The Importance of Fall Traditions

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pics are of some fall "stuff" I purchased recently to help get me through the rest of this terribly hot summer. I know it has been cool and breezy since Tropical Storm Lee came through. However, I also know temps will climb back up into the 90s before it is said and done... dashing my hopes and dreams of an early autumn. Heavy, heavy sigh.

It may be "equator" hot on the outside, but inside Faulkner Farms (circa 1842) it is a brisk, fall day! Come by for hot chocolate and apple cider if you get the chance!

RANDOMNESS #1 - I am happy to report that Sparkle has decided to get up and play... again. I never know from summer to fall if she is going to make the transition. After all, she IS 63 years-old. But as the cooler air has entered our area, she is regularly running to the fence to greet the Big Gold Van, chasing wayward cats that come into our yard... and barking at some strange, invisible animal at 1:00 a.m. each and every morning.

It's good to see a little spring in her step!

NOTE - When I am 63 years-old, I will not be "running" anywhere... much less to the fence when a car drives in the driveway. Cats will not be chased, but merely "shooed," and strange, invisible animals will have their run of my yard at 1:00 a.m. each and every morning... because I will be SOUND ASLEEP, you see.

I admire Sparkle very, very much.

RANDOMNESS #2 - With the cooler air, I started looking forward to some of the things I love about fall.

1. Turnip green soup with cheesy cornbread. (Oh... my... goodness. Remind me to re-post this recipe from my friend, Julie. Delicious!)

2. My fall Zoo trip. I cannot wait. (Going in the fall is key, because the animals do not smell as badly in the fall as they do in the summer... much like teenage boys.)

3. The Southern Women's Show. I DO love those "pretzel and dip" tables scattered throughout. (And I may splurge and have my eyebrows waxed. I always want to leave looking a little better than when I arrived.)

4. Christmas Village. Nothing gets me in the mood for Christmas more than booth after booth after booth of Christmas decorations and gifts I CANNOT make myself. (If not for the Egg Nog Booth and the "pretzel and dip" tables at Christmas Village, I might leave there a little depressed each year.)

5. Reality TV. Survivor, Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice begin in the fall. Need I say more?

6. Our fall camping trip. The fire never goes out, and crawling into a huge, warm sleeping bag on a cool, frosty night is one of the little pleasures of life. (Taking a shower in the community bathhouse... not so much!)

Wednesday Wisdom - "Into each life some rain must fall." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Hmmm. I wonder if RAIN is the topic for today's Wisdom? (Oh, it is, my friend. It is!)

"It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent." Dave Barry (Dave Barry must have been a tent camper. As a tent camper, I will have to say he is 100 percent correct!)

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." Dolly Parton

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." John Ruskin (This guy is an optimist... but I like him anyway.)

"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." Roger Miller (True, so true.)

The Importance of Fall Traditions

I found the following on a website entitled www.lifeasmom.com. I'm going to read more of her posts as the days go by, but I think we may be sisters separated at birth.

Traditions are the things that we cling to when life bounces us around. Traditions are stability for our kids when their minds and their bodies are growing too fast for them (and us). Traditions are what we use to create beautiful memories with our families.

Can we be deliberate in tradition building? I think so. What is a tradition? It’s a practice that is repeated over time.

Hopefully, we repeat only the traditions we love and ditch the ones that don’t work for our families. And we can always create new ones.

1. Take long hikes in the mountains, woods or fields.

2. Visit a local farm. Pick apples, roam the pumpkin patch, ride a hay wagon.

3. Find a corn or hay maze. No matter where we’ve lived, there has always been a corn or hay maze to wander through. Find one and meander through it with your children.

4. Establish a regular family night. Perhaps homemade pizza, popcorn and games once a week can be a regular gig.

5. Gather a stash of firewood and make the hearth a little more homey. Lay in fire starters, matches and the makings of s’mores. If you don’t have a fireplace, consider a fire pit out back.

6. Corral all the lap blankets and throws in one central location. Add a stack of good reads and make a comfy reading nook for the family to gather together.

7. Find some read alouds to enjoy together as a family.

8. Invest in a good soup cookbook and make it a family affair to work your way through the book. Older kids may even want to take turns or offer input, so make sure to include them. Add special touches like cornbread or popovers.

The Enchanting Belinda says...

1. One of my favorite fall day memories happened several years ago at Tannehill State Park. The Faulkner Five left after church on Sunday and bundled up in scarves and heavy coats. We walked on the trails which were covered with crunchy, colorful fall leaves, took pictures galore and headed home after a couple of hours to cups of hot chocolate. It was lovely. I would love to make this an annual fall tradition.

2. We love our fire pit. It has been a great addition to our fall and spring nights.

3. I think cooking through a soup cookbook as a family would be fun. It might be something you could do one-on-one with each child in your family once a week. Soup Night sounds like a tradition I could add even at this stage in the game.

Have a fun Thursday. Tomorrow, I'll finish up the week with Blog Linkage, Dates, Randomness, volleyball pics and Weekend Happenings. Be ready to stay awhile if you decide to visit!

Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda