Fall

OK so the debates are over (the last one was the best, Tom Brokaw can suck it) and we are in the home stretch of this never ending campaign season. I am cautiously optimistic but I totally agree with Senator Obama when he says don't underestimate the democrats ability to screw things up. So on that note, lets change subjects.

Its fall and that means a time to refresh. Just when you might get sick of the old hot weather routine you get to change things up. It just started getting colder here so I added the blanket to the bed and got out the space heater for another winter where we try to save money on the heat.

Fall at the CSA means lots of squash and green tomatoes. We made fried green tomatoes on Saturday and put out the rest to ripen on the counter in the beautiful new bowl my friend Kristen sent us. The fried green tomatoes were not on my diet but they were really good with a little home made aioli , my special recipe; "let's see if these ingredients taste good together". We also had butternut squash soup last night with left over fried green tomato sandwiches. I have several butternut squash recipes but as usual, my ingredients on hand didn't match so I made it up. I used a little carrot, green onions, some left over coconut milk, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. It was really good and really felt like fall. Another great fall squash is delicate squash. This was new to us but we got some from theCSA and have cooked several things with it. It's really good and becoming more common in stores so look for it and you won't be disappointed. Vegan Yum Yum just did a post on it. My only complaint is the one pumpkin I got from the farm. I had so many ideas for it, will it be pie, bread, soup, roasted or Halloween jack-o-lantern? Well, it totally rotted out after only 4 days so instead is became trash. Ugh.

Halloween is in the fall and I love that holiday. I love the decorations and the treats and the costumes. The best costumes are hand made of course and Etsy has some great ideas.

Fall also means a wardrobe assessment as summer clothes go to the back of the closet and winter clothes come out. I have to remember what I have and what has worn out. I also have to make sure everything fits, which is why I am now on my fall diet! Last year I went shopping with my mom for fall and we got some great pieces so this year there isn't much to get. This is good considering the economy and my personal finances. Actually, I am surprised Mom was willing to go with me at all, she knows better than anyone that shopping for just a new pair of jeans could take all day and every store must be visited to see all the options. It drives her crazy. Because she is normal. I do need a couple of new things and have started "the research". I am a researcher, its what I do for everything and why I love my job because researching things is totally interesting to me. I have to know everything from every angle before I make decisions. This is also why it is hard for me to shop with other people because I get nervous when they try to encourage me to buy something spur of the moment. I really do get freaked out and I very often regret the purchase when I get home. This is one of the many ways I know I am not completely normal. I start researching fall trends in August with my InStyle magazine and Lucky magazine. Then I look at store websites to see what is in stock. This is when I find several options that would work and start looking at prices. If I think it is too much I will look for a cheaper version or watch the sales. I will try not to pay full price and don't usually shop at the mall. This is because I love clothes but don't have much money, never have. It always makes me laugh when magazines do a bargain spread and their idea of a bargain is Banana Republic instead of Prada. Hello? even on sale I cannot afford Banana Republic. For reals . I shop at discount stores and my new favorite, Kohl's. Kohl's is new to me because I never had one close but now I do. I currently love the new Elle magazine line, almost everything is awesome. I don't love Vera Wang for Kohl's. I had high hopes for that line but its all just weird and looks cheap. If I wanted to bedazzle all of my clothes I could do that myself. But I do not. Ever. Now that I have a list of needs and wants we will see what I can get away with, lets ask The Banker. Wait until he is in a good mood.....

UPDATE: Apparently, Sarah Palin is having a better fall than I am, she got to spend $150,000 on her fall wardrobe!