As summer transitions to autumn…the morning & evening skies have been brilliant with the hues to match the leaves that are starting to turn…days are definitely shortening…long sleeves and hand knits are being readied for the new season…iced begins to give way to steaming in some beverages…in the midst of it all, these are some of the things that filled my September days…

The view one morning that had me heading to NJ

Reading…not a whole lot of progress since I shared books earlier in the month – time to dive into “my” stack of books & get them read…before you know it, Christmas will be here & that normally means a new stack of books in our family…at lunchtime today I heard a fascinating hour with the author of a new book – it has now been ordered & I may drop all other books to read it – indeed, I am very curious about the new book Curious…

Listening…no new discoveries/acquisitions this month…just enjoying assorted faves from my collection…on a particularly frustrating day at work, a silly playlist from another project provided the absurdity to power me through the rest of the day and the tasks at hand…

Watching…finished out the Honorable Woman series…wrapped up the Under the Dome season…enjoying the first episodes of a couple of new shows: Madam Secretary, Scorpions…glad for the return of favorites including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The return of a Sunday afternoon routine…knitting & football!

Crafting…I restarted my Brewers Crackerjack scarf during the Packers home opener – I was overthinking the pattern before…now a simple 2 knit rows for each game – this makes for easy knitting while watching football…

Browsing…Pride & Prejudice tweeted by an author in advance of his new book release…another great installment of “It’s Aaron” where Aaron Rodgers spotlights charities that make an impact – this one will get you…

App-ing…I finally installed Timehop & have enjoyed chuckles as moments from years past have come back…using the Shutterfly Photo Story app on my iPad to build some memory books of recent adventures…

Cheering on Mercer @ VMI

Cheering…This past Saturday was a gorgeous day for a road trip to VMI to cheer on Mercer Football! (Since they moved to the Southern Conference this year, this was the closest they were to PA) Nonstop full & intense sun beating down for the entire game means I’m dealing with quite a bit of sunburn. But it was very fun to be there to cheer on “the team” as they achieved their first SoCon win (& on the road, no less).

A favorite simple supper

Cooking…my Mushroom Caviar was requested as the “what can I bring?” for a friend’s Labor Day cookout…My Brussels Sprouts hash is back in my rotation of quick meals…time to bring out the crockpot & get back into the routine of some of my fall favorites (chocolate chili, pulled pork, and more)…

Sipping…pumpkin & cinnamon are flavoring my coffee…iced peppermint green tea has been a thirst quencher

Signs of the seasons changing at the farm stand

Noshing…great seafood while in FL…introducing a work colleague to Philly cheesesteak while he was in the office for a week…local apples make a great afternoon snack…

Treating…myself to a hot stone massage after a crazy couple of weeks!

Liberty + Vans = Awesome!

Wearing…fun new kicks: classic Vans in a classic Liberty of London print – a perfect combination of California roots and a favorite stop in my London travels! They make jeans & a sports team polo on Fridays even more fun.

Seeing…a bit more clearly now with new specs. It had been way too long since I got new glasses – I’m please with the new “bolder” frames. (I’m sure they’ll be popping up in posts soon)

On the roads in September

Traveling…a quick surprise trip to celebrate with WI family…a couple of days in Florida for a business meeting…700+ miles round trip in 1 day for the Mercer football game – so glad that I have a comfortable & efficient ride for trips like this!

Looking Ahead…October means time to see my girlies down in TX…November includes birthday celebrations & the family celebrating Thanksgiving here…

Morning sun on the changing leaves

Linking up with Leigh Kramer for the monthly “What I’m Into” round-up. What are you into these days?

As the seasons change, are you embracing the return of pumpkin in food & drink? Do you cheer for any football teams? What TV shows (new or returning) are you enjoying?

As this month draws to an end, the days have been a bit cooler – I even heard the local meteorologists say it was more like mid-September. The month seems to have run the full gamut of weather & temps – but I’m liking the hint of fall that has appeared (& am well aware it is fleeting). As the calendar marches on towards August, here are a few of the things that filled my July days…

Sunflowers just cut from a local farm field…happy Kansas gal!

