"By appointment, or by fate"

I had a pretty great day today, despite the nagging cold I've been suffering through off-and-on for about a month now. Being a nanny will do that to you, I guess. The day started out kind of "meh" - not being able to breathe through one's nose can make it rather difficult to put on a happy face and be cheerful around the kiddos. I got to leave work an hour early, and with my extra time I decided to go check out The Herbal Path, a local natural pharmacy.

I stopped at Trader Joe's on my way from work, intending only to get honey, but ended up walking out with a bagful (surprise, surprise)...including stuff to make chia pudding! Aaaaaand, pomegranate seeds. Mmmm.

At The Herbal Path, I got several supplements that will hopefully help get rid of my ick, aaaand I made a friend! Jess, the girl working at the shop, was so super helpful and nice. She made us some tea, and we ended up chatting for over an hour! We exchanged numbers and made plans to try out a local yoga studio together.

I came home, made some tea, and got to work making Sweet Potato, Corn and Kale Chowder. The recipe is from this book, which I just over the weekend. The chowder turned out deeeeeelicious!

 

Now, my chia pudding is chilling in the fridge, I'm drinking some tea, and counting down the minutes until Matt gets off of work (and then an hour from then until he gets home; grrrr).

 

The bottom of Jess's business card reads "by appointment, or by fate". How fitting. :-)

A day of thrifting!

Since moving to Portsmouth in September, I've only gone to Savers a couple of times.

But since I only just started working, I haven't had any money to shop until now!

And its a real shame; last week there were some grrrreat items I soooo wanted to buy but just couldn't. Boo, hiss.

Anyway, I went today and was a little disappointed in the housewares section - I have a specific list of things I'm looking for, and had no luck today. I did, however, find a pair of jeans (that I have already in another color; in short length!) for $4.99, a North Face undershirt for $5.99, and an Eastern Mountain Sports quarter-zip pullover for $7.99!

 

 

Feeling dissatisfied with my lack of finds for our house, I decided to do a quick iPhone search to see if there is a Goodwill in Portsmouth. Luckily, I found one just a few minutes away! It was really cluttered and kinda dusty, but there was a lot of good stuff and pretty decent prices!!

 

I found this huge, ceramic bowl made in Portugal for only $5.99! I've been looking for a nice bowl to keep our fruits and veggies in for a while now.

 

 

But I think my best find of the day was this BRAND NEW 2-gallon fishtank for $3.99!!!!

 

 

It was in its original box, with all the parts - an under-gravel filtration system, a pump and airstones, and a hood with a light. The lightbulb doesn't work, but that's easy enough to replace. I've been wanting to get a fish for a while now, so this was a really lucky find!

I went to the pet store right away and spent quite a long time trying to pick just the right fish.

 

You can't tell in this picture, but his sides are actually kind of silvery-teal in the light.

 

 

What should we name him??

Vignettes

In the kitchen...

 

 

 

In the living room...

 

In the hallway...

 

In the bedroom...

 

 I hope you enjoyed a few peeks around our little house. It is slowly turning more and more into our cozy little home. A few special touches here and there, and we'll be all set. I love this process, and I love remembering the little in-between stages. ♥

Today

 

Today, Matt and I both had off work so we decided to hang out in town. As soon as we parked, we heard what sounded like a marching band. The above scene greeted us in Market Square. They're called The Leftist Marching Band. I don't like to get into politics, but I do very much enjoy music played by people in costumes and old ladies in sequins hula-hooping. So this was pretty awesome.

We walked up and down a lot of brick-paved sidewalks, and ducked into some of the shops we haven't been into yet (there are still soooo many we haven't been in yet!). I bought my cousin a card (she's having a baby boy in February!), and we finally checked out the Portsmouth Health Foods store. It was a little pricey, but totally awesome. I will definitely be shopping there for some items.

 

Portsmouth is so adorable. I love it so much.

 

Oh! And we went to the Farmer's Market this morning. We missed it last week, so I was extra happy today. We got: tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, apples, aaaand brussels sprouts! Few things make me as happy as the Farmer's Market.

 



We had lunch at The Rusty Hammer, which has signs boasting the "best burger in New Hampshire". Being Vegan, I can neither confirm nor deny that; however, Matt got a Louisiana "Wimpie", as their burgers are called, and he said it was one of the best burgers he's ever had. And he's had a lot of burgers in his day. I had a black bean burger (delicious) with waffle fries that were out. of. this. world. Oh, and Matt had onion rings, which were hands-down the best either of us has ever had. So, yeah. Rusty Hammer, you didn't disappoint.

We always stop at this one terrace to check out the river. I love the insane yachts on the other side (that's Maine, by the way). The river actually naturally flows from northwest to southeast (left to right in the picture above). But the current is so strong that the water actually pushes up-river! Its amazing to watch some of the smaller boats try to get downriver to the ocean...such a struggle!

 



 

Recipe: Creamy Vegan Mac

Its so chilly today! I like to eat warm, hearty, savory foods when its brisk outside,

so creamy mac 'n "cheez" was a total no-brainer today.

 

Creamy Vegan Mac

makes 1 hearty serving

 

Ingredients: 1/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni, 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I use almond milk), 1 Tbsp vegan butter or margarine, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 Tbsp Tofutti cream cheese; optional: 1/4 tsp garlic powder, salt (to taste)

 

Cook the pasta in a small saucepan. Once its cooked, drain the pasta and return it to the pan, along with the margarine and milk. Reduce the cooktop heat to low, and return to the pot to the heat. Stir-in the nutritional yeast any salt and/or garlic powder, if you are using them (I do!). Finally, add the Tofutti cream cheese, stirring until it is thoroughly mixed.

 

Voila! Creamy, delicious vegan mac!

 

 

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

 

Autumn Adventures

Happy Columbus Day, friends! What is everyone doing this holiday Monday? We've had some adventures the past few days! Our friend from grad school, Trent, came to a visit over the long weekend; we had a great time showing him around.



First row: a huge barge from Nassau in Portsmouth harbor; Cathedral Ledge; a sponge washed up on shore
Second row: the view of the White Mountains from Chocorua Lake; Nubble Light; Matt and me at Chocorua Lake
Third row: Matt and Trent eating bagels in Market Square; a giant talking moose at Zeb's General Store; Long Sands Beach

 

Row one: Trent's first visit to a lighthouse ever; the fountain in Prescott Park; Trent at Chocorua Lake
Row two: Breakast at the Friendly Toast; the rocks at Nubble Point; candy at Zeb's General Store
Row three: Nubble Point; hot sauces at Zeb's; Trent with his Sklarmageddon

Matt is mountain biking with a friend out in Concord this afternoon. Fingers crossed that he'll make it home in one piece, with all bones intact!
In 2001, Matt was in a terrible mountain biking accident that resulted in a broken vertebrae

and a 4-day coma! Thankfully he recovered 100%, but I am still nervous!





4 Things.

 

 

1. We have been watching a lot of Harry Potter!

Between the DVR and our DVD collection, we have the entire series of movies.

My youngest sister is making us Gryffindor scarves for Christmas.

♥ ♥♥ ♥

 

 

 

2. I have turned into quite the Suzy Homemaker

I have been cooking up a storm...and it's good! Even the picky-eater, non-vegan, likes my food. I think the apple pie - crumb cake muffins from the other day are my finest creation to date, but the tofu pot pie, chili, and spicy peanut sate were close seconds! Oh, and my beer bread is the. best.

 

 

 3. Our three pups are so spoiled rotten.

No, really. So stinkin' cute, but sooo spoiled rotten.

