It's October, and already I'm seeing Christmas decorations and Costco, getting started on shopping (so I can relax come December!), and gathering my mental inventory of what we have & need to enter into this coming liturgical season fully.

It doesn't start until December 2 this year! Super-late! But I guarantee it's going to sneak up just the same... Gathering things early means you won't be Amazon-priming come December 1!

This post contains affiliate links

--1--

Grab your devotional! There are tons of wonderful options this year—I'll be working through Rooted in Hope from Take Up & Read.

I was curious as to whether this study would seem to "deja vu" since I worked through it last year, but after having read the whole thing while editing, I honestly didn't remember much from last year! There's a whole extra week added on to the end to carry you through to the new year, plus all the lectio boxes are filled in so it's definitely worth grabbing the new edition!

42/52: Explorers

Baby News, Meal Plans, and Shopping Small {7QT}

--1--

Our procrastination wasn't the *absolute* worst this year, so it only took us until week 22 of the pregnancy to get the 20-week ultrasound, and praise God, everything looks good! I was pretty sure it wasn't twins, but it's always a relief to have that confirmed... And after Edith's medical issues, it was also a big relief that everything looks healthy for this babe!

--2--

So what are we having? It's a...

Instant Pot for Beginners: Mashed Potatoes

I didn't realize what a complete life saver instant pot mashed potatoes could be until some friends were discussing their Thanksgiving plans. One of them said she makes her mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot, then puts them in to stay warm until she's ready to serve them hours later.

41/52: Potatoes For All!

40/52: Butterflies and Hair Bows

39/52: Tinkering Around

Book Stacks: Volume 2 (with giveaways!)

You know what? I do these book posts infrequently enough, it might be fun to do a giveaway with each one! And this week I have not one, but TWO books to give away—one for adults, one for kids.

So, what have we been reading these past few months? Well, you'll have to check out my Goodreads to see everything, because it's been 40+ books for me... That's what happens when I get pregnant & have insomnia, thus spending lots of time in bed reading on my Kindle. I'm not going to list them all here, just some highlights! Read Volume 1 here.

Here's some of what I've read!