It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

The time of year when everyone starts complaining when stores set up their Christmas displays when “it’s not even Halloween!”

To them I say…SO WHAT?!

Halloween doesn't matter much to me, and I love Thanksgiving so much because it’s the kickoff to Christmas, so you know what? Have at it, big box stores! Decorate for Christmas in late September. I’ll take all the Christmas I can get.

The other night at the grocery store, we saw so many pumpkins.

Fat ones, skinny ones, those really short round ones. Orange ones, green ones, white ones, bright orange ones, smooth ones, bumpy ones. Don’t you love those white ones? Nature’s chicest statement of the season, to be sure.

I stood beside them looking at Mark with that “don’t you want a festive gourd display in our apartment to welcome weary travelers and help them get into the spirit of the harvest?” look.

But we were all dressed up and didn’t want to get all covered in autumnal dirt.

The point is, they were there, and I’ve been noticing other bloggers posting their odes to scarves, boots and falling leaves, and this is mine.

Except mine is more like an ode to jackets (Hi Suze Orman, do you remember when I was so in love with this Kristin Wiig parody?) and 30 Rock.

I am going to miss Kenneth. I hope he isn’t really gone.

I watch 30 Rock 50% for Jack McBreyer, 30% for Alec Baldwin (It has to be Elk Tongue!) and 20% to compare and contrast myself with Liz Lemon/wish I had Tina Fey’s job.

Why do you watch? And will you be buying white pumpkins? …or have you already?

Your childhood called. It wants its naps back.

At the Cetera show. I call this one "The Cheerful Unibomber"

I am the first one to roll my eyes when someone posts “I love my husband!!!!!!!”

But I just want to take this opportunity to tell the Internet that marrying my husband is shaping up to be the best decision I’ve ever made. Today is our “halfiversary.” Our “hemiversary,” if you will. We’ve had a great six married months together, and I love that guy. I wholeheartedly believe that I got the best one.

Even this morning, when my alarm rang to end my irrational five minute eye rest in the middle of getting ready for work – mornings are as brutal for me as they are for 13-year-olds – when he said something I had to giggle at, even though my morning rage had barely worn off: "Your childhood called. It wants its naps back."

A bowlful of candy.

A few months ago, my husband told me to put on a dress because we were going out for a fancy pants dinner. I got the most amazing butternut squash soup, which I described as a bowlful of candy, and I ate every last drop. Here we are at our fancy pants dinner; it was definitely as fancy as Provo gets, though this picture doesn't give much context:

Well this past week we were both sick, and on the day that I was sicker than Mark, he did some grocery shopping. One of the treasures he came home with was a butternut squash! On Sunday we made a healthier version of the soup I had at that fancy place. It was delectable.

Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from a recipe by ChefGiuseppe Di Gennaro as listed in the Calgary Herald on 9.17.10)

2T Butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 gala apple, chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, chopped

1 14-oz can chicken broth

1/4 cup fat free half and half

1/4 tsp. sage

cinnamon and salt

2T maple syrup

You just sauté the onion and apple in the butter until they're both caramelized, then add everything else but the maple syrup and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until the squash is super soft.

Then, ladle about 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree it. Transfer to a bowl and puree the remaining soup.

At this point you're supposed to drain the soup through a sieve. Well let's be honest, I don't have one of those, so we just dumped the pureed soup back into the pot, stirred in the maple syrup, and viola, butternut squash soup. It was way good.

On a recent trip to Cafe Trio with my parents, I tried some ravioli with a butternut squash sauce, and this (sieved) soup would make a grand ravioli sauce.

So there you go, kids. Go kick off your fall with a healthy bowlful of candy butternut squash soup.

some projects

I thought this lamp had a cute shape. I painted it...but she needs a new shade. I also made a runner for under it.

Here's one of my trusty vintage windows with the Abby Road print and a wedding photo in my favorite PB frame and my white candlesticks, also my favorite. Mark and I painted this table green. Love it.

Making an attempt to slipcover this chair...well I was attempting. But I did make that pillow and I love the lime zebra print ruffle.

This pillow was the first project I did. I made two.

The Cetera, Et Cetera

A couple things about my friend Jenna before we begin.

But before talking about Jenna...remember a couple weeks ago when my blog appeared to be on the mend? Not sure what happened there.

Also, WTF with the formatting here?

So Jenna. She gets tickets to things! She takes me with her! It's awesome.

You know how I love listen-while-you-work radio? Well, Jenna had tickets to Peter Cetera and she took us. Said Jenna, "to love the ladies is to love the Cetera. I hope that Mark and Justin (her fiancé) understand this concept."

I think they did? That isn't the point.

You guys, he did everything. Por ejemplo:

Plus a couple other gems that aren't available on Playlist for some heinous reason.

I was in pure heaven for a little over an hour, sitting there on the cold, wet grass, listening to Cetera belt it out in his signature vibrato and Mark's impression of Cetera which sounds just like Barry Gibb doing an impression of Cetera.

Perfect close of summer.

bad marketing.

Last year after Potlatch, the flagship employer of my parents’ town, changed its name to the more corporatized, “Clearwater Paper Company,” some rebranding was in order for its credit union, Potlatch #1 Federal Credit Union.

Instead of doing it the right way, using the opportunity to revamp the image and freshen their brand, they did it the easy way, shortening the name to a simple, roll-off-your-tongue acronym, P1FCU. Or, as my family has taken to calling it, “Hey, P1FCU, man!” (In an angry voice.) I chide my dad for his involvement, however slim, with this organization.

He just sent me an even worse branding decision, one his company had nothing to do with. I give you Drake University’s “D+” initiative: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100903/od_yblog_upshot/great-moments-in-collegiate-marketing-drake-universitys-d-campaign

Pondering...

Last week at Target I saw Gossip Girl Season 3 on sale for $36. Can I just tell you how much I wanted to buy it??

I watched maybe three episodes of the third season, total. But, I still want to watch it. The clothes and the hair are just too good to never see. And of course, there’s Chuck Bass.

Gossip Girl=modern art?

Me, have a dormant obsession with a teen drama that just. won’t. die…? I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Did any of you lovely readers watch last season? Is it worth it?