Taking a moment to breathe

All of the fun and socializing of last weekend went completely by the wayside this weekend. I have left my apartment twice in the past two days. Once was yesterday for a 20 minute walk when the sun came out, and the other was today for about 30 minutes to get a pumpkin spice latte. I drank it sitting by the lake as the sun set. It was lovely. Best, most necessary 30 minutes of the weekend. What have I been doing? Reading, difficult/dense theory reading. And writing. I have my first paper as a PhD student due on Tuesday, so I read all day yesterday and wrote all day today.

But anyway! Let's not get all bogged down in schoolwork on this blog! There IS more to life after all! I have taken some pictures! With my new point-and-shoot camera! I like it quite well, though I do miss my DSLR. Here are some pictures!

Organizing efforts! Ok, so this is tangentially related to schoolwork. I normally keep my school things in plastic drawers, but these classes are kind of different, so I'm going to use the drawers I bought as clothes holders in my closet, and I put my school stuff in the red, two green, and tan bins. Then in the baskets I have my correspondence and letter writing materials, and electronics! Perfect! I also bought two new bookcases because one bookcase simply will not cut it. I have too many books for that (and I love it that way)!

This is a print that I bought for the bedroom from here. I think it's pretty adorable. Soon I'm actually going to take it off of the dresser and hang it on the wall! (I will, I will!)

I also got myself a new pair of boots for fall. I found them on Amazon.com for pretty cheap (as far as boots go). They are absolutely perfect. I almost want to order another pair just like them. I call them my Katniss boots, after the protagonist of The Hunger Games trilogy. I could totally see her wearing these boots when she's out hunting with Gale.

My Halloween Mickey mug has taken a place of honor on my entry table to greet guests with his seasonally appropriate jack-o-lantern smile!

I also bought two of these adorable fall candle-holder/lanterns at Target for 2.50 each. I absolutely love fall, and even though decorating an apartment inhabited and seen only by me seems a bit pointless, I couldn't resist a few small touches.

I also found a bit of time to watch Practical Magic this weekend (over the course of two days, in small sections at a time). Witches and autumn in New England and Halloween! But the best part? I found out that the beautiful New England set that I was absolutely pining for actually exists in WASHINGTON STATE! All that beauty isn't in New England-- it's right close by me! San Juan Islands, WA, here I come!

Isn't it gorgeous??? (Photo found here)

I'm hoping next weekend to get out and enjoy some autumn fun at a pumpkin patch! I am in desperate need of of a haybale maze and some hot apple cider.