• Start Here
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Table
    • Together at the Table
    • Food and Such
      • Beverages
      • Bread
      • Breakfast
      • Main Dishes
      • Vegetables & Sides
      • Soups
      • Desserts
  • Writing
    • On Family
  • Happy Designs
  • Connect
    • For You
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

A Fall Happy List (what I’m loving.)

October 19, 2018 by HappyGoStuckey 8 Comments

This week we finally saw a drop in the temperature. This means that here in the south, long sleeves are no-longer a recipe for heatstroke.  I am over the moon about it and so naturally, I’ve already made two soups this week. It stayed hot for so long this year, that there is no time to waste.

From one season to the next, I find new eyes to appreciate what’s around me, both the familiar and the fresh.

So here’s my current fall list of happy: 

Fun News! 
The book that my brother and I wrote is available in an ebook version. We love hearing how you love the story, so please keep sharing your thoughts!

Also?
If you and I are connected on Instagram, then you may have seen that I was working on a fun new project in collaboration with my favorite local photographer, Leah. There are exciting things coming ’round the bend and I cannot wait to share with you. Hint: there’s a lot of recipe testing going on around the Blue House. If you’d like to be the first to hear, sign up to the right and you’ll also get a free copy of Simmer, an ebook that features 6 soups & the stories that accompany them. If you enjoy a food memoir, or a cookbook with stories– you will love Simmer.

It won’t look like this for about another month– but we know it’s coming and that’s enough for now.

What I’m loving right now:

  • This Pumpkin Pie Spice. We made a simpler version of these pumpkin muffins from Half Baked Harvest and this fall spice mixture was so good. It will be divine in pumpkin pie.
  • Crimson Crisp Apples. I love a good crisp, tart, apple and somehow these seem like the best I’ve ever had. We just returned from Blue Ridge last week and now I want to make all the apple things, forever and ever amen. If you live anywhere near an apple orchard and you ever have the opportunity– definitely go.
  • In music, this brand new album from Ellie Holcomb. The songs are so good, so sweet, and full of truth.

On the BlueHouse Bookshelves: 

Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillin Smith. When someone I respect only publishes two books in four years, I stop and pay attention. There’s something about that blank space in publishing that to me, signals a rich creating space– and Myquillin is just so great at everything she does. Meaning, I’m certain Cozy Minimalist Home is going to be good!! (I pre-ordered this one and it should be here next week!) 

This illustrated classic has been our recent family read aloud; last night we finished it. Introducing our girls to the Hogwarts crew is probably one of my favorite things this year.

The Forgotten Garden. I’m still only about half way through this massive book but it’s really drawing me in. She writes long, luxurious books and I never feel pressured to finish them in a set amount of time. But, wow– the character development is really something special.

The Lifegiving Table. I borrowed this from a friend, and it’s clear I need to find my own copy. So much challenging encouragement. And just like The Life-giving Home, it’s one that you can read about a chapter a month– and slowly digest. If you read at a snail’s pace like I do– that’s a plus. 🙂

Ok my friends. Tell me. What’s brightening your perspective lately? What are you loving about the season we’re suddenly in? What books are you reading? I would truly love to hear from you.

What I Learned & Loved in the Summer
A ‘Truly Beautiful’ Grief.

Comments

  1. Kim says

    October 20, 2018 at 8:26 pm

    Yes to the Table book. And homemade bread. And apple crisp w vanilla ice cream that your neighbor makes

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      October 22, 2018 at 11:36 am

      Speaking of, your focaccia was a huge hit with all four Stuckeys last night! <3

      Reply
  2. Amy Kerr says

    October 20, 2018 at 8:54 pm

    Oh my word, Cynthia! This list makes me feel all sorts of cozy. I want to light a candle, grab a fuzzy blanket, make some chai, and disappear into a book. Bliss.

    How did I not know Penzey’s made a pumpkin pie spice?? Of course they do. And I bet it’s killer. (I love their Saigon cinnamon) And I can’t wait to try those apples.

