Countdown to October

I don’t know if I effectively communicated in my last post how much I love October. In my humble opinion, it is the greatest month of the year (and I would say that even if my birthday didn’t happen to fall in this month…). Not only do the trees turn a gorgeous shade of warm while the air becomes delightfully crisp, but also the general everyday happenings of October seem better than other months.

For one thing, there’s October style. My husband did not quite understand my eagerness to raid Target after church this morning for scarves and boot socks, but other women will understand me when I gush about how much I love fall apparel. Who wouldn’t want to ditch the uncomfortable heels and stiff dresses of summer for some comfy boots, leggings, and a cute/cozy cardigan? Maybe you wouldn’t, but I’m all for the comfy chic wardrobe.

October is also a pretty good month for sports. Not only is college football heating up, but it’s also the most intense month of baseball. And I LOVE baseball. Happy Choptober everyone. GO BRAVES!

Finally, October’s most signature staple, the pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin carving, pumpkin spiced lattes, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I love everything pumpkin. I’ve been itching to get my hands on some great pumpkins to put on our porch, but for fear of them deteriorating before the 31^st, I’ve made myself hold off. So today I decided to hit up the craft store and find a way to welcome October into our home (albeit 2 days early). As luck would have it, I found some great items on sale in order to make a simple tiered stand of ours into a lovely fall centerpiece!

Before

After

And all the while Lucy watched intently...

She loves October too, I promise

And with my leftover flowers I made our house a little homier...

So, can you tell I'm a fall fanatic yet? Just wait until Christmas.

Apple Hand Pies

In my mind, the month of September is a lot like Christmas Eve. From the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks to the first day of boot season (basically when the temperature hits 70 for me), the anticipation seems to build towards my favorite month of the year, October. While I’m an October girl at heart, September cannot be overlooked. It brings with it some great novelties too, such as the start of college football and the perfect fall treat that is apple pie.

While pumpkin pie is truly my favorite (did I mention I’m in love with October?), a good apple pie can turn a cloudy gray day into a cozy Fall haven. For that reason, I had to try this recipe for Apple Hand Pies that I found in a Betty Crocker recipe book. I also have a goal to make my husband like apple pie, and since this recipe included toffee bits I had a feeling it might just do the trick.

So here's what you'll need:

• 2 Gala apples, finely chopped (Rome apples also work)
• 2 tablespoons toffee bits (I use Heath bits of brickle)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened (I used Pillsbury pie crusts)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 12 cubes

Here's how it's done:

Preheat your oven to 375 and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray (liberally, these babies stick).

Stir apples, toffee bits, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice together in a medium bowl.

Now unroll your pie crusts onto a lightly floured surface, and using a 3" cookie cutter, cut 8 circles from each of your crusts. 

Place 8 of your 16 circles onto your cookie sheet and brush both sides with the beaten egg. Then place a tablespoon of the apple mixture into the center of each round and top with a cube of butter. 

Place the remaining 8 rounds on top of the apple mixture and press down the edges with a fork to seal. Brush with the remaining egg and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Be sure to eat them while they're warm for the best taste!

This was a great rainy day baking adventure, plus I finally accomplished my goal and made Eric like apple pie :)

Introducing Lucy Pozzo

I mentioned briefly in my last post that Eric and I recently adopted a dog. Instead of telling you all about her then, I decided that Lucy needed her own segment!

We adopted our sweet Lucy girl from the Greater Birmingham Humane Society a little over a month ago, and it was love at first sight for this pair of puppy loving Pozzos. Eric found her while we were walking around the kennels “just looking” at the dogs. From the back she looked just like a very pale golden retriever, a breed Eric’s family absolutely loves. I had told Eric prior to this trip that the only way I’d get a golden is if it was a small female (Eric’s parents’ dog is a large male whom I love, but wouldn’t do too well in our apartment!).  Well, Lucy looked like a small version of a golden mix, so we asked to meet her.

Lucy on the day we met her!

It took us about 10 seconds to decide we wanted this pup! She was only a little over a year old and already house trained (a must for us), plus she was sweet as could be! When we picked her up the following day her excitement to be with us was precious to experience.

