It's an Awe-tumn Sunday!

I almost can't believe the month is already half over! It was a beautiful Autumn day last weekend and the sidewalks are filled with leaves now. *deep inhaling* I LOVE AUTUMN! It's my absolute favorite time of year. 

The thing I love about Autumn is that crisp air with its gentle breeze that not only blows the leaves from the trees so I can dance under them, and down to the groun so they can crunch under my feet, but it brushes away all the cobwebs I accumilated over summer in my head and breaths new life into me. That crisp autumn air that says "goodbye summer, we're getting ready for winter!"

I love the smell of cinnamon wafting as I walk into the grocery store. It just warms up all over!

I love the decorations: pumpkins, scarecrows, squirrels, chipmunks, leaves and hay bales! Hay bale rides!!! 

Some of my favorite foods only come around this time or only taste as good. Like Pecan pie, sometime chocolate Pecan pie. Turkey and dressing. Pumpkin pie with whip cream! Oh the foods!

I love the colors of autumn too. Red, gold, orange, brown... It's all so enchanting. If I could live in Autumn forever I'd be happy. 

That reminds me of a quote I found today!

"Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love — that makes life and nature harmonize. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a pefect anodyne to the restless spirit. 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, letter to Miss Lewis, 1st October 1841

So now you know how much I love Autumn! 

I was watching Gilmore Girls with my sister the other night and Taylor Dosey did a Hay bale maze. I have never done a hay bale maze, it's been a while since I've even been on a hay ride, but it sounds like fun! Especially to go with a friend or group of friends! 

I have a lot to do in the coming weeks. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And I won't even mention the next Holiday in complete respect and joy for the current season! 

I have 7 books to catch up on before holidays start! I'm praying I can do it. 

• Trouble in Texas series (1-3) by Mary Connealy

• Theif of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

• Tried and True by Mary Connealy

• To Everything a Season by Laura Snelling

I have to finish the first two Trouble in Texas books before November Library books don't like being late. Haha. 

One book a week, I should be able to handle that, right? Heh-heh. 

Then I have another Joshua Harris book coming in from the library soon (it's coming in from another branch when it's current borrower returns it). 

Out of all those books, I'm going to be writing reviews for at least 3/4 of them. Maybe even all of them! 

I'm also excited to be making progress in my novel with Bri from Bri's Literary Giants. We've been brainstorming like crazy! Oh, how I wish my computer still worked! But, never fear, I'm using pen and paper now. Keeping things organized in a beautiful binder I found at Target last month. Robert Benson, Dancing on the Head of a Pen, really inspired me and have me these great ideas for writing without a computer. I'm actually writing more than I usually do on a computer! It's exciting! 

It's Autumn, I'm home. God Bless. 

~*~*~

What do you love most about Autumn? Share your thoughts here! 

Waiting For You...

I thought it would be nice to share with you one of my stories in celebration of Autumn! I hope you enjoy!

Autumn's In the Air

Fall is here and I couldn't he happier! Time changed last Sunday and the cool winds are coming in quick. Already it's hitting those amazing 40's and 30's. Putting on jacket's and scarfs like little Piglet!

I went to my cousin's high school last night to see her play in the band! It was my first time going to a football game! Though I'm not a real big fan of the sport (mostly cause I can't follow what's happening. LOL) but it was so much fun just being there with everyone and seeing my step grandfather get so into it had to be one of the highlights of the night for me! But I am here to tell you...it...was...COLD!


When we first arrived we thought it would be nice to sit at the very top of the stadium (good view it was indeed) but none of us realized just how much it was going to take to walk all the way up there. By the time we reached the top everyone was winded and ready to take their seats, or so we thought. Till our bottoms rested on the cold steal seats and the chill reached deep into our bones then we began to wonder why we hadn't thought to bring a blanket or something to sit on! Ha ha!
Then after reaching the top everyone decided they might be thirsty before the game starts. Climbing all the way down and back up again...the thought didn't appeal to me in the least! Except that I would get some exercise in that I've been neglecting this week; that positive thought crept in the back of my mind! Ha ha! However, we moved closer to the bottom and sat with the rest of the crew. I was fine for say the first twenty-minutes, but shortly after sitting with the temperature slowly declining from 46 to 43 and then finally settling at 39 degrees. I was FREEZING. I pulled my wrap over my head, borrowed one of my aunts blankets (thank the Lord for my aunt for bringing lots of blankets!) and wrapped up like a bug in a rug! Everyone in my family knows I love the cold (summer gets way too hot) and when they looked over at me, seeing me all bundled up like some Eskimo they all about died laughing. Asking

"Are you cold over there?"