    Here’s what I’m loving:
    – Mixing cinnamon and orange essential oils in my diffuser. It smells like a homemade cinnamon broom, and it is wayyyyy cheaper than buying thirty-two Kitchen Spice Yankee Candles. Which I love, but I also enjoy saving money. Like, a lot.

    – Fall hikes! Today was the first hike with turning foliage, reds and yellows and oranges everywhere. Mountain creeks that were bone dry in the summer are bubbling again. Add in a crisp breeze and delicious food before and after said hike, and I’m a happy girl.

    Fall is such a life-giving season, isn’t it? Thanks for the great reminder. 😘🍂☕️

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      October 22, 2018 at 11:38 am

      YES. The saigon cinnamon is SO warm and perfect. I’m going to try that diffuser blend– I just finally added cinnamon to my collection, not sure why I waited so long?

      And absolutely girl. You and I hike very much the same way–bookended with good food! HA.

      Hope you had a fall-tastic weekend friend! Always good to see your name here. 🙂
      –Cynthia

      Reply
  3. Deb Weaver says

    October 20, 2018 at 9:05 pm

    I get the soup craving! I made French Onion tonight. Savory! Here in Wisconsin, we had snow flurries early this afternoon that melted away. A couple hours later I went for a walk in the cold, breezy air. It was fun to watch the colorful leaves turning cartwheels across my path. I’m still pondering a book I read twice this summer, Present Over Perfect–so timely, so needed! I also recently appreciated a paradigm-challenging book called With by Skye Jethani. I’m in the middle of Fully Alive by Susie Larson & Killing Kryptonite by John Bevere. There are many in my next up stack!

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      October 22, 2018 at 11:43 am

      Oooh Deb. French Onion sounds fabulous. I need to put that back on my meal plan soon! Your recent books sound so good. My to-read list is always WAY taller than it should be– but I guess thats half the fun. 🙂 Happy fall Deb!

      Reply
  4. Teresa Hardymon says

    October 20, 2018 at 9:47 pm

    Fall was a little late to arrive in Ky too. Just now starting to see a bit of color. I too am waiting for Myquillin’s book to arrive. Happy Fall!

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      October 22, 2018 at 11:40 am

      Ooh I bet fall in Kentucky is just gorgeous. It’s been several years since I’ve been there.

      And I just received the amazon alert today that Myquillin’s book should be here tomorrow! Hooray!

      Grateful,
      Cynthia

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe and receive a Free copy of “Simmer: Six soup recipes and the Stories that Inspired Them.”

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Hey There!

I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

Instagram

happygostuckey

Throwing it back but not way back: remember last y Throwing it back but not way back: remember last year when we *discovered* the whipped, frothy, goodness of Dalgona Coffee?

I made it again today for the express purpose of seeing if it would still work with less sugar and I rather like my lightened up version!

(Tip: in my opinion, it makes enough for two— especially because I use instant espresso— so it’s pretty strong! Not warm where you are yet?  Tap the little flag to save this post for later.)

✨Whipped Coffee✨ 
2 TBS. instant espresso
2 TBS. cold water
1 TBS. maple syrup or simple syrup
1-2 glasses of ice and milk

Whip/ Beat the espresso, syrup, and water with an electric beater, immersion blender, or hand-held milk frother until frothy and light in color. Scoop over the milk and ice and enjoy!
🪡Do I seamstressed to you?🪡 Really though, 🪡Do I seamstressed to you?🪡 

Really though, after completing my first embroidery project, I feel like it might just be the cheapest, prettiest, stress relief out there. I am officially a believer in relaxing this way. And PS, if I can do it, you can.

Thank you, @thebarmyfox for bringing this lovely art into my life!
Joy is the courage of people who don’t have all Joy is the courage of people who don’t have all the answers, yet.

While you sit in a season of waiting,
the calendar can often be a cruel companion, reminding you that days go by, weeks, months— with what feels like very little change in the right direction.

Perhaps you can easily assent to: 
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but you strain to see just how it will be when: “...a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)

Wherever you and I are today— whether we wander, wait, stand firmly planted, or some pressed together combination of all three — we can take heart.

We are not alone.
And this will not be wasted.
What seems to be an unending blank space, an indefinite pause, is a space for new things.

