Simple Comforts ♥

Well here we are only two weeks into Fall and I've already gone and caught a cold.  I'm usually the last one in my family to come down with it but this year it was me who took the fall first. I suppose it was only a matter of time.  As soon as school starts back up, all sorts of contagious ailments start making their rounds.

I haven't had much of an appetite and the only thing that sounded good to me was soup so I made some.  I didn't want to make a trip to the store so I used what I found in the refrigerator and freezer.  It's a little on the skimpy side with only the basics but the broth was good which was basically all I wanted.

There's something so comforting about chicken soup.
 

While my soup simmered I made pumpkin bread. 

It's the first pumpkin-y thing of the season and it was oh so good.
I love Fall food.

Do y'all remember Mrs. Roper from Three's Company?  She was the Muu-Muu queen.  Well that's what I've felt like these last few days, the muu-muu queen.

It being gloomy and drizzly outside and having a cold are the perfect excuse for me to sport my pretty prints around the house. 

I've been trying to add some rows to this baby blanket I started long ago.  Even though I keep knitting rows and rows it grows at a snails pace.  I think I'm finally reaching the halfway point though, thank goodness.

And oh yeah...it's post season baseball time!

Yes, I admit, I am a muu-muu wearing, baseball lovin' boho mama.

The simple pleasures of life are still
 enjoyable even with the sniffles.
:)

Something Yellow

Are you a fan of color?

This is something I've learned about myself through the years.

I like to be surrounded by color.  

Bright, vibrant, happy colors. 

I know you've all seen that trend all over blog land where everything is white.  White kitchens, white living rooms, white furniture.  If there is any color it's gray or wood tone.  It's actually been around a while.  Back then they called it the "shabby" look which was more frilly and pink, but now it's called  the "farmhouse" look which is more rustic.  If that is your thing then hey, that's wonderful!

 I actually like it.

It looks pretty in pictures and in Hobby Lobby but I don't like it so much in my own home.  I've tried it before and I couldn't live with it. 

There was something missing...

...and it's color.

I need it.

  Maybe it's in my DNA, my culture, but I love to have it all around me.
There's something so warm and cozy about rich tones. 

For the longest time my favorite color was red.  But now the color I can't seem to get enough of is yellow.  And it seems a lot of the things I've brought home lately reflect my current mood. 

Yellow polka dot plates...

vintage yellow glasses that followed me home from a church rummage sale...

yellow curtains...

Score! I've been wanting yellow curtains for the longest time.  I ended up finding these last week at a big name outlet store.  I love, love, love them.  I can't stop looking at them.  It's like a warm harvest, golden maize color. 
 

Even within the last few weeks I've picked up a yellow bag and yellow scarf...

and of course lots of yellow bits and bobs...

I was walking around in a department store the other day and heard over the intercom that the color for the season was mustard.  I smiled to myself and said a silent Woohoo!  I  must be on the right track.  Not that I'm ever trendy or try to be, but maybe for a short season I'll look like I have it together. 

Maybe...

Just maybe.

Happy Fall Season friends!
Mr. A. thinks October is such good sleeping weather.

I'll Take It

Brought home in the same week, two very different things that look like they were meant to be together.

First are these bowls.  I managed to find two more of them at WM.  It's the Pioneer Woman line.  I already had a couple that I had picked up on two different occasions.  My WM always seems to be out of these.  I checked the shelves whenever I would remember in hopes of finding more and Monday I got lucky.  I found two more in the different coordinating colors, which is just fine with me.  I tend not to like things too matchy matchy.

I'm in love with the floral print on the inside of the bowls.  It's so southwest and happy.  And of course, the polka dots...who doesn't like polka dots?

A couple of days later I was at our local thrift and spotted something aqua.  It was in a transparent plastic bag which was sealed so I couldn't tell what it was exactly.  I could tell it had a pretty floral print but that's about all.  For .99 cents I took my chances and brought it home.

It ended up being a sheer scarf.  The colors and print match my dishes so well and looks like it belongs together.  This is why I love thrifting so much.  You end up finding things you don't expect to find that fit your personality and your home so well.. for cheap.

There's happiness in little things  ♥

Love the Moment

Why is it, that it always seems to rain in the middle of the night?

I'm thankful for this little parsonage we call home. 

It is small yet cozy. 

It is humble yet sweet.

It's simple yet it's sufficient,

but it has a tin roof and the sound of rain is magnified...or so, at least it seems at one o'clock in the morning.  My husband loves the sound of rain and he can sleep through it with no problem.   I wish I could do the same.  I usually find myself laying in bed with eyes wide open feeling slightly irritated.  Secretly wishing it would stop.  Silently wishing I could fall back asleep.

I sneak out of bed and make my way into the kitchen to start the coffee.  I pour myself  a cup and sit and sip only to find humor and a bit of irony in my mug of choice.  

Love the Moment

Could this be a message from above?  Quite possibly. 

Whatever the reason, the message is fitting.

 

It's fitting because today is not only Labor Day here in the U.S. but more importantly it's youngest daughters birthday.  I can't believe our y2k baby is 18.

We have an outing planned today.  Our whole family is taking daughter to town and spending the day together doing this and that.

Love the Moment?

Yes, I think I will.

♥♥♥♥♥

Crochet Doodles...

