Monday Musings, October 8
Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday when I last popped into your inbox with a Monday Musings? It sure does to me!
We had planned a lovely weekend to celebrate Kate’s birthday on Sunday, as well as the other 2 October birthdays in the immediate. Both kids came home and we had it all choreographed! Unfortunately, we failed to communicate our plans to Kate’s bunny, Remington. It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, Kate and Remie were making the 2-hour drive to the closest Veterinary Emergency Clinic that treated rabbits while the rest of the family enjoyed the birthday dinner that Kate requested! Not quite what we had planned, but c’est la vie…right? The good news is that Remie seems to be recovering well, the bad news is that Kate’s bank account took quite a hit.
Can I get an ‘Amen’ for the arrival of October AND cooler temperatures? And while I’m thrilled with the arrival of Fall, I also know that these next 3 months will be a blur! And all of a sudden, we have 4 big trips planned between now and Christmas! Clearly not the best planning, but truly, they are trips that need to happen when they are happening, so there wasn’t a whole lot of discretion.
(As an aside, The BIGGEST trip we are taking is to Madrid and Barcelona the week before Christmas…we have never been to Spain, so I would love any ‘must-sees’ and ‘must eats’. We are also planning day trips to Segovia and Toledo, so if you have recommendations for those areas, please toss those in as well.)
All this to say, I need to get my Holiday planning in order. We will definitely be having a scaled-back Christmas in terms of gifting and decorating, but there are certain non-negotiables that need to get done. One of the ‘non-negotiables’ is the Turkey Stock we use for our gravy on Thanksgiving. My husband considers himself an authority on Turkey Gravy and has proclaimed the gravy from this stock to be THE VERY BEST TURKEY GRAVY he has ever had! I will be making the turkey stock in the next couple of weeks and then freezing or canning it until I need it on Thanksgiving day.
With all the travel we have planned, we are getting all 4 of us TSA Pre-Check Memberships…I’ll let you know how that works. Our son has his ‘interview’ today. We are considering Global Entry as well, any experience with this program?
This Fall centerpiece will work from now through Thanksgiving…my kind of centerpiece!
Are you familiar with Conserves? To me, they are a chunky version of a jam. Think jam, with dried fruit pieces and nuts folded in! This Fig Conserve is one of my favorites!
This Chunky Knit Blanket pattern has been getting lots of attention lately.
Don’t forget to pop over to this post about Best Gifts for Wine Lovers and enter to win Terry’s favorite Wine Aerator.
And speaking of gift ideas…if you have any knitters on your gift list, these gift ideas for knitters may come in handy.
Need tips to restore a cutting board or to rescue cast iron?
If you’ve been spending time Decluttering, this post detailing where to donate and recycle household items will be useful.
Well, my friends, I am off to pack and get some work done around the house.
Wishing you a Marvelous Monday!
Hugs,
Lynn
Well for Halloween I have a little Ghost about 3 feet high that stands guard at the backdoor. She gains style accessories occasionally that have remained; a witches hat I wore for a halloween tea party, orange pumpkin glasses my grandson donated to the wardrobe, and a pumpkin that was first used as a trick or treat accessory.
For Christmas I have a small tree that sits on the long couch table in our picture window. This was a tree that my mother had at the nursing home she where she spent that last few years of her life. It has occasionally been the only Christmas decoration in my house.
Thanksgiving has never been a big decoration for me. I need all the space I have for the meal.
Hi Margaret,
I LOVE that your little Ghost gets all dolled up with an assortment of accouterments! Quite a dashing ghost! And with you on Thanksgiving…I put out a few things, but it is really all about the food, family, and fellowship. And I am sure that your Christmas tree has so many memories on its branches…how lovely! Those holiday decorations passed through the family are the most important! I have several of both my and my husband’s grandparent’s Christmas ornaments that are so precious to us.
Thanks for sharing my friend! I hope your day is fantastic!
Hugs,
Lynn
My non-negotiable is: I MUST be with my only child. No matter where she is or we have been before retirement ( from Army), we must be together for Christmas. So far, with God’s blessings, we have done this
Dear Anne, that is the perfect non-negotiable. And how blessed are you all that you have been able to achieve that! We have been similarly blessed, always having my kids and parents with us on Christmas, but fear that as they each start their own lives, we might be challenged in the future. But, I will soak it and enjoy it while I can.
Thanks for sharing my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn