Fried everything AND animals for sale...

The State Fair 

is serious business around here... 

Literally people buy, sell, trade, and show their animals. I was tempted to go home with a few. Turns out, they're affordable!  

We had company this weekend. our friends Andy and Jenny came to visit and what better way to introduce them to NC than a trip to the fair. 

For sale: $35.00 for the pair! 

Halloween's around the corner. 

One more month and these poor babies will be goners. :(

Kids showing their livestock. The judge literally said, "she has a nice brisket".
 I almost became a vegetarian on the spot. 

Jenny and Andy

The blurry shot of us. 

  In hopes of finding the best food, we asked the police officers about the 'best bbq at the fair'. They sent us to a random grill vendor who spent the day cooking to show off his fancy grills. it turned out that he didn't sell food, but fed all of the police officers everyday to thank them for their service. He was nice enough to invite us in to eat for free. and it was the 'BEST'! The best part was when he gave us all of his recipes to help the "californians" fit in around here a little better. 

 Glad to have met my new BFF, Ned. 

Winner: 700 lb pumpkin!

A little theif. 

NC state makes their own ice cream. It's only sold at the fair and on campus. It was delicious. 

Pig races were great, but mini goat and duck races were better!

Even the signs were a little bit country. :)

As a bonus, we took Andy and Jenny to the morning times and the NC state campus for a visit. Miles was in on the trip. 

New friends. 

This might have been one of the funniest parts of the day. Gotta reach to greet that one...  

Miles is joining the Wolfpack.

the library

Miles knows the word "wait" and the cross walk kindly announces "wait" until it's time to go. miles was very interested in this. i think he could get around campus safely without me.

Overall, it was a fun weekend. I still might go back for some of those farm animals... gotta get my backyard fort up to par. 

-nicola & the little pup

There's nothing better...

Than actually sitting down to eat a meal! 

Ok, maybe this is a close second to an actual couch for our living room. But we’re celebrating the daily growths around here. And we finally have our kitchen table. And I just LOVE it. 

 

Magnolia Wood

Sorry it's blurry... the kitchen has so many windows that it's hard to get a good shot. The lights had to happen. 

Things are coming along around here. The kitchen still isn't complete... but it's pretty close. The updates will be coming up soon. 

-Nicola & the little pup

Goodbye humidity and mosquitos... Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

fall makes me happy for three reasons:

 1) I can go outside again.

2) I'm no longer itching all day.

3) The holiday festivities are about to begin!

I always wondered why cardigans and scarves showed up in the “fall”. Don’t get me wrong, I love them both, but the 85 degree (Californian) weather really doesn’t make either of them suitable.  Now that I’ve moved, I understand…

fall is real.

It is actually completely different than summer. Things are FALLING everywhere. The leaves are evacuating their tree posts. The acorns are bouncing on my patio (I thought I was being bombed by my squirrels at first). And the temperature is dropping fast. 

The attention being paid to pumpkins seems to be the same on both coasts… Just how it should be. 

We’ve done our fair share of fall decorating. And by decorating, I mean buying EVERY pumpkin that I stumble across.

Baskets of gourds and pumpkins... Miles thinks they're festive balls.

The start of the porch collection.

Leaves are beginning to fall. We need a rake....badly.

And to be sure that Pinterest gets involved, I've been cooking and baking some of my "to do" list. I want to get through most of my recipes this year. Call me Martha Stewart, because decorating, cooking, and baking have been a daily occurrence around here. 

There are a few recipes that I highly recommend (you can find them on my Pinterest board "I'm Hungry"- which is usually true):  

Pumpkin Snicker Doodles- THE BEST COOKIES EVER!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup (I added a bouillon cube for more flavor) 

Dark chocolate bites filled with almonds, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries.

And to make things even better... this week MORE FURNITURE ARRIVES! I don't think I've ever been so happy about deliveries. I feel like a little kid again practically running to the door when I see the mailman (or better yet, the UPS folks) parking at the end of my ridiculously long driveway.  

Still counting down for the couch though....
- Nicola & the little pup