cope.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Although I am not expecting any trick-or-treaters in my San Francisco hotel room, I do plan on wearing festive orange today and eating candy!

Today's post is a tribute to another great pumpkin carved several years ago in honor of our late friend, Chris Copanas. Pumpkins from our carving contest bit the dust over the weekend - they were rotten and moldy. We carved too early in October. I also extend the congratulations to Justine for her popular Plaxico penguin, who is often mistook in photos for the linux penguin.

Cheers to carving pumpkins, gutting their innards and putting them on porches like trophies. Oh - and cheers to CANDY.

Lady Lucy

Tis the season for costumes!! Lucy got decorated yesterday for an pre-Halloween photo shoot. Check her out! I can't wait to see and hear about everyone's costumes, make sure to share your photos!

About the early post, I'm up to catch a flight to San Francisco! Talk to you from the west coast tomorrow!

leftovers

This is what's left from my LION costume last night. We went to a fun halloween party - but unfortunately, my camera was a prop I mistakingly left behind. Boo.

Picture me, plus the costume and then add some dramatic eyes and a cute nose. Lucy was scared of me. She never has liked cats. At the party, there were some very fun costumes. They all deserved to be photographed.

Maybe next year.

vintage apron

In the spirit of hosting Turkey Day @ our house again - I've treated myself to a NEW apron!

The tagline on the apron sold me - 'why be dirty when you can be flirty'! LOVE it. I purchased it @ a cute boutique in NOTL - but it is for sale @ Amazon (what isn't?).

Now, with my cooking skills still in need of some work - atleast I will look great in the kitchen.

what's in a name?

Most everyone has nicknames. The wikipedia says they can be short, clever, cute or otherwise substitue for a person's name. I have my fair share of them. The various spelling attempts of Nicky throughout school to try & be cooler, ie: Nikki. Then my failed attempt to go back to Nicole when I first started a 'real job' to sound more 'professional'.

Well - to a small crowd in central NY & Albany, I am known as 'big bird'. I am blessed with this name b/c my little brother ('bird') used to play quarterback on the high school football team. His long passes sometimes would resemble 'flailing ducks' in flight, to which someone cleverly thought to call him 'bird'. My little sister got dubbed the short, cute, and otherwise substitue 'little bird'.

There, now it's been written down. It will go down as 'Cunha folklore'.

Cheers!
big bird
(how professional is that?!)

Who paints their kitchen cabinets BLACK?

When I tell people - their eyebrows furrow, they try to imagine what it might look like, or they wince a little bit and say 'Are you sure'?

I am NOW! Last night I found a tool online @ Sherwin-Williams to help me visualize it.

The Color Visualizer tool is super nifty. You select a room type (kitchen) and then pick from various room layouts. I choose the closest to the kitchen in my 1920's home and then started playing. You select colors for the separate walls, trim, doorways, cabinets, backsplash, etc. So NEAT. It's the next best thing to painting several colors on the wall to decide.

If they had an eSuggestion box - all I would suggest is being able to change your floor and countertop colors.

What does my virtual kitchen look like? I'ts below plus cream countertops and light hardwood floors. FUN. Check back for pics of the real thing!

counting calories & starbucks.

Over the weekend, I was in Liverpool visiting family and attended the Salt City Antique Autumn Show The show was a real downer for me because I love scouring for junk and turning it into something special. This particular show was mostly fancy antiques and super overpriced!

Anyways - I treated myself (because I didn't buy anything except the $6 ticket to get in!) to Starbucks on both Sat & Sun! Saturday I tried the new Maple Machiatto (I've been eyeing it for weeks), which was a big hit with me. Highly recommend it for those that like sweets. Sunday, at the convincing of my mother to be watching calories (cholesterol apparently plagues my family) I tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte with skim milk.

Boo to Skim Milk. And to Cholesterol.

caving pumpkin

caving pumpkin
Originally uploaded by cunhatuna.

We had a pretty intense pumpkin carving contest not too long ago @ my house.

Jon or Lisa's pumpkins did not win any longevity contests. Both of their carved houses have completely caved in.

They are still on my porch for decoration of course. I think the falling-down houses add to the spookiness.

lazy lucy

lazy lucy
Originally uploaded by cunhatuna.

i thought it was only fitting that my very first blog post was of lucy, my most favorite subject to photograph.

lucy is NOT allowed in our bed. sometimes she sneaks under the covers while I'm getting ready for work. this particular day - I couldn't get her out of bed even to go for a walk (she hates the rain).

she is LAZY LUCY.