Day 108: Campaigning!

Day 108: Today I continued campaigning for "Share the Wonderful". I wore a pink shirt, made "I helped fill the hill" stickers and brought chocolate for donors in my flamingo bag. I was also allowed to take the flamingo with me for the day to increase donations. He was appropriately named "Phil" (for fill the hill...get it? ha!) I was able to get donations from professors, staff and even students! The campaign ended up reaching their goal and it felt good to be a part of it! Below is a photo of me, Phil and all of my goodies. I also posted a picture of Phil taking a coffee break!

Day 107: Flamingos!

Day 107: Today I became a small part in the "Share the Wonderful" campaign for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During this campaign, flamingos were placed on Bascom Hill to show the set numbers of donations given. This is a photo of me and a flamingo that is going to be placed on Bascom--hopefully by me! :)

Day 106: First Frost

Day 106: Today Forest and I woke up to the first frost of the fall--this is pretty late, as the first frost typically occurs in southern Wisconsin toward the end of September or early October. There seemed to be plenty of frost on the deck chairs and the weeds, although not too much on the grass. This is unfortunate, since both Austin and Forest have bad allergies--they are anxiously awaiting a hard freeze! Here is a photo of the frost on one of the deck chair cushions.

Day 105: Hamburger Mary's

Day 105: We met up with a friend of ours in Milwaukee for lunch today and we tried a new restaurant--Hamburger Mary's. It is obviously a hamburger joint, but it is also the only national franchise that openly markets to the LGBT community. They even have drag queen shows! There wasn't a drag queen show when we were there, but there was a flurry of interesting people. I took this picture of a guy in drag--I just loved his get'up! It's hard to see in the photo, but he's wearing a floral muumuu :)

Day 104: Homecoming!

Day 104: Homecoming! I don't really get caught up in the hype of all the homecoming activities, but I am proud to be a Wisconsin alum. The football games are typically a blast--unless you count those few times we've lost. Today the big game was against Northwestern--and we trounced them! :) And besides the big win, it was a gorgeous, fall day. We couldn't have asked for better weather! Here is a picture of the Camp from the Monroe Street side.

Day 103: Autumn View

Day 103: The leaves on the trees are finally changing colors and they are certainly pretty. Although not quite visible in the picture, they are a bright golden yellow with some tints of green, orange and red. The morning sky was also beginning to break apart when I took this picture near sunrise. I liked the contrast of the clouds and the leaves--I just wish it would have been a bit brighter outside.

Day 102: More Dessert

Day 102: Sometimes you just feel like dessert. For me, probably more often than the general public, but that's okay. It is what it is! There aren't too many choices on the west side of Madison, but since we were already on the beltline, we decided to stop at Hubbard's for some cheesecake. Today's flavor was Oreo--and it was tasty! What a nice treat at the end of the day!

Day 101: Lunch Sign

Day 101: The cafe is now opened two floors down in my building, and although I don't frequent it often, I do head down there when asked by either co-workers or students. I happened to notice something wrong with the lunch sign today--seems to me like it was an obvious mistake, but who am I to judge? Panins all around! :)

Day 100: Candy!

Day 100: I'd say Halloween is the worst time of year for me as far as candy goes, but it seems that you can find plenty of "holiday"-themed candy all year-round now. And it doesn't bother me one bit! My sweet tooth has to be my biggest vice, but I figure one piece here and there won't kill me. That's why I go to the gym right? Because candy is delicious :) These were my 100 Grand minis scattered about my dining room table. I didn't even bother putting them in a candy dish--I didn't think they'd be around long enough for me to find one!

Day 99: Fall Leaves

Day 99: The leaves are beginning to change colors here in southern Wisconsin, and after the rains of last weekend, they are also falling from the trees. I took this photo of some leaves on the ground during the early morning hours near my bus stop. I love how you can see the shadow of the blades of grass on the leaves from the rising sunshine!

Day 98: Forest's Belated Birthday Treat!

Day 98:  Yesterday was Forest's 7th birthday, but since we attended the wedding in the Wisconsin Dells, I didn't have time to make him a birthday treat. So today, I made him one out of my dog cookbook! I think they were called "Peanut Mutter Bites". :) Needless to say, he loved them, but I could have given him anything and he would have eaten it. Happy Birthday, Forest!

Day 97: Hippo!

Day 97:  Today we attended a wedding at the Kalahari resort in the Wisconsin Dells. I saw this hippo outside of the reception area and had to take a photo. It may not have been real, but those teeth were pretty hard and sharp!

