Hello friends! Oh my goodness has this been the most gorgeous month! Blue skies, sunshine, and comfortable temperatures every single day. October is usually our best weather month here in NC. After our hot and humid summer, it's a breath of fresh air literally. I'm spending as much time as possible outside, going on daily walks, and soaking it all up.
Recently, we spent the afternoon in Blowing Rock enjoying the gorgeous weather and going out for dinner. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of our meal, but it was wonderful. We also visited my favorite garden center The Mustard Seed for pansies, violas, and pumpkins. It was a really great way to spend the day.
I've been spending lots of time in the kitchen, too. I made a wonderful turkey chili amongst lots of other things. I bought a new non-toxic Caraway frying pan which I love and would recommend if you are in the market for a new one. If I'm buying healthy foods, why would I want to cook them in something that could potentially release toxic chemicals into my food? It's not something we often think about, but we must be aware of what we are cooking with. I mostly cook with Le Creuset cookware - I love their Dutch oven and brasier, but I wasn't a fan of their frying pan - everything seemed to stick. Le Creuset is an investment. It will last you for many years to come. I cannot say enough about the quality of Caraway though. I'll likely be buying more.
Oh, and if you have slipcovers is there anything better than a freshly washed slipcover? I recently washed my sofa cover and it feels so clean and fresh.
I've also been watching lots of cozy autumn Hallmark movies in the evenings. They are the best!
Charlotte and I had a fun girls day out and about last Friday and I didn't get any pictures. We went shopping at J Crew Outlet and she found several cute, new things for fall. I found the softest, coziest cardigan. Afterward, we went to lunch followed by Barnes & Noble - I could spend hours there, Williams Sonoma and Trader Joe's which is always fun. It was a much-needed, fun day. Charlotte has been working super hard this semester so she was ready for a nice break.
Have a wonderful day! Enjoy this beautiful time of year.🍂
... and your photographs are glorious too :)
ReplyDeleteLovely post, sending my good wishes.
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan!
DeleteHello, Julia! Several of the YouTubers that I follow have the Caraway line of cookware. I'm glad that you are happy with your purchase.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are so beautiful. I especially like the pansies! They pair nicely with the pumpkin. Your home looks so cozy and comfortable.
Glad you and Charlotte had a fun girl's day out. We all need that now and then.
Thank you for your kind comment, Dianna. I always love it when you visit here, dear friend.
DeleteThose are some of my favorite stores....I too could spend hours shopping in these particular places. Love seeing that big pile of orange pumpkins...you have some adorable comforting pictures here.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shug!
DeleteThis season is turning out to be quite beautiful, as your sunny autumn pictures clearly show. Like yourselves, Lily and I went shopping for some new clothes last weekend. She just keeps on growing! I'm glad that you and Charlotte enjoyed your day.
ReplyDeleteThis time of year lends itself to spending more time in the kitchen, and your turkey chilli sounds delicious. I was also thinking of making chilli this week.
Sending my best wishes to you, Julia. Enjoy this wonderful season. Xx
Thank you, Jules! I'm happy to hear you and Lily also had a fun day shopping for new clothes. Happy November!
DeleteIt's nice to see blue skies at this time of year, we've had a few here but plenty of grey, drizzly days too. I have some Le Creuset cookware but I've never heard of the Caraway range, I'll have to look into that. How lovely to have a girls day out with Charlotte. We don't have Barnes & Noble here but I do love a good bookshop, I could spend hours browsing the shelves.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo. I'm missing the sunshine and blue skies as it's been a very grey day today. Hope the weather has improved where you are. There's just something so cozy and comforting about spending time in a bookshop. The perfect way to spend an afternoon.
DeleteWe LOVE Caraway bakeware!! High quality. In fact I just took out Lemon Blueberry Muffins from mine.....:)
ReplyDeleteHow fun to have a girls day with your daughter. I love those days although I never pulled mine out of school to do that :) We have a set day in Autumn (saturdays) that we started when my oldest was in college and our youngest was missing her. Now we all go and it's great fun!
Hi Faith. My daughter is homeschooled. She attends an online school and they do not have classes on Fridays. It's really nice to have that day off from school. Often she'll use that day for homework if we don't have plans. It's nice to have that day as an option to get out and about if we choose to do so. One of the many perks of homeschooling!
DeleteI'm so happy to hear you are a fan of Caraway. So far, I only have the frying pan, but I plan to buy more pieces. It cleans so easily. I'm a big fan!
Sounds like these October days have been wonderful. What a fun time you had out with Charlotte. Barnes and Noble is a favorite of mine as well. And I just bought a soft cozy sweater. It's getting pretty cold here, and time for some new clothes. Your frying pan sounds sturdy and durable. Your white couch looks charming and cozy, and ready for you to watch those Hallmark movies. Have you ever seen A Very Vintage Christmas? It's a Lifetime movie, and a bit of a mystery, and a delightful show. I love your October calendar - looks like a Susan Branch? That's a perfect orange pumpkin on your porch. Enjoy the remainder of the October days, Julia.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Hi Sheri. I haven't seen the movie you mentioned, but I looked it up and it looks so cute! I love a good mystery as long as it's not scary. Yes, my calendar is a Susan Branch. I love her calendars! A friend gave me one for Christmas about five years ago and I've had one every year since then.
