A Different Sort of Peach Days

It’s that time of year again: Peach Days. Friday night I met up with my family and we went to the Peach Days carnival. The kids still like going and it’s fun to hang out with the family, even if there are a bunch of other people. I think people are figuring out that Friday night is less crowded than Saturday. There were a lot of people. I hate to think what it looks like today. And then for the first time in quite a few years, I didn’t go up to Brigham at all for the Saturday part. My sister doesn’t have any kids in the parade this year and I just can’t see going up for any other reason. They did go up because my niece had to work at Peach City. I won’t say I’ll never go again, but the big parade doesn’t hold a lot of interest for me as an adult. I was only going to cheer on my nieces and nephew and be with family. I probably could have gone to the quilt show and a few other things and just missed the parade, but there is always next year. 

I slept in and did a little cleaning, then I drove to SL to hit up an indie bookstore I’ve been meaning to go to for a while. Lovebound Library is a romance bookstore, although they do have a little bit of general fiction. It’s a cute store and they do have a nice selection of books, though they are mostly contemporary and romantasy. I picked up 3 new books and spent some time rearranging some of my bookshelves to fit them in where I wanted them. 

It has been fun visiting indie bookstores this year. I still have more to go to than months left in the year but that’s ok. Most of those that are left are going to take some planning to get to. I’ve bought a lot of books I wouldn’t have bought if I weren’t trying to support them. And I’ve got some favorites to go back to. The biggest problem is that none of my favorites are really that close to me and it’s still easier to get my books from bookshop.org or Barnes and Noble. 

I have a little bit of cleaning left to do and I’ll be making a new soup for dinner tonight. But I’m in for the day and am planning on reading. LOL I’m having a bit of book anxiety again with all the shiny new books waiting for me to get to them, plus I keep adding to my KU list. I’ve just got to let it go. I have more books than I’ll ever possibly read and new ones come along constantly. This is just the way life is.

Anyway, it’s been a nice weekend so far. I’ll be seeing family again tomorrow for family dinner. The weekends are always too short. 

Labor Day

I made plans with my sister to get out of the house on Monday for the holiday, then while I was waiting for them to pick me up, I wondered if I wouldn't rather stay home. I'm really glad I got out. We ended up at Tony Grove and walked around the lake. Perfect temperature and when the wind blew, I was very grateful for my hoodie. 

There are very few things that smell better than the mountains. It was a lovely day.

Daylight

One positive thing that I’ve been noticing since I was home sick all week. It’s the way the sunlight hits my windows in the afternoon. It’s not as low as winter sun, and the leaves are still on the trees, so it’s not direct sunlight in the windows. But it’s still hitting those south facing windows just right and making them glow with light. My plants are loving it. It’s been getting a little darker since summer solstice, of course, but now I’m noticing it in the afternoon sun as well. I absolutely love the autumn and winter sun. There’s a softness to it that you just don’t get in summer. So happy that I could consciously notice it now so I can pay attention as the season progresses. 

November 15

It’s been unseasonably warm recently, but I’ve been loving the late fall feeling. All the leaves on the ground and dark nights, even if it isn’t terribly cool. Not really sure what I’ve been up to, but I haven’t actually read a new book all the way through yet this month. I’m close to finishing a book, and I’ve done some re-reading, but it just wasn’t a good month for new reads. That’s ok. I’ll be going on a trip in a few weeks and will load up my kindle.

My sister and I got out this weekend and went to our new Trader Joe’s and favorite nursery. We’ll be going to our usual place for poinsettias next weekend as well. We have the primary program tomorrow and then that will be over with too. The year is really winding down. 

Since I turned 50 this year, I knew I wanted to take a big trip but wasn’t sure where to go and was browsing the website of the tour group I used before and found another Christmas market trip to countries I’ve never been to so I signed myself up.So that’s coming up in a few weeks and I’m getting excited. Still a little too early to pack and all that, but I need to start doing a little research for the downtime they give us. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. Because of my other trip, I’m not taking the entire week off, but still going to do a girls shopping trip the Monday before. Then my sister, Anna, is hosting this year so she gets to cook the turkey. I volunteered for rolls, no surprise there. About 6 weeks left in 2025 and I’m looking forward to them. My only wish is for a lot of rain and snow. 

One Week Later

I spent this past week in North Carolina. It's nice there this time of year. A bit warmer than we are here and the humidity is manageable. When I looked out my window this morning in the daylight,  I couldn't believe the difference a week makes. My trees are now almost entirely yellow/red and dropping leaves. Only a few green leaves remain. Many trees have dropped all their leaves completely. 

It was a long week; it always is when I travel for work. I ran into a few co-workers Monday evening in the hotel and went to dinner with them, which I rarely do. I prefer to relax after traveling all day. It was fun to catch up with them though. Then as an extra activity, a bunch of us purchased tickets to the musical Six which was playing in downtown (or what they call uptown) Charlotte on Tuesday evening. I had missed it when it came here and I liked it more than I thought I would. I can see myself listening to the soundtrack one of these days when I'm looking for some Broadway musicals to listen to. Then on Thursday we went to Game Show Battle Rooms and had a team activity. I though it was going to be awful and ended up having a good time. And then work and meetings during the days. 

I'm now ready for a slower paced weekend. Family dinner is at my house on Sunday so I'll be praying for patience and itching to clean up after everybody leaves, but that's ok. I bought apples and will be making instant pot applesauce in the next few days. I love it. I think tonight calls for book and cozy blanket. 

Ah, November

November doesn’t get as much love as October, but I do love it. We just had the time change so the evenings will be dark, even as we head to the shortest day of the year. It’s been nice to be home today so I can see how the sun is moving and creating shadows. The time to get cozy and hibernate has come, even as I do try and enjoy the last bit of evening light. Leaves are falling all around. Even my trees are getting a lot more brown/yellow.  Winter is coming, as they say. While I’m not quite ready for the snow, I wouldn’t mind some good rain storms. What a glorious time of year. 

I made soup and homemade rolls for dinner today. My house smells fantastic. I can’t wait to dig in. 

Goodbye October

It's that time of year when even the trees at my house are turning and leaves are falling all over. It's gotten much colder as well. I haven't gotten my coat out yet, but definitely hoodie season. 

Last weekend I had a sleepover for 5 of my nieces and nephews. I believe they had fun. I did keep my cool most of the time. I was very cool during the 2 water spills so I do get some credit. We went bowling first and then I made them a sweet/salty Halloween treat, which one of them promptly turned into art.

Tonight, I will be carving my pumpkin with the twins. I've been wearing all my Halloween-ish shirts to work. I didn't realize I had so many. I have enough for the whole week.  I'm truly starting to feel the urge to hibernate and cozy up for the winter. I love this time of year so much. 

Nice Day for a Walk

I took a very early lunch break this morning and went for a walk. I had to wait for the sun to come out, but it was wonderful. 

The sun was warm and the leaves were making noise. But the flowers are still out as well because it hasn't hit super cold in the morning... just kind of cold. ha ha  There are 2 more weeks until Daylight Savings and I'm trying to take advantage of the light after work as well. 

I listened to a podcast on the history of Halloween and learned about soul cakes, which were handed out to children and poor people going door to door, and which seems to be the origin of trick or treating. So of course, I googled to see if I could find a recipe. 

They turned out pretty good. The recipe called for British mixed spice, which seems to be like the US pumpkin pie spice, but I used my King Arthur Flour yuletide cheer spice instead. And then I didn't have dried currants so I used my dried tart cherries from the farmer's market. It's no chocolate chip cookie, but tasty in their own way. I froze most of them to take to family dinner. 

Again, just trying to take a little time each day to appreciate the season. 

