🍂 Our Little Friday Letter (Friday, 12th September, 2025)

A weekly catch-up from Our Little House in the Country

🍂 A Warm Welcome

Hi friends — happy Friday!

Oh my goodness, how are we already on to our second Our Little Friday Letter of September? I hope you’ve had a great week so far. I’m so glad you’re here, and as always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter — we’re continuing on with all the cosy, autumnal vibes and keeping things beautifully in step with the season.

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🏡 From Our Little House

This week, I think I can finally say I’m starting to fall into a rhythm again. It’s always interesting how quickly everyone else — the kids, my husband — seems to slot back into term-time routines, while I take a little longer to find my own flow. But I’m getting there!

I’ve really been enjoying my quiet morning ritual: dropping the kids to school, heading for a walk, spending time at the yard with our lovely little pony, and having coffee with my husband (who’s just back from working abroad). I’m even enjoying the fresh air and physical work — mucking out the stable is actually becoming a part of my morning rhythm that I look forward to.

At home, I’ve also been easing back into my little homemaking routines. Over the summer, things definitely slipped — which is only natural when everyone’s around all day! But I’ve now returned to my rhythm of gently allocating one household task or area to each day of the week. Nothing overwhelming — just simple, doable maintenance that helps the house feel calm and under control. I’ve even got back into those end-of-day resets: running the dishwasher, resetting the kitchen, sorting the laundry. It’s not glamorous — but I feel more grounded when these little things are tended to.

As I mentioned above, my husband has just returned from working abroad for over a week, which used to happen far more often when the kids were younger. I used to find it exhausting back then, but this time it was different. Not that I didn’t miss him — of course I did — but I appreciated the quiet, the space, the opportunity to really get back into my own little rhythms. That said, it’s lovely having him home again — not least for those taxi runs with our teenagers!

I’ve also finished adding our autumnal touches around the house. This year, I really leaned into deep, rich colours: burgundies, burnt oranges, golds, and beautiful autumnal textures like glass, velvet, and warm metals. We now have fairy lights twinkling, candles glowing, soft throws, and lots of little rustic details tucked in here and there. It’s cosy and colourful and very “us.” I did invest in a few timeless new pieces, but nothing extravagant — mostly things I know I’ll love and use for many years to come.

And with the darker evenings creeping in, we had our first truly cosy movie night over the weekend — curtains drawn, candles lit, and Jurassic World: Rebirth on the screen. There’s something special about those darker evenings, isn’t there?

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🍂 On the Blog This Week

It’s been another cosy, productive week on the blog — I’m really trying to stay ahead of myself a little now, so I can carve out time for the other projects I have on the go behind the scenes.

This week’s main blog post was:
👉 Six Slow Cooker Family Meals
This one’s a hearty autumn collection of some of our favourite easy slow cooker dinners — including both old favourites and new-to-the-blog recipes. Each one has a printable recipe card and is perfect for real-life weeknight dinners or lazy autumn Sundays. One pot, minimal prep, and loads of flavour — ideal for this time of year.

✨ Side note: A lot of you ask which slow cooker I use — it’s the Crock-Pot 6.5L, and I love it. Perfect for family meals, easy to clean, and it’s the one I use for all of the recipes I’ve shared. If you’re thinking of investing in one, you can find it here on Amazon. This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase — at no extra cost to you.

This week, I’ve been continuing to share cozy, calming, and connection-first posts that gently ease us into autumn. If you’re looking for simple ways to enjoy this season — indoors or out — you might enjoy these four autumnal reads:

📵 10 Autumn Evenings Without Screens
Looking to swap out the scroll for something more soul-filling? This list is full of screen-free ways to spend your autumn evenings — perfect for families with teens, couples, or anyone craving more calm, creativity, and connection.

🌾 10 Simple Nature Activities for an Autumn Weekend
Nature walks, leaf crafts, scavenger hunts, and mindful moments in the fresh air — these gentle ideas are ideal for slow autumn weekends, whatever your age or energy level.

☔ 10 Easy Ways to Enjoy the Outdoors in Autumn (Even if It’s Raining)
Don’t let drizzle dampen your seasonal spirit. These ideas will help you embrace the outdoors — from rainy day walks to cozy garden rituals — even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

🧣 10 Gentle Autumn Self-Care Rituals
A cozy, nourishing list of simple self-care practices for autumn — perfect for slowing down, softening your schedule, and feeling more grounded as the darker evenings roll in.

And in case you missed it:
📥 The Slow September Calendar is still available to download — it’s completely free and designed to support body, mind, soul, and connection this month. Pop over here to grab your copy.

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🔜 Coming Up on the Blog

We’re heading into the heart of the season now — and I have so much cosy, intentional autumn content lined up to share with you each Tuesday.

🍂 Next week’s post:
Seasonal Rhythms for Autumn Evenings: Finding Calm After Busy Days 
Next week on the blog, I’ll be sharing Seasonal Rhythms for Autumn Evenings: Finding Calm After Busy Days — a gentle, reflective post all about how we wind down at this time of year. As the days grow shorter and our schedules a little fuller, it becomes even more important to build calm and comforting rituals into our evenings. From cosy dinners and soft lighting to family rhythms and solo wind-down time, this post explores simple, seasonal ways to create space to breathe after the busyness of the day.

🍁 Also coming soon:

• The Connection-First October Calendar — a lovely, flexible “could-do” list of seasonal family activities focused on connection, both indoors and out.
• The Winter Well November Calendar — 30 beautiful, gentle ways to support your wellbeing and rhythm as we move into the darker months.
• More slow cooker recipes, comforting rituals, and seasonal slow living posts — including how to cosy up the home, savour little autumn joys, and prepare for the slower pace of winter.

