End of October Hodgepodge

 It's Wednesday again, and time for the weekly Hodgepodge with Joyce and the gang at From This Side of the Pond.  Joyce asks the questions, bloggers supply the answers. Here are mine.

 1. What do you like most about your family? 

Now that is a very tough question.  I really have no idea how to answer it.   Maybe just the idea that we were all placed in this family together by a sovereign, loving, all-knowing God.

2. What's something nice that's happened to you recently? 

 

Our dear friends treated us to a lovely dinner cruise on a lake.  It was so much fun.  Yummy food, beautiful surroundings, a nicely set table, good company, and a glorious sunset!

3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

 

I do like the color orange quite a lot.  I have a couple of pale orange sweaters that I love, but I really, really love seeing orange leaves (most often on maple trees) in the fall.

4.  What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it? 

Let me see ... I will say our little camp/cottage.   We acquired it in 2020, but I would never have imagined that we could make it so beautiful and liveable and such a refuge.  Our daughter, son-in-law and their kids helped a lot.  I feel humbled and grateful to have this place which I would never have expected, and wouldn't have thought that we wanted or needed.  It's made possible many quiet hours of relaxation and refreshment; many sweet visits from grandchildren running over from next door or stopping by on their bikes; and many, many opportunities for hospitality and fellowship.

5. Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...

• pumpkin bread or apple cider donut
• cozy sweater or cozy hoodie
• apple picking or pumpkin picking
• scary movie or Hallmark movie
• hay ride or corn maze
• twinkle lights or candles
• autumn hike or autumn bonfire

 Apple cider donut.
Cozy sweater.
Apple picking.
Hallmark movie -- although to be honest I've never watched one.
Hay ride.
Can I pick both twinkle lights and candles?  That's a hard decision.
Autumn hike.  If autumn campfire had been a choice, I would've had to pick that though.

Hayride at The Wilds of New England

Apple cider donuts

Apple picking (above and below) at a favorite orchard

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The current drought means no campfires in our state (except in campgrounds).  Hoping yesterday's rain (and more predicted for next week) will help that ban get lifted.

From the TWNE couples' retreat, 2022

And that's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Falling for the Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday again -- and time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  This week's topic is irresistible to me, so here we go ...  And, by the way, all of these fall photos are from previous years.

1 . Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall? 

Oh, that is a super hard question.  The cool crisp air, the colorful leaves, the brilliant blue skies, the way it energizes me.  All things apple and pumpkin.  I really can't choose a favorite thing about fall.

Deering, NH

Barnet, VT

2. What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? 

One thing we have been wanting to do for a few years is to take this dinner cruise on a beautiful lake,  We have that scheduled for mid-October!

New Hampshire

Boscawen, NH

3. Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list you don't eat? Which one have you had most recently? 

I love them all and there are no foods on that list that I don't eat. My most recent thing from this list was a Macoun apple.  My favorite of these fall foods?  That would be hard to say.  See some of my favorite apple ideas here: apples.  Some of my favorite pumpkin ideas are here: pumpkins.  Squash ideas are here: squash.  And cranberries here: cranberries.

Deering, NH

Deering, NH

4. 'Fall is proof that change is beautiful' is a popular sentiment. Would you agree or no? Elaborate. 

Not sure about that one.  In this case the change is going from life to death and decay.  And honestly I don't think change is always beautiful.  Sometimes it's not even necessary or beneficial.  Other times it is all of those things.  Change simply for the sake of change is seldom the best idea.

Pittsburg, NH

Deering, NH

5. Is there a spot near you where people go to see the leaves change color? Will you try to leaf peep somewhere this fall? Lonely Planet lists the following ten places as the best for leaf peeping...of those listed which would you most like to visit? 

Stowe, Vermont~Shenandoah National Park, Virginia~Columbia River Gorge, Oregon~Zion National Park, Utah~Tennessee/North Carolina border~West Virgina~Northwestern Wyoming~Wisconsin Northwoods~Northern Nevada~Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, Arkansas

 Our entire state is a tourist destination to see the leaves change color, so just driving anywhere (like to the grocery store) is a leaf-peeping opportunity. I will say that the color is not as nice this year.  We've been in a prolonged drought and many of the leaves are falling without having turned color.  (All of the photos in this post are from previous years.)

