Random Round Up: Autumnal Treats

Fall is my favorite for so many reasons, a few of 'em realized this past weekend (not to mention a couple days with my best girl, but we'll get to that later):

'Tis my season.

Windstorms + Too-high-to-reach plums = Winery scented backyard.

Topping off celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday with tiramisu.

Family walk in the turning-fall woods. 

Cadbury creme eggs - Not just for Easter anymore.

Can't wait to show you what craftiness Emily and I came up with - Reveal Friday!

Bragtastic.

Skip this if you don't want to hear a proud wife brag. You've been warned.

Nate has officially begun the engineering degree, and the kickoff is calculus. Just spelling out the word makes me gag, let alone looking at the numbers. But the hubs is good at math, and is proving it by being officially an A student.

I really could not be prouder. Bursting!! First assignment: A. Second assignment: A. First exam? A.

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After working hard all day he comes home and hits the books for at least 2 hours - Longer on the weekends. The class is a distance course, meaning it's 100% online and is pretty much self-taught. The professor assigns the homework, Nate does it, scans and submits his work, and waits for feedback while starting on the next assignment. He finds lectures and examples by searching YouTube and other internet sources, and takes notes from those and his textbook. The tests are timed, meaning I got to "help" on this first one by firing up the iPhone stopwatch and answering every time I heard a "how much time have I got left?" from the dining room.

His dedication and focus are just amazing to me. Proud, proud, proud of you, babe.

This week's Random Round Up will be coming a little later in the week - Had to mix things up to make room for my pride!

Because You Helped...!

It's coming time for some JDRF fundraising again soon, and as a little warm-fuzzy incentive, I wanted to show you something you helped develop if you've made a donation in the past:

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This is incredible, you guys. This little machine called the MiniMed 530G with Enlite acts as - ready for this? - an artificial pancreas. An internal pump, it can figure out when the diabetes patient needs insulin and when they don't, keeping kiddos (starting at age 16) and adults alike running smoothly without shots. How does that happen? Here's a little diagram to give you the gist:

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The MiniMed 530G with Enlite just got it's FDA approval, meaning it's ready to hit the market and change some lives pretty close to now.

Here are some of the high points:
*Automatically stops insulin delivery when the sensor glucose values reach a present low level.
*Provides better glucose control compared to multiple daily injections.
*Better detection of low and high glucose values.
*Improved sensor accuracy.
*More comfortable, smaller sensor that is 38% shorter in length.
*Longer sensor life - Enlite can be worn for six days of use.
*Easier insertion.
*I strongly encourage you to read the whole article here - Science is amazing!

Now, some of that might not mean a lot to those of us without diabetes, but to a patient, that list of bullet points could add up to a totally changed existence. So thank you, thank you, thank you if you've donated in the past, and - fair warning - you'll be hearing about a new opportunity to do so in the near future right here from me.

A cure for Ella, a cure for all!

• Automatically stops insulin delivery when sensor glucose values reach a preset low level
• Provides better glucose control compared to multiple daily injections(iv)
• Better detection of low and high glucose values(v)
• Improved sensor accuracy
• More comfortable, smaller sensor(vi)  that is 38% shorter in length
• Longer sensor life- Enlite can be worn for six days of use
• Easier insertion with the new Enlite serter that includes a hidden introducer needle and a one button insertion process - See more at: http://www.loop-blog.com/blog/Introducing-the-MiniMed-530G-with-Enlite#sthash.JWaVwz2x.dpuf

MiniMed 530G® system with Enlite®

MiniMed 530G® system with Enlite®

Blocked.

Can I admit something here guys? I'm stuck.

Work is crazy and exhausting right now, and it's sopping up any creative juices I have. So frusterating! For me, I usually have a fairly steady stream of ideas and inspiration to make and do. So when I hit a creative dry spell, it makes me practically come out of my skin. I want to do things, I just don't have any ideas!

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And actually that's a lie - With Pinterest and the web, the ideas come thick and fast. So perhaps it really boils down to a big ol' lack of motivation. Motivation and energy.

My bestie is coming up for the weekend, and one of her requests was that we 'do something crafty'. When she said it, I was inwardly almost a little nervous: Will I come up with anything to do? If I try something will it come out horribly? But the more I think about it, the more I'm excited to force it, as strange as that sounds. Maybe this creative rut has become a little too comfy, and it's time to stretch a little.

After all, what are friends for but to stretch you, support you, and ultimately make you smile. So glad she's coming this weekend, I need it.

Random Round Up: Fandemonium

Autumn officially began this weekend, and it was filled with fresh air, friends, and football... Just like fall should be.

Rain forecasted, but nothing but sun came down.

I got up for a glass of water and lost my spot to the pooch...

Man-ify-ing the guest room for a friend.

A 6am start for tailgating means mimosas and this crazy game.

Siri always offers colorful recaps - Good weekend to  love football in WA!

Happy first official week of fall!

On The Side

It's the upgrade that almost wasn't.

I go through phases where I'll buy just about anything within reason, and then a switch gets flipped and I'm back to my scrimpy-save-y ways, scrutinizing every penny and over-analyzing every purchase for long-term value.

We were in the neighborhood of our local Home Goods store recently and Nate suggested we pop in to look for bar stools for our soon-coming table (next month, eeeee!). We struck out there, but spotted a great side table. Slowly but surely we've been upgrading our Ikea college leftovers, and deep down I knew this was just the thing. But... Sixty dollars? At that moment it felt sickening.

I got over it. And the more minutes it's in our home, the more I love it. Buh-bye black blocky Ikea table, helloooooo weathered, wrought-iron loveliness.

Lesson learned? If I see something I know is perfect, it's a great price for the quality, and it's in a place where they only sell one and it will only be there once.... For heaven's sake, BUY IT. Big ol' shout-out to the hubs for convincing me of my own lunacy and pretty much picking up both the table and I and taking us to the cash register. It's a keeper (and so's he).

Fair Play

The Washington State Fair has always been a pretty big deal in my world - I looked forward to it every year as a kid, and although I don't go every year anymore, I'm pretty much just as excited about it as an adult. The animals, the food, just the whole thing - I love it! Held in Puyallup (say it with me kids: pew-AL-up), it's a bit of a trek to get there, but was totally worth it. Here's a snippet of our day at the fair:

The ferris wheel, of course.

Newly shorn sheep get chilly!

Ridiculous Alert: Apple Fries (pretty much individual apple pies)

Sums it up, eh?

Belgians. I'm so.very.happy when in a barn. Bliss.

Guinea pig judging. Naturally.

Last but not least, a little video dose of the Northwest: Chainsaw carving!

That last photo of the guinea pig judging makes me laugh every time. It was all so serious! Anyway, the rain held off, we ate a few variations of deep-fried-nonsense, and I got to wander around in barns of all kinds. Pretty perfect! Until next year, fair...