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Monthly Musings September 2023

September 28, 2023

 


I'm joining Holly and Patty for their Monthly Musings.  The topic is all things fall and Halloween fun.


Here are the questions:


  1. Favorite fall traditions?  I always decorate my front stoop with pumpkins and mums once fall arrives.  I like making different soups for dinner and baking pumpkin bread or muffins.  I love sipping a warm drink while reading a good book.  Taking a car ride to see the leaves change color.           
  2. How do you celebrate Halloween?  I don't decorate my house anymore for Halloween.  I used to when my daughter was little.  I do wait for the kids in the neighborhood to arrive and hand out Halloween candy.
  3. Favorite fall recipes - Please share links.  Here are a few fall recipes that I like to make.  
  4. Favorite fall pieces?  I love wearing jeans or leggings with sweaters, sweatshirts, or a short sleeve top with a long sleeve plaid button down shirt.  I usually wear black sneakers and black or brown low boots.
  5. How do you decorate for fall?  I usually decorate my mantel with cute fall decorations.  I put out mums and pumpkins on my front stoop.
  6. Pumpkin spice? Oh yes or over it?  I like having a hot pumpkin spice latte drink at least once for fall.
  7. Thoughts on candy corn?  I don't like eating it but I've seen people use it to decorate their homes.
  8. Favorite fall/Halloween movies?  Disneys Haunted Mansion, Hocus Pocus, It's the Great Pumpkin-Charlie Brown.
  9. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, or cider donut?  I love all three of these sweet desserts.  I usually have apple pie and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  I will have a pumpkin or apple cider donut at least once during the season.
  10. Bonfire, hayride, or haunted house?  I think all of these would be fun.






Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.


Julie  

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Summer Garden 2023

September 18, 2023

 


Hello friends.  I wanted to share with you my summer garden.  My container gardening did well this summer.  I was so happy to get some lettuce, tomatoes, and veggies.

My flowers did well this summer with hardly any water!

I was so happy when I saw a butterfly in my impatiens plants.  I planted pink and coral flowers.

I planted a watermelon plant.  We had two watermelons growing.  The squirrels got at one of them and ate it up.  This is the other one I have grown.  I'm not sure if it will grow any larger.  I will cut it soon and hopefully, we will be able to eat a good watermelon.

I was able to add these peppers to a sausage and peppers dish that I made.  The recipe for sheet pan sausage and peppers can be found here.  It's always nice to use fresh produce from the garden.

My kale grew so well all summer long.  My husband added kale to our protein shakes every morning.  

I bought these herbs from Costco.  These small pots contain basil, oregano, rosemary, and mint.  

This is how large my herbs grew this summer.  I made pesto from the basil leaves about three or four times this summer.  I don't use any nuts in my pesto.  You can try this simple recipe to make pesto.  The mint did not do well for some reason.  I used the oregano and rosemary in some recipes. 

I grew two romaine lettuce plants that did well.  I enjoyed clipping the leaves to make salads.

I was so happy to see how large my eggplants grew.

I used the eggplants in a stir fry that I made with peppers, olive oil, garlic, and hot pepper flakes.

My vibrant pink impatiens plants.

My plant stand still looks good all these years later.  You can see my plant stand makeover here.

I love how the bright pink flowers stand out against the wall.

I also planted pink geraniums with the impatiens plants.  The butterfly stake is from the Dollar Tree store.


We had a lot of rain and thunderstorms this summer.  I did not have to water the plants as much this summer because of all the rain.  I think that helped my flowers and veggies grow well this summer.

I will miss using the veggies for our meals.  I will also miss my pretty flowers.  

I look forward to gardening again next spring and summer.

How did your flowers and plants make out this summer?   


Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie


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My Favorite Hobbies

September 11, 2023

 

Hello friends.  I'm joining Joanne from My Slices of Life for her Not Just a Mom link-up.  We are discussing this month's Hobbies.


I thought this was a great topic since I have a lot of hobbies that I love.



1)  Crocheting - I go through spurts where I will crochet a lot during the fall and winter months.  During the spring and summer months, I always take a break from crocheting since the weather is warm and I like being outside.  I've made a lot of crochet items over the years.  Below you can see some of my favorite projects.

