Today

Outside my window: it’s pretty much the same weather we’ve been having for a week or two now. Cold in the mornings with temps in the 30’s requiring a sweater and perhaps a winter jacket, but this afternoon we’re expecting temps in the 50’s and the jacket might not be necessary. The good news is there’s no rain predicted today.

Stuff I forgot to tell you about last week: one of the first restaurants we learned about after moving here was Ella’s Deli. It’s this sorta dumpy looking Jewish deli downtown that has a big carousel outside and more smaller carousels and moving decorations inside. It’s crazy and chaotic and the food is really only just okay but going there is supposedly a real experience – and kids love it there. Like they do birthday parties and stuff – there’s a working carousel outside : common now, you have to go!

And so we kept meaning to go but it’s downtown and out of the way and the menu is all “meh” and unimpressive so it took me a long time to get around to it. It was on our Summer To Do List all season and never happened. So when a lunch trip was scheduled there with my moms & tots group after story time at a nearby pet store, I decided it was time to go – if the food was only just okay, it would still be fun given the company and it would be cheaper for just me and BB to go than it would be to take the whole family. This way I could scope it out and not bug Dan about it.

So we went – we took pictures (that picture above is the carousel, I’d have taken more but I only brought my cell phone and the parking lot was kinda crowded and sketchy-tastic so I head a death grip on BB’s hand, who was kinda bored and wanted to walk into traffic while I tried to hold my cell phone steady in bad lighting to get a good picture. But you get the idea.

The food? Not the greatest, but not bad either. Their chicken noodle soup was pretty tasty, the french bread on the side downright fantastic. Their fresh pound cake topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce that is supposedly the Customer Favorite? I’d give it a “just okay, not really worth the extra money” – but the decor was just too cool and the kids really did have a blast. So I’m glad we went. And I probably aught to take the boy sometime, too.

This weekend: MM and Daddy did one of the free Saturday workshops at Home Depot, making a picture frame! Isn’t it cute? If you show up at Home Depot on the 1st Saturday of the month between 9am and noon they have a free workshop for kids ages 5+ to build something fun. This month was picture frames for either Veteran’s Day or Christmas or whatever your child decides is appropriate. MM made this for Dan’s birthday and I ordered a fun picture of MM and BB to put in it.

We also: took a little road trip yesterday to the Illinois LL Bean. I finally decided on what winter boots I wanted and we decided to go try them on in person. And I’m glad we did because I totally changed my mind once I got there and tried on a pair and ended up getting a pair that cost half as much that were much better!

Plus it was a fun little impromptu road trip and likely the last we’ll take this year. We also stopped at our favorite mall in that area and visited Hanna Andersson and The Disney Store, etc. Fun times!

Right now I’m reading: The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent which is the story of Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha’s courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

I’m about halfway through the story right now, which I’ve found fascinating though a bit slow going – definitely on the prosey side of the spectrum but still pretty good. When I finish it, I’ll be reading Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand for book club.

So far I’ve written: 10045 words for NaNoWriMo which puts me pretty well on track but by no means ahead of the game. I started out strong then slowed down dramatically when dealing with my blog issues at the end of last week, which meant trying to get caught up this weekend in my little downtime.

I’m really enjoying my story still, though, so that’s probably a good thing – I’m glad I did so much outlining and thinking about the plot last month because it’s helped a lot! Anyone else writing a novel this month? Look for me on the NaNoWriMo site and we can be writing buddies!

Plans for this week: My goal is to go for a walk three times this week and workout with the Wii probably on the other two days. Since the weather is cooling, I’m planning for those walks to be at my local mall. I’m leaving in about half an hour for my first one.

Other plans for the week include a quick trip to the doctor tomorrow to figure out if it’s normal that my knee still hurts every time I stand up (I hurt it doing jumping jacks at the end of September, you may remember). I’ve also got plans to watch the movie version of Never Let Me Go with a friend tonight, I’m working a book sale tomorrow night for MM’s school, we’ve got Parent Teacher conferences on Thursday as well as our November CSA pick up and Bunco that night – and Saturday MM is going to a birthday party for one of his new little besties at school. I’m looking forward to meeting his new friend and getting to know his parents hopefully. Basically, it’s a pretty busy week for us!

Pins you should click:

Paper pilgrim hats tutorial: marthastewart.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Apple cider caramels: blondiescakes.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Clothespin advent calendar: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

One Two last pictures to share before I go: just a couple of sweet cell phone shots from tucking in BB last night after getting home late from our impromptu road trip.