Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing with you a few of my favorite things. These are (mostly) small points of beauty in my life but significant because they fill my heart with a sustaining joy.  For these and so much more, I give thanks. (With gratitude to valued friend Maggie Rowe for inspiring this post!)

An afternoon cuppa. Sometimes slowing down for five minutes in the middle of an afternoon  to brew a cup of tea is just the refreshment I need. I have collected a lovely assortment to suit my every mood. As seen in the photo here, on this occasion I chose my very own Katherine Blend, gifted to me by a thoughtful friend, who is a tea-crafting hobbyist. How fun is that? She fashioned this blend off the chocolate-minty profile of this tea.

The George Washington Inn. My husband and I had planned to fly to Denver this month on a scouting expedition — we’re looking at places where we might relocate for our “next chapter,” when our home becomes an empty nest — but our plans were nixed, because Covid. My husband, however, who had just wrapped a big, work-related deadline, still felt much in need of a getaway. So he hunted up a Plan B we could drive to and discovered this gem on Washington’s peninsula. Filled with little luxuries, old-fashioned charm, and big, glorious views, it exceeded expectations. I posted a few pics on Instagram here, as well as our entertaining visit to the nearby Olympic Game Park. 

Lavender. As it happens, the Olympic Peninsula is home to the lavender capital of North America. Who knew? Lucky for me as I love lavender and while we were there stocked up on all things related: teas, soaps, sachets, and more. Along these lines, I have to share with you my new favorite all-natural, non-toxic, homemade disinfecting spray, which uses lavender essential oil as one of its key ingredients. I love using this spray as needed all around my house, but especially in the bathrooms, kitchen, and common areas. Cleans things up very nicely and smells fantastic.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty was the novel I took with me on our getaway and, happily, proved an excellent choice. So far, there’s not one Liane Moriarty novel I haven’t enjoyed, but this one captured me more than most. I loved the premise and the author’s surprisingly page-turning execution. I gave it 4.5 stars on Goodreads.  If you’re looking for other of this author’s novels to try, I also really liked this one.

That’s it from me, friends, but I’d love to hear from you. What are a few of your favorite things this fall?