Friday Favorites - October 31, 2025

 

Happy Halloween.  I thought this would be a great day for some fun Halloween memories.

1995 - The mischievous kitten - Mum made a tail and stitched it on to Sophia's black unitard along with a headband with ears.  A little eyeliner pencil for whiskers and that face, so cute!

1996 - Pocahontas (or Poki-hontas as Sophia said it) - I bought the dress on sale at the Disney Store and beaded the fringe around the collar.  Vic braided some thin suede for the headdress and added a feather.

1997 - Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz - dress from Target, red shoes from the previous Christmas, and Toto in the basket.

1998 - Po, the red Teletubby - these were the Teletubby years - costume from Target and another pair of red shoes.

1999 - Madeline - loved this coat and hat, Target again.

2000 - Jasmine - Disney Store costume, the wig has a long braid down to Sophia's waist.

2001- a somewhat toothless Cleopatra - can't remember where I got this costume.

Maria over at Memorable Moments and Most Missives had some Halloween earrings in this post, and it reminded me of the year Sophia snuck skeleton earrings to school for picture day!

Around the 'Net

This popped up yesterday so today we're at 99 days!  Do you have a favorite winter sport to watch?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 626

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Here are this week's questions, which you should answer on your own blog and then pop over to Joyce's blog (click on the graphic for the link) Wednesday to add your link to the party.

 

1. Are you a risk taker? To what degree? 

I can be - I'm up for an adventure at the drop of a hat but if it's sky diving or bungee jumping, well, not that far!  I packed my entire life into four suitcases and jetted off to take a job in Guam, where I knew no-one so that was a risk.

2. What's your favorite candy? Would you say you have a sweet tooth? 

Godiva or Lindt and anything British that I grew up with.  Yes, I definitely have a sweet tooth.

3. Somewhere you've been recently that had you feeling 'like a kid in a candy store'?

Home Goods.  I could buy enough dinnerware and table setting pieces to entertain into the next millennium.  It's so tempting just to walk in the door! 

4. What do you think is the most effective way to make a positive change in the world? 

Show caring and compassion.  Right now, food banks are a priority for many so if you can, add extra items to your grocery list and drop them off.

5. Do you like surprises? 

Yes.  Vic was working in Charleston when he was on his first ship, and it was in dry dock.  I was in Jacksonville, Florida with Sophia and was totally surprised to go over to our friends' house and have Vic open the door!  Our friends helped him pull off the surprise.  It was so nice to have him home for the weekend.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

I'm drawing a total blank here this week.  I know I had some things this weekend that I knew would be random thoughts for today, but can I remember them now?

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #196

    

Next up in the London Christmas shopping series is Selfridges.  The nameboard on the store says Selfridge & Co but it's more commonly referred to as just Selfridges.  I was a little surprised to see many ornaments with Selfridges & Co printed on them which isn't really correct as it should be Selfridge & Co or Selfridges.  OK, I'll get off my Selfridges soapbox now!

I turned to Emily London's shopping video for a look at the Christmas Shop.  I was a little underwhelmed (as I think she was too), I guess watching the Harrods video last week spoiled me a bit.  However, I still managed to find a couple of ornaments that will be coming back with me.

I definitely had the shopping bag on my list, but I fell for this storefront snow globe as well.  Selfridges is all about the yellow.  There were quite a few British themed felt ornaments on their website, but they didn't look to be as nicely crafted as the ones I saw at Harrods, so we'll see.

Spoiler if you haven't watched the video:  A weight loss injection ornament?  Really?

I was surprised to see the huge selection at the Disney Store inside Selfridges.  Thank goodness our Disney stage has passed, or my wallet would be in serious trouble!

Life Last Week (20 October-2 November 2025)

Here we go, one more month until all the jingle bells and twinkle lights!

The weather for the week ahead:::

On my reading pile:::

 No change on the reading front - The Venetian Daughter by Ella Carey on my Kindle and I'm about halfway through The Last Light over Oslo by Alix Rickloff from the library.

On my TV:::

The Great British Baking Show in its final weeks, The Diplomat Season 3, and Below Deck:  Down Under.

Checked off the list:::

• New door ordered for the corner cabinet, but it won't be here until early December.

• Longaberger wooden shelf arrived from Replacements.com - it's the genuine item; someone had it tucked away and decided to let it go.  If you're searching for a china, cutlery, crystal, or collectible item, check them out.
• Annual heating/air conditioning service complete with $85 discount, yes please and thank you!
• Much of our weekend looked like this and we had a heavy wind advisory.

In the evening, we heard something fall from the roof that sounded bigger than just a pinecone and when Vic went out to investigate, it was one of the vent covers.  So, yes, up the ladder he went, in the rain and the wind, to fix it.  All sorted, thank goodness

Crafts roundup:::

No real change here but I found some peel and stick felt at Hobby Lobby, so I had a go with my cutting machine at making some large numbers.  They always sell out so quickly on the scrapbooking sites so I'm glad I have an inexpensive alternate.

 

And in other news:::

Week Nine is Pantry Week which sees us move into food storage area.

This week, we focus on food storage, the pantry, and any additional closets. Taking time to declutter, deep-clean, and organize these storage areas will pay off when holiday baking begins.

Holiday prep chores this week see us begin to address Christmas cards, continue to work on holiday gifts, and start thinking about Thanksgiving dinner.

I'll leave the links up here if you're interested.

Holiday Grand Planners - Get Organized Community | Facebook 

Organized Christmas? Try a Holiday Plan | Organized Home

It's Day Twenty-Seven of the government shutdown - local Facebook pages are full of families looking for help to make ends meet, it's so tough out there.  The food bank is busy every day.  This came out on Thursday as so many of the government employees in this area rely on commuter buses to get to work.  They usually have government-funded payments to take care of their commuting expenses but that's another thing that has been shut down.

Hoping that this is the week that there is some compromise and a resolution.

Friday Favorites - October 24, 2025

   

I knew I would get into trouble if I went to Trader Joe's hungry.   Those little sampling stations get you every time!

This was today's offering - Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps...

topped with a sliver of Brie...

and a dollop of this goodness in a jar, Pumpkin Butter.

Run, don't walk to your nearest Trader Joe's because the pumpkin butter is a seasonal item and once it's gone, it's gone.

Enjoy!

Around the 'Net - A Christmas Gift Idea

 

I love a Christmas read and Debbie Macomber's books never fail to disappoint.  Her 2025 book, A Ferry Merry Christmas, was released on Tuesday (hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and Audible) and is sure to be a sweet and touching holiday read and a great Christmas gift idea.

Debbie Macomber is from my neck of the woods.  She used to have a local tearoom and a yarn shop, and I attended an afternoon tea event in 2019 where she gifted everyone with her new book, Window on the Bay.  She was a delightful speaker.  She also used to do annual book signings, but she has taken a step back from public events in recent years.

Book Signing 2014 - I surprised two friends with autographed books that Christmas

Window on the Bay afternoon tea event in 2019

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 625

 Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Here are this week's questions, which you should answer on your own blog and then pop over to Joyce's blog (click on the graphic for the link) Wednesday to add your link to the party.

 

1. What do you like most about your family?

Togetherness and fun.  Sophia doesn't live at home any longer but when she was with us, we did a lot of fun things together.  We've done a cross-country move, sightseeing along the way and making memories we can look back on.  We've done a lot of family field trips in our local area, and we have fun times at home with games and LEGO and movie nights, themed dinners and other projects.  Now that's it's just Vic and me; we still look for the fun things to do together.  

The Badlands 2014

Our first trip to the Space Needle in Seattle 2015

  2. What's something nice that's happened to you recently? 

Vic paid me a random compliment right out of the blue the other day.  I can't remember what it was, but I know that it made me feel really special.  My chap is a keeper, he's got a great sense of humor, often does the unexpected, and still reaches for my hand whenever we go anywhere.

He's started to pay more attention to little people things.  We don't have any grandchildren yet but one day.

3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

I can't say I'm a big fan of orange in clothing; you'd have to be really confident to carry off something in that color.  I'm a fan of mimosas, does that count?

4.  What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it?

Five years ago, we were in the midst of COVID and Vic was in Okinawa, so having him home every night and weekends is wonderful!  We can do all sorts of things together and he's great at those DIY jobs we put off while he was away. 

5. Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...

• pumpkin bread or apple cider donut
• cozy sweater or cozy hoodie
• apple picking or pumpkin picking
• scary movie or Hallmark movie
• hay ride or corn maze
• twinkle lights or candles
• autumn hike or autumn bonfire

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Day Twenty-Two of the government shutdown.  Is it affecting you?  Vic got his pay statement with $0 on it, that hurts.  Thankful it's not our only income but times are going to be tough for families with a single or dual government income.  In today's economy, it's tough enough to make ends meet but to try to put something aside for an emergency such as this, it's darn near impossible.  It's not right to play with people's lives like this.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #195

   

Next up in the London Christmas shopping series is Harrods.  Harrods has lost a bit of its shine in recent years as there are those who feel it's too touristy but what would London in December be without a trip to Harrods?

I have two ornaments on my list from Harrods.  The first is the annual bear, 2025's is Alfie and the second is a Harrods shopping bag full of gifts.

I am going to browse through the felted ornaments they have listed on their website.  Department store shopping is one of the last things during our stay so I have a feeling that I may have already found some of these at other venues.  If I'm missing any of them, Harrods should have just what I need.

Have you ever been to Harrods?  What did you think?