my november diary, pumpkins, & a festive + cozy outfit

{I have learned that I LOVE short stories for Christmas reading delight.}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

noticing nature

This autumn we, sadly, have had some of the littlest color we've had in a few years. Where I live the leaves don't turn all kinds of crazy gorgeous colors...they mostly just turn brown and get all crinkly. But some years we do get some stunning color. It just seems as though this year that won't be the case. All is well, though. Nature has her ebbs and flows, and this is just one of those years with less color. We've had some wonderfully delightful rainy days, though, which brings me endless joy. Our front porch is full of pumpkins...we got half of them for just 99 cents on sale! Soon it will be time to begin raking the leaves as we get quite a yard full...perhaps several yards full, as neighbors' leaves tend to blow our direction. And not to forget, it's finally starting to feel like autumn around here. I've worn sweaters and sweatshirts literally just a few times (less than a handful) so far this year, so I'm ready for all the chilly and cold weather. {{smiles}} We had a really chilly Thanksgiving (so, so, so happy about that!), and it's finally time to bring out my winter coat. Ah...cold weather is finally making an appearance!

what i'm listening to

As soon as mid-November arrived, I began listening to my Christmas playlist (see link on the sidebar), and it's been utterly delightful listening to all my old favorites again. I'm very, very picky about my Christmas music, and I pretty much only like songs that feel and sound traditional, classic, and nostalgic. I have very few modern Christmas songs that I enjoy...so no, you won't find me listening to any Mariah Carey or Ariana Grande. Give me all the Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. I also love the Choir of King's College and the Christmas music they have as I find it beyond gorgeous. I've also been listening to some of my favorite music by One Direction and Celtic Thunder, whom we happily saw in concert this autumn. 

bookish ramblings

The tail end of summer and early part of autumn brought along with it quite a miserable reading slump for me. I believe it was due to having read some crummy books (hello to you, Despereaux) shortly before that. I also had quite a hard time finding a book to help get me over that slump. Finally, though, I did read a couple really lovely novels...and now I'm well into my Christmas reading pile. So far, I'm enjoying several of the American Girl Christmas stories, a Susan Branch Christmas book, and a super short but sweet story by Jan Karon. Currently, I've got a book of short stories going, along with a book with 3 novellas in it, and another American Girl Christmas story. So lots of festive reading for me right now! 

what i'm watching

My mom, sister, and I are currently watching the final episodes of Blue Bloods every Friday night, which is both fun and melancholic seeing as how this is the final season of a show we all dearly love. I'm also watching the newest season of Shetland each week, and we just finished the first season of the PBS Masterpiece series, The Marlow Murder Club, based on the book series by Robert Thorogood. It wasn't as good as the book as there were some bits left out and whatnot, but it was still very enjoyable and of course, the setting was gorgeous. Finally, I'm watching some Christmas movies here and there...and working on a HUGE list of all my favorites to share with you soon.

what i'm wearing

Christmas sweatshirts and leggings and boots. This has become my typical outfit for this time of year, and I'm not one bit unhappy about it. It's absolutely perfect! ♥

in my mug

Spearmint tea or my nourishing hot cacao...both seem to be my obsessions as of late. And they absolutely must be drunk from festive Christmasy mugs at this time of year. {{smiles}}

creative joys

Last month, I made an Advent calendar gingerbread house for us to enjoy this month. We enjoy dark chocolate, and it seems to be nearly impossible to find storebought Advent calendars with dark chocolate, so I made us our own. And it was completely free...other than purchasing the chocolates, but we found those for a great deal. I'll share pictures of it soon. I've also been making some journals by using old books and I'm a bit obsessed with this whole process as it is so much fun! I've also got a few simple sewing projects I'd like to work on soon...so many ideas!

joyful anticipations

Decorating for Christmas. Holiday baking. Attending a performance of Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Christmas Eve by the twinkly lights of the tree. Christmas Day and our traditional meal and dessert. Driving around to see the lights whilst listening to festive music and drinking hot chocolate. Maybe some snow this winter...pretty please. Watching the Christmas movies I grew up with. Wearing our Christmas sweatshirts...I found us the cutest sweatshirts this year; I'm so excited! Wrapping gifts and filling stockings. Eating the chocolate from our Advent calendar. Cozy Christmas comforts. 

thank you 🍁🍂🤎🍂🍁

Dearest readers,

As we turn the calendar to November, I am reminded that this is the month of gratitude and thankfulness. And before we march fully into this new month, I wanted to take a quick moment and say THANK YOU so much for joining me for my October series. I have shared a 31-day series nearly every year for the past decade of my blogging journey, and I will admit that it is a yearly highlight for me. It is one of my absolute most favorite things about having my blog. From the brainstorming and planning to the writing and putting it all together to finally posting each day's post and seeing it come to life on my blog...I can't pick one aspect that I love more than the others. And another really awesome aspect of this series, along with blogging in general, is reading all of your kind comments, messages, and emails. Please know that every single one brings me such joy and the realization that there are, indeed, kindred spirits in this world is such a comfort.

I hope you enjoyed the October series as much as I did. I would love to know which topics or posts you loved the most...so do tell me. And I would also love to know which topics you would like to see more of...including any that I didn't get to. Even though 31 days sounds like a lot as I first set out to brainstorm and plan my series, it quickly becomes evident that I can only share 31 posts, so a lot of ideas and topics get pushed aside. Rest assured, I have plenty of topics and ideas tucked away that did not get included in this series. But I sure would love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to send me a message on Instagram, leave a comment on this blog post here, or use the form on the sidebar to send me an email.

