has gotten super long folks and you deserve a star for making it this far into the post. On that note, I leave you to enjoy your Sunday and whatever it is that you're doing with this day of rest.
xoxo, natty ♥

Cold.

It's not that cold outside, comparatively {Becs, that's you!}; I'm referring to the cold I got somewhere along the past 24 hours...blah! My patented cocktail from Monday has kept me going all day as well as the oriental flavor ramen {disgusting, I admit, but not when I'm not feeling well}. In case you don't want to click on that above link, my drink of choice when I'm ailing is red Gatorade and ginger ale, sometimes with extra seltzer water to make it even more sparkly. 
Good weekend to you all and stay healthy out there!
xoxo, natty ♥

Let there be light!

Mike and I were slurping down our pho at the local Vietnamese place when all of a sudden it was pitch black. The electricity was out all over that block and being in a restaurant with no way to see was pretty great...for a while. Someone made a comment about candles or something like that and we all laughed. The lights came on after two or so minutes but went out again, for good, half way through our meal. Everyone in the place pulled out cell phones for light and kept eating but what was the weirdest of it all was that the proprietors were very quick to lock the doors! I guess that it makes sense from a business owner standpoint and I sure felt very secure in my little locked down eatery. 
We went to the mall to walk around in some light since our house is on the same grid and when we got home 30 minutes ago we were back in business; thanks Pacific Gas and Electric!
We're gearing up for the next week I suppose; the next two days include some birthdays and cleaning up and hanging out, hopefully with full electricity. I hope that you have a great weekend with loads of light and warmth! 
xoxo, natty ♥

What a crock!

We have a Crock Pot®. Mike's mom gave it to us/him when he moved here and I love it but my problem is that Mr. C-P and I haven't gotten as well acquainted as I would like. We've made a couple of corned beef dinners together and some BBQ as well and a beef roast I think but not a whole lot more. I think it's time. But I want help with recipes; are there any good ones lurking in the reader audience? I'm not too picky about what we eat as long as there's some good protein involved {animal or legume}. And some veggies too.
In unrelated news, it's almost the freaking weekend baby and I'm about to have me some fun; quick - which song is that line from?! It's also almost Thanksgiving which is kind of frightening; as my pop has often told me, time seems to move faster as one gets older. It's not like I'm getting too up there in years but good golly Ms. Molly these days are whizzing by!
Also, it's a certain friend's birthday today ¡feliz cumpleaños!!!
xoxo, natty ♥

Wordless Wednesday™; "missing the long days of summer."

xoxo, natty ♥

1...2...3...everybody get HAPPY!

Three things making me happy tonight, in no particular order:


Baby ginger ales...does anyone else love the baby soda cans? They conjure up images of visiting grandparents {not mine, those of other people...mine don't believe in soda}.

Sparkly turquoise nails doesn't hurt either.

Acorn squash bathed in brown sugar and butter ground flax seed and olive oil!

Cheeseburger pie made with Bisquick!

What's tickling your fancy today?

xoxo, natty ♥

Calamitous.

Well last Monday and this Monday have not set a good record for the most loathed day of the week {though I admit that Sunday is a CLOSE second here in these parts} {disclaimer: it's not that I don't like work, I do, very much so, but I just like sleeping until I no longer want to and not when my trusty little alarm tells me too...I was a dreadfully independent child in case you can't tell}. Refer to this post to see what I did last week on this day and read the following to find out what I'm doing today:
I'm feeling kind of very un-well and am in bed at home. I left work school today after teaching two classes; I almost called Mike to come get me, much like someone in the elementary school, but fretted too much about leaving a car at work {unlike someone in elementary school}. I was feeling dizzy and gross-tummied and it wasn't getting better so I threw in the towel. It must be some hang-up from skeptical family members growing up but I always feel as though I'm not even telling the truth when I say that I'm ill and cannot do something because of it. We had the vomit or blood rule going on in our house: if there wasn't one or the other {or, on super gnarly occasions, BOTH!} then school was most definitely going to happen. It's still really hard for me to justify not doing something due to illness but nausea is my one no-brainer so here at home I am.
Anyway, at the risk of giving y'all too much information, I've shared what I've shared and am now going to make my fail-safe red Gatorade/ginger ale cocktail and forgo Marvelous Monday just because I've already written enough.
xoxo, natty ♥

Cold house.