Day 96: Ranch Dressing

Day 96:  Austin wanted a fish fry tonight, so we headed over to Cheeseburger in Paradise for some food. I should have gotten the fish fry, but I settled for this chicken/avocado wrap. Ranch dressing makes everything better, so I asked for an extra side. Turns out, I received the whole bottle. I didn't even make a dent in this thing! Biggest side of ranch I have ever seen!

Day 95: Fall Craft Project

Day 95: I decided to start another craft project this fall--a few years back I made a wreath for the door, but I thought something decorative for outside the house was needed. I basically got the idea from Pinterest and it was pretty easy, but expensive. Here is the final product. I think it looks good! And festive :)

Day 94: Pumpkin Bars!

Day 94:  Today we both seemed to have a hankering for some dessert after dinner, but the Hubbard Avenue Diner didn't really have any good cheesecake options. So I decided, since I had all of the ingredients, that I would bake some chocolate chip pumpkin bars. And it was a good choice, as these pumpkin bars were delicious! Nice and fluffy--and chocolatey :)

Day 93: Prism!

Day 93:  This is a picture of the sidewalk with a prism reflecting off of it. I took it as I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop--I noticed the prism as the sun was reflecting off of a parked bike in the bike rack. It was pretty and I thought it would make a neat picture. I think I was right!

Day 92: Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Day 92:  I had a hankering for some spaghetti and meatballs, so I decided to make them for dinner. My Health magazine also happened to have a recipe in the back today, which seemed perfect to try. The meatballs were actually made with zucchini and triscuits and were quite easy to make. All-in-all, it was pretty delicious, although I think I will add some more seasoning to the sauce and the meatballs next time. I think it will improve an already tasty recipe!

Day 91: Zoo Run Run!

Day 91:  Today was our annual Zoo Run Run at the Henry Vilas Zoo! My sister and I were running the 5K, while my brother-in-law ran the 10K. My niece also ran the 1/4 mile in the Roo Run. I happened to spot this sign while waiting near the port-a-potties and it cracked me up. Nice work, Henry Vilas Zoo!

Day 90: Fall or Spring?

Day 90:  This display caught my eye in the Menards. The brightly colored pumpkins and gourds screamed fall, yet the display was telling me to "enjoy the colors of spring". I think they maybe should rethink how they set out their pumpkins and gourds... ;)

Day 89: Sunlight Through the Trees

Day 89:  I took this picture while waiting at the bus stop next to the Odana Hills golf course. The sun was rising through the trees and it was a beautiful sight to see on a chilly fall morning.

Day 88: Beautiful Fall Day!

Day 88:  I don't usually like the change in the weather, especially when it's turning colder. But I don't mind fall when it still feels like summer! I took this photo on a perfect, warm day in late September at the terrace. It was the perfect day to sit on the picnic table and enjoy a fresh lunch from the food carts on Library Mall. I could have sat down there forever! :)

Day 87: Waterfowl

Day 87:  Herons are one of my favorite birds, so when I saw this bird on the street lamp, I had to get a photo! This heron-like bird happened to be sitting outside of the Target on the west side. Until about yesterday, I knew the name of the bird, but I am now drawing a blank. Maybe if my dad reads my blog he'll tell me! 

Day 86: Tortillas!

Day 86:  I'm still trying my best to eat as "clean" as possible, which basically means no buying any bread from the grocery store--unless you get lucky and find a brand that doesn't have 30 ingredients in it and doesn't cost $5/loaf. So..I've been making my own tortillas and english muffins for around 2 years now and it's well worth it, since the homemade versions are so much more delicious than store-bought. These were probably my best batch of tortillas and as always, they were tasty!

Day 85: A Twist on Kickboxing

Day 85:  One of my graduate students has a great sense of humor. Today he brought in these inflatable boxing gloves for us in the office to play with. He ended up putting them on his feet--creating the "hilarious" kickboxing joke. Ha. Get it? Kickboxing. What a knee-slapper! :)

Day 84: Cardinal Glen Pond

Day 84:  I took this picture near our neighborhood pond on this fall afternoon. I've always loved on how some days the water is so calm that you can see the reflection of the houses on the water. This happened to be one of those days. Now if only there would have been a heron there that day...the photo would have been perfect!

Day 83: Big Ten Football!

