Fall never feels like fall without. . .

. . . a day of apple picking, a hayride and a trip to the pumpkin patch.

Done, done and done. And the whole experience is made even better when caramel apples are involved.

Decorator Extraordinaire

Thanks to this favorite auntie and her understanding of Feng Shui and ability to improve the Qi in my house, I now have a home with things on the walls and furniture in the right places to make the flow inviting, peaceful and relaxing.

What a difference. Here is a glimpse of the magic she arranged in the four days she was here.

• Pardon the wrinkled curtains, blurry photos and bad lighting.
• The small grey chair with a funny yellow pillow is just a place holder until we find the perfect thrift store chair replacement and make a new cushion to go on top.
• Sewing projects now include: sheers for window with yellow curtains, drapes for large window behind dark brown couch, and pillows in interesting fabrics for said brown couch

And since a request was made (Liz) for "a picture of Henry in the kitchen" (lol), I had to oblige. Can you say oak, oak and more oak? It's growing on me. Again, pardon all the junk on the counter in the distance and the mismatched towels hung so beautifully on the oven door. Add to the sewing list some roman shades or something for these awesome windows that are not so awesome right now covered in dirty mini-blinds. They bring in a lot of light, which I love, so I have to find just the right fabric that won't block the light and also won't be too loud on such a large window.

And now I am officially done posting pictures of the house, with the exception that I will hopefully have some of those sewing projects complete and ready to share in the next few months. Thanks for all your nice comments and interest!

Closet love

Another favorite thing about this house is definitely this closet

Which is just off the kitchen a bit, but can be 100 percent dedicated to all my food storage and canning--which, let's be honest, is the best kind of food storage. And I'm happy to say that we moved and were mostly unpacked just in time to pick lots of produce for canning and the new kitchen was just right for the job.

For the first time in all my life as a gardener I finally grew almost enough tomatoes for my salsa this year. I'll say about 40 percent mine and 60 percent picked from local farms.

Reservoirs

Occasionally I find myself in moments of fear and panic about the world my children are growing up in. It's hard to imagine how any child can wade through the garbage that surrounds them and eventually turn into faithful, respectful, responsible, honest adults.

Equal to these moments of fear and panic are little moments where I glimpse how important my role as their mother is. I recognize that I have the opportunity every single day, in small ways, to teach them to work hard, to be honest, and to respect others and themselves.

The book I'm reading right now, Faith Precedes the Miracle, written by Spencer W. Kimball (one of the past prophets of our church) offers an interesting perspective on how we can be truly effective in this daily teaching. He suggests that within our homes we focus on building "reservoirs of righteousness & truth" that will carry our children through the dark days of temptation and desire, of drought and skepticism. He offers some great insight on how to do this:

Some years ago we visited a country where strange ideologies were taught and"pernicious doctrines" were promulgated every day in the schools and in the captive press. Every day the children listened to the doctrines, philosophies, and ideals their teachers related.

Someone said that "constant dripping will wear away the hardest stone." This I knew, so I asked about the children. "Do they retain their faith? Are they not overcome by the constant pressure of their teachers? How can you be sure they will not leave the simple faith in God?"

The answer amounted to saying, "We mend the damaged reservoir each night. We teach our children positive righteousness so that the false philosophies do not take hold. Our children are growing up in faith and righteousness in spite of the almost overwhelming pressures from outside.

Even cracked dams can be mended and saved, and sandbags can hold back the flood. And reiterated truth, renewed prayer, gospel teachings, expression of love, and parental interest, can save the child and keep him on the right path.