Five on Friday

It's the second to last day of October - talk about time flying! Tomorrow is Halloween - for whatever that may mean in this crazy socially distanced world that we live in right now! I can't believe November begins this weekend!

One. Halloween 2020 - Tis the Season for dressing in outfits and pretending to be someone else, ha-ha! My co-workers and I decided that this year we'd dress as the Founding Fathers: I chose Alexander Hamilton and my friends chose Benjamin Franklin and George Washington!

I must admit that I ended up sort of throwing together the final points of my costume on Thursday night but I do feel like it came together just fine! As delightful as it is to dress up - I do think that I'll enjoy slipping into jeans and a sweater later this evening for dinner and some shopping! Maybe I'll wear my tricorn hat though? 

Two. Spooky Faces - I only ever use Snap Chat to talk back and forth with my little sister and one or two friends - but I do get a kick out of the filters! I especially have enjoyed some of the spookier options that have been popping up over the last week!

I didn't include all the filters I've tried this week - that would have been a lot, ha-ha! But they made me smile, so I thought I'd share.

Three. Mood - It has been a LONG week for me. I don't know about you but I know some of my friends have felt the same way and I couldn't resist sharing this snap of my Memoji that I took (accidentally) earlier in the week. It was a whole mood and was 100% my mood for this week!

I was attempting to record myself telling my little sister something but couldn't quite get the face to operate the way I wanted... and somehow ended up screen-capping this glorious emotion. I couldn't resist saving it to memorialize this nuts week in all it's moody glory!

Four. Weekend Plans - It's Halloween weekend! And time change weekend! And we are passing from October into November... all the things happening over one weekend! I've got to grab some storage containers this evening so that as I put up my Halloween and Autumn decorations, I can get a wee bit more organized - and yes - that means I'll also be getting out Christmas decorations this weekend too!

The plan is to get final items for my upcoming trip on Friday night and Saturday morning and on Saturday night, I'll be chilling (literally - the temperature is supposed to be in the 30's) in the driveway presiding over socially distanced trick or treating! Sunday will be all about getting Autumn decorations down and Christmas decorations up so that when I return from the UK on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, all I need to do is fall into bed, ha-ha!

The countdown to the UK is at 5 days - so getting ready for that is high on the list! I can't believe it!

Five. All the Shows - Two of my most favorite shows return today and I can't wait to watch them both! The fourth season of Somebody Feed Phil is out on Netflix today and there will be five delightful episodes of Phil traveling and tasting all kinds of wonderful food! If you've never watched Phil - I cannot recommend it enough - Phil's joyous and kind personality just make for the best television and he's inspired many an addition to my travel list! 

And... Baby Yoda is back! Okay, so actually The Mandalorian is back on Disney+ and alongside him is the funny little green guy called The Child... but everyone just calls him Baby Yoda! I'm guessing this second season will have eight episodes, just like the first and they'll be released each Friday - so only one episode today, but I can't wait to see Mando and Baby Yoda back in action!

Do you watch either of these awesome shows?

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That's all I've got this weekend folks! I can't believe this time next week I'll be sitting in the UK! It's crazy to even think about, but it will be here before I know it! Until then, I'll be enjoying Halloween, preparing for Christmas and getting ready to hop across the pond! 

October Things

 

The end of October draws ever closer - I know it's not quite the last day of the month, but tomorrow will be Five on Friday and I'd like to share some Halloween snapshots on Halloween, so here we are with all the delightful things that helped make October so delightful! 

My birthday took place during the first full week of October and we celebrated by going to some of my favorite spots around the area: Culpeper to shop, DC to hit some of my favorite spots, a little shopping closer to home and a visit to a spa in West Virginia! I had the most wonderful ice cream cake, wonderful gifts from my friends and family and a delicious dinner at a nearby favorite: Hunter's Head Tavern! It was a wonderful way to spend a few days celebrating turning 36!

