fall inspiration

As fall peaks through and swings back to summer all in the same day sometimes... these are the things inspiring me right now.

Whimsical, handmade parties for children...

A digital scrapbooking kit with vintage colors, textures, and photographic elements...

End of summer getaways. Some familar, some new, filled with sunshine and cool breezes...

go

We spent a long weekend in Florida. It was hot in Ohio when we left on Thursday. It was hot the whole time we were in Florida.

We spent every day cherishing the vanishing summer lifestyle. We splashed at the beach, the pool, the water park. We wore flip flops and sleeveless shirts. We ate ice cream outside. We had a picnic.

It was raining and 59 degrees when we got back.  Good-bye summer.

Last photo shot on expired 100 speed film.  A fun little experiment with grainy, imperfect, beautiful results.  Sometimes you just gotta mix things up, you know?

youth

We volunteer with the youth at church.

JT sometimes comes with us. It makes for interesting adventures for a toddler.

Tonight got a little bit messy.

Can you imagine... when he graduates from high school, he'll have been with the youth program for 18 years?

He better learn to enjoy getting messy.

the next phase

sit-n-spin
Originally uploaded by brungrrl

Did I mention my boy started preschool a few weeks ago? We hit it hard.

Tears on day 2, day 3, night 3, day 4, day 5, weekend, Sunday night, etc. I cried, too. I mean, what kind of parent sends their kid to SCHOOL?! The horror. I must have lost my mind. He doesn't know anyone... it's too much fun... there's too much structure. Oh wait, those are good things. And I'M the parent.

Then he caught the first illness. The fever hit the exact moment John boarded a plane to work out of town for a bit. Home 2 and a half days. John came home, we had a lovely long weekend. And no sooner than all was normal, the illness took ME down.

JT is doing better with school this week. No tears and he may have made a few friends. There are also little signs that he is paying attention and learning a few things, too!

Tonight we met up with his buddies Sammy & Bradley for a playdate. They hugged and squealed and jumped up and down... a most happy reunion. Good friends are a treasure.

signs of fall

Have you noticed the little signs that fall is coming?

My favorite season has passed. I'm not sure why summer is my favorite season still. It doesn't hold the same meaning that it used to. I have to go to work instead of lounging about reading books. I get to do laundry at night instead of catching fireflies. And I rarely go around barefoot on the blacktop or splash in puddles. But still, I'm a SUMMER girl.

I never understand why people love fall. It's the harbinger of winter, the dreaded season. It's unpredictable: will the leaves have good color? will it rain every weekend? will it be ice cold for Halloween?

But oh! When fall is good, it is GOOD. Easy, breezy weather. Crunchy leaves. The smell of change in the air... I can get into the possibilities.

So we've started to notice that fall is coming to our home. In order to embrace the spirit of the season, I embraced a pumpkin spice latte and some pumpkin butter on Labor Day weekend. And I took a few leaf pictures, even though they were still mostly green. It's the little things that keep one's spirits up, you know?