Lovely October

Can't believe we are at the halfway done with October mark. I feel like I'm doing a good job of noticing each day and having a moment to just enjoy it. I have an unplanned weekend coming up and I'm hoping to get out and do a few things and just enjoy being out and about. To that end, I've been getting laundry and other house things done so that I have the chores out of the way. 

It was a lovely drive to work today. Rainy and cloudy and dark. 

So far this month I've read a werewolf romance, a zombie war story, and a gothic book. I feel very good about my reading choices for Halloween month. Coming up, I've got a historical mystery and maybe a little more paranormal romance and some light horror. 

Fall Vibes

I’ve been wanting to get to Midway for a while, mostly to check out the indie bookstore, Folklore, that has been open for a few years now. So this weekend my sister and the twins and I headed up there. We actually spent the night in Heber, just thinking that it would be easier to be a little closer to explore. I think in the spring I would head up there again just for the day and be happy with that, although we did have fun. We left town Friday around 10:30 and got to Heber by lunch time so went to eat at the Dairy Keen. I told myself I’m going back one day to get a chocolate shake. It looked so good. I did have gelato later that afternoon, but still. 

Then we went to the fall festival that Heber Valley Cheese put on. Basically, they put kids games in their fields and the kids had a lot of fun. I was happy being outside. The forecast had rain, and it had rained before we got there, but it was actually a tiny bit too warm for my long sleeve shirt. Then we wandered around a little shopping area of Midway, including the bookstore. Oddly enough, I did not buy myself a book at all. I did buy the kids each a Taylor Swift sticker book, but that was it. LOL not sure what got into me?

The next day, we went to some thrift shops and then took a little walk by the river. I had wanted to go back to the little covered bridge we saw. It truly fell like fall and was so nice. 

We’ve had some rain again and I’m baking bread today for family dinner. I’ve been putting on old (pre 1970) horror movies and have puzzles and books and embroidery to do. This week I have a bit of a laid back week with nothing planned after work. I’m trying to reset my attitude about work and deal with the things I get paid to deal with. But after work, I’m going to make the most of the rest of October. 

Conference Weekend

This weekend has been just what I needed: a break from the stress and worries I’ve been carrying. I decided that I actually needed to listen to conference a lot more than I did 6 months ago. I missed whole sessions of that one. 

Saturday I got up and did some cleaning, but made sure to be near where I could hear the tv. So some cleaning and laundry in the morning. My sister had a weird health issue pop up on Friday and so on Saturday after the 1st session of conference I went and picked up some prescriptions for her because she can’t drive yet. Then I took her twins with me to Hobby Lobby. I have made enough wreaths that I needed another wreath hanger. I got 2 just to be prepared. LOL Then we went to lunch and I had the kids out for the 2 hours between the sessions. I can’t do a lot for Amy and the kids like my mom did because I work full time, but I can periodically give her some alone time and space. It rained all day Saturday and I actually had fun getting out in the rain. 

By the time I got back home, conference had started so I did miss a lot of the first talk. But then I listened and started baking. Yesterday was pumpkin chocolate chip bread. After it cooled, I cut into it and it’s delicious. The recipe made 2 loaves so one is wrapped up in the freezer. By the evening session I was just finishing laundry and did the dishes and a puzzle. 

Last night it got cold! I don’t know what the temperature was but I was under my heavy blue jeans quilt for part of the night. I wasn’t really thinking I’d bake more today. Two loaves of pumpkin bread are plenty. But the cold got to me. I made a puffy pancake and homemade hot chocolate for breakfast. During the first session of conference I made up some no knead peasant bread dough to rise. And then….I made up a batch of mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Ha ha I do not need cookies or cookie dough but oh well. It will freeze and I can take it to neighbors or something later. My house has smelled heavenly all weekend. 

I’m really glad I cleaned on Saturday. That leaves Sunday free for rest. The only chore I had is dishes. During conference today I’ve been cross stitching. I do like it. I should get it out more often. I’m stitching pillow cases that mom had bought. I have 2 or 3 different ones. This one is straight cross stitch so nothing fancy and I almost finished it. I’m leaving it out for this week. If I put a movie on one night I can get it all the way done. 

