happy halloween weekend!

i love the pumpkin with the twisted stem...it looks so sinister.

anyway, have a great weekend!  hope it's full of debauchery and mischief!

-jillian m.

bargain hunter: oxford shoes

so, i know i'm the bajillionth girl to say this, but...i really love shopping at forever 21!  i always find something, whether it's a chic accessory or some $3 leggings or a cute top for going out.

i found these oxford shoes for only $22.80 and i just couldn't resist.  the pointy toe, the cross between masculine and feminine, the surprise of how comfortable they were, the color, the price...it all spoke to me.  and they kind of remind me of a witch's shoe (which i love, by the way!).

here are some other great deals i found:

~ turtleneck knit in all different colors.

~ loving this flowy dress!

~ these are hot right now: skinny cargo pants.

~ basketweave sandals for next summer (the best time to shop for summer stuff  is in the fall!).

~ a headband perfect for the holidays.


-jillian m.

the simplest snacks make the best snacks

rice crackers, avocados, havarti cheese and steamed spinach.

uncomplicated.  flavorful.  organic.  good.

-jillian m.

haunting festivities

i'm not particularly fond of horror movies, which is why it may be kind of hard to understand why i love going to the haunted attractions every halloween.  but who doesn't love getting a harmless spook from time to time?

we (as in me and bob) went on a haunted hay ride last saturday.  truthfully, with the exception of a few startles here and there, it was mostly campy and comical.  think: guys dressed up in polyester costumes and plastic masks with the holes cut through.  we kind of went into it knowing we weren't going to be completely scared out of our minds, but i know i appreciated the acting skills (and sometimes lack thereof) of some of the "monsters".  the video i found on the website (shown below) perfectly sums up our evening.





while we were waiting on line, there was some debate over whether we should go to the vortex theater's haunted house.  i've read some really good reviews for it, but i'm so hesitant to go.  you have to walk through it alone.  i got freaked just by watching this video i found on youtube...




-jillian m.

friday!

my mom and i were just discussing how it's so hard to get up early once the end of the week rolls around (we wake up at 4:30am for work.  five days a week.  yes, it's torturous). fridays are the worst days for getting up because all that sleep deprivation, hard work and those long commutes catch up and hit all at once.  and yet, fridays are the best!  the nine-to-fivers can agree that once a certain time hits the weekend starts and all that sleep deprivation, hard work and those long commutes are a distant memory...i've got my second wind.

i have to admit this is kind of a last minute post.  i had no clue what i was going to blog about twenty minutes ago.  but i wanted to leave off on a good note.

here's to the weekend!  i'm excited to spend some time with bob.  what are you looking forward to?

-jillian m.

the amazing maize maze

at four in the afternoon, i nearly fainted when i looked at the website for the corn maze in queens county farm and learned that they closed at five!  wha?! no corn maze? booooo.  but my sulking quickly turned to joy when i scrolled down the page and found out for this particular day, they were open until nine! yay!

i'm so happy bob and i went because we had a fantastic time.  the weather was perfectly brisk for an outdoorsy day.  the farm animals were adorable and the hot apple cider was delicious--and something i had been looking forward to for weeks!  something else i was looking forward to?  the amazing maize maze!  first the workers sat us down for a serious "stalk talk".  then, we got lost in this huge and wonderful maze.  well, we kind of almost found our way out in a matter of ten minutes, so we headed back and took some intentional wrong turns.  and then, we got really lost.

-jillian m.

truffle brownies, the second attempt

remember those truffle brownies i baked a few weeks ago?  i really liked them for their rich, chocolatey goodness, so i wanted to recreate and perfect it.  since it's such an easy recipe, it's become my new go-to brownie recipe.  my old go-to was ghiradelli's double chocolate brownie mix--yes, boxed brownie mix!

so, here's a look at my second attempt:

final verdict: i learned on my first try that i needed less sugar and more oven time.  the batter was deeeelicious (and an improvement), so i knew i got it right this time around.  however, i left the brownies in the oven for a few minutes too long, resulting in a more cake-like texture (but not dry).  i do prefer fudginess when it comes to brownies but these were still incredible!  and they were even softer and more moist the next day.  how is that possible?

-jillian m.

bargain hunter: $5 sneakers

every once in a while, payless shoe store will surprise me with something like this:

a pink and brown saddle-style sneaker that i only paid $5 for!  i think it looks fun with a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans.  i'd also pair it with a brown top and jeans, but i'm looking for more combinations that are not so matchy-matchy.  with the sneakers being so colorful i think it would probably work best with a simple, casual outfit.  what do you think?

-jillian m.

wanta fanta?

so my girl friends and i are thinking about being the fanta girls (or the fantanas) for halloween!  if we go ahead with the idea, val would be purple, tanya would be red and i would be orange.  i actually think this is an awesome idea!  not only can we create our own outfits inexpensively, but we can wear them again (as opposed to the one-time use we'll get with buying a costume from a halloween express).  seriously who wants to spend $30 on something you'll only wear once?

what are you going to be for halloween?

-jillian m.


