Mimi Takes Five - #271

ONE // Mums

I've loved the look of mums for as long as I can remember, and along with pumpkins, they mark the start of fall. While I love them, I've never gotten around to actually getting some for the stoop. They tend to be very ephemeral and with our weather being so unpredictable in the fall, it always seems like a bit of a risk. It's not uncommon for us to get frost in October, so I don't want to invest a ton of money on pretty porch flowers for them to only last a few days. All that to say that my husband surprised me with my first ever potted mum! I was so excited! The beauty of just having one is that I can put it outside while it's nice and then bring it indoors when the weather turns. I'll enjoy my pretty fall flowers for as long as possible!

TWO // Turkey Pot Pies

I love Thanksgiving for many reasons, but one of the main ones is definitely cooking a turkey. We always go through the motions of cooking a bird and all the fixings for the traditional dinner, but we also make the most of the leftover turkey to make more meals. This is the time of year we fill up our freezer with plenty of home-cooked dishes. We love crisping up the turkey skin (kind of like bacon bits) that we sprinkle over soups, salads or even just eat on their own. This is a real treat! We always use the turkey bones to make a broth that we then turn into a hearty soup. This year, we opted for turkey-barley and it's so good! We also use some of the broth in our pot pie filling. We made eight mini turkey pot pies and they are now in our freezer. This is such a great option to pop out on a cold winter's night when you don't feel like cooking. Just warm up (we pre-bake them) and serve with a side salad. We also ended up making a turkey à la king the other day and served it in fresh-made bread bowls. Remember the Timmie's bread bowls? Exactly like that! So there you have it, all the turkey adjacent meals we've prepped and enjoyed this last week - we used every single bit of it!

THREE // The Gilded Age - Season 2

After really enjoying the first season of The Gilded Age, I was really hoping there'd be more. I was starting to lose hope as I'd not seen anything about it for quite some months. However, I did see a post the other day announcing a second season! I'm thrilled! This was such a great tonic to my Downton drought, and I like the way Julian Fellowes approaches historical time periods. Season 2 will premiere on October 29 on HBO. Bring on the society drama!

FOUR // Pinecone Wreath

I like to craft and I usually have a seasonal craft listed on my fall bucket list. In the past I've made a leaf collage, sewn a cushion cover and done a few painted block projects. I didn't have anything specific in mind for this year, that is until I came across the chunkiest pinecones while walking my dog in the woods. I went back to the area with a big bag and collected as many pinecones as I could, regardless of quizzical looks from onlookers, ha ha! 

This wasn't my first time crafting with pinecones so I knew I had to clean and cure them. I let them soak in a vinegar bath for a few hours to get rid of bugs and other yucky stuff. Then, they were lined up on baking sheets and popped into the oven at 200°F for at least four hours. This makes them open up and dries the sap into nice shiny spots. Once my pinecones were ready, I decided to make a wreath out of them. A friend helped me and we just winged it. I used an old metal hanger as the base and used floral wire to tie each pinecone individually to the frame. The second layer of pinecones was simply hot glued on top of the bottom row. If I were to do it again, I'd make a smaller metal hoop for the second layer and tie the two hoops together for better structural integrity. I finished off with layering some burlap I had lying around and love the finished product. It's very simple, rustic and classic. My husband did make me a better-looking bow and made it more stable. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.

FIVE // Hair Cut

It was time to get my roots touched up and to get a little trim. I've been noticing that my roots are showing quicker now and they are definitely noticeably greyer these days. I suppose I shouldn't complain that my hair grows well, nor that I'm going grey as aging is a privilege. I'm simply not ready to embrace my natural colour just yet. My natural hair is a very light brown and the few grey hairs just give it an overall grey hue. It's not quite what I'm going for. I will embrace it one day but for now I'll keep dying it. My hair is the only beauty upkeep I actually get done as opposed to doing myself. Some like getting their nails done, I like getting my hair done. My ends were in need of a little TLC, so I got about an inch taken off. It's not much but it really lightens my hair! It always feels nice going to the salon for a bit of pampering.