 

 

 

4. My boyfriend can rock the silliest hats.
He even looks better than me in some of my hats. ;-)

It's a slow day here, friends. I've been putzing around the house, getting the guest room set-up for our friend coming to visit on Friday. It rained alllllll day here (ew), and the drear has made me feel kinda "bleh". I'm kinda sleepy. Matt won't be home from work 'til after 10:00, and I promised him a fresh loaf of beer bread.

Fingers crossed for a sunnier day tomorrow!

 

 

 

 



Yet another rainy day today called for a trip to the bagel shop this morning. I had my favorite - a tomato and dill bagel with tofutti [vegan] cream cheese. With an orange juice. Yum!!!

 

Matt had his standard - a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel. And a large coffee, for him. Oh man. Good stuff.

 

Matt is at work for the rest of the day, and I'm working in the guest room, preparing it for our first visitor!! Our good friend Trent is coming to visit on Friday!! So far all I've done is hang up some art on the walls... and I'm not really sure what else to do in there. I'll have to revisit in a little while. Pictures to come when I'm done!

 

In other news, I got an email from a lady about a pretty awesome-sounding nannying gig. I emailed her back, now I'm just waiting to hear back. Fingers crossed!

It's October!

And it definitely feels like Fall around here.

 

To celebrate, I made Apple Pie - Crumb Cake Muffins for breakfast.

Here's my recipe (adapted from Vegan With a Vengeance)-

 

 

 

For muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 orange juice

1/3 applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup grated apple

1/2 cup chopped apple (1/4-inch pieces)

 

For topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose fluor

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

3 tbsp olive oil

 

Directions:

1. Prepare the topping by mixing all the dry topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the oil in while mixing with your fingertips until crumbs form. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Create a well in the center of the mixture and add the orange juice, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix, then stir-in the grated and chopped apple.

4. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin. Bake for about 22 minutes.

Pumpkin spice and everthing nice.

 

Brrrrr, its a chilly, dreary day today!

It has been a sleepy day; the kind of day that calls for lounging on the couch, watching Liam Neeson movies, and drinking pumpkin lattes in the afternoon.

We had several of Matt's coworkers and their significant others over last night for drinks and guitar playing. We ended up going into town to watch some live music, and then to the Brewery for some dinner. It was so nice to meet some new people, make some friends, and enjoy our new town! Of course, it ended up being a bit of a late night - the last guests left around 1:30 this morning.

 

I recently found out that Starbucks' pumpkin lattes are NOT vegan - ahh! So I've been making them at home. Even Matt loves them! They're super quick and easy to make. Enjoy!

 

Vegan Pumpkin Lattes

Ingredients: about a cup of strong-brewed coffee (about a mug full should be enough for 2 lattes)

about 1/2 cup of soy or almond milk

2 Tbsp of canned pumpkin

Spices (to taste): cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar

 

Mix it all together on medium-high heat until it starts to boil, stirring so that the pumpkin dissolves completely. Pour and serve! I like to sprinkle just a dash of cayenne pepper on top. Mmm-mmm!



 

 

Odiorne State Park and Fort Constitution

This morning we headed south just a few minutes, where you will find Odiorne State Park (and the Seacoast Science Center, where I would love to be employed).

 

 

The rocky shoreline is so beautiful, and the tide pools are filled with little snails.

 

 

 

Not sure if this is from a crab or a lobster...but it was big!

 

 

 

 

We walked all along the beach, until we saw this in the distance:

 

 

It appears to be a Blair Witch beach??

 

 

 

 

We made a rock pile too. :)

 

 

After leaving Odiorne, on our way back home, we saw signs for Fort Consititution. Its a state park, but its actually inside the gates of a Coast Guard base. So, there's a blue line painted on the ground, and lots of signs direction you to "stay on the blue line" and NOT to leave that blue line. If you step off the blue line...bad things happen.

 

We literally walked right through the Coast Guard base....on the blue line, of course! A CG helicopter had just landed really close by, which was pretty cool.

 

Anyway, Fort Constitution was built in the late1800s, I believe.