Thank you so very much for being here...

and here's to sharing more kindred spirit conversations and delights together.

Bless you!

♥

preparing for a cozy christmas & wintertime 🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️

The fires burn and the kettles sing, 

and the earth sinks to rest until next spring.

~ Clyde Watson~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Warm greetings, lovely readers!

We have made it to the end of October, which also means that today is the final post in my 2024 Autumn Notes from Home series. And I wanted to end this year's series with a little something different. Today, I want to point to all things Christmasy and wintry...with the hopes and dreams and wishes for the coming months and inspire you towards the same.

Christmas is a favorite time of year for me. It holds many, many fond memories for me from my childhood and little girl years, as well as sweet memories of years not too far in the past as well as many hopes and dreams and wishes for Christmases in the future. I believe Christmas to be a magical time and a time to really let your inner child have some fun and delight. It's a time for whimsy and reindeer on the roof and a jolly white bearded man coming down the chimney. It's the time for cookie baking and carol singing and cozying up with hot chocolate in hand as you drive around town to admire the lights and decorations. It's the time for comforting movies and pulling out those old records and of candy canes hanging on the tree and stockings on the mantle. It's a time of peace on earth and goodwill towards others, not forgetting kindness towards ourselves, too. It's the time to believe in those little girl (or little boy) imaginings and knowing they're as real as they were when you were five years old. Christmastime. I just love it so much.

In our home, Christmas begins trickling in around the start of November. I begin playing Christmas songs sometime during the first week or two of the month, and we also start watching Christmas movies then, as well. We decorate our house, inside and out, on the weekend after Thanksgiving. That has been our family tradition as far as I can remember. Today I want to share some thoughts on preparing for Christmas and wintertime.

Before I begin, though, I wanted to mention that last Christmas I shared a home tour, so if you like that sort of thing, you can check it out here. The photos in this post are a little taste of that blog post...and video.

For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute
Candles in the window, carols at the spinet
Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute
Hasn't snowed a single flurry, but Santa dear we're in a hurry

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Preparing for a cozy Christmas...

~ Select a stack of Christmas books that you hope to read during the season. It's especially fun to choose a stack of picture books, as the Christmas stories are so magical and oftentimes have the most gorgeous illustrations.

~ Make a playlist of all your family's favorite Christmas songs. I created a cozy Christmas playlist here if you'd like to check it out for some festive fun music.

~ Make a CD case just for your Christmas CDs...yes, we're old school and still prefer CDs. I love having a designated case just for our Christmas music. It goes from the car to the house regularly and gets used a lot.

~ Make a list of Christmas movies you want to watch during the season. 

~ Make a list of all the goodies you want to bake during December.

~ And also, make a list of anyone you want to gift those goodies to, as well as any ingredients and wrapping or packaging supplies you may need to pick up.

~ Give a tidy up to the area where your Christmas tree will go. We have two places in our home that we love putting our Christmas tree and each year, it just depends on what we're feeling for that Christmas. We sometimes need to rearrange or move some furniture as well. Tidying up the space ahead of time makes it a lot easier when we carry our tree in.

~ Make a list of any crafts or projects you want to accomplish during the season. I love doing a little something creative every December, even if it's just adding a few homemade ornaments to our tree.

~ Check your gift-wrapping supply stash and see if you need anything before the stores sell out of everything. We've been reusing the same gift bags for most of my life, but each year we do purchase some new wrapping paper. We also reuse bows and ribbons year after year, but it's nice to get them all organized into a bag or bin. And while we do reuse most of our wrapping supplies year after year, we also find it fun adding a couple of bits each year...nothing too crazy and we do make sure it can be used again and again. Wrapping supplies can get expensive, and it's honestly unnecessary to get rid of most of it each year. Simply reuse what you can. And as a little fun side note, it's really nostalgic and full of happy holiday memories to see the same bags and ribbons each year.

~ Make a meal plan for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ahead of time. In our home, the meals are always the same...for us, it's a beloved tradition. But we do like to make sure we don't forget anything, and we make a big grocery list of ingredients and then collect them throughout the months of November and December, instead of having to purchase a bunch of extra things in one go.

~ Check around your local area and see if there are any fun, festive activities going on that appeal to you. If so, make arrangements to attend...mark your calendar, purchase tickets, make fun plans.

~ Assemble or purchase an Advent calendar for your family. We have bought ones in the past that have those little pieces of chocolate behind doors to be opened each day of December. But, this year, I think we're going to make our own and put our favorite chocolates in to be enjoyed each day. This is fun for any age...at Christmastime, I think it's good and important to remember that you don't stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing. (George Bernard Shaw)

~ In our home, we enjoy and love celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, which take us to January 5th. To make these days special, we choose one special thing to enjoy or do each day. For example, one day we may go to a favorite restaurant or take hot chocolate in the car to drive around and see the lights one last time until next Christmas or we may have a game night and play board games and have a snacky dinner. Most of the things we do don't cost any money...but they're still so much fun. Last year, one of our celebrations was going to the theater and watching the new Wonka movie, which was a blast.

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:

it is the time for home.

~ Edith Sitwell~ 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Preparing for a cozy wintertime...

