Fall has Arrived!

Fall is all around us and I have begun my evening ritual which starts about this time every year. Fall evenings for me are a cozy time to sit and relax. Dinner is over and the children have begun their homework. Wayno and I then turn to books or the tv, depending on the mood. Last night, Brit had arrived home with many stories and we both sat snuggled in our blankets as she shared her adventures from this week's trip. Fall and then winter have always brought me back inside the house to snuggle and reflect. Boardgames come out more frequently as winter arrives and the smells of the house all change. The smells of fall and winter are one of my favorite parts of these two seasons. We went with friends to the park recently and enjoyed the beginning of Fall. The light was bright on the many colors of the trees. The sun was warm and the scent of the soil and fallen leaves was all about. I have always loved the fallen leaves and the smell it brings. Years ago when the children were quite young and Wayne was traveling in Germany, he phoned to check in on us and asked what we were all doing. I told him the children and I were playing in the leaves and having wonderful fun. He questioned why I would have the children out on such a cold day as he had recently checked the weather for back home and had noticed how cold it was. The children were very young and it would not be healthy for them to be out for long in such cold air. I told him not to worry, it was horribly cold and not the right weather for them to be outside for long and that is what had given us the wonderful idea of having Mommy go out and bag up the leaves and bring them all inside! We had cleared the dining room of furniture and were lucky to have wood floors that were easy to clean and so we spent hours that day building large piles of leaves and playing in them just as we would if it had been warm and we had been able to go outside and play. Not an idea my husband ever would have imagined but it filled our need for the day and we still talk about it years later and laugh as we remember the fun and the shock it gave Daddy when he called. The crisp air comes with the falling of the leaves and this brings me in quickly as the sun sets and the cold fills the night air. I love the excuse to pull out the blankies and the quilts along with the slippers and the candles. Fall and winter would not be the same without the smell of spices, candles, cider, and wood burning. What warming scents to fill the home and create the perfect coziness to snuggle in and read, play games, and sip cider or hot chocolate. For me, memories are often connected to smells! To walk into a room and smell the scent of coffee can often times take me back to my maternal grandparents home in Ohio. The Christmas tree with the train circling the base and grandpa leaving for work with his lunchpail in hand. Grandma and her pies and the backyard with their neighbor who always took the time to stand and talk over the fence to me when I was just a tiny thing. Then there is the smell of flour and the fresh noodles laying out to dry as my paternal grandmother would work to make her noodles to add later to chicken and broth and fill the house with the sweet scent of dinner. I will always remember spending a whole day with grandma as she worked hard to show me how to make these love filled noodles. One of the many recipes she took the time not to just write down on a card but to have me by her side and show me step by step just how to make. Memories that come with Fall and winter and bring us back into the house to a slower and calmer time of the year. A time when memories are made and dinners are shared more often around the table. A time when the nights are long and the candles glow brightly. My daughter and I are planning to slice the apples and prep some dough yet today in order to fill the house with the smells of fresh pie. Along with this will come the mug of hot chocolate and the scent of pumpkin spiced candles burning. An activity I am excited to be able to share with her and one we will do again and again through this season. We are anxious for Bry to be home next week and are already talking about the foods we will make and the traditions we will keep with friends and family as we enter this holiday season. May we all be blessed this coming Thanksgiving by our families and friends. May our hearts and love go out to all those who have had losses this last year and may we find ways to wrap them with warmth and love to help ease them through this season. Blessed Be-