~ September 2025 ~
It's finally Fall! One of my favorite seasons! Here in the South we're in the "second summer" season, after we had a bit of cooler weather at the beginning of the month. It kind of stinks but at least it means that once it gets cool again, it should be here to stay!
I guess I owe you a little apology, leaving you in August without any notice, only to return in September like nothing happened. I'll just say August (and part of September) was a super busy season, complete with a family vacation, two weddings, a big first birthday party, and a funeral. I didn't mean to take a blogging hiatus, but honestly, it was a good thing that I did. And now I'm back, rested and refreshed and hopefully quickly inspired for some Autumn blogging. Now, here is what we've been up to this month:
~ Out And About ~
A couple weekends ago, we traveled to Santa Rosa beach for a wedding, in which Jonathan was a groomsman. Since my sister and brother in-law were invited too, we decided to make a beach vacation out of it! We got a little condo in a very underrated location, and were able to have a couple beach days before the wedding. We got to see our little goddaughter experience the beach for the first time. It was so special.
The wedding was in a Catholic Church and the reception was at a venue right off the beach. It was fancy, the food was excellent, and we had lots of fun! It was also the first time Jonathan and I had been to the beach together. Each year of marriage is better than the last💖
~ In The Home ~
I've been working on my guest bedroom and I'm pleased to announce that I've also done my first home sewing project in the process! My plan for the room is vintage decor with a pink and green color scheme (since the walls are already light pink and we aren't planning to paint for a while) I want it to feel like you're at grandma's house-- it's cute, old fashioned, and welcoming. I have a long way to go, since I want to collect some real antiques for the room. But so far it's going in the direction I want it.
Anyways, I needed curtains. I went to Walmart and found the perfect shade of green, only the set came with a valance and those half size curtains below (see photo below)
At $17.95 each, I bought two packs. We have two windows in the guest room. I thought about just using one pack and making a valance with the longer curtains to match. But after my husband put one up, we decided it would make more sense to just use the already made valance from the other pack. So what would I do with the four leftover curtain panels? Well, I decided to try making pillows. How hard can it be, right?
I decided to use the fluff from old pillows I had from my teenage bedroom. I think if I was to do it over, I'd just make a pillow cover, as the finished product turned out a bit lumpy. But I measured, pinned, and sewed up three sides. Then I stuffed the pillows. Pretty lumpy right?
I beat those pillows until they looked smooth enough, then hand sewed the last side. While they aren't perfect, far from Pottery Barn quality, I'm happy with the way they turned out! Here is the finished product on the bed:
Next, we're going thrifting for the room! I might buy another couple pillows with patterns or embellishments that break up the solid colors. Overall, this was a good month for the home section of the journal.😌
~ Kitchen Happenings ~
Let's talk about sourdough! My newest endeavor has been sourdough discard crackers! Literally all it requires is butter, salt, and discard. I think they taste the best with Everything Bagel Seasoning on top.
I had a lot of discard last month as I was trying to revive my starter. It didn't die or get moldy or anything, it just gets a little weird and rises very slow after being in the fridge for a long time. So I feed it consistently, discarding every time and after a few days it comes back to life!
We also have an excellent baby meal train organizer at our parish. I try to sign up as much as I'm able and I've been thinking the past month: why don't I make sourdough bread for them while I'm at it? I mean, even if it's not the best ever sourdough bread, I know I'd always welcome a warm loaf of homemade bread any day. Then I also know if the meal isn't the best, at least they can have some tasty fresh bread and butter!
~ Things I'm Grateful For ~
The changing seasons! It always seems that just when I'm getting tired of the summer heat or the freezing cold, the next season rolls around and brings change! It may not be immediate, but it's enough to make me excited for what's to come! Right now we have some fallen leaves and a few trees with rich reds and oranges. I look out my window and thank God for the beautiful new season He is bringing to us, even if the weather isn't as cool as I'd like it!
~ On The Bookshelf ~
This has been one of those months where I haven't read much. I finished Humility of Heart again, and already I feel like I could start over and get something new out of it! In place of that, for my spiritual reading, I started Transformation In Christ by Dietrich von Hildebrand. Ugh. It's way to intellectual for me. Amazing so far, but way above my level. I think I may need to put it down and find something more contemplative for my morning prayer, which is when I read my spiritual book.
I've also read chapters here and there of The Empowered Wife by Laura Doyle. That's another one I keep going back to.
I'm hoping October will be more productive in the area of reading.😊
~ Other Random Things Worth Mentioning ~
Outside, things are starting to slow down. I'm sad that soon I won't have any flowers! I'm trying to keep them around as long as possible for the last pollinators. As the blooms start to die off, I've been pulling them up and giving them to the chickens. It's interesting that they won't eat the flowers but really like the leaves... But I've saved a ton of marigold and cosmos seeds for next year-- something I thought would be difficult to do, which is actually very straightforward and easy to do.
I've written down a few things I'd like to do next Spring. I've learned so much about gardening in the past year and I'm so excited to learn more next year!
That's all for now! The goal is to come up with some fun Autumn blog ideas as we wait for the cooler weather! Enjoy the last September day of 2025!
Gina💕
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