~ Select a stack of books that you want to read during the colder months when you may find yourself indoors more often and settling in for earlier evenings. I enjoy choosing a few seasonal books with lots of snowy scenes, cozy vibes, or stories that take place in the wintertime.

~ And regardless of your age, choose some children's books or picture books to enjoy during these months, too. There's nothing as cozy as a really good and beautifully illustrated children's story.

~ Make your home as cozy as possible. I've shared so much about this on my blog, so if you need some inspiration, just have a peek around.

~ Pull out your seasonal mugs and place them in the front of your cupboard so they're easy to grab.

~ And while you're at it, make sure you keep ingredients on hand to make hot chocolate and pull out any seasonal tea blends and flavors. If coffee is your thing, make sure you have things on hand to make your favorite brew.

~ Make a list of recipes and meals that you want to cook for dinner during the colder months. I am never more inspired to cook than when it gets chilly outside and all my favorite things to cook are best during the autumn and winter months.

~ Add a layer to your bed for extra warmth and coziness.

~ Bring out throw blankets to keep on your sofas and chairs so you can easily grab one when you want it.

~ Hang some fairy lights in your home. Add a seasonally scented candle to your home as well. And if you love essential oils like we do, make sure you have warming scents on hand and look up some blends online to try something new.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

That's just some of the ways we prepare for a cozy Christmas and wintertime in our home. I hope it inspired you to do some fun preparation for coziness in your own home. Do let me know some of the ways you enjoy preparing for Christmas and winter!

from one highly sensitive introvert to another ♥

 Confession time. I'm a highly sensitive person (HSP). If you're unaware of what that means, allow me to explain. Highly sensitive people are people who experience acute mental, physical, or emotional responses to stimuli. They feel things more strongly than others do. I didn't grow up knowing that I was an HSP. I always felt different from others and knew that things bothered me much more than others. I felt things so much stronger and deeper than most people. If something affected me, it really affected me. I couldn't watch the news or read articles about certain topics without them staying in my mind and me dwelling on them for days after. Certain scents, textures, tastes, and the appearance of different things really bothered me. This is also true for the brightness or sharpness of lights or the sounds surrounding me. I also knew that I was highly intuitive from the time I was about three years old. (I recall certain memories that affirm this.) I am not one for small talk; I, do, however, love deep, heart-to-heart talks and when I'm chatting with someone I'm totally comfortable with, I can talk and talk and talk. I have always felt deeply...even if I see someone walking on the sidewalk, let's say, and they look like something is bothering them, I just feel it. Almost as much as if I were right there beside them. I'm also an extreme introvert, which according to my research and personal experience, makes all of this stronger. According to stats, about 70% of HSPs are introverted and only 30% are extroverted.

All of what I just wrote is still true about me to this day.

Like I said above, I didn't grow up knowing that I was an HSP. I didn't even know that term existed. I simply knew that I was different and often felt broken and that I needed to be fixed or overcome this way that I was. (This feeling never came from within my home. It did, however, come from extended family, public schooling, strangers, church/religious groups, and just the world in general.) I never fit in the box that society loves to put everyone in. About ten years ago, I began learning about different types of personalities according to Myers-Briggs through a book that I was reading. It was one of the best things I could have ever done! For the first time in my life, I realized that I wasn't broken, nor did I need to change how I was or have anything to overcome. Being introverted...extremely introverted...was not a wrong or bad thing. It was not a birth defect or a disorder. It was simply how I created and I eventually came to see it as a gift. It only took me twenty-one years to get to that point, but I'm just thankful I finally did. And while I don't necessarily agree with MBTI 100%, I can and must say that realizing that I wasn't broken and seriously messed up was a huge comfort.

Then began the introduction to OCD's intrusive thoughts and HSP. That was a whole new world for me, but it felt like a breath of fresh air finally discovering that, once again, I was not broken or in need of being fixed or having to overcome something. I learned that I am an incredibly highly sensitive person, and I also learned that all my fears and anxiety and oftentimes, overactive imagination is all associated with OCD. Unfortunately, OCD is often laughed at in jest because most people just do not understand it. It's not liking things to be a certain way or having to clean until the light sparkles off your floor. It is something far beyond that. I'm certainly no expert, but I have read a good deal about it, and I also live with it every single day of my life. It is something complicated and complex and certainly not a joking matter. The same is true for HSP. Highly sensitive people are often seen as weak or wimpy or immature or too emotional or sentimental or sensitive with feelings that are too strong. The fact is, it requires a tremendous amount of strength to be an HSP in this world. 

And these days in which we live prove that to be oh so true.

HSPs and our world and society's norms and structures are not a match made in heaven. I only speak as one person, but I'm sure my experience is not the only one out there. 

Over the last five years, I have done a tremendous amount of research and learning more about myself. I do not believe anything I have written about here to be "conditions", but rather, I believe them to be aspects of my personality. They are not my entire entity, but rather just a part of who I am. I have learned about myself and healed in ways that I am honestly very proud of...not saying that in a braggy sort of way, but my journey has not been an easy one and I'm very proud of the progress I've made and am continuing to make every day. You sometimes take two steps forward and three steps back, but every step forward is a step toward healing and self-understanding and self-compassion. 99% of my journey is private and personal, as I believe it should be, but that doesn't mean that I can't write and share about healing and understanding yourself in hopes of encouraging others who can relate to what I share. Most of my story will never see the light of day online, but I still think I can share what I feel comfortable with and hopefully encourage others. ♥

The world we live in is, quite frankly, not built or made for introverts and highly sensitive folks. (Note: Not all introverts are highly sensitive; however, most highly sensitive people are introverts. I hope that makes sense.) I'm not saying that in a victim, pity me sort of way, but just as an honest observation and realization. The world and our society are wired for extroverts and those who don't live with a highly sensitive aspect to their personality. Maybe some cultures are more understanding of this; I don't know. The current state of our world as well as things that have transpired in my personal life over the last couple of years along with experiences from my childhood and adolescent and early adult years all make these sorts of things more evident. I have to be incredibly careful about who and what I allow into my life, whether it be people and relationships or media and everything in between.

Our social societal norms are also not built for introverts or highly sensitive people. For example, when you go to a concert, the performer eggs people on and on to sing, clap and dance, when some of us would just rather simply listen and enjoy. We are, in fact, having a marvellously fun time, but we just may not show it in the same way as extroverts. Small talk is a nightmare because we are people who prefer something with more depth. And the idea that one must have a large circle of friends just doesn't work for some of us...we prefer a few very close relationships and care more about quality over quantity. The ideals about happiness and success are far different for most of us introverted, highly sensitive folk. And these are just a tiny portion of the reasons why we often feel like black sheep and outsiders.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed and feel all the feels, as only an HSP can. Some days it's just too much and I need to just stay in the cocoon of my homey haven. The truth is, being an HSP is never easy. We live in a very harsh world with a lot of harsh people. But now, it's even more difficult. The world is far more different than anyone imagined it would be. Things are rapidly changing every day and even if things haven't changed in our personal, daily lives, we still feel it greatly. Something is off. Something is different. A new sort of stress and anxiety has been introduced into our everyday lives. Unknowns about the world are filling our minds and covering the news headlines. It's scary and frightening and unsettling. Fear and anxiety creep in, little bit by little bit until you are overtaken with a mind full of all kinds of thoughts. 

What is the antidote for finding peace, calm, happiness and delight even in these days in which we live? I've lived three decades so far as an extremely introverted, highly sensitive person with intrusive thoughts. I've found great freedom and liberation in learning about myself and loving myself just the way I am. It is a burden lifted when you realize that you are perfectly fine just the way you are. You are enough and don't need to overcome or change any part about you. You need to discover the amazing parts of your personality and the things that make you unique. Soon, you'll find that being highly sensitive is a gift, not only to others but to yourself too. Not everyone has this gift, in fact, few do. As you continue on the journey of learning about yourself and loving who you are, you'll discover a peace that washes over you completely and totally. You will cease striving to be someone you are not meant to be. You will stop trying to fix yourself because there isn't anything broken in the first place. 

One thing that has greatly helped me along the healing journey is realizing that there is truly nothing new under the sun. People over a hundred years ago were worried about government leaders and world events. When I read authors such as Gladys Taber, I am reminded of this over and over again. Realizing that while we may think our times are nuts and people are getting crazier by the day, folks thought those same things back in the "good ol' days". And the truth is, these are still the "good ol' days", because we don't have to go any way the world is going if we don't believe it to be good and right. Just because the world and our country have taken a major left doesn't mean we have to. 

I also believe things such as slowing down and living more gently, learning to listen to and trust your intuition, following your heart's whisper and guidance, leaning into nature's rhythm and learning from the wisdom of Mother Nature, filling your mind with lifegiving words and thoughts, practicing self-compassion and being gentle and kind towards yourself, working on developing a positive mindset and self-talk, accepting yourself and loving yourself for real, and nurturing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually are the main aspects on the healing journey. Doing those things, along with some daily wellness rituals have helped me greatly and not only that, they have all taught me so much about myself, nurturing overall wellness, and the healing journey. It is my hope that perhaps another HSP will find this post and discover a kindred spirit atmosphere here. C.S. Lewis said of friendship, "Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" I've said it before, but I'll mention it again. Lewis isn't one of my most favorite authors in the world. I disagree with a lot of his writings and perspectives, however, there are a few that I heartily agree with, and this is one of them, indeed. I hope that HSPs who read this will close this page saying that they have found a kindred spirit and someone else who "gets it".

You aren't the only one! You are a welcome addition into this gathering of kindred spirits.

Perhaps I'll share more on this topic in the future, as my heart is very much about this subject matter. Let me know if that's something you'd like.

May your day be a beauty in every way imaginable!

♥

october's glimmers

♥ october's glimmers ♥

~ wearing cozy slippers for the first time of the season

~ taco soup on the first cool evenings this autumn

~ getting my new essential oil necklace and wearing it daily with lovely scents 

~  watching Abyss with my mom and sister at night

~ reading 100 pages in a book in one night

~  hot cacao in a pretty autumn mug

~ driving through town admiring the Halloween decorations

~ seeing a sky full or twinkling stars

~ finding a new favorite chicken and veg soup recipe

 

~ switching my wardrobe out for autumn and winter {hello cozy clothes!}

~ listening to the Anastasia on Broadway soundtrack on car rides

~ eating Chipotle for dinner {my fave!}

~ watching Hyori's Bed and Breakfast season two

~ apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting for my mom's birthday

