Thankful Thursday: The Man of the House Edition

Today the Man of the House celebrates another birthday.  Since this coincides with Thankful Thursday, I thought I would dedicate today's post to him and share many of the things I am thankful for about him.

I Am Thankful For:

His kindness

His generosity 

His integrity

His work ethic

His sense of humor

His tenderness

His strength

The way he supports and encourages me

His mad DIY skills

His intelligence

His loyalty

The way he kisses me

His laugh

His smile

When he tells me I'm pretty

His love for football and the Cleveland Browns

He tolerates my moods

His curiosity

He's nice to my family

He's a great dad

And a great grandfather

And husband

Sunday Inspiration: October

 

Currently... October, 2020

 Welcome, October!  

This is the birth month of one of my very favorite people ever.  (hint:  it's the Man of the House).  That means it would automatically get a big thumbs up from me.  But, I adore October for so many reasons.  Football season is in full swing.  Pumpkins are everywhere. It (usually) starts to really feel like fall - which means I get to start wearing sweaters and boots without feeling as if I'm going to melt into a puddle by lunchtime.  Around here, the best part of the autumn leaf season usually occurs in October. 

There is just so much to enjoy about this month!

Working On:  Prioritizing tasks.  I am doing pretty well with getting myself back into the habit of setting monthly and weekly goals and planning my weeks. (Something I seriously let slide during the first several months of the whole pandemic thing) But I need to do a better job of prioritizing each of my tasks so that Important things get accomplished on time.

Reading:  The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes  and  Living With Intent by Mallika Chopra

I've never read any of Jojo Moyes' other popular works such as Me Before You.  But I am thoroughly enjoying this tale of a British girl who hastily marries an American boy and moves to a small Kentucky mining town where she joins a group of women delivering books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt's new Pack Horse Library Project.

Celebrating:  As I mentioned above, the Man of the House has a birthday this month.  Our daughter and her husband also celebrate their first anniversary.  Hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the wedding!

Loving:  This month!  (see above)   Also my two little doggies.  Yep - two!  We have been talking about getting a "brother" for Max.  A companion and playmate.  Last weekend we drove to an animal rescue in South Carolina and adopted a Chiweenie.  We have named him Ziggy and so far he is fitting right into our family.  It's adorable to see the two of them playing and wrestling.  And Ziggy is a sweetheart who loves to cuddle in my lap.

Wanting/Needing:  I need some book suggestions.  I welcome any reading recommendations, but specifically I am looking for a good daily devotional or two (or three, or four) as well as suggestions for good books about intentional living and mindfulness. 

Dreaming About:  Fun birthday celebrations.  For the Man of the House this month and for myself on November  1st. 

October Goals:

• Get back onto Weight Watchers program
• Schedule a "self care' day once a week
• Select a crochet project that isn't for the Etsy shop
• Create November blog schedule
• Create graphics for November blog posts
• Create and schedule Sunday Inspiration posts for blog
• Create 5 new listings for Etsy shop
• Write at least 3 posts for the shop blog
• Plan for "Before Black Friday" sale 

What will your October look like?

Thankful Thursday: The First of October

 

I Am Thankful For:

Puppy Sweatshirts

Grace

Conquering my To-Do list

Chicken salad

Open windows

Hot tea and cough drops

Happy Customers

New library books

Dessert

Soft, hydrated hair

Gumbo

Reading

New puppy

Joyfulness

Autumn leaves

Exciting football games

Sunny days

The puppies getting to know eachother

Five Lessons I've Learned During The Pandemic

This year has been one heck of a wild ride, hasn't it?  And it's not even over yet!  Who knows what the next three months may bring our way.  

It would be quite a shame to have gone through everything that 2020 has piled on our plates without learning a few lessons along the way.  I've learned some things about things about myself, about others, about life, and about the world at large.  Here are just a few:

1)  Plans are ALWAYS tentative

Maybe you're familiar with the Yiddish Proverb "We plan, God laughs".  In my opinion, that may be the Number One lesson we should take away from this year.  It certainly is for me.  

I recall sitting in a restaurant in Memphis,  Tennessee eating brunch with the Man of the House.  We were making plans to start taking more road trips.  Nothing too far away.  Destinations a few hours drive from our home where we could take a long weekend away once a month or at least every other month. 

This was in late February.  Just as Covid was about to really take things up a notch here in the United States.  Needless to say - those plans didn't last very long since shortly after that trip to Memphis,  the whole quarantine/self isolation portion of our year began. 

Last year, we had also decided that we were going to set a goal to attend a football game at quieteevery NFL stadium over the next several years.  This year we intended to visit the stadiums in New Orleans and either Atlanta or Nashville.   Nope.

2020 keeps reminding me of Proverbs 19:21.