Stowe, Vermont is a place I have visited in spring, but fall would be lovely there!

Hillsborough, NH

Francestown, NH

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Last week was A Week.  Mostly a delightful week, but A Week nonetheless.  We met with friends for dessert on Monday evening, other friends for breakfast and a day in Franconia Notch State Park on Tuesday, other friends for tea on Wednesday afternoon, yet more friends for breakfast in the White Mountains on Thursday.  Friday and Saturday I was at a ladies' retreat.  I'm still recovering!

Pittsburg, NH

And that's the Hodgepodge for this week!

September archives from 2018 --

 

 Just wanting to put together a quick post for today.  It occurred to me that the last time I wrote archive posts -- featuring posts from the archives for specific months -- was in 2017.  So I decided to quickly pull together one from past Septembers -- 2018 and forward.  Here goes:

First day of fall, from 2018, features a poem from a vintage magazine page.

A few more late-summer scenes  is from 2019, but it shows pretty much how things are looking around here on my walking route right now.

Making some apple coasters was a fun craft tutorial from 2019.

From 2020, A company meal at our little camp was a fun re-read for me and such a great reminder of all that God did in giving us that cottage.  It continues to be a blessing as a getaway place for us and as a frequent location for hospitality! 

 From 2021, a Sunday Scripture post that just might feel very timely right about now ...

And from 2022 this post about my hubby's very special birthday celebration is short -- but as sweet as he is.

That's a span of five years of archive posts ... hope one of them is a fun or interesting read for someone!

Planning for the rest of fall 2023

 

 When I posted my Just Three Words for Fall 2023, that was only the beginning of my fall planning.

Originally I was inspired by a wonderful post that I had read by Christa at Brown Sugar Toast about The Importance of Saying No to Good Things.  Christa wrote about a fall planning workbook she had been using.  It's by Jess Connolly and can be downloaded for free here: Fall Into Freedom.  (If you try to download it, it will tell you there's an error.  But you can still find it by doing a search as instructed here: "You can try searching for the content you are seeking by clicking here.")

Christa had challenged her readers with the question, "Have you taken time to think through your next season of life?" She wrote, "Taking time to pray and write out goals for the next months can be a very grounding experience as you prepare for upcoming responsibilities, potential changes, and holidays. As you think through what the Lord has given you to accomplish during this next season, take time to pray through what He wants you to say NO to…even if it’s a good thing.". 

That was wonderful advice then and I believe it is even more so now.  With every passing year, I become more conscious of how swiftly our lives pass and how important it is to use our time wisely, to the glory of God.  So I decided to use this download again this fall. 

I wrote earlier about the words I chose -- restorative, productive, and creative. 

  The second page is "Before it Begins" and on it, we were to list things we hoped to accomplish before fall began.  This is one that I had worked on a bit earlier.  These could be fun things like getting together with a friend, or tasks we hoped to get out of the way.  I listed 12 items.  Many of them were small things like catching up on laundry or going out for ice cream before the seasonal places close.  Some were big tasks on my hubby's plate like getting all the wood in the cellar and building a shed for a friend.  (Both of those big things got crossed off.)  Of the rest of the list, I was able to cross off only three items. 

That was only the start of work that I needed to do in the planner.  So, as I mentioned earlier, I took the pages along with me to our cottage last Saturday afternoon.  My hubby had lots of little tasks he wished to do, and I had a few to tackle also.  Then he built a campfire and we each made a hot drink in the Keurig.  I sat by the fire and journaled away!

This pretty leaf with its yellow lower edge was found at the cottage on the path to the shower house!

The third page was "Ask Him Where to Go" and had to do with asking God for direction for my fall season.  Just getting quiet and asking Him what He wants this fall to look like for me.  Here's what I wrote:

Even though I haven't consciously spent a lot of time praying about this, it seems that God knows my heart (and He surely does!) and is giving me direction.

