Recently, I stumbled across this post on Sarah Wilson's blog about how beneficial it is to have a morning routine -- something to get you up-and-at-'em, giving you a good start to your day. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I'm a creature of routine. I crave the security and structure of a regimented day. My coworkers good-naturedly make fun of me for eating on a schedule: snack at 10:00, lunch at 12:00, snack number two at 3:00, no exceptions. Routines make me happy, until I get bored of them, and then I make up a new routine for myself and repeat ad nauseum until I'm sick of it, too.

Currently my morning routine goes something like this:

6:00 - radio alarm goes off. Nine mornings out of 10 it's "Love the Way You Lie" by Rhianna and Eminem. Seriously, radio, there are other songs to play. Hit snooze and cuddle for nine minutes (YES, we are big cuddlers, NOW YOU KNOW ALL MY SECRETS)
6:09 - alarm #2
6:15 - drag ass out of bed. Put on running clothes, hair in ponytail + headband, find iPod. Hug hubby goodbye 1385729 times. This is absolutely necessary.
6:30 - 7:15 - run around the hood, glare at cars, see cute puppies being walked, suppress puppy jealousy. (Envy is a big part of my morning routine. So is sweat.)
7:15 - 7:25 - stretch, drink water, check the weather and attempt to pick out an outfit that is weather-appropriate, which is impossible, because in Halifax the weather changes at least six times every day. I have an umbrella in my bag every day and mittens in my car year-round. You just never know.
7:25 - 7:50 - shower, blow dry, apply moisturizers and lotions and things, put on makeup and get dressed. I am so proud of myself for having this part of my routine down to 25 minutes. That's pretty impressive. Usually I listen to the radio during this time too, so I get to hear Rhianna and Eminem at least once more, LUCKY ME
7:50-8:05 - Make coffee, pack lunch, scarf breakfast. Usually either a bowl of cereal or instant oatmeal or yogurt. Sometimes if I'm feeling crafty I have peanut butter and banana on something (toast, english muffin. Whatever starchy stuff's in the house)
8:05-8:10 - Brush teeth, assemble my shit for the day, set the alarm and leave.

So that's my morning routine. Exciting? No...but it's comforting. It's a little bit of 'me' time, quite often the only time I have to myself the entire day. And by the time I get to work between 8:30 and 9:00 I already feel like I've accomplished quite a bit with my day, and it hasn't even really begun yet. In the winter, this will change, since I'm not running around the neighbourhood in -20 degree weather and pitch blackness. Will I start going to the gym in the mornings? Or working out after work? Will I start sleeping in until 7:00 every day? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!

What's your morning routine? Anything you absolutely must do to get your day started off on the right foot?

[+] make seared scallops with pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings.

[+] get a gym membership to get me through the cold, dark months. Actually wake up early enough to use it every morning before work.

[+] carve a Halloween pumpkin that doesn't look like a 6-year-old's handiwork (how cute are these pumpkin owls? Image borrowed from marthastewart.com).



[+] attend a football game

[+] have a scary movie marathon. Make it through The Exorcist without crying.

[+] visit the spa. Sad that I have to put this on a to-do list like it's some kind of chore.

[+] get a good chunk of my Christmas shopping done by the end of November--at least 50%.

[+] perform my bridesmaidly duties in my cousin's November wedding and make sure she gets the awesome day she deserves (and bachelorette party!)

[+] eat the top layer of our wedding cake with my hubby on our one-year anniversary and plan something special for him to celebrate our first year MARRIED. October 17 is the big day and I'm in denial that it's been a year.

[+] ride a horse

[+] get winterized: snow tires on, oil change, check antifreeze, buy driveway salt and a snow shovel (GROSS)

[+] finally go to the doctor. I'm only four years overdue, what?

[+] pay car insurance for the year

There you have it--the fun and the not-so-fun. What's on your to-do list this season?

I don't know if you can read the writing in the wonderfully grainy photo above, but this is the hastily-compiled shopping list I just scribbled for our housewarming party tomorrow night.

