Oct 27, 2011

{Fall Family Weekend}


Last weekend Jordan and I made a trip to Michigan to hang out with my family. It was just what we needed: relaxing and watching tv (the entire 2nd season of Friday Night Lights), sleeping in until noon, doing fall things, and catching up with the people we love and miss. 

We devoted our Friday to our Michigan family tradition of Cranes and carving pumpkins. Cranes is an amazing restaurant/apple orchard that we go to every year. They sell yummy homemade pies, homemade applesauce, and they have killer spiced cider. We got a couple bags of apples, one for munching, the other baking, and of course we stayed to enjoy a meal together as a family. 

The next activity, pumpkin choosing and carving, was a little more serious for me. This year I wanted to carve something that was representative of my personality, so naturally I carved a kitty cat pumpky ;-) meow. 

Our night ended with the classic Halloween film, Carrie. One that my parents and I will always love, but Jordan and Leah did not enjoy. It was pretty entertaining to listen to my Dad's commentary throughout the movie though. 







What beautiful pumpkins they are right?

I had a great weekend in Michigan, and I am so excited to have ANOTHER one starting tomorrow. Hello cabin by lake Michigan, here we come!









Oct 17, 2011

{Weekend Away}


reading: The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards
reading (with husband): Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
smelling: Autumn Festival Yankee Candle 
touching: fluffy white Down pillow


feeling: happy.


It has been a quiet and relaxing evening at the Race Street house. We had a great weekend trip to Chicago with Mark and Lauren to celebrate the marriage of our friends, Steph and Alex Mrakovich. The wedding was tasteful, the Bride was stunning, and the groom never looked happier. I think Jordan and I were so excited to get out of Marion for a few days and enjoy time with family and friends in a new setting. We shopped, ate a homemade meal, went on a hay ride, danced until we sweat through our clothes, and created numerous inside jokes with our brother and sis. Let me just say that road tripping through the middle of the night is one of the more entertaining and hilarious things I have participated in.

And now it's time for a new week. Fall break will be here before we know it.


Oct 12, 2011

{Rick Mereki Films}


"3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....



= a trip of a lifetime."


EAT


LEARN


MOVE




These videos make me want to travel again and explore all the different cultures of the world. What a rich experience he must have had doing this. So much to see, do, taste, learn, and experience. 

Which one is your favorite? I can't decide. 


Oct 10, 2011

{Mississinewa 1812}


The annual fall Festival of 1812 is my favorite event of the season. Traveling reenanactors set up camp for three days in the woods to provide the Marion locals with a taste of history and entertainment. They go all out with the outfits and olden day vibe, and when you're there, you do feel like you're in another time period. It seems kind of corny, but after you have experienced this once, you will want to return each year for the battle reenactments, nellies famous noodles, and the bottled beer of the root (that is root beer....not real beer). 

This year Jordan and I went with our friends Hannah and Lawson. We bought homemade rosemary frank & mint soap and matching 1812 pottery mugs!! It was the best. 









Oct 8, 2011

{Carl Pendle's Foraging Wild Mushrooms}


Here is a bit of inspiration to start out your new week. A short film about chef Nik Westacott and his love for mushrooms, by Carl Pendle shot with his Canon 5D. I hope this makes you as happy as it made me.





beautiful right? And what a unique hobby! I want to cook in the woods. That should be added to the fall checklist.




Oct 5, 2011

{Follow me}


Guess what?!

A Spoonful of Life was chosen for The #Cooking Daily Newspaper in their October 4th #food section. @GoodBlogPosts1 found my "Meals This Week" post via Twitter! The #Cooking Daily is part of a bigger paper known as Paper.Li. I had never heard of them until now, but they seem to be legit. I am pretty excited and I thought I would share this news with you all. 

Also, I want to ask you a favor. If you are a regular reader of this blog, I would love to know that. It would help me if those of you who do read this on a regular basis could "follow me." It's as simple as clicking the tab on the right that says "Join this site." This way I can know who my readers are and also get a count on how many people I have following this site.

