Hello, friends! I hope you had a restful weekend. Currently Moon Pie is circling the living room, testing the waters while Apollo is on the couch, watching her every move. I can’t say that either Husband or I am super relaxed, but it’s progress. (Mittens Kitten is being antisocial in the yarn closet and currently wants nothing to do with this family).

The past several weekends have consisted of tasty meals, cozy bookstores, and random little adventures, so I’ll share a couple of blurbs and photos.

The weather was so mild this weekend…sunny and in the mid-60s/low 70s. All the leaves are now falling here in Austin, which makes for pretty hikes.

Like I mentioned, we’re at the in-between stage with the pets. The girls pretty much have free reign of the house except for a couple of hours in the evenings or weekends so Apollo can relax. The kittens enjoy cozying up on blankets, dragging all the blankets to the floor, throwing coasters around the house, and eating my plants.

Oh, my poor plants.

There’s a super cute plant store that I discovered this weekend called Succulent Native. Each of the plants have a tag telling you whether they are pet-safe or not. I definitely plan on grabbing a plant or two (A) after I get paid and (B) once I figure out how the heck to keep the girls away from my plants (is it futile? It’s probably futile.)

Husband and I have always enjoyed going to bookstores on weekends. I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am to have more than one bookstore in town. We recently discovered First Light Books and it’s already a favorite! I saw books recommended there from authors that I’ve never heard of and purchased two. Yesterday I bought a book of essays from Half Price, and I have a little book of poetry from Barnes and Noble.

Last weekend, we were checking out an art fair in Hyde Park when we saw a sign advertising a booksale. The address was seemingly someone’s house. We decided on a whim to visit the booksale, but once we turned onto the street, it was clear that it was a residential neighborhood. ”We can keep walking if it looks sketchy,” Husband said. We walked by the house and I peeked into the backyard. Hundreds of books lined shelves and tables that were set up across the spacious yard. 

“It’s legitimate,” I said., breathing a sigh of relief as we joined the other shoppers in the backyard. I’m not sure whether this was a private collection or donations from other people. I mean, if this WAS someone’s collection – there were a lot of books.

And finally – while I still want to make a post about my yarn dyeing experience, I wanted to share a photo of all the skeins now that they’ve dried. I’m really pleased with how they’ve turned out!

Well, I’d better wind down for bed. I have my cardigan project to work on, and maybe will do a little reading. Husband was holding Apollo while petting Moon Pie, and Apollo didn’t bark or lunge – just wagged his tail. This is such a huge improvement from last month. Maybe I will get my Christmas wish after all? Stay tuned.

I hope you all are weathering the holiday season, and will talk with you all soon!