Hello, Happy Monday and
Did you enjoy the extra hour after changing your clocks back? Doesn't it feel like we are speeding rapidly to the end of this year already?? It sure looks like November here. Very few leaves on the trees. It's cold and rainy today. But it just brings on the cozy vibes and I'm not mad about that. :)
How was your weekend? For those that celebrated Halloween I hope you had fun. 🎃
On Friday I did hospice work and then in the evening Hubby and I ran some errands and went out for a nice dinner. On Halloween we went to evening mass. And then we brought snacks to contribute at Mr. C's Aunt's home. She hosts a fun Halloween pot luck party every year and this is our 3rd or 4th year going? So we hung out with our besties, the C's, and also the family and friends at the party. It's always such a fun time!
Then yesterday we did some cleaning around the house. Watched football and overall had a nice chill day.
To me November is a month of gratitude and quiet preparation for the holidays ahead. I usually don't put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. Sometimes when it falls really late in November I may start putting up a few things right before Thanksgiving. And we do oven put the outside Christmas lights & decorations up this month before it gets too snowy and cold. Oh, and I do start listening to Christmas music this month! Yay!!
I actually have already done a big bulk of my Christmas shopping. I have our Christmas cards for this year already too! So I like to do as much of that kind of prep before December as I'm able to do. I like December to be more focused on the fun things like: baking, watching movies, wrapping gifts, and going out to holiday events/concerts etc. 😊❤️💚
I just love the Fall vibes to last a bit longer and to focus on the thankfulness of this month. I also host Thanksgiving... so maybe that is why I like it to still feel like Autumn around here. I love focusing on the gratitude most of all, including you dear Friends! I love gathering here with you each week and sharing our lives with one another. I appreciate every visit and kind comment you make here. I read them all and love when you share what's going on your world too. So in this month of gratitude I just want to say thank you so much for your friendship. 🍁🧡
Now on to the week ahead...
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:
raisin bran cereal and coffee
ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:
they're coming to install the shower doors and then our new bathroom is complete -yay! pickleball (& may start volleyball league next week), errands, bday dinner with a couple of gf's (we all have Fall bdays), Christmas projects, hospice work
THINKING ABOUT:
how it looks like it's supposed to rain most of the week - but I'm just going to embrace the cozy and work on projects (& maybe bake something fun?)
THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:
Being wrapped up in a soft fleecy blanket on a cold night - all cozy in my favorite recliner and watching football or a movie (or working on embroidery). It's all about the cozy vibes.
CURRENTLY READING
I probably won't have much to add here, other than holiday magazines, because I have mainly been working on craftsy projects.
ON THE TV TODAY:
Jeopardy, Best Medicine, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, Youtube things, Holiday Baking Championship, Great British Baking Show, The Gilded Age is back on (yay!) - it's very Downton Abbey-ish if you've never seen it (on HBO max), Love is Blind, Nobody Wants This
ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
MONDAY - eating a hodgepodge of leftovers from the weekend (pasta dish & some pork chops & sides)
TUESDAY - taco salads
WEDNESDAY - Breakfast for dinner....Italian version of shakshuka (spicy egg dish) with added protein and skillet sourdough toasts to dip in it, veggies/fruit on the side
THURSDAY - out with gf's - but for Matt creamy potato soup and side salad
FRIDAY - out for dinner?
TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:
work on holiday projects, might start wrapping gifts I have tucked away
TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:
FROM THE CAMERA:
We've been getting our cozy on with the fireplace some evenings (now that most nights are in the 30's - brrr). Bubba loves to come snuggle with us by the fire too. :)
When I was outside with Ruby one night I took a pic from the outside because I loved all the lamp glow with the trees reflected on the window. And I caught a pretty sunset. I also caught some of the last leaves in our backyard through the view in our patio door.... and now they're not even there anymore. 😢
My poor Hubby had to be out-of-town for work for a few days (including his birthday) - so we celebrated with a nice dinner and his favorite dessert he requests every year - a peanut butter pie. You can find my recipe here. Every year Matt adds more to it though. Lol He can never get enough peanut butter. This year he had me throw some pb m&m's into the filling. And you can see how I initially decorated it and then the next photo is what he added. 😂 But I was just happy to make him what he loves and to celebrate him on his 49th. Next year is the big 5-0 for him! I'll have to think of something extra fun for that one. 😉
And speaking of peanut butter - I made my friend Billie Jo's (at the blog Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea) spiderweb munch to bring for the potluck Saturday. It was a hit! It's such yummy chocolatey peanut butter goodness. And I also made some cream cheesy ranch tortillas roll-ups (that also had some pepper jelly on them) - but I forgot to get a photo. I didn't get a photos of us, but because we went to church first I was dressed tastefully in dress pants and a black top. But I did take a photo of the jewelry I wore. I was channeling my Bubba black cat vibes for Halloween this year. 🖤
Sunday we spent down in the media/gamer room. We have plans for things we're going to change in there next year (we tabled it to do our new bathroom this year). So eventually that room will get some new paint, carpet and furniture. Matt's office is down there too.
But the things we have changed includes Matt's touches. A 77 inch big screen and big sound bar (and he brought one of our old tv's down to watch multiple games). And he added a special camera that detects what you're watching and a light strip behind that lights up in colors and moves to match what is on the screen. Lol It was so cool when we watched an Avengers movie the other night in the dark! While we watched football I was working on the last of my other embroidery project. Only a little bit left now and I will definitely have it done for our gf bdays Thursday this week to give both as gifts.
And our Packers weren't on so Matt half watched football and half did this:
zzzzzzz
