Things to look forward to this fall

Fall is my favourite time of year!  Spring is good with all of its new growth and flowers and lengthening days.  I don’t mind winter except for the icy sidewalks.  Our summers get so darned hot and humid and leave me cranky – except when I get to sit in the shade with an icy bevvy then I can dig it.  Fall though….. 

Six things I like about fall:

The heat and humidity are gone, woo hoo!  (for the most part anyway)  The nights are crispy cool and I can actually sleep with my window open without turning into a big sweat ball (not a pretty thing!).  I love stepping out of my door in the morning and breathing in that crisp air 

I absolutely love the colours of the leaves.  The oranges, reds and yellows of the leaves are so inviting and leave me feeling mellow.  This is the time of year when I love to take a walk and simply enjoy being alive.  I especially like to do this in the evening when people have started up their fire places and wood stoves.  The cool air, fall colours and the smell of wood smoke just do it for me. 

All of my favourite comfort foods make their come-back at this time of year as well.  The slow-cooker comes out for roasts, soups, stews and the list goes on.  With the hot weather gone, I get more into cooking and baking.  I mean, who wants to turn on the stove/oven when they are already sweating?  I’ve already made bread, muffins and tried a new cake and September has just begun.  I know, autumn only officially starts September 22 but as far as I’m concerned, once Labour Day has passed, autumn has started. 

The looser days of summer are nice with no homework and lack of formal bedtimes but, by the time September rolls around we’re all ready for school to begin again.  The Boy even said, by mid-August, that he was looking forward to going back to school.  He was missing friends that he didn’t get the see much of during the summer.  The Girl felt the same.  For my part, it’s kind of nice to get back into a proper routine.  I tend to feel a bit disjointed and at loose ends when they are out of school. 

My kids’ birthdays are in September – The Girl turns thirteen this week (Sept. 11) and The Boy turns 15 in a couple of weeks (Sept. 29).  How is it possible that I am the mother of TWO teens?!  Time goes by way too quickly!  Now, two birthdays added to back-to-school supplies and fees do make this an expensive month but I don’t really mind.  Everyone is back from vacations at this point so there is no issue of friends not being able to make it and they are far enough away from the chaos that is Christmas that there is some breathing room.  We are not dealing with the heat of summer, the snow and ice of winter or the rain of spring.  It’s kind of fitting that I had my kids at this time of year; it makes my favourite season just a little more special. 

Three words – Pumpkin Chai Latte!  David’s Tea has brought out its fall collection and they have brought back Pumpkin Chai.  Woo hoo!!  I fell in love with this last year and so did my kids.  I can’t make it for myself without making them each a cup too or else they’ll just come along and take sips of mine until it’s gone.  I love David’s Tea all year round but this one is special.  Here’s the recipe for the latte: 

I usually don't have whipped cream in my fridge but, quite honestly, the drink is so good that I don't really miss it.  Please check out my favourite tea place; I guarantee that you'll find something you like - David's Tea 

What do you like about this season?

Kat

Hairs, Hormones and Naps

When I saw this week’s Writing Prompts from Mama Kat, I knew that number five would be the one for me – “You know you’re getting old because”.  At forty-three, I’m feeling older than I ever have (imagine that!) so I must be an expert on this subject. 

The biggest sign that I’m getting old?  Napping.  When I was younger, I rarely napped during the day.  You could catch me snoozing if I was really sick or hung-over and that was about it.  Having kids opened up a whole new world of napping to me.  The second those “precious” babies would finally close their eyes and give me a break, I would dive for my bed and be asleep within minutes.  Even then, though, it had to be in my bed and it had to be quiet. 

Well, that is no more.  These days, I can pretty much fall asleep on command (or accidentally) wherever I am – rocking chair, bus, waiting room, lawn chair at the park……. usually with a book in my hand.   My ability to snooze is only getting better as I age. 

Since I turned forty, my hormones have gotten wonky.   When I was in my twenties, I admit that I thought that the moodiness that comes with PMS was “all in their heads”.  Really, there’s no reason for hormones to make you be bitchy, right?  Don’t those women have any control?  Boy was I an idiot!  Over the last several years, I’ve found my moods changing drastically over the course of the month.  I’ll be really pissed off at something and actually stop and ask “why the hell am I so angry over this?”  That’s when I’ll glance at the calendar and go “Oooohhhhh, that’s why”.    I used to think that I was immune to that but now I’m older and wiser……… or at least older. 

Of course, then there is every woman’s nightmare – the chin hairs!  Eeeeek!  I don’t exactly have a beard or anything but I get these single, dark, thick hairs that seem to sprout almost overnight.  I’ve become obsessed with checking my chin practically every day because I definitely don’t want to be one of those old ladies that walk around with stray hairs sprouting out of their faces.  When I see somebody with one, I practically do the pee-pee dance in my efforts to restrain the urge to run for my tweezers.  I’m not the most vain person around but I am very OCD about stray facial hairs on women and it makes me nuts when I find them on myself. 

My children never pass up an opportunity to let me know that I’m not young or hip anymore.  I made a joke a while back (which I can’t remember, of course, because I’m old) which I thought was pretty cool of me and The Girl just rolled her eyes.  I asked “what, you don’t think I’m cool?”  Needless to say, the answer was a sad headshake.   Sigh……. 

It’s a good thing that I’m still young at heart 

Kat