Fall is quickly coming to a close and on to winter here!
We had our last farmers market, the leaves have almost completely fallen off the trees and we’re going down into the 20’s (-6 C) this week. I LOVED summer, really enjoyed fall but I’m a smidge afraid of winter lol But I’m trying to look forward to comfort food, down comforters, sweaters and even a little snow.
It’s more the constant rain that I’m dreading but we’ve decided to spend the winter checking out all the indie movie theaters out here. There are a shocking amount and most have themed nights and food/drinks so it should be fun. And I hope to discover a few under the radar movies.
We still haven’t gotten a firm closing date on the house but it’s moving along (and no more signing and initialing every day!) and we get to go see the place this week and make sure they made all the repairs we asked for after the inspection.
That always makes me excited when I see it again and start planning on all the things I want to do when we get there. It has a finished open basement and we’re thinking of making it a game room. Maybe getting Oculus (virtual reality gaming) as our housewarming/Christmas gifts for each other. Does anyone have it??
Everyone was sick where Kevin works so he requested I make THE garlic soup. This isn’t for the faint of heart and it knocks that flu right out of you. I made a double batch and froze it in single serving bags so he can grab it whenever he feels the crud moving in. I posted the recipe a while back here if you’re interested. (*Note: I followed the recipe as posted but used the Instant Pot – 10 minutes on high – instead of simmering for 30 minutes)
Book-ish!
I did manage to read a little this week – finally.
I started Crier’s War and got about 2 pages in and saw the whole glossary and tapped out. My brain is not in the right head space for a glossary atm lol
Instead I picked up Natural Disaster by Erin McLellan – M/M romance with two storm chasers. Not bad but I didn’t really connect to them as a couple. But…I read a teaser for another of her books at the end and picked up Life of Bliss (love Life #2) and BINGO!!!
This was the kind of swoony, happy, escapist reading I was looking for. Frenemies to love, fake dating (after an accidental marriage). TBH – this was mostly sex (because they start out as f*ck buddies who hate each other) but each time they were together they peeled away another layer of love and vulnerability so each scene had something to reveal. I just really love a low key romance that plods along and makes the characters be better. Great grovel and grand gestures too.Audio:
I was getting a lot more reading in thanks to audiobooks but then I slacked off for some reason. I’ve been in weird emotional space lately so I thought Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things might be what I need. bonus – it’s been on my TBR list for years now.
Non-Book-ish!
Fonzi has his appointment with the internal medicine specialist Thursday for an ultrasound so send good puppy vibes his way!
Also Thursday. HALLOWEEN!!! My favorite holiday! We used to get over 90 kids in FL but I have no idea what to expect out here. The neighborhoods are spread out more but we have quite a few kids on my little row of townhomes so I’ll buy extra candy and send the rest to work with Kevin if no one comes lol
Better too much than too little when it comes to kids and candy.
I was looking into the virtual reality headsets for Christmas for my husband as well, they're pretty cheap now but I'm undecided, I don't know anyone who has one to recommend. Just online reviews. I miss winter already but it might be a bit of a shock for your system being used to the warmer weather. Hopefully you'll be in the new house soon and settle in before the cold weather hits.
ReplyDeleteSending Fonzie warm floofy hugs and lots of positive pupper vibes. Jessie has had quite a few ultrasounds and echocardiographs with his condition. Did they mention if they'll be shaving him? I didn't realise the first time and Jessie being as floofy as Fonzi, when we picked him up all his belly and up the sides of his body was shaved. Not even neatly.
They have to shave them because they use a gel to roll the ultrasound wand over. He gets so much outdoor crap stuck in him though that I don't mind lol It will keep him cleaner. But I'll probably have to even it out.
DeleteI can handle most weather if there's sun - even though I don't love the cold. It's the months of rain that I'm really dreading.
Thank you for doing the temp math for me LOL. Yikes, -6 C??? We're still sweating here! Though they say there will be a rainy day soon (I've looked up three weather reports and they each have a different day for it - either Wednesday, Thursday or Wednesday LOL) when the temps will drop dramatically...only to rocket up again the next day (whatever day it is 😂). We're talking 7 C one day (for the lower temp) and 14 C the following, which is INSANE.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're out in the cold (so to speak), but I hope you'll enjoy your snow! I also hope Kevin is keeping germs at bay...along with humans, I suppose...I love garlic and onions, but that sounds like a HUGE amount LOL.
Virtual reality gaming? I would never have thought you were a gamer. It's always the quieter ones 🤣. I would have expected you to stuff the basement with books and nothing else! 😉 Good luck again with the house! and with Fonzi of course 😘.
...I suddenly realised I said "quieter" for no reason at all 🙄. More like "quietest" maybe...
DeleteA few people mentioned they had to go convert it a few times so I thought I would be helpful :-) We seem to be the only area that's getting cold. Most people are still in a heatwave so I guess I should try to be happy about it.
DeleteI love garlic and onions too but this is next level soup!
I am not a gamer. At all. It just seemed like something that might be fun over the winter to do in that wide open space. The current owners use it as a gym area.
My book stash is WAY down now. I have one (small) shelf for my keeper books and then under 50 for the TBR pile and they all fit on my cart.