~ watching October Kiss...a fun movie for Halloween

~ baking (& eating!) peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread

~ decorating our front door area with little pumpkins

~ lighting our twinkly lights in the windows for the season

~ repurposing a candle that broke into a new candle to be enjoyed

~ a couple lovely days away...

seeing a favorite singing group in concert

taking in autumnal colors as the leaves begin to change in the hills

driving the backroads (so much prettier than the highway)

roses growing along a picket fence

lavender sunset

dew on the grass in the morning

wearing a sweatshirt and boots for the first time this season

shopping at a favorite used bookshop and finding some great books

frozen custard

seeing alpacas and sheep and horses on farms

being surrounded by hills and such beauty of Mother Earth

reading a few chapters of my book before bed in the hotel

breathing in crisp autumn air...so refreshing

cloudy skies and gentle misty rain...be still my heart

~ placing pumpkins on our front steps

~ listening to Irish music in the car

~ taking our kitty on a little drive...she loved it SO much ♥

~ watching my very favorite Halloween movie

~ opening my curtains each morning

~ choosing my pile of Christmasy reads for the season

~ reading in bed late at night by book light

~ seeing wild turkeys in our front yard one morning

~ hearing geese fly overhead in their V formation

~ watching our kitties play and chase each other at high speed

~ and oh so much more ♥

What were some of your glimmers in October?

cultivating a daily sabbath hour

As someone who enjoys living by rituals and rhythms as opposed to strict routines and rigid schedules, I have spent the last few months cultivating a daily morning and evening rhythm. Over the past handful of years, I have tried this and that when it comes to daily rhythms, and nothing has really stuck long-term. But the good thing with that is that I have learned what works and what doesn't work with my personality and preferences and tastes. And while I could sit here and tell you all about my daily rhythms in depth, I decided that it would be better to share about my daily Sabbath hour, which is actually a term that I just learned about recently. It, however, perfectly describes what I've been doing daily for several months now. It just finally has a proper title to it. {{smiles}}

 

The word sabbath means to rest. In the Christian religion, Sundays are marked as a sabbath day as the start of a brand-new week. In Jewish culture, a sabbath day is marked on the seventh day of the week. But you don't have to come to an observation of a Sabbath day (or hour) just under religious practices. Sabbath simply means a time to rest. This is something more than just a time to sit in front of the TV and chill out while you watch your favorite show. While there is certainly a time for that as well as benefits with that activity, and I am certainly not opposed to enjoying such an activity...in fact, I'm a big believer in times of doing such a thing, but a Sabbath rest is more than that. It's a kind of rest that restores and renews your mind and encourages your soul and brings peace to your heart. It is a truly lifegiving, soul-filling sort of time. A time when you fill your mind and soul and heart with good things...wise words and thoughts, beautiful artwork or poetry, essays or writings that bring you encouragement and hope and peace. All the good, lifegiving things.

Back in the spring, I decided that I wanted to cultivate a time after I woke up each morning towards something like what I just described in the previous paragraph. At that time, I didn't know about a "Sabbath hour"...but it was certainly what I was trying to cultivate. I just didn't know what to call it yet. I wanted to cultivate a set apart time first thing in my day towards filling my mind with good things. This is, ideally, before I encounter any news on my phone or any headlines anywhere. This is before I set about my daily tasks and things to do. It is before I allow anything else into my mind. This Sabbath hour is simply a time when I purposely choose to fill my mind, heart, and soul with lifegiving words and such that really, truly get my day started off on the right foot...a positive, encouraging, uplifting, beautiful foot. It is a time of renewal and refreshment, of inspiration and restoring creativity, and of remembering my birthright to deep, inner happiness. It is a time of comfort and healing. And after doing it for the past six months or so, I can say that it is honestly one of the best things I have ever done. I will say that my Sabbath hour isn't always perfect. Sometimes I am in a hurry and don't get to it, other times there may be less time that I can devote to such stillness, but I can say that consistency is better than perfection. And even just ten minutes is better than nothing, though, I do love days when I can delight in my full Sabbath hour.

And, by the way, calling it a "Sabbath hour" doesn't literally mean ONE HOUR. It simply means a set apart time for whatever you wish to bring into your mind and soul. For me, it usually is about 30 minutes or so. It can also be a Sabbath afternoon, a Sabbath evening, a Sabbath nature walk or relaxing bath. It can be whatever suits you and your personality and tastes. Your quiet time, your Sabbath hour, should be as unique as you are.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off, where we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is a time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace of spirit that sustain and heal us.

~ Wayne Muller ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So what do I actually do in my Sabbath hour? 

Firstly, I get in my most comfy corner in my room and curl up in my chair, feet propped up on my ottoman and indulge myself in a stack of truly lifegiving books. I am a fiction reader at night, but at this time in the morning, I enjoy perusing and reading from a stack of non-fiction books. At the moment, I am working my way through a few of them, and that is what I have in my Sabbath hour corner.

My book stack includes Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach, which is a book divided into monthly chapters of daily essays pertaining to living through the senses and experiencing life's magical offerings within the most ordinary of days and moments. Many of the essays speak right to my soul, and I really love this book. I also have her other book Simple Abundance, which is written in much the same way, but isn't quite as good, in my opinion. There are quite a few occasions when I choose to skip over the day's entry and just move on to the next one on the following day. There's a lot in that particular book that feels very irrelevant and some outdated thinking patterns that I don't prefer. Then I really wanted to begin reading poetry this year, but honestly, so much of the poetry genre just doesn't jive with me. However, I can say the exact opposite about Mary Oliver's poems. She writes poetry that actually speaks to my soul, and I have really, really enjoyed reading a couple of her poems each morning. I'm still working through her book, Devotions, at the moment, and it is a pure delight of a book. Those are my three daily stand-bys...I shan't go a Sabbath hour without reading those gems.

