A Touch of Halloween

 

Flynn and I decorated for Halloween one day after school last week. By the time we were done, it was dark outside and cozy inside. We had dinner, watched a movie, and had some Halloween brownies I had made earlier in the day. Traditions are the best.

Happy Wednesday in October, my friends!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

 

Good morning, my friends! I have a brand new mug today! My awesome friend Leslie and I share a love for all things holiday, Halloween included! It came as a complete surprise on Friday afternoon. Leslie is so talented and creative, and shares so many things on her wonderful YouTube channel, The Cozy Yellow Cottage. Today looks to be a glorious October day here, sunny, not hot, with that distinct fall scent that I recognized the moment I stepped outside this morning. It isn't the fresh, damp scent of April, nor the scent of cut grass and hot asphalt in July. October smells earthy, you know? Like leaves and earth and memories of Trick-or-Treating in the dark.

Speaking of the dark, my walk this morning started out that way, but by the time I got to the dock, this is what I saw.

        

Peyton and Christopher are still exploring the national parks, and Peyton sent this stunning picture yesterday. 

She said that the fall colors reminded her of our Fall Fun Day, when we would go to the park close to our house for the day with my mom and dad. We went every October, took pizza and cupcakes, and made memories.

Well, I am off to make some breakfast, tidy the kitchen, and start preparing for school. Enjoy your day, my friends. Thank you for visiting!

Guilty as charged. 

Billie Jo

All The Things

Friday again, but this time it's a Friday in October, which automatically elevates it significantly. Here is a bit of our first few October days. First up, early morning walks, just as the world around me is waking up. 

Reading really good books and snuggling on the couch with the puppy...

More walks and a new visitor...

                                                                 

And a delicious, cozy dinner of chicken and dumplings to welcome this lovely month.

                                         

Thank you for stopping by, my friends! Have a wonderful weekend!

Billie Jo

Dear October,

Dear October, Welcome back, my friend. I am so happy you returned yet again with your crisp, cool days and your cozy, early evenings. Since we last met, I said goodbye, for now, to my beautiful momma. I was blessed to be holding her hand when she went to heaven on that bitterly cold January day. She knew of my love for autumn, especially the precious October days. I believe she will send a shower of colorful leaves to remind me of that, and to let me know she is here. Since she left, I have experienced times of immense sadness and despair as the spring rain fell, and moments of anguish and exhaustion during the sweltering, hot summer. 

I know that these next thirty-one days will be so good for my soul. Your cooler days bring cozy sweaters, steaming cups of pumpkin coffee, early darkness, and flickering candles. Leaves will turn to shades of red, gold, and purple, dance in the wind, and fall to the ground. We will feel the pull inward, spending more time together inside, reminding me of the many carefree and cozy evenings I shared in my childhood home with my family, the stone fireplace crackling as we sat around, playing games or watching TV after dinner. Through these October days, I will be reminded that life, like the year itself, is composed of seasons. We pass from one to the next, and although we long to stay in the one that makes us feel happy and safe, we have to move on. 

Years pass, time moves on, and we grow older. Yet, you dear October remain the same. You return each year, allowing me the chance to slow down, relax, reflect, and look ahead, all while you are there in the background, with cooler air, rustling leaves, pumpkin everything, and all the things that make me feel happy, safe, and cozy. So thank you for that. And welcome back. 

Billie Jo

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