Life this last month seemed a little bit closer to normal - certainly face masks are a constant when in public places where there is no opportunity to social distance - but for the most part, the perfect Autumn weather almost all month has meant there were plenty of opportunities to do outside activities that allowed for fun, far from other people. Watson and I went to the Arboretum more than once, finally catching the perfectly golden leaves near the end of the month and we added in some apple picking too!

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I haven't read quite as much this month - but I absolutely loved both books I read this month, so that is what counts, right? I started the month with a fluffy, fun and at times a bit racy rom-com style book called Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. This book poked fun at a well known television mega-series that was coming to a rather poorly written end so one of the stars of the show turns to writing fan fiction to give the character he plays a more well-deserved ending, falls in love with a fellow writer and they attempt to make their love work in the real world. I wont tell you if they get their happy ending - but I loved this book... and I especially loved the way they poked fun at Game of Thrones.

The other book is actually 100% related to Game of Thrones because it's Fire Cannot Kill A Dragon by James Hibbard, who had the luck of being the Entertainment Weekly correspondent for Game of Thrones for all eight of it's seasons. The book details the show from inception to ending with Hibbard's interviews with cast and crew throughout the eight seasons linking together for a fascinating, insightful and sometimes frustrating read!

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I have little and less to report on the movie front - it seems like with each passing day there are more and more movies that are being pushed back and so going to the theater certainly isn't happening too often right now. I did watch Enola Holmes on Netflix and it was a perfectly delightful and entertaining movie cast with a slew of well known and well cast actors who told the tale of Sherlock Holmes equally cunning and curious younger sister, Enola. 

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Television was something I consumed a lot more of this last month - I had plenty of time on my hands alone at home, so I finished up His Dark Materials on HBO, just in time to see that the second season comes out on November 16th! I also binge-watched Emily in Paris on Netflix over the course of a Saturday (no judgement please - each episode was all of 26 minutes long) and while it wasn't a brilliant or thought-provoking show, it was filled with fashion, fun and a gorgeous setting - hello Paris!

I ended up getting back into The Great British Baking Show on Netflix as well and I've been making my way through some of the more recent seasons. I certainly miss Sue & Mel, along with Mary Berry but I find that Prue, Noel and Sandi have grown on me... Paul Hollywood is ever the same, ha-ha!

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I think if there is one thing I always have to talk about each month - it's the good food I get to eat, ha-ha! I suppose it really is all about moderation because I have managed to still eat yummy treats and lose just over 50 pounds... wonders never cease. I started the month with so many delicious things: chocolates from The Frenchman's Corner in Culpeper, a lovely cocktail from Copper Fox Distillery and delicious pumpkin French toast, a mimosa and Peanut Butter Pie from Old Ebbitt Grill 

On my birthday I had a divine ice cream cake followed by dinner at Hunter's Head Tavern: a cocktail and Shepherd's Pie! The rest of the month was equally tasty! I had some macarons from Ma-Ka-Rohn and decided to be bold and had Crab and Corn Chowder at a new restaurant in Leesburg. The end of the month was all things Apple with small pies and a Pinterest win recipe: Apple Fritter Bread!

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The things I've been listening to this month haven't changed too much - most of the same podcasts are playing on rotation: the Popcast with Knox & Jamie, Very Presidential and Lore. I've also been listening to a lot of Ambient Worlds on YouTube - the user combines nature sounds with soundtracks from television and TV and they are excellent for listening to at work! I particularly enjoy the ones that feature music from Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

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The final thing to share are the things I'm looking forward to as November arrives and the big one is definitely that on November 4th I am bound for the UK for 18 days! I'll be traveling with my Mom and my Aunt and staying with my younger sister for the visit! It will be the first time I've seen my sister since last December and while we will have to quarantine for the first 14 of those days - I'm sure it will still be a blast! 

