What I’m Into (October 2013 Edition)

I’m rather late with this but we just returned from our New Orleans trip late Monday night and I’m still recovering. David and I both started with some mild cold symptoms on our way home. So far we’ve kept the crud at bay with regular doses of “The Potion” (I’ll post the recipe at the bottom of this post) but it’s nipping at our heels and adding to our usual post-NOLA exhaustion.

When we left for New Orleans it was still October and the landscape was still mostly green. We came home to Apple Tree Farm swathed in hues of red and gold. It’s quite lovely but damp and cool. I did my best to enjoy the warm weather in New Orleans and even managed to get just the perfect amount of slightly-pink-sunburn on my shoulders one afternoon by the river. Unless we win the lottery and take a winter vacation to the tropics that will be the last dose of color my fair skin sees for months.

So, let’s take a look at what I was into for the month of October:

Trips and Fun Stuff


We took our usual 11 day trip to New Orleans which was an absolute blast. As always. I’ll have a post devoted to that probably tomorrow, complete with pictures. For now I’ll just say that we enjoyed beautiful weather, delicious food, incredible music, and best of all – good times with great friends. 


Around My Home


David installed our new wood blinds in the family room and I decorated for Halloween/Autumn. You can see photos of my decorated house in the post, “Getting Cozy for Fall”.

I also did a post for a contest on Blogelina in which I shared photos of “My Blogging Space”.

Reading – Books and Blogs


Our local library’s annual book sale is always a favorite event for me. There’s nothing quite like a new stash of books. You can see a photo and a list of this year’s treasures on my post, “Library Book Sale Haul”. 

I started reading “Forever Chic” by Tish Jett for our first book club selection on the French Chic Yahoo Group I help moderate. I was in New Orleans for Chapter Two but I’ll catch up this Friday. You can read my review of Chapter One here. 

In addition to “Forever Chic”, I’ve been reading two books this past month:

• Chazing Cezanne by Peter Mayle (author of “A Year in Provence”)
• Daily Rituals: How Artists Work edited by Mason Currey

Watching – Movies, T.V. and YouTube


I’m not sure that we watched any movies this past month. I know we didn’t go to the movies and I really don’t think we watched any at home, either. We watched the first few episodes of The Big Bang Theory on Netflix but otherwise I can’t recall watching much of anything except The Daily Show which we usually watch while eating dinner. 

Listening – Music


I’ve been listening to a lot of blues, both on Spotify and on the Bluesville station on XM Radio in the car. I discovered Solomon Burke on Spotify. I also listened to the new Avett Brothers album.

While in New Orleans we listened to live music every day. We saw John Boutté at d.b.a., as well as catching shows by our musician friends:

• Debi and the Deacons
• Mark and the Pentones
• Mark Barrett
• Peppy Ruiz
• Rhythm and Rain

Food – Recipes, Restaurants and Grocery Hauls


I made two lovely loaves of challah, one for World Communion Day at church and one for us. Yummy! The recipe is on my Breads and Rolls Pinterest board.

Since we would be out of town for eleven days I opted to skip the monthly big shopping trip with my daughter. I focused on using up perishables and made do with “A small grocery haul” from a local store. 

As you might expect, we enjoyed some amazing food in New Orleans. Highlights included dinners at:

• Adolfo’s 
• Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro – Toasted ravioli with crawfish cream sauce – best meal of the trip!
• Rocky and Carlo’s
• Coop’s Place

On This Blog

– I shared my thoughts about family and how we are called to care for one another in the post, “Living in Community”. 

– For the 7th year in a row (since the very beginning) I participated in Blog Action Day. This year the topic was human rights. I chose to write about “Hunger in America“.

– I chose the important over the urgent and spent a little while “Soaking up the sunshine”. 

I’m getting a late start but this month I’ll be doing NaNoWriMo. David has encouraged me to get serious about writing a book so I’m using this as a jump start of sorts. Because of that my posts here may be scanty. And if you follow me on Facebook you’ll find me less prolific there, as well. In fact, if you see me posting much please remind me I am supposed to be writing!


So, that’s what I’ve been into this past month. I’d love to hear what’s been going on in your life. Leave me a comment and if you have a blog, I’ll pay you a visit.

Check out other “What I’m Into” posts linked on Hopeful Leigh and if you blog you can add your own.


*The Potion:
1 oz. water
1 tbls. elderberry concentrate
1 dropper full of each:

    olive leaf
    colloidal silver


3 drops oil of oregano
1 packet Emergen-C



Mix all, adding Emergen-C last. Stir, shoot, chase with more water.


(The original recipe also includes echinacea which I don’t take because I’m allergic to ragweed and they are related, and goldenseal which I just don’t happen to have on hand. I also usually add a shot of vodka to my bedtime dose. I figure the alcohol might kill some germs and if nothing else, it will help me sleep.)