Saturday Gifts

Sometimes you get multiple gifts in one day, moments that just happened, unexpected and kind and nice and encouraging. Yesterday was that kind of day. The weather was sheer bliss and - if the 10-day forecast is any indication - it will stay blissful for many days to come. I'm so, so grateful. Currently, it's 49 degrees with clouds and a high of 71 today. Heaven!!

The day started out with old-fashioned, homemade pumpkin-chocolate chip bread. Now, I don't make this. I could. I've made it in the past. But I don't anymore. I've learned that I cannot have several loaves of this in my house. I sit and eat it all because it is so addictive. That's not even a joke; that's basically what happens. But we have a local coffee/ice cream/baked goods stand called Creamy Cup that meets this need! Located directly across from the University where I work, this wonderful stand has seasonal goodies, including homemade pumpkin-chocolate chip bread. Each birthday and Christmas, my mother-in-law gets me generous gift cards to Creamy Cup, and it is, hands down, something I look forward to every single time I get one.

So I went and got us a loaf of that bread from them! And the bonus was that the bread was a gift, thanks to my mother-in-law! There's something about an old-fashioned loaf of sweet bread that takes you back over the years, reminding you one more time how nice the anticipation can be leading up to all of the holidays that fall within the last quarter of the year. On top of that, you get foliage and crisp, cool air and the mosquitoes start to die. Bliss! It was a GREAT way to start the day.

A friend came over to borrow a tool mid-morning, so we did what all mutual animal-lovers do, and we took the babies outside for some extra playtime (work can wait, sometimes!). We sat in chairs in that cool breeze and watched them play and had the nicest talk for a little over an hour. It was lovely and calm and good. This is a decades-old friend, so the comfort level of being with them is off the charts. I enjoy meeting new people, but there's just something about someone you've known for a very long time where you click with the same ideologies. The compatibility is priceless. We had the nicest time and created a memory.

Later in the afternoon, my mom dropped by with some Halloween goodies. Now, if you have multiple four-legged babies, you don't get out of the house much outside of the routine of going to work. As the babies have gotten older, it's gotten a bit easier, but on weekends, we tend to stay nearby in order to give them extra outside playtime. No worries, they have tons of toys and play a lot in their big living room, but babies need room to run and stretch! So we try to sprinkle in lots of extra time outside on the weekends. My mom knows that I don't get many places these days, and she knows that I love Halloween (it's my jam). The pictures below are a few of the goodies she brought me!

The first one is, by far, my favorite. Y'all, that's Pyrex!! Halloween Pyrex! It's a nice-sized dish, too! I have never seen Halloween Pyrex before! I was so excited. I'll use the heck out of this thing up through October 31st!!! I swear, don't the craziest things bring us joy?!

Next, a pumpkin diffuser with pumpkin pie wax melts. Yep, I've already plugged it in and am using it. Very nice. The pumpkin scent is subtle, not overly strong, but still VERY good. Makes you want pie, though. And here's the thing - I haven't made a pumpkin pie yet this year. That's crazy and tells you how busy we've been! Last year, by this time, I had made two whole pumpkin pies. 

Now, see, this is why I chronicle - to compare the differences from year to year, understand why things have changed (add a mama and three babies to the mix, things change a bit), and recognize what is different in the current year because of change. Yes, Bunny and the babies brought about some change. But I will tell you this- that mama and those three babies? They are sweeter than any pumpkin pie you will ever experience in your lifetime. Who cares about pie when you have delicious-smelling, new babies and a mama in your life? I cannot imagine life without them now, and I cannot get enough of them. I was - and still am - the same way about my boys,  Baby Oscar and Baby Oliver. Babies are highly addictive. I still see my boys as The Littles. I always will.

Then, some jammies! Look at these! Aren't they cute?? Flannel Halloween PJs! I'm a VERY frugal person, so when I see things like this, I tend to pass on them, no matter how much I love them. I always think about how I can use the money for my rescue babies or to help someone else with their rescue babies. My heart truly is with four-leggeds in need, so I'm always thrilled to put any little bit of extra money in the direction of rescue work. But I adore flannel jammies! These will be worn threadbare, I am confident of that!

Mom and I finished out the evening spending time with the babies outside for their last hour and a half of playtime before putting them inside for their wet snack and bedtime. I checked on them about 45 minutes after we put them up for the evening. Everyone was sacked out and sleeping hard, recuperating from their big Saturday! The heater is now on in their new building, so they were toasty little things, all curled up together, dreaming of chasing butterflies and falling leaves, I'm sure. Like I said - nothing quite like babies to melt your heart and give you a natural high.  

I'm grateful for yesterday, and I'm grateful for today - whatever it may hold. With a repeat of the weather, I certainly cannot complain about that aspect of what is ahead of us today. There are some necessary things that we have to get done today, but those won't take too terribly long. Outside of that, the day is ours, so we will see how it unfolds. Blessed Sunday to you!