Despite living in California, I am {almost} perpetually cold. I do tend to the anemic & low-blood-pressure side of things but I like to think that I would still be chilly even if I were less like a feeble Victorian Tiny Tim character. That all being said, my hunch is that because I've always lived in older homes {think: Victorian to 1920s} and because the coldest it gets here in the winter is maybe a dastardly foray into the 40s...our insulation has always been lacking. There is no need for really well secured windows or double-paned anything because our low temperatures aren't of the variety that can kill and way back when...well, way back when these houses were built it was a long time ago, so there...actually the floors were most definitely not covered in carpeting and the windows were but a pane of glass which meant for drafts galore and cold feet unless socks are involved. The basements and attics held little to no insulation so parts of the house could be really frosty.
I've learned to live with my problem though I loathe the sensation of being cold. It irks me to no end when I'm trying to read in bed at night but my arms and face are cold to to the touch. I know how to layer my clothing and I pretty much always have a blanket with me...like Linus. Hot baths work wonders as well. The only thing that gets really frustrating, I suppose, is when you've sat down to enjoy Sunday morning papers and news and your coffee is already cold because of the ambient home temperature. Sigh.
Alas, we don't live such a draconian life as I fear I've outlined. The central heating works quite fine and hasn't even been turned on yet since it's been so mild. We have one of those flip a switch fireplace things, too, that I practically idolize all winter. But the first story of our house is brick which tends to hold the cold {if you will} quite well and I'm just feeling crabby about it {and my already-cold-coffee}. That's all ☺.
xoxo, natty ♥

Power Paws & a rodent.

Today we went to the Big City to do our long run. Guinness came along and we frolicked on the beach with him afterward. We also took him to Fort Point to get his Power Paws.

  

Towards the end of the miles I noticed this little guy.

He was just munching along and must have been really hungry because he took no notice of me as I got all up in his face to take his picture.
It was a lovely time ☺ and I look forward to one more day of weekendly freedom. Are you doing anything fun?
xoxo, natty ♥

I give Thanks and I Appreciate on 11-11...

Especially for my grandfather who flew for the Army Air Corps in World War II.

xoxo, natty ♥

Innocence.

We are super blessed to live in a great neighborhood. The people are friendly {heck, they let us have our wedding reception in their street!} and it's safe; a great combination. My best friend growing up lived across the street and several of my cousins have friends on the street; it's a good place to be. 
My grade school cousin's friend lives on the street currently and the pair LOVES to play outside. I really appreciate this little guy - he and my cousin get along well and he's always hanging out over at our place too, just like more family. The garden and the driveway get a lot of visiting from these two as they play army men or aim at each other with Nerf guns. It actually relaxes me to see them play because, as technologically dependent as I am, I am a big advocate of actual and physical play, ideally with another person. I don't think that anything with a screen is a decent replacement for human interaction. Being outside makes this combination even better and enriching and these two scalawags are always up to something on the street. 
And our front porch, apparently. We had up a cheap Halloween decoration. It was a sign that read "Boo!" and it was made out of foam, covered in orange paint and then plastered in pumpkin-colored glitter. I went to pick it up off of the porch last week, a few days after the day of costumes as well as some heavy rain and it broke in half which was fine because it cost merely a dollar {shout out to Target's dollar spot}. It left behind something of it's glitteryness so that we would not forget. 
Yesterday this was the scene:

and the note reads:

I think it was left out the night before and that the local snail population made sure to decorate the edges a bit.
Our young friend believed that the tooth fairy was behind the glitter everywhere. Little does he know, this was most definitely work of the pumpkin fairy.
xoxo, natty ♥

Wordless Wednesday™; "I sure do love these girls ♥".

xoxo, natty ♥

Oooooh...burn!!!!!

To make yesterday even more fabulous, I burned myself. I clamped two of my right-hand fingers into my hair straightener. My vanity got the best of me. 
I'm just about to run out to door to take my phone to get looked at {it's like taking someone to the doctor...so ridiculous} and then I'll rush home for dinner and a shower and blessed BED.
Happy almost-middle-of-the-week to you all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Marvelous Monday.

