Autumn Days...

"Pumpkins4Sale"

Without a doubt, Autumn is my favorite time of year!  :)  ...Time once again for pumpkins & chrysanthemums, colorful leaves & cooler temperatures. Time for apple crisp & handknit scarves & my favorite blue jeans. Time to light the first fire of the season in the fireplace & cozy up with a favorite book & a cup of hot tea. Time for farmer's markets & apple cider & long walks with the dog while enjoying the crispy crunch-crunch-crunch of the leaves underfoot. Time to watch the squirrels busily collect acorns, diligently storing them up for the cold winter months...

When my youngest son was in preschool, the highlight of Autumn was always visiting a nearby farm with his class for a hayride & the chance to pick-your-own-pumpkin... Nothing like searching through rows of orange goodness with the little one you love to find the perfect pumpkin!  ;)

Autumn's not quite here yet in North Carolina... Indian Summer days still linger on into September. The walnut tree out back is unceremoniously letting loose its' leaves & the temperatures continue to creep up into the 80's by mid-afternoon. But I am watching for the first signs of Autumn!... 

I am ready to celebrate its SPLENDOR!!

"Folk Art Pumpkin"

Happy to be a Mom Of Boys :)

"No Girlz Allowed"

Somehow, it's May already!... and the neighborhood is starting to fill up with the sights & sounds I remember so well from my two sons' growing-up-days! I love seeing little boys out riding their bikes on the sidewalk... kids with dirty knees playing "trucks" in the front yard... hearing the sounds of skateboards down the street as "the big boys" practice their jumping skills. Pretty soon there will be kiddie pools & sprinklers & squirt gun fights... kids catching fireflies after dark... and best of all, the sounds of children laughing & playing!

I have to admit... I have a BIG soft spot in my heart for little boys! Our house was full of them!... our two sons with their whole gang of little buddies... playing legos by the hour on rainy days, eating drippy popsicles on the front porch when the weather was hot, making forts & playing with flashlights... a constant noisy parade of little guys in search of snacks & bandaids for scraped knees... and sometimes hugs & kisses too!...  

I loved every minute of it!! 

Sometimes now it's hard to believe that those "little boy days" went by so quickly!... I remember wondering back then (on my more "challenging" days!) if time had stood still! Now I know that I was especially blessed to be home with our boys & be there for all their growing-up minutes!... 

Such a gift from God to me!... and I am so very thankful!

Thank you so much, Lord, for the wonderful gift of being a mom of boys! Thanks for the good days & the not-so-good days of growing up together as a family. What a JOY & a PRIVILEGE to have been there to nurture them along!... Please help me to treasure these memories & to encourage them on as they continue to grow.