Monthly Musings ~ September 2023

 Thursday is here and I am joining up with Patty today for Monthly Musings.  

1.  Favorite fall traditions

Sitting by a fire in the solo stove outside, visiting a corn maze, eating soups, pumpkin candles

2.  How do you celebrate Halloween?

For a few years when the girls were older but still at home, we went to a friend's house.  Last year, I went trick or treating with my greats.  I always cook chili on Halloween or the day after if we are eating at friend's house.  When the girls were little, we would go trick or treating in our neighborhood.

3.  Favorite fall recipes

This is my go-to pumpkin bread recipe.

For other fall recipes, I have a board here of recipes.

4.  Favorite fall fashion pieces

I love a good cardigan and wearing boots!

5.  How do you decorate for fall?

I shared my fall decor earlier this week.  If you missed it, you can click here to see it.

6.  Pumpkin spice?

I like pumpkin flavors in food, but I am not a pumpkin spice drink girl.

7.  Thoughts on candy corn?

I am a candy corn girl.  I bought this a few weeks ago at Hobby Lobby.  But let it be known, Brachs autumn mix is the best combo in my mind.  I think I will stick to Brachs brand as the knock offs are not as good.

8. Favorite fall/Halloween movie?

I think of When Harry Met Sally, but the ones I watch the most are Hallmark fall movies.

9.  Apple pie, pumpkin pie or cider donut?

My choice would be a cider donut!

10.  Bonfire, hayride or haunted house?

I would do any of these, but a bonfire probably being the first choice, even though this does usually involve a large amount of smoke!

I will return next week blogging so wishing everyone a happy weekend a day in advance!

What's Up Wednesday ~ September 27, 2023

 

What we're eating this week.........

Here is a snapshot of some meals the last 2 weeks. 

Salmon over quinoa/brown rice with zuchinni and squash

Tomato cream pasta with shredded chicken, served with broccolini and Rosemary braid sourdough bread

I am recently obsessed with sourdough bread.  This is a loaf I bought and we ate half of it and I froze the rest of it.

This is me trying to re-create a menu item from a local restaurant.  This is a base of quinoa/brown rice with roasted sweet potatoes, grilled onions & peppers, shredded chicken, with some broccolini served on top. I served sourdough bread on the side.

I bought some fresh okra at the farmers market this month and made fried okra.  I just sliced the okra, sprinkled it with salt, pepper and cornmeal then cooked it in my air fryer.  It was delcious!

A friend from Louisiana brought us some sausage when she came to visit this summer.  We sliced it and added it along with onions, peppers and pineapple on skewers to grill.

This was a quick, low thought dinner one night.  I added shredded chicken (there is a theme here....I try to keep some cooked shredded chicken in my freezer to pull out for meals), salsa verde and shredded cheese on low carb tortillas, topped with a little salsa on top and cooked in the airfryer.  I served this with chips and avocado.

It has been forever since I had made homemade meatballs, but my husband mentioned he wanted some, so I tried this recipe.  I served them over spaghetti with marinara sauce.  This was very easy to make and delcious the first and second time I ate it.

After dinner Friday night, I made these cookies, which were from Trader Joe's.  These were also delicious 2 days later!

This week's menu is pretty easy....

I am only cooking 1 night this week and it will be a jumbalaya mix with sausage.  

What I'm reminiscing about.......

I am always going back anytime before the past few years.  I miss a lot about those days, but am trying to live as best as I can in the present.

What I'm loving...........

I am loving the temperatures being enjoyable outside, especially in the mornings and evenings.

What we've been up to..............

September was a busy work month for me, in addition to moving my youngest to college for year 2.

I will do a post on both these events next week!

What I'm dreading............

Just a few hard situations going on right now, but am thankful for counseling and good friends to encourage me.

What I'm working on.............

I am actually working on a new part time job.  I began a new part time job this week, but it is low key.  It will be working from home for about 8-10 hours a week, but I do have a lot to learn.  This will be in addition to my "main" part time job.  

What I'm excited about.............

Say it with me, cooler temperatures!!

What I'm watching/reading.............

I watched The Bear and am in the midst of watching Only Murders in the Building and Virgin River.  I am so behind on watching Hallmark movies, but I am working my way through a few of those.  I also began watching the new season of The Voice this week.

