Catch all, Catch up.

My calendar tells me that we're three days from Halloween. When I attempt to sputter in disbelief that so much time can have gone by already, it patiently flips back a few pages to show me entire days devoted to hurry-up-and-finish-before-winter house projects, hours poured into significant restructuring projects at work, and long drives home surrounded by the resplendent hues of autumn leaves.

Despite my inability to sit and tap out blog posts, new ideas and interesting threads of thought have been weaving through my brain quite consistently. I hope to get some of them sorted out and written down soon in a form worth sharing here. In the meantime, I thought a catch-all, catch-up post was in order.

• There was a great discussion over at Raising Homemakers recently about wearing skirts in cold weather. If you're like me and pretty sure that tights are shipped to stores directly from one of the lower circles of hell, and find leggings too bulky or not professional enough to wear in the dead of winter, let me share the secret you have been looking for: thigh high socks. Warm, durable, comfortable and reasonably priced - these things rock! Love mine and love that they extend the wear-ability of my summer skirts straight through the colder months. If you've never tried them, I highly recommend snagging a pair - for $10, you can't go wrong.
  
• I love simple dinners that look fancy and taste expensive - even though they're not. My newest favorite? Classic, Four-Ingredient Fettuccine Alfredo. I made it with regular grocery-store grade Parmesan cheese and it rocked. It literally takes 15 minutes start to finish. Try it.
  
• Have you ever seen a book cover and thought "that's either amazing, or someone has a one-way ticket to hell"? That was the only thing that came to mind when I came across the "Zombie Bible" series. At $3 for the Kindle book, I had to buy it just to find out how one actually combines the Bible with zombies. Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but expect a review... a very, very interesting one...
  
• Kari Patterson wrote a fantastic post on Withholding Good. I really resonated with the reality that we so often withhold good -not on purpose, but because we underestimate the value of the little gestures or simple compliments. It challenged me to be more aware of what I don't say or don't think to do. Check it out and see if it speaks to you, too.
  
• Speaking of books, I ran across a great list on Pinterest that I had to repin simply because of the title: 10 Books You Must Read to Your Daughter (Or How to Keep Your Daughter From Ending Up Like That Horrid Girl in Twilight). I haven't read everything listed, and it doesn't cover some that I would definitely have included, but all things considered you can't go too wrong with a list written by any woman who correctly identifies Twilight as "horrid", right?
  
• Last one for today's round up: Lindsay Stirling. Absolutely freaking amazing musician. If the link doesn't work, look her up on youtube and click the link for "Crystalize". Not sure why I've never heard of her before, but if this is your first introduction to her as well - you're welcome.