Confession: The last time I hosted a party, my friends and I had a New Kids on the Block dance party, wore acid-wash jean skirts, and played Pictionary. I received numerous snap bracelets and unicorn merchandise as gifts. That all actually sounds pretty good to me now, too. 20 years later, o-m-g. Hi, my name is Amy and I'm an old hag.

As you can see from the list above, I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to hosting a bunch of people, nor how to prepare, other than making lots of fruity alcohol concoctions and cleaning the house maniacally at 4am like a poster child for crystal meth. I love the mix of alcohol with things like Jello and Skittles. (Jello shooters and Skittle vodka, obvi.) It looks like some sort of crazy daycare/nightclub hybrid for vegetarians. I just realized I forgot to add juice to my list. And stocking up on TP? That's what we call "foresight".

Have a lovely weekend! Party party party!

Tuesday is Garbage Day here in suburbialand. Two months ago, when we moved in, we invested in one of those big wheeled garbage cans, with A LID. You know, to keep the garbage in and the animals out, like so:



We paid about $18 for it, and it's not like we expect it to last for eternity. HOWEVER. We planned on it lasting more than two months. The waste removal company that services our street is pretty bad about leaving the empty cans in pretty bad shape after they take the trash away--lying in the street, rolling around on the sidewalks, lids chucked randomly on the grass, etc.

I came home today to find the garbage can laying across the end of our driveway, empty, lid nowhere to be seen. Apparently, it's really tough to put the empty garbage can back on the curb and toss the lid beside it. Apparently, garbage men (garbage women?) are cool with taking off with people's garbage can lids, which pretty much renders them useless. No lid = might as well put the garbage out in bags = let's just open a crow and raccoon farm on our front lawn.

I'm PISSED. I got home about half an hour ago and I'm still seething. I'm mad because we paid for that stupid garbage can two months ago, and now it's no good. We have so much other stuff to be paying for right now, having to shell out another $18 for another garbage can, for no good reason other than someone else's laziness, is frustrating. It's not like it's a ton of money. But we try to take care of our things, we buy the "proper" garbage can as described by the city, and now we have to get another one...and who knows how long it'll be good for? Will we need to buy another in two more months? Two weeks?

I just wrote a very strongly worded email to the waste management company asking where I should sent the receipt for the new garbage can we need to buy and requesting demanding a response ASAP.

And as soon as I hit send, I realized...

...I'm one of those people.

I'm one of those people that complains to company management.

I'm one of those people that sends angry emails demanding to be compensated for things.

I'm thisclose to being one of those people that writes hateful letters to the editor of the local paper to rant about the latest misstep by town council or about the plow driver not getting to her street quickly enough in the last snowstorm or water rate increases.

It's just a matter of time before I'm yelling at the neighbourhood kids to get off my lawn.

When did I become one of those people??

(PS. Regardless of how petty and cheap I feel, I am NOT paying for a new garbage can.)

I'm going to go on record stating that this has been one of my favourite summers ever. The weather was ahhhh-mazing. There was plenty of beach time. There were numerous shenanigans, both drunken and otherwise. There were sunburns, ice cream cones, BBQs and tubing. All good.

Back at the beginning of the season, I made a list of all the things I'd hoped to accomplish over the summer, and now that it's coming to an end it seems like a good time to revisit my list:

Move into our new house and everything associated with it. Oh yeah, that. Well, we're moved in, and it continues to be a work in progress. Here's how it's going.
-choose paint colours for kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom vanities, garage floor: Done. We decided to leave the bathroom vanities as they are for the time being.
-paint Done--minus touching up the trim, which is happening this week.
-clean everything Done--so much cleaning. So so so much cleaning.
-move in without killing myself/Peter Great success!
-transfer all our mail, cable/internet/phone to new address Easy peasy.
-buy kitchen table set
-buy bbq
-buy patio furniture
-buy new bathroom mirrors
-buy lawnmower and weed trimmer
-buy washer and dryer Buying shit was NOT a problem.
-get power hooked up

Perform bridesmaidly duties in decent form. Done! Little sister's wedding went off without a hitch. Her bachelorette was super fun and everyone survived. The wedding was beautiful.

