What's Up Wednesday: October 2023
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Hello friends,
I am still wrapping my head around the fact that October will be over next week. WHERE IS THE YEAR GOING???
As usual, I am linking up to share my monthly recap on the last Wednesday of the month. 🧡
If you’re new(er) to my blog site, this is what we recap every month:
What we're eating this week:
This week I hope to make gluten free ground beef and broccoli and a salsa chicken bake. The beef and broccoli recipe I have tried before and it was a big hit. The salsa chicken bake I have not made before.
We have an event Thursday evening and then I leave town Friday for a weekend trip so I will not be making anything for the remainder of the week.
What I'm reminiscing about:
October 2022.
I flew out to Knoxville to take care of some things and to be with my dad on the one year anniversary of my step-mom, Marie, passing away in October 2021. We anticipated it being a sad day for my dad. We said a toast in her honor that evening. My dad was always busy with work, but we had dinner together every night on that trip. We didn’t take any photos, and in hind site that really saddens me. Little did I know that the next time I would see him a month and a half later it would be for a cancer diagnosis and he would pass away in less than a month from then. His health declined at warp speed.
LESSON LEARNED. ALWAYS TAKE PICTURES! Even if the photos aren’t perfect and/or you never want to share them. Time is fleeting and we are not promised another moment on this earth.
Lord, please give my heart peace. I miss my dad and Marie so much.
These photos below are from my trip to Knoxville in August 2022.
What I'm loving:
1) The new Norwex Hydrating Moisturizer. It is worth every penny to splurge on this. I have very sensitive and oily skin, so using a moisturizer has always been difficult for me. Most of them break me out and are too thick for my oily face. This Norwex moisturizer is super light and contains activated glacial water and sodium hyaluronate. It’s divine. They actually came out with a whole new skin care line and I’m here for it. I have ordered the Cleansing Facial Powder as well. If you’d like to learn more about the company you can view my previous blog post about non-toxic cleaning here or message my sister through her site.
2) I am currently obsessed with the Coffee Mate Frosted Gingerbread and International Delight Gingerbread Cookie Dough coffee creamers. ‘Tis the season, y’all.
3) My two newest pairs of boots (with the heart next them in the image below). It’s the little things sometimes that spark a hint of joy. They’re both ridiculously comfortable for their respective styles. They fit true to size.
Hadley Ankle Boot (in mushroom) // Gonda Bootie (in natural)
What we've been up to:
October is a blur…
We attended three charity galas: one for the Houston Police Department, one for the Houston Fire Department, and one for Houston Children’s Charity. (All three outfits are below, actually.)
Husband and I traveled to Banff, Canada to see their fall foliage and it also snowed! It was a beautiful place.
I flew to Boston and then drove to Vermont with a friend. Every day the fall foliage got better and better the further we drove north. Apparently they had had a “heat wave” that delayed their peak foliage a bit, but we still saw the bright reds, oranges, and yellows. It was surreal.
My sister flew in for a very quick visit over a weekend. It was much too short of a trip but we packed in some quality time.
I attended a Halloween themed costume party for my friend’s 5 year old and her husband’s 40th birthday combined. I went as Smee from Peter Pan because she and her husband were Tinker Bell and Captain Hook.
I’m heading to New Braunfels with my cousins this weekend.
In between all of that I have been running a lot, packing and unpacking, cleaning, attending appointments, and just trying to keep my head up.
What I'm dreading:
December 26th. I wish the day would just evaporate into thin air and the realization and pain that my dad is gone would evaporate with it. Men in Black style - you know, that little hand device thing they held in front of their eyes and it erased their memory? Yeah. Like that.
What I'm working on:
My fitness. I have signed up to run the Aramco Half Marathon in January and to fundraise for CanCare. If you missed my blog post about why I’m running - click here. If you don’t care why I’m running but want to donate to my fundraising page for CanCare - click here.
My blog! I haven’t had much time this month to work on new posts, so in November I will hopefully be able to work on the list of topics I have in mind.
What I'm excited about:
Halloween night! I look forward to seeing the kiddos in their costumes and we’ve been told our street/neighborhood gets really busy!
I am participating in the MD Anderson “Give Cancer the Boot” walk again this year. I have participated in it every year since 2016 (except last year, we couldn’t get organized for a date) in honor of my friend’s dad who passed from brain cancer in 2015. We have shirts for him that we wear and later on in 2020 we added in a baseball cap to honor her husband’s dad who passed of prostate cancer that year. This year, we are adding on a button to be pinned onto the shirt in honor of my dad. 💔 We are doing the virtual walk option and will be walking on the 12th - so if you would like to walk virtually with us you can! You can join our team by clicking here and using the register option to join our team “Walking on Sunshine.” You can also just donate to our fundraising on the site as well.
I am participating in the Hocus Pocus Virtual 10k benefiting Feeding America. Feeding America’s mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. The Feeding America network is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, working to connect people with food and end hunger. My friend, Karen, and I signed up to do this run together. Our packets arrived this week so since she’s in NJ and I’m in TX we’ve agreed to run on Thursday (tomorrow). You can sign up here anytime before Oct. 31st to participate. They’ll mail you your shirts etc. and then you can complete it whenever you want to once your shirts arrive. You can sign up for the 5k or the 10k and as they put it, you can walk, run, or skip. 😊
What I'm watching/reading:
Watching:
I finally finished Virgin River. I really enjoyed the series and the last episode has be very excited to see the new episodes to be released late November. I think it’s a special episode or two that will be released, not another new season. There were some cliff hangars opened to make us want to see what’s going to happen!
