Happy October!
October is probably my favourite month of the entire year and 2025’s is shaping up to be an epic one. This time next week Kae and I will be heading to the airport to collect SHU (first stop: Peggy’s Cove…can you GET more Nova Scotian than that?).
Then there’s Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween and, of course, the return of Cool Bloggers Walking Club! My calendar is stacked with fun events.
And don’t even get me started on the food: savoury soups, hearty stews, and pumpkin-spiced everything. This is my happy season through and through. So it should surprise no one that I’ve put together a big ol’ list of Happy Things for this Friday.
Let’s dive in…
BRUNCH BUNCH
Once a month a friend hosts women’s brunch (called The Brunch Bunch). I’ve been on the invite list for years, but I’ve only managed to attend once. Life always seems to get in the way — sick kids, travel, or sheer lack of energy.
This time, even though I’d already RSVP’d yes, I almost backed out after a rough few nights of broken sleep (because of a sick kid). But I rallied and went and it was wonderful. She’s a truly gifted host, and there’s nothing better than adding my contribution to the buffet spread (pumpkin bread because October = pumpkin everything) and then simply sitting back to enjoy good food and good company.
ADVENTURES WITH DAD
While I was at Brunch Bunch, John and the kids were off adventuring. Translation: I came home to an empty house (basically my love language), and I knew the kids were having a blast.
Here’s the thing: I adore my kids and love spending time with them. But when they’re off having fun without me, it makes my solo time feel all the sweeter.
And since it was Saturday, I knew the day would wrap up with an at-home date night — my absolute favourite. #HappyElisabeth
FALL THINGS
- Wednesday is screen-free day in our house, so when Indy came home from school I offered to read a few chapters of our current book. He wasn’t interested — he wanted to draw. I ended up printing a fall-themed colouring page and sitting down beside him at the table. It was both relaxing and festive.
- I went to a local farm market and couldn’t resist picking up some of their fresh-from-the-field sweet corn. It was SO good. You can see my holders in action, and corn with copious amounts of butter, salt and pepper. (I’ve already posted twice about corn this week: here and here.)
- Bonus happy thing: they had a giant bin beside the corn, so I could husk it in-store. I love when I can leave all the husking mess behind me when I check out.
- What screams fall louder than a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks? I finally tried one this week and…it was delicious. Perfect for a chilly Wednesday morning. That said, I’m not racing back for another anytime soon. A single trip to Starbucks basically requires remortgaging the house. But I’m glad I got to check out the hype for myself. When I posted my Fall Fun list last week, trying a Starbucks PSL made the cut, so now I can officially check that box.
BELLE’S HAIR
#HairGoals. Natural highlights, heatless curls, and some pretty awesome genetics if I do say so myself.
Our little Starbucks adventure came after an unpleasant trip to the orthodontist (she made another “A” on her hygiene, but it’s painful to get the wires adjusted. Thankfully, we now have an official end date in sight; just a few months to go.)
HAPPY THINGS IN BLOGLAND
- Birchie’s second recap of her time in Nova Scotia went live. It was so much fun to read about all our adventures from her perspective.
- Engie already walks every single day, so I enjoyed reading about her self-declared parameters for the CBWC this month: During these ten minutes, I cannot listen to podcasts or audiobooks. I either listen to music or silence. I think this will make those ten minutes more intentional.
- When Joel Larsgaard from How to Money was a guest on my blog, he linked his guest post in their weekly newsletter and Matt’s mother-in-law, Kathy, reached out to chat about Nova Scotia. We’ve been going back and forth via e-mail and text for the last few months as they planned out an itinerary for Nova Scotia. And this week we met for coffee!!! What a delight. They are one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and we talked for several hours like long lost friends. Blogging makes the world a VERY small place.
- I’m not a puzzle person but for those who are, Andrea has lots of fun seasonal puzzle inspiration!
- Laura’s post about exercising later in the day seems prescient as many of us are aiming to walk daily this month.
- Did you know a group of giraffe’s is called a tower? How about the fact a group of zebra’s is a dazzle? Learn all this and more from Diane’s safari recap from her trip to South Africa.
- Again and again I am wowed by Susanne’s photos. This time, she has a post chock-full of stunning views from hikes in Italy.
- I always appreciate hearing about how others set and measure goal progress; check out Maria’s reflections on September and plans for October.
WALKS
Before the Cool Bloggers Walking Club launched on Wednesday…there was still walking.
