Friday, November 6, 2020

Looking Back at October

It's November! We've made it past the election although as I write this there is still no winner and the internet seems to be very tense about that although split almost 50/50 on their reasons for being tense.  Luke has still managed to go to school every single day this school year, for which I am very thankful.  It's coming, I know it's coming at some point that he'll be home but so far, so good!  We're in the middle of a warm stretch right now, days are hitting mid 60°s - 70° which is VERY unheard of for this part of Indiana in November.  I've run to pick-up twice this week and will do so again before it cools off!  We even have our heat off and windows open right now!

Some months I do this posts and I struggle to find 16 pictures to include.  This month my initial pull was nearly 40.  That's largely thanks to fall foliage which I take A LOT of pictures of (you can see many on my Instagram).  We also finished up our zoo year and got pumpkins and had a modified Halloween celebration!  Matt had his birthday, we had a date, and did a bike ride downtown.  All in all, October was a pretty nice month!

Looking back:
1 year ago: Things I Like - October (#1 is still one of the best things I've ever bought)
2 years ago: Starting Sam's Reading Journey (now, two years later, he's already hit 1,000 different books)
3 years ago: {6} Christmas Things to Start Thinking About Now
4 years ago: Dirt + Little Boys (a personal favorite)
5 years ago: DIY Coconut Oil Face Scrub (still use this every day!)
6 years ago: My Current Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (still my favorite)
7 years ago: A New Bench for a Simpler Look
8 years ago:
Things I Like - October (2012 me would be shocked by how much 2020 me reads)
9 years ago: Miami! (We just talked about this trip today!)
10 years ago:
NYC! (our first trip!!)


1) Compost bin emptied!!  I think I'm going to give myself extra credit on my 20 in 2020 list for doing this since it was on my 19 in 2019 list.  After I put it off for a good...4 years we'll say...it only took me about 3 hours to empty it into our raised garden beds.  We didn't finish all our dirt moving projects but getting this done feels like a huge accomplishment!
2) Coffee (tea) date with Matt on a gorgeous fall morning downtown!  We also renewed our passports making it a very productive date!
3) That same day we did a bike ride downtown after school, it was still gorgeous!
4) Our annual hike through the park with some cousins.  Still still gorgeous!
5) Same hike, a lot of trees were still green!
6) My new favorite tree in the fall, I did a whole series on Instagram on this single tree.  I know, still wasn't enough.  It was gorgeous.
7) The boys and I had a lot of long walks home from school to checkout all the pretty leaves.
8) Sam gathering leaves to throw in the air.  The love doing this.  Maybe they'll like raking in the backyard just as much??
9) Back to sewing!  I used to sew during nap time, now I sew before Sam has his early lunch.  He's very interested in this, probably because I sewed more burb cloths, all of which he immediately claimed as his own.
10) At the zoo and the keepers were taking the zebras inside right under us!  I've never seen them so close!
11) Getting our pumpkins on another gorgeous fall day, we had a lot of those in October!
12) Saying goodbye to the zoo lemurs!  They've been Luke's favorite for 5 years but now, we're told, they are getting rid of them for something else (actually, red pandas, Sam's favorite).  It was very bittersweet to say goodbye to them!  We spent almost a whole zoo trip at their exhibit!
13) BLUE morning glories!  I plant them every year but if I get any blue blooms it's not until October.  And it made me super excited.
14) Early voting!  It was a chilly rainy day but felt good to get it done early!  (And quick, only out of my car about 30 minutes!)
15) Friday naptime with my tea, scone, and a book!
16) Luke was so excited about his Frankenstein costume that he put it on on Halloween as soon as he got out of bed.  Here he is unpacking the silverware while being Frankenstein. 

Books finished: 14! (4 of those finished between October 27th and the 31st...)
Miles ran:
26.7!  Which is a lot more than I thought I would run!
Items sewed:
FIVE plus repairs to 3 more items!!  All five were pillowcases, two of which I repurposed scarves from my craft bazaar selling days!
Currently watching:
We've finished the whole series of Agents of SHIELD and are now trying to catch up on American Ninja Warrior (a few weeks behind, wasn't expecting that to be on this year and it feels very wrong to watch in the fall!).  On my own, I am still trying to catch up to The Office Ladies podcast and am about 5 episodes behind them in season 3!
Most read post this month:
Stripping - Laundry Style.  Apparently still a very popular activity!  It's by and far my most read blog post ever!
Luke's current favorite song:
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

October turned out to be a wonderful month with lots of fun activities and gorgeous weather.  November brings the start of a holiday season, figuring out how we're celebrating those, and lots of baking!

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