I am reading through my bible study book, which is called Open Your Bible.

What I'm listening to..........

The fan, sounds of home....I am so thankful and don't take that for granted.

Outside of the time of writing this, I am listening to podcasts.  I am listening to the Big Boo and the rest this month are on marriage and family topics.

What I'm wearing.........

I am beginning to transfer my summer wardrobe to my guest room closet as I wash clothes in anticipation of bringing in my fall clothes.  I am wear short sleeves, whether that be a dress or with jeans, but pairing it with my denim jacket or a cardigan most days. 

What I'm doing this weekend..........

I have a work trip that involves seeing my oldest daughter, so I am excited to spend time with her.  I always love visiting Chattanooga!

What I'm looking forward to next month............

October is such a fun month will a lot of fall activites, so I am hoping to find something to attend.  I am very much looking forward to my youngest daughter flying home for a weekend and we will do a post-celebration of her birthday since she will be at college on her actual birthday.

Thanks for reading along and have a great Wednesday!

Fall Decor ~ September 25, 2023

 Hello Monday!  Hello blog friends!  I am linking up today sharing my fall decor in light of the first day of fall that occurred Saturday, along with a weekend re-cap as well.

Fall at home....

It looks a little hidden in this picture, but I added a thankful sign on my entryway table.

A few fall pillows on the sofa

The vase on the mantle is a new addition this year.

I picked this up at TJ Maxx last week.

Just a simple pumpkin candle on the coffee table, with a few pumpkins in a bowl.

Above my cooktop is a painting my daughter did at a women's paint class she taught a few weeks ago.

Fall colors on the kitchen table

Dining room table

Outdoor table on back porch

In the guest bath, we have fall soap, candle and a little pumpkin.

I bought this pretty hand soap, which smells amazing for my bathroom.

The weekend was pretty laid back, but I was able to get some little things done around the house and relax too, which felt nice. I also did some cooking which, I will share more of later this week.  

Saturday night, my husband and I went to our local AAA baseball game where it was Grizzlies night.  Desmond Bane, one the Memphis Grizzlies starting players, threw out the first pitch and it was fun to be there.  It was a great game and the weather was perfect. I'm so thankful for a nice weekend at home.

Go enjoy fall and cooler weather this Monday!

Friday Favorites ~ September 22, 2023

 Happy Friday folks!  Today is the last day of summer and that is something to smile about. Here are some Friday Favorites from the week.....

Monday, it was so nice to not have to get up early and go to work.  I did a little work at home then went to the office for a few hours to get caught up on some organization.  Not leaving my house at 7am was a favorite!

Tuesday was my husband's birthday, so we both took the day off work and went to a lake, about an hour away.  He has a raft with a motor we attach to it, so we took a ride and then he showed me how to cast a fly fishing rod, something I have always wanted to learn.  This was just practice, so maybe I can actually go and do this one time soon. I think I like this better than regular fishing though!

I put out a little birthday decor.  Funny thing, I have a happy birthday banner on our mantle and as I opened this other banner to hang in the kitchen, I realized it says Happy New Year.  I thought I would hang it anyway as it is a new year for him!

I made a sausage, egg and cheese quiche and served it with sourdough bread and pineapple for breakfast.

It was so peaceful on the lake and we were the only ones there.

Thankful to have spent the day with him and the 26th birthday I have celebrated with him.

Wednesday, I did some work from home and early voted.  Also, a favorite to have a morning at home, run errands, do laundry and vote.

Today I am having lunch with a friend, going to a baseball game this weekend and hoping it is a good one for you!

Weekend Wrap- Up ~ September 18, 2023

Hi guys!  I am back after a whirlwhind last week of non stop things. I was able to catch my breath a little bit over the weekend and here are some highlights...

I was by myself for the weekend, so it was quiet for the most part.  I watched a Hallmark movie Friday night and got caught up on some podcasts.

Saturday morning, I met my sister at her local farmers market then went to her house afterwards.  Her girls and their kids were there, so I got to see my greats, two of which are not pictured below.

I went by to see my parents too after being at my sisters.  Saturday evening, I did more of the same...a Hallmark movie and podcasts.  I thought this was pretty funny as our dog seemed to be interested in this one!

