The Common Thread No. 5

October?! Where have you gone? I cannot believe we are one week out from Halloween, and then it is November which basically means it’s Christmas already!? Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and time feels different, or maybe it’s just having small children. But whatever it is that makes time slip away is a wild part of life. Nora wasn’t feeling well for a couple of days this week, so I snuggled and held her and breathed her in. I don’t do this often enough with my children. I rush to the next thing or have a schedule in my head demanding I speed things up. So, I hope you find a way to smell your children’s heads this week because you’re cuddling their warm, soft bodies in your laps, or you’re cuddling a small animal or reading a good book. Find some way to slow the pace and enjoy the moment you’re living in instead of rushing to the next thing.

We have had a slower couple of weeks the past 2 weeks, and it’s been so lovely instead of the rush and crazy that September was in our family. Of course, we’ve had things going on, but we haven’t been running around as much and it’s been a delight to my homebody soul. We only have 1 more week of baseball, and as much as I have enjoyed watching Owen grow and learn this season, I’m ready for slower evenings and a little less running around.

We are working on something really cool for the shop, and I’m really excited to share it with you guys soon. It’s going to be something that you can hold and read and put on your coffee table. It’s made for slower mornings and evenings and a great cup of coffee or tea to go along with it. There’s an episode of Andy Griffith where a newcomer to Mayberry shows up, and he knows everything there is to know about Mayberry and the people who live there. It’s totally unnerving to the locals, but it turns out he has been reading the local newspaper to have a sense of belonging and a hometown of his own. We hope this thing that we are creating feels like that to you and your friends when it comes to Columbia. We have called Columbia our home for 33 years (only moved away for 4 years), and we think it’s a pretty special place.

I am currently reading this book, and I am really loving it. For someone who moved back home to her hometown and has stayed put for almost a decade since, it’s really resonating with me. Annie shares her stories about her faith (which is oddly similar to mine), owning a small business in a small town, and her friendships as an adult. I have especially loved the chapters about her book club, owning a small business, and leaving her childhood church.

I know I’ve talked about this before, but dry skin and cold weather will be here before we know it. This stuff saved my skin last year, and I’ve already started using it every day. My legs used to be so miserable all winter long until I started using this cleansing oil regularly. I cannot recommend enough.

I know I had an apple crisp recipe last week, but when you go apple picking and have an abundance of apples, you must bake apple things. So, I tried this recipe last week, and it was even better than the one I talked about last week! I have compared the spices and the level of spice to a McDonald’s apple pie which really doesn’t do it any justice, but it’s delicious especially with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It’s officially “see how long we can leave the heat off in the house” season, so these slippers are a MUST. I have had 3 pairs now, and I love them so much. They are comfy, not too clunky, and hold up well (I only had to get one new pair because of something being wrong - one time I just wanted a new color). We love this company’s mission, too!

If you are sleeping on these frozen pizzas, why?! Friday is pizza night in our house, and we have definitely taken the cheap route but they are also just so delicious. All of our kids love them, and Bryson says they are superior to any other frozen pizza (I only don’t know because of being GF now). You can usually find them for $2.99 or $3.99 on sale!