A sure sign that Christmas is coming!!!!!!

It's BACK!!!!! Starbucks Christmas Blend! Happy, happy, joy...joy!

Not only are the red cup out at Starbucks, but the Christmas Blend coffee is back. A sure sign that Christmas is around the corner. Yeah, I know....it's the little things that get me excited.

I haven't posted in a while, and I'm working on several different posts and will have them up soon. I just wanted to pop in and share my excitement about Christmas :)

I tried my best to get my husband to take us to the Christmas tree farm this past weekend so I could put up the tree....but it was raining. So, here is a picture of what I pulled out to hold me until I can get a tree up. Again, it's the little things that make me happy...some days anyway.

Happy decorating!

 

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One of my favorite weeks!

First of all hello November! Please slow down! It always feels that once Halloween is over I blink and it's Christmas Eve. So, please sloooow down.

This past week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The fall colors here seem to reach their peak and it's AMAZING! That one reason, the second is Halloween! Which means scary movie marathon all week! I. Love. It! I watch one after another. I try to DVR some of my classic favorites. My husband is not a fan at all, but he did watch the movie Halloween with me Halloween night. That one he can easily take. My teenage step daughters were here the other night and they suggested we watch the scariest one I had recorded....that was The Strangers. Augh, that movie is crazy and very nerve wrecking! Here is a picture of how we do scary movies here. Sorry it's a little dark, but we wanted all of the lights off for the movie.

There were lots of screams that the houses around us probably heard. My husband thought it would be funny to sneak around the house and BANG on the front door as loud as he could!!!!! We wanted to hurt him!! If you have seen the movie The Strangers you would know why.

Another favorite this week is we got Boo-ed! This is a first for me, but it's a fun little neighborhood game of leaving treats at your door and keeping the game going. This what I found on our door earlier this week.

Next of course is carving the pumpkin. The girls seemed to have outgrown this, but not me! You gotta have a lit pumpkin on your porch on Halloween. Then of course the best part is smelling the pumpkin seeds roasting in the oven.

Yeah, I know my pumpkin carving skills are pathetic, but it's still fun. And I'm sure all THREE trick or treaters I had come to the house loved it. Yes, that's right only 3 at our house. Bummer, because it's my favorite part. I told my husband we need to move to a busier neighborhood.

Okay, the last favorite thing from this week was helping my mom set up her new iPad (from 3 hours away) over the phone. Well, maybe not favorite since I needed a big glass of wine after that call...that took 90 minutes. I helped her download Facebook and gave her a quick lesson on iPads. But the best was showing her how to FaceTime. She thinks it's amazing!! And of course I get moved up to the favorite child status.....lol.

So, that was my favorite week! Halloween week! I hope yours was just as fun!

 

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Are you hooked on reality TV too?

Yes, I'm guilty and I own it. I LOVE reality TV!!!! Okay? I know what you're thinking. Time waster and terrible TV....right? Wrong! Not to me anyway. I admit some of it is pure crap, but I am totally hooked on some of it.

My top all time favorite is Survivor. I have watched it from the very beginning. My husband says it's because of the host, Jeff Probst, which is a total cutie.

Our whole family watches on Wednesday nights. It has been tradition for years now that we all settle in on the couch to watch it with hot cookies fresh out of the oven. Very few episodes have been watched without cookies.

My next favorite show isn't a favorite with the rest of my family. Bravo's Housewives. Augh, love just about all of them. This show makes my husband crazy. If he's in the room he leaves as he says the show stresses him out. Hahaha! It's the complete opposite for me. It's a stress reliever to me. After a long crazy day at work, I love to tune in and get wrapped up in their craziness and forget about everything for a while. With most all of their crazy problems, it makes mine seem fairly insignificant. My favorite, The Housewives of Beverly Hills, is about to start back up the first part of November. Can. Not. Wait.

I could go on and on about different ones....The Bachelor, Sister Wives, 19 Kids and Counting. And yes I was even a huge fan of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Call me weird, but I guess I love seeing a sneak peek into people's lives. That's probably why I love blogging and following blogs. It gives me a glimpse into others peoples lives.

What shows are you hooked on? Is it a reality show?

 

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What is your getaway plan?

I'm not talking about rob a bank getaway plan! I'm talking your I gotta get the heck away and recharge kind of plan. I'm alway curious as to what that is for others. We all have those busy times that are just go, go, go all the time. Some of us have jobs that are busier certain times of the year than others. At my house it seems to be busy from June to New Years....and I'm not kidding. My husband officiates college football and it's football business year round at our house, but it really gets busy for him in the summer and even crazier when the season kicks off. So, we try to get in little get aways during the off season. Weekend trips are perfect for quick getaways. We are lucky that we live near the mountains and can get in little hikes even for a quick day trip. But our favorite overnight getaway is to a cabin in the mountains...with snow!!!! We both love the snow. And my favorite time to do that is right after Christmas. We have booked a cabin trip after Christmas a couple of times and its heavenly! After all of the rushing around and craziness of the holiday, it's so nice to chill and enjoy a few days of rest. The last time the owners had the cabin decorated including a Christmas tree. It was pretty awesome!

