273/365

Anyone who knows me knows that I think cooking is a waste of precious time, food is just not that important to me; however, when I'm going to bother with cooking, I want to do it right. Tom is the weekday cook in our house and I do it up big on the weekends. For some reason though I ended up cooking Monday and Tuesday (rosemary roasted potatoes and corn stuffed porkchops on Monday and homemade chicken chili Tuesday) so I told Tom he's definitely cooking Wednesday. Well, isn't he getting fancy? He made seared steak with balsamic cherry tomatoes (on a bed of arugula)...it was delicious!

272/365

We get these funny little spiders that build webs in the juniper and in the grass...they seem to build them overnight because each morning there's a new crop of webs all over the yard...I've never actually seen the spiders though...very strange...

271/365

The view crossing the lift bridge from Stillwater, Minnesota to Somerset, Wisconsin.

270/365

Baked apples for dessert...it's a very windy and chilly day here in MN, the leaves are starting to drop so they're really blowing around, I though thsese would be a perfect treat for this fall day!

269/365

This is what we awoke to this morning...a whole lot of creepy fog!

268/365

Is Buster sleeping or hiding from something scary on TV?

267/365

My picture of the day is actually Matt singing along with his ipod while playing XBox...obviously he did not know I was taping it just as he doesn't know I'm posting it here. I've already been warned that if I show anyone he'll "kill" me...now is that anyway for a boy to talk to his mother?

266/365

Here's a picture of my 15 minutes of fame (ok, it was really only 7 but who's counting?). I was very nervous to appear on television, especially to dicuss my marriage to a younger man, but my co-workers were very supportive (wish I could say the same about my husband!)

265/365

I've been asked to appear on our 3pm show Twin Cities Live by my good friend (who also happens to be one of the show's producers) to discuss what it's like to be married to a younger man...so I thought it only appropriate that today's pic be of Tom in his Lovin Cougars is not a crime t-shirt. All this Cougar talk is due to tomorrow's premier of the new Courtney Cox sitcom "Cougar Town" which will be shown on ABC (our station's network). Wish me luck, I'm pretty nervous!

264/365

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater must have come calling because pumpkins magically appeared today on my pumpkin vines. Tom beat me home, noticed the pumpkins and ran out to feel them to see if they were real. Kinda freaked us all out but I'm pretty sure I know the identity of mysterious pumpkin fairy. Thanks Lisa (via Peter)!

263/365

Look at my Goodwill treasure (along with a vintage bible story book, a vintage hymnal, two children's books and some great vintage Christmas tree ornaments). Hmmm...I wonder what I should do with this little beauty?

262/365

I just might get pumpkins in time for Halloween...keep your fingers crossed.

261/365

mmm mmm these new wallflowers from Bath and Body Works sure do smell good!

260/365

Look how dirty my step is from this dog constantly laying there. Why did I get two big dogs? They've got the house literally destroyed. I guess it's time to call a professional carpet cleaner to do the ENTIRE house!

259/365

Buster finally agreed to let us sign him up for soccer so he thought he'd better practice before

it starts on Monday.

258/365

The Nintendo DS Scribblenauts game was released today...Tom ran to get it during his lunch hour for Sebastian. The player basically creates the game as he/she goes along...you "scribble" a word and that item then instantly appears in the game. I wonder if Sebastian realizes he's honing his spelling skills while he plays? Tom said he's putting Sebastian to bed early so he can play (I hope he realizes the game won't allow for inappropriate words...too bad Tom!)

257/365

The "Roemer" book is finished.

256/365

The new "Sweetango" arrived at Kowalski's...they're supposed to be even better than Honeycrisps. I haven't tried one yet but Sebastian and I shared a Zestar, it was delicious. I'll be bringing one of the Sweetangos to work tomorrow for my afternoon snack.

255/365

Remember these? I was just thinking about these little goodies the other day, wondering why I never see them given as Halloween treats anymore...and here they are...discovered at my local Walgreens. Seems to me when I was a little girl this is what we found most often in our treat bags when we surveyed our loot at the end of the night!

254/365

Bionicle wars...(how come I'm on day 254 and my pictures are still terrible?)

253/365

I finally planted my pretty fall mums...(p.s. I miss Shelby)

252/365

...and Matthew gets to drive to school this year.

251/365

First day of 3rd grade...new Timberwolves t-shirt, new book bag and new sneakers. I'm so thankful I have children that actually like school!

250/365

Tom and I spent all day painting the fence...I guess we didn't think it would take so long but we're almost finished (although our right hands are crippled). Every hour or so I would say to him: 'I wonder what Shelby's doing?'...and right now I'm wondering what Shelby's doing...I hope she had a good day!

249/365

Move-in day at UW-Stout...I've never seen anything like it, literally thousands of people but the organizers have it down to a science, very impressive! She just texted me...she's already having a blast! What a relief!

248/365

Cops and robbers...

247/365

Part of the J.L. Carpentier gang...

246/365

Look at the animals in the zoo.

245/365

Shelby made me go on this ride called TORNADO...but she got as motion-sick as I did...oh, snap!

244/365

Elsie Lucille Carpentier - August 21, 1912 - September 1, 2009.