Positive Thinking

I AM NOT GOING TO WATCH TV TONIGHT.

This is positive thinking. If I think it for the rest of the day, it will come true… right?

I sure hope so. There is nothing on TV I desire to watch tonight, so there is no point in sitting down in front of it, even while I eat dinner. I am determined to go home, turn on some tunes, make some food and eat it at the table to avoid the couch, complete housekeeping tasks, and then get to the fun stuff.

By fun stuff I mean some projects that are seriously calling for completion, like my LSNED journal and a birthday card for my mother-in-law, as well as some decluttering business and journal cards for my Mum and sister.

Casey has class tonight (rescheduled from last night), so that will make it much easier. He always comes home, changes his clothes, and immediately turns on the tube. I can safely say no-TV nights do not exist if he is home.

It is important to me to have this quiet night creating and filling my moments, instead of wasting them in front of some show I care nothing about. I’m really looking forward to it.

Unworldly

God is watching and guiding and He has better things in mind for you than anything you’ve ever known before.

“Do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but be renewed by the transforming of your mind.”

~ Romans 12:2 ~

(Thanks Mum for the scripture- super inspiration for today and every day!)

Mixin’ It Up a Little

I made baked macaroni and cheese tonight for dinner.  Not Nana’s (and or Martha Stewart’s but we don’t talk about that) mac and cheese like I usually do, but an add on version.

Instead of just plain old plain old, which is originally delicious, I added chopped up broccoli and then baked it in an 8x8 Pyrex with mozzarella and Italian breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.  Usually I bake it in a bowl with just a little cheese sprinkled on top.

 

I found it incredibly tasty, but Casey is not into broccoli… unless I had more thoroughly chopped it up, well essentially pureed it, so he couldn’t tell it was there.  Aw well, it was a good attempt at adding some green to a super carb meal and I might alternate making it this way and the original way, always staying true to the basic components… and of course, the special sauce.

Not Escape, Retreat

Late yesterday afternoon, the October that began crisp but sunny turned cold and gloomy.  A new storm rolled in, not meeting the resistance of muggy, summer weather like the storm last week, but instead quickly dropping the already cooled temperatures even more.

In the summer, when the rains come down and the thunder rolls, we escape indoors, scorning the precipitation, hoping it will scurry off soon so we can go back out and play in sunshine that lasts into evening.

In fall, things are different.  Instead of escaping from the rain and hoping for sunshine, we retreat indoors to cook soup for dinner before cuddling beneath blankets to sip tea and read.  We know darkness will begin to descend earlier and earlier, but we are not concerned because there is coziness to be had indoors, where twinkle lights adorn the windows and pumpkin-spice candles flicker on the kitchen counter.

Summer has had its turn, so do not wish for it back, but instead embrace the joy of wearing sweaters and warm socks again.  Without showing it contempt, let the cool rain fall and nourish the earth, giving it last breaths of refreshment before winter closes in.  Take deep breaths yourself, inhaling the glorious smells of fall, of dried leaves, apple pie, and pumpkin bread.

Autumn is a time of preparation; do not fall behind wishing for summer days already gone.

Windy Beautiful

October has started beautifully.  It rained all week, but it is absolutely gorgeous outside today.  All that remains from the storms is the wind, which is not a bad thing- it’s whisking through the beginning to change leaves on the trees, the cool breeze balancing with the sunshine beating down.

I walked to the grocery store earlier to get supplies for chili, which is simmering away in the slow cooker.  Before heading to the grocery store, I tidied up a project in the guest room and did some housekeeping.  I just finished watching a movie, decompressing, and in an hour Casey will be home.  We’ll probably spend the evening doing the usual clean off of the DVR list.

We don’t have many plans this weekend and I’m so glad.  The summer was an absolute whirlwind of activity… not that I’m complaining because it was grand to have the opportunities for travel that we did.  But I’m really looking forward to quiet fall weekends, with cooler days, sunshine in the sky and in the colors of the leaves, hearty food, and the sense of preparation for the colder months to come.