like handmade, but better.
Oh, Autumn.
I apologize if you guys are getting sick of these photos. It’s such a fleeting season that I never really get tired of them. I feel like you really can take too many pictures of flowers, but turning leaves? It’d take a swallowing sea of them for me to grow weary of their beauty.
How was your weekend?
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I had an insanely lovely weekend. Let’s see: I went for a walk.
Because Saturday was beautiful.
Fell in love with autumn all over again.
Saw a deer on the way home.
Lit a fire.
Started a little fall cleaning in my studio!
Ate a wonderful Sunday dinner, including fried (homegrown) potatoes with fresh rosemary. On the grill.
I ate meat. For the first time in seven years.
Made two pies. (Recipe soon!)
How was your weekend?
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Just a few snaps taken on Sunday.
On a side note: I have an overwhelming urge to bake. I’m thinking of an Irish apple cake. Or blueberry muffins. Maybe some cornbread.
What about you? Does approaching autumn make you want to bake? Do you have any great recipe suggestions?
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I feel like I am getting back to the regular blogging swing now. I have some posts planned (mostly old ones I never got around to sharing.) I’m finding blogging is beneficial to me. I really appreciate being able to let go of all this here, put it out there, share it. And the icing on the cake? That a handful of folks are actually interested in reading my ramblings and seeing my photos. Thank you.
Speaking of appreciation:
I recently came across Gratitude Sunday and decided to participate. It’s easy to focus on the negative. But really, I (and many of us—if you can read this, if you have access to a luxury like a computer and internet connection, you’re better off than many folks in the world) are lucky creatures. I need to realize this more, acknowledge it more.
We have been going through a lot in this house lately. It seems each of us is fighting a personal battle and then on top of that, a couple weeks ago, we got word that our lives would change and our security here was put into question. We are heading into new waters: it might be rough or it might be smooth sailing. But we’ve got each other. This little unit of five. Always.
I need to start focusing on all I have to be grateful for. This weekly recognition and declaration of gratitude here could help.
This week I am grateful for:
-A successful garden and a freezer packed with food. (We are actually on the lookout for second cheap/used chest freezer.)
-Tasty (homegrown) dinners. Especially when eaten outside. (Roasted green beans and onions, sauteed zucchini and summer squash, beets, and fresh ginger tea.)
-Music. I know that a pretty broad thing but it’s so important to me. There is little else that makes me feel safe and sound than getting lost in some tunes. (Most recent find: Of Monsters and Men)
-To live in a four seasons clime. (That is on the cusp of my favorite season of all.)
-Receiving hugs. Lots and lots of them. (Especially when the hugger doesn’t mind dropping what they are doing to give one.)
-Remembering my family’s past here and hoping for it’s future.
-Textures and light.
What are YOU grateful for this week?
Happy Bench Monday.
Happy November.
Happy giveaway coming tomorrow.
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
-George Eliot
I really, really enjoyed the 30 Days of Happiness project and have been a little sad that it’s over. It really taught me to appreciate more the simple things around me, to acknowledge what makes me happy and give it credit. I’ve mentioned before here on my blog that I deal with depression. This meant I was very hesitant when I started this project because I had no idea how I would keep the happiness momentum going for a full 30 days. Anyone with depression will tell you how hard it is to see any light when the darkness descends. I’ll admit there were days when I didn’t have the energy to find as much beauty and light as I would have liked to–but I still tried my best. In the end this Happiness Project was more beneficial then I realized.
So, I’ve decided to continue this project just a little different. The postings will be every once in a while (as in, whenever I feel like it, whenever I need a little pick-me-up) and be titled ‘Happiness Is…’
So, Happiness is… the beauty of the Japanese maple outside the front door. It’s all the more special because it’s a tree my Grandfather planted. He passed away before I was born but even though I never officially met him, he lives on in me through stories and his presence is felt in things like this tree.
Today, as I do every year, I press some of these leaves to keep in a box as a reminder that this beauty always returns.
Feel free to do some ‘Happiness Is…’ posts yourself–whenever you find something that makes you happy, meditate on this happiness, soak it up like sun beams and then share it with us. You’d be surprised how your light can warm someone’s day.
And Happy Bench Monday.
