We enjoyed this nonfiction book together after the younger boys stopped to pick some pumpkins with my hubby 🎃♥️✨
listening 🎃~
Mostly to Book/Journal Tube or The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. The rustle of dried cornfields is so gorgeous and the leaves crunch and caw of the crows, just perfect. ✨
watching🎃~
I watched a little Star Wars with my kids, but still wanting to try A Little Princess from 1995?, and been craving The Sound of Music lately for some reason.
Collaging is a messy and delightful process!
reading🎃~
Hilarious spot in My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell! Seen any live Dissenters in the wild? 😉😅🤣Sweet autumn picture books I read with younger kids! And maybe a teenager, too! 🎃✨
noticing🎃~
All the GORGEOUS-ness everywhere! I’m in the process today of finishing up my essay/collage for Sword & a Song , so I was soaking up inspiration here, from books, from back issues, and from 🍂 autumn splendor!
Trying out my stamps ✨Favorite Korean pop stars birthday! 🎂 😅✨Little fingers practicing ✨Loving this picture book! ✨
What are you listening to, watching, reading, noticing? ✨🎃♥️🍁🍂
‘If Self is to be the end of exertions, those exertions are unholy – there is no doubt of that – and that is part of the danger in cultivating the Individual Life; but I do believe we have all some appointed work to do, whh no one else can do so well; Wh.is our work; what we have to do in advancing the Kingdom of God; and that first we must find out what we are sent into the world to do, and define it and make it clear to ourselves, (that’s the hard part) and then forget ourselves in our work, and our work in the End we ought to strive to bring about.’
p.46, Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories, by Jenny Uglow
Dear Readers~ 🍁Long day of catch up on to-dos and fighting a head cold, but oh, the gorgeous autumn colors! 🍂The weather is sublime, and pockets of lovely can be found if I just look hard enough. Planting tulips and daffodil bulbs brought me so much joy, while listening to The Pickwick Papers! I love that bit of hope and color to look for after the long, dreary, frigid Wisconsin winters. I squeezed in some listening while driving to and from grocery shopping, also!
How has your Saturday been? I’m hoping to make some chicken, veggie, and rice soup soon with lots of onion and garlic. Maybe it will scare away these head colds? 😅✨
Good morning, friends! I’m snuggling into my sweatshirt as we woke to a chilly, but gorgeously sunny morning here! What a gift! ☺️☀️✨
I have a massive pile of library checkouts that I may or may not get to due to my Victorian reading focus this month. I thought it would be fun to share what’s in my PL basket.
Mainly, I have a lot of Sci-Fi choices leftover from Sci-Fi September. I still don’t feel totally sick of Sci-Fi, so may try to see if any of these in photo above catch my fancy! I’m most interested in Green City Wars and Scion, but my 19 yo read Scionand said it was a bit brutal and had language. I’m surprised because I’ve loved James Islingtonso much and hadn’t run into language before. Have you read any of these? How are they?
Cozy mysteries ✨
My second pile is cozy mysteries! I know, I know, not high literature, 😂 but just the right light reading for me, when I need a break from heavy reading or the chaos around me. 😂Think Hallmark with a side of murder. 🤣📚✨I’m most interested in Autumn at Cat Cafe! 🥰🐈⬛🎃☕️
My friend created a Victober bingo, so I made her grid with washi and stickers! So fun! 🤩 Crafting!
I bought a pack of these charming bookmarks (penpals I hope to send one your way!) and I decorated my first one for Victober on front, other reading possibilities on back. I need to add 2026, so I can keep them as a memory! Maybe I should make ones for the past Victober’s that I participated in!!! I think this is my 4th or 5th official year of participation?! It’s the 11th year this wonderful Booktube readathon has been happening! 📚🎃🐈⬛✨🍁
To-Dos! ✨Rock paper weight 😂✨
My Moleskine Daily Pocket to-do is almost filled! My 2027 version is on its way! The one quibble I have is the Monday start, otherwise I loooove these. The paper is buttery and I love how they fit in my hand and the monthly and daily set up! The spines have held up to my heavy abuse.
How’s my beginning Victorian reading going? Good! I had listened to The Importance of Being Earnest a couple of days before October and that was a perfect, lighthearted choice to get me even more excited. I found this free audiobook of The Pickwick Papers and so I’ve started tandem reading and listening and it’s just as ridiculous and full of wordsmithing wonder as I remember. Yes, I had read half years ago! 🙃😂
It would definitely fulfill the prompt for Travel and Adventure. Dickens and I are fickle friends, so we’ll see if I can stick it out! I may have to just listen 🎧 while cooking etc.