Sunday some friends came over for lunch after church. While the girls baked cookies, the adults went for a walk. It was a gorgeous day in the woods.
The next day we walked the same route with Indy in tow. We haven’t been walking to school (*sob*) so I’m rarely in this stretch of woods anymore. It was beautiful.
The sunsets are happening earlier and earlier and they. are. gorgeous. I took these two pictures while out for a walk with John.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- After having a horrible night of disjointed sleep last Thursday (Indy had the dreadful combo of a cold + growing pains), what a relief to turn out my light at 9:12 pm on Friday evening. I woke up the next morning at 8:00 am. GLORIOUS.
- The Great British Baking Show. I know I list this frequently, but it really does bring me such joy!
- WhatsApp. Where would I be without this free way to connect with friends around the world? For one, my phone bill would be enormous.
- Memes. John and I spent several hours on Saturday looking at memes until our sides literally ached from laughing so much. I’m going to define it as time well spent…
- I had a gratitude prompt last week for taking a picture of something beautiful. I didn’t have to go far — this is the view into our back yard and what I see when I stand at the sink washing dishes. One day the maple was green…and the next it was red.
- I enjoyed my first cup of Earl Grey from the PEI tea Birchie gifted me. It’s aromatic and delicious and I am loving the ritual of using loose leaf again. I’ve been using bags the last few years, but there is a unique magic involved with steeping loose leaves.
- One night John took Indy and two friends to a local fishing spot. (I greyed out his friends’ faces, but left the hint of one facial expression because it’s priceless!). Belle and I stayed home and she finagled me into playing games. This is not my default idea of a good time, but she loves games and as games go, Codenames is pretty good! They boys came home freezing, but happy. Belle and I stayed WARM and happy. I chose well…
- Speaking of games, when we had company on Sunday, Belle once again convinced me to play a game. We settled on Scattergories. Now that is a game I can really enjoy and get into.
- In September I started hosting a daily gratitude practice over on Patreon. It was fun to finish off my first month! It only takes seconds a day to complete the prompts (and I fill out a second sheet without prompts) and I absolutely loved the ritual. It was equally exciting to start October. Just wait until December rolls around and all the sights, sounds and flavours of my favourite holiday…bring it on!
- A strong cross country race with another second-place finish! We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather.
- Hot buttered apples in the slow cooker. They make the house smell SO good and were delicious on top of Baked Oatmeal and some plain yogurt.
That’s a wrap.
Happy walking to all my CBWC pals. And happy weekending to everyone else.
Your turn.
- What was the lowlight of your week? The highlight?
- What’s your favourite board or card game?
- Preferred warm beverage: coffee, tea, hot chocolate…or do you avoid warm drinks at all costs?
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I like playing a matching game called Set- fast and fun. We don’t play many game because kids are more interested in computer games, and I get tired of dragging them off to have forced fun. Maybe this fall I can get us back to basics. They like Kill Doctor Lucky or Exploding Kittens; Poetry for Neandrathals was a surprise hit.
No highlights- just the grind. And it remains hot summer outside and I’m really tired of the dry, sunny days.
For a warm beverage, black tea with a lot of sweetener, and rarely hot cocoa.
You had so many happy thjngs- I’m so glad you can enjoy them, even with some bad nights.
My kids would play games ALL THE TIME; unfortunately, I’m the curmudgeon who isn’t a big fan. That said, once I start playing, I usually find I really get into it.
I’ve never heard of any of the games you mention except Exploding Kittens (which my kids talk about but I’ve never played and know nothing about).
It has been a looonng summer season. Our weather is quite cool in the mornings, but gloriously warm and sunny in the afternoons. Unfortunately, that has made a breeding ground for fires which are still impacting swaths of Nova Scotia 🙁
Bella’s hair is soooo beautiful! btw, Sofia has the wires and makes it difficult to clean. any tip from B?
that apple sounds delightful, I’ll check it out, it may be perfect for crepes filling.
I like all warm beverages, coffee, tea, soup, hot chocolate!
We swear by the Waterpik. She never uses any of the other wire brushes or flossing contraptions and she always gets top marks at the orthodontist. She uses the Waterpik morning and night (and an electric toothbrush).
The apples would be SO good in crepes.
What makes “heatless curls”? In the last handful of years, it seems that most glamorous girls and women choose long hair with a middle part and no bangs, either straight or with some gentle wavy curls.
