Currently… September 2026

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It’s time for another currently post, y’all!  Sometimes I wonder if I should even continue to do these posts since y’all already get a peek at our whereabouts in my weekly recaps, but these posts are more thoughtful, hence the reason I continue to do them! 

 

I’m currently…

Making: Plans for all the things for the rest of the year – football games, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s also one of the busiest times of the year, so I like to get ahead when I can.  As a matter of fact, I’ve already purchased a couple of ornaments for Christmas – this one for Jacob and another one that I can’t share because someone reads this blog and I don’t want to spoil the surprise!

Cooking: As I type this, I’m preparing to cook Sunday dinner!  (If you’re reading the day this post goes live, this happened two days ago.)  My Momma’s birthday is Thursday, 9/24, and I always like to cook for her and the rest of the family for her birthday since she selflessly cooks for us every Sunday.  On the menu for tonight – ranch chicken pasta, steamed broccoli, garlic knots, fruit, and a chocolate ganache cake from Publix for dessert!  I’m cooking for a big group – 10 to be exact – so a slow cooker meal was the best way to go, and this one is always a crowd pleaser!

Drinking: A ton of water with this mixed in for extra vitamins and hydration.  And I also have a cup of this coffee or this coffee every morning and I drink it black now!  Oh, and I just found this flavor, too, and I’m soooo excited for something seasonal and fun!  Drinking coffee has been such a great, natural way to boost my digestion.  I may not be drinking my favorite tea in the morning anymore, but I still have a cup every afternoon because I could never give it up.  This is my favorite time of year to drink it, too.  Cinnamon really shines in the fall and around Christmastime!  And on the weekends, I’m still obsessing over my beloved toasted marshmallow old fashioneds, and it always, always tastes better in one of these!    

Eating: Easy meals that I cook during the week, takeout on the weekends, and lots of healthy meals for breakfast and lunch.  I still eat eggs every single day and I also have my green protein smoothie every single day with this sprinkled in as it’s still doing wonders for my hair and nails even after all this time.  Hopefully the weather will cool off soon enough so we can start eating some of our heartier fall and winter meals!

Reading: I’m currently working my way through this book and I cannot put it down.  It is riveting and I’m dying to figure it all out and see how it all comes together at the end.  I’m also still reading my daily devotional – Called by Name: 365 Daily Devotions for Catholic Women by Kelly M. Wahlquist as well as my Bible and my Bible study The Bible in a Year Companion by Father Mike Schmitz.  I’m hoping to finish both of those by the end of this year, and so far, I’m staying right on track!

Wanting: All the fun fall and Halloween décor!  I have plans for our mantle for fall and Halloween, but I’m going to wait until next year to follow through with all of it.  I’m thinking big, thick garlands similar to this one and twinkle lights all over!

Looking: Forward to this weekend!  We’re going to our first Georgia football game of the season, and my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg are hosting a tailgate per usual, so it should be fun!  The weather is looking iffy, rain-wise, but I’m just grateful that it’s not supposed to be so hot!  And I think we’re all happy for a 3:30 kickoff because we don’t have to spend the night and waste half of Sunday driving home!

Playing: With Bellie all the time!  She has been such a breath of fresh air to have in the house and having her around has boosted my mood exponentially.  I didn’t realize just how much I missed having a dog until she joined our family.  Don’t get me wrong, she is a LOT of work, and she can be a huge pain in the butt when she’s constantly trying to chew on all the things, but gosh, she is so worth it!  I just love getting outside and playing fetch with her every day – she loves it SO much and it makes me happy to see her having so much fun.  It also doesn’t hurt that I’m getting up and moving around more during the day either.  She has to be let out frequently, so I’m getting more movement and more steps in, and my activity rings on my Apple Watch are getting more action than they’ve seen since Maui left us. 

Wasting: Brain power trying to discern which content on social media is real and which content is AI.  Sigh.  Y’all.  Is anyone else just completely fed up with AI?!  I absolutely hate it with a burning passion, and I think it’s completely ruining everything, especially the arts.  I’m sure it’s useful and has its place for good in some circumstances, but I absolutely HATE that it’s completely taking over social media.  I am so disappointed in some of the content creators / influencers that I’ve loved and followed for years because so many of them are now letting AI create all their content for them.  It’s lazy, is disingenuous, and it’s honestly annoying.  I’ve unfollowed so many people recently, some of whom I’ve been following for 15 years.  I hope all of you know that when you come here to my blog or you pop by over to visit me on Instagram, everything you see is content I have created myself.  I have literally never once used AI here on the blog or on social media, or even in my personal life (other than Google’s AI overview since I have no choice as it’s always the first thing that pops up now) and I don’t intend to.  I don’t even have Chat GPT or any of the others on my phone or computer.  I don’t even know how to get them or use them.  I’m assuming it’s an app????  Lol.  I honestly have no idea, nor do I want to. 

Buying: All the things for Halloween!  We have already purchased one round of candy for trick-or-treaters as well as some of this to fill the jar on our bar cart, but we’ll definitely be purchasing more as Brian and the kids have been eating all of it up!  I’m also trying to decide which one of these to get each of the kids (they both collect them) and, of course, we’ll be making our way to Spirit Halloween soon to figure out which costumes the kids want to buy for Halloween this year.  Jacob is saying he still wants to trick-or-treat again, and I’m totally down for that! 

