Return to Rio - Sort Of!

I've been known to return to a city that I've visited simply to eat at a restaurant I've enjoyed...well, I have to say that the restaurant that the husband and I discovered recently in Portland is that kind of place. This pathetic, out-of-focus picture of the sign of said restaurant doesn't begin to do justice to the amazing food served within. This wonderful establishment is a traditional Brazilian churrascaria. I think the reason that we loved this place so much wasn't just because the food was amazing (it was!), but also because the atmosphere put us right back in Rio. I had that same itchy feeling that deep down I am or at least should have been born a Brazilian. My favorites from the night were the blackbeans (I really need to learn to make those Brazilian style black beans), also the lamb was a major hit for me. They also serve pinapple grilled with cinnamon - so good you don't even need to order dessert - not that I would have had room for dessert anyways! When our travels take us back to Portland, we will definitely be heading to the Brazil Grill again...yum!

Being Nesty

This past Sunday morning I had a strong desire to nest...so I drove to this farm stand about 5 minutes from my house and picked up a load of corn stalks and pumpkins - neither having been a huge success in my own garden this year. Just the picture of the farm stand makes me smile, I love living where I do, there are lots of little stops like this all over our county, always very reasonably priced. For very little money I came home with a nice collection to decorate with. It was actually pretty fun, I rarely set out on little trips just to pick up supplies for a decorating project. I felt like my inner Martha Stewart was glowing.Both Figaro and Bambino hung out while I decorated...I had to do a little cleaning at first, I think they liked watching me dodge the spider webs that I knocked down. With just a little bit of effort, I think it turned out nice. Now it feels like the season has officially shifted. It's been blustery outside lately, lots of wind and grey skies, so the bright orange pumpkins and colorful bird houses made by the husband give a nice cheerful warmth.

Bambino seemed to take an unusual amount of pleasure out of posing for some pictures...it was actually kind of odd, typically he's moving around too quickly to be very photogenic. I think because he watched me set everything up, he felt special being able to sit there, very cute.

No, I Haven't Forgotton How To Sew...

...I've just been busy with life. Adjusting to new responsibilities, schedules, and seasons. I did however get back into the swing of things a little bit last week, finishing the two aprons. They are now at Bungalow Bay, waiting for their owners to come and buy them. This one was especially hard not to keep, it looks very cute on and I could picture myself making pumpkin pies while wearing it...these two projects were actually great to finish, neither one was too difficult for me, I felt like they showed how far my ability to sew things has come.

Sorry the photo below is out of focus, I am still so proud of those labels, I love to show them on things I make.

Before and After: A Delicious Snack

Two of my favorite things: Creme Brule and Orangina. Enjoyed while on our mini vacay to Portland a week ago. The husband adopted both as new favorites when we started dating, so he was happy to share with me - enjoying his own bottle of Orangina of course! Honestly, these photos make my mouth water!

Dressed To The Nines

Last weekend when we took a short trip down to Portland it was mostly because we had a free night to use within the SPG hotel system that was going to expire at the end of this month. We actually had originally had two free nights, but we used one when we went up to Whistler this summer. Back to what I was saying though, we had a free night to use. So we decided to try a hotel there that we'd never stayed at before, The Nines. It's been open for almost a year. I loved it, obviously so since I've shown 12 pictures of the room we stayed which was just fabulous...

I've stayed in some fantastic hotels while visiting some amazing places over the past several years, but as things have tightened up around here, our trips have slowed down quite a bit. Obviously this is kind of a bummer in many ways, but at the same time, I think the fact that we aren't constantly on-the-go has allowed me to appreciate things more. The husband and I will always be travelers, it's just part of the fabric of our relationship, but I don't want to become numb to the great things that we see or even to the fantastic places that we stay. I am glad that this whole thought process has been going on in my head recently, when I meet up with the husband in Cairo next month I want to be able to appreciate and absorb every detail of the trip. I'm fabulously excited to say the least. I don't know what to expect completely, but I've done a bit of reading up and friends have offered some great tips, including a market to go to where the oldest coffee shop in the world is still in business! Can't wait, less than three weeks until I go and the husband leaves in about a week and a half.

Fresh Cut Flower Friday, Welcome to Fall!

In honor of the seasonal change this week I have two fresh cut flowers photos to share...the top photo is three bud vases filled with crimson dahlias on my autumn themed runner in the dining room. The second is more dahlias, this time rose and crimson mixed, in a ceramic pitcher on a crocheted cloth I inherited from my Oma, set in the breakfast nook of the kitchen. I guess I have been in a nesting kind of mood this week, even with a busy schedule, I can't seem to help it...changing colors on the trees outside, made from scratch meals, and of course fall flowers have been making the transition to fall very cozy.

It's crazy to think, but in exactly three weeks I'll be heading down to the airport to catch the first of two flights that will eventually land me in Cairo. This will be the first time that I've flown anything but coach overseas, thank you frequent flyer miles for the upgrade! I'm traveling the first leg of my trip by myself because the husband will have already been there for ten days for his Habitat for Humanity build. His departure date is less than two weeks away...it will be weird to be away from each other for that time, we dated long distance for the first couple of years of our relationship, so it's not like we've never been apart, but since we've been married we've never been apart for more than a couple of days. Another odd piece to this situation is that his birthday happens while he is in Egypt. He will be traveling with his oldest buddy then, so at least he won't be alone, the two of them are planning on doing some diving in the Red Sea. As for me, my friend and neighbor has assured me that she will be around for lots of girl hang out time. I think it will also be a good time for me to focus on getting my routine of work, housework, exercise, sewing, etc. all established. The past few weeks I've been pretty productive, but I haven't settled into a predictable schedule yet. It's been more like that game at Chuck E. Cheese where when the little furry animals pop out of their holes the goal is to bonk them on the head. Tasks kind of have been popping up in front of me and I've been able to stay on top of the head bonking, okay that sounds weird, enough of that analogy. The point is that I want to take the time to evaluate what it is that I accomplish each week and come up with some kind of predictability to it all.

Okay, enough said for a Friday! I'll be around here a bit this weekend, probably doing a bit of "power blogging" - it's not my favorite way to manage this fun part of my life, but at least that way I can still share what I want to, even if it isn't in real time! Hope you have a great weekend!

Welcome to Fall

We returned from a very quick, last minute, one-night trip to Portland yesterday. It was the perfect chance to get away in the Jeepster and get a bit of a break from normal responsibilities. I like it that my job allows for a bit of spontenaity. We actually packed lots of good stuff into a trip that ended up being only about 32 hours away from home. I'll try to get around to sharing bits and pieces in the next few days.

Until then, I thought that because it is now officially fall (even though it's more of an unusual sunny than a typical fall rainy here), I'd share what I put into the slow-cooker for dinner tonight.We have an overabundance of tomatoes and other random garden yumminess that has needed to be used before it's too late. So this morning, I chopped and chopped vegetables galore, ground in some pepper, threw in some course kosher salt (my favorite), half a bottle of Syrah that I didn't finish last week, a couple of all-natural free range chicken breasts, fresh basil and rosemary, and set the cooker to 10 hours. As I type, the delicious aroma of fresh vegetable chicken catetori is filling the air, even all the way upstairs at the other end of the house, the effect giving my senses the cozy and crisp feeling of fall.

Now I've got to get back to work...things have picked up considerably in the last few days. I'm stoked to be getting into the rhythm of this job.