What's Up Wednesday: October 2021

 

Hi Friends!  Can you believe it is the end of October?  I can and I can't at the same time...we have had such a beautiful fall here in New England..it has been unseasonably warm and I will take it!  Now that we are headed into November, I am excited for Thanksgiving and all of the Christmas Magic...bring it on!  But first, let's talk now and the end of October!  Linking up, as always, HERE

What We're Eating This Week

 

Well it is an interesting one.  Robby B took over the meal planning and cooking this week to give me a break and let me try something new- Nutre Meals for me.  They are a health food/meal prep organization and I am giving them a shot for health/nutrition and calorie/portion control- stay tuned- will let you know how I feel after a couple of weeks!  

Here are a few of the meals I have enjoyed thus far

 

Hearty Breakfast Scramble

 

 Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Chicken with Spinach and Brussel Sprouts

Mexican Beef Bowl

The rest of the fam?  Here is what is on the menu:

 

Monday- Roasted Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Rice

Tuesday- Burgers and Fries

Wednesday- Chicken Caesar Salads

Thursday- Fish Sticks and Fries

Friday- Pizza Night! 

 

 

What I'm Reminiscing About

 

Halloweens of Past...gearing up for another fun one this weekend!  Bring on the golf carts ;)

 

 

 

 

What I'm Loving

SiriusXM Scream Radio

Love the creepy sounds and scary songs leading up to Halloween BUT make no mistake, can't wait to start the Christmas tunes on November 1st- HA!

What We've Been Up To

We decorated for Fall...

 

 

Mama and Daddy squeezed in a lunch date!

We went to Screemfest at Canobie Lake Park- the kids did rides and got terrorized while the adults chilled, caught up and drank pumpkin beer ;)

 

Date Walks have continued!  1 year plus now!

The Girls did our Annual Apple Picking and Lunch with the Fournier Girls

Diana's social life is now better than ours ;)

 

and Pidge likes reaping the "Only Child" benefits 

 

We celebrated Daddy's Bday at home

 

We had a Girls Only Surprise Sushi Date

 

My Gym went PINK for October :)

 

Tuesdays in the Office Bring Me Joy...oh and so does Starbucks!

 

 School Pics came in!

 

8th Grade

and 2nd Grade!

I have enjoyed some special time with Eva on Mondays before she heads into dance class

 

Remi LOVES his baths and we LOVE Remi

 

I hosted Wine Group this month and we loved the Orin Swift Wines

 

Diana has been loving her acting classes with her dance pals

 

and I have been loving our Saturday Morning Dates before Dance

 

We loved taking Mimi to Hobby Lobby for the first time!

 

We were SO HAPPY to be able to go back to the Milford Pumpkin Festival this year...yeah!

 

Remi turned 1 and we sang and LOVED BIG on him!!  He got some special food too and a cute hat

I actually enjoyed sitting in big time traffic one Tuesday- took me over an hour to get to the office and over an hour to get home...funny the way COVID makes us look at life differently and appreciate even the aggravating things

 

 

We have been taking our Family Faith seriously and even completed a lesson out at dinner one night!

 

 

We have been LOVING the foliage...very late this year due to the warmth but still beautiful

 

 

We enjoyed celebrating Marshall and Kayla's Engagement

 

 

Soccer and Hockey continue for Pidge

 

 

Nutcracker Season is Upon Us- Dresses and Dolls and Soldiers Oh My! ;)

 

 

Mama enjoyed Book Club #20 with some of her OGs- Yoga Pant Nation is worth the read- so many laughs!  Laurie Gelman strikes again

 

 

My Blog got a face lift with some updated pics!

 

 

QT with some besties was so overdue!

 

 

We continue participating in Family Faith and Eva takes the lead!

 

 

and yes....Hallmark started...it makes me so happy!

 

 

Date Walks...are now..in the dark...sigh...

 

 

 

and we FINALLY decorated for Halloween... Our 2021 Ghosts

 

 

 

and I am getting into the spirit...this sweater is helping ;)

 

 

QT with our "Framily" is always a win

 

 

Sleeping in our bed on the weekends is becoming more of the norm...how can I resist this squishiness?

 

 

What I'm Dreading

Nothing at the moment!  

 

 

What I'm Working On

 

The usual- Balancing Home- Work- Health oh and started Christmas shopping a little early this year due to the fear that things won't be here in time...thanks again COVID

 

What I'm Excited About

 

All of the upcoming annual traditions but especially seeing my girls dance in the Nutcracker LIVE again!