In September, I too almost mortgaged the house to try a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Instead of the recipe’s 3 pumps of magic juice, I asked for just 2 pumps. Then I took it home and diluted it with black coffee, and the result was still awesome scary-sweet that almost made my teeth hum. Who can regularly drink this much sugar without having some sort of glucose incident?? (Wish I could!)
Games bore me and so do puzzles. The exception is hanging out with friends. It takes a bit of self-talk to stop trying to be productive in every moment, to realize that time spend with friends or family IS productive.
We do heatless sock curls (which feel like something that were big in the 50s?).
I didn’t find my PSL overly sweet and I don’t like adding sugar to my coffee. I wonder if they make it differently in Canada (i.e. less sugar?) Not sure, but it was delicious, albeit EXPENSIVE. Yikes.
Like you, I can struggle with feeling like time spent with people is productive. It’s a different form of productivity. Relationships are good for the soul, and fill a deep human relational need. It’s also mutually beneficial, as we grow and learn and share burdens. It’s how humans are designed to function best: doing life alongside others.
The first photo with the beautiful hair in your “Never Have I Ever” post this week – is that yours or Belle’s? Either way, you’ve clearly passed on some epic hair genes!
And well done Indy on his cross-country race! That photo is fantastic.
I had to laugh at your Starbucks PSL review. My former boss invited me to the local Starbucks this morning and she spent CAD 26 on just two drinks (a coffee and a chai latte, both medium) – it hurt my inner frugal self.
Question back at you: what’s one autumn thing everyone raves about that you secretly don’t care for?
It’s Belle’s again. Alas, I’ve lost most of my blonde highlights with time 🙁 I’m now starting to sprout a few grey hairs.
It is INCREDIBLE to me how much things cost at Starbucks. Yikes.
If I never carved another pumpkin in my life I’d be perfectly happy. And I have zero desire to decorate in a big way for the season or go to a corn maze. None of those things hold any interest for me, even though they’re beloved traditions for many other people.
What a happy post, Elisabeth! Your daughter is so beautiful, and she really does have magnificent hair. I love how you have made this online space so warm and welcoming that you are now drawing people to your corner of the world. What a gratifying way to experience the impact you are making on people! <3
Let's see. A highlight from this week was getting to spend quality time with my dad. A lowlight is continued terrible sleep. A counteractive highlight is that my kitten is sleeping on our bed, so at least every time I wake up I can pet his soft fur and listen to him purr!
I love hot tea during the cooler months and drink a big cup of Earl Grey nearly every morning!
Sleep! Why is is so hit and miss at this stage of life??? Argh. But Leo sounds like a very happy and pleasant companion 😉
I am drinking a cup of Earl Grey right now. It is a COLD morning where I live, so a warm drink is very much needed.
Belle finally got Starbucks!!! She was waging a very active campaign for a SB visit when I was there. It’s definitely called for after the orthodontist.
I’m so excited for Kae and SHU’s visit!!! They get to go, but I get to sit back and live vicariously through the recaps!!!
She does love Starbucks. What a life that kid leads. But I am ready to put a pin in it until Christmas when she has asked for SBX gift cards. The price tag is just…wowzers. It’s good, but not THAT good (at least to this frugal mama).
That said, it does feel like an “event” and it really is a special mother-daughter bonding time. So maybe that does justify the cost?
This time next week Kae and I will be prepping to leave for the airport. Can’t wait! Hoping their weather is as glorious as when you visited the Maritimes.
So many good things! (I feel like I always say this on these posts…. I need a new opening line. lol!) I still can’t believe at this time next week I’ll freaking BE THERE!! I have never tried a PSL but that makes sense as I don’t drink coffee. Ha. I very very rarely get Starbucks because I can’t really stomach paying their prices for an…. English breakfast tea bag. hehe. But I don’t mind paying coffee shop prices for the experience of being there when the time is right and I could linger, etc. I just don’t wouldn’t like, go through a drive thru just for one probably. I do sometimes love getting a Venti English breakfast tea at airports though!! It’s often chilly in the terminals and something about that always hits the spot to sip on while waiting for a flight. (The bad part, then right about takeoff that Venti tea runs through me and I have to go to the bathroom. 😅)
I can’t wait. Next week’s Happy Things Friday post is going to be epic because you’ll be in Nova Scotia.
The prices at SBX are insane…but I guess that does really make it an event. And I would only ever buy something I couldn’t make easily at home.
I have a favourite local coffee shop and my Earl Grey is $3.50. Steep for a tea, but I’m paying for the ambience 😉 I also always ask them to make it in an extra tall mug so it’s basically like 2 teas in one. And yes, I alway have to go to the bathroom like a dozen times after consuming that much tea.
