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“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” -Dumbledore
by Rachel
by Rachel
(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)
Anyone who knows me knows I dearly love summer but it’s also true that fall is the coziest, and I WILL be cozy. I insist on coziness.
Here are a couple things that are charming me this fall…
First of all, the Harry Potter books are best read during cooler months with a hot cuppa and preferably under blankets, which is exactly how Drew {12} and I have been reading them aloud together. Usually at bedtime, and then I have to pee in the middle of the night because of all that hot chamomile.
∇ Currently reading:
I’ve discovered a Spotify playlist appropriately titled, “Happy Harry Potter” for that perfect background feeling of Hogwarts:
Fall makes me fond for all things British, including these wellies, which I’ve had for years (an old Target purchase!) and they serve me well come rain & muck:
∇ Joules Women’s Field Welly AKA RAINBOOTS
∇ Fairy lights. I have some that stay permanently on, it seems, because they are so perfectly cozy. I have these (Target) and these (IKEA).
∇ Stew. Stew is everything that is good in this world. Sometimes I follow a recipe, sometimes I follow my heart,* always is my stew simmering in a dutch oven for hours upon delicious hours. The best fix-it-and-forget-it meal!
What are your fall favorites right now? I’d love to hear and adopt some more! We need all the cozy we can get.
*my most recent stew included radishes, and nobody was the wiser! Hahaha I’m so clever!
This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a cozy fall day to me.
Photo by Stella Rose, Sarah Ehlers and ERIC ZHU on Unsplash
by Rachel
by Rachel
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a beautiful sunrise to me.
Anyone who knows me well knows I’m not and never have been an early morning person. {And to my brothers-in-law who came knocking on our trailer door before 9am those first few years I was a young bride and mother, no I have not forgiven you.}
I’ve always regularly needed at least 8 hours of sleep, and when my babies were little I needed at least 10! I used to wonder if I was missing out on some sort of holiness game-up, in which rising before dawn would not only improve my productivity but more importantly, my spirituality. Like, didn’t the Proverbs 31 woman get up while it was still dark? I always thought that if I had servant girls, they’d be making ME breakfast, not the other way around.
What I really want to wake up to every morning.
…
by Rachel
Dear Candace,
For the past week I’ve been afflicted by, as I call it, a body rash. I won’t go into detail on this public forum, but suffice it to say that large portions of my epidermis have been covered in a blotchy, slightly bumpy, incredibly annoying, very ridiculous rash.
Before I get yelled at to go to the doctor, allow me to explain that I don’t have any other symptoms which would warrant an immediate visit to the urgent care, and I’ve been conferring with my doctor (who is, of course, on spring break) and getting advice from nurse friends who have some insight to give me.
As it turns out, rashes are a dark and mysterious, often unexplainable entity. I don’t have hives, shingles, or poison ivy (thanks, nurse friends). According to Google, I have no less than 50 diseases. Feeling in the mood to be terrified? Here, just search “rashes and their causes” on Google images. You’re welcome. Sweet dreams.
Benadryl and creams of all sorts have been helping me cope. Thankfully, a week in and I’m almost over it, I think. Could it be viral, or a reaction to something I was newly prescribed? Yes. There’s also a high chance I’ve been experimented on by aliens. Turns out they don’t want me.
You can’t ignore a rash like this. Its become a part of me, of my identity. “Hi, my name is Rachel and I have a Rash.” At a department store recently, while getting fitted and surveyed for proper formal attire, I blurted out my rash story in an apology voice. The lady with the measuring tape just grunted. To my relief, it didn’t seem to bother her. As I looked at myself in the mirror, wearing the dress I’ll probably have on at my sister’s wedding next week, a commentary ran through my mind:
“This is our sister Rash Rachel, featuring a neck rash of epic proportions vying with her necklace for the biggest statement.”
“What was she like before the rash? We can’t remember, but we think her skin was very white.”
I took an oatmeal bath during the peak of my rash season, since Google and everybody else recommended it for its “skin-soothing properties.” The oats were in a fine mesh bag so they didn’t make a mess in the tub; the water turned a resulting milky oat color. I couldn’t tell any difference in my skin afterwards, though squeezing oat slime out of the bag was kind of fun, plus once I put coconut oil in my hair I smelled like granola.
I ran across this funny cartoon during all my investigations-
Doctor, to his over-large patient: “It’s not a rash, it’s moss. You need to start being more active than a tree.”
That’s the more likely explanation in my case. Maybe I’ll walk today.
Wishing for clear skies and clear skin,
Rachel
Letter 31 {A Return}
Photo by Andrea Tummons on Unsplash
by Rachel
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a trip to 1920’s London to me.
I was recently rearranging some books and came across a stack of well-worn Agatha Christie novels. {I mentioned one in my top favorites list here.} When I saw my copy of The Secret Adversary, I couldn’t help but smile. In this book we’re introduced to a charming couple I adore: Tommy & Tuppence.
Many people are familiar with Agatha Christie the great mystery writer and her intelligent detective Hercule Poirot and character-discerning Miss Marple, but lesser known are her stories about stumbled-into-it sleuths Tommy and Tuppence. They meet after the first world war as young twenty-somethings and are depicted true to their time; the book was published in 1922. Tommy is genuine, reliable and thoughtful. He’s less likely to be rash and more likely to carefully assess a situation. Tuppence (whose true name is Prudence) is his natural balance with her impetuous and bold personality. She can be a bit of a goose sometimes, but her heart is good. The account of their friendship is very dear to me, and I find their stories to be nearly perfect in every way.
Postern of Fate is the final book in which they appear, having aged with the books and last shown to be in their seventies. It’s one of my recent re-reads and I love how it carries the story of a timeless couple. In fact, it’s not one of Christie’s best mystery novels but I read and appreciate it for the narrative of one of my favorite literary romances. Look at me, getting all sentimental over book characters!
