Findings

I know I haven't posted my normal "ode to September" this year.  It turns out the apple season started early this year, so Nathan has been out at the local orchard on weekends helping out friends of his parents' who own it.  Then, he said his father anticipates starting work to get ready for harvest toward the end of the month.  And that means Nathan will be helping a lot with that as well.  And as much as I know he enjoys pitching in at the orchard and loves harvest, it is hard to have him gone so much.  So, I haven't felt very "pro-September" this year.  Until  today.  Elijah and I went for an afternoon stroll.  We were walking down a north-south street in town when something fell at my feet.

 My very first colored leaf of the season landed right at my feet.  Suddenly, it all hit me.  And I finally feel ready to say, Welcome, September, I've missed you. 

In other news...
Elijah is growing and changing all the time.  He is so close to crawling, and we can tell he really wants to.  He gets on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but hasn't quite figured out how to pick his head up at the same time yet.  And he gets very frustrated laying on his tummy and reaching for things.

Today, I was in the kitchen making a bottle; I had left him in the living room sitting in his Boppy and playing with his little letters and shapes farm.  I finished getting the bottle ready and returned to the living room to find this:

I left the tote bag I take to work leaning against the end table and he had twisted around in his Boppy and pulled the bag over.  This is the first time we've caught him going through something he wasn't supposed to.

Finally, I saw this on Pinterest the other day and immediately called Nathan into the room to see it.  I don't know why, but we both laughed the same way at it: that kind of start low and then the more you think about it really start laughing type laugh.  We would so put it on Elijah if we had one.

Creativity

A while ago I said I had been knitting a lot lately, which is true.  For example, I made this:

It's my first attempt at a mitten-glove.  I have to say, it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted.  I was hoping to make it with individual spaces for fingers, but each time I tried that I ended up with holes all over the place.  Instead there is just a line under the mitten cap where the fingers peak out the top of the glove.  Oh, well, maybe I'll get it right next time.

I saw this hat pattern on Ravelry.com a while ago and decided it was the most adorable thing ever:

It's a tiny aviator-style hat!  Later I sewed a lime green felt button on it, but those pictures didn't turn out as well.  Seriously, how cute is this!  And it only took a day!  Now I want to make like 12 of these. 

This really just looks like a fancy scarf, but on the lady who designed it made it as a turban.  As you can see, my turban-wrapping skills need work, but I think it's neat.  Plus there's a matching mitten pattern that I think is really pretty and I hope to make one day.

My creative juices haven't been dedicated entirely to knitting lately.  I also designed this:

Okay, just the flowers.  They are fake flowers I found at Michaels, and I know it's not the most elegant arrangement, but it actually turned out pretty close to what I was hoping for.  I love the leaves at the back. As a side note, I know the table looks really bare.  I need a cute fall table runner.  I think that'll be my next project.

So, yeah, this is what I've been up to with my free time lately.

Welcome, Friend.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to officially welcome you to, September.  (Cue the singing angels.) 

In just a few short weeks it will be autumn (more singing angels).  The temperature will, hopefully, drop.  The humidity will disperse and we'll be able to do things outside and be comfortable.  The air will come in soft breezes bearing a light crispness.  The sunlight will turn more golden.  Leaves will turn and fall and the whole world will be bright with colors.

Orchards will open and people will be able to pick apples and pumpkins.  Farmers will climb into their tractors and harvest the crops.  And at the end, just before the darkness and chill of winter, we will have a holiday to celebrate the great things about this glorious time of year.  We will give thanks.

Oh, happy day!

Today, September 1, is my favorite non-holiday day of the year, and yes, I consider my birthday a holiday. This is the day I allow myself to decorate for fall, my favorite season. I love everything about fall decorations: the non-jack-o'lantern pumpkins, the deep bright colors, the leaves, the Indian corn. It all makes me want to take a hayride, wear every sweater I own at once, and watch Charlie Brown.

This was the first fall decoration I received, as a wedding present from Pam's boss. It used to hang on our front door in Tinley Park. It is simple and lovely, I love it.


The leaf rope was draped from the head table at our wedding and the green ribbon in it was the same kind we used on pew bows. I love the pumpkins on the mantle, too, Pam gave us the one on the left for our first anniversary, Mom got me the one in the middle for Christmas, and I bought the one on the end.

I absolutely love these blocks. I saw them while shopping with my mom before Christmas last year and they ended up under her Christmas tree with my name on them.

Ever the fan of fairy tales, this is my pumpkin coach. The ribbon I tried to weave ribbon through it and make it look nice, but I'm not good at things like that, and I just think it looks sloppy. I bought loose fake leaves and sprinkled them over the book case and the sofa table in the previous picture, and put some in the pumpkin coach.

So, even though officially, the autumnal equinox is still weeks away, I will take this opportunity to wish you a happy fall, my favorite season.

P.S.: to someone who loves the season less, decorating the living room may have seemed silly since I have to take it all down tomorrow. Because...I'm going to start working on the living room tomorrow!