I’ve been watching the Great Canadian Baking Show on the Roku channel and I’ll say I like it even better than the GBBS. Have you watched it ??
I have watched most of the seasons. It doesn’t have the same charm for me (I don’t really enjoy either of the judges OR the hosts). But I really should watch the latest season. It’s still very fun, just not quite as relaxing and feel-good for me.
Yay for October! It’s still hot here, but October is when we can start hoping for… maybe… a little bit of a cool down. And, all the holiday excitement is there, but everything is still ahead of us. I love it.
I’m excited that you got a PSL! And, Starbucks is the perfect treat after the orthodontist.
I’ll be scooting over to get my October Lightkeeper’s Log! September was an epic fail for me in that respect (a lot of things got away from me in September) but I’m determined to start over this month.
I’ve been walking! I’m finally a Cool Blogger!!!
Your weather starts to cool down as ours plummets.
I am so glad you’re a cool walker this month! You are always a cool blogger AND exerciser, and I love that you’ve made the challenge your own.
So much good fall stuff here! We went apple picking last Sunday, so I’ve been making all things apple . . . pumpkin apple bread, pork with apples, brussels sprouts salad with apples, sweet potatoes with apples, etc. It’s a very versatile fruit.
My favorite board games are either trivia ones or word ones, like Scattergories or the Dictionary Game. My fave hot drinks are a plain latte or a chai tea made with milk. I’m hoping my week highlight will be tonight. We are going out with our favorite friend couple to a speakeasy, then out for dinner, then an ice cream place. We are having beautiful weather and everything is within walking distance of each other.
Apple does go so well in both savoury and sweet preparations.
Scattergories is probably my favourite.
A good chai latte is very hard to beat.
Your evening plans sound absolutely fabulous. Enjoy! (Bonus points you’ll fit in more walking.)
Oh my, I have fond memories of my mom taking me for ice cream after I had my braces tightened. It was a spendy place with really good ice cream, and the cold did help, at least for a few minutes. In my mind it was often, but when I am honest, we probably did it 2 or 3 times over the 5 years I had my braces.
My daughter uses a soft cushiony thing to get those beautiful curls. I wish my hair would do that.
I tried a PSL once. It’s not for me, far too sweet. Like you said in an earlier comment, perhaps the Canadian version has less sugar?
Belle uses a robe tie! It’s so quick and the curls are pretty spectacular!
I do wonder about the sugar, because I do not add sugar to my coffee and it didn’t taste sickly sweet to me. Then again, maybe that’s part of the crazy magic? You’re ingesting tons of sugar but it doesn’t seem like it?
Too funny because my daughter and I also tried our first Pumpkin Spiced Lattes at Starbucks last weekend, one regular with whipped cream, one oat milk with no whipped cream. Our verdict: awful. To me it truly tasted like poison. Both cups went in the trash can after a few sips, which broke my frugal heart. We remain loyal to the delicious Chai Latte. 😃
Oh no! That would be so sad; those are not inexpensive drinks.
Belle got an iced chai latte and LOVED it! I found it too sweet. Blergh. But to each their own.
I did enjoy my PSL, but like I said would be okay to never have one again. They’re expensive and what I REALLY love is peppermint mocha season.
What great CBWC pictures! I have been getting my 10 minutes in and feel all the better for it!
My light of this week (because everything has been a wild mix of low- and highlights) is adjusting to a pup (and all the cuddles) while planting some routine seeds in an amongst the lack of sleep and navigating middle school mean girl drama.
I just talked my family into playing Yahtzee a couple of weeks ago, which I remember being a favorite from when I was younger but was NOT a hit with my much-more-competitive-than-me family, haha!
I am a warm drinks all year person! I love hot coffee in the morning and a warm chai latte on a cool day.
I’m so glad you’re feeling up to joining the CBWC. Hooray.
Having a new puppy must be overwhelming in so many ways, but those snuggles must just bring incredible joy.
Middle school is just about the worst thing to experience ever. Full stop. I am so, so glad we are through to the other side. And, not to jinx things, but so far high school has been SO. MUCH. BETTER.
We are definitely a competitive family 😉
SUCH a happy post– how was the pumpkin cold foam??
Belle got an iced chai cream latte in the end and LOVED it. So I still haven’t tried the pumpkin cold brew 🙁
Going to bed at 9:12 pm sound so indulgently luxurious! I stay up way to late most nights, but maybe if I reminded myself how good getting enough sleep feels I would be encouraged to go to bed before 1am…?
