Monday Meanderings

• It's fall!
• We are happy!
• The weather is phenomenal!
• If you can survive a Missouri summer...this is your reward, and lots of good things come with it. For example:
• Honey Crisp apples are now available, which is our favorite part of apple season.
• We've made pumpkin muffins twice in the last few weeks, and I'm sure pumpkin cookies won't be far behind.
• The house - much to the children's' delight - is covered in Halloween, and even I have to fess up that it looks good this year. (I made my husband take most of the regular decorations out first.)
• One of my favorite holidays - our wedding anniversary - is just around the corner, and that always puts us in a good mood.
• We're all spending more time outdoors, which is not only fun but also is good for us!
• The air conditioning has long-since been turned off, but the heater isn't yet necessary. Big bonus for being able to open the windows and let fresh air in the house!
• Jeans and cardigans are back, as are the hand-knit socks! (And did I ever jump for joy when I put on my socks again!)
• It's soooo much easier to cook in cooler weather....and the type of stuff we cook in this weather tends to leftovers, making lunches easier.
• The pleasure in coffee and hot tea has quadrupled.
• Yes, we are all glad it's fall. I think it's safe to say that for this family, fall is the season of choice!
• And with the passing of summer, I'm also seeing the passing of my rough summer....and I can honestly say that life is improving for me. In fact, it's improving quite dramatically.
• (Although it would be better if the four year old wasn't screaming right now....I'm actually writing this Sun. night, and she has issues with going to bed on Sunday nights...)
• My decision to step off the crazy train of dieting and weight obsession has proven to be one of the better decisions that I've ever made. It's been quite liberating, although I will admit that there has been a fair amount of anxiety as well. Can't change 24 years of history over night, after all! At times it's all I can do to stop myself from running right back to My Daily Plate (especially when I think of our February vacation, which will require a swimsuit)...but when that happens I take a deep breath, reread my post and try to find something happy to distract myself. It usually passes quickly.
• Something fun - much as I love oatmeal (and I really do love it...in no small part because it makes me feel good!), I do occasionally get tired of it. My answer to that is our new Sunday morning breakfasts. Sunday is a day of rest, a day of celebrating the sweetness of life and all that we are blessed with. SO, Sunday morning now starts with a a touch of symbolic sweets...usually pancakes or muffins.
• Along the same lines - Boot Camp ends today, and the next session begins next Monday. I'm on the fence. In a lot of ways, this just isn't my thing....especially since I'm not doing the food thing anymore. However, I can't deny that the variety was good for me, and that my body hurt (in that oh-so-good way) after almost every workout. Hmmm...
• And now for something completely different....
• I need shoes. I have two pair that fit - my running shoes and my Birk's - and a whole lot of others that kind of fit but don't really. My Birk's have a piece that goes between my big toe and the rest, so I can't wear them with warm socks. This is a situation that needs fixing asap.
• I hate shoe shopping.
• You've all heard about my legendarily horrendous feet.
• Sigh.
• I also need clothes. I have literally one pair of jeans, one pair of slacks, a couple of long-sleeved shirts, a couple of casual sweaters, a couple of dressier sweaters and a few nasty old sweatshirts. I got rid of a lot of stuff last year when I lost some weight.....and I didn't replace any of it, so now things are getting desperate.
• I also need workout clothes, especially pants.
• My friends all assure me that if I'd go shopping more than twice per year than I wouldn't have so much trouble finding clothes...and probably wouldn't find my closet so empty.
• While probably true, I am so not a happy shopper. Ugh.
• Oh, and my glasses are literally being held together by an old earring....and have been for at least a couple of years now. Probably should fix that, too.

And on that note....I'm off!

Have a great week everyone!

PS. Creative stuff to come this week!