Halloween Preparation

Scary Eyeball Cupcakes


Front of a fabulous witch hat (thank you Evelyn & Jim!)


Backside of the hat---isn't this the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?


The Good Witch a.k.a. my wonderful Mom!


James cutting the top off my baby pumpkin


He's working very diligently


Cleaning out our pumpkins


James' pumpkin is on the left and mine is on the right
He carved wolves howling at the moon and I carved the traditional skull and crossbones



Last nite my Mom came over for dinner and alittle pumpkin carving. We had so much fun! She came bearing gifts of course. Lots of halloween candy and pumpkin carving tools and stensils. One thing about my Mom is that she's always prepared. The three of us had a great time picking an choosing which design to carve, cleaning the "guts" out of the pumpkins, prepping and baking the pumpkin seeds (delicious), carving and finally admiring our finished work. The nite was a huge success and we have two impressive jack-o-laterns to prove it! No matter how old you may be pumpkin carving is just as much fun as it was back then.... = )

Count Dracula

Last nite James and I went to Actors Theatre to see Dracula. The show was excellent and a perfect segway into Halloween week. The tickets were unexpected and greatly appreciated! I would strongly recommend this show to anyone who likes alittle thrill n' chill with only minor gore. You better act fast though! November 1st is the last day.

We don't often go to the theatre however each time we're there we're both reminded of how much we enjoy the Arts. We're good for at least one show a year as we've created a tradition of going around Christmas to see "A Christmas Carol." It's always an evening we both look forward to. This year we're putting a twist on tradition as we plan to see "A Tuna Christmas" in lieu of "A Christmas Carol." We agree that a year off from this show might be best as we practically know the play line for line. Little Tiny Tim will have to wait until next year...

As an FYI--"Wicked" is coming to the Center for the Arts in January and from what I hear this is a must see. Tickets go on sale October 31st (geez, you'd think I work for the Center or something...). Seriously though, my Mother-In-Law saw it in New York and said it was fantastic. It was so good she even felt sorry for the wicked witch of the west!

Have a great Halloween! Hope everyone gets more treats than tricks in their bag!!!!!!

Pumpkins Galore!

Fall in upon and Halloween is around the corner. In celebration of both the Strange clan (Evelyn & Jim, Josh & Mallory and James and I) made the enjoyable trip to Huber's Orchard and Winery on Sunday. I think most everyone in a 40 mile radius had the same idea too. The place was swarming with people! Not to worry though, there were plenty of gourds to go around. We each combed the pumkin patch for that perfect one. Once we found it we retreated to the winery to partake in more adult like activities. We sampled Huber's Wines and cheeses. We shopped in the Farmers Market and even brought home a few goodies (I'm pretty excited about the apple butter!). This all made for a perfect Family Day.

Please ignore the short sleeve shirts. It truly is October and although temperatures reached a high of 85 Halloween is coming whether we like it or not.

Milk Maid and Farmer James

Pumpkin Patch

We found our favorites!

Look at those BIG muscles!

Mallory, Josh, Evelyn, Me and James

Hayride (minus the hay)

CHICAGO

Well, it seems lately I am about a week behind in all of my posts. Oooops. I'm busy---I guess. In all seriousness, things have been extraordinarly busy (as you've read about it previous posts). I think they are settling down and returning to "normal." Whatever that means. Hopefully I can get on a better schedule and be more prompt in my postings (as I know each of you are sitting on the edge of your seats.... yeah..... ;).

Last weekend James and I went to Chicago for a work related trip. His work, not mine. I just went for the weekend and for F-U-N. James on the other hand stayed through Wednesday (lucky duck). Luckily, over the weekend he had very little work obligations. We shopped by day and partied by nite. We caught a live jazz show, strolled the streets of Michigan Ave. (hopping in and out of stores we only wish we could afford), visited with my wonderful friend Lauren (thank you again Lauren, we had so much fun!), ate great food (and lots of it!), visited the Navy Pier, etc. etc. Chicago is such an exciting city. There's anything and everything you could possibly want all in one place.

While we were there I contemplated life. I halfway convinced James to move but that's all a fantasy. In the grand scheme of things it probably wouldn't make much sense. We can all dream, can't we? Our life is pretty well established in the "Possibility City." We have a great life. Great friends. Great home. Great jobs and plenty of great opportunities. Occassionally, I feel like it lacks excitement but in all fairness you make it what it is.

We may never live in Chicago but we can always hop on a 5:00 EST direct flight and be there just as the clock strikes 5:00. Gotta love that! I do and I hope to take advantage of that luxury more frequently!!!!

Sisters Reunite!

As mentioned in the previous entry Jenn and Alex and Jane and Parker came to visit us this weekend. We had such a fantastic time! I hated to see the visit end. When it did I think the word sad sums up how I felt. It's very unfortunate that the "Shubrooks" Family lives in all different places. Why can't it be the way it used to be? Why can't I just hop in the car and run over to Mom and Dad's or Jenn or Jane's? Here's a few reasons why: Realty. Growing up. Life and circumstantial changes. Curve balls. Challenges. Work. All of the above. I believe that absence truly does make the heart grow fonder and it's times like these that I have learned to cherish.

Friday nite we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to cheer on the Cards. Can you believe James actually skipped the home football game? That's what I call a good man. He bleeds red---literally and figuratively---and I realize it was a true sacrifice for him. The outcome of the game was unfortunate but we all still managed to have a great time. I think the way we felt the next day proves that correct. HA!

Saturday was a long and lazy day. That was perfectly fine by me because as I mentioned above I didn't want the weekend to end. We didn't get up until noon. That's a first in a VERY long time. I prepared a big brunch. We just hung around each doing whatever struck our respective fancy. TV. Internet. Naps. Pedicures. Bloodymary's. Shopping. Yes, between the 6 of us we did all of that. It felt like we were in a little bubble, a very happy little bubble.

On Sunday we ventured down to Bardstown Rd. and eventually Captain's Quarters. Talk about a gorgeous day! We spent some time outside enjoying the fall like weather. The afternoon was cut short as Jane and Parker had to hit the road. There was a disappointment in the air however we made the most of this day. Alex left the following morning and Jenn stayed until Wednesday. It was such a treat to have everyone in town and I hope we will do it again soon!


James and Me at Buffalo Wild Wings

Jenn and Jane--Friday nite

The newlyweds!

Jane and Parker

The whole gang says, "GO CARDS!"

At Bearno's on Bardstown Rd.