fall....and campfires......

Fall is approaching. The last 2 days have been absolutely gorgeous! LOW TO ZERO humidity.......much cooler temps....down into the low 40s at night! Bright blue sunny skies during the day with a wonderful breeze.

I get antsy this time of year. I have what amounts to another spring fever in the fall. I come alive!! Fall reminds me of wonderful memories. I love the changing environment and smells of fires in fireplaces or campfires at night. This is the beginning of so many wonderful fall festivals...college football.....school days...

I find it difficult to concentrate and focus on anything. My mind drifts to sitting outside in the cool night.....ideally around a fire in a fire pit or campfire......with the one you love......lazily dreaming off into the dancing flames.......glancing occasionally at each others skin and eyes glowing gorgeously in the firelight. Sitting just close enough.....or even holding hands. Or snuggled together under a warm blanket.

The nights are all about snuggling. This is only the start of snuggling weather...and there would be nothing in the world like snuggling up against the man I love tonight.

tea.........

Well I have gone about oh 10 days or so I believe now without coffee. I have been enjoying my teas and discovered an even larger TEA world out there than I ever anticipated. I have always had a well-stocked cupboard of flavored teas and herbal teas. With the approaching cooler weather the urge for coffee has returned with a vengeance. I decided to do an experiment today. I decided to BREW some jo and see if I wanted it...or it still tasted good to me MINUS the cream. Well.....I did not really smell anything as it brewed.....and once done I poured some in a cup and smelled it. Then I just tasted not even an entire sipful.......BLAH! It tasted not all that great to me anymore....and was sort of bitter and nasty black. Maybe it was old......because I imagine my Gevalia would still be good.......but......the experiment proved something to me. I spit out the coffee and poured out the cup and pot...and brewed me tea instead. THAT really satisfied me and tasted much better to me than the coffee had.

A couple of advantages with the tea......they have a milder taste and are not bitter like coffee can be at times......especially when I drank it black. They have many flavors that give me just about the same feeling as my coffee did WITH creamer.

With the holiday seasons coming up I wantd to check to see if anyone carried pumpkin spice tea.......and one of my favorite flavors hazelnut......and was stunned to find BOTH easily in many different brands of teas. I also found eggnog and Christmas eve or Christmas morning teas......some tea that is similar to coffee but without the side effects......and some like hot chocolate. ALL of course zero to almost zero in calories or fat grams and sugar content. I like that!

Anyway......I found a couple of companies online.....and ordered .......well......a LOT of tea. I had already ordered some of my fav gingerbread spice from Celestial Seasonings and got that the other day.

SINCE do so.....I have discovered many tea companies out there specializing in GOURMET teas or dessert teas......and wow.......I had no idea! Candy Cane tea with bits of candy cane in it.........pumpkin spice......eggnog......on and on. I almost did not know where to begin but since I apparently can do nothing half-ass I just ordered some of everything I wanted to try.

AND there is just something I love about teapots and teacups and all that dainty stuff though I do not always get out my teapot or cups but instead will drink my teas while working from a coffee mug. BUT the photo above I adore. The colors....the shape......I can feel that cup in my hands and approaching my lips. It just makes the entire experience so much more enjoyable and I swear makes the teas taste even better!

I am weird....

of course I also love vintage......and these teacups remind me of something my grandma has......

Sunday.........

Yesterday we had a belated birthday celebration for my nephew who turned 15 on August 27. I think we had one of the best visits in the family we have ever had. I am not sure why it seemed different but it did. Everyone seemed in good spirits and no one teased any one particular person overly much. I got some great photos while there which you can see on my photography blog if interested. The link is on the sidebar.

We had tremendous storms yesterday....and coming home the roads downtown were all closed and blocked off. Ambulances were all over the place. Not sure what happened....or if they had a car show or parade or something.....it was all very very strange. We finally got home and it stormed some more. We got a tremendous amount of rain but I am very thankful for it.

This will help us to have a beautiful fall this year. I don't mind mowing more often.......or anything like that. I do not enjoy the weeds but there will be plenty of time to pull them up and trim bushes. I am not letting things like that bother me too much this year and my summer has been much more enjoyable and carefree.

Today I have a lot I want to get accomplished. I just cleaned out the furnace and changed the filters....and swept and wiped the water heater down. I do that every so often anyway......and the filters I had let go a little too long this time. I WILL NOT let that happen again...they were filthy! The landlord still wants to come by with his shop vac and check the pilot lights on the water heater and furnace and make sure all is clean. I guess he has some tenants who never clean those things? I have always changed my own filters and kept my furnaces and such clean.

Well....I want to put some things away today and sweep really well......clean up the place a bit. I have a lot of paperwork to do also and I want to tackle MY room. I did Noah's room last week......and except for his closet his room is now back in order and all cleaned up. His closet is clean it just needs reorganized.

I need to organize this room and free up space and put it in order and clean it. My office area that is. SO far that is the one remaining room I do not have in order. Then I will put my fall decorations out. I am anxiously awaiting its arrival anyway so why not put fall decor around me? I love fall.

I have a chicken roasting in the oven.....and it smells wonderful. Noah and I will make some gingerbread cookies in a bit. I am hopeful that after today and tomorrow I won't have too much left to finish off in the house......to make it more streamlined and clean...ready for fall and winter. I think I have decided to hold off on a storage locker...making do with the space I have here and to cut that additional expense. I really need to just get a bigger place. I have always wanted a BIG place....a very large house.....so I have plenty of rooms to stretch out and not have to use a room for more than one purpose. SO I am looking around again......and hopeful the right place at the right price will pop up.

I need to go. Time for another cup of tea......so far I have had no coffee in a little over a week. The physical side effects have passed and to be honest most of the MENTAL ones which were even more difficult.....have finally passed.

OFF TO GET BUSY! Have a fabulous Sunday and remember to take time to ENJOY LIVING YOUR LIFE......and make sure those around you know you love them!