Happy Sunday!

I've been traveling for work and although this year is different, it's still busy and exhausting. This morning, I woke up and heard the rain and literally thought, oh thank God, it's a perfect day to clean.

I need a perfect day to clean. I love a good cathartic scrub.
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What I'm reading: Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith. I've read this book too many times to count. The pages are dog earred and page 74 keeps falling out. My favorite sentences are highlighted and every time I reread it, I highlight a couple more. But, it's a book about young, real love and struggling and marriage. It's about fall in Michigan. It's about love. It's one of my favorites, and like I said, I've read it a bazillion times, but I've never read it with the eyes of a married woman. I've never read it with the ability to identify with the lead character. When I got married, I knew I had to read this book again, and I'm glad I decided to, because it's a whole new book.

"Carl, when I get old, you won't have another woman, will you? And run me down to her?" 
"Another woman?" he asked incredulously. "God forbid! I have all I can do to handle the one I already have."  - Page 115


What I'm listening to: Lana Del Rey -- Born to Die and Paradise. Last year, quite by accident, I bought a new CD right before travel season began. It became the soundtrack to the season and now, every time I put it in the player, I am reminded of fall 2012. This year, I planned it. It was a good experience and one I thought worth repeated. A week before I hit the road, I bought Lana Del Rey's CDs and I've been singing along ever since. Cheers to fall 2013.

If you're interested, last year was No Doubt, Push and Shove.


What I'm loving: This weather. This fabulous, warm, slightly muggy October. The evenings are just cool enough to pull on a long sleeved t-shirt, but the days are still firmly rooted in flip-flop season. Summer started late, but it's sticking around a little longer. God Bless You, 80-degree days.


What's in my cup: All things fall.  Hot Witches Brew. Hot chocolate. Cider. Mulled wine. And coffee. I am always always dedicated to coffee.
When I was a little girl, my mom always made a huge batch of instant hot chocolate mix. She'd fold in a big bag of those miniature marshmallows and after several weeks, they'd start to get a little stale and hard and chewy -- my favorite-- and I'd dig through the tupperware container to find them. Last weekend, I found a similar recipe and made a large batch of my own. It's in a giant pickle container on my counter and it tastes exactly the same. It's like 1993 over and over.

My plans for the week: I'll be continuing travel of course, which will consume much of my week. But I'd like to salvage some time to add caramel apples to the agenda. Carefully choosing the perfect apple from the grocery store. Melting the caramel. Plunking the hot sticky mess in a pile of chocolate sprinkles and crushed walnuts. I should also plan a strategically placed fall walk with my pups. We like to crunch the leaves and burn caramel apple calories. And gossip with our best friends  (Kelsey, Chloe and Logan -- this is your formal invitation. Let's go for a walk this week.)

What I'm enjoying: