embracing domesticity

It is slightly embarrassing to admit my great excitement when we received our new vacuum in the mail, but alas, I am grown and quickly growing accustomed to the joys of adulthood.

Here she is...our gently purring, surprisingly powerful Electrolux.

have yourself a merry little christmas

Well, I am a little embarrassed by my lack of commitment. It has been almost two months since I have posted anything, which seems so ridiculous considering the amount of activity that comes with Nov and Dec - Thanksgiving, the first Missoula snow, family, Christmas, School, etc. 

So now the question is where do I start. How do i begin to give an update on our lives of late?

Christmas 2008 = 7 days in Chattanooga + New Years in Atlanta + 4 days in Dallas

Whether it was battling it out in countless ping pong tournaments, baking endless batches of delicious cookies (gingerbread, double chocolate, pecan chocolate blondies, toffee, etc.), boxing vigorously on the wii, completing the annual Christmas puzzle, reading in front of the fire, or just spending down time with our dear families, I think we can both agree that this Christmas was absolutely delightful. Though we love our home in Missoula, it is bittersweet having to say goodbye to people that we love so dearly. The following are some of the pics from our time in Chattanooga. 

Susie Q and I reading by the fire.

Don't let her sweet and gentle spirit fool you. Mom is a beast win it comes to ping pong. 

Slightly awkward in my stance, but I came out alright. 

The Bracket.

Joseph and Adam battling it out in the first round. 

I have never seen two people so in shock over a Christmas. We have officially crossed over to the dark side. 

Mom and Susie Q on Christmas morning. 

Dad and Adam sharing a brew while Dad whips up some delicious pecan toffee. 

Surveying their masterpiece. 

Baking session #3, Chewy Gingersnaps. 

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year. 

winter sabbath in arlee

We spent the afternoon/evening with our dear friends Elon and Susie out on their farm in Arlee, MT. They are without hesitation two of the most fascinating people we have ever met and have been some of our dearest friends. Our friendship began in a rather obscure and unexpected manner when Adam, Elon and I happened to be at the same discussion group over Michael Moore's movie Sicko. Soon after, I joined Elon at Rocky Mountain Biologicals, Inc. as the new Office Manager, where I spend my days paying bills, managing our marketing system, and keeping Elon under control. 

So back to this evening...we met the Gilberts at about 3:30 up at their home (an old grainery) and immediately headed out on a beautiful hike up in the Mission Mountain Range in order to beat the dark. Our hour and half hike was followed by Elon and Adam slicing and saucing apples while watching Sunday night football and Susie and I began dinner preparations back at the grainery.  The Menu...Curried Chicken Soup, Kalamata Olive Bread and Olive Oil for dipping, Fresh Salad with Feta, Wine and a Dessert of fresh Apple Sauce, Carrot Cake, and Ginger Tea. Following dinner, Susie took us through her massive collection of art and textiles from their years of living/working in India, Africa, and Laos, among other places.

halloween

Unfortunately, Halloween came right before one of my big Anatomy tests, so Adam had to do quite a bit of convincing to get me to actually dress up and celebrate. We made a couple of new friends through our intramural ultimate frisbee team and they invited us to a potluck costume party. I am kind of embarrassed to say that on Halloween Eve, the two of us spent approximately 2 hours discussing possible costumes for the following days events. We thought of quite an extensive list but were limited by our determination to be festive on a budget of zero. After scrounging through the closet and making a quick trip to the grocery, we decided that I would go as Richards Simmons and Adam would be a Dictator (SEE BELOW).

that time of year

This month has been crazy. It seems like 5 minutes ago I was saying "holy cow! October is here" and now all of a sudden the colors are fading and the snow is setting in. Despite how fast it has swept through, we have tried our best to embrace the joys of autumn. This weekend we ate apple cake and cinnamon baked pumpkin followed by an intense carving session, the results of which were quite fabulous (see below). Last weekend, when adam was gone to NJ, I attended the last missoula market until next may. I came home with delicious bitterroot apples, sweet onions, and a beautiful butternut squash (eat seasonally!!!), which we have already eaten.

he's home

So I bet at least a few of you remember last year when a good friend of ours from Arlee, MT gave us boxes and boxes of delicious plums, fresh from his backyard. After a brief panic at the thought of hundreds of ripening plums waiting in our kitchen, I decided to take on the task of making some homemade prunes with our new dryer. Though the taste of fresh prunes for the next 4 months may have been worth it, the monotony of pitting combined with 10 very raw, cut up fingers were enough to make that a one time show. 

This year I tackled a new challenge. On one of our Saturday Market trips I happened by a booth where an old woman was selling jam. She had a little bit of everything: Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Huckleberry, Strawberry Huckleberry, Huckleberry Thimble Berry Peach, etc. The sad part is that each small jar is quadruple the price I pay for regular jam at Orange Street, so I had a couple samples (probably one or two too many) and left. 

When I walked into our kitchen and smelled the overripe plums, well, I met my challenge.