DeleteNo, it's not scary at all. The main character tries to rekindle a love that happened many years ago. It's a delightful feel good movie, and I've watched it several times. : )
DeleteYour photos have really captured the fall season. The tree is spectacular and I love all the pumpkins. Such a beautiful month.
ReplyDeleteOh it does sound like you are enjoying a wonderful October - and your photos do seem to back to you up! Quintessential fall. Here's to a lovely November as well. I'm off to check out those frying pans:) By the way, which Hallmark movie has been your favorite lately??
ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer. It's hard to choose just one favorite Hallmark movie as I love so many. I love Pumpkin Pie Wars, Falling for You, and Love Fall & Order are some of my favorite fall ones. I watched a new Christmas movie last week called Holiday Crashers and it was so cute! Hallmark is already showing Christmas movies around the clock although I'm still watching mostly fall ones. Do you have a favorite!
DeleteI agree October has been gorgeous...though I am praying for rain where I live because you can see the affects of the drought and we are watering our garden now. I enjoyed your October daily photos. I miss those days when my Charlotte and me would do similar things.Blessings! How do you get your husband to watch Hallmark movies I wonder😊.
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy. My husband is not a fan of Hallmark movies. I'll usually watch one (Charlotte likes to watch them, too) while he watches football or something else or listens to a podcast. Ironically, my brother loves to watch Hallmark movies, but his wife refuses to watch them. Funny how that is.😊 Have a wonderful weekend!
DeleteHi Julia! Your October photos are stunning! Fall is such a pretty season! I'm loving all the colors. I've seen Caraway cookware online and it looks so nice. I may have to treat myself. I need new frying pans so badly! Your shopping day with Charlotte sounded lovely! All my favorite stores. I could spend hours in Barnes and Noble too! And is there anything better than a new cardigan?! Nope : ) I've been watching so much Hallmark!! I'm glad I started the Fall movies early because they are already on to Christmas and I'm not mad at it. Just and FYI - Rob doesn't watch them either. I'm usually in the bedroom and he's in the living room watching football! LOL
ReplyDeleteI just watch A Very Merry Mix Up. One of my favorites. I cried...again! : )
Oh, A Very Merry Mix-Up is such a great Christmas movie! I really like a lot of the older movies over some of the new ones.
DeleteSpending time with Charlotte sounds lovely. I love doing stuff with my daughter, too. Although maybe not shopping because she always makes me feel very old…. I am also a Le Creuset user, we have two. We also use stainless steel pans we inherited from my father in law 25 years ago. Frying pan recommendations are great, I am never happy with ours. I‘ll check yours out and see if they are available in the UK. Your October weather sounds wonderful! Much better than the dreich dark days we are having here.
ReplyDeleteHello dear Julia!
ReplyDeletePlaying catch up since our big trip.
Love your pics so much!! You've captured the most perfect Fall days and moments. 🧡 I'm loving the Hallmark movies too and Christmas ones right around the corner. Yay!
Blessings on the rest of your week. Stay cozy! xoxo
Thank you, Carrie. Hallmark movies are the best!❤️
DeleteHi Julia! Beautiful blog. Your area does look great this fall. Your dog looks cute. I just used my le creuset dutch oven tonight. I use it alot. I have another covered pan too, maybe it's a braiser, not sure. I bought them when my husband was working and not retired! He had no idea how much they cost until I told him recently. Luckily they last forever because I wouldn't buy one now. Glad your brother's house wasn't damaged. Hope he has power. andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment, Andrea. Le Creuset is an investment, but definitely worth it in my opinion. And yes, my brother has power and they are back in their house now. All is well.
DeleteWhat a great name for a garden centre ' The Mustard Seed '.
ReplyDeleteHaving a fun girl's day out shopping is great and something that D and I are trying to do more often. Glad you and Charlotte both found some nice things.
Dog in a box - how cute is that :-)
Removeable covers on a sofa are great and they do smell wonderful and refreshed after washing and hanging outside to dry.
Enjoy the start of November.
For whatever reason Rosie insisted on sitting in a box! She's such a silly girl!
DeleteThis was such a fun update to read about, Julia. Thanks for sharing! Our big October happening was getting a dumpster rental to finally clean out all our mess before the winter hits. Needless to say things feel so much better around here now. On to November!
ReplyDeleteI get my Le C. at HomeGoods for excellent prices. I love that. I don't use their skillets. I believe the original owners of the company are no longer. I noticed on my discount piece the outsides damaging quicker than should be. That said, they bake like a dream. I started baking muffins in carbon steel. Heavy bakeware. Also bakes like a dream.
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