I’m absolutely loving Poems of the Past and the Present by Thomas Hardy on my Kindle. Some obtuse literature/history/places mentioned, but I’m finding it very readable! This would fulfill birthday month author as we are both June born! I thought I would enjoy his poetry due to his lush writing in the novels I have read of his. I’m hoping to attempt The Woodlanders, too. A friend gave me a gorgeous old copy of it years ago, but it’s a bit fragile so may read it on my kindle.
I also picked up at 39%? with Uncle Silas as I had started this years ago. Honestly, the first part of this book draggggggged for me. But I have it on good authority, that the next part is better and gets the sinister, atmospheric plot going! So far, the main character Maud? is traveling to live with an estranged uncle to fulfill her father’s will conditions. 😳😬
I’m 5 chapters into my local friend’s bookclub read of Dr.Wortle’s School! It’s very easy to read and I like the story. Haven’t fallen in love with any characters yet, though. You could definitely use this for a Character who Has a Secret 🤐 prompt! It’s a nice, short Victorian novel, too, which can be a relief. 😅
Reading Autumn 🍂 ~
whole worlds
leaf by –
my eyes,
heart cries
tumbling in,
passing my kin‘s
by-gone sighs
rustling, flitting
let my soul sink in.
~A.M. Pine♥️🌲
Damp treasures 🥰♥️✨
How’s your reading currently? Creating anything? What’s new with you?
My friends! My favorite reading month of the year is here! Victorian literature has blessed me in so many ways. It’s beautiful writing, it’s gorgeous atmospheres, it’s delicious characters, and it’s over-the-top dramatics! 🎃
I’m hoping to be posting here a bit more this month (daily?!🤞🏻) in celebration of a beautiful month here in the Midwest USA and Victober.
I love putting bits and pieces of the ephemera of life together. Whether that be in the form of a poem, collage, quilting (hope to get back to it someday), pictures, quotes, making soup, lists, journals, or sending moments through the post. I invite you to join me in whatever way you can. 🤎 Post here in my comments, write in your own journal, post something yourself in your online home, or just meditate in your heart. Let’s rejoice together about a ‘new month with no mistakes in it…yet.’ 😁
My first little verse and collage in honor of this momentous month! 🍁
Which spooky or Victorian book should I start this very afternoon? The possibilities are endless! 🍁
May your coffee be hot and your book long and wonderful!
•loving the deep character studies in The Virginian•
Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me – a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
Outside my window… ✨sunny and cool! Gorgeous! I wish I could mow/weed-whack but already have a lot going on. It’s been raining a lot and so I’m behind on yard work.
I am thinking…✨of my tween/teen girls class I’m teaching at church tonight! Our Charlotte Mason co op beginning tomorrow! Cleaning projects! Books to be read! 😅
I am thankful for…✨my new refrigerator! Even if it cut into remodeling budget. 🙃♥️👀
From the kitchen…✨I’m making sweet 🌽 corn for lunch and need to get sloppy joes in crockpot as we have church. I attempted a cake for my hubby and I’s anniversary this week. It was WAY more difficult (and too sweet) than I anticipated and was a bit of a flop. The kids ate it all, anyway! 😂♥️👀
The Summer Book by Susan BranchEgg whites! 👀
I am creating…✨reading journal 📓 spreads and filling in September pages ~
Found alien stickers to add! 😍♥️😂Working on these prompts! Working on these, too! Back to Hogwarts!Ditto! 😅✨My favorite readathon is COMING. I’m starting now! 🍂✨Dr.Wortle’s School is my first pick with my IRL bookclub! 😍I’m never going to read those all, but fun to dream! 😂
I am going…✨ nowhere until church, working on homeschool lessons, church lessons, cooking etc.
I am wearing…✨heather gray knockoff 😅 Arirang World Tour Tshirt and green cargo pants, sandals and pearl earrings. Probably will change into something different for church!
I am reading…✨many things, but mainly excited about The Brothers Karamazov and starting Victorian things!
Here’s where I’m at in Bros K! 😎🤣👀 I’m loving it!
I am hoping…✨ to get ahead on some outside responsibilities stuff, revive my lagging health goals, and work on helping with the next step in our remodeling. 🫣😅🥵
I am hearing…✨my hubby shuffling papers in his home office. 😅
Around the house…✨messes and mayhem! 😅♥️Two children just came back from taking garbage to our dump. We have dishes etc to catch up on and the refrigerator switch out. We have more school to tackle and a little church prep, still.