As for what I learned in conference? I think the message I heard is to love everyone and treat them kindly and with respect. To serve where I can and to not forget my Savior and what he has already done for me and for the world. None of the crazy is a surprise to Him and the plan has been in motion since the beginning. I can take comfort in that. Basically, I need to show by my actions that I am a disciple of Christ. 

Bring on the Cozy!

It’s only October 2nd but it’s glorious! I am feeling the cozy fall vibes and am trying so hard to make the most of it. Fall is way too short, IMO. 

I have been adulting this week. It does feel good to get a few things taken care of. I had to get new tires on my car, along with the regular service, so there went my house payment that I didn’t have. Ha! It feels good, even if I spent the money on something else. Plus, that’s money I didn’t take out of savings.

We are celebrating mom and dad’s birthdays by having family dinner at Maddox tonight. They will be paying for us one last time. Bittersweet. I’ve also got a few fun things planned throughout the month. I’ve also started on some Fall/Halloween type of reading: light horror, mysteries, gothic, and urban fantasy. That definitely helps the mood. 

I am feeling a lot better, mentally. This is such a weird time of life. I know it’s all hormonal and related to whatever cycle I’m on, but man, it’s crazy that I was so tired, sad, angry, emotional and then just snapped out of it. 

General conference weekend is coming up. I feel like I should probably try and listen as much as possible for my own peace. There is rain in the forecast, so the plan is that I will be baking and doing projects and sitting under my minky and just have a nice, cozy weekend at home. Can't Wait!

And Now, September

Yay! It's finally September and my favorite 4 months of the year are upon us. I know it's still hot but most of this week should be in the 80s and barely hit 90. Finger's crossed yucky heat is gone. 

My plans for Labor Day fell apart and I'm ok with that. I'm doing some things around the house, taking care of my plants, little things. I might go to a movie with the twins this afternoon. It will just be a relaxing day. 

I'll be getting out my fall bedspread and switching to fall scents in my wax warmer and then waiting until the official autumn equinox before I try and get cozy and in hibernation mode. Some of the leaves are already changing because we haven't had enough water, so I don't feel bad getting into fall mode starting today.  

We went to the farmer's market on Saturday and I've been eating fresh watermelon, berries and have a bunch more peaches in the fridge. And a neighbor gave me a little jar of fresh salsa and I've been eating that on taco salad. While I don't want to grow a garden myself, it's really nice to live in a place where I can easily get fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Finally, October

Our cold front came in and it finally feels like fall. It’s 66 degrees in my house so I’m baking a frozen pot pie for dinner. LOL I don’t know why but the first time it gets cold in the house, I don’t like to turn the heat on. I’m wrapped up in blankets and having the oven on will warm it up. I slept really well last night with the window cracked and I was buried under the blankets. I love it. 

I went to my uncle’s funeral on Wednesday and it just got me sad again. So I’ve been feeling a little bit down and getting teary at odd moments. Today was a good day though. My sister and I took the twins to the Treehouse Museum to play for a couple hours this morning. Then we went to lunch. We tried a new Thai place on 25th street that serves pho. It was a good pho so now we have a good place in town to get it again.  Then we drove out to a fruit stand on the highway to buy pumpkins. I figured it was kind of like going to a pumpkin patch? LOL But the kids had fun and got to choose their own this year. So now I’ve got my pumpkin. 

So all in all a good fall break and I’ve still got the weekend ahead. And now it’s starting to get dark so I’ve got some comfort lighting on and a fake fireplace on the tv. I’m just going to have a cozy night tonight. I’ve been waiting for this weather all month so I’m going to enjoy all I can. 

Busy Week

I did have a nice, relaxing weekend. I barely left my house and listened to every session of general conference while I cleaned, cooked, or did puzzles. I also finished a craft and pulled weeds in my flower bed and started to get it ready for winter. 

