October Faves

So here we are into October!

And what a busy week.....but it's full of blessings if we just look.....so I'm sharing FIVE of my FAVES and linking up with others who do the same over at Susanne's site, our gracious hostess.

Autumnal Decor 

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• ANNUAL AUTUMN DAY AWAY:  My sister Joy, my oldest daughter Courtney and I, went to this place this year for our annual Autumn Day away.  We spent most of the morning there and then went down to Bennington, then back over towards Arlington to stop and get pumpkins and maple syrup at a local farm we discovered.  What a fun day!  Courtney and I then had a late day coffee in Saratoga and ordered our dinner to go, making our way home for a late dinner and movie night.  I'm thankful we had this time together.  It's a tradition I first started with my sister back in 2011 when Courtney first went to college and Claire (the youngest, who is currently in college) was in junior high school.  I'm really liking this tradition. What made it easy this year was that Dave was away so we didn't have to rush home to cook dinner.

Bash Bish Falls

• AFTERNOON HIKE:  Sunday after the 9 a.m. service, my friend Cindy and I drove out to the eastern edge of NY, about 40 minutes from my home, and had brunch at this little place.  What a great cafe! After we ate delicious Challah french toast, we headed over to Taconic State Park to walk the very easy and short trail (less than 1 mile!!) to this famous waterfalls.  I'd never been there before.  It begins in NYS and by the time you get to the falls 10 minutes later, you are in MA.  Some hikers do the longer trail from Bash Bish Falls in MA.  It was really fun.  It's considered to be the most picturesque waterfalls (and highest) in the state of MA.  I'm thankful Cindy and I had this time together as she attends a different church now and we have to be intentional about getting together.

Cindy and I and our attempt at a selfie to include the falls

where NY and MA meet on the trail to the falls

• GREAT GRADES:  our youngest, Claire, texted that she received a nearly perfect score (98%)on her first Nutrition exam (required for her Sociology major and for a core science class), and a 96% on the first exam in her advanced Sociology course this semester.  I'm thankful she's doing so well.  She also is loving her job in the Language Center where she works 2 hours a day every day, except weekends.

Front of house

• DONE!  I finally finished decorating for Autumn this past week.  The pumpkins are from the farm we went to in Vermont and the sunflowers and leaves are artificial from a local crafts store.  The mums (i have another purple one on the deck) are from a local boy scout troop who were selling them for much less than the stores around here. The mat is very old...I bought it many years ago from good ole Targ*t.  I love decorating for the season and I'm thankful it is finally done! I've received a couple compliments from neighbors on it, too.

Cinnamon-Hazelnut Coffee

 

• AFTERNOON COFFEE:  a couple of days this past week were downright damp, chilly and grey.  I know we could use the rain, but the dreariness was just getting to me as it was 3 days in a row.  One afternoon, I made my self a steaming mug of cinnamon-hazelnut coffee and put it in the mug from Montreal that Claire bought me this summer.  It gave me a little bit of her and gave me the energy to get up and get some stuff  done after a long day at work. I'm thankful for good flavored coffee for the after work pick-me-up.

That wraps up my week.  Nothing super exciting but just little things that made me smile and make me say "Thank You, God" for these blessings.

How about you? what made you smile this week??