Hey y’all!

I’m back to my usual iced coffee today and can’t wait to chat about the last few days with y’all. While I write, I’ve got my Disney playlist playin’ in the background – the perfect soundtrack for a cozy catch-up. So grab a snack or drink and pull up a chair to my kitchen table while we chat!

Monday 11/10

This Monday started off pretty good — I actually got up at a decent time! 8:10 a.m. isn’t bad for me. I made Tucker a little frozen pumpkin treat (just pumpkin purée mixed with water and frozen solid — simple, healthy, and buys you a solid 15 minutes of puppy peace!). I got it out for him a few times today when I needed him to be occupied. Breakfast was probably toast with butter and jam — I didn’t jot it down, but that sounds about right. Haha!

After breakfast I went straight to writing my blog post for the day. Last time I finished and published it a few minutes late and my goal was to not do that today, and I was actually ahead of time! I finished at 12:40pm and these posts go live at 1pm. I also had a small grilled cheese break while I was writing. Courtesy of hubby. <3

After writing Monday’s blog post, I turned on a podcast while I picked up the house. I don’t clean on Sundays – It’s my day of rest – so Mondays are my “reset” days. With my AirPods in and podcast goin’, I did the dishes, started laundry, vacuumed and did a general home pick up. The norm, but a little more than usual.

After chores, I sat down for a bit of phone-scrolling with the TV humming in the background. Pinterest decided to tempt me with endless dessert photos — cupcakes, cookies, and all things chocolate — so naturally I decided to bake. But I didn’t go overboard! I found a recipe that made just two chocolate cupcakes. Perfect for when you want a treat without a dozen extras staring at you. I’m only making 2 cupcakes and I want them to be fancy! I filled them with chocolate ganache (the recipe is linked, but I only wanted a small batch of it. I did 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips with 2.5 tablespoons of milk) and chocolate chips and sprinkles, frosted them all fancy and toped with a drizzle of ganache on top. These things were chocolate on top of chocolate. They were so good. If you wanna see what they look like I’ve got photos at the bottom of this post!

After enjoying one, I was extra glad I only made two – otherwise my husband and I would’ve finished a while batch in three days flat.

Later, I realized Tucker the pupper was almost out of dog food, so I ran to the store. While I was there was the most beautiful sunset. Hot pink and hot orange. Beautiful. Picture at the bottom of this post!

After I came home, hubby had dinner ready -- Costco Orange Chicken. It’s one of our freezer staples for quick and easy dinners, and it’s always a hit. I usually serve it with rice with peas and carrots, but it was till just as good on its own.

After dinner, we went to small group – our weekly church get together where we talk about Sunday’s sermon and just spend time together. There are many of these in our church, so we didn’t meet up with the entire church body, but instead people in our church in our area. When hubby and I were headed home, I suddenly needed something carbonated. Hubby laughed and swung by the gas station, and I got a medium Diet Coke. Now I know what y’all are thinking: “Diet Coke? Really?” But honestly, it’s not about the no-calorie thing – I just love the taste. That’s my hot take for the week! Haha!

Once home, I prepared some yarn for baby gifts I’m making, then headed to bed – and that wrapped up my Monday!

Tuesday 11/11

I got up a bit later today – around 9:20am. Not as early as Monday, but better than sleeping till noon! After a bit of couch time, I got my main four chores done: dishes, vacuuming, laundry, and general pickup. It might sound repetitive, but keeping those up daily makes the house feel so much calmer.

Then it was time to head out for errands – WinCo and Hobby Lobby. I grabbed tomatillos for a weekend recipe and then hit Hobby Lobby for yearn for my baby-gift projects. Of course, I had to wander through the seasonal section first. It’s all Christmas right now, and oh my goodness – I love it! I was proud of myself for not going overboard and only grabbed one thing: a pack of cute “to/from” stickers for gifts. They were only $2 but Christmas stuff was 50% off, so just a buck. Win!

I grabbed the yearn I needed, and while heading to checkout, spotted the mats. We got rid of our old doormat when we moved earlier this year, and I’ve been meaning to get a blank one and paint it myself – but, well that hasn’t happened yet. So I grabbed a cute country-style one, plus a soft kitchen mat for in front of the sink. Pics of both are at the end of the post if you wanna see!

Back home, I started crocheting those baby gifts. I thought they needed to be done by next Monday, but turns out I’ve got until the following Monday – a huge relief. Still, they’re time-consuming, so my plan is to work on them every day after chores.

After crocheting for a while, hubby came home and I decided to treat myself to some me time. I don’t take a lot of those “bubble bath and candles” kind of breaks, but tonight I did — and it was wonderful. Definitely doing that more often!

I finished the blanket portion of one out of two lovie blanks I’m making, and it turned out adorable. By the time I finished, it was almost 10 p.m. Hubby and I try to start winding down at 9:45 p.m. so we can get plenty of sleep and start the next day fresh.

And that’s what my Monday and Tuesday looked like! Nothing too crazy, but they were full and happy days. I’m so thankful I get to stay home, take care of things here, and spend time doing what I love.

This doesn’t really fit in either day, but I thought I’d also tell y’all I am making great progress on my Christmas tree skirt! I’ll have a progress photo below, but it will be put on pause while I make the lovies and stuffies for the babies on the way.

A Little Encouragement

Today’s Bible verse is Psalm 46:10.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

With all of that, thank y’all for reading! I hope y’all have a cool and cozy November afternoon! Hope to see y’all on Friday!