I enjoy a good pumpkin dessert as well as the next person (I've been baking this one several times each fall for years), but geez, people! Do pumpkins have to get all the credit?

Every August I roll my eyes when I'm still drowning in humidity and Starbucks is announcing the PSL has been released early. I roll them again the Monday after Labor Day when it's still 90+ out but women determined to summon fall temperatures are shopping for pumpkin spice flavored yogurt, cereal, gum, and...laundry detergent? All while bundled up in sweaters and Uggs. Why!?

I'm here to speak up for fall's underdog and my personal favorite: the apple. More specifically, the yummy cider that it produces.

Meander around blog land for a moment and you're sure to be pummeled with fall bucket lists that have to do with pumpkin, pumpkin, a leaf pile, and some more pumpkin. Apples might get some love with "go apple picking" (admittedly I still want to do this, we were rained out last year when we tried), but they clearly deserve more fall real estate.

I love the craft beverage movement. While I don't enjoy beer and I'm still quite picky when it comes to wine, I do love a good cider, and craft cideries are popping up more frequently which made for the perfect fall date this weekend: one gorgeous Saturday and two fall cideries within an hour's drive from our home (and there are plenty more to look into!).

Just look at those gorgeous  open-air windows!

We then continued north into Pennsylvanis for our second stop, Wyndridge Farms. We happened to be at our local liquor store one day last year when they were offering a tasting and I became hooked on their Crafty Cranberry cider. An Instagram follower clued me in to the fact that Wyndridge's farm was both local and gorgeous, so of course a visit and tour was in order! Everything was gorgeous as promised, but photos were few as there was a wedding that day (and every Friday/Saturday/Sunday in October and November—Wyndridge has become quite the popular wedding destination for a new kid in town).





Wyndridge had a very modern and almost corporate feel. Everything was shiny, new, and meticulously branded. I've been on a few brewery tours with Sean in the past and was stunned that the beverage making and bottling process at Wyndridge all happened in the same room. In contrast to Millstone, The ciders are pasteurized and filtered for clarity like most product you would find in stores.

In addition to ciders, Wyndridge produces their own beer, wine, and craft soda (you can sample any drinks in their onsite bar and restaurant). They have a permanent beverage line-up which you can find in stores as well as various rotating small batches which they serve in their bar/restaurant. I discovered two new favorite ciders only to be devastated when I realized they weren't a bottled product I could take with me (growlers are available, but we didn't think to bring any and I refuse to allow any new ones into our house).

Love that you can mix and match beer and cider in flights at Wyndridge!

We had a blast touring and tasting at both facilities, and I loved that we did two in the same day. Seeing how different Millstone and Wyndridge are made the experience a lot more interesting. One isn't better than the other; they simply offer distinctly different products that are all a matter of personal taste.

If you're on or visiting the East Coast, I'd definitely encourage visits to both facilities. I've also put together a list of additional hard cideries in the mid-Atlantic area for fellow apple lovers in need of a good fall date:

Hard Cider in Washington, DC

Hard Cider in Virginia

Bold Rock
Blue Bee
Old Hill
Foggy Ridge
Castle Hill
Buskey 
Courthouse Creek
Albemarle CiderWorks 
Big Fish 
Blue Toad
Chateau Morrisette 
Cobbler Mountain
Corcoran 
Kindred Pointe 
Mt. Defiance 
Potter’s
Wild Hare 
Winchester Ciderworks

Hard Cider in Maryland

Millstone
Willow Oaks
Distillery Lane Ciderworks
Faulkner

Hard Cider in Delaware

Rebel Seed

Hard Cider in Pennsylvania

Wyndridge Farm
Jack's Hard Cider
Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar .
Big Hill Ciderworks 
Blackledge 
Broad Mountain Vineyard 
Civil War Cider 
Colonel Ricketts
Commonwealth
Conneaut Cellars Winery 
Deep Roots
Frecon’s Cidery 
Good Intent Cider 
Hardball Cider 
Keewaydin Cider Mill 
Knockin Noggin
Kurant Cider 
Moon Dancer Winery & Cider House 
Power Core Hard Cider 
Reid’s Orchard & Winery 
Rowan Asher Winery & Hard Cidery 
Stone & Key Cellars 
Threadbare Cider and Mead 

Hard Cider in New Jersey

Ironbound 
Melick’s Town Farm 
Twisted Limb 

Hard Cider in New York

Bellwether
Critz Farms
Warwick Valley

Yesterday, my office shut down early for the second time in light of protest events. I got home, walked the dog, then Sean and I spent the evening, like I imagine many of our neighbors did, with one eye on the TV news and one on facebook.

We watched cars and businesses looted and burned from neighborhoods nowhere near ours to neighborhoods much closer to ours. We packed bags "just in case" and barricaded our front door and window before finally going to bed.

We woke up to a beautiful day. You could hear a pin drop in our neighborhood, but others aren't so fortunate.

