I LOVE FALL!!!

Each Spring I think, "maybe, just maybe, Spring really is my favorite season".  Then - Fall arrives and I'm, again, convinced that Fall is my absolute favorite!!!!!!

For us, Fall starts the beginning of a very busy 6-month journey that includes: Fall Fests, Thanksgiving, Christmas, P's Birthday, Our Dating Anniversary, Our Engagement Anniversary, C's Birthday, and Our Wedding Anniversary.  Did anyone else just get very tired and a bit overwhelmed by that sentence!?!?!?!  No?!?!  Okay, well, I did.  BUT - that doesn't change a thing!  I LOVE this busy season.  I LOVE chilly mornings (notice I did not say frigid, colder than the North Pole) and I love the colors and the smells and all of the fun that comes along with Fall. 

Here in Oklahoma, we JUST started enjoying the season as it was a month late because Oklahoma weather is just goofy.  And - the next couple days are going to be hot again, followed - IMMEDIATELY - by a 30 degree difference.  So - we've been working hard to get into the season - with or without the appropriate weather!

Today, in an effort to make myself feel like it truly was Fall, I wore as many fall colors as I could - without layering to the point of heat exhaustion!!!!  I was a happy girl!

AND - I can now wear boots daily and not feel foolish!  This makes my heart sing, my skirt fly up, my eyes shine, my boat float, my life complete!

Tuesday, folks. . . . I will be stalking Lauren regarding the mail room!!!

Ya'll - then I made chili.  Because nothing says "Fall" like chili. 

And because I'm a good mom and I like to sacrifice my nails and my kitchen. . . . we tended to the pumpkins that we selected last week.  C used his PC Safe Cutter and carved his all by himself.  Matt, well, Matt used his new "camping knife" to butcher his, and P painted hers because it was so small.  We let her pic many colors, but they all got mixed (duh) and we now have "brown". :)

If I were truly honest, I would share the true reason I am "nice" and allow pumpkin guts to reign supreme.  Here goes. . .

Ya'll - look at the salt.  Seriously. . . its a good thing this only happens once a year!

And in and attempt to not go COMPLETELY insane from boredom during my recovery from surgery, I made a feeble attempt to decorate. . .

This isn't the "real" placement of these items, but the doll was moved off of the steps over the weekend and the "rake" has yet to really find a home - it just props for now. :)

YUP!  Fall is my favorite!  CHRISTmas is FABULOUS - and I'm kinda sad that I've decided not to "go all out" since our house sitter would be the only person to enjoy it - but as I said before. . . Fall just fills me with the anticipation!!!!!

Oh my. . . .

I've been looking for "the" black boots for a long time now.  I have black boots - two pair, in fact - however they are like 4 inches high and I'm getting old.  Okay. . . maybe not old, but my feet appreciate a little love.
I was getting very frustrated.  I had "the" pair in my mind, but was convinced I would have to just make them myself because I couldn't find them anywhere.  That is when I turned to Amy Ann to find out where to go online. . . . . .
Ya'll - this is serious.  I want about 80 things on the site that she sent me to.  http://www.endless.com/, how I love thee - let me count the ways.

1. T.Cyia Multi-Strand Hand Painted Gunmetal Necklace - This would NEVER happen because if I was going to spend that much money on this necklace, it had better hand paint ME after using it's gun on me.  BUT - that doesn't mean it didn't make me drool on myself.

2. Nine West Womens Vermillion - I may or may not have tended to my Christmas present today. (NOTE: They totally have 25% off most boots and free 2-day shipping).  Ya'll - this is serious because I have an aversion to purchasing anything at full price - and I am physically sickened by shipping.  I'm relatively sure there's something wrong with me.

3. Wild Diva Women's Gerry - Nuff said!

4. Bandolino Joab Pump - Ya'll. . . I kinda wanna go insane. 

I could really go on for a long while, but I just let you pick your own favorites. 

BTW - "Ya'll" is my new favorite word.  It has slowly replaced "just sayin" or "really?!?!?".  It's definition is "what I'm about to say is very important. . . so important that I will draw you in with a long, southern-laced rendition of "ya'll" so I have your undivided attention". 

That is all.

Exercise

I love Maxine - she reminds me of my Grammar (Grandma Vines for those who need interpretations) - and she cracks me up!  I even "liked" her on facebook and now I get a daily dose of crazy every day!  Today, however, I found her post had quite a bit of "umph" to it.

As funny as it is, it's so sad too.  How many of us carry grudge-weights around for 1, 5, 10, 20 years. . . ????  A grudge can develop from just about anything; legitimate reasons for being offended, hurt or sorrowed or even something as silly as harboring bad feelings because Susie So-and-So broke in line at the church picnic, therefore you didn't get a roll (no - I do not have this grudge - it was just a silly example).  Regardless of your reason, a grudge only harms you.  Odds are - Susie had no idea she was breaking in line, so she had no idea she took YOUR roll and has no idea why you still glare at her, 10 years later, whenever you pass eachother.  Or - what about the "legitimate grudge". . . how long are you going to give that person power over your life?  At what point do you set down the weights that have done nothing but cause you pain and possibly given you a few gray hairs??  I've often heard it said, "forgiveness isn't for the other person" and in the past few years, I have lived proof of that statement.  Forgiveness is they only way you get to set the weight down.  SIDE NOTE: Once you set it down, you must then WALK AWAY!! You don't get to pick it up again! 

Yesterday, a young woman in a nearby town died in a car accident.  Being the small world that it is, she happened to be really good friends with a lot of other young ladies that I love - who live in another state.  I only mention this because the sorrow has touched close to home and caused me to really reflect on things - as tragedies oftentimes cause us to do.  This young lady is with Jesus now - no question about that - but the sorrow of knowing that life is so fragile is sometimes breathtaking.  With this in mind, don't continue carrying the weight of a grudge.  Let it go - let the offender go - and most importantly, set yourself free.  Life is too precious, too fragile and sometimes way too short to live any other way!

Much love! :)
Laura

Just checking in. . .

Not much time to say a whole lot. . . but I wanted to check in.  It's been a while. . . I did another stupid thing and enrolled in, not one this time, but TWO online, condensed courses - and it ruined my gallbladder (that's the story I'm sticking with anyway).  So - in the midst of the classes, I had gallbladder surgery and I'm in my 4th day of recovery.  The fall weather begs me to work hard in the yard and around the house, but the pain begs me to sit and write this so that I'm forced to be still for a little bit. 
Oh!  And - it's the first weekend Matt has been off, without us having elaborate plans, in over 4 months - it's a FABULOUS day!!!!!!
I finally finished a craft project that I started months ago. . . I might write about that later.  In the meantime, I'm attempting to remain sane (classes) and not overdue it (recovery) and totally missing so many people!!!  Good news - mom & dad come next weekend!!!!  OOOOOHHHHHH the pressure to get recovered and get my house recovered from being "gone" for a week.
Anyway - just wanted to touch base and let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth!  :)
Enjoy this beautiful weeked!!!!!!
Much love!
Laura