My heart was almost literally aching because, other than my weekly Scripture posts, I wasn't finding time to blog.  Interestingly, writing even one very simple new post seemed to 'prime the pump' and confirm that He wanted to give me this desire of my heart.  Just completing that one simple post gave me the creative nudge that I needed to finish a draft that I'd started months, if not years, ago.  Then, I found myself prompted to look at simple autumn cross-stitch projects in my pattern stash with an eye to completing one -- and I actually pulled out floss and fabric and started one!

So ... as to where God wants me to go, I believe that He wants me to find joy in this season.  

Obviously, He wants me to continue to use my spiritual gifts and my talents for His glory.  

He wants me to connect with people through mentoring and biblical hospitality, among other ways.

He wants me to continue to cultivate my relationship with Him, especially through relevant, meaningful Bible study.  As Jeanie Stewart pointed out at the ladies retreat I attended in September, we are to be students of God's Word, not merely readers.

Leaf line by Vee

 

The fourth page is "What's Your Land?" and the title comes from Genesis 13 where God tells Abraham to walk the length and breadth of the land He's given him.  We were encouraged to identify our "land" -- the lives and locations we touch.  Here's my list:
 

*Our home
*Our neighborhood
* Our cottage
* Places where I volunteer
*My walking partner
*Jennifer
*Instagram followers
*Extended family on my side and my husband's side
*My friends and church family
*My blog readers
*My women's Sunday School class

And then the fifth page of the workbook is "It's Time to Say No".  We know where we are called for this season, and now we are to identify things that we are not called to.  Here's my list (which may be added to):
 

*Mindless scrolling
*Consuming too much news/politics
*Sugar (currently on a 40-day sugar fast)
*Other people's drama
* Worry/anxiety

The next page is "What Do You Expect?" and it involves speaking some hope and biblical truth into the coming season.  Here are my expectations:
 

 *I expect that I am likely to fail in many areas, but that God will forgive me and help me to get back up and continue on
*I expect to continue losing weight as I continue intermittent fasting along with a 40-day sugar fast
*I expect that God will help me to find His Word and fellowship with  Him increasingly sweet as I look to Him, not sugar
*I expect to feel overwhelmed at times, but when those times come I trust God to give me peace, clarity and direction
*I expect to make progress in memorizing the book of James
*I expect that God will work in the lives of those I am mentoring
*I expect to have times of connecting with friends old and new through extending hospitality.

 

And then the last page, which I guess I didn't use in 2016, is called "Rhythms, Rhythms, Rhythms" and has to do with establishing rhythms for our days and weeks -- activities that are done in the same time frame daily and weekly, such as exercise or grocery shopping.   

This time around, I wrote: 

 

This is something I need to work on.  Although I do have weekly rhythms of a sort, I need to establish more rhythms in my days -- time for blogging,  exercise, Etsy listings, homemaking chores, cleaning, Sunday School preparation and more.  I feel as if things would go so much more smoothly if I would get those rhythms in place.

I've actually set up a schedule based on these rhythms but I never stick with it for long.  We will see if I do any better this time around!

 

 

I found this planner extremely helpful and something I am likely to use again and again.  What about you?  Have you tried this workbook or a similar one to plan your fall?  How is it going?

Just three words for Fall 2023

 

Readers may remember that a few years back (2016) I did a couple of posts about planning for fall.  They were inspired by a wonderful post that I had read by Christa at Brown Sugar Toast about The Importance of Saying No to Good Things.  Christa wrote about a fall planning workbook she had been using.  It's by Jess Connolly and can be downloaded for free here: Fall Into Freedom.  I downloaded this and found it very helpful.  (If you try to download it, it will tell you there's an error.  But you can still find it by doing a search as instructed here: "You can try searching for the content you are seeking by clicking here.")

Christa had challenged her readers with the question, "Have you taken time to think through your next season of life?" She wrote, "Taking time to pray and write out goals for the next months can be a very grounding experience as you prepare for upcoming responsibilities, potential changes, and holidays. As you think through what the Lord has given you to accomplish during this next season, take time to pray through what He wants you to say NO to…even if it’s a good thing.". 

That was wonderful advice then and I believe it is even more so now.  With every passing year, I become more conscious of how swiftly our lives pass and how important it is to use our time wisely, to the glory of God.  So I decided to use this download again this fall.  Maybe you would like to consider doing the same.

Don't hesitate because "fall is already here."   According to the calendar,  fall only began in late September.  We get so used to thinking that fall is all of September, all of October, and all of November -- or starting anytime after Labor Day-- but that's not the case.  I get as enthused about cooler weather and all things apple cider and pumpkin spice as the next person, but I'm going to take Christa's wise advice and pray and prepare for this season. 

 I myself am actually really slow about working through it this time around, because I spent much of September not feeling top-notch.  We had a lot of activities planned for near the end of the month, and any energy I had (which wasn't much) went into trying to participate in those.  So I didn't really sit down with my workbook pages until last Saturday afternoon when we made a little campfire over at our cottage.

I had made a brief note earlier as to what my three words would be, but no real journaling had yet taken place.

Again this time around, I began by doing as Jess suggests in her Fall Into Freedom workbook, picking three words that I would like to describe my fall season, words that can set the tone for the season. Again this time around,  I found this to be a tough assignment, but I had to do it to get started.  After thinking it through a little, I came up with these three: 

RESTORATIVE

PRODUCTIVE

CREATIVE.

Here's why:

Restorative -- as mentioned, I spent all of September sick with a "long cold".  (Yes, it seems that's a thing.)  Although I kept going as best I could and we still did a lot of our planned activities, I wasn't hitting on all cylinders or enjoying things to the fullest.  I'm so thankful to be feeling better!  There are good times planned for the fall, times of Bible study, women's fellowship, times with friends, and much more.  They will all be restorative in various ways.  (Interestingly, this was also one of the words I chose in 2016!)

Productive -- During the time I was ill, I was most decidedly not productive.  I kept up with laundry and meal prep, but that was about it.  I tried very hard to rest, get fluids, and do anything else I could think of to help with recovery.  Now that I'm better, I hope to accomplish a lot of decluttering this fall and am thrilled to say that I've already begun -- cleaning out a large, open front kitchen cabinet and also an area near my computer desk that was in desperate need.  

Also, my hubby cleaned the cellar -- something he's never fully done before, though he has decluttered areas of it.  He had 3 young friends coming to help him to get the winter's firewood in the cellar -- hence, the cleaning spree!

Another thing I'm doing is trying to stay far ahead working on my Sunday School lessons.  And -- I promise I didn't look back at 2016's words -- but "productive" was also one that I had chosen that time around.

Creative -- While ill, much of the time I was too miserable to feel like being creative.   I worked at Scripture Sunday blog posts because I didn't want to let readers down, and picked away at a few simple craft projects (like crocheting dishcloths).  But most of my creativity went into thinking of ways to get better, and trying to remember to actually do them.

Now I'm ready and anxious to do more creative blogging, and to tackle some new craft projects.  Maybe I'll even work on the cookbook I started last year, who knows?  God has made me a creative person and I so enjoy exercising that gift.  

So there are my three words for fall.  Stay tuned for the rest of my "Fall into Freedom" thoughts, coming soon!

A foliage walk

 

This morning my hubby had an errand (giving a friend who'd dropped a vehicle at the mechanic's shop a ride home) and when he returned he suggested the two of us head out for a foliage walk.  He had ssen some pretty trees not far from our house.  So out we went!  I'll just share photos and captions in the interest of a quick post, but it's way better than no post at all -- so here we go.

This gravesite is all by itself next to the road.  I believe it's a Revolutionary War soldier, not sure.  The town places flags on all veterans' graves. but someone else has put this urn with marigolds and a vine here.  A lovely thing for someone to do.

Headed down the road from our house.

This red tree is outstanding.

Both orange and yellow leaves here.

Both red and orange here and below.

The pretty red sprig of leaves above is right here at the edge of our own yard.

There you have it!  Later, the sun came out and he went back to get more photos.  He got some great ones which I can hopefully share another day.