I am NOT ready for 20 degree temps in November. EEEK! We have 50s in the morning, which is normal this time of year. Maybe a few 40s mornings. Maybe you will build up an immunity to the cold. After 4 years at Syracuse, my daughter laughs at snow and frosty temps. She called 25°F "warm". I shuddered. I need to read up on this garlic soup. I am all about natural ways to keep the sick bugs away.
ReplyDeleteAnd now they're talking about 20-40 mph winds. NOT READY.
DeleteI'm from RI and lived in NY near Rochester for years so I've been in the cold - and that's why I left lol so we'll see.
Hopefully you'll get into the house soon and get settled before winter really settles in. We has -2 in places in the UK last night. Makes you want to curl up under the duvet!
ReplyDeleteThe house has really bright windows and a fireplace so I'm hoping it will feel bright and cozy.
DeleteWinter is here, too! It started snowing yesterday morning, and it hasn’t stopped. Halloween is my favorite holiday, but we probably won’t get many trick-or-treaters because it’s supposed to snow that night. Snow makes Halloween slightly less awesome.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
When I lived in NY we used to get our first snow on Halloween every year. Certainly puts a crimp in festivities.
DeleteAll my love to Fonzi! I hope everything goes well at the doctor's. We don't really get trick or treaters where, which is a bummer. I hope you get a nice crowd, even if you DO have left overs. I enjoyed Life of Bliss as well! And I have Furiously Happy that I really need to read soon. I love your plan for the Winter - checking out indie theaters, etc.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Thanks Lauren!
Delete90 is too many lol but I do like trick or treaters so I hope we have a good crowd. I have Fonzi at the vets all day so I hope I get back in time.
I was at the Dr's and the woman told me to find your *winter thing* to look forward to as a way to make it through the rainy season. A drink or a thing to do only in winter and it stuck with me and there are SO many indie places out here. Even our local community playhouse theater shows classic movies all winter.
Thank you for the temperature translation because every time I visit a US based blog and folks talk about temperature I'm lost! I would totally be afraid of winter as well with the temperature dropping so low. At least you get to look forward to cosy indoor things and I love nothing more than when you first walk in from outside and that heat hits you. It's such a cosy feeling!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally making note of your soup recipe as well. We all need something to kick colds and flu to the curb this time of year. I can see me needing it with the illnesses spreading around my office.
The creeping crud lol This soup clears everything out!
DeleteI realized that outside of the US people didn't know what I was saying or had to go translate it themselves so i tried to be helpful :-)
good luck with the moving. wow everyone getting sick :( hugs and yeah for progress.
ReplyDeleteI wish we'd get a closing date so we could schedule things and turn in our notice for our rental.
DeleteFuriously Happy is one I want to read! Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting so far!
DeleteDoggie vibes being sent!
ReplyDeleteOhh Indie movie theatres sounds fun, do keep us updated!
Fall, sigh, it is just so dark
It seems to be a never ending mystery with Fonzi. We did rule out some bigger things though.
DeleteWe don't get much snow here during Winter so I don't mind Winter here. I don't like garlic at all so I would be staying far away from that soup. lol
ReplyDeleteWe don't get a lot of snow here but it's months of non stop rain. Not looking forward to it lol
DeleteI'm glad you're making a headway towards your home ownership. I know it gets frustrating at times, but hey, you can at least see the light at the end of this tunnel.
ReplyDeleteAck. Winter. Not looking forward to the cold, for sure. I will be hibernating more than usual this year. Lol.
I hope you're having a great week!
I'm handling the cold surprisingly well! It's the months of rain that I'm not lookinf forward to.
DeleteHappy Halloween! I also believe it's better to have too much candy than not enough. Ha! Someone will eat it (probably me)!! And the VR thing sounds fun. I haven't looked into it that much but it sounds like it would be a blast.
ReplyDeleteIt's in the 40's here now this week and it feels COLD lol.
We had WAY too much. We got maybe 10 kids :-((
DeleteIt's crazy that you're already talking winter and I;m still bemoaning 87 degree days. *sigh* Glad to see things are still moving forward with the house. I hope Kevin is feeling okay... that must be some powerful soup!
ReplyDeleteA friend from FL just posted that it was in the 60's at night and it was finally feeling like fall lol
DeleteI hope we get a closing date for the house soon! I'm getting impatient lol
Extra good vibes for Fonzie. 🐾💟💟💟
ReplyDeleteI should try making your garlic soup. I had a Chinese friend in college who made garlic soup for everyone when they were sick and, I know, it does work! I had almost forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me. 👍✨
I hope everything goes smoothly with the house. 🏡✨
We just got more paperwork to sign with the closing costs but no closing date yet. Grrr
DeleteIs 20 degrees your high, because then your officially colder than me!
ReplyDeleteI haven't gotten sick yet this fall/winter but I will be bothering you for your magic garlic soup when I do.
Noooo - that was at night. We've been bouncing from the 40's to 50's during the day. It's been sunny though so it's gorgeous.
DeleteI really need to read Furiously Happy! Everyone seems to really enjoy that book and it does sound emotional but fun at the same time. Ah, autumn has definitely arrived for you. I hope you enjoyed the last farmer's market.
ReplyDelete