Once I return from the UK, I get to share Thanksgiving with some dear friends and of course, I'm looking forward to the Christmas season getting into swing! I love the "ber" months - and from Halloween on, I just enjoy all the celebrations, light, experiences and life that there is to be lived! I can't wait! 

Watson Wednesday

 

I held back some of the additional golden Gingko pictures from the weekend just for today. Especially the one where Watson's cheek is stained a pale pink courtesy of me kissing him over and over!

I Voted - Early

Oh man - seriously, how is it already Monday again? I feel like I blinked and the weekend was over! That has been a theme these last few weekends and this one was no exception. I actually got off work early on Friday and ended up on the walking mall in downtown exploring some stores and having dinner at the English pub called Union Jack's... I even had a Pimm's Cup to celebrate being UK-bound in less than nine days (that's the countdown as of today). 

After dinner I popped into a store I'd wanted to go into for a while: Runner's Retreat! This store caters to runners (obviously) and they'll watch the way you walk/jog and then advise you on the best shoes to wear while you exercise. Since I'm down just over 50 pounds now, I wanted to see about getting the right shoes to potentially start jogging as part of my work out(s). I did just that and I now have a shiny new pair of Brooks that are waiting to be broken in! 

Saturday started a little bit dreary with some light rain but happily the rain passed shortly after breakfast and so we set out to run some errands - starting with a stop to vote in person early! I also popped into the Hallmark with my Mom for a quick look and ended up leaving with a "Baby Yoda" ornament to add to my collection - I just couldn't resist that little Yoda face, ha-ha!

 

After lunch and a stop at home to change clothes, it was off to the Virginia State Arboretum because the leaves in the Gingko Grove finally turned their wonderful golden yellow and it's a sight not to be missed. I swear; to me at least, it's almost like some kind of wonderland of gold and I love taking it in every year. Watson could really care less about the leaves but he does love hopping around in nature... and always gets a wee bit annoyed when I pull him aside for a picture.

The weather started to cool off pretty considerably as the evening arrived - I ended up sitting on the back deck reading for awhile all bundled up before heating up some White Chicken Chili for dinner. We also did a little bake off with some of the apples we'd picked last weekend: one pie was made from dough with a latticed top while the other was made with crescent rolls and a closed top; I ended up eating a small slice of both while watching Crimson Peak - tis the season for all things creepy and it is one of my favorite creepy movies!

Sunday morning was dreary and sad - rain and much cooler temperatures! After church, lunch at Glory Days and a pop into Martin's to get a few items for the week, it was home to pass the afternoon! We ended up (finally) watching the Nationals World Series documentary called Improbable and then I actually dug out my two Christmas trees, checked the lights on them and ended up rearranging the living room so that my tree would have the perfect spot. 

Since I'll be in the UK for most of early to mid November, I plan to fully decorate for Christmas before I come back. I'll return the Sunday before Thanksgiving and with readjusting to the time zone, work and Thanksgiving all in one week - I want to have everything decorated so I can just enjoy! I rounded out the week with dinner, a nice bubble bath and watching an episode of The Great British Baking Show with Watson before calling the weekend done!

Five on Friday

Oh Friday - you arrived much quicker than last week, thank goodness! Last week seemed long and this week has seemed to sort of blaze by, ha-ha! There are ten more weeks in this crazy year...just TEN. So here's to making the best of those last ten weeks!

One. Epic Artwork - I stumbled on this glorious piece of art earlier this week and I am in love! It's from Etsy and the artist behind it is TheBattersBoxDesigns and since this picture is a wee bit small, I'll just let you know that the World Series trophy is made up of Charlie Slowes (the Nationals radio announcer) last out call of the World Series.

I think I'll hear this call in my head forever - it's such a moment in time that all Nationals fan will always hold close. I've already shared this delightful print with my family with a wink and a nudge that it would make a great Christmas gift! Ha-ha! :)

Two. The Countdown is On - I know I've already made note of this, but I'm going to the UK in November and I'm all about counting down to exciting things... and this is definitely an exciting thing! I'm UK bound in just twelve days and I cannot wait.

To further stoke my excitement, I discovered a mug at Home Goods on Wednesday that had all the great spots of London on it... and it was a whopping $2.99, so I couldn't refuse it. So I'll be here, sipping my coffee (not tea - sorry guys) and counting down the days!

Three. Some Beach - I discovered a slice of the beach in the middle of Northern Virginia and what a delight that is! MacDowell's Brew Kitchen is in Leesburg and the entire restaurant is outdoors, with a sand floor that makes it feel like you've been deposited seaside somewhere...

The weather this week in Northern Virginia has been unseasonably warm - the Indian Summer is definitely at play this week - so sitting at a wooden bar top, running my toes through the sand and eating Crab & Corn chowder was weirdly perfect for late October!

Four. Autumn Views - The drive to Leesburg on Thursday evening was absolutely stunning and I managed to snap one picture as I cruised along. Honestly, I don't think the picture does it justice - but then again, it was taken from the front seat of a moving car - how could it?

The color is really starting to explode all over the place here and while I initially thought the colors wouldn't be too bright, there are spots where the color is absolutely vibrant and I'm going to need to go in search of more of it!

Five. Weekend Things - I'm not 100% sure what I'll get up to this weekend but since I referenced the Fall colors that are suddenly bursting onto the scene above, I'll probably try to make sure I spend time outside this weekend taking it all in! Here's hoping that I'll have some lovely pictures to share on Monday! 

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Y'all have a wonderful weekend and make the best of it - only ten more weekends left in this year to enjoy and make memories!

Watson Wednesday

 

It's a picture filled edition of Watson Wednesday because I took so many picture of him over the last weekend that I just couldn't resist sharing more than one! He wore his "new" bomber jacket to the VA State Arboretum on Saturday and the number of compliments he got was astounding - it's a miracle he got back into the car with such an ego, ha-ha! I must admit he looked pretty handsome! 

He went along on some time-tested Autumn activities last weekend - he went leaf peeping and "helped" pick apples. I even tried to get him interested in some gorgeous yellow and red leaves that I found in the backyard... and he actually bit the end off the yellow leaf. He's weird, what can I say?

Much like me, he was sad to see the weekend come to a close but he knows there is another weekend on the horizon and he's sure there will be more exciting things to do when it arrives. Until then, he'll be napping on the couch!

Apple Fritter Bread

Apple Fritter Bread - 100% a Pinterest win! My Mom posted snapshots of this on Facebook on Sunday afternoon and the clamor for the recipe was pretty crazy! I must confess that this bread turned out light and full of flavor - it is definitely delicious and perfect for Fall!

What You Need

- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Mixture

•  1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- Bread Loaf

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs @ room temp
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk or almond milk @ room temp

- Chopped Apple Mixture

• 2 large apples of any kind; peeled & chopped small but not fine. Toss the applies with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

- Old Fashioned Cream Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 - 3 tablespoons of milk or cream, depending on the thickness of glaze wanted.

What You Do

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x5 inch loaf pan and spray with non-stick spray or line with foil & spray with non-stick spray to get bread out of pan easily.
• Mix 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Combine & whisk 1 and 1/2 cups flour and 1 and 3/4 teaspoons baking powder together in another bowl & set aside.
• In another medium-sized bowl, beat 2/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup softened butter together using an electric mixer until smooth & creamy.
• Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time until blended in; add in 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract & mix in.
• Add the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture and mix until blended.
• Mix 1/2 cup milk into batter & keep mixing until smooth.
• Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the chopped apple mixture with sugar & cinnamon added in. 
• Sprinkle 1/2 of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture you set aside earlier on top of apple layer.
• Pour the remaining batter over the apple layer and top with remaining chopped apples, then the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
• Lightly pat the apples into the batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean; about 60 minutes.
• To make the glad, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar & 1 to 3 tablespoons milk or cream together until well mixed.
• Let the loaf rest until cooled before removing from pan. Drizzle with glaze. 

