I truly do enjoy living in a place that has four seasons. I love the fall most, then summer then spring then winter. I wish winter were shorter though. I mean, I like the idea of snow around the holidays, but after that I’m pretty much over being really cold.

Anyway…I found something else that really makes me mad about the colder months: DRY SKIN!

I just tuned on my heat a couple weeks ago and already-ALREADY-my hands are nasty, dry, and starting to crack. I USE HAND CREAM ALL THE TIME! I just don’t understand. I mean I guess I’m a little bit of a germaphobe, so I wash my hands maybe slightly more than the average person…but not really! I have a humidifier..does nothing. And now my face is starting to feel dry. I just don’t know what to do.

If you have any ancient remedies that may help my cause, please let me know. I’d appreciate it, and so would everyone who has to shake my hand from now until spring.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. I hope the weekend has been festive, and I hope tomorrow is spooktacular!!!!

Has anyone had anything creepy happen to them? Right now I am anticipating a very seasonal appropriate story for the News @ 10! Make sure you tune in to see what I mean tonight!

So this was my final week of my baking frenzy. I made chocolate chip banana bread and Halloween themed cupcakes! The banana bread was delicious; however I thought it would have been even better with much more chocolate (but I have a chocolate problem so others most likely would have liked it the way it was). The Halloween cupcakes were delectable too (according to everyone who ate one…including my wonderful FOX Toledo co-workers this weekend). And although the icing decor wasn’t exactly art…it was festive (all the cupcakes sort of got shuffled around on their journey into work).

Ok…so this week was supposed to be banana bread of some sort; however my bananas did not ripen enough by the time I wanted to bake. So, that will be next week’s blog. Instead this week, my boyfriend and I decided to get creative and make good old fashioned walnut brownies.

Now this recipe is extremely secret, so know that I am being really nice by linking it to my blog. Let me know what you think if you try it.

Oh and baking tip…it makes the process more fun if you lick the spoon.

Another reason why I love fall so much is because the crisp air makes me want to cook more. In the summer it’s just so hot outside, the thought of being around a hot oven or stove seems far less appealing than swimming and grilling by the pool.

So this month, I’ve decided to bake new, exciting desserts that I have never tried to make before. Last week was Pumpkin Cheesecake. Here is the recipe that I used as a foundation, but I always stray a little bit. I didn’t make the crust from scratch, and I mixed the chopped pecans into the batter.

I liked the way it turned out; however it was a little bit too rich in my opinion…delicious…but a lot.

Next week I’m making some sort of banana bread! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Hey everyone out there in the Toledo area that has a little dog….do you have a favorite grooming place to go? I have a tried a few in the area but no one that I really love. Please e mail me or comment on this blog if you have any recommendations. Thanks!!!

I feel like people are in better moods at the start of new seasons. Or perhaps this is something that’s only relevant at the start of fall. I don’t know what it is. It just seems like there is an excitement in the air. Perhaps it’s the prospect of change. Or maybe it’s that nervous excitement that goes hand in hand with the start of something new. Regardless of what it is, I like it. People seem to be in friendlier spirits. I’m going to take mental notes and compare come the start of winter.

While some may think it’s a little bit too early for Halloween festivities, I certainly do not. This week I took my puppy Myla to a pet store, and their dog Halloween costumes were out for sale. A trip to the store for dog food propelled me right into Fall fever. Myla still does not know what she wants to be for Halloween. My boyfriend wants her to be a pumpkin or a hot dog, I think she should be a bumble bee. (Very important decisions need to be made here.) In the meantime, I bought her Halloween bows that are so very adorably cute.

I then went next door to a body shop and purchased my favorite pumpkin spice scented candles; so now my apartment smells festive! Now all I need is a pumpkin spice latte!

Like most people today, I’ve been thinking about exactly where I was and what I was doing on September 11th, 2001. I was a 14 year old in ninth grade. That morning was different because my show choir was singing patriotic songs to celebrate the end of some sort of bike parade at our local Applebees. Once we got back to school, our music teacher gathered us together to let us know we got into some sort of signing festival to happen later that year. Everyone was cheering and excited, still completely in the dark about the events unfolding only an hour and 30 minute drive away from my town.

We all went back to class and rumors were flying. No one quite knew what was going on, and the teachers were instructed to act normal and not tell anyone anything. Some of my friends and peers were getting pulled out of class, coming back in tears, or not coming back at all. At that point curiosity became concern.

By the time I got to science class, my teacher, Mr. Fox, finally told us what was going on. He said it was our right to know. I then learned that the reason so many students were getting called to the office was because several of their parents worked in New York City. Other’s were being picked up because their parents were afraid something else might happen even closer to home.

It wasn’t until I got home that I finally saw the images that people had been watching over and over all day long. 14 years old is young, but I’ll never forget talking to my best friend Danielle on the phone, talking about what was going on, and feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness.

4 years later, I was deciding where to go to college. New York University was my dream school and I got in. My parents were so hesitant to letting me go there, in fear that something like 9/11 might happen again. But you cannot live your life in fear, and in the end, they decided to let me go.

Now, 2011, 10 years since the attack, and 2 years after graduating from NYU, I feel an added sense of sadness. Not only was our country attacked, but it was attacked in a city that means so much to me, a city that has a lively pulse no matter what time of day or night, a city that I will always consider a home away from home.

Today I, along with many others are taking a moment to remember, taking a moment to say a prayer for the lives lost and the people who lost family and friends. You will never be forgotten.

This week I attended my first ever turtle race at the annual Glandorf Park Fest. I am told that park fest is one of the best Putnam County fairs of the year, and after attending for the first time, I would have to agree!

So let me tell you about these turtle races it you are not familiar. When I heard about it, I pictured giant turtles all racing down a little path…this was not the case. There was a giant box-like board set up high enough for everyone to see, with multiple rows from top to bottom. Each little turtle had their own cubby like row where they were placed and then released. The first turtle to get to the other end won the race. There were even booklets where you could see the names of the turtles competing in each race. Then you could bet on the turtles (just like betting on a horse in a horse race) and hope for the best.

The best thing about it to me was how into it and excited everyone got, pulling me right in with them.

It was an awesome experience…absolutely something you do not see every day! If you ever get a chance to check out a turtle race or Park Fest…I would highly recommend it!