Autumn is in full swing here in Maryland, and we are in the thick of our yearly battle with the leaves falling from our six 50-year-old maple trees. Jeff takes the lead on the leaves, and I’m working on garden chores to give ourselves the gift of a tidy yard over the winter, and garden beds ready for spring mulching and planting. I plan to work more on that now that the pool is closed and I don’t have to spend time fishing leaves and twigs out of the water.
It’s been a week of reintroduction to my work routines with varying degrees of success! Why does it take so long to get back into a rhythm? I’m slowly getting there…
My four things for this week: more about the Cotswolds, asking for suggestions, gingham & linen, and back at the easel.
what I’m reading
I am definitely in the mood to read some books about the places I’ve been. I have a small stack of books I am working my way through. (Always with the book stacks!) At the top of the stack was At Home in the Cotswolds: Secrets of English Country House Style, and I’m already enjoying reading through it. As you would expect, it’s a gorgeous book. Just a few pages in, and I’m learning new things about this “area of outstanding natural beauty” I experienced earlier this month. I’m seeing places I just walked and ones I would love to visit in the future.
what I’m watching
I haven’t watched very much this past week. I’m definitely over jetlag, but I still find myself ready to go to bed early and barely able to keep my eyes open if I try to watch something.
So, I will pose the question to you. What are you watching that’s worth sharing? When the credits rolled, you were sad it was over and wished you could watch it again for the first time?
what I’m loving
Even though I’ve been home for a couple of weeks, I still smile when I get into my own bed. There are so many things I miss when I travel, but sleeping in my own bed makes the top ten without fail. And to change it up a bit for fall, I added gingham sheets from Quince that I’ve had on my wishlist since the summer. To me, olive and cream gingham can feel like every season, depending on what it’s paired with. When paired with a white linen quilt, green velvet bolsters, and dried limelight hydrangeas, it’s a nice transition into fall.
Use code INFG-25MISSMUSTARDSEED10 for 10% off your first Quince order HERE.
European linen sheet set in Olive Gingham | European Linen Box Quilt in White | European Cotton Linen Stitched Quilt in Willowleaf
what I’m working on
Now that I’m passed the jetlag and have reacclimated myself to my daily routines, I’ve revisited a few things on my book – finalizing the cover, selecting some of my favorite images for the interior pages, and putting together some ideas for marketing.
I’m also back at the easel working on commissioned paintings as well as those for an upcoming original sale. Here is a recent favorite that will be for sale…
Of course, I’m still editing photos from my trip, which will take a while! I haven’t even gotten out of England yet.
What are you reading, watching, loving, and working on?
12 Responses
My “what are you watching” isn’t normally something I’d think to share here, partly because it’s almost impossible to find, but I did just binge-watch a show that I loved so much that I literally did start a re-watch the day after I finished my first watch. (And I *never* re-watch shows!) It’s called We Are Lady Parts, a British show about a very amateur punk band whose members are Muslim women in London. The description does very little to convey its weird charm. My favorite aspect was that the main character seems to secretly believe she’s a Jane Austen character and performs her narration accordingly.
It’s free on Peacock in the US, or can be purchased on a few other apps like Amazon. I paid for my 80-year-old mother to watch it because she was also desperate for a show, and her texts over the next few hours were:
“Made me laugh right away!”
“Laughing so hard!!!”
“Now I’m depressed. It’s over.”
Side note: I met your mom today (preschool grandparents day), what a lovely lady she is. You are blessed!
watched 3rd season of the Diplomat!!!!! GREAT! Reading Virginia Guiffre’s memoir….so disturbing…that poor girl.
Last weekend, I just watched The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52. It came out in 2021 but I had never heard of it until now. It was so interesting to learn about a whale they discovered was a hybrid that made a 52 hertz cry that seemed no other whales could hear. Most whales have a frequency of 10-100 Hz. This made the whale live a solitary life. I did read on Reddit that he has found friends since the documentary came out.
We just finished The Residence on Netflix, and Death Valley and Ludwig both on BritBox. Enjoyed them all. We’re watching the newest season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix currently.
My husband and I, at lunchtime, are watching a show called Restored on HBO. You would love it because he takes an old home that has been remodeled and takes it back to its original character. He adds some modern conveniences such as a separate laundry room or bigger shower. He is a genius at rearranging floor plans. The people usually sink in at least $100,000 and he will redo the exterior as well. The owners are always amazed at the extra space that came out of nowhere. The exterior becomes the best house on the street.
LOVED Ludwig! Can’t wait for season 2!
What I’m watching: Elsbeth which is about a lawyer from Chicago hired to investigate a NYC police captain. It’s amusing more than crime so much.
What I’m reading: I just finished Capital Kill: A Jeff Trask Crime Drama
What I’m reading: Second House on the Corner by Sadeqa Johnson
What I’m working on: fussing with home decor and cleaning out the basement
I just finished watching the series on Magnolia Network called “The Last Wright”. It’s about a mother and daughter who recently built a Frank Lloyd Wright home from the last plans he designed in 1959 before he passed away and could build it. They came in possession of the plans when they bought an older FLW home on the same property. The home is called River Rock and is located in Ohio. They hired architects and contractors and had to go through rigorous vetting from the town council to get it approved. They overcame lots of obstacles and setbacks along the way, but the finished home is a true testament to Wright himself. If you are a FLW fan, its a must see!
Just finished The Diplomat. Can’t wait for 4th series. Great show. Warning: there is swearing.
I am embarrassed to say that we have just now started watching “Poldark,” and we are hooked! (Yes, I know it’s years old, but I can’t keep up with everything! Between the Cornwall countryside in “Poldark” and Marian’s beauiful photos from the Cotswolds, I can’t decide where to head next!
We recently finished watching “The Durrells in Corfu”. We watch a lot of PBS Masterpiece shows and this is one of our favorite every.