 

 

What I'm Watching/Reading

 

Impeachment- American Crime Story- Rob and I are totally obsessed!

 

 

 

and some good ole standbys 

A Million Little Things

 

 

Greys Anatomy

and we are making our way through Season 2 of Ted Lasso- LOVE him :)

and my two books for October were

Bad Fall- Charles Crawford 

 

(a Young Adult Novel I read in 8th Grade and enjoyed reading it again with Diana)

"Bad Fall" tells the story of an average boy, Sean Richardson, swimming amidst a small pond of small-minded peers as he tries desperately to do one of two things: disappear into the woodwork to avoid awkward adolescent embarrassment, or seek a greater challenge when a new student, Wade Sabbat moves to his small town. Much to his eventual horror, but to no surprise for fans of this great novel, he opts to side with the new kid and away we go.

Crawford's real talent in this book is his ability to capture realistic dialogue while holding on to the inherent awkwardness behind the facade. He does so honestly and simply, with a fine eye for foreshadowing. We know - almost by the sinister-sounding moniker of Wade Sabbat - that the new kid is trouble. Yet we root for Sean to expand his world and take some chances even if we know instinctively that his new crony, in fact, his only crony, is going to lead him in a salty and ultimately terrifying direction. Sean's real problem is inexperience, something all children his age grapple with, and his desperate attempt to find ways to become a man of-the-world with bad choices and sorry decisions. We all know a Sean in our lives, and perhaps many readers of this work have
been in Sean's predicament themselves.

Early on we learn of Wade's negative side when he takes his new friend on a shoplifting expedition, but when, at a school dance, he "levitates" a fellow student and then spell binds Alison, another classmate with a horrific hypnotic suggestion we see a deeper side of Wade's psychosis. Sean explains it best...

"-why would he put her (Alison) in a car wreck when he could have talked her into anywhere in the world?"

Do I need to mention that a minute after this sadistic exercise, Wade has the same girl twirling in his arms on the slicked-up gymnasium dance floor? Master manipulator this kid.
It doesn't help that Alison is one of Sean's major crushes, and plays a pivotal victim role that leads to the break up of the book's dynamic duo on Halloween night. Still, we see Sean's willingness to go along with the new kid in town, in spite of his better instincts. Of course there wouldn't be much of a story if he didn't, but Crawford lets it happen naturally. Besides, there's just something about a sudden zoom of popularity for a previously invisible and always insecure boy that's too good to pass up.

From clandestine car trips to skipping school for a visit to Valley Forge National Park and the previously mentioned Halloween night shenanigans, we see clearly the crash about to come in Sean's world. Crawford's talent is in making us care enough about Sean to want desperately to warn him of the impending disaster that is inevitable, while understanding that Sean is not as innocent as he seems and is far more savvy than he realizes. He is aware there is danger ahead, but he willingly goes along. It is inevitable only in the sense that Sean Richardson allows it to happen.
Crawford weaves his tale simply yet elegantly and without pretense. His prose is efficient and the setting, the small town of Louella, based on Wayne, Pennsylvania, is crisply defined. The characters are real, and will seem especially so for young readers experiencing the same temptations and vulnerabilities that make for bad decisions.

and 

Not A Happy Family- Shari Lapena

Her novels never disappointment- always so suspenseful!

 

 Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.
 
Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you'd know.
 
Wouldn't you?

 

 

What I'm Listening To

 

As mentioned above....SiriusXM Scream Radio!

 

 

What I'm Wearing

Some workout clothes...some business attire...rust/salmon...

 

Lots of Black as always in the Fall and Winter

and Red SOX hats even though they are out now...what an amazing season it ended up being!

 

and maybe a little Halloween Fun ;)

I promised to be better about pics this month but I failed again...I go to the gym first thing..shower and then start working immediately and since it has been so busy, I barely take my head up...I know I need to get better at capturing my outfits because looking back on these posts truly helps me to shop my closet- revisiting this goal next month again! ;)

What Are We Doing This Weekend

Have some down time planned and then Halloween with our Besties per usual...excited for another spooky celebration!

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

Thanksgiving Eve/Friendsgiving, Doing The Turkey Trot LIVE again this year Thanksgiving Morning with the Kids, Hosting Family for Thanksgiving, Black Friday with Cass, The Nutcracker...all of my favorite traditions 

 

What Else Is New?

Monthly Musings is TOMORROW!  Patty and I really hope you will join us for this fun linkup...we are talking all things fall!

 

That's A Wrap!