Rye Bread & Winter Moments

     Hiiiiiii, did you think I was gone for good again?! Nope, just busy trying to survive full time work and part time school, plus maintaining relationships, keeping up with housework, spring/summer arriving, never ending appointments, and oh yeah. Burnout. 100% in a bad Burnout Season of life. But I really didn't want to disappear from the blog for another 5 years, and I love sharing my photography elsewhere besides social media platforms, so here I am! 

I have curated and edited around 360 photos to share with you, so hopefully I am able to sit down and get a lot of blog posts up in the near future. Thank you for sticking around! I saw my visits number went way up in my absence, so hello all your old-school folks! 

I made a return to bread baking. I am definitely a little rusty, but it still turned out very delicious, and I am looking forward to making more in the future. 

You can find my recipe ~HERE~ 

This is homemade butter! Every time my workplace has heavy cream to write off, I take whatever I can and we make butter. Just stick it in the freezer, and use as needed. So so yummy! 

Speaking of work write offs, here I am, curled up in bed, separating rosemary leaves from their stems. They arrived frozen, but there was still plenty of good pieces to be spared! 

Living music evening at a cute cafe with S. 

One of MANY piles of thrifted books. Guys, regardless of how INSANE my TBR book piles everywhere, it hasn't stopped me. Haha! 

At this point, I have read 56 books this year, but am on a current reading pause. See aforementioned burnout. It really does affect everything. 

Anyways, I have had some amazing thrifted hauls and even posted my first book haul video on Tiktok, so I guess I am moving into the BookTok world?! 

For a while I was spending a ton of time, sitting in our lazy boy, reading away. Here are some of the many books I tore through. 

I have been snapping a lot more random moments that I share on my Instagram stories, but I really loved the vibe of this one. Cozy moments are worth documenting over and over. 

Heading out to Manitou Springs, for a proper soak in the mineral spa. 

We had the opportunity to attend a Blades game and sit in box seats, compliments of my workplace! 

It was a really fun night, and now, it feels extra special, because one of the coworkers I attended with has since passed away, and she had a real impact on me. So these last moments with her feel insanely special now and I am grateful for them. 

At this point in January, I was fully caught up on snail mail. Oh my how times have changed. LOL

Another one of my many hobbies that has gotten to the "insanely overwhelming" point. Who knows, maybe I will get rolling on them soon too. 

Always adding random cactus to my collection that we then proceed to kill. True story. As I type, this guy is still alive somehow! 

Well, that's all I am going to share for now, but just getting rolling on blogging again feels great! Step by step, I really want to get the overwhelm shed off my shoulders and maintain my burnout a lot better. 

I hope you guys are all doing incredibly well. 

One Thrifting Adventure...Of Many...

  Hello, my online journaling friends! How has October been treating you? Mine has already been off to a busy start, but somehow, stopping by the thrift store has become a usual part of my Monday errands. Although, as the fall wanes on, I will be trying to stay out of such stores, and focusing on saving for bigger items, as well as using what I have. 

But I wanted to share some ... errrr-ummm, **SOME**.... of the items I recently hauled. Being drawn to cozy items doesn't help when one's in a second hand shop, and I am such a nester! 

On my last visit, they had some lovely fall decor out and the store felt extra inviting. 

I love the weeks books are on sale, because that's when I allow myself to hoard a few extras... pretty sure at this point I am mostly collecting books, and not really reading them. Haha

This is one of my favorite corners of the store. They have done a really nice job trying to make it an inviting spot to take your time browsing. 

Now for what I got! And shown in possibly the most unaesthetic photos possible, but I am just going for the "real life" vibes hard core these days. 

Here are a few of the books I got; I was particularly excited about the Natural Healing book as it is very detailed, and gives so many suggestions and solutions for tons of illnesses. They don't just suggest teas, but also exercises, reflexology, and meditations for various ailments. 

Then I got this rather random assortment. I adore the Dr Quinn Medicine Woman series, and own almost all the seasons, so I was pleased to score the few bonus movies they did. The little scroll, is meant to be hung on the wall, but I am using it as a book-end. The leaf, is a ceramic bowl, and I had to have the earrings that match a sweater I already own. 

I acquired a couple mini prints I already have up on my wall, and some vintage postcards. 

Next, a few clothing items, although I may need to make a few adjustments: a black pant suit set, an emerald cardigan, a 90s blue patterned dress, and a peach ruffled skirt. 

I had been on the hunt for a good juice pitcher, so I was so pleased to find a Tupperware pitcher that is exactly like the ones I used during my childhood! 

And then finally, and item I get almost every time I thrift; doilies. One can never possibly have too many doilies and you will find them tucked all over in my house! So much work goes into crocheting these tiny beauties, and yet the thrift store sells them for so little. My Mom crocheted doilies, so I suppose they are extra special to me. Plus I acquired 2 more lovely, glass vases and a glass candle holder! 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing one of my hauls! What has been a favorite, thrifted find of your's lately? Or vintage-shop scored, or Facebook Marketplace found... where do you go for cozy items? 

I hope your October is full of blessings! 

Thrifted Finds, DIY Projects, & Manifested Supplement Cupboards

 Hello, friends! How has life been treating you these days? I recently discovered this collection of music, and for those of us who are Austenites, I had to click on it. It's so lovely and would be a great soundtrack for the upcoming autumn season. Give it a listen ~Main Character Vibes of a Jane Austen Novel~ .

{Found Via Pinterest}

Who else here is a thrifter? That is one thing that hasn't changed about me; my love of thrifting. The problem is I am a collector of pretty things, but we are working on curating them and actually using them. Some of my latest scores have resulted in me needing to do a little DIY moments. I got this napkin holder for just $1!

And here it is being painted as I have an idea of what I want to turn it into! Alongside it, you will spot a little wooden tray and 2 picture frames also being painted white. I am taking out any dark wood tones I can, to eliminate the cluttered feeling, but also, it is very important to me to keep things homey.

I also spend too much time on FB Marketplace, and scored this little side table for $5. Here is what it currently looks like, and I will definitely do a before & after post when all these little projects are done and in use!

Yes, that really is 3 colours you are seeing. She's pretty bright! 

Cannot wait to have her done and next to our lazy boy...

Remember how in my recent Banana Bread post I mentioned that pre-mixes you can buy from the grocery store rarely turn out for me? Well I gave 2 a go, and honestly, neither one turned out great, and I really don't like the taste. However, the cookies do look nice. *haha*

It is really nice to have our own kitchen and be able to cook and bake at will. 

Some of you may be aware of what I do for a living, and how much I am learning about vitamins, minerals, herbs, and supplement blends. I have been acquiring quite a collection, and have even referred to those I have multiple bottles of has "backstock". *hehe* Something I started manifesting when we began looking for our own home, was a supplement cupboard. Specifically, one in the kitchen. 

It fills one with so much hope when they see something small manifested, and seeing others manifestations happen is also inspiring and encouraging. Thus, it pleases me to share my supplement cupboard with you!

As you can see, I have outgrown it already. *laughs* But. we do consume many supplements daily, and many of these are being saved for illness seems to be impending and so on. 

Sometimes I go out on errands, and stop by a few places to pick up actual necessities... then somehow wind up with real flowers, faux flowers, and potato chips. HOW. 

Well, hopefully you have found some entertainment and sparks of joy from my latest ramblings and happenings. I am sure you will see some more posts soon as I intend to have my DIY projects complete, and a few more underway! Also, perhaps soon I will be able to share more spots of our sidewalks or garage being completed; that would be lovely. 

Take good care!