See a MLB game. Done! We had a great long weekend in Boston at the beginning of September complete with a trip to the Green Monstah.

Spend as much time outside as possible, especially at the beach.We had lots of beach trips this year (although I can never get enough). We didn't go fishing at all but there was camping, tennis, running, afternoons in the park and in the backyard, etc. I'm sure we sucked in more than enough UV rays to cook a baby.

Not suck the big one at softball. I was an enthusiastic member of the Kelly Gruber Experience. As far as not sucking? I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But I've had fun. Next Sunday is our last game of the playoffs and I'll be kind of sad to see the season come to an end.

Not get the summer fatties. I have tried. Probably failed. I keep asking Peter if I've gained weight. This seems to annoy him.

Be on a boat. Success! I was on a Navy ship during Fleet Week, a fishing boat for a bachelorette party, a swan boat in Boston Common and the Dartmouth ferry more times than I can count. Hollaaaaa.

Volunteer for something. Done.

Time to make some fall goals!

On Saturday night I put on my crafty pants and got down to the business of making a fall wreath. I feel like I cheated a little wee bit, because I bought the wreath base already made, and I used fake berries and flowers and leaves, and it all smacks of bringing Superstore cookies to a potluck but putting them in a Tupperware container so people will think you actually baked them, you know? But I said I'd share, so here it is: the step-by-step of my very first wreath.

Step 1 was to go to Michael's and buy all the materials, seen here:



I got a grapevine wreath base, a roll of orange ribbon, some florist's wire, a berry garland, and several little bunches of faux flowers/wheat/grasses (here's a closeup...you ALMOST can't tell they're plastic):



Everything was on sale or eligible for my little 40% off coupon, so the total cost of all my materials was less than $30.

Step 2 was to start sticking the flowers and grasses into the wreath. I went all the way around it twice and just tried to space everything evenly and avoid any big clusters of one particular colour or type of flower, like so, until I'd covered the whole area:





Then it was time to add the berries. Oh, the berries. I'd had visions of gaily wrapping the garland around the wreath, all easy-peasy like. Not so much. The wires were so skinny they basically disintegrated and all I heard during berry time was the *ping ping ping* of little plastic berries hitting my kitchen floor. It was like that time we went to see Blair Witch Project in Amherst and Angie threw an entire bag of Skittles in a particularly scary part and all you heard was candies raining down on the floor, seats, and people, and then this Amherst guy came back and told us, "IF YOU GUYS DON'T SHUT THE HELL UP RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO FUCKING PULVERIZE YOU", or something to that effect. Here are the berries--please note the mess of loose berries all over the table:



I debated putting a bow on or not, but it just looked a little unfinished sans bow. Plus, I had invested all that money in a roll of orange ribbon. So I gathered it up into a blob that's kind of reminiscent of a bow and fastened it to my wreath with the florist's wire:



Ta Daaa! The finished product, which is now hanging on our front door:



All in all, this was an easy craft for a pretty inexperienced wannabe crafter--it took about half an hour or so, and I listened to music which made it fly by. At one point Peter came in the kitchen and I was dancing and singing along to Gold Digger while making my wreath so it was pretty fun in a Kanye West meets Martha Stewart kind of way.

Have you made any fall crafts? Share!

For weeks now, I've been a little cranky with people, both online and in real life, who have been waxing poetic about the beginning of fall. How they can't wait for fall, they're so excited for fall, fall is in the air, etc. "It's still SUMMER!" I've screamed more times than I care to count...probably in the triple digits. Because as much as I love autumn, this summer has been fantastic, and it just hasn't felt long enough.

This week, the air is starting to change. It's gone from being 37 degrees to 18. (For you Americans, that's like, 98 degrees to...65? Something like that?) The pumpkin spice latte is back on the menu at Starbucks. Halloween candy is in the stores. I can't deny it any more: fall is almost here and it's time to embrace it.