Doodle definition - (verb)  To play or improvise idly

Hello blogging friends!
Oh  how I've longed to sit at my computer and read and type.

Life has been busy at the Fox house lately.  School has started up again and the hustle and bustle of family life has taken over.  Schedules to manage, activities to attend, throw in a few doctors appointments and vet visits and one funeral...whew!

Some days it seems the only thing I can manage is to put food on the table and take care of the daily.  It's life, not much you can do except go with the flow and hang in there.

In my spare time,
I'll doodle.

Bad Brain Day

Yesterday I had not one, but two

 "What the Heck is Wrong with Me" moments.

Ever have those?
grrrrr...

Last night hubby and I decided to sneak off to McD's for a quick bite after church.  I told him I wasn't very hungry but that a smoothie sounded good. So when we get there I tell the kind young man behind the counter, I'll have a mango smoothie, a McChicken, and an apple pie.  Then for some odd reason I also threw in these words,
I'll need a small drink too.

Hubby was standing slightly behind me so I don't know if he gave me a look but either way he didn't say anything.  It wasn't until we were seated and my food was in front of me that I said, Why did I order myself two drinks?  Really?  What was I thinking?

In text talk this would be worthy of an SMH.

A little bit later we got up to leave so we collected our trash, put it in the bins and walked out.  We drove all the way home. I walked around the house for a little bit and it was then that I realized I didn't have my purse.  Hubby went out to the car to look for it.  It wasn't there.  We drove back to McD's.  On the way over there I used hubby's phone to call them and sure enough they said my purse was still hanging on the back of the chair.  The nice young man said he'd hold it for me in their office. 

I got my purse back.  I was relieved that everything was still there...
my iphone, my credit cards, my debit card, my cash... nothing seemed to be missing.
There's much to be said about living in a small town.

Oh, my excuse?
I blame the big bad M word.
Peri-Menopausal brain fog is real folks.

goodness gracious...

gee whiz...

for heavens sake...

by golly...

Let's hope I can get it together today.

😊

It's the Little Things...

I woke up to the sound of rain early this morning.

Gentle pitter patter on the roof...

that eventually turned to loud crashing rain with flashes of lightening and roars of thunder in the background.

It's been so dry in our part of the world that the thunder shower was a welcome sound.

Lord thank you for the rain.

This parched land surely needed it.

A couple of days ago both my daughters had the day off from work so we decided to drive an hour and a half to a neighboring town to do some shopping.

I was excited to find out this town had a K-Mart.  It was our first stop.  I like to visit K-Marts when I find them.  There doesn't seem to be too many of them around anymore, sadly enough.

Youngest daughter didn't care much for it.  She said it looked like a really big dollar store.  I laughed about it but when I looked around I realized there was some truth to her observation.  There were big yellow sale signs everywhere.  Big Blowout Sale.  I suppose it was an end of Summer sale.

I made my way around the entire store, not really needing anything or looking for anything in particular. 

Just moseying...

enjoying the eighties music coming from the speakers above our head...

quietly singing along.

I made my way to the checkout and paid for my three pair of cotton capri leggings which were part of the Big Blowout Sale.  $4.99 each.  Pretty good deal.

We went to a few other stores...

Target, Marshall's, and one other quaint boutique downtown.

When we got in the car to go home I was surprised to hear that Oldest Daughter P took a liking to a classic eighties song she heard at K-Mart.  I asked which one and quickly looked it up and downloaded it on my phone.  

Don't You Want Me Baby

The Human League

1981

We listened to it all the way home, along with a few other oldie songs I already had on my phone with the help of a nifty little aux cord.  Isn't technology wonderful?

We talked, we laughed, we sang along to old corny songs, and managed to buy ourselves a little something in the process. 

 It was a fun day.

 I love my girls.

♥♥♥

Another Year Older...

I know I'm not supposed to buy myself a present for my own birthday.

 Who does such self indulging nonsense?

I do.

 Although, I assure you I'm not a narcissist or some vain, self absorbed person.

It's something I started doing a couple of years ago.  It's therapeutic in a way.
 If giving a gift is a demonstration of love, why not do it for ourselves.  

I remember as a young girl being aware of my flaws.  Wishing I had more of this, less of that.  Wishing I was taller and leaner.  Wishing I had straight hair and not curly.  Wishing I had perfect teeth and flawless skin.  

I think all girls play that comparison game.  Some more than others.  Maybe it's only natural.  After all, don't all little girls want to grow up to be beautiful princesses?

It's only been within the last decade or so that I've become more content with myself.

 I don't worry so much about my size, or my looks. It's important, but I don't fret about it.
My focus has changed.

These days I am more concerned with my heart.
 For that is where real beauty lies.  

I still want to be pretty, don't get me wrong.
 But I don't want to be someone else's version of pretty.
 I want to be my own version of pretty.
 I want to be me.
 The best version of me I can be.  

And it starts on the inside, and it will overflow to the outside.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I don't know if I've made much sense.  All these words I've typed might be nonsensical babble.  All I know is that it's been a journey to reach the point I'm at. To be able to get over my own insecurities and be more open to see the needs of others.

  Self love is healing.

And Lord as I turn another year older, create in me a pure heart, that love may abound, that I may give it to others more freely, that I may serve you better, in all that I do.

Happy birthday to me.

♥