Hey girl hey!!! It's Thursday on Brynn's Daily Joe. Honestly after this week, I am ready to do a purely visual blog. My fingers are achy man! Besides writing my blogs. I wrote a whole book this week (and at the writing of this particular blog, it's Wednesday night). I'm kinda mentally and physically whipped! For the record, my dog's not too pleased about it either. She won't even know what to do with me tomorrow.
Today, I'm talking:
My October Favorites
In no particular order...
First up: Pumpkins. Mini Pumpkins. I think properly they're called gourds but they're so adorable! True story, I have a glass hurricane filled with them. In fairness, those are fake but you know it's fall when these come out.
I love big pumpkins too but these are just the cutest.
Next: Fall leaves.
Here in Michigan we do something called Color Tours. I don't know if they do that elsewhere, but here, they actually publish maps that tell when each region of the state will be at peak color. It's not unusual to hear that a family hopped into their car to go do a Color Tour some Sunday afternoon.
Baking
It's hot here right through September. Yes, in Michigan.
Side bar: I once went to a conference in Georgia in early October and when one of the people I was talking to learned I was from Michigan, she asked if we had snow yet. I may or may not have looked at her as if she were crazy. I will neither confirm nor deny.
Bake on topic, I don't use the oven between say June and most of September. This year, it's warm enough that it's late October and I still haven't cranked it up. Can we have a big AMEN for the Ninja Flip. (Not a sponsor) Using it, I can make most of the things I'd normally bake in the oven without heating up the house.
But I digress again. I don't bake in the Flip. I bake in the actual oven, which means that fall brings on muffins and cupcakes and cookies and pastries and all the wonderful things.
Which leads me to Soups and Stews.
Reference the heat comments above. Nothing says summer like a steaming bowl of soup, am I right? No. Soup is for fall and winter at my house. So October means breaking out the soup recipes.
My favorites: Broccoli Cheez, Potato, Vegetable, and Split Pea. Yes, I said that last one out loud. I have a great recipe for it and I said what I said. There. LOL.
Sweaters!
Yes!!! Finally, it gets to be sweater weather. I'm still waiting for it to actually be cold enough for sweaters for more than early morning, but my sweaters are unpacked and ready to go!
I love sweaters. I also love putting my dog in her cute little sweaters. It's her favorite time of the year, too. Every morning she gets excited to put on her sweater or sweatshirt.
October Movies
Nothing says October like kicking back for a Harry Potter marathon, some Hocus Pocus or the Mummy.
I love to cozy up with my Halloween blankie and my fleece jammie pants, a cup of warm coffee (NOT pumpkin spice flavor - I respect that the flavor is some people's jam; it's not mine), and a warm fresh-baked cookie and watch some of my favorite movies.
Side note: I'm going to figure out what that mix is in the picture and make it for my Halloween night marathon.
Carving Pumpkins
I don't always carve pumpkins, but I love seeing other people's creations. That said...I think I just might this year. There's something nostalgic and fun about it. Nothing says fall like scooping out that goo from the center. Seriously though, I can almost smell the fresh pumpkin while I'm typing this.
I'm also thinking I might like to get out my drill and make a design like this (see accompanying pic) on pumpkins this year. Reminds me of a LiteBrite.
And finally, the Scents of October
Candles that smell like apple pie or fall leaves. Fresh pumpkin. That crisp fall smell on the wind (yeah, there is a scent). Apple everything. Cinnamon. Bonfires, leaves burning, wood fires in fireplaces.
And for your scent explosion pleasure: Crock Pot Potpourri
The peels of 3-4 oranges (you can save them in a zip bag in the freezer)
4-6 cinnamon sticks
2 Tablespoons of whole cloves
2 cups of water (add water as needed)
Add all to a small crock and plug in. There's only one heat setting on these. If you're using something else, use high heat. Leave the lid off and check the water every few hours. And your house will be full of YUM!
Today, October 21
Today, I started work on Soldier, the next Kuznetsov book. It's up for preorder and comes out on November 11. It will be longer than the previous book, Enforcer. Directly after finishing Soldier, I will be diving into Room 15: Making Her Obey. It is also a Kuznetsov book. It is 99 cents right now on preorder but it will be shifting to 2.99 on release day.
Also today, I'm catching up on all the things I didn't do while I was writing a whole book this week. You know...stores, post office, absentee voting... That kind of thing. I'm working on an edit for a spectacular Christmas book, as well. I love Christmas books. I'm rubbing my hands together with glee at the prospect of getting to dive into it.
That's about all! Happy reading!
~~ Brynn
😃