it's...

...COLD outside!!!

or at least it feels like it's going to be soon. for those of you who don't know...i am of the breed that genuinely enjoys cold weather. i love bundling up in sweaters, coats, & scarves. i especially love how clean everything feels. no humidity...no sweating for no reason...just crisp, cool air that gives me a valid reason to stay snuggled up inside my cozy little house of dreams with a cup of hot tea and a blanket.

to celebrate & welcome the season, blake and i did something we have never done before. we had a fire in the fireplace of our very own home. no parental supervision required! it was fantastic and i was looking forward to it all day long...i got home & put on my special outfit. (the red flannel pajama set from last christmas and my green sweater sock slippers...what were you thinking?!) blake had already built the fire and while he worked on getting it lit, i started supper. i made a yummy risotto with turkey, mushrooms, and peas. mmm!!! risotto is so cheap to make & it feels fancy. plus, it is warm and it "sticks to your ribs" to make you full and content. after supper we watched our favorite shows while sitting in front of the fire (jasper was on her pillow that we moved away from the fire as she is mildly alarmed by the fact that we are willingly letting something burn inside the house)...

overall, it was a very pleasant evening & i can't wait to do it again soon...after this weekend since we're headed to sylacauga for our first official harvard family thanksgiving. (should be fun!)

before i go...i am getting very excited about thanksgiving (the official one with the bianchis) and i can't wait to see my "famiglia italia" in north carolina! it is going to be so nice to walk into mama b. & babaloo's house (which always smells like "home"...or spaghetti...which i am realizing as i type are pretty much the same thing) and getting hugs upon hugs upon hugs! mama b. always sways a little and hums. so peaceful. we'll get to spend the traditional halfway night in a hotel & go to a movie (usually a holiday movie...except one year we saw "legally blonde") with the family (our little foursome...now fivesome...of alabama bianchis) which has also become a tradition. the trip won't seem nearly long enough and yet we'll squeeze in a lot of good family time. also, i absolutely LOVE the road trips. laura hates them...or says she does & blake has fallen in love with them. (his family never really did road trips so it was a new experience for him when he joined us for his first one)

so anyway...the cold weather is here (to stay?) and i couldn't be happier...and not just because of the weather patterns. :) i am very blessed indeed.