What I Learned in October 2015

November is here and that means another month behind us with lessons learned.  October held some big lessons for me, which I’ll be writing about in future posts, but there were also some random and fun things that I learned.  These monthly re-caps are some of my favorites, so in no particular order, seven things I learned in October.  And, as usual, linking up with Emily.

The most unexpected scents put together make for a wonderful smelling candle.  I was on the hunt for a fall-scented candle when I stumbled upon this one at Target last week.  I was a bit skeptical, but let me tell you it smells great.  There is a hint of pumpkin, but not the spice-laden smell that most pumpkin candles carry.  And, then there’s a hint of blueberry muffins baking.  Oh my goodness, it smells amazing.  I’ve been burning it so much that I may have to buy another one before the season is over.  Added bonus:  it was only $6.

You can turn regular jeans into skinny jeans in about 30 seconds.  IF skinny jeans were popular when I became pregnant with my first baby seven years ago, I wasn’t cool enough to wear them.  This means that my maternity jeans are all normal and not appropriate for wearing under my boots.  I already feel frumpy enough at the end of this pregnancy, and add onto that the fact that I don’t want to spend money on clothes that I’ll only wear for six weeks.  I was excited to discover that if I do a quick tight roll of my pants (does anyone else remember doing this??) and tuck that into my socks, my regular jeans fit nicely under my boots and I didn’t have to spend $35 on a new pair of maternity jeans.  And I get to wear my boots, which next to my sneakers are the most comfortable shoes to wear right now.  Hello, swollen feet.

Neat and orderly cabinets make me happy.  I don’t always take the time to coordinate the things that are hidden behind closed doors (closets and cabinets), but when I do I love it.  After the toilet overflowed, all of my towels got washed and dried at the same time.  Thus, the pretty scene in my linen cabinet.  Side note:  these Target towels have lasted for 9 years and they are still going strong.

I may be able to start drinking afternoon tea.  Bradley and I decided I needed a ‘thing’ in the afternoons.  So, I’m trying tea.  A friend gifted me this canister of lemon tea, which I enjoyed, but I tried this when it was still hot outside and it made me hot instead of comforting me like I was hoping.  I’m not giving up yet, but I’ll wait for some cooler weather before trying to make afternoon tea a habit.  Any suggestions on favorite flavors??

Kendra’s granola recipe is out of this world.  I was eating it raw as I mixed it up in the bowl, and I barely controlled myself to actually remove it from the baking pan and place it in a container to save for breakfast.  No one else is allowed to eat this, mostly because it has a lot of almonds, and I’m stingy with almonds.  I didn’t have plain maple syrup so I substituted my high fructose store brand syrup instead and it turned out just fine.  I will definitely be making this again.

We can survive Bradley being gone for 2 weeks.  It’s not my favorite, obviously, but I was thankful to experience God’s grace in parenting solo for a period of time.  The first week was super challenging, but by week 2 we had gotten into a good groove and it went much more smoothly.  Mason missed his Daddy, as did the girls, but he didn’t understand and that made it challenging at times.  But it also made Mason extremely happy to have his Daddy around this past weekend.  I love their relationship.

Fall comes slowly to this part of Virginia.  We have a beautiful maple tree in our front yard and I’ve been waiting since February for it to show off its fall hues.  This is what it looked like last week.  There are a few hints of red, but it’s mostly still green.  And, other than an occasional day of 60 degree weather, it’s been in the 70’s.

October was a full month, a busy month, but it was also fun.  And now, we’re into November, and just 5 weeks away from this next baby’s due date!  It’s going to go quickly, in many ways, but I’m going to try and savor these last days of being pregnant and anticipating the arrival of another little blessing.

What did you learn in October?