Getting Out of Jury Duty and Into the Autumn Spirit!

I'm still here -- I've been wrapped up with jury duty this past week, serving on a trial and hopefully Tuesday (fingers crossed -- the word "sequester" has been used...) I will be able to put it behind me! I'm all for doing my duty, but this has been a really tough case and it has been wearing me down this week. I had a great day with my girls today though -- my husband was working, I took the girls and my grandmother to church this morning, it was a beautiful day today and the girls got to play outside this afternoon. My 9 year old and I played a round of her favorite game, "Harry Potter Clue" which was a lot of fun. My little one started out as my partner, rolling the dice and moving our figure, but she tired of that quickly and moved on to her own entertainment. We also pulled out the Halloween videos -- a little earlier than I usually like, but we're getting in the mood over here! I filled a large basket with my autumn decorations and tomorrow I plan to decorate! I am also putting a roast and carrots into the crock-pot for a yummy dinner for my little family tomorrow night, and I have promised my girls that I will bake them a homemade apple pie.

If I haven't mentioned it a hundred times on here over the years, fall is my absolute favorite time of year. This time of year just says family and home to me. I love the cozy feel of the house when the temperature is starting to dip and the glow of candles and the smells of comfort food. I love to decorate and make my home feel as warm and welcoming as I can for my family and friends. I love the excitement and anticipation of the holiday season being around the corner -- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. It's a wonderful time of year -- my girls are both in school (middle and preschool) and they are excited about making new friends and learning new things. My eldest is at a new school this year and it offers so many wonderful opportunities for her -- she's going to learn a new instrument, she wants to join the newspaper and the yearbook staff. My family events committee and I are busy preparing for the pasta dinner at my little one's preschool. We're excited that Nana will be coming up for a visit in a couple of weeks and she'll get to come with us for the pasta dinner, which is such a treat for my girl to have Nana at her school! Girl Scouts is starting up again soon (and Girl Scout cookie time)! We'll be heading out to the farm to get our pumpkins, apples and mums. The girls have already picked out their Halloween costumes -- the little one wants to be a "ballerina butterfly" and my older one wants to be "Link" from the video game Zelda (think Peter Pan -- very similar looking...). We even made plans this weekend with our friends who come over to trick-or-treat with us -- it has become a fun tradition, since their daughter was born a few years ago. This year with Halloween being on a Sunday, we are planning to have a little Halloween party for our kids with a potluck dinner and then we will head out to trick-or-treat together. We were also happy to find out that my brother-in-law is coming out in November to celebrate his 40th with us.

It's a wonderful time of year, we already have so many plans that I am looking forward to, but I am also looking forward to snuggling in the house with my little family. Maybe it's the 50 or so times that I have read the "Little House" books (which I plan to re-read this fall / winter!) but this time of year gives me a feeling of preparing for winter -- getting the house in order, making sure that my family has a cozy place to live, and preparing meals to keep them healthy and well-fed as the weather turns colder. This is what "home-making" means to me. I am surely giving thanks for my family, my home, and my favorite time of year!

(The picture above was one that I took in the fall at the Genesee Country Village -- a great place to take the family in the summer, but even more beautiful in the fall!)