Picture Credit:  YouVersion Bible App

2)  I am much more of a stress eater than I would have thought.

It's true.  I pretty much covered all my stress and anxiety about coronavirus under a thick layer of junk food for much of the Spring and Summer.  Because... comfort food.  Am I right?  I'm sorry to say that this has resulted in regaining much of the weight that I took off last year.  BOO!

3)  I am more of a home-body than I realized.  

I knew I didn't mind being at home for days on end.  But the more comfortable I have become with delivery services and curbside pick-up, the less I feel like I need to go into an actual store to interact with actual people.  

I'm not saying that's a good thing.  It just is what it is.  

I'm not totally a hermit yet.  About once a month I do get anxious to get out.  That's when I mask up and head to Home Depot or something with the Man of the House.  

4) I'm not great about the whole "self-care" thing when I know I'm not going to be around people.

I probably shouldn't mention how infrequently I have showered on more weeks than I care to admit.  The good news is that unless I have been working outside in the heat or something else sweat producing - I've learned that I can actually go a few days without bathing before I start to stink.  But when the odor starts, it hits fast and hard. Sorry, that might have been TMI.

 I haven't been deep conditioning my hair weekly as I did pre-pandemic.  Or doing regular exfoliating and face masks.  And even though I give myself pedicures even when salons are open, I let that go for far, FAR too long over the summer.  It's not like I was going to be out showing off my toes in some cute sandals or anything  

I'm trying to get myself back in the habit of having one self-care day a week.

5) Many more people are willing to take a risk with their health, and/or don't care about the well-being of others than I would have hoped was true.

Honestly, I could go on for a good long time about this.  But for the sake of not opening a big ol' can of worms - I'll just leave it there.  You know what I'm talking about.  'Nuf said.  

What are the lessons that 2020 has been teaching you?

Sunday Inspiration: Create

 

Thankful Thursday: September 24

 

Thankful Thursday:

The puppy stopped coughing 

Reading out on the porch

Fall weather

A beautiful day

Good news

Listening

Pumpkin muffins

Dinner on the porch

Crochet and coffee on a rainy day

Soup in the crock pot

The end of the week

A new jacket

Dachshund cuddles

Chilly morning

Lunch by the river

An afternoon in the mountains

The Man of the House making chili

Lazy Sunday afternoon nap

Oreos

Welcome Autumn!

 It's here!  It's finally here!  After what has seemed to be the longest, morst stress inducing Spring and Summer in recent history - we have at long last come to the first day of Autumn.  I know some of you are out there lamenting the end of Summer.  But that's not me!  Fall is always my favorite time of the year.  And that goes extra for this year.

I have been decorating for the season.  Putting out all my pumpkins, autumn leaves and scented candles. I'm especially pleased with the Autumn look for my coffee center in the kitchen/dining room.  

The Man of the House and I took advantage of the last weekend of Summer to drive up to Paint Rock. The rock sits just outside of Hot Springs, North Carolina where Paint Creek meets the French Broad River.  It's a beautiful spot.  And the area holds special meaning for us, since in his genealogical research the Man of the House found evidence that his family lived in this area in the late 1800 and early 1900s.  

It was a perfect day for getting outdoors.  Cool, but not chilly.  A nice mix of sun and clouds.  And the area was not crowded at all, so we didn't have to worry about social distancing or wearing our masks or anything.  It was lovely to get out and feel completely normal for a few hours. 

Even little Max enjoyed the adventure.  I was nervous how he would do around the river, but he was quite curious about exploring.  That has me looking forward to do some light hiking and nature walks as the leaves begin to change colors for the fall. 

Do you have plans for this Autumn?  What are your favorite fall activities?

Sunday Inspiration: Each Morning

 

Thankful Thursday: September 17

 

Thankful Thursday:

Planting done (for now)

Ice cream

New bird feeder

New greenhouse

The house smelling like fall

Autumn decor

Waking from a bad dream

A big pile of rocks

When the school day is done

Football is BACK

New table for the back porch

Monarch butterflies

A sparkling clean bathroom

Pumpkin coffee

Rainy Saturdays

Pancakes

My husband

My kids

My grandkid

Sunday Inspiration: She Will Not Fail

 

Thankful Thursday: September 10

 

Thankful Thursday:

The end of a month

New goals 

A load of mulch delivered 

Weddings 

Laughing it off

Vegetarian tacos 

Joy

Wedding cake 

Not having to cook dinner

Pumpkins 

September 

Deciding to order pizza at the last minute 

Hydrangeas 

Flower bulbs

Lunch outside 

The puppy playing in the yard 

Sitting outside and relaxing in the shade 

Prepped flower beds 

Sunday Inspiration: Yes