Creating: Blog content!  Now that Grandparents Day is out of the way at school and Belle is not needing quite as much attention as she did when she first moved in, I’m hoping to start focusing on all things blog content for the rest of the year.  It’s almost time for holiday gift guides (HOW?!), and those are always a labor of love, so I’m hoping to go ahead and start on those soon.  I’d also love to get ahead on blog posts because it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that.  So, the next few weeks are going to be all about this little blog baby of mine!

Wishing: That the weather will please, please, PLEASE wake up and realize that tomorrow is the first day of fall and to please act like it!!!!

Loving: This entire line from Target.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so impressed with the quality / price of an athletic line ever.  These joggers are perfection, these sweatpants are not only the comfiest things you can put on your body, but they’re also ADORABLE, these dresses are comfy but also flattering (and they have pockets!), and I’ve been screaming about these leggings for years because they’re the best I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried a whoooole lot of different brands).  Oh, and they also come in a standard version (I'm LOVING these plaid ones for fall!) as well as a flared version.  I have both, and both are awesome.  Oh, and don’t forget these pullovers and / or these tops to go with all those bottoms!  Target is seriously killing it, and I don’t know why anybody would want to spend tons of money on higher-end brands when they can get these with such excellent quality and for an excellent price!  500 thumbs up for this brand!

Hoping: That the next few months go by slowlyyyy.  I know they won’t, but one can dream!  These are my favorite months of the whole year, and they always fly by in the blink of an eye, so I guess all we can do is soak them up, be present, and make them count! 

Marveling: At how quickly puppies stop being puppies.  We’ve only had Belle for a little over a month, and in that short amount of time, she has gained more than a pound (which is a lot for a dog of her small size) and both of her ears have gone from being super floppy and puppy-like to rigid and standing up straight.  She’s also sleeping much less than she did when we first brought her home, and she looks, well, more like a fully grown dog than a puppy.  It makes me so sad that they grow so quickly and are only here for a short while.  One thing I won’t miss, though, is the razor-sharp shark teeth and aaaallll the chewing!  Haha.

Needing: To find a new eye shadow palette for future use.  My beloved palette that I’ve been using for years and years was discontinued, so I recently had to purchase a few on eBay (new and sealed, of course).  I’m hoping the palettes I purchased will last another year (or maybe two), and by then, I need to have found a new one to replace them. 

Smelling: Cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and clove in my diffuser.  The scents of fall, y’all… my absolute favorite.

Wearing: Well, I know what I wish I was wearing!!  All my favorite fall pieces!  There is nothing I love more than a snuggly set when it’s chilly outside, and I’m looking forward to changing out wardrobe pieces very soon.  I’ve seen all the big influencers wearing sweaters and sweatshirts and sweating their butts off in the name of fashion, and I just cannot bring myself to do that.  Sadly, as I type this on Friday, it’s 93 degrees outside (laaaammmmeeee) so I’m wearing one of my favorite basic tanks and these jeans.  Thankfully, they’re thin and loose enough to wear this time of year as long as I’m not outside.  Until the weather cools, it’ll be these skirts, my favorite jean shorts, and tanks on repeat!

Praying: For our family after the death of my cousin.  My cousin’s immediate family was (is) very close-knit, and I know the lack of her presence has been devastating for them.

Noticing: That the leaves are finally starting to change colors here.  I’ve only seen a few here and there, but the other day, when I saw the first ones in the woods behind our house outside our bedroom window, it made me so happy!  We don’t usually reach peak here in the south until early to mid-November, but it’s always a thrill to see the first hints of gold and red and yellow and orange!

Knowing: That I completely abandoned my house cleanout for this year when we got Belle, and that I need to get back on track since the year is rapidly coming to a close!  I still have several things left on the list to clean out, so I’m hoping I can get everything that I’d wanted to get done.

Thinking: About how polarizing everything is in this world right now and how social media exacerbates that.  It’s scary how many people think in black and white when most things are, in fact, not black and white.  There are so, so many shades of grey. 

Opening: My mind to the possibility of getting a hybrid vehicle the next time we buy one (which hopefully won’t be for a while).  Gas prices are INSANE right now.  I recently spent almost $70 to fill up my tank, and that’s the most I’ve ever spent at a gas pump in the almost 30 years that I’ve been driving.  It is just shameful.    

Giggling: At Friends.  I’ve seen every episode loads of times, and when I say loads, I genuinely mean 30+? 40+? 50+? times.  I have watched it on repeat as my happy background noise for 30+ years (I invented binge watching, you know!) and even though I’ve seen all these episodes numerous times and can quote all of them, I am still laughing my butt off at every episode like it’s the first time I’m seeing them.  Watching it over again with the kids has been like watching it for the first time, and I don’t want it to be over!!  We’re rapidly approaching the end of season seven already, so we only have three seasons left, and I’m going to be so sad when we’re done.   

Happy Monday, y’all!