Without further ado.

1. I fell while running tonight. This isn't a marvelous happening but what was fabulous is that I didn't get hurt. This happens to every runner {right? RIGHT?} but thankfully not too often {fingers crossed} so hopefully I'm good for another decade or so. My phone, though, didn't make out as well as I did. I broke my fall with my glove-covered hand {a last minute decision I am ever-so grateful for now!} and some weird leg maneuvering {from which I'll probably be sore tomorrow} but in the process managed to hurl my phone to the ground as if furious with my listening choice and offended by the broadcasting device. Oddly enough my podcast didn't even skip a beat. The screen is shattered which wouldn't seriously bother me but it is made of glass and there are microscopic shards of it in the crevasses created by the cracks. Here's something to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with here

we'll deal with this at some point this week. I've already been told by two people various remedies.

What stings the most, I suppose, is that I am so totally at fault. I puttered around too long at work and completely blanked on the time change situation. While out on my run {again, another sin [I know]: running alone in the dark} I thought it was darker than normal but it didn't really occur to me until I positively ATE IT while running around our local rose garden. The side I was going along is the darkest and with the most uneven sidewalks so all in all, I blame Benjamin Franklin {daylight savings time...we no longer live in an agrarian society...though I do appreciate the "extra" hour in the fall} and the city of San Jose {uneven sidewalks}. How's that for adult accountability?


2. This past weekend Mikey and I discovered The Wonder Years on Netflix instant streaming {no, we haven't jumped ship yet}. This is to be a productivity blocker for sure. Mike is enamored of the show and I am also remembering how wonderful it is.


3. I have some perky and glittery turquoise on my fingernails to keep me buoyant during these last weeks of marathon training that also coincide with colder and darker weather.


4. We're now allowed to turn on the heat in the house; rejoice!


5. I've been enjoying some new podcasts, namely Grammar Girl {if only she had a Spanish version!} and The Dinner Party.


What's been great about your Monday? Hopefully you and the sidewalk did not become intimate friends!
xoxo, natty ♥

Lovely.

An extra hour of sleep, a warm fireplace, coffee, a funny dog next to me on the couch, newspapers and an onslaught of catalogs {thanks to the looming shop-fest known as Christmas} makes for a lovely Sunday morning. I hope that yours is just as nice!
xoxo, natty ♥

Pho.

Crummy weather + wanting something warm that I/we didn't have to make = first pho of the season; yum! We had gone off the delicious stuff for the warmer months but, alas, the weather gods have remembered that it's supposed to get cooler in these here parts so off to our local Vietnamese joint we went and it was great. I can explain more about pho and probably will when I have the wherewithal to sneakily snap some shots at the restaurant and write it out. Tonight, it was all about the eating. 

What do you like to eat when it's cold? Does the crock pot come into play? Ours has been in hiding since March, I'm pretty sure, and it's time to break her out again. I'm also loving a hand-held immersion blender we were gifted upon our nuptials {thank you to you-know-who-you-are if you're reading this!} that has been handy in making some soup so far this fall and I have high hopes for that handy appliance {get it?} in the coming months. 

Even though we are super-dee-duper lucky to live here {central California Bay Area} we actually live in an older house and the insulation isn't super great. This translates to a cold house from October to about June. I think it's funny because in four years of Minnesota seasons {most notably winters} I was the warmest indoors that I had ever been in my first 18 years in California since everything there {from what I remember and where I was living, at least} was so totally battened down and well insulated...otherwise the people inside might just die. So the bottom line is that California is great and so is Minnesota but that it's technically warmer indoors during the winter in the latter-mentioned than in the Golden state. And warm soupy things help me out through our colder times of the year. That and that fire-place and hot baths. 

We watched a movie on TV and are going to watch some trashy shows now before bed; what a wild life we lead.
Good weekend to you all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Is it really Friday?

