October 2022 goals
Happy October, friends! The most exciting news around here is our kitchen project, which is well underway – I had to include a photo of some of the progress for this month’s update. The backsplash is complete (love!), the microwave has been removed and hood added, lots of little painting details were taken care of, the light fixture was switched out, and perhaps most excitingly, our fireplace has had a MAJOR glow-up. It all already looks so different!
And today, as you read this, a crew is back at our house hammering away, building out around the fridge before refacing and painting the cabinets later this week. It’s a bit stressful (I’m so nervous to see the paint color go on!), but I am very grateful.
Aside from a completed kitchen and cleaned-up dust, let’s see what else is on tap for October…
On my calendar this month:
— Our annual fall trip to the mountains. We absolutely loved our trip to Black Mountain in 2021 but are returning to Highlands this year!
— The 6th anniversary of Articles Club! Recap of what we read this year coming to a blog near you soon.
— Lots of hikes. Fall, with its changing leaves and cooler temps, is my very favorite time to get out in the woods as a family!
What I’m loving right now:
— Ever since Father of the Bride at age 7, it’s been Steve Martin for me. Loved this recent profile of him.
— It’s hard to classify this as something I’m “loving,” since it was certainly a sobering episode, but this conversation with Jenny Black on the RB&G podcast has stuck with me weeks after I listened to it. I consume a lot of content around kids, parents, and the effect of technology on both, and there were still points she raised that were totally new for me.
— Random, but we have found these waterproof pads to be so helpful when kids are transitioning out of pull-ups overnight. We lay it over the sheet and if there’s an accident in the middle of the night, we can just whisk it off without remaking the whole bed. And they go in the washing machine, too!
As a reminder, you can find alllll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in September:
It’s been a strange month of reading for me!
I finished Take Back Your Family, and though I liked it, it mostly felt like ideas I already knew – and the writing was a bit clumsy. This epic piece by David Brooks was basically a more sophisticated version of the first half of the book.
I started The Common Rule and am LOVING it. However, I’m only one chapter in because I committed to trying each of the habits he lays out before moving on to reading about the next one.
I started Great Circle and quit it about 75 pages in. The plot plodded, I didn’t care for the characters, and I found some of the content disturbing. Not for me.
I started Crossing to Safety and am enjoying it so far! It was published in 1987 and feels like it was published a century ago, in some ways. Very different reading experience than a modern novel.
Finally, I just started Majesty last night and am a quarter through it, ha. My Mom took it out of the library when she visited and I figured I’d zip through it before returning it!
My reading list for 2022, if you’d like to follow along!
Revisiting my September goals:All hands on deck for the kitchen project!Order mirror and hand towel for powder room (Done! We decided on this mirror – I think it looks far more high-end than its price – and a hand towel from the JB x PB collection. Love!)Edit June in June Volume 7
Film Sheptember, Volume 4
Complete June’s baby bookPrepare well for and enjoy our anniversary trip (Yes, although due to Hurricane Fiona it took a COMPLETELY unexpected turn. More about that soon…)Clear the backlog on my “Friday list.” (I completed about 1/3 instead of the half I was aiming for, but good progress!)
October goals:
— Organize our garage. It is the stuff of (my) nightmares right now.
— Sew the Christmas tree for my Advent calendar (back at it!)
— Join Ben’s October challenge for a little Peloton pick-me-up
— Send care packages to our college babysitters
— Finish final kitchen details once work is complete (organizing stuff in cabinets, order rug, artwork for bathroom, etc.)
— Edit Sheptember, Volume 4
— Create our family Halloween costumes (Nothing, and I repeat nothing will (ever?) beat last year’s, but we’re still going to have fun!)
Last quarter of 2022, here we go! Grateful for you all!
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So curious to hear how the anniversary trip turned out! I almost texted you that week to check in on the Bermuda plans. I saw the looming hurricane forecast but I knew that whatever happened, Emily Thomas is the one person that can always turn lemons into lemonade :) :)
It was a very stressful 48 hours leading up to it but we persevered!!
The backsplash is LOVELY! Cannot wait to hear about the trip, further home renovations, and Halloween of course!!
Thank you, friend! I’m so pleased with it!
Sad to hear that Great Circle didn’t work for you, but glad you put it down – I am a big proponent of that! I am so excited to see your kitchen renovation come to life and LOVE the backsplash you chose so much.
Those bed pads came at *just* the right time and might possibly save my life! So weary of all the midnight sheet changing. I’m intrigued by The Common Rule and the podcast episode you linked, going to check out both. If I may make a recommendation for your next book – The Thursday Murder Club was just the most delightful read! I loved everything about it – it’s especially good on audio if you’re into audiobooks. Same goes for the sequel The Man Who Died Twice. I haven’t read the third yet (The Bullet That Missed) but planning to read it on paper since I was disappointed to learn it has a different narrator than the other two.