I just want to say...♥

 

I think you can probably see where my head was at when I woke up this morning :)  

Clouds in my coffee and dreaming of a life with one foot in the past.  Always.  I don't think it's too much to ask the universe to stop complicating things and slow down a bit.  What do you think? 

Just a suggestion, universe. Please & thank you ♥ 

Have a lovely, cozy day friends! We had FROST this morning, but the sun is out now and its warming up a bit. 

It's going to be another beautiful October day. Only a few left!  

Happy Wednesday! ♥

It's Halloween week! ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Halloween week! 👻

It's hard to believe we are at the end of October, but here we are.  It came and went so fast and I intend to enjoy all things spooky this week.  I'm feeling that holiday vibe sneaking up on me and come Sunday there is no holding me back!  HOWEVER, we aren't there yet, so let's soak up the last week of October and celebrate how absolutely beautiful she is ♥

Our trees are in their full glory now! ♥

This weekend we had full sunshine and milder temperatures which was glorious. It's going to be like that all week and Halloween night is predicted to be in the high 60's - no rain!  If this were 10 years ago (even 5 years ago, really) John would be jumping for joy because that would mean he wouldn't have to wear a jacket over his costume.  Halloween was serious business around here. We would trick or treat for literally hours, and then go back to his friends house whose mom would do an amazing spread on her front porch of hot chocolate, coffee for the grown ups, cupcakes, and snacks.  

We did that for years. It was so fun! ♥

John still sees the friends on Halloween, but parents are no longer needed.  

Rightly so, but I still miss those days :) 

Anyway, we had a very relaxing weekend.  Rob and I went out for breakfast, went on a few walks, and I made us hot apple cider for the first time this season.  

It was yummy! ♥

I made John a cup too and remined him not to eat the cinnamon stick. It's just for flavor, not to eat.  The first time I made cider for Rob (probably 25 years ago) he ate the cinnamon stick!  I was shocked when I collected his cup and it was gone.  He said he ate it because he thought he was supposed to and didn't want to hurt my feelings! 

That must have been awful...but very funny to think of him actually chomping on a cinnamon stick. 

I've never let him live it down :) 

I spent some time in our back room reading on Sunday.  It was quite cozy (there is no TV in this room) and as you can see, I've turned on my Christmas village lights.  

Saturday night we will turn the clocks back.  Sunset is at 4:30 and this village will be glowing.  I'm thinking about adding a string of lights across the border. What do you think? 

This is what I think about while sipping tea and sitting in this spot.  

Remember....no TV in here ♥

Did you see the moon Saturday night?  

I snapped this pick during my after-dinner walk.  

The moon was lighting my way ♥

The sky was so beautiful that night.  Are you a moon person like I am? 

I have a busy week ahead, full of work deadlines, doctor's appointments, and lots of laundry, and chores that I conveniently forgot to do over the weekend.  It always catches up with me!

I did manage to meal plan, which is a huge weight off my shoulders going into the week.  I have all my groceries, so I won't have to be running out this week because I'm short an ingredient. I love that! 

Menu is as follows:

Monday - American chop suey, garlic bread

Tuesday- meatloaf with mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans 

Wednesday- chicken and mushrooms over rice, mixed veggies 

Thursday - pork cutlets with roasted potatoes, spinach, apple sauce

Friday - baked chicken, stuffing, corn 

It's not set in stone but having a loose plan of what I'm cooking and having the ingredients ready is so helpful.  However, if Rob comes home and says "let do takeout" then this plan goes right out the window! That's real!

I also finally got my Halloween candy.  I spent $60 at Walmart on two bags of candy that I hope will be enough.  We always have lots of trick or treaters, but when my bowl is empty, my light goes off.  When did candy get so expensive??!! I will not be opening those bags until Saturday. I put them out of my sight just to be sure!  

Have a lovely Monday, friends! ♥

I will you a week full of spooky movies, hot cider, and sweet treats.  I'm craving caramel corn and I think that will be our late-night snack tonight.  Want to join me? (recipe here) 

Byeeeee! 

Xx 

 

October Friday ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Friday!  ♥

I hope you all had a wonderful week.  As I type this post it's late afternoon and I just finished up working for the day.  The best feeling on a Friday! I've eaten waaay too many candy corn over the course of the day and I can't imagine myself stopping any time soon. 

I've had a quiet week at home, keeping warm on cold mornings, and enjoying the warm sunshine in the afternoon.  This week I started cooking all my favorite comfort foods, including this chicken pot pie we had the other night.  It was so delicious.  I'll be making these on the regular until further notice! I had the leftover biscuits that I heated in the oven so they were warm and toasty.  

So so good : ) 

*chicken pot pie recipe*

 

This morning I noticed my mom's Christmas catus plant is budding!!! She always had so much more luck with hers than I did mine.  Mine, sadly, is no longer with us - her's on the other hand, is thriving!   I have her right by the front window and she's loving the sunshine.  See all those buds?  They will be beautiful bright flowers soon.  

