Weekend Coffee Share....Come Sit with Me

It's another week of Weekend Coffee Share. I always love everyone's posts. Are you like me and try to visit everyone? It doesn't always happen but I try. I have loved getting to know different bloggers and I figure if they take the time to write a post, I'll find the time to visit, even if it's a week later. I truly enjoy what you all share and I often learn so much. 

Check out all the other posts on Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I'm off to go visit some now. #weekendcoffeeshare.

Glad to be back. I thought about you often Natalie. Our host Natalies' father passed away and so she rightly took a break to be with family. I was already planning on taking at least one week off because I was going to be out of town. 

If we were having coffee, we'd probably talk about: 

The weather: The last few days have been cold and crisp. Wednesday was a bit of a psycho weather day. Fall in the PNW is a mixed bag of weather options. It can be cool and crisp, a bit warm, downright stormy. Some weeks you can have it all. On Wednesday it apparently dumped quite a bit of here, however, I was driving up north to bring the grandkids home and just experienced heavy rain. When I drove back home, it had looked like it snowed. 

What we're thinking about:  Well, nothing deep at the moment. I seem to be constantly thinking of the next thing that has to be done. Thinking what is next on the calendar, making sure I'm not forgetting things. The calendar seems to be filling up, all good things, but boy it's getting full. I certainly need times of "empty space" to recharge. 

My hubby had the intention of surprising me with a getaway in a few weeks, but he accidentally spilled the beans. I knew he had a surprise, and I asked about it when I got home. He said you'll have to wait..I said "does it have something to do with a credit card charge" (I had seen an airbnb charge and couldn't figure out why it was there). He said "I was afraid you'd see that". But I didn't know where. Then yesterday he was reading a text back from a friend who had asked him for a ride to the airport and he said he couldn't because we were going to be gone. The friend replied back and Kevin, without thinking, read it out loud "Leavenworth sounds fun". I said "what did you just say"? He was so irritated with himself, because he had it all planned and was even going to drop me hints. It's been quite a few years since we went there so I'm looking forward to it. I told him not to show me where we are staying. We'll see if he can do it. 

What we're thankful for: I'm thankful for extended family and I'm thankful for a hubby who thinks of things to surprise me with or do with me. 

Around the house: Our Murphy Bed is going to be installed on Tuesday of next week. Can't wait. We also bought a few canopies from Costco to put up to park cars under. We don't have a garage. They are nice, but not ideal as far as looking nice. I set up a bit of fall stuff, but not a whole lot. I just finished the outside, but need to add a few more things. 

What we're reading or wanting to read: I have gotten quite a bit of reading done. I finished my book club book The Maid. I really enjoyed it. I also somehow found a series and I'm on the third book of that..By the Book Mysteries by Tamera Bailey. They're a fun, easy read, and I've enjoyed them. They kind of remind me of a Jo Tracey book. I'm almost done with The Dictionary of Lost Words which is also a really good book. 

What we're watching or listening to: I finished the current season of When Calls the Heart and loved it. Though now, it has me wondering what next season will hold. I have my suspicions. I've listened to some podcasts, but haven't watched much as far as TV or movies goes. I don't currently have an audio book going. I'm waiting for one that I have on hold at the library. I did recheck out Laughing through the Ugly Cry so I could type out some of the bookmarks I made. I was listening to the book Project Hail Mary, but just couldn't get into to it. It was one of my 12 books by 12 friends. I wanted to push through, but I just couldn't. I have the physical book and maybe I'll try reading it, but that may be the one book I don't get done.  

For the love of food: I have felt a bit in a funk as far as cooking goes, though my aunt inspired me to make a few things I hadn't made in awhile. Last week I made a white chili and sloppy joes. I also made a chicken stew. Homemade hummus has been my go to lately. It's pretty easy to make and I love that it has very few ingredients. Right now as I type I have pumpkin seeds in the oven. The patch I help at sells Kakai pumpkins which are specifically grown for their seeds that are already hulled. I mix them with melted butter, Worcestershire sauce and salt before roasting them low and slow. So good. Oh, I did make some sourdough biscuits that were really good. 

Favorite photo(s):  Sometimes it's hard to choose favorites, and since a few weeks have gone by and so much took place, I'll try to spread it out over the next few weeks. We did have the kids with us for three nights right after I got back, which is always fun! 

Miss Pepper and I have been having a local coffee shop date after we drop brother off at school and she always wants an energy bar. 

I grabbed this photo as I left the pumpkin patch the other night. 

Random or not so random things: I spent a week in Ohio helping harvest grapes at my aunt and uncles vineyard. I arrived on Tuesday the 10th (my anniversary) and came home the 17th. I've mentioned that my aunt and her husband live on Kelley's Island on Lake Erie. My two other aunts and an uncle live just across on the mainland in Marblehead, about 5 minutes from the ferry. I had such a wonderful time. I learned so much about the wine making process, that I have a new appreciation for the cost of a bottle of wine, especially if it is made on site. My aunt and uncle do everything themselves from start to finish. From picking the grapes to weighing, crushing, checking PH, how many bricks of sugar the grapes had and if more sugar needs to be added, and so much more. Enjoy a few photos. I'll try and share a video below, it wouldn't download with the audio, so just imagine some Italian music playing in the background. It is just a short IG reel, so not very long. I'm hoping to upload videos and create a longer one. I'll share some photos below as well. We spent about 3 full days picking grapes when the weather was good. It rained one of the days and so we didn't pick. It's advised not to crush grapes when wet because it dilutes the juice because of the water. 

The first night I was there, I stayed with my aunt Lynne on the mainland because it was later, and the ferry had already stopped running. The following morning, my aunts Lynne, and Patti, and my uncle Donnie and I went to breakfast and then headed to the island for a day of picking. I stayed on the island from Wednesday through Sunday. We picked grapes, read, played cards, shopped in a few of the shops and went out to eat a few times. Oh, and chased a bird that one of the cats had brought inside. That was funny. I was sitting at the counter in the kitchen and it flew over my head into the bathroom. I yelled that a bird was in the house. My aunt thought she had it but it slipped under the opening in the door, and just disappeared. After awhile, I was in their enclosed porch and she yells "bird", and points towards me. Something hit the back of my neck, which caused me to scream and jump. The cat saw it and started chasing it, my aunt chased the cat. Finally the cat was caught by my uncle, and my aunt and I found the bird and released it outside. I actually don't know if it survived. That was quite the adventure. 

Well, I tried to share a video but it was too long. I was going to upload it to Youtube but then decided I didn't want to do that without audio. If you'd like to see the reel, go to my IG page and find the reel. I'll work on a longer video soon. 

I took more video than pics, but did grab a few pics from the videos. Above these grapes had already been crushed and had sat for a bit, now they were ready for pressing (which will get rid of the skins. Such an interesting process. 

Me picking grapes. It was such a relaxing process. One that I really enjoyed. 

My aunt and uncle picking up the crates of grapes after we've picked them. 

When we were back on the mainland, we visited the Marblehead lighthouse, and the cute town of Lakeside (which I didn't get photos off because it was raining). Many of these lakeside towns and even places on the island shut down in the Fall/Winter because there aren't as many tourists. The lake freezes, the ferry shuts down and everyone takes a break. We did visit a few neat shops and I said next time I'm checking a back for the sake of bringing things home with me. 

We used to visit this island when I was little and it's been fun over the last few years reacquainting myself with it. It's always wonderful to spend time with my family. I will treasure these times. My hope is to go back and visit at least once a year. 

Oh goodness....I also did complete my 10k which was great. Maybe I'll share more about that next week. A two week break leaves lots that gets left out. I think I will also do a separate post on my trip to Ohio in order to share more photos, etc. 

I did complete two more blog posts about our NE State trip last year...I know, a year late. You can read those, here and here. I have 3 more days to post about so hopefully I can get to those soon. 

I have some neat photos I took from the airports I was in but I'll share those next week. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin