Welcome to random thoughts and a review of the month here at Tumbleweed Tidings! This is what we did and where we went during the glorious month of October.

• As part of the master bath remodel done the end of September, the first of this month started by having the closet repainted. It was the last space in the house to have the gold paint from 15 years ago removed and changing it to Patience by Sherwin Williams made the closet so much brighter!

• The day after the closet was painted, we embarked on a 10-night Disney cruise from Vancouver, BC to Hawaii. Because our clothes were still spread out on top of various beds while the paint dried, packing was a little bit of a challenge, but we only forgot a couple of things. After having the dust and noise of demo and tile cutting for two weeks, the trip was a welcome respite that we thoroughly enjoyed. After five glorious days at sea, we made stops at four of the islands. Even though we don’t live there anymore, Hawaii will always have a piece of our hearts.

• After arriving back home to find that the Menehune’s had not come to put the house back together in our absence, the next week was spent getting the shower glass reinstalled, the baseboards painted, and trying to purge So.Much.Clothing before slowly refilling the walk-in closet. With the closet empty, it became clear that the closet isn’t too small, we just have too many clothes and shoes. I am really taking my time with this, and if it doesn’t fit or I don’t love it, it’s gone. No more “wishful thinking” for me!

• Once or twice a year, we have our outside windows professionally cleaned. We do most of them ourselves throughout the year, but there are some very high windows that are no longer safe for us to attempt. This time, due to our recent reno dust, we splurged and had both the inside and outside windows washed, as well as the screens. WOW, what a difference. I don’t know what magic formula they use to clean the windows, but the whole world sure looked fresher after they were done, allowing us to fully appreciate the beauty of the changing leaves even more clearly.

• Every year about this time, I venture out to the back of our yard and do a lavender harvest. Lavender is one of my favorite scents, and I find ways to use it wherever possible including oil that I rub on my wrists at bedtime, linen spray for the pillowcases, and lavender dryer bags. For the fresh cut lavender, I made a couple of bouquets tied with ribbon. Next, I made sachets, stripping the florets off of the stem and placing them in drawstring organza bags. I gave a few away and the rest are in my lingerie drawer, where I will enjoy the beautiful, calming scent for months to come.

• Halloween is not a holiday that I decorate much for anymore, since the kids and grandkids are all grown up. But while cruising past the Dollar Spot at Target recently, I couldn’t resist this little metal bucket with a checked interior and Boo! on the outside. Filled with some Trick or Treat candy, it looks super cute on the entry table.

• And lastly, while on the cruise, I read Unwritten by Charles Martin. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

And that’s a wrap on our October that included some of the things I truly love; renovation, rejuvenation, and reading. I hope your month was spent doing things you love, as well.

Good tidings,

Diane