Some of the things that are getting me into the fall spirit:

Pumpkin spice lattes! I don't know what it is about the mixture of steamed milk, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and caffeine, but it's magic. I love getting one of these and going for a walk in the park. The smell of the air, the crunchy leaves and that overpriced caloric concoction makes for a pleasant fall afternoon. I have had one once so far, but it was while I was slaving away at my desk--totally not the same experience.

Apple picking. Every year my sister, brother and I go apple picking at an orchard near our parents' house. You get a massive bag to fill for like $5 and it requires a tractor ride to get into the orchard. They also have pumpkins, cider and other assorted fally goodness.

Roast chicken dinners. I refuse to make a roast chicken or turkey during the summer. It's just not good summer eatin'. Just like you don't drink lime beers in the winter, some foods are seasonal. Luckily, fall = roast chicken time. I can't wait till our kitchen is full of the yummy smells of a Thanksgivingy dinner.

Halloween. For the first time EVER since leaving my parents' nest, I'm going to have trick or treaters! I'm more excited than I should be to hand out treats and see the little costumes. We live in a pretty kiddy neighbourhood so I hope to see lots of tiny witches and ghouls or whatever the hell kids are dressing up as these days. Emphasis on the word 'tiny'. If you are bigger than me, you're getting an apple.

Football. Confession: I don't follow or even understand football, other than Friday Night Lights, but we plan on going to at least one university game this year, just for something to do. It's also cool to have on TV in the background when you have people over, like you're watching it on purpose and actually care. No one needs to know I'm a fake football fan. Except now, the Internet knows. Shh?

Tights. Enabling longer spans between the shaving of the legs: I can get behind it. See also boots.

Dark nail polish colours. Lincoln Park After Dark in the summer just makes me feel angry.

Gossip Girl and ANTM are back on. Thoughts on last night's GG? Dan ain't that baby daddy, Serena needs to never wear high waisted pink parachute pants again, and WTF Chuck?

What are you most excited about this fall?

There's a kinda-creepy, definitely-unnatural phenomenon happening in my world lately. Lately I have had this sick urge to do what I think "they" call nesting. (Who are "they"? Decoratey types. You know, the ones that are able to effortlessly mix shades of off-white and avocado green in their kitchen decor and it turns out looking amazing. When I try to do it, I get the same effect as vomit in a dirty snowbank after too many lime Jello shooters).

Still, the urge is there. The weather forecast this weekend is gray and rainy, and I'm actually excited for the bad weather, because it means I won't feel guilty about staying in and working on the house instead of heading for the beach or the campground. Rain=Excuse to stay home and be housey. And my weekend plans include shopping for curtains and picture frames, cleaning, and MAKING AN AUTUMN WREATH TO HANG ON THE FRONT DOOR.

If you know me you know how ridiculous that sounds. The fact that I want to hang a wreath on the door is bad enough. But it's not even a Christmas wreath--it's a SEASONAL wreath. A WREATH THAT I AM MAKING WITH MY OWN LITTLE MITTS. A wreath that requires a trip to Michael's to purchase materials. Hold me.

So, nesting. I guess I'm feathering my nest. I don't know where this urge comes from. Is it because I'm so old now that I'm horny for crafts? Is it because, after years of apartment-white interiors, owning a house where you can do things like paint walls and change light fixtures makes me want to get all crazy and make the space truly our own? Tell me I'm nesting because I'm pregnant and I will cut you, BTW. There are no buns baking in this oven. I am not a bakery.

I'm just a crazy old lady who wants to nest.

Some of the projects in the works include the aforementioned wreath and possibly some additional fallout autumny stuff to put around the house, freshening up our trim and touching up our ceilings where we got a little crazy with the wall paint, finding a selection of cheap, cute picture frames to hang my shoe art, decorating our home office, picking out curtains and blinds for several rooms in our house and shopping for a living room fireplace--whether it ends up being real or fake is still up in the air, but either way, by the time Santa arrives there needs to be a place to hang the stockings with care.

In summation: I'm an old woman and I will be fabricating what promises to be a sloppy, ugly wreath this weekend. Pictures may follow. Maybe.

