Saturday Meanderings

Happy Halloween! And just like that, October is officially coming to an end. It seems the minute we say Halloween, we’re suddenly on the fast track to Christmas! But I really want to slow things down and savor November, don’t you? There’s something special about this in-between season, and I’d love to enjoy every bit of it before the holiday hustle begins. So as we say goodbye to October on this final Saturday of the month, let’s get cozy, catch up on all the good things that happened this week, and hopefully do so with your favorite beverage in hand. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings!

Do You Celebrate Halloween?

For many years, we hosted a Halloween dinner party on our back terrace, inviting neighbors and friends for an evening of good food, festive decorations, and a little Halloween fun. I absolutely love decorating for this holiday, but with all our traveling this month, I simply don’t have the energy to pull something together at this late date.

So, this year, we’ll be enjoying a very quiet Halloween. We typically don’t get any trick-or-treaters, which is really half the fun of the evening. I do like that Halloween falls on a Saturday night this year, rather than in the middle of the week. I’m picturing a cozy evening at home, perhaps watching a few slightly scary movies.

How about you? Do you celebrate Halloween? I’d love to hear what you enjoy doing.

Healthy Goodness

Being back home is such a joy, especially as I’m trying to get back into some healthier eating habits. It’s so easy when traveling to indulge in just about everything, and I certainly did my share.

One of the things we enjoy each morning is our little shots of healthy juices. We’ve now worked our way up to three different varieties, each with its own combination of goodness.

The first is a blend of carrot, orange, ginger, turmeric, and celery. It’s like a little sip of sunshine. The red one is a combination of beets, apple, ginger, turmeric, and celery. And my newest discovery is a recipe from the Home Apothecary by Nicole Apelian, Ph.D, a bone-strengthening blend of kale, spinach, orange, cucumber, celery, apple and chia seeds. (BTW~I love this book and have tried many of the recipes).

We each take one shot of all three every morning, and I make a fresh batch once a week. It’s a simple little ritual that makes starting the day feel extra healthy!

Cleaning out the Barn

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that several years ago, my dear friend, Susan and I started a little business called 2 Connecticut Yankees. Susan is also from the Nutmeg State, and we share a love of antiques, thrifting, and discovering unique treasures. Our tagline was “Thrifty Purveyors of Antiques and Fine Objects”.

We ran the business for a few years, always wanting to make the shopping experience a little more fun than your typical antique store. We cleaned up the barn and, twice a year, hosted special shopping events complete with food, coffee, and cocktails. Friends and customers could wander through the barn, browse the treasures and hopefully take home a few favorites.

Well, fast forward to life getting busy and taking us in different directions. The business eventually came to a close, but somehow I still seem to have a barn full of stuff!

This week, I decided it was time to slowly start cleaning things out. My hope is to list some of these finds on both Facebook Marketplace and the Shop tab here on the blog. It won’t happen overnight, and but I will let you know if there are new items to be viewed.

So, if you’re on the hunt for something unique, vintage, or just a little unexpected, you never know what treasures you might discover right here in my barn. The ultimate goal is to get the barn emptied out and perhaps use it for a gathering space for future classes?

Doing my Civic Duty

This has been quite a week of neighborhood issues! Everything from zoning cases and zoning violations to our neighborhood association hosting a Water and Heat Symposium. Sometimes I wonder if there is ever a quiet week when it comes to neighborhood matters!

There’s a familiar saying in the West, often attributed to Mark Twain: “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” Regardless of who first said it, the sentiment certainly seems appropriate these days. With ongoing changes to water distribution along the Colorado River and the possibility of future water supply reductions, the City of Phoenix is preparing for what may lie ahead. These are issues that affect all of us, and we must become better informed and understand what this means for our community…hence the reason for the Symposium.

It was heavily attended and most residents walked away with a better understanding of the challenges ahead, our local water supply and the benefits of having flood irrigation in our neighborhood.

While volunteering for neighborhood causes may not always be glamorous (never glamorous actually!), I’m grateful for the neighbors who take the time to show up, ask questions and participate. After all, these issues affect the place we call home.

My Makeup Routine (or Lack Thereof!)

Cindy Hattersley recently shared a post titled Simple 10 Minute Makeup Routine for Women over 60, which got me thinking. How long does my makeup routine take? Do I even have a makeup routine?

I’ve never been one to spend a great deal of time applying makeup, nor am I particularly familiar with some of today’s techniques, like contouring, shading and all those other applications. I’m more of a wash-and-wear kind of gal. Not a lot of fuss, not a lot of products. More is less, right?

But since Cindy shared her routine, I thought it would be fun to share mine. Perhaps you’ll recognize a few favorites! After cleansing I start with a spritz of Trader Joe’s Rose Water Toner, which is wonderfully refreshing ($3.99 at TJ’s). Then comes my Lancôme skincare. For moisturizer, during the day I use Rénergie serum and lotion, and at night, I switch to Génifique serum and lotion.

A few years ago, my dermatologist told me about Microblading and how it may enhance your eyebrows. With very blonde eyebrows (which you could barely see), I went and had them done and honestly, it changed my life. I never need an eyebrow pencil and they look so natural. Mine last at least a year or longer, although you can have them touched up whenever needed. The key is finding someone who really knows what they are doing. I never have to worry about how my eyebrows look!

On days when I am not wearing foundation, I reach for Dr. Jart+Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment with SPF. It helps tone down the reddish areas of my skin for a more natural look. When I do wear foundation, my favorite is Il Making Woke Up Like This. They color-match it to your skin with an online survey, which makes finding the right shade much easier.

For concealer, I use ColorScience Total Eye, which not only conceals any dark circles, but also provides SPF 35 protection. Blush is pretty simple. I usually grab whatever Lancôme sample I happen to have lying around.

For my lips, I use a Lancôme Lip Shaper (color matched to my lipstick) to help my lipstick from feathering or moving around. My lipstick of choice is Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge in Classic Blush Cream.

I finished everything with ColorScience Brush-On SPF 50 Powder Sunscreen. It replaces any powder and is an easy way to add another layer of sunscreen. Mascara is another area where I keep things simple. I use Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions, a tubing mascara that comes off so easily with water. I only apply it to the upper lashes. In fact, most days I don’t wear mascara at all. Eyeshadow is reserved for special occasions only.

That’s about it and I bet it takes less than 10 minutes. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the idea that less really is more. I want to look like myself, just a little more polished, without spending a lot of time in front of a mirror. Now I’m curious. Are you a 10-minute makeup person or do you enjoy taking more time with your beauty routine?

As we move onto November, I always like to share my thoughts about this month. I wrote this post originally in 2018, eight years ago. Hard to believe so many years have passed but the sentiments are the same. Let me know if you feel the same way.

Finn is in a bit of trouble this week. While we were out for a few hours, he decided to chew up a ballpoint pen. Not only was he covered in ink, but it also went all over my new sisal rug in the family room. But it didn’t stop there. The ink also splash on one of my white slipcovered chairs. Sigh.

As we say goodbye to October, I hope you have a wonderful Halloween filled with more treats than tricks! Whether you are welcoming little ghosts and goblins to your door, enjoying a quiet evening at home, or dressing up for a festive gathering, I wish you a happy, safe, and not-t00-scary Halloween. May November arrive gently, bringing cooler days, cozy moments, and plenty of reason to be grateful. Until next week, enjoy the last day of October!