Day 83:  Today was the Big Ten opener and the Badgers faced off against Purdon't. (Okay. Fine. I'll be politically correct for the blog.) Purdue. It was a perfect day for football, with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Per usual, the Badgers roasted the Boilermakers. Boiler down!

Day 82: Bridge Progress

Day 82: I took this picture of the new construction of a bridge near our house on Mineral Point Road. The area has been under construction for some time now, but it's nice to see some progress. It was actually pretty exciting seeing the bridge over the road for the first time! 

Day 81: Bananas!

Day 81:  Bananas! These extremely large bananas were bought at the grocery store weeks prior, but since I was too busy and forgot to take a picture today, I'd thought I'd post them. And they are relevant to my day! This was the day of the Badger Networking Event at the School of Human Ecology and we bought bunches of bananas for our speed networking students and guests for the event. At one point I had 100 bananas in my office. Isn't that bananas? ;)

Day 80: Finally--Some Thunderstorms!

Day 80:  After a rainy late spring and early summer, the dog days of summer have been pretty warm and dry. I believe (if I am not mistaken) that August was one of the driest months on record--and possibly almost as dry or drier than the same month last year, during one of the worst droughts on record. So seeing some thunderstorms on my way home from work was a welcome change. These were some of the storm clouds as they were moving into the area!

Day 79: Night Moon

Day 79:  It was a beautiful fall night this evening, with mild temperatures and clear skies. The moon was clearly present, so I took the opportunity to snap a photo with some of the foliage nearby. I think it clearly represents just how lovely the evening was!

Day 78: Sun and Clouds

Day 78: I took this picture outside of the gym on my way to my class. I loved the cloud formations and how they developed. I also like that I managed to photograph the sun--without blinding myself. (Thanks to the clouds, that is!)

Day 77: Chicken Pot Pie!

Day 77:  The warm days of summer (for the most part) are coming to an end and with the cooler air on the horizon, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes! This is (for the most part) my clean version of the dish, including homemade cream of chicken soup. This day I didn't make the pie crust (which definitely makes it NOT clean)--sometimes you just run out of time! I was also glad it turned out as well as it did, as added the wrong spice and had a little mishap with a cover falling off of the oregano. Looks tasty--and it was!

Day 76: Fall Asters

Day 76:  My asters and mums have finally bloomed and they are attracting all sorts of bees! I took this photo of a bee grabbing some pollen off of my white asters. He was one of many!

Day 75: Something's Missing..

Day 75: We stopped by the Blue Moon for some burgers and I noticed that the menu seemed to be missing something. Can you find it? (try looking at the Summer Sausage description) Slice of raw what? I think I'll pass ;).

Day 74: Your name is what?

Day 74:  I was reading this poem on the bus today and the name caught my eye. More than once. And I read it again and again. Really? There was no other option for the spelling of the name? Well, clearly there is, but while I appreciate creativity, I'm not sure this was the best choice. At least it might be the only one?

Day 73: Sundog!

Day 73:  I spotted this itty-bitty sundog on a beautiful late summer/early fall evening on our way to Austin's softball game. It's not too defined, but it's still pretty with the surrounding clouds! (It's hard to take great pictures with a cell phone in a moving car!) 

Day 72: Pumpkin Spice M&Ms

Day 72:  I heard about these pumpkin spice M&Ms on the radio in the morning, and since I had to stop at Target later in the day, I figured I'd buy and try some, especially since Austin loves pumpkin so much. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I love pumpkin chocolate chip bread so I thought they would taste like something similar. But they didn't. They were gross. And I don't recommend them to anyone! (and I'm a candy person!) Sorry M&Ms...but you can do better!

Day 71: Sunset Moon

Day 71:  This photo was taken on a late evening walk with Forest. I loved the wispy clouds and the bright crescent moon. I tried taking a later photo as a heron was flying away, but unfortunately, that one didn't turn out too well. I'll stick with this one!

Day 70: Ironman!

Day 70:  The Ironman race is held in Madison in the second week of September, and for the past two years we have volunteered. Last year we handed out food to the marathon runners, but this year we were on the bike course. We were in charge of picking up their empty water bottles and trash and keeping them out of the way of the participants. I took this picture as the bikers were heading into our station. These people are all crazy and inspirational at the same time!

Day 69: Sunflowers

Day 69:  I took this picture outside of my house in the weeds and grass in the backyard. I'm not sure where the flowers came from, but they are pretty and bring some life to the slowly dying foliage. They, in fact, brightened my day!