Livin' the Dream in Lima

Here in the Bean Town, trick-or-treating does not take place on Halloween. This is so strange to me. Trick-or-treating is tonight, from 6 to 8pm. How is Thursday night any better than Monday night? I could see maybe moving it to a weekend, but this just makes no sense. Anyways, when I was growing up, every Halloween my mom made chili. She still does. It was the Halloween tradition. A warm bowl of chili was the perfect dinner to warm you up before heading out into the chilly night. So, even though I'm not trick-or-treating tonight, I still made chili. It's the tradition! Although I switched it up a little, and instead of a traditional chili, I made a Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili . (It is  Pumpkin Thursday, after all.) Topped with a blanket of cheese. The pumpkin is not too overpowering in this chili; it mainly acts as a thickening agent, with just a slight pumpkin taste. The chili is filled with black beans, yellow pepper, and shredded chicken, and is a bit spicy....

In just 48 hours, lots of work has been done. Most of it not done by me. But I try! Stairs... (right when you walk in the front door.) We discovered there was hardwood under the foyer, staircase, upstairs hallway, and butler's pantry/breakfast nook. Upstairs hallway.  You know what that meant? 928,301,292,746 more staples and tacks to pull up. I'm so thankful for my hard-working daddy and my Business Man's brother who is helping us out this week. They're awesome, pulling 14-hour days. I'm a wimp, and admit defeat after just a few hours. This afternoon, I learned how awesome Krudkutter is.  Long, long ago, in the guest bedroom, little droplets of paint somehow got all over the floor. The beautiful hardwood floor.  So today, I got to use Krudkutter to scrape it all up. I think that was almost more fun than pulling up staples! ;-) The previously paint-splattered guest bedroom. It has since been painted as well. Note to self : Never ...