Pumpkin Carving

The boys and I carved pumpkins this evening.  I waited until the last minute to pick up some pumpkins so when I went to the farm stand they only had small pumpkins or large rotten ones.  I chose the smaller pumpkins and picked up 6 small pumpkins and 3 gourds for $15.00.  That is a great deal for us because in past years  I have been known to go overboard and have spent way too much money on pumpkins.

Benny and I carved "classic" pumpkins.  Or at least that is what Jacob called them.  Jacob made "new age" pumpkins and did an alien and a penguin.  

George helped out by eating a slice of pumpkin pie.  

Here are some pictures from the evening.  Luckily I did not cut myself with the knife I was using - George did not think I was being careful!

Benny and I in action

Jacob's intricate designs for his alien pumpkin...

 

George's contribution.

The alien and the penguin.

The wee-classic pumpkins!

Benny's Dessert

I made a pumpkin pie on Saturday.  As usual, the kids have not wanted any since they like store-bought desserts over anything I make.  Tonight Jacob asked for a slice of pie and requested a little ice cream with it.  I said yes, since pie and ice cream go together and a little à la mode has never hurt anyone.  Benny overheard this and asked for a slice of pie too.  Benny also wanted a little something extra with his pie.  Ice cream?  Whipped cream?  No, not my Benny....

Yes - pumpkin pie and cheese puffs!  

A New Tag

Erin, of the Team Lyle blog, has a new tag:

Open your photo program and choose the 6th file and then the 6th picture and see what you get.

This is what I got:

That Jacob - someday he'll be a heart breaker!

Working Like a Dog...

Our new dog Ripley does not work very hard.  Here is what she does  in the evening:

Yes - she is allowed on George's favorite chair!

Ripley visited my office at the end of the work day and promptly peed right next to my desk.  Now I have to go into work tomorrow and make sure it is cleaned up so that the entire office does not smell bad!  (Thank goodness for Nature's Miracle - that stuff works great!)  Overall, a small price to pay for such a cute dog!

Ready to go home!

I am ready to leave Dallas and the state of Texas and get back home to NH. The conference has been good and I have learned quite a bit but I want to return to my normal routine and to see my family (and my new dog!).

My colleague and I fly out tomorrow at 2:00 pm Dallas time and land in Manchester at 9:20 pm. Once again, we are flying all over the place to get home. This time we go from Dallas to St. Louis to Chicago to Manchester. I still can't believe I picked these flights!

Here are some of the interesting things I'll remember from this conference:

1. The person in the hotel room next to me was either very sick, drunk or had some other issue last night because I heard coughing and other unpleasant sounds coming from the room last night for about 15 minutes! Thank goodness he either passed out or got it out of his system. Yuck!

2. There is a night club at the hotel called the Crocodile Lounge. They advertise it as a disco. My colleague and I stepped in for a minute to see what it was all about and promptly turned around! Of course I often forget names and mess up on song lyrics and such so I have been calling the place the Alligator Lounge. I'll have to tell Benny about the place because he favorite new saying is "See you later Alligator...In a while Crocodile."

3. The food here has been great! Today for lunch we had salmon and chicken. Then cheesecake for dessert. They also have receptions in the evening with an open bar. Naturally I had a glass (or two) of white wine. To make up for all of this eating, I tried out the hotel's .25 mile jogging trail and ran some laps this morning. It has been 80 degrees here during the day so it was nice to be outside.

4. For those who know me well or who have traveled with me, you'll be happy to hear that I have only returned to my hotel room once to make sure my door was locked. And I have been able to control my impulse to constantly search for my room key to make sure I have not misplaced it. I've also cut back on my need to make sure the dead bolt on my door is locked. Such progress!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Don't know when I'll be back again. Well actually, I will be back on Wednesday night. I am blogging from Dallas, Texas where I am attending a conference. Going to a conference sounded like a good idea a few months ago, but now I am not so sure I want to be away from home this long.

I did not do the best job selecting a flight to get here either....my co-worker and I traveled from Manchester to Baltimore to Oklahoma City and then to Dallas! What a trip! Amazingly, Southwest Airlines actually got us here 25 minutes early! They run a tight ship.

