A Fall Kind of Mood

Today fall arrived at our house.  It has been hinting for awhile, but today I really felt it’s presence.  All of a sudden, it seemed, the yard was covered in a golden carpet of leaves, the air was crisp and cool, and the ground crunched beneath my feet as I walked out to the chicken coop this morning.  And like it does every year, the feeling of magic hung in the air.  So, naturally, I felt the need to retrieve my apple corer from the depths of my garage, and fill the house with the smell of apples and cinnamon.

After climbing over boxes, still un-opened from our move, I finally found my apple corer.  The kids were immediately intrigued as I clamped it to the dining table, and set a pile of apples next to it.  Tessie was my big helper and handed me apples.  One by one, I cored, peeled, and sliced, until there was a giant pile of curly apple peels on the table.

I then chopped them all up, added water and cinnamon, and threw the whole mixture in my crock pot.  Within an hour the house smelled amazing.  After another adventure into the garage, I came out carrying the boxes holding the Halloween decorations, and Tes could barely contain her excitement.  As I pulled each pumpkin, spiderweb, or window decal from the box, she clapped her hands with unrestrained glee.   When her trick-or-treat bucket emerged from the box, she lost whatever self control she had left.  She grabbed the bucket and started jumping up and down, chanting “Halloween, Halloween!”  Under Christian’s supervision, Tessie and I then decorated the house with autumn leaf garlands and jack-o-lanterns.

This evening we lit a fire before dinner, mostly because I was in such a fall kind of mood, and ate chicken casserole by the fire’s glow.  The smell of apples and cinnamon continued to fill our home.  Even though the kids were driving me a little insane, I was in heaven.  It’s beautiful what a little autumn can do for the soul.