I'm so happy ♥

We haven't had our first frost yet, but that may be happening this weekend.  We're getting awfully close.  I've dug out all my fall and winter sweaters and heavy socks to keep me warm.  

I have my pumpkins that we'll carve next week.  I didn't want to do it too soon.  Since Halloween is on a Saturday, I'll probably do it that day and cook the seeds that night. I'll snack on those while I give out candy to trick or treaters.  That will keep my hands out of the candy bowl! (hopefully!:) 

I LOVE roasted pumpkin seeds.  It was always a tradition of ours to roast them, coated in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

They are slightly addictive ♥

*roasted pumpkin seeds*

The nature of October is so beautiful, isn't it? ♥ 

We have tons of yard work to do. There are so many leaves in our yard.  I honestly don't mind it though. I told Rob to let all the leaves fall and then we can rake just one time.  

Raking is highly overrated! ♥

The leaves are so pretty!  I say leave them alone....see what I did there? LOL 

So what are your weekend plans?  I want to make a squash soup and more cookies! Otherwise, I plan on reading and relaxing.  It's going to sunny but chilly so maybe a few walks here and there as well.  

I have some cards to write and phone calls to make.  It's going to be a weekend of catching up on things like that.  Nice and easy ♥

Nothing stressful.  

Just trying to enjoy the little things. 

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and just had to share it.  

It's so true ♥ 

And we know for sure that tree will be back in the spring - big and strong - sprouting new beautiful vibrant leaves.  I'll take that with me through the winter. 

Such a nice thought if you are feeling stuck ♥  

 

And with that lovely thought I'm going to have one of these pumpkin sugar cookies I got at the grocery store yesterday.  You know, because I haven't consumed enough sugar today with the candy corn! AHHH!  Hey, it's Halloween week.  Let the holidays begin! 

Have a great weekend, my friends!  ♥

I hope you get lots of rest this weekend and enjoy yourselves.  

Talk soon! Xx 

October weekending at home...♥

Hello Lovely Friends! Happy Monday morning!  

I have missed you! ♥

Well, it happened.  I turned the heat on for the first time this season.  We have arrived.  I tried to hold out as long as I could, but it was borderline frosty when I got out of bed this morning so here we are.  That sound of the furnace kicking on and that first blast of warm air through the vents brought me to life. Like a big hug! Next was coffee, I lit a candle, and my Monday began....so, hello....how are you today?! ♥

October is really October-ing now, isn't it? Leaves are falling and every neighbor on my street has a pumpkin, or mums, or something spooky in the yard. I can remember walking to school on chilly mornings like this when I was in jr. high school. I didn't drink coffee then.  I actually remember drinking diet Pepsi first thing in the morning before school! Can you imagine? That was my drink. It was the 80's :) 

I think about my childhood a lot and have so many de'ja vus, probably because I live in my childhood home and know this neighborhood like the back of my hand.  If my jr. high self only knew I would be waving goodbye to my son from the front door as he leaves for the day (with hot coffee, not Pepsi), she never would never believe it.  

Life is crazy sometimes ♥

But anyway...this past weekend I was embracing all the cozy fall things, because we are in it now, and I don't want it to slip by. 

I finally got around to clipping some of these hydrangeas to bring them inside.  

The muted colors are so pretty ♥ 

Hard to believe these are bright blue in the summertime. 

I think I prefer them this way ♥

I spent Saturday cleaning and "nesting" as my mother used to say ♥

I found this string of pumpkin lights and didn't know what to do with them, so I put them on this plant in the corner.  

...me and my tea were contemplating if they should stay or go...

...they stayed! ♥

I couldn't let the weekend go past without some seasonal baking.  Look at these spices.  

Only good things can come from this line up! ♥

...and it did ♥

The best fall cookie!  

And my kitchen smelled amazing! ♥

Soft Ginger Cookies! They are chewy and delicious.  I blogged the recipe some years ago and totally forgot about them.  How could I? I am going to make these again for Thanksgiving this year.  

They are so good! ♥

(click here for recipe - super easy too!) 

Ginger Cookies

I have realized I don't make cookies enough!  I'm going to start trying new cookie recipes every week. 

Stay tuned! ♥

Saturday supper was beef stew and homemade biscuits! ♥

I used Susan Branch's recipe for Best Biscuits out of her Heart of the Home cookbook.  

They were perfect! We are having the rest of them with chicken pot pie tonight ♥

**By the way did you read Susan's latest blog post about her Martha's Vineyard house being sold?  It's bittersweet indeed, but I'm so happy for her.  I'm more happy that she's going back to the island in December to experience another New England winter.  Those of us that live here know there's really nothing like it** 

I preordered her knew Christmas book and the latest news is that they are being shipped on November 1st. Yay! I cannot wait! A gift to myself and something to look forward.  My cozy reading spot is all ready for me to sit for hours and devour every page. 