The hotel tried to put me in some sort of suite - which seemed good at first. As I looked around the suite I could not find a bed and then realized the bed for the room was a Murphy bed that was recessed in the wall. I did not think that was going to work out and I spoke up to get a proper room!

I should not complain and will think of this conference as a little mini-vacation. The hotel is nice and I have a great co-worker attending with me so I'll have someone to talk to and to hang out with in the evenings.

Here is the hotel I am staying at:


The Hilton Anatole in Dallas...

Got a dog!

We got a dog today. We decided not to wait and try to get an elusive field spaniel and instead we visited our local animal shelters.  

We first went to the Stratham SPCA and found a dog we liked, but some people in front of us adopted him.   

We then went to Dover to see what the Cocheco Valley Humane Society had for available dogs.  That place was a little scary - the dogs there looked mean and barked a lot.  One dog tried to attack George through its cage.  

Despite the chaos we found a cute young dog - a water spaniel/hound mix.  We took her outside and walked her around for a bit and found that she was very gentle and well-mannered.  We made the decision to get her and completed the paperwork!  

So, the Snow's finally have a dog again.  We were so ready!  Here are some pictures of Ripley, our new dog.

Sneak Peek - Halloween Costumes

The boys picked out their Halloween costumes today. The days of homemade costumes that I labor and stress over are gone because the boys tell me my creations just don't look as good as the store bought ones. (Did you also know that my kids prefer a store bought cookie over a nice homemade one. What is wrong with these kids?)

But anyway - back to the costumes - Jacob wanted to be an alien and Ben said he was going to be a Star Wars clone. We have a Star Wars clone costume so in theory Ben did not need a costume.

We went to I-Party to see what we could find. Ben decided not to be a Star Wars clone and chose an Indiana Jones outfit. Jacob could not find an alien costume so we went to another store - the "Spirit of Halloween". George tried to take the boys to this store earlier in the week but they were too scared to go in.

Jacob initially went into the store with me but then saw these awful clown masks and that was it for him. I walked him out and he waited in the car with George and Ben. I then bought the last alien costume in the store!


Indiana Jones - crack that whip!


My alien - what a great mask!


Brothers...

My Crazy Kids! Swimming in October?

Yesterday Ben decided he wanted to jump in the pool.  The pool has not been heated for a a few weeks now and is scheduled to be closed later this week.  We told Ben it would be very cold but he decided to give it a shot.  

Ben dipped his toe in and then decided a dip was not for him.  By then Jacob was intrigued with the idea of a quick October swim and jumped right in.  Ben then decided he could not be outdone by his big brother and got in too!

Here are some pictures to capture their craziness!

 

Benny trying his best to get all the way in!

Jacob is in and looks cold!

He's freezing but still smiling...

Benny told us the temperature was 80 degrees!  Not!

My First Road Race!

I ran the 5K road race at UNH homecoming this morning.  I finished in 32:36 which was better than my goal of 34 minutes.  I averaged 10 minute 50 second miles.  I am very happy with my finish.  

I ended up placing 5th in my age group (30 - 39) but I am not sure how many folks were actually in my age group.  I want to believe more than 5!

I was very nervous this morning but once I got there, checked in and received my number I felt better.  Now that I know how things work I won't be as anxious next time.  I am thinking I will try one more race this fall.  

I really recommend a 5K road race for folks who are getting into running.  It definitely gave me a goal to work towards.  Everyone at the race was very supportive.  The event is not about winning (the people who won the race ran it in 16 minutes - crazy!) but it is about doing your best and achieving your own personal goals.  

Nervous....

My first ever 5K road race is tomorrow.  I am very nervous and keep thinking about "what ifs" as in "What if I am last?" or "What if I can't finish" or "What if I don't like running with all of those people around?".  

I did run the course yesterday.  I was able to run it all but it was a bit hilly in places.  The start of the course was right in the center of the UNH campus and it was not fun to run around, through and behind all of those young and fit students as they walked to their classes.  

I hope to finish the course in 34 minutes or less.  I am not sure it is good to set a goal because I'll be disappointed if I don't finish in this time.  But I am going to give it my all.  