These events are as sad as they are disgusting, but they don't represent the city we decided to call home last year. I'm not suddenly sorry that we moved to Baltimore. In fact, I'm still proud to live here. I don't know what the national news outlets showed people outside of the area, but here's what I saw yesterday that reaffirmed my Baltimore pride:

I saw a family keep it classy. The family of Freddie Gray has more reason than anyone else to be upset. They've lost someone very close to them and they don't have the answers they need for closure and healing. If anyone is "entitled" to act in the manner that we saw yesterday, the Gray family would have the least of my judgement if they'd chosen to do so. Instead, they kept it classy. They asked for no protests yesterday, the day of Gray's funeral. They asked for this unacceptable behavior to cease. They seek not revenge, but what is right.

I saw a mother hold her child accountable.  Yesterday's riots (let's clear this up now, these were riots, not  protests, fueled by selfish desires that had nothing to do with seeking justice for Gray) began with teenagers. Children, really, running around and destroying their communities. This video of one mother's reaction has received a lot of attention, and for good reason:

Yesterday was a big day for Sean and I; it marked ten years since we started dating (wow!).

We commemorated our date with a grainy selfie. This was clearly a classy date.

Naturally, we had to celebrate.

Originally, we'd planned on celebrating over the weekend vs. a Monday night, but a huge Saturday morning snow dump had us under house arrest.

As last minute as possible, I spotted a LivingSocial deal for an Irish Pub I'd seen in passing and wanted to try (we both enjoy Irish pubs but rarely go anymore since vegetarian options are few). After a quick scan of the menu to confirm there were options for me, I texted Sean to see if he was in. Woohoo! We had plans.

We walked the dog, drove to the restaurant, and opened the first set of doors to notice the next set with this stained glass design:

Oh.

"I hope the staff aren't dressed like that," I commented to Sean before opening the door...

To confirm that they are, in fact, dressed like that. Except with lots more cleavage. Great.

So, to summarize, I took my husband to an Irish version of Hooters (Kilts are always better than orange shorts, but still...) to eat subpar food on our anniversary. We are one classy couple.

On the bright side, I immediately posted about my misfortune on Facebook. It was well-received with likes, laughs, and 2 or 3 other women who admitted to making the same mistake.



Moral of the story? When trying a new restaurant, always check for scantily clad staff before making a decision.

Awkward you guys. Awkward. I blame my co-worker.

Photo courtesy of the first friend to see the footage.

Whole Foods is a 10-15 minute walk from my office. I rarely go because the place is tiny and makes me claustrophobic, especially when paired with the crazy lunchtime crowds.

But, this morning, my co-worker skyped me an article announcing plans for a bigger store in the same neighborhood. Come the afternoon, I needed a walk and I needed lunch, so with Whole Foods on the brain, off I went.

Of course, the trip ended like it normally does. The place was way too crowded to find real food, so I bought bath salts and strawberry shortcake and headed back out to find real lunch.

Then I saw the camera. I must have been curious a second too long before I veered away, because she caught me:


So, here I am, awkwardly on the spot, blabbering on about whatever it is she asked me and thinking about how I wished I had lip makeup on. Awkward. Laugh away, folks.


The truth about me? I'm well more articulate behind a computer screen or with lots of planning. Aren't we all (although, two facebook friends did ask for my autograph!)?

The past 5 days have been complete chaos. If it could go wrong, it did. BUT, at the end of the day, we now own a house! I can't wait to see everything come together, but in the meantime, keep scrolling for a sneak peek of the current progress.

Also, be sure to come back tomorrow for a CASH giveaway!

We are in the city. A little something to warn people off...

Kitchen painting

Guest bedroom priming

Master bedroom painting - my mother in law calls this room "the love nest."

Baby brother painting the living room

bay window in the master!

We had to remove the railing to get our box spring upstairs...

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Here in Maryland, most of us are quite happy due to a certain special event on Sunday evening. :)

image via Kevin Moore Photography

I'm keeping this one short and sweet. Superbowl weekend is here, and as I live in Ravens country, there is plenty of excitement going around! I will be celebrating with family (including some fellow vegetarians!) while Sean, as he puts it, "watches the game in peace."

Those of you who know my feelings on all things purple, enjoy this while you can!

Enjoy the game (or commercials!) regardless of who you are rooting for! Do you have any big plans?

In honor of the upcoming festivities, stay tuned for a yummy veggie appetizer or two, and in the meantime, enjoy this ADORABLE NFL story (not related to either team, but seriously, how sweet is this?):


The heart-warming moment NFL star JJ Watt 'married' a six-year-old fan for a day after seeing YouTube video of her crying because she wasn't old enough to be his wife

UPDATE: I'm all about supporting local journalism, especially Nicki Mayo @ The List! Ravens fans will love her 10 Super Bowl Viral Videos from Ravens Fans!