It's Monday, my Brain Feels Tired Already and I Love Mugs

Ha! Those are all true things. It is only noon(ish) on Monday and I am off work today and somehow my brain already feels a bit tired. Isn't that sad? I think Mondays have some kind of pull on a person - even when you aren't at work, Mondays just seem to be slightly less than appealing in some way. I have the notion that Mondays are that way because you look at all the things you need to accomplish before the weekend starts and at times it can be a bit daunting...

Although some weeks that also invigorates me, so perhaps I'm a wee bit schizophrenic where Mondays are concerned. Suffice it to say, I feel like Mondays will always be the least liked day of the week. Stinks for you Monday.

One of the aforementioned mugs - a souvenir from my parent's 32nd anniversary trip. 

Something I never intended to collect but I've apparently done without thinking on it? Mugs. I never realized until it came time for me to pack up my life and move just how many mugs I actually owned. The answer is that I own so many! I don't say too many because I love mugs, I really do. I also love drinking coffee (oooh, I love it so much) and hot chocolate and I am a new fan of hot tea, so I guess when you are a drinker of all things warm and toasty, you can never have too many mugs. I have added three to my collection since I moved to Virginia...two of those in this past week. Wow.

A Panera Pumpkin cookie for an after dinner treat on Monday night!

I love Winchester & apparently Southern Living does too! I've only lived here about 5 months but I can actually claim I've been to the places in the first three paragraphs! 

Desperate for a bite of something sweet on Tuesday night - bless him!

A sweet little Pumpkin ready to face the chilly October breezes after Wednesday night Bible study!

Gorgeous blue skies on Thursday - this may be my favorite color of blue!

Up before sunrise on Friday morning - which isn't hard since sunrise isn't until 7:30!

I guess the week passed in a rush of work and home, work and home...I told a friend earlier today that I felt like this past week had just flown by and I realized as I typed it that I meant that; I wasn't just saying it in the way people offhandedly make that comment. I have so few pictures from the past week because I feel like I was hopping to and fro, always doing something. I'm fairly certain that isn't really the case but that is how it feels. The truth is more than likely that I fell into a deep book reading hole and that consumed hours of my time. It happens!

Sweet Wild Orange Tea to drink while watching The Best of Me on Friday night.

I spent Friday and Saturday morning working - Friday night my Mom and I rediscovered Pier One - If I'm being honest, I somehow got the notion in my head that Pier One had gone out of business several years ago. I don't know why I thought this because I see the commercials all the time. I'm nuts I guess. It wouldn't be the first time I've thought that...or been told it. Ha-ha! I probably didn't need to know Pier One was still a thing, they have way too many things that I could buy...if I had A) money and B) a house to put them in. All in good time, I suppose. My Mom and I also went to see The Best of Me; I had read the book it was based on, she had not. Let's just say she wasn't thrilled with how some aspects of the movie turned out. 

My parents picked apples on Saturday morning and I arrived home just in time to see my Mom shoving handfuls of apples into a homemade pie crust. She assured us that even though it was piled high, it would cook down and be just fine. I don't know how she wrangled the top onto it, but I do know that the finished product was delicious and was the perfect celebratory snack after watching State beat Kentucky. I tell you though, being a State fan is always a white knuckle ride - my blood pressure is up from the time they take the field until the clock finally stops. That being said, they're still holding strong at #1 and I'm glad to be a bulldog!

Oh my - look at that pie!

Watson says "help someone...this woman in here keeps ringing this strange bell & I do not like it!"

Sunday morning baby snuggles - thank goodness for this little peach, she kept me warm in church, ha-ha!

I took my sweet parents out for a belated anniversary lunch - aren't they precious?

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Arboretum - if I keep going at the rate I have been, people are going to start to recognize me! My Dad wanted some really nice Autumn color pictures and I knew the Ginkgo grove at the Arboretum was absolutely beautiful...so with just a wee bit of convincing, we climbed into the car and headed up the road! We were not disappointed (at least I certainly wasn't) as the trees had all turned a glorious shade of yellow - but we also discovered that while Ginkgo trees are absolutely beautiful, they smell like poop! So, maybe plant those not as close to your house...

Possible Christmas card photo? I don't know....we'll see.

Watson says "will you please stop making me pose for pictures...there are things I need to sniff..."

Color everywhere - even my shoes were feeling very Autumnal!

Quite possibly the best mug ever!

Our last stop on the Sunday afternoon outing was an old school house that has been turned into an antiques store. Inside this lovely little school house, my Dad hit the mug jackpot - he found a mug that had my dog's mug on it. I mean, how perfect is that? It was only $2 and so of course, I had to have it. I'm fairly certain I own about 35 mugs at this point, but when you've got that many...what is one more, right? Watson wasn't nearly as impressed as we were but that's fine, hes goofy like that.

So - another week come and gone. October has only one week left; really just five day, how in the world did this month pass so quickly? Oh well, however that happened I plan to enjoy the last five days of October and that means I'd better get off the computer and get busy doing other things. Till next time, have a happy week!