October 2019 Favorites

by | Nov 22, 2019 | a slice of life, Favorite Things | 17 comments

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I have been out of my sling for a week and it’s been going pretty well!  The first couple of nights were tough, so I have been wearing the sling to sleep.  Otherwise, I’m gaining a teeny bit of mobility each day, but those gains are adding up.  I can drive, type, write, get dressed by myself, and more.  I have a whole new appreciation for these everyday things, I can tell you that!  I’ve also been able to get off of all medication, so I am feeling more like myself and it gets better each day.  I will have to be faithful with my PT and pace myself, but I feel like I’ve turned a corner.

Since I spent the majority of the month of October in a recliner, my favorites are mostly about little things…

Chicken Pot Pie

One of my sweet friends, Cheri, brought us a chicken pot pie for dinner and it was so good!  My oldest son wanted pot pie for an after school snack, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I wasn’t too far behind!  It was just the right comfort food at just the right time.

Cheri shared the recipe on her blog and you can find it HERE.

We raved about it so much that she brought it to us a second time!

Jello

This is an odd favorite, I know!  Jello was one of my favorite things to snack on while my throat was raw from intubation, my stomach was sensitive from all of the medication, and my jaw hurt from an unrelated infection that happened because of a small abrasion in my mouth.  Just looking at something crunchy made me wince, so Jello was a winner.

Judy

To get me out of the house, my mom took me to see Judy.  Our local theater has recliner seating, so I could sit back, ice my shoulder, and watch the movie.  First of all, Renée Zellweger was fantastic.  She looked and acted so much like Judy that it was spooky.  Beyond that, I had a deeper connection with this movie.  I loved singing and performing from a young age, so I was in love with Judy Garland…the young Judy Garland as I knew her.  I had a Judy Garland songbook that I would look through at night in my room.  I learned all of the songs and would look through the pictures again and again.

I also loved the movie Rainbow starring Andrea McArdle.  That movie tells some of the tragedy of Judy’s childhood and it left me feeling a mix of sadness and admiration for her from my childhood lens.  Her talent really eclipsed her as a person and this theme is continued in the movie Judy.

November Issue of Country Living

I always find something I like in each Country Living issue, but I especially loved this issue.  It had so many beautiful features and ideas.  I went back to it again and again while I was hanging out in my chair.  The issue was sitting on the kitchen table at one point and my mom asked if I shot the cover!  “Well, it looks like all of your stuff!”  (For the record, I didn’t shoot the cover, but it was a good indication that I would like the contents.)

Moon Drop Grapes

Have you ever tried these?  I wouldn’t have bought them on my own, because they look so strange, but my mom encouraged me to taste one in the grocery store and they went right in the cart.  They are sweet and delicious and about double the size of a regular grape.  Grapes were also perfect for me, since I couldn’t cut or peel anything on my own.  I could grab a bunch and snack away.

They are in season around Halloween, so look for them next year!

I’m glad to be past the sitting-in-a-chair-most-of-the-day phase and I’m getting closer to my old routine each and every day.

I know it ended three weeks ago, but what were some of your favorites in October?

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    17 Comments

    1. Linda

      Glad to hear that you’re started to turn the corner and feel like your old self once again! One of my favorites for the October was the pumpkin donuts that were sold this time of year at a local market! I know I’ll be putting on the pounds eating them but since I only buy them October/November, I’m going to savor each and every one that I bite into. 🙂

    2. Monica

      I’m glad you’re feeling better and getting back to your routines so you can enjoy the holidays. Moon drop grapes were also a new discovery for me this year and I look forward to buying them again next year. Cotton candy grapes were a delightful discovery a couple years ago – did you ever try them? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas!

    3. Kate

      Hmmm. #3 on the cover of CL is “Embrace that old brown furniture (it’s baaack).” Does this mean no more painted furniture for MMS? I have to admit that after moving into a 100 year old house with beautiful wood casing and molding and stained glass, I really appreciate old brown furniture more. It just feels so mellow and suitable to an old house.

      • Marian Parsons

        Ha…you know, as much as I love painted furniture, I have always loved wood furniture, too. It really depends on the piece for me.

    4. Irene Kelly

      Yes we love the Moon Drops also and have for many years now. And I have subscribed to Country Living mag. since the beginning and it is so difficult for me to part with my issues even after many years. I really think that CL has been better in the past year or two, And I really want to thank you for introducing me to Liz Marie love all her deco ideas and thanks for telling us about James Farmer I bought both their books and especially love James book since it features so many beautiful rooms with brown furniture. You are young so your recoup will be short especially if you do the PT as instructed. Take Good Care !

    5. Amy

      So glad you’re on the mend and out of your sling Marian. I always enjoy your favorites lists. In the month of October I love the smell of autumn leaves and wood-burning fireplaces or fire pits. Cider from my favorite farm/orchard that my family has visited for four generations now. Halos and Cuties. Pumpkin anything. Classic horror movies and half-price candy the day after Halloween! LOL Apparently I’m hungry AND cheap!

    6. Sharon

      I would like another month of October please! I love the cool mornings, the leaves turning, seeing the smoke coming from the chimneys of nearby homes. My favorite discovery was a recipe for warm apple cider blended with brewed ginger lemon tea and a stick of cinnamon! It’s like Fall in a cup….second only to warm gluhwein – Christmas in a cup – that I discovered several years ago at Schmankerl Stube, a delightful Bavarian restaurant in Hagerstown, Md.
      Ahhhhh, I digress, but most of all this October I fell in love with candles-with-timers! My hubby has allergies and asthma so we’ve eliminated lighting real candles in the house. Now at the bewitching hour of dusk we have several candles on the mantle, a couple on top of a short bookcase, and one on our kitchen window ledge that come on, one-by-one, as if some magic candle pixie is lighting them for us. These wax, battery operated flicker candles fool the mind with their life-like moving flames. I never lit our candles every evening before so this has set a delightful glow to our fall evenings! They always shut off after we go to bed so it makes me a think a bit of what it must have been like in the days when we all lit our nights with candles. They come in all sizes and colors and are very reasonably priced. Happy Fall everyone!

      • Miss Mustard Seed

        I have been to the Stube in Hagerstown, MD! It is wonderful and very authentic German food.

    7. mary m

      So glad you are mending well. In 1980 we took the cover of Country Living and remodeled our kitchen after it and opened it up into a dining room. Ahead of our times I think. Even though it wasn’t exactly like the cover it was the
      inspiration that moved us forward. I too thought that blue plate special issue was an excellent issue.

      Please keep up with the PT as it will really pay off in the long run. I fell in a tiny pothole and fractured my shoulder thus
      I feel your pain and recovery.

    8. Michele M.

      Funny you mention those grapes – never even heard of them until recently when I tried them for the first time at my sister’s dinner party. They were fabulous!

      Glad you are well on the mend. I know you are dying to get back to normal – take it slow, as you are.

    9. Katie

      I can sympathize. Three years ago I had a tracheal resection …. talk about a sore throat! After they let me eat again —- after 7 days!—- I love love loved jello! It goes down just right, and the added sugar I felt coated my throat and gave some (literally) sweet relief! Glad you are on the mend and back in action….

    10. Brian Hance

      So thrilled to hear you are mending well and reclaiming your life. Stay the course!

      I just always love the changing scenery of Chicagoland in October. I bought a new white comfy armchair & ottoman that brought me joy (first time white upholstery buyer!). An Amish peanut butter from an Amish bakery also gave me pause – yummo!

      Happy Thanksgiving,

      Brian
      Oak Park, Illinois

    11. Sue Anderson

      I am on what seems like permanent PT for a severe broken arm 3+ years ago. Pt PT PT. Yoga Yoga Yoga. Massage Massage Massage. Trainer, Trainer, Trainer. But I’ll tell ya, the arm/shoulder keeps improving and I am getting really fit. I can scratch my back again. Ahh…bliss. Good luck with finding a process you love and staying with it.

    12. Kim

      I can relate to how a super achiever like yourself can be feeling like you will just explode if you aren’t healed ASAP. So glad to hear that you feel like you have turned a major corner toward “normal”! For these times, I always ponder Psalm 46:10 which says “Be still, and know that I am God” or, in another translation, “Cease striving, and know that I am God.” Sometimes God has to give us a physical stopping point to keep us quiet and to rest in Him and feel His ultimate love and care and hear His voice.

    13. Heidi

      I love your blog and read it faithfully.
      Unfortunately I will not be reading it as much anymore. There are too many ads! It’s so annoying and it’s distracting from your content.
      I’m sorry, I understand it’s an income producer. I have heard many other folks who are bothered by too many ads and are refusing to follow blogs for that reason. Sorry, and I wish you the best!

    14. Connie

      Hi Marian,

      Glad to see you are on your way to being whole again. In October, I love the changing leaves, the way the air smells, and of course the colors of the leaves and vegetables I see in the grocery stores and at a local family owned apple orchard. I love to make a trip there on a weekday when it isn’t so crowded, browse their lovely fall decor, and buy some apples and cider. They sell the most delicious cinnamon/sugar dusted cider doughnuts, for which they are famous for miles around. One year I ate three in a row when they were straight out of the fat! I don’t do that anymore, but it’s a great memory.

      I, for one, don’t mind the ads because I often see things that intrigue me. Not only that, I imagine that if weren’t profitable, not all bloggers could keep going. Take care!

    15. Erica H

      I have never heard of or seen those grapes. Now I’ll have to look. On a related note, have you tried Opal apples? They are out no – a brilliant yellow and the sweetest apple I’ve ever had. I stalk the stores each October looking for them.

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