Pumpkin Patchery

Last Sunday, we visited the Peter Pumpkin Patch at our favorite creamery, Spring Hill in Petaluma. We hadn't been in two years, and I was really excited to go back.

Activities included

 

letting a baby cow tickle our fingers

milking a cow

hanging out with a cute baby

and her awesome parents

not pictured: eating homemade ice cream, picnic lunch, and HOW DID I NOT TAKE PICTURES OF DIGGING FOR POTATOES?!  Most fun ever.

oh wait - Andrea got a photo of Claire

digging for potatoes. yessssss!

Also there was this.

A little confused...and yes, that's a different

outfit. Girl's gotta stay fresh, yo!

After several hours in the sun, we came home and carved our pumpkins...maybe not the BEST idea, since Halloween is now several days away and our pumpkins are starting to wilt.  Oh well. It's been fun.

Some photos of our masterpieces:

variation on a classic
(thank you, stencil)

This pumpkin was oddly-shaped.

I started making a bunch of triangles, thinking I'd do a random pattern.

Then I decided the triangles looked like eyes,

and I thought it would be fun to do a bunch of faces.

Here are 3.

Here are two more of its 5 faces.

It actually turned out really well!

Will's amazing creation.

Can you identify this woman?

All in all, a successful weekend.  Peter Pumpkin Patch is always a lot of fun!  And now that I've committed to decorating a little bit for Halloween, I'll have to post pictures of the little bits of decoration in the house :)

our porch 

Wedding Dress Madness

By popular demand, the Post About The Wedding Dresses I Didn't Buy! As you know, I bought a dress. So very excited! Because I have my dress (it arrives around January 10, ready to be altered), and a whole photo album of dress pictures, and because y'all keep asking me, I thought I'd share some of the other contenders (and not-contenders).

Side note: I'm watching Say Yes to the Dress...a show that gives very unrealistic expectations of wedding dress budgets. These ladies are buying dresses that cost more than our entire wedding. Wow.

Anyway, enjoy!  And if you're not into wedding stuff, just ignore this post.  Warning: lots and lots (and lots) of pictures ahead.

This one was super cute. A lot of fabric, but
really cute.

What is going on with this dress?
This cannot look good on anybody.

The back of this one was rad. The front,
not so much.

I really liked this short one. Thought about
buying it just for fun, but it was still like
$400.

The flowers had tinsel on them.
Strangely (minus the tinsel), I liked this one
more than I thought I would.

swaddled.

What is happening?

I look skeptical, but I did like the foofy.

Welcome to the Saloon!

Who decided that these roses were a good idea?

BATWINGS!

This one had a cool lacy bolero
(only an extra $250 or so...ha)

This one was a contender fo sho - really
liked it. Very fun. Side note: David's
Bridal is a crazy place.

This put me to sleep.
Sorry Vera (Wang).

What is this face? What am I doing?
I liked the shape, but not the weird ferns.

Convertible dress! WHAT?
(apparently this is a trend right now)

I kind of fell in love with this dress.
But I love the dress I ended up with more.
A lot more.
Perfectly more.

I never thought I would love a dress.  But I love it.  And I am so excited to marry this guy, lemmetellyouwhat.

Getting Carded

I am a fan of Shutterfly.  I've used it for photo books and photo storage/sharing for years, so when they contacted me about doing a review and giveaway of their holiday cards, I jumped on the opportunity!  I've never sent holiday cards before, but I do think they're fun to receive! Why not be on the giving end this year?  ...now I just have to decide what to do!

We're planning to take engagement photos sometime next month, so I'm thinking maybe we'll incorporate some of those photos in our cards?  They have all sorts of designs, from Christmas cards (and Chanukkah cards too!) to just general greeting cards and holiday cards, including some cute ones that just say "Happy Everything".  I like the ones with the snowflakes and pine cones too...very wintery. And though it's just barely starting to feel like Fall up in here, I get excited about the spiced cider and scarves and blankets and general coziness.

Some of my favorite designs:

This one is pretty adorable. Wintery without going overboard.

Do I just like this one because of the wedding?
And because of the pine cones?
Maybe.

Also cute. Especially with the snow.
Get it? Warm wishes? Cause they're all bundled up?
Oh, that's just something people say?
Whatever.

I like this one a lot.

It's hard to decide what kind of holiday card to send, since we're about to send out Save the Dates and Wedding Invitations, and we'd likely send holiday cards to the same people...but I'm sure I'll think of something :)  In those cold winter months when we're all feeling cozy, people don't mind getting a little extra mail, right?  Especially if it's a warm wish or a happy face smiling back at them, I'd think?  We'll probably just go easy on the cheesy and make it fun.  Or make some more generic thank you cards to send at a later date.

Do you send out holiday cards?  If so, what do they usually say? Who do you send them to? What's your favorite part of sending cards?  If you've never done it before (like me!), how come?  Would you ever want to? So many questions! 

For those of you who like sending cards, or for those of you who never have but want to start, Shutterfly is letting me give away THREE sets of 25 holiday cards!  This is your chance to get a head start on those cute and awesome photo cards of you and your kids or pets or partners or just your super sassy self - don't wait until the end of the holiday season to remember that you wanted to send cards this year!

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite part of the holiday season. Let's get all warm and fuzzy up in here!
2. Share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, whatever, and leave a comment for each individual thing that you do. 

Comments will be counted and THREE winners will be selected by the Random Number Generator on Friday, 11/4/11 - all entries must be received by 11:59pm on Thursday, 11/3/11.  There is no limit to number of entries, so share away!

The fine print about the giveaway:

• The prize codes are good for any 5x7 greeting or stationery card product. 
• Note that they do not apply to the cheaper photo cards (with the glossy surface).
• The codes can be used for any of the products found at the links below:
• 5x7 Holiday & Christmas Greeting/Stationery Cards (here or here)
• Other 5x7 Greeting/Stationery Card Types (here or here)
• The codes expire December 31st, 2011.

In the interest of disclosure, Shutterfly is also providing me with a coupon code for my own set of free cards. They asked me to write about their holiday cards in exchange for free cards for myself and three readers, but I am receiving no other compensation for this post. They did not ask me to write anything specific, or to give positive reviews; my opinions and thoughts are my own.  Enjoy!

Crafternoon

A few Saturdays ago, some girlfriends and I got together for what we've affectionally taken to calling Crafternoon.  I really hope we pull it together to do this more often, because it was super fun.  Dana hosted, and honestly, she provided most of the crafts.  And the motivation.  Good hosting, Dana!

We watched Bridesmaids and looked at wedding stuff, and oh the crafting.

There were attempts at string-balloon-lanterns...

puff paint pumpkins...

 

and a framed letter made of buttons...

a chore chart...

Silhouette die cut machine, I love you.

and a homemade stamp...

...not to mention the (not pictured) knitting trials and giant crocheted flower.  And oh,  the delicious food that I neglected to photograph.


It was a lovely gathering of ladies, and lots of (dare I say productive?) fun -- we must make this a regular affair!  Thanks to everyone for a lovely Crafternoon :)

Some Ethan Allen Houselusting

A few weeks ago, I took a silly little "what kind of style are you" quiz from Ethan Allan.  Not surprisingly at all, it turns out that my style is Vintage.

If you know me at all, you will know I am drooling over these photos...

So cozy and wonderful.

Perfect. Although...who lives here? And why are the walls
so empty? Maybe they just moved in.

A little too nautical, but I like it.

A little too whitewashed, but so romantic.

Dream breakfast nook situation.

Minus the his and hers and scottie dog pillows.

Not crazy about the throw pillows, but otherwise...

Now that you've wiped the drool off your keyboard (I know I have...ok, now I have), tell me what your dream house looks like!  I'll be back with some more beefy posts later this week...craft night, pumpkin patch and jack-o-lanterns, and yes, more giveaways!

PS this post was in no way whatsoever sponsored by Ethan Allen.  But if they found this and wanted to give me a gift certificate, I wouldn't complain. Hint. Hint. Hint. Sigh.

Salame Winner!

Update:

Nichan63 never responded, so I had the Random Number Generator choose a new winner!

Congratulations, Colette! You won!

Congratulations to Nichan63, the winner of the Columbus Salame Giveaway!

Nichan63, please contact me with your mailing address so we can get you some salame :)

Miss Representation

This video has been making the rounds on the internet lately, and I finally had a chance to watch it.  It's too powerful, too true, too interesting, too important not to share.

From the Miss Representation website:

The film Miss Representation exposes how American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths.

In response we created MissRepresentation.org, a call-to-action campaign that seeks to empower women and girls to challenge limiting labels in order to realize their potential.

We are uniting individuals around a common, meaningful goal to spark millions of small actions that ultimately lead to a cross-generational movement to eradicate gender stereotypes and create lasting cultural and sociological change.

Miss Representation premiered in the documentary competition at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was immediately picked up by OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network for their documentary club series.

I would love to organize a screening in Berkeley...anyone have a venue and want to partner up with me to do it?  Email me at kimskitchensink [at] gmail [dot] com.

Columbus Salami, Columbus Day

In honor of Columbus Day today, I thought I'd post my recap of our recent salami tasting party, which was generously sponsored by Columbus Salame!  Now, I am a huge Columbus Salame fan.  I love their salami, their prosciutto, their pancetta...even their lunch meats.  They're a Bay Area company, which makes me feel good about supporting them, though I'd been buying their products long before moving up here.

The kind folks at Columbus sent me six different types of salami to review, and we decided to host our salami tasting party in conjunction with our housewarming party (and a Cal football watching party).  Fun for all!

So much salami!
You can see the tasting guides, pens, and adorable
Columbus cutting board in the background :)
Not pictured: Columbus tote bags

Everyone had a great time tasting the salami, and reading about the differences between salume and salame in the tasting guides!  A brief review, based on feedback from the group:

Chorizo Casero: Not as spicy as we'd expected from a chorizo, but it had a pleasant, smoky chorizo flavor. 

Soprasetta: Slightly oily, I think this is the fattiest of the selections?  It is mighty tasty, with a hint of fennel. 

Cajun Salame: This was the spiciest of all, with a surprising kick that hits you towards the end of the bite. One of my favorites, because it's quite different. 

Pepper Salame: This was also a bit spicy, but more peppery really (perhaps because it's coated in black peppercorn? maybe?).   

Herb Salame: One of the messiest, but also one of the most delicious. The herb salame is coated in a lovely herb mixture, which yes, gets all over your hands, but it's so worth it. 

Italian Dry Salame: The basic salame, though some thought it wasn't dry enough. I don't mind my salami a little wetter, so I had no problem with its texture.  Mild, yet rich, it's just your classic salam.  :)

We pre-sliced half for easy grab-n-go tasting.

We got through just about half of the salame at the party, and Will and I have been enjoying our leftovers quite a lot.  Chopping it into salads, mixing it into breakfast (both alongside fried eggs and in scrambles), and we took a full log up to Tahoe when we drove up to look at venues -- it's a great car snack as long as you have a sharp knife and something to cut on.

Gratuitous salame closeup by Suki

The party was a great success, and a fantastic way to warm our new house!  Thanks, Columbus, for the tasty housewarming gift!

Will says this could be a stock photo for
Columbus. I agree. Thanks, Suki, for the
cool photo (and thanks, Dana, for not
being mad that I posted a picture of you
eating :) 

And because it was damn good, and I'm proud of the design,
I present to you...Script Cal Peanut Butter Snickers Pie.
Sadly, it did not help the Bears beat the Huskies that day.

Oh, you're still here?  You're still reading? Well, lucky you, you get to find out about the giveaway!  That's right, because they are super nice, Columbus is going to send a selection of 3 salamis to one of you lucky readers! 

To Enter:

• Comment on this post and tell me what kind of salami you would like to try.
• Comment on this post to tell me where around the internet you've shared this (twitter? facebook? your blog?  leave one comment for each place)

That's it!  So easy!  :)

I'll choose a winner on Sunday 10/16 - contest remains open until 11:59pm on Saturday 10/15.


You can also visit their Facebook page for a chance to win a grab-n-go salami...they're giving them away (in honor of their fans and their Italian heritage) to the first 1,000 people to enter!

Special thanks to Reed, Suki and Dana, who were especially
helpful in getting this party set up. Salami slicing masters!
Not pictured: Katherine (for some odd reason)

A Weekend Off

This is the first weekend in over two months where we have not had back to back crazy plans or way too much stuff to do on the weekend.  We had planned on going camping, or maybe checking out one last wedding venue in Tahoe. But for several reasons, including indecisiveness and exhaustion, we ended up just staying home.  Well, not entirely...we had a super fun night at Cafe Biere last night to celebrate Reed's birthday, full of beer, sangria, mussels, and Taboo.   So fun.

It also occurred to me that I won't have a quiet weekend of nesting/relaxing for a while; what with the wedding dress shopping (eee!), the holidays, and various other activities, life's just going to continue to be busy for a while!

But today?  Suddenly we find ourselves with no plans.  We have to do some wedding planning (budgets, ick, scary), and oh goodness! Laundry! Cleaning! 2 year old's birthday party tomorrow!  I'm looking forward to some lounging around and nesting this weekend, with some much-needed R&R. 

Things that are on my "maybe I'll do it this weekend" list now:

• unpack new mesh baskets and organize the skinny cart next to the stove - DONE!
• install mesh baskets to expand spice rack wall
• unpack the last bedroom box and set up the top of my dresser
• unpack the last kitchen stuff box
• figure out how to get the stuff to fit in the kitchen (place to display glass jars full of grains?)
• wash new glass jars and transplant remaining grains
• sort mail, pay bills
• clear off dining room table
• sort through giant bag of BlogHer swag...and blog about it? Gee, BlogHer was only 2 months ago.
• laundry - we seem to not be very good at doing it on weeknights these days
• wedding budgeting - must get done!

It's really exciting (ok, maybe that's not the right word) to just have a weekend of lounging around, taking care of projects, and maybe even just taking a nap in the backyard.  Will is playing the piano as I type this and try to decide what to eat (I'm a bad Jew on Yom Kippur), and it's looking to be a lovely weekend!