Along with those three books, I then choose a couple other books that I want to work through at that given time. Right now, I am reading Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a book on mindfulness, a topic which I can very often find a bit overly talked about in some quite ridiculous ways and such, not to mention, extremely overly marketed. But I came across this book for a few cents at a rummage sale and I had been wanting to read some of this author's works, so I decided to give it a try. And I'm really loving it. It's a simple book, but deeply profound. I enjoy reading something with a spiritual perspective as well during my quiet time, and this book was the perfect starting point. Sarah Ban Breathnach's books that I mentioned above do have a spiritual aspect to them, too, which I quite enjoy. 

And finally, if I'm in the mood, I do enjoy dipping in and out of another book. Sometimes, it may be a book by Gladys Taber or Susan Branch or a book on the Celtic Wheel of the Year or a book on ayurveda or holistic health and wellness or a book of nature writing. Just anything that tickles my fancy on that particular day. With this final book in my stack, it can change weekly or sometimes I may stick with it for longer, but I just enjoy dipping in and out of it. This is not always a book that I read straight through entirely. 

I keep a few pens and pencils next to me as I read because I do love underlining and writing little notes in my books...or doodling in the margins. And, of course, I keep a small spiral notebook for writing down any favorite quotes or specific entry page numbers that I want to refer back to.

My Sabbath hour is a time of truly filling my mind with good things...wisdom, encouragement, beauty, hope, inspiration, wonder, peace, calm. It is a completely chilled out, relaxed, no-pressure time. And I believe this is true, real, genuine self-care. This is a time of taking care of my well-being, emotionally, mentally, and even physically, as I do some breathwork during this time as well as some other gentle exercises for my nervous system.

I end my time by applying my essential oils for the morning and taking a few deep breaths to begin my day.

The thing about cultivating such a time is to recognize what works for you...your personality, the time you have for what you wish to do, and your season of life. I am in a season of life when I can devote 30 minutes or more to this time without neglecting any other responsibilities. I also know my personality and I know that strict routines and rigid schedules do not work well with me. That's why I prefer rituals and rhythms...they are a gentler and softer approach to my days. 

My quiet time at night, a second sort of Sabbath hour, consists of reading a novel...or two. This is my favorite way to end the day and to settle my mind for bed and sleep. Depending on how tired I am and my mood, I tend to read anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple hours. I apply my nighttime essential oils and then go to sleep.

I am a firm believer in starting and ending your day as gently and slowly as you possibly can. Again, seasons of life will determine a lot of this. But I am in a season right now where I have total freedom of my time. I don't yet have children that I need to tend to and care for. I can spend as much time as I wish on my morning and evening rhythms. As life flows and seasons change, your daily rhythms flow and change, too. And that's not a bad thing. I really, truly believe you can make such a time work, regardless of what season you find yourself. If you do have children, incorporate a daily rhythm with them in starting and ending their day with gentleness and peacefulness. When they go to bed or down for a nap, take just 15 minutes for yourself to fill your mind with good things. Consistency is better than perfection and a few minutes is better than nothing. We need to know and learn that part of being gentle is going with the flow. And being gentle and kind with and towards yourself is key here...it is the utmost important thing. I think that if kindness and gentleness towards ourselves isn't a priority within our Sabbath hour (and just life in general) then we have missed the point of having a Sabbath hour.

And that is one thing that cultivating a Sabbath hour has taught me...being kind and gentle towards myself. And that right there could be a whole other post because I think it's SO very important. 

I'd love to hear if you have a sort of Sabbath hour for yourself, and if so, what do you enjoy reading, listening to, looking at, or doing during your quiet time. Please share your thoughts!

from my commonplace book ♥ more bookish extracts to warm your soul

from my Commonplace Book to yours...

along the same themes as my previous entries... 

~ h o m e ~ a · m a g i c a l · l i f e ~ a u t u m n ~

 I present to you...

a collection of bookish extracts to warm your soul ♥

May these delight you as much as they did me!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry-trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields stunned themselves in aftermaths...

Anne reveled in the world of color about her...

'Oh, Marilla,' she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, 'I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches. Don't they give you a thrill- several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them.'

It was October again when Anne was ready to go back to school- a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to drain- amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke-blue. The dews were so heavy that the fields glistened like cloth of silver and there were such heaps of rustling leaves in the hollows of many-stemmed woods to run crisply through. The Birch Path was a canopy of yellow and the ferns were sear and brown all along it.

It was nearly dark, for the dull November twilight had fallen around Green Gables, and the only light in the kitchen came from the dancing red flames in the stove.

~ the above extracts were taken from Anne of Green Gables

by Lucy Maud Montgomery ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. 

~ the above extract was taken from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J.K. Rowling ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

But Sally did not want to be set free for anything, for it was living itself that she enjoyed. She liked lighting a real fire of logs and fir cones, and toasting bread on an old-fashioned toaster. And she liked the lovely curve of an old staircase and the fun of running up and down it. And she vastly preferred writing a letter and walking with it to the post to using the telephone and hearing with horror her voice committing itself to things she would never have dreamed of doing if she'd had the time to think. 'It's my stupid brain,' she said to herself. 'I like the leisurely things and taking my time about them. That's partly why I like children so much, I think. They're never in a hurry to get on to something else.'

It was wonderful driving home with the last glow of the sunset lingering in the west and the hedges black and mysterious on either side. There were lights in the cottage windows, and sometimes they had forgotten to draw the curtains, and one saw the flicker of firelight, the bright heads of children sitting round a table munching their 'cooked tea', a man reading a paper with a pipe in his mouth, or a woman with a head bent over her darning. This, too, was new to Caroline, used to the years of blackout. It was lovely and most magical, like turning the pages of a storybook, each fresh window a fresh story.

She did not find the waiting irksome, for she had been born one of those fortunate people who are never in a hurry and never restless. She had never felt restless in her life. In all that she did, in all that she saw, she was aware of a deep upspringing wonder, as though she did it or saw it for the first time. She was blessed with a mind neither retrospective nor anxious; the past and the future did not pull her two ways with remorse or dread, and the lovely freshness of each new made moment was apparent to her focused vision.

~ the above extracts were taken from Pilgrim's Inn

by Elizabeth Goudge ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yes, in spite of all, I am in love with life. There is more beauty than we can measure in this old world of ours. There is surely more beauty than we can measure in a single night.

There is a kind of enchantment about a tranquil blue morning. I feel as if something wonderful might happen at any minute; and on the other hand, the day itself is a wonderful happening.

We would do well in a world like ours, to go back to the simple thankfulness for the things that make a family life possible. I am thankful for the things we still have, despite the atom bomb. The terrible ingenuity of man may wipe us out in time to come. But now, on Thanksgiving, we still have the November sun, and the clear deep blue of the sky, and the white glory of the stars, and the loving-kindness of friends, just as our forefathers had. If only we can preserve the real things- the love of man and woman, the peace of an evening by the fire, the sweetness of music, and the gay sound of children's voices- we shall not have to hear the sound of the world disintegrating into chaos.

This year I cannot bear to see the leaves go. Early in the morning when I cross the frosty grass to let the spaniels out, I smell the leaves. I never noticed before how sweet they smell on autumn mornings. It's the kind of odor that quickens the heart, a clean, bright-bladed smell.

The house was warm and inviting when we got home, and smelled of bayberry and burning apple wood. And white moonlight began to sift through the windows. This time of year has much comfort in it, when all is said and done.

The earth keeps her seasons. Sun and wind and rain are vouchsafed humanity. Nothing can take away the security we have in the earth herself. And no mad dictators can lift their iron gloves and wipe off that delicate lilac color above the dark hill. The earth endures, her strength restores us.

I took a last look at the sky above the great maples. The sky and the maples and the darkness made the house seem very small. The house belongs to us, and we are allowed to work on the earth around it. The earth is bigger, the sky and stars and moon and sun are too big to belong to man. 

Thankful I was for the enduring things, and that I, such a small finite creature, have been allowed to recognize the beauty of the world in my small and finite way.

~ the above extracts were taken from The Book of Stillmeadow

by Gladys Taber ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was a perfect fall day, and there was no better place to take it all in than from the porch of the B&B. The sky was bright blue, the only bit of white coming from the waxing crescent moon, the crickets were singing, and the deep pink roses that lined the front of the house were still blooming, filling the air with their rich scent.

I gazed at the silvery moon peeking over the tips of the trees visible through the open window in the tower room of the attic. The cold night wind made the apartment pretty chilly, but it was nice where I was bundled up by the antique stove.

Our street was a lovely old one. Tall maples lined both sides. Houses sat far back from the road, which provided plenty of room for kids to ride their bikes in looping figure eights. Birds and squirrels flew and scurried about in abundance, and the unique scents of the changing seasons always seemed to fill the air. The overall effect was friendly and relaxing. In short, it was the perfect street to amble along, taking your time to chat with your neighbors.

~ the above extracts were taken from In the Company of Witches

by Auralee Wallace ~

from my commonplace book ♥ bookish extracts to warm your soul

from my Commonplace Book to yours...

along the same themes as my previous entries... 

~ h o m e ~ a · m a g i c a l · l i f e ~ a u t u m n ~

 I present to you...

a collection of bookish extracts to warm your soul ♥

May these delight you as much as they did me!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What Beatrix loved more than anything else were tiny cottages with crooked roofs, their stone-flagged  floors brightened by rag rugs, the ceilings hung with braids of onions and fragrant herbs, the rooms furnished with old-fashioned oak sideboards and grandfather clocks and chairs with woven rush seats. Farmhouses with no pretensions to grandeur, with mullioned windows and thick walls and narrow passages turning and twisting every which way...Homes that made her want to reach for her pencil and draw.

Perhaps it was her artist's heart that coveted the warm glow of firelight reflected from copper-bottomed pans, or her artist's soul that longed for shafts of dusty sunlight falling through windows bright with blooming flowers. She sketched these whenever she could, and in a way, these sketches of cozy rooms and sunlit windows and comfortable furniture, peopled with cats and mice and little dogs, substituted for a home of her own and a family that didn't sulk and glower at her. But Beatrix knew that she could never be entirely happy until she lived in her own house, a real house, exactly the right house. It was worth the world to her.