So, Peter and I survived the roadtrip. No fights, no tears, no musical conflicts and no rest-stop dramaz. The closest we came to arguing was when we were only about an hour from home and he decided he had a problem with me putting my feet on the dash "in case the airbag goes off". WELL, Peter, if you're driving properly i.e. not worrying about where my feet are placed, the airbag won't go off, NOW WILL IT?

Boston was lovely and I didn't want to come home. It's one of those cities where I can see myself living. Unlike New York, which is just too big and bustling, or Paris, with its annoying citizens and horrible diet, Boston is a nice size, has a nice vibe, and the people were friendly, if a little shouty. We went to the market for breakfast and I felt like I was in trouble the whole time. There's good food, good shopping, and tons to do. What did we do, you ask?

We went to the New England Aquarium and saw penguins (!!!), sharks, and seahorses:



We walked alllll over Back Bay:



We had beers at the original Cheers bar:



We hung out in Boston Common and the Public Gardens:



And the highlight, we went to Fenway and saw the Red Sox play:



Other than that we did a lot of browsing around Newbury Street, a lot of eating and drinking, and a lot of people watching. I was pretty good about the shopping and didn't buy much at all. We both got Red Sox hats and I got a Red Sox t-shirt and scored a BCBG dress, new, at Second Time Around for $31!

All in all, a successful visit and an excellent long weekend. Thank you Boston...we'll be back!

September already?! WHOA. I'm excited, because the new calendar page means that Peter and I are taking off on our first ever long-ish road trip tomorrow. We're driving to Boston, and we're splitting the journey up a little--a quick two hours' drive tomorrow after work to my parents' house, then getting up bright and early Friday to motor for nine-ish more hours.

We have never been in the car together for more than two and a half consecutive hours before and I'm not a little worried. I feel like we should have done this a while ago. It kind of seems like surviving a long stint cooped up in the car with your hunny-bunny should be a prerequisite to marriage...a relationship litmus test that determines if you're going to weather life's storms or not, right up there with things like sharing a gnarly stomach flu or dealing with one another when only one of you is rip-roaring sloppy drunk.

Reasons Why This May Not Be A Great Idea After All

My singing. I like to sing in the car. And dance. And rap. Did anyone see the movie "The Heartbreak Kid"?



That's me. I sing for hours in the car. Peter is not a singing and dancing type. I don't know if anybody remembers how The Heartbreak Kid ended. I definitely don't...but I don't think Ben Stiller and the Watchmen broad ended up staying together. And I'd like to make it to our first wedding anniversary.

Hurricane Earl. All week I have been anxiously checking those annoying "storm tracker" websites panicking that Hurricane Earl is going to swoop into New England and wreak havoc on our little mini-break. The weather peeps have been giving that frustrating "it doesn't look like a problem right now but oooh hurricanes are unpredictable!" response. Not helpful! Fingers crossed that Earl stays far away. (He also needs to stay away from Halifax too, as coming home Monday to find a tree through our roof wouldn't be the greatest Labour Day surprise).

Sense of direction. I have a fully undeveloped sense of direction. I get lost in our neighbourhood regularly, I can't find foods in the grocery store, and I have to do "Never Eat Shredded Wheat" to remember the difference between East and West, so I'm pretty bad whether I'm driving or supposedly reading the map.

Biological differences. Males and females have to eat, drink, and go to the facilities on completely unique schedules, which means that for the whole 11-hour drive, one of us is going to be either holding it or cursing the other for having to stop so often 100% of the time. I predict bitterness and probably a raging UTI. You're welcome for that last bit.

So what are our secret weapons for getting to Boston (and home) in one piece? Lots of good car music, quality snackage (lots of water and a mix of healthy stuff like nuts and bananas with chocolatey and/or salty junk), and a schedule that has us taking turns behind the wheel to split up driving duties. When all else fails, we'll play the license plate game. We'll also be documenting the weekend with lots of pictures so hopefully there will be some shots to share when we get back.

Wish us luck, and feel free to throw any advice for how to survive a long-ass drive with your sweetie our way! Have a great long weekend!