Watch this space — and thank you, as always, for reading 💛

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🍁 Theme of the Week

Making Space for What Matters

It’s funny how the start of a new season brings with it a natural pull to both do more and slow down at the same time. The back-to-school energy, the earlier evenings, the renewed focus on work, routines, and household rhythm — it all adds a quiet urgency to our days. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this: we can’t give our best to what matters most if we don’t make space for it first.

Lately, I’ve found myself really thinking about the idea of making space — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. Making space in my day to take a breath between school runs and chores. Making space in my schedule to actually enjoy a meal with my family instead of rushing through it. Making space in my home — through decluttering and conscious choices — for the items and rituals that bring joy instead of stress. Making space in my head to be present, even in small ways, instead of always being five steps ahead.

This week’s blog post — a collection of six slow cooker family meals — might seem like a very practical, even humble, post. But the truth is, meals like these are little gifts of time. When I can pop dinner into the slow cooker at 10am and not think about it again until evening, I’ve bought myself hours of mental space. Space to work. Space to create. Space to sit and have a chat with one of the kids. Space to pop down to the yard and spend time with the pony. Space to just be.

And it’s not just the food. It’s the principle. There are dozens of ways — big and small — that we can make more space in our days for the things that matter.
For you, it might be:

• saying no to one more after-school activity
• putting your phone on silent during dinner
• setting the kitchen timer so you only spend 20 minutes cleaning
• using a printable planner to map your week and avoid overwhelm
• batching tasks to free up a full afternoon
• letting go of the pressure to do it all perfectly
• or simply lighting a candle and enjoying five slow minutes with a cup of tea before the dinner chaos begins

In our home, it’s often these small changes — a shift in routine, a slower meal, a simplified cleaning rhythm — that make all the difference. Because space isn’t something that magically appears. It’s something we create. On purpose. Gently. Repeatedly.

This season, I want our days to feel spacious, not stretched. Full, not frantic. I want to keep asking myself:

“Is there enough room in my day for the things I say I care about most?”

And if not — what can I gently let go of to make that room?

So that’s the invitation this week — to take a breath, look around, and ask yourself what space you might make in your own life, to better hold the moments, rituals, and people that matter most.

Because a full life isn’t measured by how much we squeeze in.
It’s felt in the pockets of time we protect.
And it’s lived best — not at full speed — but in the soft, steady rhythm of what truly matters.

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🍂 This Week on Instagram

It’s been another lovely week of cosy, autumnal sharing over on Instagram — full of seasonal inspiration, beautiful conversations, and thoughtful little moments.

This week, I’ve been sharing some new autumn-themed carousel posts, each one focused on enjoying the season with a bit more intention and a lot more joy. You’ll find carousels on:

🍁 15 Things to Collect on Autumn Walks — and What to Do With Them
A gentle prompt to get outside and connect with the season through natural treasures.

🍂 10 Screen-Free Autumn Evenings to Enjoy This Week
Simple ideas for reclaiming your evenings and soaking up the slower, darker nights of early autumn.

🌾 10 Autumn Pleasures That Deserve a Comeback
Nostalgic, grounding rituals that bring deeper meaning to the season — with a focus on family, home, and connection.

✨ I also shared a few cosy sneak peeks from around our home, showing how I’ve styled our sitting room and kitchen this year for autumn — full of deep, rich colours, soft textures, flickering candles, and velvet pumpkins galore. It’s amazing how a few small touches can transform the feel of a space.

🧡 As always, thank you for being part of the conversation. Whether you’re commenting, sharing, or simply quietly enjoying — I see you, and I’m so grateful for the community we’re building together.

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🗃 From the Archives

Letting Go of Perfectionism & Making Home Your Own
Originally published in March as part of the Intentional Homemaking series, this post explores the quiet, powerful act of choosing presence over perfection — and learning to create a home that supports you, rather than one that performs for others.

If you’ve ever felt weighed down by the pressure to keep your home perfectly tidy, beautifully styled, or “Instagram-ready” at all times, this one’s for you. It’s about shifting the focus from how things look to how they feel — from curating a moment to living fully inside it.

“Letting go doesn’t mean letting go of beauty — it means recognising that beauty can exist alongside the mess. That life can be full of joy and still look a bit chaotic around the edges.”

This post remains one of the truest reflections of my values: creating a life that feels good now — not someday, not when everything is tidy — but today, exactly as we are.

You can revisit the post here or find it under the Home, Food, and Everyday Life category on the blog.

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🌿 Follow Along

If you’d like to keep in touch between letters, you’ll find me most days over on Instagram — sharing gentle reminders, snippets of everyday life, and chats over coffee in Stories.

Here’s where else you can find me:

• 📷 Instagram
• 📝 Substack
• 📌 Pinterest
• 🏡 Blog

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💬 Share Your Thoughts

If there’s something you’d love to see in a future newsletter, blog post, or printable, or if you just want to say hello — I’d truly love to hear from you.

You can reach me any time by:

• 📩 Filling out the contact form
• ✉️ Emailing me at ourlittlehouseinthecountry@gmail.com
• 💬 Sending a DM over on Instagram

Comments on the blog or Instagram are always welcome too. I read every single one.

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💌 Until Next Time

So that’s it from me this week, my friends. As always, thank you so much for making space in your day to open up this little letter. Whether you read every word with a cuppa in hand or just skim through for a moment of calm, I’m truly grateful you’re here.

I hope this week’s newsletter brought you a little inspiration, a little comfort, and a little encouragement to keep making space for what matters most — whatever that looks like for you right now.

Wishing you slow moments, cosy evenings, and the kind of small joys that make this season feel truly special. I’ll see you again next Friday with more autumn goodness, seasonal ideas, and a little letter from our little house in the country.

Take care and talk soon,
Ciara x

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