I’ve aimed to “watch” a few of my Halloween favorites but with my trips I haven’t been able to watch as many as I had hoped. I use the term “watch” loosely because it means the movie is on while I am working on things and not really sitting down to watch it. If you missed my post about Halloween movies to try to watch then click here!
Reading:
I finished the book Imagine Heaven finally. I am glad I took it slow and steady so that I could really soak each chapter in. I will share my summary of it soon, but in the mean time - you should order it. You will not regret it. You will regret not reading it sooner.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving up your life for us. We do not deserve your love and forgiveness, nor your sacrifice for us. You have made a way for us to redeem our souls when we believe that you are God and ask you into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, and then when we ask for forgiveness with sincerity. You have provided us with a path to Heaven, the ultimate paradise, so that we can spend eternity with you, in the presence of your love, and with our friends, families, AND pets. I know it will be greater than anything I can fathom, but thank you for giving people the chance to glimpse Heaven and return to their earthly bodies so that they can share the good news of what we are promised. Amen.
I read Living in the Shadow of the Ghosts of Grief: Step into the Light. My therapist suggested this book and I am glad she did. It has helped me realize that the societal expectations to “just let it go” and to “move on” and to “focus on the blessings instead of the pain” are horrible. It makes people like me stuff our emotions and grief away so that we can “keep living” when in reality we are hurting ourselves more physically, emotionally, and mentally by not MOURNING our GRIEF.
I started the book Why Am I Like This on my flights to/from Boston and my friend commented that she saw me underlining most of the book. 😁
I’m about half-way through it and hope to finish it soon. I’ve mentioned this book before but hadn’t yet started it and upon starting it felt so understood.
Because of my trips I haven’t plowed through as many books on the treadmill, but I did manage to read or re-read:
And I started Nora Roberts’ book Home for Christmas this week on the treadmill while waiting for my other library holds to clear. I’m perplexed because I cannot find a paperback version online to link, only audio books…yet I’m reading it digitally through the Libby Library App. Very peculiar!
You can click this link or scroll to the top of the page and click on “Books” to view all of the self-help books I’ve read if you are considering a topic and want a suggestion.
What I'm listening to:
I am mostly listening to “Halloween Jazz Cafe” on YouTube, sprinkled in with a few Halloween movies in the background. And I’ve mixed in some Hallmark Christmas movies because the Christmas countdown has started!
What I'm wearing:
As usual, when I’m home I’m typically in work out clothes.
I”ve been adding more and more to my LTK profile throughout the month so you can always follow along with me there to see what outfits or home décor items I’m sharing!
A little bit from this last 30-ish days:
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4lHs2
I brought out my favorite fall blanket scarf in Banff to wear to dinner one night. 🧡 The tank and skirt had stretch and I was happy to feel cute and comfortable!
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4k5LN
I really like this camel turtleneck - and now they’ve added it in a burgundy wine color, black, bright pink, and green!
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4kJju
I’ve tried my darnedest to feel fall-festive this season and these rust pants (“cherry merlot”) have helped.
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4kvKD
This is the black skirt and top combo I’ve shared a dozen times that also comes in a dark green. There is ALSO a dress version that looks the exact same (also linked) that comes in a light green as well. It’s like wearing pajamas, only cuter. Also, I can’t get enough of these boots and earrings!
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4kzRD
I wore this to a “red hot” gala. I actually bought this dress for the same gala a year before on final sale and ended up wearing something else. I’m glad I kept the dress a year later! PS - these shoes come in 6 to 9 other colors depending on your size and this was the first time I wore them. They were incredibly comfortable with no issues.
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4lwEv
Hello, Vermont. I was glad I packed this shearling vest at the last minute because I ended up needed it every day to stay warm!
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4lucu
Hello again, Vermont.
I’ve shown this skirt a dozen times and I know it’s not for everyone in style or length perhaps, but goodness I”ve loved it.
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4l7Gn
This is another skirt I bought last year for the holidays and didn’t get to wear. Thankfully it still fit and I paired it with a last minute bodysuit order. I was comfortable and felt great!
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4lgb0
I found this rust orange blazer a couple of years ago and have never been able to find the exact one online. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t snag a similar one. I wanted to feel “October - Halloween” and yet comfortable. This skort is one of my fave things to wear right now while it’s still warm outside, but I have visions of wearing it with tights and booties when it gets colder.
Easy LTK link for pants: https://liketk.it/4iRo2
Easy LTK link for suede moto vest: https://liketk.it/4jqMk
I wore a black tank with my new fave black slacks and paired it with the lighter suede moto vest. I didn’t get a full length photo that evening but it was a cute combo. =)
Easy LTK link: https://liketk.it/4lHBl
I threw on my one shoulder work out top and fave slacks for dinner at a new restaurant the other day. I have exercised in this top, ran errands in this top, and have worn this top to dinners. I have no qualms about doing that!
You can view most of these details on my LiketoKnow.It page OR email me. =)
What I'm doing this weekend:
I am heading to New Braunfels with two of my cousins. It will be a nice getaway with quality time, quality conversations, and quality laughs. I love my (entire) family so darn much.
What I'm looking forward to next month:
I am looking forward to decorating for Christmas. While I’m not ready to say goodbye to my fall and Halloween decor, I prefer to decorate for Christmas extra early to enjoy it and the fruits of my labor longer. Hopefully the Christmas cheer will arrive with it.
I am also looking forward to the Hallmark Christmas Countdown and hope to figure out how to add Great American Family channel to our cable, if it’s not there already.
What else is new:
That’s about it for now…
How was your month of October? Did you do any fall or Halloween related activities? Do you have your Halloween costume picked out? Comment below!
XOXO