Long before all is made right, and whether or not it all is tied up neatly with a perfectly crafted bow— we can know this:

We do not have to know the outcome to be faithful today.

✨Joy is not disregard for reality as much as it is obstinacy against despair.✨
Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. T Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. There. I said it. These days I’m gravitating to the true & the beautiful as rest for my weary self... and I wonder if you are too.

So much so, that I’m starting a new little offering, it’s called “The Feast: Wonder for the Weary” and the first issue goes out this weekend. It’s a bit more personal (okay this first one is WAY more personal. 🤭) It will be a little bit of everything, all with the goal of offering REST to both the feasters & foragers alike. If you’re already a subscriber— no need to do anything, if not— click through my bio to “keep in touch” and join the feast.✨
We are a people of both lament and praise. We hol We are a people of both lament and praise.

We hold questions without answers— yet we hold them in hands already full of good things.

We hold our daily bread, our daily gifts, and we hold the daily closeness of the God Who Sees.

The God who is no stranger to our lament, and Who Is the reason for our every hope.
He does not grow weary of our asking. Of our need to be told again, He will. 

You friend, are not invisible.
You are seen and cared for by the God who does all things well. (Even when they feel anything but.)
Married love ambition: making the kids roll their Married love ambition: making the kids roll their eyes at our “gushy-ness” as often as possible. 

President & CEO of the Lance Stuckey Fan Club— in every season, but especially on days like today.
Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty k Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty kitchen.😍🌧📚

On this chilly Saturday, we spent entirely too long browsing for books at our library and then all came home to a fire, mochas, and cocoa, respectively. Of all the things we do not know at this very moment, we know the gifts abound, and are worth counting.

PS, if you haven’t spread whipped cream on a foil-lined baking sheet to freeze, and then cut out cute shapes with cookie cutters to top your coffee or hot cocoa, may I suggest you get thee on that at once.
“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provide “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” — Corrie Ten Boom

✨File under, things to save in a fire.✨

The prayer journal pictured here contains six months of the hard & the sweet.
Six months of prayers asked & answered for ourselves and for others.
Six months of seeing through prayer, not how it changed our circumstances necessarily but how it changed us.

I always appreciate a record like this— being able to clearly see the paths we are led down, rocky though they may be? Priceless.

The ways God has come near us & drawn us to Himself again and again are written on these pages and I’ll treasure it forever.

Also pictured: Psalms Illuminated Scripture Journal. Highly recommend. Thank you always, @allifarnell
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

While scrolling through my photos today, my heart was heavy to realize how far back “before” was.

Before masks and distancing, before loss, before other, more personal bits of hard. Multitudinous change, neither all bad nor all good.

With our free time, we’ve introduced our girls to Tolkien, Bilbo, Frodo, and especially Samwise the Brave. They are officially hooked and we are delighted to watch them discover another world where evil doesn’t win, and the courage of the small matters much. {they close their eyes at the Orcs and we haven’t had a nightmare yet!}🤞🏻😂😬
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Categories

Featured Posts

On Waiting & Moving

(And a Recipe for Italian Tortellini Soup) Later this month, our family will celebrate the 10th … [ Read More ]

Five Good Things

Hi. How are you, really? If you're anything like me-- you have moments of complete gratefulness for … [ Read More ]

Winter Favorites

(and why it matters to pay attention to the little things.) "For you are the sunshine-maker in … [ Read More ]

Loving Lately in November

"...all creation's revealing his majesty. We're invited to join with all nature in manifold witness … [ Read More ]

Feasting & Foraging (free for the weekend!) 🍊🌿

I wrote a book, called Feasting & Foraging, and I would like to tell you why. About a year … [ Read More ]

Miss Something?

Please be kind and give proper credit if you share! © Cynthia M. Stuckey. For personal use only, not to be copied, distributed, altered or sold.

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy may be found HERE.

Want each post to magically appear in your email box?

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Cynthia@happygostuckey.com
xo Cynthia
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Table
  • Writing
  • Happy Designs
  • Connect

© 2021 · Pretty Creative WordPress Theme by, Pretty Darn Cute Design