Hi guys!
I feel like I haven’t updated you on the goings-on of my life in forever. Life has been pretty hectic since the start of the school year. I have less daylight hours to work on the blog, so my weekends are packed with recipe testing and food photography. I love it, but I don’t always love squeezing every minute out of the weekend, you know? Some people value busyness, and measure their success in how many things they can cram into a day. For me, it’s the exact opposite. Busyness is stressful, and often meaningless to me; I don’t get more out of my life by rushing through each day. Free time is golden, but so very limited thse days.
Kevin got a new job and we have less time together now, which is also a new adjustment to my regular routine. I find myself juggling my needs/wants/professional responsibilities, and still haven’t gotten into a good rhythm yet. 
What I am loving lately, though, are all the festivals and fall-centered activities going on every weekend! We’ve gone apple picking two weekends in a row, and have more apples than I know what to do with (hence the Cider Spice Cake, Apple Pie Guide, Dried Apples, and Apple Pie Oatmeal recipes). I’d say I’m done with apples for a while, but I still have a few more apple recipes for the coming weeks; tell me if you’re bored with apples, because I clearly am not. 
Last weekend my sister Sarah, brother-in-law Owen, and crazy-cute niece Mary came up to visit. We all went apple picking at Quonquont Farm, then met up with Kevin for the Chili Fest. This is our third year in a row going to the Chili Fest, and it’s always fun. It’s at Mike’s Maze, and features plenty of spicy food from tons of local vendors (think spicy chocolate ice cream, habanero beer, etc). We feasted on Mexican street corn, Tibetan dumplings (aka momos) and kettle corn, and walked around enjoying the live music and the atmosphere.
Sarah and Owen made some pickled chilies, and I loaded up a bag with the most colorful peppers I’ve ever seen. There were green, black, red, white, orange, yellow, purple, and even some multicolored ones, too. Their varieties have been lost in the recesses of my brain (remember that part about being too busy?), but I remember picking ones from Trinidad and Brasil, among others. The Kitchen Garden plants chilies right here in Massachusetts from all regions of the world, and their display at the Chili Fest is absolutely gorgeous. I kept trying to get a good picture of it, but no one could step away from the display long enough; they were that captivating.
I also got a fake tattoo at the kids’ station. It was too perfectly me to resist it.
Mary was a dance machine, literally running in circles in front of the band and cracking us all up. I seriously can’t get enough of that kid. There was also a little petting farm station complete with the most precious piglets I’ve seen in my entire life. Ever. I’m reduced to a mindless puddle of mush just thinking about them. I needed to take this brown spotted one home SO BADLY. Santa, if you’re reading this (you are, right?), add a piglet to my Christmas list ASAP. I’ve been good this year, I promise.
At the end of the day I got in a few more minutes with the piglets, and we all headed home. Heather and I went for a walk up Mt. Sugarloaf, and I was reminded of all the reasons we chose Quonquont Farm and Mt. Sugarloaf for our wedding venue. The scenery, the good vibes, and the welcoming atmosphere always put me in a good mood. Even if it was just for a few hours, I was able to shed the stresses of my daily life and just be; this is the good life, for sure.
I spent the rest of the weekend photographing new recipes for the blog, grocery shopping, doing laundry, and generally getting my life together.
What have your weekends been like lately? Any fun fall activities, or new adventures? Is anyone else out there feeling like they’re in an autumnal rut and not sure how to kick it? Tell me your secrets!
Maybe adopting a pet pig will help? All those oink, snorts, and tiptoe-y hooves are sure to put me in a good mood everyday. My landlord said we couldn’t get a dog, but pigs are a different matter entirely, right? ?