Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

FALL!!!



I know the song says Christmas is the happiest season of all, but for me, the favorite part of the year is fall. The kids return to school – hallelujah! The cooler temperatures sweep in, and the countdown to the holidays begins.

Whenever my children start back to school, it feels like the beginning of a new year. Yes, I know that technically the calendar doesn’t change for a few more months, but I just find myself renewing my commitments, creating new schedules, and of course, buying lovely office supplies. (Hint: I’m an office supply addict!) I purchase a new daily calendar book, so I can fill in not just the coming months, but commitments that run through the next year. I usually spend some of my precious alone time before the kids get out of school taking a good long look at my writing and professional goals, evaluating what’s working and what isn’t.

Then there’s the weather! I love the outdoors, but I hate the heat. I pretty much only do yard work during the spring and fall. The fall is my favorite because it combines lovely breezes, amazing colors, and an indulgence in my organizing gene. I get to trim limbs, dig out weeds, and prune overgrown plants. Lots of fun, and good exercise too. All without sweating like a pig. Not to mention the annual trip to the local Pumpkin Patch!



I usually start my holiday shopping around September. I don’t like waiting until the end of November because I’m a bargain shopper. I want to get things my family and friends will enjoy, but at a good price. This year, our Toys R Us moved a store and had all their merchandise up to 50 percent off. Yahoo!!! I also hit a Books-a-Million that was closing to get some things. But I do try to hit a few stores the day after Thanksgiving, especially for stocking stuffers.

I have to be careful, or all my books would be set in the fall. :) So what’s your favorite time of the year and why?

Angel

Coming Soon!

Tomorrow join us as we welcome Tanya Saari, and learn more about the freelance editing world!

Autumn in a Bowl

Fall is here at last. Yes, its still in the 90s here, but this weekend it is supposed to get much cooler and fall-like. I can't wait. I've bought a new pair of mules and a fleece lined hoodie in anticipation. I've also made a pot of white chicken chili. Growing up in the southwest, I have a soft spot for anything with green chiles and this dish is just a great warm bowl of awesome.

So, I decided to share the recipe. I'm hoping to pair it with Maven LJ's cornbread recipe, which is off the hook. Like buttah! You could also pair it with corn chips. Whatever suits your fancy. When fall arrives in your neck of the woods, curl up with a bowl and enjoy the crisp autumn evening.

White Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 C water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp ground oregano
4 cans (15 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (14 oz) white corn
2 cans (4.5 oz) green chilies, chopped
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 T lime juice

Garnishes – lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.

Sauté onion in olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium high heat 7 minutes; add garlic, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of water and next 5 ingredients.

Place two cans of beans in a food processor; add broth and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir bean puree, remaining 2 cans of beans, corn and chilies into mixture in the pot.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add cooked, shredded chicken. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Stir in lime juice just before serving.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite fall recipe? Share your ideas for goodies to warm the spirit, the stomach and the home.

SP

It's September already!

And where in the heck have the last eight months gone?

Back to school items are already on sale, Halloween and fall items are crowding the shelves and I even caught myself looking at the price of artificial Christmas trees at Hobby Lobby last week. I need a new tree this year. Some very dear friends gave me a gift certificate to a Christmas store and because the store was having a nice sale and because I tend to think of myself as a pretty savvy shopper, I got double the bounty from the Christmas store.

However, I now have waaaaaaaaaay more beautiful Christmas decorations than will fit on my little Charlie Brown four-foot tree I got from the thrift store last year before I moved into my new apartment. Don't get me wrong. That tree made Christmas wonderful for me last year. I had only been out on my own for about a month by Thanksgiving and that's usually when I put up my tree. I had brought along a few things, bought a few others and I had my tree.

But now, I want to showcase my new stuff and a 4.5 foot tree just ain't gonna do it. So I'm going to have to start doing some serious bargain hunting for 7 to 7.5 foot slim line trees. I promise to post pictures once I get it and get it decorated. It's going to be gawgeous!

And in other decorating news, remember those Command strips I blogged about last week? I used them again. This time I put a bulletin board on the outside of the closet door in my office/spare bedroom. And because I'm having a problem getting some artwork mounted evenly on the wall, I'm going to try them with that. I have 3 of my True Romance and Confessions covers framed and on the wall. And try as I might I simply cannot get them even. I've used a level, measured carefully and the darned things are still not right. I think the Command picture hanging strips might solve the problem.

I also got an email from someone who apparently read my "favorite things" blog. I'll pass it along because some of you may be interested in entering:


I know you are no stranger to decorating your space, but did you know that a recent survey commissioned by Command products revealed that one in four women haven’t redecorated their home since Bill Clinton was in office?

Beginning September 5, Command Brand wants to reward you and your readers for creating your own amazing transformations in the Take Command of Your Space Facebook Contest. You could win $500, plus a flip-video camera and a prize pack of Command products!

Simply visit Facebook.com/CommandBrand and upload a photo or two - we love before and after shots! - along with a tip about how you use Command products to simplify, organize or decorate your space. We’re selecting a new winner every week through December 25, so you can enter more than once!

Let me know if you have any questions. Looking forward to your entry!

Best,
Alicia XYZ
XYZ Public Relations
--

I'm not sure my mirror or bulletin board will blow them away, but if I come up with some other nifty uses, I might send in some photos because the $500 would buy that tree at Hobby Lobby.

Have YOU redecorated since Bill Clinton was in office (FYI this was 1993 - 2001)? If so, share some of your decorating tips. If you haven't redecorated, what would you love to do if money were no object?

Fall has fell -- addendum

This just in from a friend in the Denver, Colorado area. It's the view from her window.

ACK!

Fall Has Fell

This sixteen-second video clip is me walking through autumn leaves. I love that crisp, dry, rustling sound, and when I see leaves covering a sidewalk or in drifts along the curb, I can't resist dragging my feet through them.

Autumn is a favorite season of mine. After a long, hot, humid Alabama summer, the cooler temps of autumn are quite welcome. Autumn officially starts on the autumnal equinox, which falls somewhere around September 23 or 24. But in Alabama, it's still hot then. However, usually about three weeks later, things will change and we'll start having cool mornings and nights with warm days. And then slowly we'll slide toward cooler days too.

But summer won't give up without a fight. We'll have a bit of Indian summer, where the nights will stay cool, but the days will be abnormally warm. It's this time of year when you never know how to dress your kids for school or yourself for work. The secret is layers you can peel off as the day progresses.

Angel mentioned our retreat in her Monday blog and here are a few photos. The cool autumn air made for great walking (we didn't walk fast enough to call it a hike, no matter what Problem Child says *grin* ).





I loved this house. The exterior is filled with color and whimsy, and I can only imagine what the interior looks like.














This little carved statue was in someone's front yard. It's such an original and unusual depiction of St. Francis.













And isn't this a face only a mother could love?










Last, but not least, here are the Playfriends posed on the rocks over looking the valley below.

Does anyone else like autumn as much as I do?