Rain! Sleet! Snow!

Rain! Sleet! Snow!

 

We are doing The Happy Dance this morning, so grateful to get the moisture God is bringing to us.

The temps have gone from 80 degrees yesterday to the current 39; and it is a beautiful fall day!

 

Maya is here for the day, so we have been busy with activities.

 

Lauren brought her some pumpkin activity sheets from his office,

and she was delighted.

 

 

Take this picture, Nana!

 

 

And this one!

 

 

It's tea party(apple juice) and pumpkin muffins time!

 

 

 

 Then it was time for a little silliness!

 

 

To balance the tea party girliness,

Maya played sword fighting and did cycling on the Wii;

the ever-faithful Tiger and Lion cheered her on!

 

After such a busy morning, I think it is time for warm bowls of soup for lunch!

 

Tucking In

Maybe it's the weather forecast; cooler with a chance of rain or even snow this week. Maybe it's because I wore myself out on Saturday raking leaves and cleaning out the veggie and flowerbeds. Maybe it's because I just stocked up on hot cocoa, chai tea and Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Herbal Tea. (Yum!) Oh, and chocolate, of course. And maybe it's because our daughters' families rival teams, the Vikings and the Packers, are getting ready to play tonight. Most likely, it's all of the above.

(photo; scripture added)

Time to tuck in as the sun sets a little earlier every day.

Time to slow down and savor the times with friends and family or alone with a good book.

Time to hunt for new fall recipes and stock up on apples, pumpkin and the comfort foods from childhood.

Time to cuddle with our grands and to gather up a few warm hats, mittens and sweaters to have

about the house for them to wear when visiting.

I recently had a time off from blogging so that I could spend more time sitting at the feet of God. How assuring it is that there is no particular season for being with Him, for He is near always. My time has been good, and I am finding a better balance in my time with Him and my time doing other things, such as blogging. I might blog a little less or I might schedule my time better, but I do know that I so enjoy visiting your blogs and gleaning from you as you share your lives.

I know I have posted this song before, but it was playing in my mind today and I want to share it again.

 I hope you have a good week and that you are enjoying this season of your life.

The More I Seek You

The more I seek you,

the more I find you

The more I find you, the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet

drink from the cup in your hand.

Lay back against you and breath, here your heart beat

This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand.

I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming

Oh, Those Irresistible Leaf Piles!

We have had beautiful fall weather this week,and I was able to catch Maya and Eli as they had fun jumping

 in a couple of leaf piles in our yard and around the neighborhood.

(Leaf Pile song)

It was actually rainy and cool today, so I was glad we could enjoy time outdoors earlier in the week. 

Lauren made a pot of chili today and I made a few cinnamon raisin biscuits,and it was nice to have a somewhat lazy Saturday.Jack and Eli spent the night last night and we enjoyed a movie and macaroni and cheese.We all woke up early when the "Eli alarm" went off at 4:45 AM, although we managedto get him to doze a few more minutes. Then the "boys" were off at 8 AM to meet the boys' parents for Jack's soccer game, ( in the rain, so I wisely stayed home.)

 

I'll leave you with this poem by Elsie N. Brady

 

Leaves

How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow.

Hello, October

The calendar says it is October...the thermometer says it is August or

 early September, with temps in the 80s.

I was in the middle of complaining that it is going to be quite warm again today,

as I prefer crisp and cool fall days,

when I stopped...

did a U-turn...

and thanked God that our streets are not slippery from ice and snow,

that I am able to see the beauty of the fall leaves,

that I can hear the crunch of the leaves as someone walks by our house,

that  we had a great time on Sunday as our JEMS picked Jack-Be-Little Pumpkins from our garden,

that our windows are open to the breeze and sunshine,

that I see and hear the squirrels gathering nuts for winter right outside my window,

that it doesn't matter if there are weeds in the gardens anymore,

that October brings...

pumpkin bread,

apples for cider and pie,

cool nights,

soccer,

sweaters,

the leaves true colors,

ducks and geese flying south...

.

.

.

you get the idea.

October is here, and I am so thankful, Lord!

We really did have a good time collecting the pumpkins; Maya is just trying not to smile!

(last 3 photos from My Heart's Home and Garden)

The First Day of Autumn

The First Day of Autumn

It was the first day of autumn and much to my amaze

Were tree tops glistening in a vibrant glaze

Clad in rich scarlet, orange,and golden hues

As I stood at my window marveling this view

The crisp autumn air was perfumed to my delight

With the fruitful fragerance of orange citrus and spice

I thought to myself what a beautiful day

As the indian summer breeze made my curtains sway

So I rushed to get dressed in a sweater and jeans

And went for a walk to enjoy this autumn scene

Children were laughing as they played in leaves

with delight

I stopped and smiled at such a precious sight

The houses were decked with golden gourds on their lawn

And In the woods I spotted a mother deer with her fawn

The farmers they were reaping crops of wheat, barley, and maize

As their cows lazily stood in the pasture and grazed

Chipmunks and squirrels dashed up and down the trees

All the creatures were busy, yes even the bees

Together they worked to prepare for a long winters slumber

While the boys could be found in the wood chopping lumber

Geese were assembling in a v-shape line

To fly south for the winter toward a lucent sunshine

And the lucious red apples clinging to trees I passed by

Were waiting to be picked and made into pie

Pumpkins lying in patches glowed in an orange gleam

Would soon become Jack O' Lanterns as it neared Halloween

I soon found the day had turned into eve

So I headed back home and I turned to leave

This beautiful day had been so fleeting

It was poetic enough,to have been an autumn greeting

As I stood on my steps the autumn chill started to bite

I whispered happy harvest to all and a blessed fall night.

Read more: http://www.inspirational-poems.net/autumn-poems/121-the-first-day-of-autumn#ixzz10JjTeGv1



A Peek at Fall

Just a few photos from My Heart's Home and Garden blog onTumblr

to welcome the comfort of the fall season...

photo credits (click on title for source): 1) sedum 2) gourds 3) fall garden

4) rake 5) little girl

Changes Are in the Air

Yesterday, it was in the 70s here, but today,

the temps are hovering around 42 degrees,

and it is time to curl up with

a cozy throw,

a cup of tea,

 a cinnamon spice candle,

and a good book...

You can never get a cup of tea large enough
or a book long enough to suit me.  ~C.S. Lewis

I hope you all have a warm and relaxed weekend!

The Times They Are A-Changin'

For any of you who may have looked at this blog recently, I apologize for the many background changes I have made, but just when I think I like one, it seems too busy for me and I try another. I intend to keep this one through Thanksgiving. If you know me very well, you know that I tend to like things quiet and that apparently goes with my blog backgrounds!

I love the music addition, but if it drives you crazy, just mute it! It's fun to discover all of the things that can be added to a blog to share a little of what I like, and music is definitely one of them, although like everything else, I usually like it quiet. Sometimes I do like to crank it up though!

I love fall, and even though an early cold snap wiped out all of our fall colors and most of the leaves dropped green, it is still my favorite season. (If you have any photos of the fall colors around your area, please email them to me so that I can see what you saw this year!) I love looking for new recipes to try for fall comfort foods, and now I am on the hunt for Thanksgiving feast goodies. Tonight I made a potato gratin that I love, because it has sweet potatoes and Yukon golds.Here's the recipe along with another one for Apple Popovers:
Two-potato Gratin:Recipe: Two-potato gratin
Apple Popovers: Katie Brown - Where's Katie

I think I'll try making Butternut Squash Soup next!

Grandjems

It has been a productive fall for the JEMS; cooking, picking out pumpkins and loosing teeth!