I sat outside for a bit Sunday morning then went to church.  Due to other things, I had not been in about 6 weeks, so it was good to be back.  Sunday afternoon I mowed grass and went grocery shopping.

I made this for dinner Sunday night when my husband returned home.  This is tomato spinach pasta, but I added some cooked shredded chicken to mine.  I made broccolini & served it with sourdough rosemary bread.  The bread came from a sourdough bakery that I have become obssessed with!  The store is about 45 minutes away, so I have only been twice, but I loaded up on lots of goodies when I was there Saturday.

Hope you all have a good Monday and I will be bck later this week with more updates.

Linking up with Holly and Sarah.

 

Grocery Shopping Routine

It is quite interesting to see all the different things/ways we all do our grocery shopping.  Today, I am sharing a little bit of my process, which admittedly does change from time to time!

The 4 places I grocery shop are Kroger, Wal-Mart, Aldi and Trader Joe's.  I honestly probably go to Kroger the most, yet I rarely do Kroger pick-up. I really don't mind grocery shopping and it gets me out of the house.  I may be picking up some more part-time work this fall, so if that happens, I may use the pick-up option more.  Kroger and Wal-Mart are 10 minutes from my house and Aldi and Trader Joe's are 15 minutes, so all are convenient.  I usually only go to Wal-Mart if I need some other random household items as well.

Here is a sampling of some of my standard groceries/pantry items:

Fruits & produce - bananas & at least one other fruit, like grapes, apples, cantelope, or strawberries

avocadoes, onions and peppers, potatoes, carrots, broccoli

Packaged items - canned tomatoes, canned corn/green beans, pumpkin (especially during the fall months!), crackers, unsweetened applesauce, chips, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, cooking spray, cereal, sugar free bread, Coke zero bottles, sugar free/decaf sweet tea, sugar free BBQ sauce, sugar free chocolate sauce, tortillas, hot tea bags, ground coffee, coffee pods, peanut butter

Baking goods - almond flour, sugar/brown sugar substitutes, spices, salts, grapeseed/avocado oil

Refrigerated/frozen items - nonfat greek yogurt, Oikos yogurt cups, nonfat cottage cheese/cream cheese, cool whip, almond milk, 2% milk, low fat cheese sticks, shredded cheeses, mild cheddar cheese block, eggs, deli meat, sometimes hot dogs, frozen strawberries, Carbmaster vanilla ice cream, frozen veggies

Meats - turkey sausage, regular bacon, chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken, 90/10 ground beef, salmon, pork chops, roast

Speaking of roast, if you don't have time for a slow cooker or oven roast, this is a delicious option.  This is sometimes cheaper than buying a full roast and is the perfect amount for 2-3 people.  It is also so, so easy.  Just pair it with your favorite sides.

*I don't always have all the meats on hand at the same time, but I do rotate between these.

I don't have standing food items I get at Trader Joe's, but they certainly have fun seasonal items and easy packaged meals, so I always find something when I am there!  I do like buying some of their misc. items, like their hand sanitizing spray, candles and hand soap.  That being said, I went to Trader Joe's yesterday and I didn't buy any of those things!  Their fall items come today in store, so I will go back at a later time for some of those goodies.  Here is what I bought yesterday:

I bought salmon, milk, chocolate chip cookies, corn, orange chicken, some veggies and arepas.  We actually have been making arepas every week homemade at home lately, but I was trying to think of quick easy foods when Brook is back at school.

I also bought more bananas, flour, dog treats and then some chocolate and chips to have for our road trip.

Here is a picture of some items I purchased recently at Aldi:

The sweet potato chips were so good!  This doesn't show the refrigerated items, but I did pick up a face roller and this candle below.  It is a pumpkin scent and has a wood wick!  I have this on my desk at work.

While on the subject of food, I made this banana bread last week.  We rarely have ripe bananas, but I had brought home a lot from the 5K the weekend before and made the recipe that Andrea mentioned on her blog.  

I have made lots of other breads before, but honestly, I think this was the first time I had made banana bread and it turned out pretty good. 

Now to get motivated on what to cook!

After an unusual week of me posting 4 days in a row, I will be off until mid-next week. Hope you all enjoy the weekend & thanks for reading!