Friday, November 14, 2025
This week flew by! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some things that made me smile.
It turned so cold Sunday through Tuesday and my body was not prepared. Wednesday became nice again! Yay! Don’t you know I rushed out to the sun! That was just a winter dress rehearsal, thankfully. I did learn I would need some cozier pants.
Tom went back to work this week and while that is sad for him…I was kind of glad to be back to my “new normal”.
Here we go…
The winter weather really prompted our leaves to come down!
I am so happy that I have a heated steering wheel! It feels so good! Who needs gloves?
Remember when I said I didn’t need Starbucks? What is it about cold weather that makes me want Starbucks? I love the holiday cups and the holiday drinks and it’s fun to have one for running errands. I’m so basic.
I cannot wait to renovate our kitchen and now you are going to look more closely because I said something. I am making this sacrifice to show you how cute Eddie Otis is with a taco in his mouth getting some scratches from brother Mason!
I am still loving the newly exposed wood floors and the fact that I got my house cleaned this week!
I saw a Boom Boom stick at Walgreen’s and bought it. You put it in each nostril to open your passageways. It’s supposed to be all natural – essential oils. I like my new Boom Boom stick for congestion.
I also got a French butter bell. You put a bit of cold water in the base, and you can leave your butter out and it stays spreadable. You have to change your water every couple of days, and you are supposed to use salted butter. I bought a really good butter this week – Vital Farms. Kerrygold was $10! This was half the price.
Mrs. Meyer’s Rain Water could basically be my perfume I like it that much. She makes me want to clean counters.
I got one more Acorn Spice to get me through November.
Do you listen to The Savvy Cast podcast? It’s a new one for me, but I loved her quick episode on dips. I love a dip! She also has a blog post with all the dip recipes on Family Savvy website.
Still reading this and it’s cheesy but I’m enjoying it. It’s set in the 90s and the 90s references are a bit much at times but nostalgic at others.
I’ve been talking about my mom’s Storyworth. This is the finished product. She loved the color teal in the last 10 years of her life so I went with teal. She painted a wall teal, she bought two teal leather couches, She had a craft table made with teal legs. We were getting worried. For her funeral, all the girls painted toes teal. She had already named her “book so I kept her name. She always had to say her name was “Carol with an E”.
She answered 55 questions and even added photos. Here are some examples of the inside of the book:
I am so glad to have this! I am so glad she took the time to answer the questions. This would make a meaningful gift to someone in your life, perhaps.
Wednesday, I took lunch to my friend at her fancy office job. She has a nice lobby area and we sat and talked during her lunch break. I made bacon quiche and a simple salad and she seemed to really like it! Elizabeth used to be a French teacher next door to me. We became fast friends even though we are 20 years apart in age. I was in her wedding. She is the most positive person but has my sense of humor. She is a doll and I am so glad to have her in my life.
I made a salad dressing from olive oil, lemon juice, and honey and it was too tart so I added white wine vinegar. It came out really good and this is gonna sound crazy but I have a new fave lettuce mix. I’m going back to Kroger to get more.
Eddie Otis says, “Mom, you have to stop watching Love is Blind”!
Remember my neighbor’s tree last week?
Look at it now!
I’m so glad I stopped to notice its beauty last week.
I’m sad about the penny! My Dad passed away in 2018 and since then he has left me so many pennies! Dad is gonna have to up the denomination. Does he know what the economy is like? $10 butter? Dad, can you leave me quarters now?
Jen talked about blue leggings and I really like mine. They are fun!
My poor sisters. One is a first grade teacher and one is an elementary art teacher.
Here is what the art teacher posted on Facebook this week…
My poor sister!
I made the grilled peanut butter this week! I talked about it in Wednesday Hodgepodge. It’s really good!
I saw this on the interwebs this week…
Does anyone else think we should never have left the 1800s? I am not interested in lard, but did you know lots of lard (manteca) is used in Mexican cooking? It might be in those refried beans. Everyone is talking about raw milk and fermented foods now. And, see how sourdough is on there – all of you in the sourdough cult?
