It came with directions!

find your inner PIE @ quizmeme.com

Yes, I do have some spare time on my hand. And I've never had blueberry pie, so I'm not sure how I feel about my alternate pie personality.

At the grocery on Monday I decided to be adventurous and healthy and I splurged on a pomegranate. I had part of one many moons ago when I lived in Toledo, but I don't remember what I thought about it. Anyone who knows me well knows that I tend to shy away from strange foods, so this is a big step for me.

Today I followed the directions to get the arils out. The arils are like mini-grapes with seeds inside, except the arils are inside the pomegranate. Now I have a whole dish of arils that I am snacking on. I'm still out on how much I like them. They aren't gross, but some are really tart. And the edible seed inside isn't too appealing. Overall they are a 7 out of 10 on the Hugs-scale. I'm looking forward to trying them on my cereal tomorrow though.

Thanks but...

When my mom came to visit after Xander's birth she brought these awesome Turtle Bars. There is crust, a caramel layer, pecans and chocolate. Chris and I somehow made them last but eventually they were gone. Fortunately my mom promptly gave me the recipe. I've already made them twice. I had to because we shared them and I did not get my recommended dosage. So good I just melted into a happy puddle every time I had one.

I sent some along with Chris to work and waited for the compliments to pour in. When I sent in cake and cupcakes I got hordes of comments, but nothing this time. I guess because everyone had melted into happy puddles.

But this got me thinking about compliments and how I love to get them but don't take them very well. I'd like to think I've gotten better over time. In high school and college if I received a compliment I'd immediately point out how it wasn't true.

"Wow Hugs, your hair looks great today" "Ugh, I rolled out of bed and didn't have time to shower so it smells."

I think it's partially a self esteem issue (not enough) and a partially a humbleness issue (trying to hard to be). But it has been pointed out that I do this and I've realized that I don't like it when I give someone else a compliment and they immediately turn it into a negative. So I've tried to improve.

"Wow Hugs, this dinner tastes awesome" "Yeah it does, but I cooked the chicken a little too long."

Last week I introduced Xander to one of my neighbors growing up. She kept saying how adorable he is. And I would say "Thank you" and find myself about to add something, like about his infant acne. I realized that I don't want to say that about him. I don't want him growing up seeing me say thinks like that. So "Thank you" was all I said. It felt weird like there was a gaping hole after it that was supposed to be filled. But it's an improvement :) One step forward at a time.

You think you know someone

I've known my handsome husband for over seven years now, been married for four of those years. So it's always surprising when I learn something new or there is a big miscommunication. A couple of weeks ago we bought a couple of pumpkins. They were set by our front door next to the mums.

Amanda's thoughts on pumpkins: Obviously pumpkins are nice decoration, but they are meant to be carved and used as Halloween decorations.

Chris's thoughts on pumpkins: Obviously pumpkins are nice decoration, they can sit there from now all the way through Thanksgiving.

When we realized we had totally different thoughts on what to do with the pumpkins, we bickered and mocked and finally decided to get more pumpkins to carve. Chris had never carved a pumpkin before! I don't think I have either, I would draw the face I wanted on it and my Dad would carve it. The local nursery was having a sale - all you can carry for $10. We think the sales ladies were a little disappointed that Chris only picked up three.

Ukie and Dandy visited, so they each got a pumpkin, Chris and I each got a pumpkin, and of course the pumpkin diva made a return, so all of the pumpkins were used.

Suburban Living

We live in a pretty good neighborhood. Case in point, garage sales. There's at least one, if not more, every Friday and Saturday morning. I've only gotten to partake a couple of times. Today Xander and I were out for a stroll and came across one that sold baby clothes. And these are nice brands, well cared for. I spent $5.25 for 4 sleepers, 2 shirts and 4 ensemble outfits. I love saving money.

One of the weird things I've seen while walking around is televisions in the garages. I guess it's the 'man area' and putting a tv there would help pass the time being a grease monkey. But there are some large televisions in some of these garages and they are all suspended from the ceiling, like at a sports bar. It boggles my mind.

Other than that, it is really nice being in a neighborhood that has well maintained yards and families that play outside. There are already lots of Halloween decorations out, which makes me grin like a fool. When we were looking at houses in February one of the things I looked for was houses that still had Christmas decorations up (really, in February they should be down*). There is only one house I've seen around here that has done that, and it's just a little garland around the doorway.

The downside to such a great neighborhood is that the retailers are coming. Within a couple of years there will be a big complex consisting of Meijer, Home Depot and Kohl's (more to come) within ONE mile of here. I like all of those stores, but don't want them on my doorstep, darnit!

* I say this now, we'll see how fast I get mine down with a baby hollering for attention.