Winter....ha ha it doesn't even feel that much like fall. We are still hitting the 80s. It is quite cool some mornings, and it's definitely getting dark much earlier. I really enjoyed being home to watch the shadows from the sun in my backyard. They come earlier and are just so much softer than in the summer. 

I've been waiting for a nice rainy day to read something for Fall/Halloween and do a reshelving project in my library on a day when I want to be inside. I've read like 5 non-fiction books in a row now. That's not exactly normal for me, but it's what I've been in the mood for, I guess. I also haven't really had any Halloween movies on. Ha ha I'm not that far into October so I don't know why it's getting to me. I guess what I really want to do is hibernate, and instead I've been doing other things. I have a busy 2 weeks ahead of me and will be getting out and about a lot. I guess that's good as well. I know the dark days are coming so I should get out while I can enjoy the nice weather. 

I did get my split bead wreath finished. I'm very happy with the way it turned out, even though I spent waaaayyyyy too much money on it. I started out with a different set of floral items to put on it. And they would have looked really good as well, but I soon found that they were very bulky and the dried stems broke off very easily and made a mess. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to store it. So it was back to the store to find something else. Now to work on all the other craft/projects I've already paid for. LOL

Beautiful Day

It’s been such nice weather. My sister and I and the twins got out for a short walk the other evening. The leaves on the mountain trees are starting to change colors. 

Today I went with sisters and some of the kids to Vintage Market Days in Cache Valley. We’ve been a few times before. It’s kind of fun to look around. I bought some cinnamon and sugar dried apples which are very tasty. I also found some cute tea cups and I bought 2 of them. On the way home I got a few new succulents to put in them. If they die, I’ll replace them with air plants. But for now, I have some new additions to my library shelves. 

It was a really nice day to drive through Sardine canyon. The leaves are definitely changing up at that elevation. Plus it was a great temperature for walking around outside. That’s a good thing because I have 2 more miles to go to hit my 75 mile walking challenge and my time period ends tomorrow. I was going to wait until a little later this evening but I think I might put a little sunscreen on and go right now. I only have to walk a mile one way and then back home. I’ve got this!

Holidays

Ha ha ok so I put up my Christmas tree today. It’s the earliest I’ve ever done it but I was just feeling the vibe. My soul has been craving that cozy, old fashioned, childhood Christmas feeling. Peace on earth, goodwill to men seems really hard to find this year so I’m making it inside my house. I started with a new candle warmer that looks like it belongs in a Christmas village and went from there.

It’s been a drizzly, cloudy, lovely fall day. My mom and sister and I went to buy our poinsettias this morning. We get them from a place out near the freeway that I don’t know if many people know about. They sell them every year so I assume they make some money off of them. I hope so. Going into the greenhouse filled with poinsettias is one of my favorite things. It’s so hard to decide. So I basically don’t. I knew I wanted a big red one, but then I got 3 smaller ones in different colors as well. They just make me happy.  

When I got home and got my new plants in their place, I just made up my mind to decorate. I’ve still got the Fall/Thanksgiving decorations out (all 4 of them ha ha) and put out the Christmas stuff too. It just seemed like the perfect day with the drizzle outside. 

I’m still not quite ready for Christmas music, that can come later. But I’ve got some cozy going on now, at least. I also made lasagne soup for dinner and have a baked potato soup planned for tomorrow. What I really need now is the smell of wassail in my house. Pretty sure I have a wax melt that flavor. I’ll have to get it out. 

Anyway I have all next week off work and I’m looking forward to it. Thanksgiving week is probably my most favorite time of the year. 

Sitting in the Sun

It’s Sunday and I’m sitting in my favorite place to be on a Sunday early afternoon: my library. The tree outside my window is a mixture of green and yellow and the tree next to it has already dropped all its leaves so the sun is coming inside. My plants are loving it and I’m eating it up as well. I’m trying to absorb all I can. I don’t get seasonal depression, but I definitely feel it sometimes that I’m not getting all the light I probably should be, as I go from home to office to home again in the dark. 

