Moments 10.2026

Posted Oct 30, 2026

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Another trip around the sun, lots of hiking and fall fun.

“I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.”

Welcome to “Moments” here on JoyFoodSunshine. This is when I interrupt my typical recipe content, and take time to share our family’s favorite moments from the month! Here it is for October 2026!

My Favorite Things– October

Here are my favorite things for October. I actually went through and updated all my favorite things here this month, and did the same in my Amazon shop. You should start thinking about kitchen items you’ll need to cook Thanksgiving dinner relatively soon! So I’ll share some of my faves here.

Also – it’s the yearly Sephora Sale. If you have a teenage daughter or just only shop when things are on sale, everything is 20% off! Here are my beauty favorites and my teenage girl beauty favorites – the things my daughter and I order on repeat.

9×13″ baking dish with lid is my go-to. I love this one so much and I use it all the time.
If you’re baking pies this season, a pie crust shield is a must.
Speaking of pies, love this white ceramic pie dish too! So good.
I got this water bottle because mine broke while I was traveling. Love it.
These jeans are so comfy and I never thought I’d put comfy and jeans in the same sentence. Wearing them every time I leave the house.
These dish towels are my favorite because they’re cute and actually dry dishes! 😉 I got a few new patterns for fall like this cute flower pattern and this plaid towel! Love them.
Pip Pop Post earrings are my daughters’ favorites. My teenager has a bunch, and I just got a few more styles for my 11 year old who just got her ears pierced this month! Her favorites are these cute cross earrings and this classic set. I also got her some Christmas earrings so she’s ready for the holiday season whens he can change them out – the bows are so cute!
This super cute NFL cardigan. If you’ve been around a while you know I basically only wear cardigan sweaters (call me grandma). Well, it’s because I can’t wear anything crewneck because of sensory issues! So this cardigan is super cute and soft and a great alternative to a sweatshirt. I got the Bears (go Bears) but there are a bunch of teams. And I typically size up, but since it’s men’s sizing I got a small.

New October Recipes

Instagram Highlight

I started sharing holiday recipes on Instagram this month – Thanksgiving sides and pies! Soon I’ll be starting 25 days of Christmas so make sure to follow along!

Snapshots

This was such a great month – we were so busy but it was so good!

Fall came and went in a flash here in Utah. But we make hiking a priority and ended up hitting all of our favorite hikes during the absolute peak fall colors.

I turned 41 this month. It doesn’t feel much different than 40! 😉 All I ever want is to spend time with my family, eat good food and enjoy the outdoors – and that’s exactly what we did. And we threw in a trip to the pumpkin patch!

We took a trip to CA to see Phil Wickham in concert and it was awesome. We stayed in Huntington Beach which is a different beach vibe than we’re used to – busy and fun and the kids loved it. Then, we saw Phil Wickham and it was incredible.

The state we live in is only 3% protestant Christian, and it’s hard to understand what that feels like until you live it – especially in the US. Being in a room with 10K believers singing worship songs was an amazing experience, and something I miss so much living here.

We also took our kids to see Biola University. It was Bethany’s first college visit and a good way to kick off this season of life. I want them all to experience different college campuses so they have ample time to make a decision when it’s time.

Another highlight for us was Naomi getting her ears pierced with her best friend. She has been wanting to get them pierced forever, and I’m so glad she got to do it with her favorite person.

She was SO excited for weeks beforehand, and they were so cute during the process, holding hands and encouraging each other. Naomi is the sweetest person in the world (seriously), and I’m so grateful she got to have this experience with her friend.