Oversized Crochet Sweater

Crochet Unicorn

Crochet Market Bag

Crochet Pumpkins

2) Blogging - I started blogging back in 2012 and I'm still blogging.  I love sharing my crochet projects, recipes, and what is going on in my life.  I love the blogging community and I am so inspired by what everyone shares each day.  I'm glad that I've found some awesome blog friends online. 



3)  Reading Books - I love curling up and reading a good book any time of the year.  Here is a list of books that I've read recently.  I will be sharing another list of books that I've read this spring and summer.


4)  Gardening - I love planting flowers, herbs, and veggies every spring.  It's so fun to watch everything grow and then we can eat fresh herbs and veggies.  I love making pesto sauce from the basil leaves I grow each spring.  


5)  Cooking recipes for my family.  In the fall and winter months, I love using the crockpot and air fryer to cook healthy meals for my family.  One of our favorite meals is crockpot beef short ribs.  I enjoy making different soups for our lunch and dinner.  This vegetable barley soup is so easy to make and tastes delicious.



What are some of your hobbies?

If you would like to join in on this link-up below you will find the topics for each month.




*  Let's take a moment to reflect on the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001.  Never Forget.


Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.


Julie

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Currently - September

September 6, 2023

 



Hello friends and happy September!

I can't believe it's already the beginning of September especially when the weather is in the 90s here.  I hope you all enjoyed Labor Day weekend.  The summer seemed to fly by so fast for me and I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures.  

Today, I'm linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness for what I'm loving, seeing, dreaming, eating, and using to decorate.  This link-up is held on the first Wednesday of each month.


LOVING:  I met up with my daughter a few weeks ago after she got done with work to go to the movies.  We saw the funny comedy Haunted Mansion.  It was an enjoyable evening and we both liked the movie.  The theatre also served drinks and dinner.  It was so much fun to watch the movie and eat our dinner at the same time!  


SEEING:  We saw a new stray kitten hanging out in our yard recently soaking up the sun.  


We were surprised because we usually see the stray cat, Gracie.  I haven't seen Gracie and I'm hoping we have a visit from her soon.


DREAMING:  I'm dreaming of fall.  When the weather gets cooler, I love decorating my stoop with pumpkins and mums.


EATING:  I want to try and eat more salads, vegetables, and healthy foods.  I enjoyed this Greek salad that I had at a local restaurant in our neighborhood.  I look forward to making soups and crockpot meals. 


USING TO DECORATE:  I have not decorated my house yet for fall.  When I decorate my kitchen and living room mantel, I will use these tiny crochet pumpkins that I crocheted many years ago.



What is currently new with you?


Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie
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How I Did on my Summer Bucket List - 2023

August 31, 2023

 

Hello friends.  I can't believe that August is over and tomorrow is September 1st.  I hope you enjoyed the summer months.

  


I did a Summer Bucket List 2023 at the beginning of the summer.  


SUMMER BUCKET LIST 2023

  • Go to the beach
  • Go to Coney Island
  • Take a vacation with my husband
  • Gardening - Take care of my plants, herbs, and veggies
  • Annual family summer BBQ
  • Visit outdoor concert
  • Get ice cream
  • Barbecue some new recipes
  • Try out a new recipe
  • Try a new restaurant
  • Read books
  • Stream movies & tv shows
  • Visit a farmer's market
  • Work on my crochet market bag
  • Clean out garage
  • Declutter my basement
  • Visit a museum
  • Take a day trip to a new place


HERE IS HOW I DID ON MY SUMMER BUCKET LIST: 

