Fall Favorites 2019
I am almost giddy with excitement when I start seeing pumpkins and mums outside of stores.
Hello My Beautiful Friends!
I am sorry, I missed you last month. August was a bit of a blur. First, our family traveled to Poland and Germany. I am still posting photos from the trip on Instagram if you are interested. Upon our return we hosted an end of summer children's party, after which I caught a summer cold. A family wedding that was on our calendar for months snuck up on me, resulting in our children wearing slightly too small dress clothes. And then, BAM! It was time for back to school preparations.
Now that the kids have been back to school for nearly a month, I am feeling a bit of breathing room in my schedule. There's time to nurture my interests along with the obligations. Perhaps you will enjoy reading about what I am doing with the new found bits of time.
Autumn is my most favorite season for all of the obvious reasons. Hello, cooler weather! And yes, everything is better with a bit of pumpkin spice. Fall is the time we prepare for winter, the cozy season. It's a time to come indoors again, to focus on our living spaces, to make our homes havens. I hope you enjoy this bit of random hygge in my fall favorites for 2019.
Currently Reading:
Speaking of hygge, every year at about this time I pick up another library book about Scandinavian living. It's fascinating to me. Although, after reading enough of these books I see a "rose colored glasses" view of Scandinavia as a common thread.
While wasting time on Instagram, Michael's Booth's title caught my eye: "The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia". British author, Michael Booth, has a writing style and humor similar to Bill Bryson. Booth clearly did a ton of research and travel in writing this book. I have learned so much about the history and culture of Scandinavia. It will be interesting to see how he ties his assessment of the individual nations together at the end.
In My Cup:
As a general rule, I stay away from coffee. While I love the taste of a pumpkin spice latte, any type of coffee leaves me jittery and unable to sleep at night. It's just not worth the spike and crash and spike again at bedtime.
Last fall while filling my cart with all the pumpkin goodness, I hesitated on the TJ's Pumpkin Spice Rooibos. By this time, the cart was full and I knew I was over budget. A friendly Trader Joe's team member gave me a sample, or rather, the whole tin for free. This caffeine free tea is my new fall and winter favorite. Just don't drink it in spring or summer. That would be wrong.
Listening To:
About five years ago, I started listening to The Lively Show, hosted by Michigan native, Jess Lively. At this time last year, I was able to attend an intimate live event hosted by Jess at the beautiful Foundation Hotel in Detroit, Michigan. It's kind of weird to meet someone you know from media alone. With Jess, it was really lovely. She's ordinary, like you and me. A Midwestern girl at heart. And she's reinvented herself a few times.
For the last few months, Jess has taken a hiatus from The Lively Show. I am excited that she's coming back at the beginning of October. For those of you unfamiliar with Jess, she combines the woo-woo with science and has an amazing ability to make the complex, simple. If you are also a long time Lively Show listener, I would love to hear from you.
Working On:
Over the summer, I neglected our flower beds. It's not a surprise that the beds are now overrun with weeds. Now that it's cooler, I have been spending a bit more time working in our garden. It's amazingly satisfying to pull weeds, chop down dead stuff and just be outside in the sunshine without breaking a sweat.
Please share what you are enjoying this fall!
All my best,
Carolyn
P.S. The fall 2019 organizing retreat I have been teasing you will most likely be delayed. That being said, I have a few spaces in my calendar for public speaking and client sessions.
