~Beautiful Flowers! My mom has the entire front porch, and the side porch as well, filled with flowers! The somewhat cooler temperatures here in Pennsylvania have brought out the vibrant colors of all the flowers but most of these petunias. It had been a while since I had stopped and really focused on the beauty of the Lord's creation.
My sweet coworker, Anne, brought me these flowers that she had gotten from a roadside stand. It was such a thoughtful gesture and one that I truly appreciated :)
~I'm very blessed with both of my parents! Dad turned 79 in July and Mom will be 79 in November! Time surely does fly by.
~The cooler September temperatures remind us that the heating season is just around the corner. We're all so very thankful for family and neighbors who helped us get a new-to-us furnace down in our furnace room. Many thanks to Dad, the hubby, Uncle Charlie, Shawn and Jeff for giving their time and muscles so that we can all be warm this winter!
~Even though they sometimes wear on my nerves, I'm thankful for our fur family. This is Oliver O'Mally cat all grown up and as handsome as ever! He's becoming my bestie and is quick to come for his daily pets.
~My little buddy, Laken, on her first day of Kindergarten!
And my beautiful, grown up buddy, on her first day of Sophomore year of University. I'm so glad she spent the time taking a "first day photo" at my request.
~I can't remember if I wrote about Mike and Vickie on my blog before but they are the sweetest couple. Mike is our preacher and Vickie is our magnificent piano player. They are also wonderful friends. I am so grateful that they have come into our lives. This is a picture of them at our Annual Church Picnic that we had this past Sunday afternoon.
It was a busy weekend. Saturday we were gone all day Homecoming dress shopping. We made the trip to Greensburg to to a dress shop called MB Prom. They had tons of dresses...and tons of shoppers! Homecoming is less than a month away so I shouldn't have been surprised at the busyness of the shop. There were girls EVERYWHERE!
Laken liked a certain bright orange dress that made her look very tan but the shop had already sold that same dress to someone that goes to her school and they won't duplicate dresses so that one was out. Finally, after much trying on and searching through racks of dresses, Laken picked my favorite out of the bunch. Pictures don't do it justice.
Laken also discovered that Greensburg is a hidden treasure of malls, shopping plazas and stores. I hadn't really ever been there shopping before but the rest of the day was spent hopping from store to store and hitting the mall just before closing time.
Over-all, it was a nice day spent together and the dress shopping is in the books...until Prom...
Let's get on with today's Happy Homemaker :)
The weather outside is:
The cooler temperatures are back and it is wonderful! Looking at the forecast, it is actually supposed to get quite chilly tonight with a low of 44F. And next Sunday with a high of 68F! The leaves will really start changing soon.
On today's to-do list:
I actually have a lot on my list for today. I need to get some house work done such as dishes, laundry and floors. I'm a bit behind after being gong all day Saturday.
My Mom and I are actually contemplating make some apple pies this afternoon as well.
Happening this week:
This is a fairly full week. I work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday, I'm helping serve at a dinner for one of our community members who is being appreciated for all his work for our little town. Plus keeping up with the daily tasks. I feel like I need to slow things down a bit. Maybe being off today will help me get some tasks accomplished and I won't feel so overwhelmed.
Currently reading:
I signed up for a JustRead Publicity book review Blog Tour for K-9 Ranch Protection by Darlene L. Turner. I was so excited to get the email that I was selected to be a part of the Blog Tour! I've been reading more now than I have in weeks (maybe even months) and am enjoying myself immensely. My review will be posted on September 27th.
Listening to:
I can't get this song out of my head! Enjoy :)
Watching:
Hallmark/Freevee movies.
There wasn't a Steeler game this weekend but I'm looking forward to watching the first regular season game this Sunday!
In the Kitchen:
As I mentioned above, we are probably making apple pies this afternoon.
We're having Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup for supper. Nate requested it. He has to leave to go back to college this evening so it was his pick :)
In the Craft Basket:
I think I've decided to switch up the Japanese Fields afghan and make solid Granny squares instead of the flower Granny squares. So much less weaving in of ends! I didn't get any pictures so I'll try to get some for next week's post.
Edited to add picture :)
Picture from the Camera
The cooler temperatures and the rain we've been getting are doing wonders for the flowers. Especially, these geraniums that are in the Church flower bed.
Prayer Requests
~Please keep my work situation in your prayers. I absolutely do not like having to work on Sunday morning but it seems like they keep scheduling me to work then. (continued)
~Laken is now taking 4 college courses. Please pray that she does well with them and that she stays healthy. (continued)
~As always, prayers for the safety and well-being of all those going back to school. (continued)
~Our Country, our Leaders and the Election coming in November.
Bible Verse
"For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. ' They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' " Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
I can't believe it has been so long since I've visited and updated the blog!
I started a full-time job on August 8th and have hardly had time to do much at all. I haven't taken the time to "hobby" at all. No blogging. sewing, reading or crocheting not to mention anything else other than day-to-day "keeping up" with life.
My work hours for the past month were 10am-6:30pm with a 40 minute commute each way. So by the time I got home, ate supper, and cleaned up from supper it was time to get ready for bed. (And I was so glad to sink into that bed!)
I found out this past week (either Wednesday or Thursday) that starting Tuesday, September 6th my hours will be chnage to 8am-4:30pm for the foreseeable future. This is good news because I can still get Laken off to school and I'll be home just a little after 5pm!
I'm hoping to get back into a more normal routine and maybe even make some Fall Goals to mix into that routine.