We’ve been leaning into games here in September. If your kids are into Codenames, they might like Dixit – it’s kind of like a mash up of Code Names and the Dictionary Game in reverse – the lead person describes a picture in his hand with a phrase and everyone puts in a picture from their hand that might match that phrase and you have to guess which picture was the lead person’s. We play a lot of games that don’t require reading since the 6 year old can’t really read yet, so Code Names; Dixit; Taco, Cat, Goat Cheese Pizza; Happy Salmon (this one is HILARIOUS, but SO LOUD); Uno; Kings of Tokyo; Skyjo. I like Skyjo because it involves numbers and a bit of strategy, but it’s still easy enough in concept for the 6 year old to play – you don’t really have to do math until the end; it’s mostly just figuring out which numbers are bigger and which are smaller.
This week felt very full – the kids were home one day and it’s my last week before diving back into work, so I was trying to knock a lot of things of my list. I think the weather has definitely been one of my highs. It’s started to cool off, but is still sunny.
I’m a tea person myself. I drink at least three cups a day. Irish breakfast in the morning and then Oolong after that.
Thanks for the games suggestions!!!
All the best with the transition back to work!
The view in your yard is gorgeous!!! The leaves have been early but lovely this year. I was worried the drought would wreck the colour (in addition to all the other awful effects!) but so far the colours have been fantastic here.
We had game night tonight with the two bigger kids. It’s something I want to try to do weekly in the longer dark evening months. Usually the toddler conks out early enough that the other two can stay up later and it’s not unreasonable. I saw mbmom mention Set – I LOVED that game! It’s probably a bit advanced yet for my family but I’m looking forward to playing it again some day. Current favs with the kids are Sequence Jr and Hoot Owl Hoot.
Thanks for the link, btw!!
The colours have been pretty good here but I am shocked with how dry the leaves are; the instant they hit the ground they seem to be shrivelling up. It has been SO dry. But it has made for excellent hiking. No mucky dirt.
I forgot to mention, I had a few crummy nights of sleep this week, one night where I maybe got 4 hours, one night that was almost 6. Last night I went to bed at a bit after 9, and woke up at 7:10, but lazed and dozed until 7:40. I feel like a new woman! Sleep is good.
Oof. I hope your sleep continues to improve. I just woke up from a Saturday nap. I wasn’t planning to take one, but then John asked if I was going to…and then I went and slept TWO HOURS.
So many good things, Elisabeth! I am smiling!
I had a nice, calm week, which was nice. The highlight was a 3 1/2 hour nap, which occurred today. It was cold, dark, and rainy outside, and I got cozy under a blanket and slept blissfully. I may regret it tonight, though!
I love all the hot beverages.
I took a 2 hour nap yesterday and it was LOVELY! I wasn’t planning to nap but then John suggested one and who was I to say no. I set a timer on my watch for 30 minutes. And then 10 more minutes, and then 10 more minutes. And then I turned off the timer and just kept on sleeping. Oops.
Love reading your happy things! My week was very happy because we were on holiday in a beautiful location. Lots of more relaxed family time, catching up with friends we hadn’t seen in person for about 3 years, a couple of long walks, sunshine, pool, naps.
My favourite hot drink is definitely coffee! Flat white. Interestingly we can’t get Starbucks in Australia, they dried to introduce the chain here but we have such a cafe culture we rejected them 😂 So I’ve never tried a pumpkin spiced latte and probably never will. But that’s ok 😉
My local cafe makes a PSL as well, but I’ve never tried it. One was good and that’s probably all I need. But I WILL try their peppermint mocha, I think, come winter. I LOVE that combo.
Hooray for holidays. I’m so glad it was a relaxing, refreshing time.
Your fall is going off with a (pumpkin-spiced) bang!
More guests — I love that you are seeing/hosting so many blog friends.
Belle’s hair is TO DIE FOR. People pay big money for her locks.
Elisabeth, I’m fifty-eight, and I still remember growing pains; I have much empathy for Indy!
My hi-light has been a successful travel trip with my husband and friends. Home now, doing loads of laundry, and catching up with my blog friends.
Magnesium seems to really help with growing pains, but sometimes I forget to give it to him. Oops. Poor boy. He is tall and lean and his poor knees get achey, especially at bedtime when he’s still.
She wishes she had thinner, stick-straight hair. Long, thick hair is a lot of work, but it’s GORGEOUS.