Has anyone else felt like the month has just slipped by in an instant?  I have certainly felt that the past season rushed past while I've barely had a chance to take a deep breath.  How I just loathe the rush of passing time!!  I try to savor the days, but they so quickly become weeks….. so is man's eternal battle to slow down our dratted time allotment here on earth. 

During the past flying week my eldest, Christina, came for a visit.  She came by herself to celebrate her birthday. 

It is hard to believe that my baby girl is 32!!

While I missed my sweet grands, it was so fun to have some mother/daughter time with just the two of us.  I was excited to share some of the best of my lovely village with her and my fav spots while we got in some major bonding time! 

Every day must start with a good breakfast.  Here we are at Olive chowing down on some yummy goodies. 

My daughters all inherited my love of thrifting, sewing, and reading.  So a perfect day for us included visiting the local second hand shops and the used book stores.  Here was our favorite by far!

Isn't this just amazing?  There are books upon books.  We spent a good two hours just digging through stacks and piles.  We both came away with some great treasures! 

Back at home we pulled out the sewing machines and Becca joined us.  The two of them worked on Halloween costumes for the grands.  I was happy knitting away on mittens. 

Next morning we headed to Colville Street Patesserie.

Check out these goodies!!  YUMMMMMY….

Not really what one should have for a healthy breakfast, but what a treat!!  We brought home an assortment to nibble throughout the day. 

The week end was magical!  We ate too much, stayed up too late, laughed until we cried, and just simply enjoyed time together creating new and wonderful memories!!  I hated to see it come to an end.  It was through misty eyes that I watched her pull out of the driveway headed home. 

Christina will be headed back to pack up her household and prepare to move to a farm in a remote part of Oregon.  She has fully embraced sustainable living and has huge gardens and herds of varying livestock so this will be a great opportunity for her to enlarge her livestock herds and the income they generate.  And…..she will be closer to me!!!

And so it was back to my usual routine…well not quite….

My youngest baby girl Becca is moving to Nevada.  Her hubby has been offered a great opportunity and left a week ago to pursue it.  I am so happy for them both and what this will mean for their future.  But it also means my baby girl will be miles away with my sweet Bella!  While Matt finds housing and gets settled in the new job, Becca has stayed behind to finish the term of school.  This will begin a new chapter in her life as she has never been too far from home, being the baby of the family…..  But they have struggled so hard and are now expecting their second child.  I am so happy for them both.  But……Nevada…that is miles and miles away…….sigh……  

And….my middle sweet pea, Erica, got asked to present her work at not one but two different conferences next month.  Being a working mom of six she may have to miss one and Skype the other.  But as industrious as Erica is, it will not surprise me to see her physically present at both.  Erica, the brainiac, is busy plugging away on her PhD. 

I am so blessed by my three children.  Each one is so distinctly different in their personalities.  Each one is so precious to me and I adore them!!  I see parts of myself in each of them.  They each have a small part of some of my weaknesses.  Yet they always amaze me with their strengths and abilities.  It just takes my breath away and makes me so proud when I look at them and see what amazing individuals they have become!

With the change in weather and the early darkness, I have been spending the evenings inside reading and watching Brit TV.  Here is what has been on my reading list:

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton.  I discovered Kate Morton on Amazon and adore her books.  The Forgotten Garden was good, but The Distant Hours is great!!  It was one of those books that was magical and I just could not put it down. 

A Charmed Life by Liza Campbell.  Liza is the daughter of the twenty-fifth Thane of Cawdor Castle and as any Shakespeare fan knows, that is the Castle Macbeth.  This is her memoir of growing up in the castle with a father who is, well, almost right out of a Shakespeare tragedy.  Fascinating reading!!

I am currently working on Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, a nice change of pace from the intensity of the past two books.

On my list to read:

Three Philippa Gregory novels:

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Boleyn Inheritance

The Other Queen

I got quite heavily involved in the made for TV series The Tudors.  A bit violent for my usual likes, but a fascinating look at the life of Henry the Eight.  When I saw the books by Gregory at the used book store I could not resist.  I love anything to do with British history from 1066 to Elizabeth I; be it fiction, fact, book, or movie.  My impractical self wanted to get my grad degree in Medieval Studies at U of Cardiff in Wales.  Gonzaga and Communication/Leadership Studies won out from my practical side.  So I indulge my love through books, movies, and very occasional travel…

I also have on my list:

Three Cups of Tea. Have wanted to read that since it came out..

Atomic Farm Girl.  I can relate growing up in the shadow of Hanford…..perhaps I shouldn't read this?!

The Language of Sycamores….just because I love Lisa Wingate's novels.

That should keep me busy for a bit.

In other news, I have decided to take the plunge and buy a house here.  This has been a tough decision as I was not sure I was going to stay here long term.  But I love the community, have a great job, great friends, and my children and grands are relatively close by.  So I am beginning the process. Next week end I will meet with my amazing realtor and begin looking.  I'll let you know how that goes….

Happy Haunting…it is almost Halloween after all!!

Patricia