It was a pretty October morning, cool and crisp, with the fragrance of autumn. The golden trees seemed to shimmer against the blue sky and the blackberry briars along the lane were covered with red and yellow leaves, making brave patches of color in the sunshine.

But she could make Hill Top into her own domain, a house of her own, with everything in it just as she wanted it. The house would be the house of her dreams, the house where she belonged, where she could imagine herself leading the kind of life that would make her, at last, content. And all around her would lie her own land, fold and fallow, garden and green meadows and pretty patches of the woods. 

~ the above extracts are taken from The Tale of Hill Top Farm

by Susan Witting Albert ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Loaves of fig and pepper bread, of course. But there was also lasagna cooked in miniature pumpkins, and pumpkin-seed brittle. Roasted red pepper soup, and spiced caramel potato cakes. Corn muffins and brown sugar popcorn balls and a dozen cupcakes, each with a different frosting, because what was first frost without frosting? Pear beer and clove ginger ale in dark bottles sat in the icy beverage tub. They ate well into the afternoon, and the more they ate, the more food there seemed to be. Pretzel buns and cranberry cheese and walnuts appearing, just when they thought they'd tasted everything...

The family brought out lanterns and halogen heaters when it got dark, and put them all around the garden. They lit candles on the table, all while the apple tree shook and blossoms continued to fall. When the petals hit the flames of the candles, they hissed and popped into ash, leaving behind a scent that was so beautiful and sweet that it smelled like both yesterday and tomorrow.

There was a discernable chill in the air now, and wet leaves were everywhere- in yards, in the sidewalks, in the street, stuck on cars. It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.

~ the above extracts are taken from First Frost

by Sarah Addison Allen ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was important to Caroline to do things right, to do whatever she did to the best of her ability. She saw beauty in ordinary little things and took pleasure in it. She took pleasure in a well-made cake, a smoothly ironed napkin, a pretty blouse, laundered and pressed; she liked to see the garden well dug, the rich soil brown and gravid; she loved her flowers. When you are young, you are too busy with yourself- so Caroline thought- you haven't time for ordinary little things, but when you leave youth behind, your eyes open and you see magic and mystery all around you: magic in the flight of a bird, the shape of a leaf, the bold arch of a bridge against the sky, footsteps at night and a voice calling in the darkness; the moment in a theatre before the curtain rises, the wind in the trees, or (in winter) an apple branch clothed with pure white snow and icicles hanging from a stone and sparkling with rainbow colors.

~ the above extract is taken from Vittoria Cottage

by D. E. Stevenson ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

But day by day there are slight changes, subtle alterations in shape, in the mood of the season, it is as though everything is slipping and sliding very gradually downhill, like some great high hayrick sinking softly into itself as it dries. The year has turned and it is autumn, though we do not fully acknowledge it.

There is a smell in the air, the smell of autumn, a yeasty, damp, fruity smell, carrying a hint of smoke and a hint, too, of decay. It fills me with nostalgia, but I do not know for what. It is a smell I love, for this is and has always been my favorite season. They said that as I grew older I should recoil from it, the winding down of another year, the descent towards winter, the end of summer pleasures, that I would begin to shift my affections towards spring, when all is looking forward, all is blossoming and greening and sprouting up. But I do not do so. Spring so often promises what in the end it never pays, spring can cheat and lie and disappoint. You can sit at the window and wait for spring many a weary day...

But I have never been let down by autumn, to me it is always beautiful, always rich, it always gives in heaping measure, and sometimes it can stretch on into November, fading, but so gently, so slowly, like a very old person whose dying is protracted but peacefully, in calmness...

And I love the wild days of autumn, the west winds that rock the apple tree and bring down the leaves and fruit and nuts in showers, and the rain after the days of summer dryness. I love the mists and the first frosts that make the ground crisp and whiten the foliage of the winter vegetables....

Soon, perhaps over one wild night, the last of the leaves on our magic apple tree will be sent swirling away, and on the bare branches there will hang here and there, the last few, shriveling fruits, and finally, those, too, will thud to the ground and burst open and rot gradually into the soil, or else be taken away by birds, getting hungrier, now that the cold has come, and on that morning, whenever it comes, the autumn will be over.

~ the above extracts are taken from The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year

by Susan Hill ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was a fine autumn. The blackberries were ripe, and the nuts were ready, and the mice of Brambly Hedge were very busy. Every morning, they went out into the fields to gather seeds, berries, and roots, which they took back to the Store Stump and carefully stowed away for the winter ahead. The Store Stump was warm inside and smelled deliciously of bramble jelly and rising bread, and it was already nearly full of food.

Primrose found the tiny front door and went inside. It was very cozy. There was a thistledown carpet on the floor and the neatly-woven grass walls were covered with books and pictures. The two elderly harvest mice who had lived in the house were very glad to have a visitor. They sat Primrose down, gave her a slice of cake and handed her their album of family portraits to look at.

Primrose was nearly asleep by the time they got home. Lady Woodmouse carried her up to her little room and took off her wet clothes. A clean nightie was warming by the fire and a mug of hot acorn coffee had been placed by the bed.

~ the above extracts are taken from Autumn Story (Brambly Hedge)

by Jill Barklem ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I will be doing a Part 2 to this post tomorrow...

so be sure to come back for that!