Did you see the leaves today?

Absolutely stunning.

See Jessica Cook

I've been experimenting in the kitchen!

A while back we went to the farmer's market one Saturday as part of a Relief Society activity and I got some fresh okra to try my hand at some good ol' southern fried okra. It turned out amazing. See photos, the recipe, and more details here on my friend Bradley's blog.

I also got some sweet corn. And let me tell you, that was like heaven on a cob! I've never had corn that tasted so good! I wanted to try this recipe that I just happened to stumble upon one day. See photos for a comparison...yeah. I couldn't get the mixture to stick together so needless to say it was pretty messy. But at least it was tasty!

Last but not least, all this crisp, cool weather has been putting me in the mood for pumpkin! This morning I made some pumpkin waffles and my grandma's homemade maple syrup. It was delish! Next time I have buttermilk, I'll try this one.

I Never Win Anything

BUT I DID TODAY!!!

Imagine my surprise when I opened my email inbox and it says:

"Congrats f/4 Point & Shoot Contest Winner!"

So exciting!! AND I get a prize!! OK. Now click here.

Ingrid

Ingrid Michaelson.

Cat's Cradle.

Absolutely Amazing.

We got to Cat's Cradle a bit early and were the 2nd or 3rd group in line. As we were waiting, we heard Ingrid just on the other side of the door doing a sound check. Then out of nowhere she just walked outside to the bus and back in her red t-shirt, hair up in a pony tail, and iPod in her ears like it was nothing. We were like 2 feet away from her. That was pretty cool.

The concert was really awesome. And she was pretty funny too. Because we were some of the first in line and because we had an experienced Cat's Cradler (thanks Bradley!), we got some rockin' seats which were amazing because we didn't have to stand for so long AND we got to sit up on the back of the bench and were able to see over the whole crowd. It was great!

"Be OK"

Funny version of "Maybe"

Elementary Musings

Part 1:

Me: "Your shoes are on backwards. Did you know that?"

Zeppelin (as in Led, that's right) (6 years of age): [With straightforward face and dead serious eyes] "Yes. It's because I'm an alien."

Part 2, a question:

How is it that the "less behaved" kids end up with names like "Jesús" and "Zion"?

OBX

My first trip to the Outer Banks! Here are just the highlights:

DAY 1:

Aquarium

Fort Raleigh

Monstrous, blood-filled mosquitos

(I smacked one and let's just say I ran to the bathroom to wash [and dry] my hand and leg. It was disgusting.)

DAY 2:

House from Nights in Rodanthe (horrible movie, but cool house!)

Bodie Island

(pronounced "body" as we learned from the locals)

Hand Stands : )

Cape Hatteras

Cartwheels!

Ocracoke Island

DAY 3:

The BEACH!

Jockey's Ridge

Sand Dunes=Insanely Huge

Kill Devil's Frozen Custard!

Margaritas!

(They really were virgin...despite what you may think ; )

Wright Brothers Museum and Memorial

Birdies

I have pet birds! A friend of a friend was giving them away. I've kind of always wanted birds so I decided to give them a try : ) Now these little guys need names. The one on the left is a boy, the one on the right is a girl.

Ideas?