My internal clock has been a bit off this week; I completely lost track of the days! Last week and this one too I've had several things to do in the afternoons/evening that hasn't been school related; it may sound a bit lame but it totally throws me for a loop!
Yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to go to a fundraiser for Mikey Mike's work. It was at a golf course near Palo Alto and the view, thanks to later afternoon clouds and wind, was oh-so-lovely.
There are a fair amount of things to do this weekend, errand-wise, so wish us luck and I hope that your Saturday & Sunday, wherever they may be, are fantabulous ☺.
xoxo, natty ♥

Wordless Thursday?

xoxo, natty ♥

Local Crime Watch part "I've lost count".

Courtesy of some of the Bay Area's finest and the San Jose Mercury News, I give you your most recent dose of the police blotter. 
This was published yesterday. I include the date from the top of the posting just as a reminder you, dearest reader, of when this was reported.

Now this poor gentleman certainly had a rough birthday. Maybe five years of AARP was ENOUGH?

Also, what, exactly, constitutes "Malicious mischief" and why is the first part of said alliteration capitalized? Do we have a police officer-by-day-poet-by-night on our hands?

And our young friend. Bed time is frustrating but so is being tired and cranky when we wake up. Family knows best and just go to bed when they tell you to. Or at least pretend to and then secretly read Judy Blume {or what ever that demographic reads these days?} with a penlight under the covers.
The hedge lining seems dull in comparison to teenage curfew angst.
Folks, I have some interesting things in the works. Kind of. Maybe only to me. Anyway, happy middle of the week to y'all...I must confess that summer, I believe, is officially about to leave us. It's supposed to dip down into the 60s later this week. Sigh.
xoxo, natty ♥

Recuerdos.

Our carved up dudes from this past weekend.
Mikey's- it looks like a catfish to me.

Mine; "Kitty".

The whole gang!

Also, as today is Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is there anyone you're remembering and honoring? I think of our grandfathers; Michael's and my own two. I only knew one of mine and was lucky enough to meet Michael's grandfather Hans; it would have been oh-so-nice for them and our other two {my dad's dad and Mike's dad's dad too} to be at our wedding and I think they all would have had a great time whooping it up with us ♥.
xoxo, natty ♥

Marvelous Monday; Halloween edition.

I smell so much like smoke right now! Mikey and I sat in our driveway with a fire pit and some candy to enjoy the evening festivities. The only drawback is that I smell camp-firey but that's actually a good thing if you ask me so...that's all. After school today I rushed to my aunt's neighborhood where they have a parade on this day every year. We marched and had fun then I came back home to set up our evening. My favorite costume that we saw was a transformer. Apparently there's a bee transformer. When I asked the kids what they were before giving them their candy {yes, I am that candy-giver-outer} several told me they were a "bee". I literally scoffed and said "no you're not; what are you really?". I was then greeted by a blank look and I just gave in and handed out candy. So there's a bumble bee transformer...that's all. Anyway, before I can be any squarer...what's marvelous about today.

1. My aunt and I. 

We can laugh through anything. 

And dress up in orange and black. And walk in a Halloween neighborhood parade. And dress up the dogs.
2. Our dog. 

He lets me dress him up as a squirrel and he just LOVES it. 

Not.
3. We wore capes at work today! Yea!

4. I kind of don't think that this is all that marvelous; la navidad has descended upon us. This was taken YESTERDAY in our neighborhood...that would be a Christmas tree in the window of this home which has plentiful and spooky HALLOWEEN decorations adorning the front lawn; WHAT???? 

This point brings me to number 5...
5. This was the scene, the predominant scene, in Michael's today.

What has our culture/society arrived at, exactly? I'd maybe not like to know. I think I'm just frustrated that I'm not yet ready for this season but that the stores are telling me that it is time for it.
xoxo, natty ♥
PS
I realize that this is kind of a Debbie Downer marvelous post but I am totally shocked and awed by this onslaught of what I seem to be overly commercialized media influences {which is probably not expressing very well exactly what I'm feeling...sorry}. Especially in this supposed/threatened double dip biz-nass. It's not like I'm immune to "celebrating" and partaking of the retail and holiday fun there is to be had out there {please refer to #2 above} but, seriously y'all...this is officially as political as I'd like to ever get on this blog. Over and out.