Month: October 2018

October 17, 2018 favorite things

favorite things . The Candy Haul at Asheville’s Rocket Fizz

Our fall season officially kicked off last week with a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, exploring the Smoky Mountains and navigating everyone’s excitement over cooler temperatures. I returned home tired but refreshed by the change of scenery, and excited to get our home ready for the fall season. Amidst the mums and gourds and pine straw bales, we have amassed quite a few happy jack-0-lanterns of all sizes and materials that I’ve been slowly spreading throughout the house. Some of those jack-o-lanterns are old familiar receptacles for Halloween night – buckets my children took to preschool, felt versions we bought on various fall trips, and even my own 1970’s childhood version. Those jack-o-lanterns represent the one-time excuse to indulge in fall’s favorite sugar rush. They collect the one Halloween accessory that gives pumpkins a run for their money – candy!

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October 2, 2018 free art + printables

A World Where There Are Octobers [printable calendar]

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~ Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

I’m glad, too. I think October may be my favorite month, although it’s certainly hard to choose. When the weather cooperates, we get those first few cooler mornings that are such a blessing after Mississippi’s long, hot summers. October’s blue skies are distinct, and the season’s signature goldenrod and golden light always inspire me. At some point, we’ll probably get one of those yellow-orange harvest moons, and I imagine we’ll schedule a s’more-making bonfire. No matter how much summer wants to hang on, the calendar says autumn is here!

As the temperatures slowly drop, if only by a few degrees, everyone’s spirits seem to get lighter. This year, the month ushering in nature’s season of transition also seems to be bringing some transitions to our family. I feel like my heart is juggling health changes for my parents, the ever-changing flux of children growing more independent and, I guess, more themselves, along with the perpetual array of work opportunities – blessings, to be sure – that all require weighing choices. With October, I seem to be on keen alert to notice every hint of change toward the fall days we love. So, I’m excited to look back at a few of my favorite autumn glimpses along with this month’s printable calendar.

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