Autumn Anniversary, Baking, and Plans

 Autumn is so beautiful where we live! The maples are starting to dazzle, which means other leaves will also start to turn as well.  Usually late October and early November are the prettiest weeks here for autumn colors.  

My husband and I celebrated our 24th anniversary last week!  We were such babies when we got married--look at those juvenile profiles! I am genuinely so thankful for our relationship. It is easy, it is happy, it is comfortable, it is safe.  I am well aware that this is not always the case. For a girl from a broken nuclear family background, this marriage has been a magnificent gift. I do not take it for granted. Ever.  

I've been on a big baking kick lately.  This morning I made apple-cinnamon coffee cake for my children's breakfast.  Last night I made homemade naan bread to go with the vegetable masala I'd made. (How had I never made naan before? It's super easy, tastes great, and costs about 5% of what I'd spend to buy it in the store! I'll be making it again for sure....)  I've made cheddar bread, gingerbread with whipped cream, almond cake, pumpkin cookies, baked oatmeal.....the list goes on.  Cozy autumn baking is so fun, and of course, it's much healthier to eat what you bake from scratch, which is why I seem to do so much of it.

Naan isn't much to look at, and I'm no food photographer, but this was good!

This fall is flying past (I feel like I always say that!). When we were in Quebec City, I had a street artist do an oil pastel of Annie. It is beautiful! When we got home I had it framed as soon as possible, and it's now hanging on our dining room wall. Don't worry; Finn isn't left out. I had a family friend do a portrait of him in acrylics years ago! So now I have artwork of both of our children. For some reason, this just makes me feel happy. I'm debating about posting the portraits--I don't post photos of my children, but a photo of a painting? Maybe? I'll think on it!

Annie is deep into Nutcracker rehearsals and hours of ballet every week; Finn just started rehearsals for a community theatre production of A Christmas Carol.  Fall fun!  We'll have an eventful couple of weekends in December!

Everyone in our household except me fell ill a couple of weeks ago and while my children were out of commission I had the luxury of staying home--not chauffeuring people to rehearsals and lessons! So I did a huge purge/cleanout/reorganization of our laundry room/my sewing room. It was epic.  I had no idea I could remove so much from one small space! It was satisfying, and I feel like the things that are left are going to be things I actually use/make/do/need.  I was surprised at how much had accumulated there over the years.  Next up: Finn's room.  I haven't done a good clear-out in his room in several years, and I know there's a lot we can remove.  He has the smallest bedroom and he's not naturally tidy, so he needs to be able to have a manageable level of stuff so he can more easily keep things neat. I love neatening! But I respect the fact that not everyone else does. :)  I start that project on Thursday!

A few plans for the next month:

*drink hot beverages on the patio

*s'mores and fire pit, also on the patio

*visit my stepmom in the Blue House in the mountains (we hope!)

*enjoy time with our best friends at their new house in Chapel Hill at the end of October

*plenty of surreptitious Christmas shopping (I've already started!)

*maybe some dress-and-skirt-and leggings shopping, as I want to wear more skirts this winter, but I don't want to be cold! I'm just so over jeans!

*and, I hope, some outside work--need to do a bit of a fall cleaning on the outside spaces before putting up the Christmas stuff!