  • We went to our nearby beach and we also went to the beach in New Jersey.
  • We went to Coney Island for hotdogs at Nathans and ate them on the beach.
  • My husband and I didn't get to go on vacation to Las Vegas as we planned at the beginning of July.  You can read all about that here.  We did manage to take a car trip and vacation to the Jersey Shore last week.  
  • My flowers and veggies did great this summer.  I grew kale, cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce, zucchini, eggplant, basil, oregano, and watermelon.  My husband makes us protein shakes every day and he added kale to our shakes.  I made a few salads with the romaine lettuce I grew and threw in a few cherry tomatoes that I planted.  I made eggplant with olive oil and garlic.  I made pesto a few times with the basil I grew and made it with pasta. 
  • We had our annual family BBQ last month which was a big hit.
  • I didn't go to any outdoor concerts.
  • We had ice cream a few times this summer.
  • We didn't BBQ any new recipes.
  • I did not make any new recipes, but I'll have to try some this fall.
  • I did try out a new restaurant.  My husband and I went to an Italian restaurant called Nonna Dora's.  We both enjoyed our dinner.  I will be doing a blog post about our dinner.
  • I did read some books over the summer.  I will be doing a blog post of what I read.
  • We did a lot of streaming tv shows and movies this summer.  I will do a blog post about what I saw.
  • I did not visit any farmer's markets this summer.
  • I did not work on the crochet market bag that I had started at the beginning of the summer.  I'll have to work on crocheting this bag in the fall.
  • We did clean out our garage.  We also got a new garage door installed.
  • We are working on decluttering our basement.
  • We did not visit a museum.
  • We did not take a day trip to a new place.  I would love to do it this fall.


I had a nice summer even though the month of July was very hot and we had a lot of rain storms.  

I'm looking forward to cooler weather and enjoying fall.
 
 Did you accomplish everything on your summer bucket list?


Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie
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What's in My Handbag

August 14, 2023

 

Happy August friends. 

  

This month, Not Just a Mom group, is discussing What's in My Handbag.  


I'm joining Joanne's blog, so let's take a peek inside my handbag.



I like using this bright blue slouchy handbag during the spring and summer months.  It's just the right size to hold everything in my bag.


ITEMS IN MY HANDBAG:

  • wallet
  • reading glasses
  • sunglasses
  • 2 pens
  • keys
  • cell phone
  • market bag
  • ITEMS IN MY CHIC READY BAG:
  • 2 disposable masks
  • a small packet of tissues
  • 2 packets of shout wipes
  • a small bottle of Tylenol
  • small comb
  • a small bottle of hand sanitizer
  • band-aids
  • small mirror
  • tic tacks
  • Tide to go pen
  • black rubber band
  • 2 Claritin RediTabs
  • Burt's Bees lip balm
  • Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon - (Lead the Way 15)
  • small nail filer

WHAT'S IN YOUR HANDBAG?  I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENT SECTION!


If you would like to join in on this link-up, below you will find the topic for each month.





Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie

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Monthly Musings - July

July 27, 2023

 


I'm joining Holly and Patty for their Monthly Musings.  

We will be answering questions on the topic:  July 2023 Summer Fashion.



Here are the questions: 




1.  Favorite Summer Outfit?  I usually wear during the week athletic shorts and a T-shirt.  If I'm going out I usually wear jean shorts and a dressier top.  I also like wearing T-Shirt dresses like the one below in black from Old Navy.  


2.  Favorite Summer Footwear?  I love wearing my leather and rubber Birkenstock sandals, also my floral Stan Smith Adidas sneakers.  I get a lot of compliments on my floral sneakers.  I like wearing flip-flops if I'm going to the beach or pool. 


3.  What Summer Accessories Are You Wearing on Repeat?  I love wearing sunglasses on repeat.

4.  What Do You Use For a Summer Bag?  I love using a blue slouchy crossbody handbag similar to the one below.

5.  What Summer Scents Are You Wearing?  I love wearing any perfume by Jo Malone, and Kate Spade New York.


6.  Maxi Dress, Romper, Jumpsuit?  I haven't worn any of these this summer.

7.  Favorite Summer Sunglasses?  I love wearing my Coach or Chanel sunglasses.  For the beach, I like to wear less expensive sunglasses.

8.  Favorite Summer PJ's?  I always wear a short nightgown.

9.  Do You Wear White After Labor Day?  No.

10.  Favorite Summer Fashion Trend Right Now?  I'm wearing right now very casual and comfortable clothes.

Holly and Patty, I enjoyed answering these fun questions on summer fashion.  


Here are the monthly topics and dates.  

I hope you enjoyed reading my answers to summer fashion.  



Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.


Julie
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