Reading…making good progress on the stack of books from the library and continuing on in the summer reading challenge…although I think it’s safe to say that I won’t have 25 read by August 6th…

Watching…way more World Cup than I’ve ever watched before…enjoying the return of Under the Dome…other summer escape TV shows – The Last Ship – Covert Affairs – Royal Pains – Manh(a)ttan…when Mom & Dad were here, we watched Joss Whedon’s recent film adaption of one of my all time favorite Shakespeare plays – Much Ado About Nothing…

Crafting...utilizing my big tin of Crayola crayons & markers (thanks Mom!) to decorate some birthday gift bags…not much progress on my Brewers crackerjack cowl – I need to “power through” some of their losing streaks & come current again…

First peaches of the season at the farmers’ market…

Cooking…Saturday morning produce runs to the the farmers’ market & local farms make cooking a lot of fun. Among the go-to dishes in rotation: Fruit Custard for breakfast (the recipe I found online left a bit to be desired, so Mom & I have tweaked it…that deserves it’s own post); a pot of green beans & new potatoes seasoned with some bacon or ham; roasting corn on the cob in the oven; stewed tomatoes and okra; keeping the mason jar of Danish Cucumber pickles replenished in the fridge…

Earthbound stars…prepping okra for a simple supper

Traveling…no big trips this month, but enjoyed being a local tourist while Mom & Dad were here to start the month…

Looking Ahead…August starts with the kids birthday bash weekend back in Marinette…also, planning another WI trip later in the month for a bit of delayed vacation fun…it’s about time to do some canning to be ready for holiday gifts and more…it won’t be long until football season…planning holiday gift knitting…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer for the monthly “What I’m Into” round-up.

What are you into these days?

No doubt about it…summertime is here! As the calendar switches to July, the forecast ’round here is “full on heat wave” – ugh. As I look at ways to “beat the heat” in the coming days, here are a few of the things that filled my June days…

• Reading…a varied selection of books is on my Kindle & nightstand…a long overdue Twitterature round-up is planned for July to briefly discuss the last couple of months of reading…these days, most of my active reads are in the paper version vs e-reads…
• Watching…another UK business trip provided an opportunity to catch up on several recent movies: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Labor Day, The Muppets Most Wanted, 20 Feet from Stardom, Lone Survivor…being in the UK as the World Cup started meant that I’ve watched more futbol this month than ever before – including the England – Uruguay match in the hotel bar
• Listening…no new tunes this month…but the Need to Breathe album is definitely in frequent rotation…
• Crafting…I got behind on the Brewers Crackerjack with vacation & travel but am still knitting my way through – World Cup watching has been a good opportunity to catch up.
• Cooking…Sunday Supper with my WI family was the cooking highlight of the month – to slip back into our routine was so comforting & relaxing for all of us. We went the easy route with the menu – boboli crusts that we topped: pizza margehrita style & bbq pork style; my “famous” spinach salad; strawberry pie. It was great fun to have C & B help me prep in the kitchen while the boys played quietly in other rooms & V took a nap on my sofa, under my Wisconsin Wanderings afghan.
• Sipping…again, some proper pints in the UK – and I love that cider is normally on tap there!…the hot weather around here means my Tervis tumblers are in heavy use with iced tea, iced coffee & infused ice waters…
• Noshing…family style Pennsylvania Dutch cooking & delicious Philly cheese steaks whilst hosting family vacation…lots of tasty morsels whilst in the UK – more delicious fish & chips, a tasty Indian spread, delightful mandarin sorbet, banoffee pie…loving the return of good, local, fresh produce
• Walking…continuing to get my steps in for the Global Corporate Challenge…my Saturday in London was my high day, so far…
• Traveling…my new suitcase stood up to the travel rigors of my most recent UK trip
• Voting…in the ESPY awards – Mercer over Duke as the best upset of the year
• Looking Ahead…Mom & Dad will celebrate the 4th & Dad’s birthday with me here in PA – adventures are being planned…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer for the monthly “What I’m Into” round-up. What are you into these days?