 Even I couldn't help laughing at myself. Ha ha!
It was worth it though. I had so much fun. Sitting with everyone, cheering when the team made a touch down or stopped the apposing team from advancing and then getting to see my cousin play the xylophone in the band! The whole marching band play was amazing! Even the other teams marching band was fun to watch, especially when they did Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance moves. Ha ha.
It was so cool to see so many people in the band and to do so well. Here's a picture (only capturing 1/3 of the band. Yes there was a lot of people in the band/brigade!)

God bless and I hope all of your weekends starting out as good as mine!

Living Attitude of Gratitude!

I hope y'all are ready for a November! I know I am! Good food, family and friends getting ready for the holidays, crisp air and falling leaves! I'm getting excited just talking about it!

Hopefully you will enjoy this next post, maybe even get a little kick out of it. 

Friday night about two weeks ago, I walked into the bedroom getting ready to watch the new episode of Legend of Korra don't know you! But when my sister and I turned on the TV Spongebob Squarepants theme song begins to play.

OH NO!

Korra would have to wait 30 more minutes. Sad.

Wait, don't go anywhere yet, there's more! Thank you. Comfy? Good.

As we we're waiting Squidward appears at his window (he is a really nosey neighbor!) to find spongebob cleaning and singing! Of course, Squidward being his neighborly self asks:

"Spongebob, whhyyy are you doing such a thing?"

And Spongebob replies (I love this):

"I’m just displaying for all to see, an attitude of gratitude."

"You've been wallowing in filth all morning, what could you possibly be grateful for?"

(cue song!)

"Oh, I've got a whole new attitude, a lifetime subscription to do gratitude, friend you've got to change your platitude, living attitude of gratitude!
I’m grateful for the life I am living who knows how long I'll have it, I’m thankful for all I've been given, we make appreciation a habit
there’s no time like the present day to have a present come your way
so now I think that you will see there’s nothing more you need."

I don't think he could have sang it any better than that! I truly loved what he said about displaying for all to see. It reminded me of how we're supposed to be examples to the eyes and ears around us. Part of me wants to just shout it out. "I'm going to show an attitude of gratitude for all to see!"

Not to be boastful, but just show to that you can be happy by just being thankful.

God wants us to be joyful all the time (1 Thes 5: 16) , but how can we when our hearts are crowded with complaints. Now, I'm no saint. I have my bad days and then I get easily annoyed by even the smallest of things. Left feeling discontent, I complain. It happens to us all, right? Bad day at work, a dispute with a friend or family, or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

God's been changing my heart though. Recently, I've discovered complaining makes me sick now! No, literally, it twists my insides in all kinds of knots. Even listening to people around me complaining I start thinking to myself "Can't you do anything else?" Oops, that was a complaint too, huh? That wasn't even a verbal complaint so who cares... right?

Actually, God heard it as did my heart, which is for Him.

Each time I complain I'm not being thankful for all that He has done for me. Who would've thought.

I used to think--sometimes I still fight with this thought, especially when I'm in a mood--

"Why do I have to be thankful for everything when I'm having this problem right now?"

or

"I am thankful, why do I have to keep saying it?"

But that's not right. As Christians, we're called to live in peace  and ALWAYS be thankful. (Col 3:15-18) Even when we're praising and worshiping Him, we're to sing with thankful hearts.

Like Spongebob said there's no day like today to have the gift of peace come your way by having the attitude of gratitude and letting that light shine on the rest of the world! Cause there is nothing better than the peace of the Almighty in our hearts and sharing that with the people around you.