Tell me a fave of yours this week!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
Your neighbors are keeping up with their raking- that’s one thing I noticed. Me not so much and I have a yard swathed in beautiful red leaves that I (or someone) needs to rake. I need to buy some Mrs. Meyers in hope that it makes me want to clean my counters!! The storybook looks so neat- what a family treasure to have. Good job on getting it done. The color sounds like a perfect way to honor her legacy and love of that color. Have a great weekend!
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Yes, the ex husband likes to blow leaves around 8 pm! Lol! He comes over every day around 2 and starts blowing and sawing and doing dumb noisy things, remember? ha! I really like Mrs. Meyer’s!
I couldn’t comment on your blog bc of my Google sign in – checked everything and can’t figure it out.
You had some beautiful snow to help you decorate on Monday! Great day to stay home!
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Oh renovating your kitchen? Very exciting! EO is the cutest with that taco. I have never heard of that podcast but thank you for sharing. I need a good dip for Thanksgiving this year. Yes to the 1800’s food- it is all whole food- nothing processed- that is how we should live right? Have a great weekend!
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I’ve only been waiting 25 years! Lol!
She has some good dips!
Yes to whole foods!
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I cannot believe the difference in your neighbor’s tree! Wow!
That book of your mom’s is so precious. What a wonderful idea, we probably all need to be making one! I wonder if my mom could handle it, I think she’d love the idea of it. I better check it out.
Have a great weekend!
xo,
Kellyann
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I know! I’m kinda sad!
I bet your mom would like it if she had tech support!
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It’s good to get a little taster of winter before it arrives properly, at least you know now you need some cosier pants. hehehe I have fleece leggings which I wear under and with everything when it’s cold out! Yep! My girl and I got Starbucks yesterday and it hit the spot!
Ahh! I wouldn’t be without one of those sticks at this time of year, especially when we all have a cold!
Oh wow! The Storyworth book looks perfect and a lovely tribute to your mom. I love the name of it.
What a lovely lunch with your friend!
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I love all the things that made you smile! EO with a taco might be my favorite. I don’t have my own dogs anymore, but when I did, I referred to my sons as their brothers too. Gosh…I don’t know why that hit me like it did, that I no longer have dogs of my own. I mean, I know I live with two, but they’re Jonah’s not mine. I love that lunch you took to Elizabeth! I’m sure she did love that…and how nice that they have that kind of a lobby to sit in. I bet you miss the leaves on your neighbor’s tree already! I’m so glad you stopped for that picture last week when it was still full. Happy Friday, my friend. xoxo
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Thank you for showing your mom’s Storyworth book. That’s such a a great way to remember your sweet mom ❤️ I’m looking into it for my parents. My next door neighbor grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. She was always telling us she drank raw milk as a kid and she believed it helped her immunity to colds and other bugs.
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I broke out my fleece lined legging twice this week and sadly it looks like the winter coat is out for good too. We have one of those butter bells too and we just love it (though I use either kind of butter interchangeably).
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I hope you will enjoy the butter keeper. We love ours. I get Kerry Gold butter at Sam’s or Costco. I think a lot of people are trying to get back to an 1800’s diet. We see a lot of lard here in our stores because of our big hispanic population. I love the EO picture!
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So many great faves this week! I’m curious to try the “Boom Boom” stick, I’ve added the “savvy” podcast/blog to my lists (the dip reference got me!), I, too, am sad about the penny (the end of an era), 6-7 (yes, your poor sister) and your mom’s Storyworth book turned out so beautifully with so many special touches! I’m sure you will cherish it always!
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I saw someone on Twitter post that “My homeschool kids don’t do the 6-7 thing”. Uh, no Karen. My kid is socialized and he says 6-7 all day long, thanks. Maybe on the homestead they don’t do that…
I do know we’re going to spend the next week raking leaves. I literally would never rake them. They don’t bother me? We also had zero trees when I was a kid so we had no leaves so I never thought about it much.
That book is so sweet and such a great heirloom of sorts to pass down.
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I love the title of your mom’s book. What precious memories. I was already in my feelings about the penny and now your dad’s sign really has me 😭so sweet of you to take Elizabeth her lunch!
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