this weekend~

So for two months now I've been back to living in workday vs. weekend mode.  Although going in at 2:45pm and only working 2.5 to 3 hours a day still leaves me with quite a bit more free time than I had when I worked a more regular schedule.

Wait.  Scratch that.  When I worked the "more regular" schedule I had no toddler.  And really, the whole "free time" thing is all a bit foggy these days anyway.  It's all relative, though.

Anyway~  I have my mornings free to take nice and slow, I work a bit and then I'm back at home.  Not bad.  But still, I've most certainly started knowing (for sure, without having to ask or check the calendar) when it's the weekend and when it's not.  I've just about gotten into a decent flow with working again.  There are kinks to work out, but there will always be kinks to work out.  That is a big part of life though, isn't it?  (or I suppose it's at least a big part of life that we create "kinks" that need working out in order to keep ourselves busy... or something like that.... hmmmmm)

But back to weekends.

Now that I am observing the weekends as glorious 2 day stretches of time to fill with whatever I wish, I am embracing my time a bit more fully and trying to get the most out of it.  Sometimes, the "most out of it" means laying on the couch in my pajamas with a good book, and sometimes it means a hike in the woods with my loves or a day full of errands or visits with friends.

This weekend:

We took a drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Mount Mitchell to enjoy the changing leaves while they are still here and stopped at Craggy Pinnacle for a nice (extremely windy!) hike up to take in the 360 degree views.  First, we stopped in at the ranger station and enjoyed the rocking chairs and wood stove:

And then we headed out to explore~

That's her 'hiking swagger', I suppose.

Here is the view from up top:

Drives and walks like that acutely remind me that I live in a beautiful, beautiful place.  For that I am grateful and I aim to remember it every day.  To count my blessings and such.

She painted.  Her first painting.  She painted a pumpkin with papa last week, so that counts of course, but this was her first on paper painting.

I think we're going to be doing a lot of painting 'round these parts.

Market morning followed, and she played in the leaves~

The second to last market day for us was a family affair and so was afterwards, when Beeba (that's the name Claire made up for my mama) came back to the house to see Claire's room and play for a bit.

We made stew (this Irish beef stew) and apple crisp (the 2nd one in 3 days...) and sat by the fire that chilly evening.  The stew, being Irish, called for beer and red wine and so, well, I had a bit of each and when you add that to the full tummy and fire~ I was cozy and relaxed to say the least.

The following day, my little love and I took a trip to the station to see papa, just in time to watch him drive the truck out to a call with lights and sirens blaring.  But he was back 15 minutes later.  After our visit she and I drove out to this great little spot, me amazed by the vibrant leaves on the way and she sleeping, and spent the entire afternoon hanging out with good friends, eating, drinking, connecting, and being merry.

As you do with friends.

And then it was home again home again.

Where we tended the chickens,

and she tried on her new boots,

which she likes to say are like mama's boots.  Only mine are just boring old brown.  Not pink with brown "horsheys" on them.

Dinner, bedtime, hello Monday.

cheers!