Homemaker Happenings #11 (10.24.25 – 10.30.25)
Welcome to Homemaker Happenings! I am so happy you’re here.
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All too soon, beloved October is coming to a close. I’m left to wonder how she passed by so quickly. The weather has finally cooled off and leaves are hitting there peak soon in Pennsylvania. I’m beyond blessed to be able to spend this glorious month in the Northeast. Even though we only have a week left, I am going to hold on tight to every second that I can and enjoy the rest of this month with all that is in me. It makes me so sad to see TV ads, websites, and brick-and-mortar stores already promoting Christmas deals and items. A local department store had Christmas decorations up and you could hardly find any fall or Halloween items. It breaks my heart to see our culture begging for instant gratification to the point where we can’t enjoy a holiday that hasn’t even happened yet because we’ve already moved onto the next week.
This week, I challenge you to find as many ways as possible to enjoy the current season we are in. November will arrive soon enough, and then Christmas can make its entrance. But until then, bask in the foliage, the earthy, vibrant colors, and eat pumpkin everything. Life passes too quickly and you can’t get these moments back. Enjoy each one as it comes along. You don’t need to spend gobs of money to enjoy the season. Simply take a breath and look around and be thankful for all that this season embodies.
In Case You Missed It
How to Have the Perfect Northeast Fall Road Trip
The Best Activities to Add to Your Fall Bucket List
Weekly Menu
Is it just me or does it seem like Pinterest now only shows AI-generated food blogs?! It has me in a tizzy! I started doubling down on my searches and making sure that the recipes I am sharing with you are 100% human-created and tested. Enjoy these cozy recipes for the week.
Breakfast:
- This chocolate croissant breakfast bake looks like a perfect weekend brunch recipe.
- I bet it would pair perfectly with a bacon and cheddar Dutch baby!
- Pumpkin pie baked oatmeal is one of my go-to cozy fall breakfast recipes.
- Pumpkin cinnamon rolls is a recipe I absolutely have to make before the holidays take over.
- Apple cider waffles sound absolute divine on a chilly morning.
Lunch & Dinner:
- Oh my goodness, this apple cider beef stew is going to be on repeat in my house!
- I found a recipe for maple bacon sweet potato soup in a magazine, so this is not the one I use, but this recipe also looks incredible.
- There’s something about chicken parmesan that is so comforting during the colder months.
- Sausage, kale, and white bean stew is the epitome of comfort food.
- This spiced brown sugar chicken recipe is not only quick to make, but also delicious.
Sweet Treat:
Oh my heavens, this apple cider cheesecake looks so mouth-watering. I’ve found that not all apple ciders are created equally. I’ve been spoiled for years with good apple cider because of the apple production in the East. However, now that I currently live out West, it’s just not the same. If you do choose to make this, be sure to use good quality apple cider.
My Weekly Agenda
The Weekend
It’s a chock-full weekend of fun fall plans. This evening, one of my closest friends and I are attending an outdoor Halloween movie night at a local restaurant, with pizza, of course. On Saturday, my cousin (who’s really more like a sister) and I will adventure our way through Lancaster County, complete with coffee, fall foliage, delicious food, and lots of baked goods. On Sunday, I’ll be going to church with my uncle. He and his wife started a homeless ministry, and after church, we’ll be handing out meals in Lancaster city. Please check out their ministry website!
The Week
Compared to this past week when I traveled to a different New England state every day for a week, this upcoming week feels much calmer. Monday and Tuesday will be “business as usual” – blog/website/Pinterest work, working at my part-time job, and possibly seeing some friends. I’ll be spending Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with my in-laws who are coming to visit me. I’ll take them to my favorite spots in the area, and of course make sure they get to see the best views of the fall foliage. It’s supposed to hit peak color this week and I am so excited for it! The weather has finally gotten cold enough at night for them to change.
Books of the Week
ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m not typically one who outwardly promotes deals, but since I do share books, I do want to let you know that I will be promoting Audible audiobooks for the next few weeks. For every Audible membership purchased through my links, it helps me out and allows me to earn a little extra. Also, Audible has a great promotion where you can get a membership for $0.99 for your first three months when you first sign up.
Fiction Recommendation: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
This is a book I started reading years ago and have yet to finish. It is an impeccably written story with plenty of mystery and twists, as only Agatha Christie can write. It’s the perfect book to finish October with – not too scary, but just enough mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Synopsis: The world’s best-selling mystery!
“Ten…” Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious “U.N. Owen”.
“Nine…” At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.
“Eight…” Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one…one by one they begin to die.
“Seven…” Who among them is the killer? And will any of them survive?
Nonfiction Recommendation: The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore
I just started this book a few weeks ago, and I am hooked! Even though it’s nonfiction, it truly reads like a story. The history of the Romanovs is one that is incredibly fascinating and scandalous. If you are looking to learn about history and also get sucked into it, this one is for you.
Synopsis: This is the intimate story of 20 tsars and tsarinas, some touched by genius, some by madness, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire building, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, family rivalries, sexual decadence, and wild extravagance, with a global cast of adventurers, courtesans, revolutionaries, and poets, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy and Pushkin to Bismarck, Lincoln, Queen Victoria, and Lenin.
To rule Russia was both imperial-sacred mission and poisoned chalice: Six of the last 12 tsars were murdered. Peter the Great tortured his own son to death while making Russia an empire and dominated his court with a dining club notable for compulsory drunkenness, naked dwarfs, and fancy dress. Catherine the Great overthrew her own husband (who was murdered soon afterward), enjoyed affairs with a series of young male favorites, conquered Ukraine, and fascinated Europe. Paul I was strangled by courtiers backed by his own son, Alexander I, who in turn faced Napoleon’s invasion and the burning of Moscow, then went on to take Paris. Alexander II liberated the serfs, survived five assassination attempts, and wrote perhaps the most explicit love letters ever composed by a ruler. The Romanovs climaxes with a fresh, unforgettable portrayal of Nicholas II and Alexandra, the rise and murder of Rasputin, war, and revolution – and the harrowing massacre of the entire family.
Dazzlingly entertaining and beautifully written from start to finish, The Romanovs brings these monarchs – male and female, great and flawed, their families and courts – blazingly to life. Drawing on new archival research, Montefiore delivers an enthralling epic of triumph and tragedy, love and murder, encompassing the seminal years 1812, 1914, and 1917, that is both a universal study of power and a portrait of an empire that helps define Russia today.
On the Hunt
This week, I am featuring some really fun items that will take your fall hosting game to the next level. Check out these fun items!
Back + Decker 12-Cup Coffee Maker
Set of Four Glass Carafes with Lids
Acacia Wood Pumpkin Charcuterie Board
Fall Pumpkin Decorative Bowl Set with Lids
Nordic Ware 9-Inch Springform Pan
Tip of the Week
Go to bed early! It’s suggested that we turn off all electronics at least 60-90 minutes before we want to sleep. For many of us, this is unrealistic. However, you can work towards this goal by pushing up your bedroom by just 5 minutes to start. Each week or every few days, go to bed 5-10 minutes earlier. You can also read in bed. This is a great way to calm down for the night and get your body into a state of rest.