I’ve seen a few people with Christmas decorations already up and one of the radio stations is playing Christmas music 24/7. It’s still a little early for me for that, but I’m actually feeling quite positive about the holidays this year. I’m looking forward to them. If this stays with me, I’ll probably even put up my Christmas tree this year. I have this week for work and then I’m on vacation the entire week of Thanksgiving and am looking forward to it for sure. 

I’ve got 5 books left to read to meet my reading goal (and 2 books to read the # of books for the goal) and I’m feeling pretty good about it. There are 7 weeks left in the year and I’m halfway done with a book that counts towards the 5. The goal started out pretty fun, and I’ve been pretty happy with the books I’ve read because of it, but it has made me feel a few times that I couldn’t read what I wanted to, or that I had to read something else to stay on track. So I’m playing around with the idea for next year that I read one of the old classics or massive historical-fiction tomes sitting on my shelf and leave it at that. Just have a free for all and not really care what I read. Sometimes that makes me more adventurous, sometimes not. I’ll see what I feel like as 2024 gets closer. This year I found a new non-fiction writer that I want to read more of for sure. 

Time Change Blues

Last weekend I talked my mom and sisters into not being productive at home and we went shopping. I honestly could have gone, got what I needed, and been back home before we even left, but what's the fun in that. As it was, we got to a busy shopping center in the middle of the day and had lots of traffic and people to deal with. But it was still fun. I just wanted to get out. It was a warm day and the sun was shining and I really enjoyed it. 

Then my mom reminded me it was daylight savings. I didn't really notice it on Sunday. I was just home doing my thing and it got dark when it got dark. Monday, we all went to my niece's high school play and I definitely noticed that it was almost dark when I left my house at 5:30. I have to get used to driving in the dark again, I guess. 

Today, it's just dark because clouds. I had to get up for an early meeting online and and I've been able to work from home with the window open a bit to hear the rain. It's so nice, even if it is chilly. How many is too many cups of cocoa? 

The holiday season will be in full swing before I know it. I'm trying to balance everything and enjoy the fall and have gratitude for so many good things in my life, but also be aware of things I can do around me. I can't truly help most of the world problems right now, though I've given some money to a few causes, but I can make a difference where I am. 

Expensive Weekend

Well, life definitely happens when you least expect it. Last Friday night I noticed that my fridge was leaking something and then Saturday morning, there was definitely water on the floor underneath it. I decided Friday night I was probably just going to be getting a new fridge if that one was dying so I did some googling and scheduled a junk service to come pick up the old one. I wanted it gone to be able to clean up the floor. They came really quick on Saturday. I got up early to go get a cooler from my sister and my mom dropped off hers as well. After the fridge was taken, I spend some time mopping up water and cleaning my floor as well as organizing what was going in the coolers. I have already thrown away 2 garbage bags of stuff (all my condiments!) and I know I will be throwing out more. Luckily, my mom and neighbor took a few things I didn't want to lose.  

I went to look at fridges and ended up getting one at Lowes. Since I was there, I purchased a new garbage disposal. My old one stopped working a few weeks ago. And since I was there I also bought a new microwave as well. The one I have has been making weird noises when it goes on and I just decided to do it all now. On the plus side, all of my kitchen appliances are now new and they all match once again. 

My fridge gets delivered today and my microwave, tomorrow. I'm really grateful that things have worked out as well as they did and that it happened on the week I'm home. Fingers crossed that I measured correctly and everything fits. :)

Yesterday, my mom and sister and the twins went for a drive to see the autumn leaves. They've peaked in Logan canyon, but were still really beautiful. Tons of people were out doing the same thing. Of course, I didn't get any pictures of the red and orange leaves. LOL It was really nice to get out into the mountains for a bit though.