This cabin was next to a creek so it was relaxing to sit in the hot tub and hear the creek right beside us.

 

Of course, let's not forget beach getaways. I think for a lot of people this is the ultimate for relaxation and recharging. I like the beach and really enjoy it, but I tend not to relax as much there. I feel that I have so much to squeeze in while there. Tanning, great restaurants, shopping and up before the sun to get sunrise pictures. I often return home thinking I need a few days to recover! My husband isn't really a beach person. He is good for a day of it...And That's About It.

 

These are a few pictures from our recent trip to Myrtle Beach SC. The middle of October and mid 80's. It felt a little weird as by October I'm in full on boots and sweater mode!

I'm already planning a couple of getaways for this winter.....how about you?

 

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Who would think a cemetery would be such a popular hangout?

I'm always searching for places to explore with my camera. Can you believe one of my favorite places is the cemetery? Well, it is. And I'm not alone.

We have an old city cemetery here that is very popular. It dates back to 1806. There is a confederate section that contains the graves of over 2200 soldiers from 14 states. There are also four small historic house museums inside the cemetery. I admit that I'm not much of a history buff like my husband who teaches history, but there is something about the place that draws me back frequently. Every October they have candle light tours with professional actors in period costumes that portray true stories of the cemetery residents. I have yet to make one of the tours, but plan to attend one this year.

I enjoy the peace and quiet there. Just me and my camera. The grounds are beautiful and spring and fall is amazing there. I drove there this afternoon before the sunset to see if the leaves had any color yet, but it's still too soon. Probably another 2-3 weeks and the trees will be bold and beautiful in colors of fall.

There are so many interesting little details to photograph there. Almost every time I go I see people taking family portraits. I saw a photographer there today taking family pictures. My step daughter is a senior this year and I'm taking her senior pictures there as soon as the leaves turn.

I took a few of these pictures at the beginning of spring.

This shot is one of my favorite pictures I have taken there.

 

 

This big old tree and swing is a popular place for pictures of children. I've seen bridal portraits at this swing too. You just never know what to expect when you arrive. But there is always someone there with a camera.

I love this cemetery and I'm sure I'll be back soon for more pictures as soon as the leaves change, and again for our first snow fall.

Where is the strangest place you go to take pictures?

 

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Everyone is Talking About It!

Everyone is talking about it. Yep. Fall! I couldn't be happier. My friends know that summer is my least favorite season. Mainly because here in central Virginia we experience pretty hot and very humid weather. Augh! Some years it can be pretty brutal. Back to fall....I love the clothes. Jeans, boots, sweaters. Throw on a scarf and go. I wish I could wear jeans and boots all year. I love the cool crip air. I love the smell of wood burning fires. I love having a fire in our outdoor pit. I love the changing of the leaves. I love riding the Blue Ridge Parkway and shooting pictures of the amazing colors. Okay, you get the picture now. I love fall!!

So, I have been busy in the yard prepping for fall and winter. My husband came home to this beautiful site in the driveway....mulch!! I'm sure he was thrilled, but it had to be done. Who doesn't love fresh mulch in their flower beds? Yes, I was so sore by bedtime that I could hardly move from working with the mulch, but so worth it.

You can't have fall without mums! So, I ran out and bought mums. I had a few empty spots in the garden from flowers that bit it over the summer. Perfect timing that mums were out. Yeah, I know mums don't last that long, but they are so awesome while they last and a perfect start to fall.

 

I love these cool fall days and sitting outside by the fire. Now that the mulch is down and the mums are planted.....pumpkins are next. I just love fall and hope you are enjoying it too!!

 

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Quick Go To Meals

I don't know about you, but on Sundays I don't always want to cook a big meal. Some weekends require quick and easy ideas. This weekend was one of those quick easy meal days. And we wanted something filling. I quickly decided on one of our favorite go to meals....chicken and black bean quesadillas! We love them! I usually try to grill more chicken than needed for this dish as to have enough leftover for another dinner the next day.

Quesadillas are easy enough after you get everything chopped and sliced and then it's just an assembly line of ingredients ready to cook up. I added a few green peppers and onions to make it a little more filling. I like to sauté my veggies a little to soften them up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All done! Open up a bag of chips, add salsa and sour cream and this meal is complete....to us anyway. Our lives and schedules are so crazy these days that it hard to meal plan and even harder to come up with new dinner ideas!

What is your go to meal that everyone in the family loves??

 

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