 I'm 52 years old and still want to be Susan Branch when I grow up :)

My evening walks were very chilly this weekend.  Last night I actually pulled out my winter coat!  This is me coming home.  It's only about 7:30pm and look how dark it is! 

I finished this audiobook on my travels and let me tell you...it's completely unhinged!  

Loved it👌 

In a shocking contrast, the Hallmark channel has started its countdown to Christmas movies, so I've been watching too many of those already.  I had them on all weekend in the background while "nesting" about the house.  My mom and I used to watch all of them together.  Even when she was in the hospital we would put Hallmark on and make fun of how corny the movies were and we'd laugh about it. I miss her so much and every day I find new things that remind me of her. She'd be happy I'm still watching Hallmark and thinking of her.  Don't worry mom, I am ♥  

And with that I will love and leave you here for today.  I have lots to do so I better get to it.  Have a happy Monday, friends! I hope you all have a cozy day.  Have a hot beverage and a sweet treat and please take time for yourselves! 

Be back soon! Xx 

♥

Homemade pancake mix ♥

I stopped buying pancake mix as soon as I discovered how easy it was to make at home.  It's one less pantry item I have to worry about running out of when someone suddenly says "how about pancakes?"  

That happened today....:)

I thought I'd share the recipe I use. It's easy and the pancakes always come out perfectly.

  Honestly, I don't make pancakes all the time, but when I do, I want it to be worth it. 

 These are worth it ♥

 

2 cups flour

4 tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup milk

4 tbsp melted butter

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Whisk up the dry. Add the wet.  

Pour, grill, flip, and enjoy ♥

**add warm syrup and berries for extra points**

Tomorrow is the first day of October!! Yay! It's finally stopped raining, but the neighborhood is scattered with leaves and branches from the storm.  The cleanup hasn't started yet.  Some of my neighbors have already started decorating for Halloween. Perfect for an evening walk with a light sweatshirt, listening to an audiobook, and then home to my couch, blanket and hot tea. 

Happy October eve, friends. 

Maybe have pancakes in the morning ♥

♥

We survived the storm! ♥

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Monday! ♥

What you see here is chicken stock bubbling on the stove.  We have made it successfully through the storm, but since it's still raining and its Monday, which is a double whammy in my book, I thought soup might be just the medicine for today. 

The kitchen is warm and smells really nice right now.  

I can't wait for supper ♥

This storm was indeed a rager.  Monsoon winds and SO MUCH RAIN. 

Thankfully we had no damage!  All our trees stayed in the ground and we never lost power!

I don't know how, but we didn't ♥

 

Another good thing is that our house is up on a hill so even though the river out back was flooded, we didn't get any water in our basement or anything like that. 

The rain will continue through today and even a little tomorrow morning too.  

This storm just won't end!  

However - the forecast shows sunshine in the 70's Wednesday and Thursday.  Go figure! 

I'm dying to get out for a walk as soon as the rain lets up. 

I spent most of the weekend being lazy, as did everyone else.  All of John's plans were canceled on Saturday so he was home too.  Apparently, no one wants to go to a football game during a nor'easter! 

I wrapped myself in a blanket read my book, slept, and watched an entire season of Downton Abbey.  Season 2.  I'm about to begin Season 3 for the 137th time and I still don't know if I'm emotionally prepared to do it again. If you know, you know! 

This was literally ME to my family this weekend ↓

*seriously, this is what I do for fun - I'm not kidding*

I also made some lists (during food breaks in between episodes:).  

I was thinking about things I want to do this fall. 

Here are some random examples of what crossed my mind:

make applesauce

get new winter pjs

simplify my makeup and eliminate products I don't need or want to wear anymore

make a Bath & Bodyworks run for wallflower refills

make a Pinterest board for Thanksgiving (centerpieces, decorations, recipes, etc.)

get a puzzle for future rainy days 

try a new cookie recipe (any suggestions???) 

...I told you it was random! 

♥

It crossed my mind how quickly summer flew by and I hardly remember it happening. Is it just me getting older or does this happen to everyone? One minute we are putting on the AC and the next I'm thinking about putting on the heat - of which I haven't done yet, but it probably won't be long now. 

Anyhow, today it's back to work and so far it's been a productive day.  Rob had work and John had school and we're back to our regular scheduled programming.  I made my Dad and I coffee this morning and a new week has begun.  The last one in September!  Thursday is October 1st and I must get some Halloween candy in this house.  

The time is NOW! : ) 

Oh, I wanted to tell you I put this movie on for background today while I was working...♥

Pumpkin Pie Wars! 🍂

It's one of my favorite Fall Hallmark movies! If you're looking for something soooo cozy to get you into the fall spirit, please watch this one. It's free on YouTube! 

 I hope you all had a cozy weekend and if you were in this storm's path, I hope you are OK.  

The sun will come out again. She always does ♥

Thanks for checking in with me today! Talk soon! Xx