Happy Autumn!

Happy Autumn friends and family! I love this time of year. Actually to be honest, I love it when seasons change, but Autumn and Spring (and of course SUMMER) are my favorites. Winter, I love the various Holidays from Christmas to Valentines day, but it can be so bitter cold. For now... we are enjoying temps in the upper 80's lower 90's and that is heavenly after such a hot summer.

I am going to make a"bucket list" for this Autumn of various things I would like to do during this season.

1. Plan a Happy Harvest Day, most likely the Saturday before Halloween as an alternative for our kids as well as kids of our friends. It would be a great time for kids to get together, as well as us adults! How fun would it be to have them bob for apples, let them jump in a bouncy house, carve pumpkins, and just have a good CLEAN time?!

2. Walk outside after dinner (or while dinner is cooking) more often then not in the afternoon/evenings. The weather is so nice, and being out in God's creation this time of year is so heart warming. Honestly, I have to tell you ~ it isn't even for exercise, just to enjoy God's great earth! Fresh air does us all good ~ and far too often we are stuck inside.

3. Bake my first official apple pie like our great grandmothers would have.

4. Perfect the best pumpkin bread/muffin recipe from scratch and share with our neighbors!

5. Begin sewing!! I want to sew some vintage style aprons to don while I serve Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner at our house this year.

6. PAINT the living room, dining room, hallway, kitchen, and bathroom before Thanksgiving in a warm soft beige color.

7. Hand craft invitations for Thanksgiving dinner, as well as gather items to make the table scape special.

8. Make it to church on Wednesday nights more often then not. We easily make it on Sundays without a problem but Wednesdays are tough because they are late nights, and we are pretty strict on bedtimes. (I am not keen on whiny kids because they are tired.)

Considering I work full time, and only have Saturdays and Sundays off, I think that is a big enough of a bucket list for Autumn! This will get me moving, creative, and begin to switch my focus off of ME and onto ways to bless others, get closer to my family and friends, AND allow some time to begin working on my hospitality side that is really lacking lately. I am blessed to be moved to do this, not only for myself but for those around me that I don't often show my love for.

May you be blessed on this first day of Autumn (which I really thought was tomorrow), and I encourage you to make your own bucket list for this season! It's going to be spectacular!