September is here and with it all the fall feels! This is my favorite time of year. The sights, sounds, and smells of fall just can’t be beat. I tried to wait to decorate the house until September, but I could hear the siren song coming from my autumn tote in the garage! I started with a gradual transition to fall in the house. Because we hosted a dinner with friends on August 30th, I simply switched some household items out for orange ones – orange throw pillows in the living room, an orange hand towel in the kitchen, a tissue box with orange highlights. I figured with no pumpkins in sight, this was an acceptable start to my fall decorating in August. Fall color was already outside my window, so it didn’t feel too early to bring it inside.
The next day, I pulled down my tote and got to work. Decorating for autumn this year is happening in stages. I don’t love the delay, but I’m trying to be patient. We added a new bookcase and fireplace to our living room last winter and now I have more places to spread seasonal cheer. Our current décor didn’t fill in the space as well as I had hoped. I was able to pick up a few more decorations at Hobby Lobby yesterday and I ordered my final pieces online. I’m hoping in the next week or so, I’ll have our living space settled. I can’t wait!
Decorating for fall is a huge part of my mental shift for the new school year. When my house feels like fall I transition back to school to better. It’s a visual cue that summer is over and with it the summer schedule. Time to get back to our school year routine! The boys started 4th and 6th grade on Tuesday. We are continuing to homeschool and our first week of school went well. If they can continue with this momentum, I see an excellent school year ahead of us!
We had our first field trip of the school year yesterday. Fort Vancouver has been on my field trip list for years and I was determined to make it happen this year. I’m glad I did, because it was such a fantastic outing. The boys were given clipboards to answer questions around the fort. Each building was set up authentically with staff in costume ready to explain how the space was used in the 1800’s. When the boys turned their clipboards in with the park ranger, they were awarded Junior Ranger badges. If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know our family loves the National Park Junior Ranger program. We also got Graham’s 4th grade national parks pass through the Every Kid Outdoors program. We are ready for more national park adventures this year!
It’s a dark and stormy day here in our little corner of the PNW. I woke up to lightning and thunder. My hubby is out in the woods elk hunting at the moment. Now that the storms have moved through, I feel better about him being outdoors. The boys and I are enjoying some downtime and Owen hopes to head out with Jeremy this evening for his own nature walk with Jeremy. I enjoyed a tasty pumpkin spice doughnut from Krispy Kreme for breakfast and I may have a Costco pumpkin pie in my fridge. My obsession with pumpkin strong! My recent Scentsy order arrived yesterday with pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and vanilla scented bars. Curating the fall feels involves all the senses. I’m here for it! All of it!
Our September schedule will be full this month. Back to school, a week of swim lessons, soccer kick-off, church commitments, adventures with friends, and appointments are filling the calendar. I used to think September would slow down with back to school, but I now realize we don’t “chill” until November when the rains move in. But no matter the pace, our home will be an autumn haven of good things! I’m embracing September and all the fall feels. Time cozy up with a good book and a slice of pie.
Amy Scott's Thoughts 