Benny was encouraging me tonight and he said I "need to keep trying and do my best even when I don't want to."  He also said that Aunt Michele "never gives up and she keeps on going".  He then told me that is what he wants me to do.  

So, tomorrow at 9:00 am I will be doing my best and not giving up.  I'll let folks know later in the day how it all turns out.

Finally got some....

...of the best ice cream....Edy's Pumpkin.  My friend Julie, who is stationed in Hawaii, kept raving about this ice cream.  I could not find it at Market Basket but George picked some up at WalMart.  It is excellent - smooth, creamy and only 4 grams of fat per serving - it is like a pumpkin pie milkshake!

While taking this picture I tried to make the photo interesting and fancied myself as one of those food stylists on the Food Network.  I actually grabbed a fake wheat centerpiece thing I have on my buffet and tried to work it into the photo.  So foolish!  It did not look good at all and I could not "work it".  So, here is my plain vanilla picture of the pumpkin ice cream. 

Try it...I bet you'll like it!

Colin - Hanging with the Superstars!

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law Colin went to a friend's wedding. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were two of the guests in attendance. I briefly mentioned this on my last post and and it caught the attention of some folks. Here are some pictures I hijacked from Colin's Facebook site.

Colin's brush with fame happened like this - his good friend from VT went to Tufts University. Colin's friend met a girl and fell in love. The friend's girlfriend, also from Tufts, was good friends with Jessica Biel. I believe Jessica went to Tufts for a year or two but the two stayed friends. And so when Colin's buddy got married - JT and Jessica were on the guest list.

Colin did talk with JT. They shared a few words as they headed up to watch the cake cutting!

Questions People Never Ask

Here is another blog tag from my blogger friends!

When is the last time you ran? Today.

What are you dreading right now? Going back to work on Monday.

Do you eat raw cookie dough? Yes, delicious.

Have you ever kicked a vending machine? No.

How do you eat Oreos? I love them and don't keep them in house because I have been known to eat more than 8 at a sitting.

Are you cocky? No, but I desire to be a bit more cocky and confident.

Could you live without a computer? No, need to be connected.

Do you wear your shoes in the house? No, but love to wear comfy socks.

Who or what sleeps with you? Initially just George, but then Benny ends up in bed too.

How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house? 3 house phones, 2 cell phones.

What do you do when you're sad? Cry, I cry very easily

Who would you call first if you won the lottery? George and then my Mom and Dad to discuss purchasing a family vacation compound.

What jewelry are you wearing? Pearl earrings from my Grandma, necklace from Black and White House Market, wedding ring, engagement ring and another ring George gave me. And I say I am not a jewelry girl!

What's the first thing you do when you get online? Check the blog.

How do most people spell your name? Jackie but don't ask folks to spell my real name Jacquelyn.

Where do you work? UNH.

What are you doing tomorrow? Taking Benny to soccer and then house cleaning and chores.

Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson? Let's hope he does not freak out like Michael. My brother-in-law Colin was just at a wedding where Justin Timberlake was a guest. Here is a picture taken by Colin of the singing sensation at his friend's wedding.

Favorite name for a girl? Abbigail.

Favorite name for a boy? Jacob.

When was the last time you left your house? Just got home from attending a jewelry party in the neighborhood.

Do you return your cart? Yes, I always follow the rules.

Would you survive in prison? I would try my best.

If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would most likely over pack? This is easy - Julie. She is always over packs and usually gets in trouble for it. Like the time she tried to bring a hammer and staple gun in her carry on bag.

Do you know anyone with the same name as you? Not many folks.

What's the last thing you purchased? Raffle tickets.

Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you. Michele - yes. Elizabeth not so much.

What brand are your pants right now? Ann Taylor Loft jeans.

What irritates you most on the Internet? People who spread hate.

Do you own expensive perfume/cologne? I have some great Ralph Lauren Rocks that Jacob picked out. He picked it out because the perfume bottle is orange.

Do you get your hair cut every month? I get it colored every 8 weeks but go longer between haircuts.

Do you go online everyday? Yes, oh yes!