Some of my Fall 2022 Goals include:
~Settle into a routine
~Daily Devotion time
~Exercise 3-4 X per week
~Intermittent Fast (with eating window of 10am-6pm)
~Craft at least 1 hour per week
~Read 1 book per month
~Blog at least 1 X per week
I'm not going to stress myself out by trying to squeeze too much into my limited "free time" but I would like to have a more well-rounded life. I'm also going to give myself grace and be flexible with my goals.
That being said, is there anything in particular that you would like to see here on Colletta's Kitchen Sink?
I'd love to know what you think I should prioritize in my free-time. Any suggestions?
Head over to Tuesday's Place for the questions and to visit everyone's answers!
This week, let' talk about October. Toni sure enjoyed facts about the months and questions on that topic too.
1. What are your feelings about the month of October? Does it bring anything special to mind for you? Do you have memories to share?
I've always loved Fall! Some of my favorite memories are of being newlyweds in October as we were married in mid-September.
2.Have you ever gone apple picking? Pumpkin picking? Any kind of picking including banjo picking at all? Do you bake pies with those fruits?
I've been strawberry picking and berry picking but not apple or pumpkin picking. I've been to the orchard for apples but they were already picked, thank goodness!
3. What is autumn like where you live? How about when you were a child?
Seeing as I live where I did as a child, the weather here is usually the same in Autumn. Chilly mornings, warmer days (but not too warm), crisp air and warm smelling candles!
4.Autumn is not the same as Fall. Fall is the time when the leaves are actively falling. What activities of Autumn/Fall do you enjoy? Do you decorate your door or home for the season?
I did not know that! lol. I've always been under the impression that Autumn and Fall were synonymous. I don't decorate much other than one or two pumpkins and some mums on the porch. But I do start burning the yummy smelling candles I mentioned above .
Here are some things that made me smile this week:
~My Mom's Birthday! Today is my Mom's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is even though I doubt she'd care! She's not one to bemoan getting older. We'll be celebrating her birthday this weekend as she came down with the flu yesterday and isn't feeling quite the thing yet. Happy Birthday, MOM! :)
~Aunt Mary and the Girls! My Aunt Mary and my cousins, Heather and Nikki, are flying up from Florida tomorrow for a long weekend visit! We don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like. I'm really looking forward to spending some good quality time with them :)
~A Beautiful Fall Walk! Before winter hit on Tuesday (lol), the weather was beautifully Fall-like. Monday was gorgeous and I decided to get my tennis shoes on and go for a walk. It was wonderful. The sun was shining and the leaves were blowing (I like to crunch them under me feet!). I was soaking it in because I knew we were to get a cold snap. And we did (are) :)
~Criss Cross Messy Bun Beanie! I found a new pattern on Ravelry for a Messy Bun Beanie that I am loving. The pattern is from www.loopsandlovecrochet.com and she allows the items made to be sold. I've been crocheting away with different colors and adding them to my Etsy Shop www.etsy.com/shop/collettakay . I love how it works up :)
~The Art of Racing in the Rain! We rented this movie from the Redbox and I absolutely LOVED it! I laughed and cried and cried some more. If you haven't seen it, you should. I actually wrote a Movie Review on Tuesday. You should check it out :) Colletta
Here are some things that made me smile this week:
~November! Happy November everyone! I always get so excited to turn the calendar to a fresh new month :)
~Eric and Erica! My best friend from High School is Erica and her husband (ironically) is Eric. I haven't seen Erica in a long time...sadly. However, this week alone I saw her twice! It makes me happy to catch up with old friends. I truly need to give her a call and get together to spend some quality time :) ~Snow! It was only a few flurries Friday morning at the bus stop but I'm claiming it as my "first snow" of the season :)
~Ladies Fall Gathering! One of our local Churches hosted a Ladies Fall Gathering Friday evening. It was so much fun to get together with our Christian ladies and eat, play games and have devotional time :)
~Kaylee's Spring Classes! Kaylee wanted me to go along with her to schedule her classes for Spring 2020. She is officially now enrolled as an Accounting student and has a class load of 13 credits for the Spring. She is thrilled to be taking an Art class. I just wish she were able to major in something artistic. It is her passion but she doesn't think it is practical. I'm just glad she is on track and ready for Spring :) Colletta
Personally, I love Fall! I love each new season as it comes along. I don't know if I could live where the seasons aren't remarkably different.
I feel like I get a new start with each new season, but especially Fall. (Maybe because I'm a nerdy, school-girl at heart :)
I've seen a few people write a blog post regarding Fall Goals, so I thought "Why not?"
So here's mine:
Spiritual:
~Start each day with prayer
~Strive to have an attitude of gratitude
~Finish "Prepared: Discovering What God Has Prepared for You" Ladies Bible Study
Family:
~Take a Family Walk
~Have a Fall Family Movie Night complete with popcorn, Twizzlers and M&M's
Physical:
~Lose 1 lb per week for a total of 13 lbs
~Track my food daily: the good, the bad and the ugly
~Walk 5-6 days a week to get my 35 FitPoints per week
~Continue my "Saturday Weigh-In"
Financial:
~Complete Financial Aid paperwork for Kaylee's College
~Finish expenditures for the Addition
~Create and stick to a Christmas Gift Budget
Reading:
~Complete 1.5 books per week
~Get caught up on Goodreads Challenge (7 behind)
~Only read Inspirational/Christian books
Misc.
~Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family
~Finish building and move into the Addition
~Finish Christmas Shopping by December 1st.
So there you have it. My Fall Goals!
Did you complete a Fall Goals list? If so, I'd love for you to leave me a link so I can come visit!