One of my favorite things… ✨the golden, blues, browns, and greens of September! 🌾🍂🍃🌻
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…✨ Homeschool co op! A movie night with my 7 yo! “Relaxation” this weekend. 😅♥️
Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he can’t distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and others. And having no respect he ceases to love, and in order to occupy and distract himself without love he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures, and sinks to bestiality in his vices, all from continual lying to other men and to himself. The man who lies to himself can be more easily offended than any one. You know it is sometimes very pleasant to take offense, isn’t it? A man may know that nobody has insulted him, but that he has invented the insult for himself, has lied and exaggerated to make it picturesque, has caught at a word and made a mountain out of a molehill-he knows that himself, yet he will be the first to take offense, and will revel in his resentment till he feels great pleasure in it, and so pass to genuine vindictiveness.
The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky, p.48-49
Youch. 🥲♥️ 🙏🏻 Slowly reading a chapter or two of this amazing book after my morning prayer time! Happy Monday!
Happy September 1st! We are prayerfully and slowly getting into the groove this week with our autumn homeschooling schedule which kicks into high gear next week. I’m still holding onto late summer though. September has the potential to be a favorite month, EXCEPT if we get extremely humid weather. 🥵 Like yesterday. 😂
My last read for the Keep Me in Suspense Bingo Board. It’s actually turning out to be deeper and more introspective. The mystery is a bit slow and lackluster but the interpersonal relationship dynamics between the older father and his daughter, a 40 yo nun, is fascinating! Welcome, Early Autumn mugs! A favorite spot ☺️♥️Charlotte Mason Co-op prep! Book mail! 📬💌📦📖Very sweet new-to-me series! Husband and wife in small town! The wife is a wee-bit manipulative, but I loved the first for the most part. From Instagram! August was a great month! 🥹🥰😍♥️ I’m amyofhearthridge on there, too, if you use IG! Hubby and I went to Chicago for a quick 1 1/2 day trip! He surprised me with a ticket to see BTS. 💜
Korean pop band! It was an fantastic show!
So proud of myself for making a half eggplant and half noodle lasagna! 😅💜 Next time I need to figure out a better way to prep the eggplant. It was a bit salty.
Hope your week is starting on a high note. I’m still holding onto all the inspiration and beauty from this past weekend. I’m hoping still to make a vision/inspiration board for our new school year! ♥️
{I saw some book questions on an Instagram account called PensandPoison (I like SOME of her stuff, she’s a bit too clickbait-y for me) recently and have been having a lot of fun thinking about my answers. I think she answered them using all fiction, but I’m using everything to answer! I adapted these questions for me. It is a lot of questions and as usual, I can’t have just one answer 🤣, so I’ll be breaking this up into parts! I’d love to hear your answers and I hope you may find a new favorite if you try any of these!}
LFL finds! We actually found quite a few in this series. We like the illustrations more than the stories. 😄😉🙃
♥️book that surprised me ~ Vanity Fair really surprised me, because I’m generally a character reader and there weren’t many characters to love. The writing won me over.
♥️book that disappointed me most ~ this is a hard one, as I don’t read a lot of anticipated/new releases. I think I was surprised by how different I Cheerfully Refuse was than what I thought. Leif Enger is a bit more thoughtful and darker writer, but it was surprising how sad it was. I got to go to a book signing and loved his talk.
♥️books I recommend most often ~ possibly Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. Jane of Lantern Hill and The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery? Maybe The Hobbit?
♥️Books I wish more people knew about ~ anything by Ray Bradbury!
♥️book I wish I could read again for the first time ~ Bleak House by Charles Dickens or A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge.
♥️book that made me fall in love with reading ~ The Boxcar Children #1! 🥹😍
♥️book that deserves to be taught in every school ~ David Copperfield or Jane Eyre, unabridged, of course!
♥️the greatest novel ever written ~ jury is out on this for me, it’s probably a Victorian novel? or something from my favorite authors. I just don’t know if I’ve read enough to make a serious decision. Ha. 😅
♥️the most beautiful sentence ever read ~ another so difficult to answer. “Once upon a time “ 😂?!
♥️one final book recommendation that hasn’t been mentioned ~ Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace is such a gentle and thoughtful deep dive into servanthood.
How about you? What’s your answers to these questions? ♥️✨
