{ First real cold day brings crochet and a roaring fire }

I opened the blinds this morning, and was met by the welcoming sight of condensation on the window, creating a photo frame like appearance.  A random drop ran down leaving a crooked line that brought to life the trees outside while obscuring everything else around.

 

Often, I will open the bedroom window to let in the fresh air, but this morning it brought in a chill that had me reaching for a sweater, before I could even take in the first breath of air.  Ahhhhh that joyous feeling when the cold finally sets in and I know I can, for sure, say goodbye to summer until next year.

 

 

 

After the usual morning gym and a quick run to the commissary for some last minute grocery items, that I couldn't get at Winco yesterday, I came home, did what I needed to do, and then settled in for some crocheting by the fire.

 

I did that for about two hours, although, after 30 minutes with that heavy wool blanket on my legs and the first roaring beside me, I opted to move away from the inferno to a bit cooler spot.

 

I've also done some more reading today, I am desperately trying to finish this book so that I can move on to the next.  It's not that I'm not liking it, but I feel like some books I can devour in 2 days and some seem to take weeks.  This one is falling into the weeks, since it's been on my bedside table for the entire month of October.  *sigh* 

 

I am not making dinner tonight, it is our usual Saturday night fend for yourself.  I used to feel so guilty at first doing this, but the boys all love it.  They say as much as they love my homecooked meals, they also like having a day to eat snacks and whatever they want, kind of like a cheat day when you're on a diet.  Hahaha

 

So, as for myself, I might just have some apple and yogurt, I am not very hungry at all.

 

For now, I am going to finish this post and get it up on the blog, then I'm going back to my crochet.  We have started squaring off the blanket and I am loving how it is looking.  Can't wait to show you all, will probably do that this coming week, so you can see how big it is getting now.  

 

I will also probably watch some YouTube videos, I have a few vlogtobers that I haven't caught up with, so want to get those out of the way seeing as we are already in November.

 

Hope you're all having a fantastic Saturday, I will see you tomorrow! 

{ Saturday January 4, 2025 }

We have had a cold front coming in and it has been dropping the temperatures drastically.

After the gym yesterday, we came back home and after my usual shower, I had some lunch and then spent quite a while, in front of the fire with my current book.

This pictures is from back in December, but it perfectly shows what my day was like yesterday, so I thought I would share it again.

I have been finding such joy and contentment in sitting by the fire, and reading, with a cup of coffee or tea nearby.  The world around me seems to disappear, and I am sucked into the current book, fully immersed in the story.

Does that happen to you too?

When you read do you also tend to focus on the book and then suddenly it seems like you are no longer in your own home, but are wherever the story has taken you?  Isn't it incredible how our minds work?

I'm hoping this year will be another full on reading year, with lots of books, fire side cups of tea, and a slowed down way of living.

{ It's finally cooling down }

I think that Texas has finally realized that it's Fall.

The past few days we've had pretty cool weather, and it was cold enough yesterday morning, that we started a fire.

My husband and I were able to sit, drink our coffee, chat and slowly wake up before he went to work.  I could get used to those mornings, it felt so good to sit in the quiet darkness and enjoy the crackling fire with a delicious cup of coffee.  Helps you set the tone for the rest of the day.

I've been puttering around lately, not really with a specific project in mind, but getting the housework done and then moving things here and there, and trying to make it more homey.  I'm still struggling to feel like I did about homemaking a few years ago, where I spent every available minute working hard at making things for my home, placing decorations just right and making it a true representation of who I am and what I like.

So I've slowly been trying to get back at that.  One of the things I did a few days ago, was finally make my garland for the fireplace, and I love how it turned out.

All I did was use crochet thread to string the dried orange slices and some Fall leaves from my yard.  The effect is just what I was looking for, beautiful, homemade, simplistic and something that goes perfectly with the Fall and Winter seasons.

You know I was thinking yesterday about how much I miss my kids being younger, in the sense that we always went out of our way to decorate for all the holidays, and the past 2 years we've stopped.

I no longer decorate for Halloween or Easter, or Valentine's day.  Come to think of it, the only season I really go out of the way for is Christmas. 

I miss going to the Pumpkin Patch, and carving pumpkins with the kids, decorating and buying costumes and the anticipation of Trick or Treating.  I see younger families still excited and having that to look forward to, and I remember how that felt, and truly miss it.  But, you know life changes, people change and we are in a new Chapter and Season of our lives and so we adapt and go with the flow.

I guess now I have to look forward to doing all that again with my grandchildren, one day, right?

I've been enjoying watching My Mother and Other Strangers.  It is a fascinating period drama set in Northern Ireland during WWII when the US Army Air Force set up a base in their small town.

What I don't like is that as with so many other period dramas I enjoy, just when I get into it I find out that it's either been cancelled or only has a few episodes.  This one has just 5 episodes and at first I thought that it might be a good idea to not even get into it, but I couldn't help it, I'm a sucker for period drama and even though I know it will end much too soon, I've been loving it.

If you want to watch it for yourself, the link can be found in the Period Drama Series list I posted a few days ago. :)

Crochet wise, I've been trying desperately to finish my Mandala Madness, not for any other reason than I'm quite sick of seeing it staring at me from across the room.  My Atlanticus and my Nuts About Squares are going to turn into Christmas presents for someone, I'm not sure who yet, but just want to give each of them a nice edging, a wash and block and it's done.

My Liliana CAL is coming along nicely, and I'm surprised at how much I like my color combo, I stuck with just 3 colors and am throwing in the occasional white row here and there, but it's very minimal as I don't want it to be a big part of the blanket.

It needs some blocking, but I tend to wait it out and not block as I go.  Some people do, some don't, and I'm in the *leave it until the very end* group.

Not much else is going on around here, at least not anything exciting or worth mentioning at the moment, as the life of a stay at home mom is not really glamorous is it?

I'm finishing up this post and then it will be time to get dinner going.  Tonight we're having one of my favorite comfort meals and something that I would often request as a kid.  Sausages in tomato sauce with Mashed Potatoes.  You'll see it in my Weekly Meals on Sunday night :)

With that said, I just  saw the UPS man drop off a package, which I'm sure is another book for review, so I better go grab that.

Have a wonderful Wednesday night and stay warm friends.  Blessings.