Happy Monday from the northwoods lovely Friends! 🍁 ☀️
It's a nice bright sunny one today. It got COLD last night. Had to turn the heat on for the first time. We had frost warnings all around the area. Looks like steady temps in the 50's for highs for the foreseeable future...and I'm here for it. 😊 I'm ready for it to fully feel like Autumn now. :) I missed doing extra posting last week because I was busy and looks like a busy week ahead too. I have birthday lunch dates with friends or family every day this week! I feel like such a lovely spoiled girlie. (my bday is this coming weekend) So I'm not sure how much posting I'll get done this week too. But next week should be more normal.
Did you have a lovely weekend? It was such a wonderful one here!! Friday afternoon Matt and I were productive and did yard work, I decorated outside, and Matt cleaned out my garage - boy did it need that! And he leaf blowed the driveway and all around the house. Then Friday night Matt & I went out for a lovely dinner. Saturday we went up the north shore and had an amazing brunch! Went to our favorite rocky beach to look for rocks. Matt learned about rocks from his Grandpa and has a thing for them. I got him a rock polisher last year so he can shine them up. His Grandpa used to make things from the rocks he polished...not sure if Matt will get into all of that? Lol We visited some gift shops, a candy shop 😋, and a smokehouse shop (Matt loves smoked fish). My Dad and Bro loved enjoying some of that too over the weekend. 🐠
We also ran our usual errands. Late in the day we grabbed a big pretty mum and some pumpkins to decorate the front of the house. Then that night we went out to dinner with the Conley's and then they came over to hang out. We had a fire out on the deck complete with big fuzzy blankets to stay extra warm and just gabbed away. Then we played cards til the wee hours. It was such a perfect day!! Last night we did birthdays with my Dad & step Mom and Brother and SIL (my bro is Sept., I'm this month and my step Mom is November) My Dad and step Mom are heading to AZ for the winter in another week - so we were packing it all in now. We had a fun pizza dinner and I made extra nibbles, had dessert, watched football, visited and played games. Just one of those perfectly wonderful Fall weekends.
Tonight my Packers play so Matt and I are going to make a yummy dinner and cheer away!
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:
yogurt, coffee with vanilla almond milk creamer
ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:
Annie's volleyball games, her hockey captain's practices, schedule conferences, work for volleyball senior night plans, my many lunch dates this week Lol 😆, time with my Mom, home projects, hospice work, and a special dinner for one of my main hospice supervisors as she is retiring now.
THINKING ABOUT:
how very blessed I am - my grateful heart is filled to the brim 💗
AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
It's all clean and tidy from the party here last night - I finished up dishes leftover this AM. Sun is shining through the windows and shining on Bubba laying on the top of the couch. Ruby is snoring as she's laying across the same couch. Lol
CURRENTLY READING
Fall magazines
ON THE TV TODAY:
When Calls the Heart, Big Brother, Survivor, Shark Tank, Jeopardy, Better Call Saul, Halloween Baking Championship, The Morning Show, Great British Baking Show, Love is Blind (new season)
ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
MONDAY - taco salads
TUESDAY - pork chops, apple compote (going to make with apple butter my daughter got for me at a recent festival), and sheet pan fall veggie medley cooked with manchego & garlic roaster seasonings
WEDNESDAY - french onion soup topped with french bread crouton covered in provolone, and this Autumn salad with my homemade honey dijon dressing
THURSDAY - leftovers
FRIDAY - slow cooker BBQ meatballs, brown rice side dish (I boil it in chicken broth) with toasted pecans and dried cranberry, and sheet pan roasted brussel sprouts w/onion & balsamic roaster seasoning and tossed with dried cranberry and bacon pieces
* Fall is here and I'm getting back into the cozy kitchen mode even more - yay! 😋
TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:
go for walks, watch Annie's game, do crafts or bake
TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:
FROM THE CAMERA:
Our furry babies. The pic of Bubba is down in our lower level where I was down doing a workout on the treadmill, he was my coach. 😂
Why I need to workout - the amazing brunch we had up the north shore began with sharing these cinnamon mini donuts drizzled with caramel sauce and bacon. Holy yum!
I had pesto egg benedict (pesto hollandaise) and breakfast potatoes - absolute treat!! 😋
A stop at a candy shop - we shared with the wealth with friends and family as we didn't need treats after that brunch! Lol
💗 💗 💗
Our wheelbarrow of goodies to bring back home 🎃
Our cozy fire on the deck included the furry babies sitting in the window watching. Lol (Ruby did come out later). If you look in the corner of the fire pic my girlfriend's hands are visible - they are in big white fuzzy mittens! Lol I brought a big pile of warm fuzzy blankets up and we bundled up and the fire felt wonderful. We sipped hot pumpkin chai tea too.
Our stone address sign matches the house- I have a white geranium hanging in there so I put the white pumpkin next to it.
PRAYER LIST:
For an end to the conflict in the Ukraine and Israel and of all parts of the world living in war & fear. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence. For anyone sick, suffering, in pain or fear... that God bring them comfort and peace. For His Light and Love to cast out the dark everywhere. For safe travels for my Dad and step Mom soon.