Now, over a month later, Lucy is a big part of our family. It’s obvious that she knows we are her people and she absolutely adores us (lucky us!). Everyday when Eric gets home (she hears his car beep outside when he locks it and RUNS to the front door) I’m sure our neighbors can hear the THUMP THUMP THUMP of Lucy’s tail against the wall as she greets him. Adopting Lucy was one of the best things we ever did, not only did we gain a new family member but we helped a sweet dog find a family to spend her life with.

Lucy and her daddy

If you’ve ever thought about getting an animal, I would highly recommend adopting from a shelter. You may hear that some of these animals are ‘damaged goods’, but it’s simply not the case. For us, adopting was the best option. Not only were we able to find a dog that was old enough to be trained and young enough to spend a long time with, but she came up to date on shots, already spayed, and with a microchip for if she ever got lost.

Here are seven reasons to choose a shelter animal as a pet:

1.    You often avoid the vet costs for expensive procedures such as spay/neuter and initial vaccinations. Some shelters may not have the capacity to do this, but often vets will offer lower prices to spay/neuter if the animal is a rescue.

2.     If you are looking for a dog that is already house trained, you can often find older animals (even some older puppies) that were trained by their previous owners or by foster parents used by the shelter.

3.    Shelter animals are often better socialized with other animals as they live amongst them at the shelter (unless they have a previous issue with other animals).

4.     Most shelters will vet the animals and inform you of vices, such as trouble around children or afraid of cats, so you know which animals are right for you.

5.     Shelter animals are generally much cheaper than their counterparts (in addition to saving money on vet bills).

6.    Adopting a shelter animal will open up space in the shelter for other animals that are in need of rescuing.

7.   Finally, you will feel a strong connection to your shelter dog or cat because you gave them a wonderful home! Now you can watch those tear-jerking ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan and feel a little better about yourself.

Lucy has become my sister's newest model

If you’re in the Birmingham area and looking to adopt Eric and I strongly recommend the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. They are a clean, visitor friendly shelter that takes excellent care of their animals. They also have great services, such as a free checkup with certain local vets after adoption and puppy training classes at their facility.

Well, my shelter pup is currently poking her head around my computer with her tug toy, so it looks like this Lucy segment is done. Time to lose another round of tug-a-war. 

Hey there, remember me?

If you’re reading this post you might notice the SIGNIFICANT amount of time that has passed since I created this blog… time in which I have not posted a single thing. As luck would have it, my gratuitous amounts of free time suddenly disappeared when I accepted a fellowship position as a Photo Stylist at the cookbook publisher, Oxmoor House. If that wasn’t enough, Eric and I decided to adopt a dog! It’s funny how life is sometimes interrupted by more life.

Our sweet dog, Lucy (aka the great white goose)

No matter how busy these past few months have been, however, they have been some of the best months of my life. Being a newlywed accounts for most of that. It’s certainly an adjustment at times, but for the most part Eric and I have found marriage to be a huge blessing. Having an equal to share in the struggles and successes of daily life is so freeing. I know now more than ever that I got a good one. Eric has only proven to be kinder, more loving, and more caring in our time as husband and wife.

God also blessed me with a wonderful job right when we were starting to worry about how we would pay for food when Eric started school. I’ve been given a great opportunity to work with photo stylists at Oxmoor House, the cookbook publisher for big name brands such as Southern Living, Cooking Light, and Gooseberry Patch. We essentially select all the props that go into food shots for the cookbooks, i.e. the surfaces, linens, plates, flatware, glasses, background objects, etc. It has been incredibly rewarding and I am learning so much about photography and production. I would say this dream opportunity was definitely a God thing. I was desperately looking for a job, praying I’d find one at least remotely interesting, and all of a sudden this fell in my lap. I still can’t believe how blessed I am sometimes.

So amidst all these wonderful, busy months I have severely neglected this blog. Now that my dear husband has turned into a library rat for school I’m hoping I can put to practice some of the things I’m learning at work with some great new, easy recipes as well as some more musings on the life of a young newlywed. So stick with me, and maybe I’ll put my next post up before Christmas… (kidding.. I hope)