Pittsburgh

Friday Thoughts

1. Baking. Yesterday I made oatmeal cookies from one of my favorite cookbooks and whipped up a batch of challot (challah knots) earlier this week. I’ve been having the hardest time finding yeast in stores. Has anyone else had that problem lately? I used up the last of my yeast supply on the challot but they were so worth it!

Challot Challah knots

2. Fall Decorating. We’ve been having some rainy weather here in Pittsburgh the past couple of days and it’s making me feel like fall is slowly ushering its way in. Do you decorate for fall? I have in the past, but I don’t know if I will this year.

In a spurt of minimalism, I got rid of a lot of outdated fall decorations in 2018 and now I have just a wreath and one wall hanging. I enjoy decorating, but I don’t know if it’s worth the money end effort for fall. I like the idea of Sadie having warm memories of the house decorated for different seasons, though. Hmmm. What’s your opinion?!

3. Vlogging. I’ve been having so much fun vlogging lately. There’s just something about looking back on what our days looked like a week, month, or year ago that is so special. Our latest vlog is here and includes gardening, cooking, baking, cleaning, and a trip to Sam’s Club!

Mom and toddler daughter smiling

4. Reading. I think I’ll always want to talk about reading. I just finished up this book by Beverly Lewis and added it to my growing list of Amish-based books I’ve read and enjoyed. 

5. Niva. Niva has been doing so well since being spayed! She somehow got her cone off all by herself so we decided to give her some freedom and see if she would bite at her stitches and she hasn’t so far. She goes for her followup appointment on Monday and I’m so thankful this has been a good experience and that her days of going into heat are behind us 🙂

Fall decorating: yay or nay?

What’s the last thing you baked?

Four Monday Thoughts: Goats, Gardening, Reading, and Matching

It’s the first Monday in August. It feels like a fresh slate for the last full month of summer! Some goals I have for this month:

-Choose a book, topic, or person for my personal Bible study time
-Go on a picnic as a family or go to the Pittsburgh Zoo
-Go through Sadie’s homeschool items + plan when we will start
-Organize our linen closet and bathroom vanity
-Use the sewing machine Jimmy’s aunt gave me

Okay, onto four things I’m thinking about today.

1. Gardening. I’ve been loving not having to buy much produce at the store lately. Our garden is a squash growing machine at the moment, so I roasted a big batch of zucchini and tomatoes yesterday.

Zucchini and tomatoes to bake in oven from vegetable garden

I just slice everything up, coat it in olive oil and spices, and roast at 400 degrees until it’s browned and cooked through.

2. Fun for Sadie. While I was cooking yesterday afternoon, Sadie spent time at my aunt and uncle’s house! They have goats, cows, pigs, chickens, and all sorts of animals, plus lots of land to run around on. I’d love to have a few farm animals and land one day, too.

Kids petting goats

I’m hoping all that excitement and fun she had yesterday leads to her sleeping in this morning 😉

3. Matching. I tried to match with Sadie on Sunday morning for church. We went with the yellow dress theme, lol. Yellow is my absolute favorite color. It’s just so happy and bright 🙂

Mom and toddler wearing yellow dresses

4. Reading. I just finished up The Story of My Life by Helen Keller and was so impressed. I was always awed by how she overcame incredible limitations as she grew up, but was even more wowed that she wrote that book in her 20s, was so tenacious, curious, hard working, and had zero self-pity. Up next, I’m going to be reading this memoir.

What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

Would you rather live in a rural area or city?

What’s your favorite color?