...what about a paper mache ax?

...can you feel that? You are no longer sweating in places that are too gross to mention. Your windows are open and breezes are crisp. You are noticing it getting dark a tad earlier. You are grabbing for extra blankets in the middle of the night...and if you are like me, you are now suddenly interesting in making...soup? Fall is upon us, officially a week away, and I can't wait. We have always had a love affair, Fall and I...I'm grateful for this feeling again. I was worried I might not feel it...

I am so glad I live in the Midwest. I'm not sure I could handle living somewhere that the seasons don't really visibly change. I think it must be some sort of mental thing for me. However, crazy runs rampant in this house, because we all go a little weak in the knees for this season...we have decorations, special recipes, books (I told you, there's a slight obsession here). I've slowly started pulling them out. Last Sunday, when it was 100 degrees out, I had had it! I was looking for anything to get my mind off of the fact that it had been a long hot couple of weeks. So, Nora and I decorated the front porch. Pumpkins, lights, fall wreathes- I'm sure the people across the street already know I'm certifiable, they are waiting for me to wear my underwear on top of my clothes to call the authorities...at least I hope.

This change in the air, change in the temperature, change in the psyche...it's sort of something this house thrives on. When one season ends, you're ready to start fresh, change some things around and have new fun to look forward to. I have had a lot of wonderful experiences in the Fall, it has also given me a fair share of heartbreak. I look at the change in seasons as nature's Prozac.  I feel like this periodic change also makes me realize how very blessed I am. I am blessed to be able to find the beauty in the changes going on around me. I am blessed to see my children become thrilled at the notion of pumpkin muffins, hot chocolate, visiting pumpkin patches and snuggling under blankets. While my children know how to push buttons, they are these unbelievable little people who have been through so much, but are able to laugh, love, and have fun. I was thinking to myself tonight, I have it pretty easy. When it's bed time, that's it. No hour long arguments. No kicking and screaming. No stalling....and it's early. It's like they know, "...listen up crew, Mommy is about to loose her s***, so it's gettin' time..."...and once again, I am blessed.

We still have a tub of Fall-Fun to bring up from the basement. I've given a September 30th mandate on Halloween costume decisions. If any one changes their mind after that, they are sentenced to a ghost costume. I've already been asked if we could make a paper mache ax...what? It would also be nice if someone was alerted that I not only do not know how to sew, I do not work or have ever worked for a film prop department...just a little FYI. Fall...it's madness, it's beautiful, it's curative, it's my family, and I love it!