This recipe makes just one loaf but it's quite a substantial loaf and because of that, I'd note that we actually cooked our loaf about 70 minutes. When I checked it after 60 minutes it wasn't quite done in the center, so it went for an additional 10 minutes. You could also add in nuts if that's something you enjoy... another comment on the recipe suggested chocolate chips but I can't say I see cinnamon apple and chocolate chips as two things I'd combine.

While there are a few steps, all in all this recipe is quite easy and the result is well worth the time spent whipping it up! Enjoy!

Monday Mentions

 

Well. I 100% started this post on Friday but when I tell you that work was absolutely hectic, please believe me. I stayed after 5:00 for the first time in 5+ years (on a Friday that is). Since I never got to Five on Friday, I decided to share not just my weekend snaps but some other things I think deserve a mention!

I'm playing catch up over here - but I've definitely got tons of pictures to share, ha-ha!

One. Autumnal Pursuits - The weather on Saturday was; in my humble opinion, the most perfect Autumn weather and I had to take advantage of it. The Gingko Grove at the VA State Arboretum will be turning golden any time now and so I loaded up my pup and drove over to check it out on Saturday morning. 

 

The trees weren't quite there yet but I'm betting by next weekend, that entire grove will be a golden yellow vision. So, I'll be returning next weekend at some point (the weather this upcoming weekend is also forecast to be excellent) to peep the leaves again!

Watson wore a little bomber jacket that a friend passed on to us recently and the amount of compliments he received was incredible! Every person we passed had something to say about how handsome he was/how stylish he was/how amazing he looked... ha-ha! I don't know how I fit him back into the car when we were done with such an inflated ego! 

Two. Apple Picking with the Pup - Sunday was another perfect day and so I decided it was a great idea to get outside and take advantage again! My parents, my pup and I went to Marker Miller Farm Orchard to pick apples and of course - so many pictures were taken!

There were people everywhere but because Marker Miller is so large, there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out, explore and pick apples. There were three varieties currently ready for picking: Rome, York and Fuji and we selected about 6-8 of each type, until our bag was filled to the brim!

Watson loved sniffing every branch, bramble and apple that had already fallen off the tree and as soon as we were back in the car, he was falling fast asleep! Once we got home I discovered another way he's quite like me: he likes apples cooked in things, not just plain apples... he had 0 interest in tasting an apple but he would have liked a whole slice of Apple Fritter Bread!

Three. The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time - So, I stumbled on this late last week and was absolutely fascinated with scouring the list to see what books were chosen! The link for the story is included in this post and the panel of writers that chose the books included two of my favorite authors: George R.R. Martin and Diana Gabaldon! 

A few of the books on the list that I've read: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis... just to name a few. The list spans hundreds of years and oodles of authors; there are also books from the Harry Potter series, the Golden Compass series and more. The list itself is incredibly interesting to peruse and might offer reading suggestions! Check it out!

Four. October Splurge - I haven't posted about my side hustle in ages but I am once again because just a few days ago the October Splurge dropped and I love it because it's all things lips! There are three new lip balms in awesome Autumn scents and a lip scrub to go along with the balms - perfect for cooler weather that normally wrecks havoc on lips!

The lip scrub is a yummy Pomegranate & Blueberry scent called Pom & Get It and the three lip balms come in the flavors of Pom & Get It, You're So Sappy (Vanilla & Maple) and On the Bright Cider (Apple Cider). You can peruse these awesome items and more at http://NatalieSummerlin.po.sh

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That's all I've got this Monday morning - catch up complete! I'll pop back on tomorrow and share the recipe for Apple Fritter Bread and then; of course, I'll be back with some snaps of Watson for Watson Wednesday! I hope everyone has a great week!