I wrote the following to a friend and thought I’d share it here as well:
Christie’s books have been my companions since I was a teenager, and are especially delightful for travel. They make long car rides and trans-Atlantic flights bearable and even enjoyable. I first started out with “Ten Little Indians” and that made me an addict. I’m in the habit of purchasing cheap paperback copies of her books for such occasions, and leaving them at airports or other waiting areas when I’m finished with them, so someone else can fall in love with Poirot or Miss Marple or dear Tommy and Tuppence.
The Tommy and Tuppence books are my very favorite of Agatha Christie’s characters. When I read the following passage in “Postern of Fate,” I couldn’t help but think it highly resembled the dynamics of my relationship with Tom and similar conversations we’ve had, and was exceedingly funny:
‘Tuppence! Tommy called, as he came into the house.
There was no answer. With some annoyance, he ran up the stairs and along the passage on the first floor. As he hastened along it, he nearly put his foot through a gaping hole, and swore promptly.
‘Some other bloody careless electrician,’ he said.
Some days before he had had the same kind of trouble. Electricians arriving in a kindly tangle of optimism and efficiency had started work. ‘Coming along fine now, not much more to do,’ they said. ‘We’ll be back this afternoon.’ But they hadn’t been back that afternoon; Tommy was not precisely surprised. He was used, now, to the general pattern of labor in the building trade, electrical trade, gas employees and others. They came, they showed efficiency, they made optimistic remarks, they went away to fetch something. They didn’t come back. One rang up the numbers on the telephone but they always seem to be the wrong numbers. If they were the right numbers, the right man was not working at this particular branch of the trade, whatever it was. All one had to do was be careful to not rick an ankle, fall through a hole, damage yourself in some way or another. He was far more afraid of Tuppence damaging herself than he was of doing the damage to himself.
He had had more experience than Tuppence. Tuppence, he thought, was more at risk from scalding herself from kettles or disasters with the heat of the stove. But where was Tuppence now? He called again.
‘Tuppence! Tuppence!’
He worried about Tuppence. Tuppence was one of those people you had to worry about. If you left the house, you gave her last words of wisdom and she gave you last promises of doing exactly what you counseled her to do: no, she would not be going out except just to buy half a pound of butter, and after all you couldn’t call that dangerous, could you?
‘It could be dangerous if you went out to buy half a pound of butter,’ said Tommy.
‘Oh,’ said Tuppence, ‘don’t be an idiot.
‘I’m not being an idiot,’ Tommy had said. ‘I am just being a wise and careful husband, looking after something which is one of my favorite possessions. I don’t know why it is –’
‘Because,’ said Tuppence, ‘I am so charming, so good looking, such a good companion and because I take so much care of you.’
‘That also, maybe,’ said Tommy, ‘but I could give you another list.’
‘I don’t feel I should like that,’ said Tuppence. ‘No, I don’t think so. I think you have several saved-up grievances. But don’t worry. Everything will be quite all right. You’ve only got to come back and call me when you get in.’
But now where was Tuppence ?
‘The little devil,’ said Tommy. ‘She’s gone out somewhere.’
Often when I’m flying out the door to go somewhere, even just the grocery store, Tom calls after me, “Be good!” Be good? When am I NOT a good little wifey? Or he may add, “Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.” “Well that’s a lot of things,” I may grumble back.
If this amuses/interests you even slightly, I suggest you start with The Secret Adversary (where our couple reconnects as old friends, become inadvertent blackmailers, then find they want to pursue a life of detecting) and work your way through the five Tommy & Tuppence books after which we can Discuss over a proper tea and form our own book club. Just a thought.
Photo by Josh Felise on Unsplash
by Rachel
Dear Candace,
After those first few hard days of DST*, I’m always grateful for the extra light in the evening. Suddenly the end of winter feels cozy (me to winter: “you’re not so bad after all”) when my days aren’t cloaked in darkness on either end.
I would not do well in Alaska.
Today I had my first matcha latte. I met a friend for brunch, since brunch fixes everything and makes you strong. Being St. Patrick’s Day, I felt like the green latte was inevitable. I generally love matcha, but I wasn’t thrilled with that particular latte. I felt like I was cheating on coffee. All I could think about as I sipped the foamy green drink was how nice a hot breve flat white is. My friend is a fellow foodie and instagrammer who recognizes the need to stand up over the table to take 49 pictures before that first sip or bite. My photography skills are quite lacking so this is especially challenging for me. People at nearby tables must think I’m a phone-obsessed exerciser who keeps bobbing up and down.
After brunch, I went to my sisters’ apartment to take care of Tabby. Tabby is the one and only cat I’m not allergic to so far. It’s very odd. Cats are not my favorite but I grudgingly accept Tabby. He is solid white with a tail like a brontosaurus. His strong white tail knocked over and broke a glass French Press before I could react quickly enough to save it. (Me to sisters: “your cat is alive your French Press is dead please don’t leave me this long again”)
I also did various errands today which always, always take longer than they should. Drew had a break from school and spent time with a friend while I was brunching and then using 100 lint roller sheets to remove white cat hair from my dark wash jeans. The older kids stayed home to study.
At the end of the day, when brunch had worn off and I felt like a weak, regular human a friend from church called. What we were doing for dinner? Would we like to come over to their house for a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal?
Since my dinner plan consisted of frozen chimichangas and we miraculously had a free evening, it was an easy and delighted yes. Seriously-that was the nicest thing. I really appreciate how they blessed us-it was the best of times!
As the Irish say-
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
A farewell and a blessing,
Rachel
*Daylight Savings Time, aka Week That Royally Messes Up Kids’ Sleep & Moods
This letter contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I will receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a stack of letters to me.