Thank you so much for your support! Have a great Wednesday :)




Oct 4, 2011

{10 Fun Fall Things}





As you all must know by now, I am obsessed with fall. Every year towards the middle of summer I start to plan for the upcoming fall season. I really could go without summer altogether. I am usually freezing cold in an air conditioned building or sweating like a pig in the relentless humidity. I never know what to wear because of this problem. Plus, summer activities just don't bring me as much joy as the fall ones do. What is so great about fall? Let me tell you.

Fall brings changing leaves and perfect crisp weather that is reliable and welcoming. Fall draws you in with its colors of burnt orange and red, smells of campfires, cinnamon and cloves, and flavors of pumpkin and granny-smith apples. Fall is also the best season for fashion. Life is just extra comforting when you get to wear big warm sweaters, blue jeans, and leather boots.

If you don't agree with me about fall being the best season there is, then I challenge you to take part in the following activities. I guarantee that your life will be enriched and you will end the season with a changed mind and new passion for autumn.


Source: mochatini.org via Van on Pinterest


10 Fun Things To Do in the Fall: 

1. Pick apples. visit an orchard. drink their apple cider.

2. Bake pumpkin goodies. pumpkin muffins, pie, bread, cookies....pretty much anything with pumpkin is amazing.

3. Camping trip. Do it early before it gets too cold. Take in the smells of camping because you can't get that anywhere else. I prefer camping in the woods where you can sit around the fire and tell scary stories, but that's not everyone's cup of tea I suppose.

4. Carve pumpkins. Go to a pumpkin patch. Do not buy your pumpkin at the grocery store! Pick out your own unique pumpkin and carve that sucker. Make a party of it. And you must bake the seeds, they're delicious.

5. Visit a corn maze. Okay, this one is hard, because you have to find a good corn maze. Some of them are lame, but if you find the ones that are somewhat challenging, it can be really fun. It's better to do this one in the dark when things are spooky :)

6. Have a Scary movie night. If you don't like scary movies, then have a fall movie night. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but there are certain movies that are perfect to watch in the fall. Examples: Cold Mountain, The Village, and Dan in Real Life. I watch all of these multiple times during the fall.

7. Take a Hike. If you are a hoosier, this might be a challenge. But hey, "hiking" can be a simple walk in the woods. If possible though, find a mountain and climb it (or large hill). Soak up the view from the top.

8. Attend a Football Game. In High School, I remember loving the fall because of football season, and I would go to every game I possibly could. I think my favorite things are the pep band and the hot chocolate from concessions. yum.

9. Make caramel apples, cider with spices, and homemade hot soup. Hello comfort food in the chilly weather. All three of these things will make your house smell like heaven.  

10. Halloween party!!! One of my favorite things about fall is Halloween. To make the most of it, you should create a killer creative Halloween costume (like our Jack and Jill from last year). Pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters, and make sure you aren't giving out crappy candy, or the kiddies will not want to come back for more next year. I think its fun to host/attend a party where there are things like bobbing for apples, dancing, good food, and costume contests. If you are really looking to have a good time, find a haunted house to go to. Make sure you do some research, because some of these places are sketch and/ or real lame. (hint: if it doesn't freak you out and make you scream and lose your breath, than its probably not worth your time). Enjoy this night, it's the best.







If you do all of these things and still don't love fall, than you're a crazy person.








Oct 3, 2011

{meals this week}


Being a full time student = no time to cook real food. 

Well, maybe there is time, but by dinner I'm just too exhausted and overwhelmed with homework to make an extravagant meal for two. Sometimes Jordan and I ask our on campus friends to kindly swipe us meals at the college, or we just make something easy like soup and sandwiches. This week we had a day of breakfast for dinner. Red Berries tea, Cheerios, and oatmeal. I was content. Today I went next door to the girls' house for a meal cooked by our new friend, Lawson. He made a fancy shmancy and delicious dinner for us: tomato basil soup with mushrooms, pesto pasta, seasoned mozzarella & tomatos, baked brie crescents, and garlic cheese bread. Our stomachs were full and to be honest, we were all pretty impressed.

 Now I am inspired and determined to try cooking at least one real meal a week. We will start there and see if I can stick to it. Wish me luck.