30 days of happiness: Hail & welcome, Autumn!

Autumn came and went without a proper celebration... We can't have that now, can we? Sunday nights are our family meal night, meaning that the father-in-law (Dud) joins us at the table for dinner and wine. It seemed fitting to theme this night to fit with the emerging of a new season. So here it is: While Bas and I were at UU church this morning, Benjamin harvested tomatoes. He harvested potatoes, too... but that is for another post. Here is the first tomato... Have you ever seen one so large? I know that it is 2 fused together, but still...

Seriously, what are we going to do with such tomatoes? Soup is a good start; cream of tomato-parmesan soup to be exact. But then there are so many more tomatoes to take into account. Take this bucket-full for example (& there are more on the vines!!!):

Chopped & prepped for dinner:

Dinner! Said soup, french bread, simple salad:

+ wine:

+Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding (from the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens):

Ummmm.... yeah. Perfect family Autumn celebration meal? Yes. All bellies are happy tonight. ;) The real detox beings tomorrow.

30 days of happiness: AUTUMN!

I think someone was just a bit off when they referred to the Winter holiday season as the most wonderful time of the year. Truly... There is something so magical about the fall. I woke up yesterday with a yearning to bake something. Anything. I went through a whole spiel with my husband about baking bread from scratch. I started pulling out the yeast and the mixing bowl. Then I decided maybe cookies would be better. Or bread pudding. That's about the time that I spied the peaches in much need of consumption.

Aha! Peach cobbler. I'd share the recipe, but this was one of those concoctions I pulled entirely out of the moment. (If anyone adamantly requests it, I think that I could closely reconstruct the recipe... so holler if you're interested).

We couldn't resist such golden brown goodness... and so we ate our slices fresh from the oven around 11am. I wasn't kidding when I said that I woke up ready to bake.

This is how I know it is Fall. I get that itchin' to straighten up the home (I mopped the living room and rearranged the furniture, too!). Also there is that urge to just soak up the last bits of sugary sunshine: in an afternoon bath, of course.

Is it just me or do any of you out there have a ritual around bathing? I fill the tub with cool water (not too cold, but cooler than lukewarm), plop in a stone to set the tone (this time it was Rose Quartz), set out some crystals, burn a little sage & pull up the shades so the window crystal can usher the little rainbows in. Oh yes! Can't forget the bath salts (this time around it was 18 drops of lavender + 3 drops of attraction oil from Ancient Ways in Oakland, Ca.). I climbed into the tub in a sort of trance and found myself melting into bliss. My heart swells to capacity when I find myself in little moments like this; baby napping, clean house, smell of fresh baked goods & a little corner of quiet just for me.

I hope this Fall is beginning as sweetly for you. I dare you to open your eyes and/or heart to something wonderful today! Happy Mabon!