Friday | A Week in October

Our maple tree somehow still has leaves on it despite how quickly my lap gets covered when I’m sitting under it and reading, even for just a few minutes. It rained all day yesterday and it is forecasted to keep raining today. We will see what that does to the leaves this weekend! I’m enjoying these weekly pictures of the tree – they help me stay present with the changing season. Today I’m sharing a few snapshots of our weekend drive to the mountains and a few things that have been occupying my time and thoughts.

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Last weekend’s drive to the mountains was gorgeous. I didn’t take many pictures but here’s a few. The one on the right is of Mt. Washington Hotel with Mt. Washington in the back. Look how blue the sky was! That’s quite rare in the mountains this time of year so I was surprised that it’s happened to us twice this fall. No complaints! It’s hard to tell in these pictures, but I’m pretty sure the foliage was at its peak so I’m glad we squeezed in the drive up. Our next foray will be at a lower elevation because the foliage has crept down the state and soon WE will be at peak!

I’ve been cooking a lot. I’ve enjoyed thumbing through my copy of Bakery Lane Soup Bowl and made a big batch of lentil soup this week. I was surprised that it was such a hit. I also made an apple crumb pie from the same cookbook (here’s an online recipe that is similar) that was gone in less than 24 hours. It was quick and easy and got 8 thumbs up (Colton’s not usually up for trying new things, otherwise I’m sure it would have gotten 10 thumbs up). I love soup and pie season.

Thinking About:

• The Mindset Shift. Thank you to Juliann for the nudge to get caught up on The Next Right Thing. Most of my day is spent with a manager’s schedule: supervising the day, watching the clock, and making sure everyone is where they need to be; keeping the kids busy and satisfied with their school schedules; cooking, cleaning, etc. around the house. But I know that I have a maker’s brain and thrive when I have large lakes of time to swim around in for deep work. I’m at my happiest when I have a big project brewing and manage to reserve time for myself. And still — I am struggling with how to make that happen. I find pockets of time for reading and for this blog, which makes it seem like I have plenty of time to myself. And maybe I do. I don’t know!
• Your Work Matters. Build Your Schedule Accordingly. Yes – still! I linked to this last week and I’m still returning to this essay, again and again.

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I’m excited that Magpie Murders starts on Masterpiece this weekend! I loved both books in the series and am very excited to watch it on television. And I will leave you today with a gorgeous example of Dark Academia, the trailer for Wednesday! It will premier on Netflix on November 23 and I cannot wait. I hope your weekend is exactly what you need. I’m going to try to be back on Monday with something, I’m just not sure what it will be yet. Until then – take good care!