[photo: fanta]

pumpkin-picking

the pumpkin patch is something i look forward to every year.  i think part of the appeal may have to do with the fact that it's a once-a-year kind of deal (or seasonal rather).  plus, it's so very fall, which is a favorite season for many (as i've witnessed throughout the blogosphere).  even the word pumpkin sounds so...pumpkiny!  you know how there are those words you hate to say (in my case, the word rural) and words you love to say?  pumpkin sounds like such a youthful, fun word.  i digress...

my family and i went to a patch in holmdel, nj, which also had hay rides, pony rides, concession stands and a marketplace filled with pies, fruit and halloween costumes.  have a look:

pumpkins everywhere!

caleb and mason had so much together.

jax loves to smile with grandpa!

the view from our hay ride.

 some freaky-looking gorilla guy.  this was about as scary as it got.

roasted sweet corn with butter and salt.

we are terrible terrible people.

-jillian m.

ikea date

ikea is like toys 'r us for adults.  i loved every minute of scouring curtains, bed spreads, coffee tables, light fixtures...

valerie spent a good part of the trip deciding whether she should go with the white, dark blue or sea foam blue bowls.  we decided on sea foam.  then she decided the line was too long just to buy a few $3 bowls and some deep purple sheets.  they were so pretty, though...

the showrooms are the best because you actually feel like you're in an exquisite room meant to be in your own home.  and, of course, the prices are so low, so it's entirely fathomable.

and who knew ikea had such yummy food?  i only remember it serving cheap cinnamon buns and coffee, not meals like swedish meatballs with garlicky mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.  yeah, it looks like cafeteria food, but it was honestly so good.  and we only paid about $4 each for our food.  we're cheap dates!

-jillian m.

this is how we get ready for a family portrait

getting little boys to sit still for a picture is a nearly impossible task.  but in the end, we got a great shot of an adorable family.

and of course, i took a few test shots:

first, there was the matter of getting mason to come off his bike.

setting it up (look at jax's foot on mason's head!).

kisses for jax...

 ...and kisses for mase.

as usual, mason making everybody laugh!

 almost there, but not quite...

...and we made it!  a gorgeous shot; a happy family.  <3

-jillian m.

buffalo wings: an obsession

i'm not particularly fond of spicy foods (although, i would like to be!), but when it comes to buffalo wings i just can't help myself.  i just fight through the spiciness, no matter how much my mouth is on fire!

one day, i'd really like to go to anchor bar in buffalo, ny and try the original wings.  i was watching the travel channel cover bar foods and they featured anchor bar--the wings look so saucy and tender.  then again, the travel channel's food shows have a way of making you salivate for anything and everything.  still...i know anchor bar's chicken must be something special (being the originator and all--or so they say).

it doesn't look like i'll be going upstate anytime soon, so i found the next best thing: anchor bar's wing sauce.  i'd like to give it a try and see what the big deal is, especially since they don't publish their sauce recipe. or i could keep going around the city trying every bar's buffalo wings.  actually, both sound like really good plans to me...

-jillian m.

bargain hunter: no haggling necessary

flea markets are usually hit or miss.  and when i went to one held by a church in the neighborhood, i really wasn't expecting much.  maybe some worn shoes, old china, vhs tapes...

well, they did have those things. and then some.  i was shocked to discover rows upon rows of all sorts of wonderful (and cheap) goodies!  here's what I bought:

• nail polish - $1
• the second and third book in the harry potter series (i have the first one that i have yet to read.  i hear they're amazing!) - $0.50 each
• five people you meet in heaven (the book) - $0.25
• six packs of trident gum - $1
• two books for bobby - $0.25 each

total = $3.75

i probably could have bought way more, but sometimes you have to restrain yourself from buying things that will eventually become clutter.  

as you can see, i love getting deals and since bargain-hunting is something i do every so often (and i'm good at it, thankyouverymuch), you'll probably see some more great finds from me in the future! 

-jillian m.

these raindrops are fallin' on my head...

..so i just did me some talkin' to the sun and i said i didn't like the way he got things done; sleepin' on the job; those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'...

can you tell i'm not a big fan of the rain?  don't get me wrong.  i love rain on a sleepy sunday, when my big plans involve me eating warm cookies and reading books in bed.  but when i have to wake up before the crack of dawn and travel in this cold, gloomy weather, it's quite a different story.

-jillian m.

fortune cookie prediction

what a good fortune!  i bet this one's true.

-jillian m.

sushi lovers

when tanya's involved, that means it's time for sushi and sake.

she loves her spicy tuna and philly rolls.  for a long time, i was a tuna and avocado girl, but lately i've been really into the philly roll.  it's just one of the tastiest things...ever.  the salmon and cream cheese are perfect complements.  but i've been looking to expand my sushi horizons.  i'm always a little reluctant to try some of the other rolls on the menu, but i'd definitely like to try something new (like the ones that always have crazy cool names like dragonfire dynamo roll...or something like that). 

also, don't you think a how-to-make-sushi class would be so much fun?  how cool would it be to surprise your guests with homemade sushi? something new, something unexpected...

-jillian m.