Autumn Weather

I love this season! I love fall weather, when the temps start cooling down to livable levels. I love the seasonal rain showers and cloudy mornings. I love the fog just barely lingering when I head out to school in the morning. I love the turning leaves and the leaf piles that spontaneously appear in my yard. I love the way the air smells after a fall shower.

Last week was unbearably warm, even for Oklahoma. It was so nice to wake up to cloudy skies this morning. And then the beautiful rain shower this morning! It's still gently sprinkling outside. I love the high school library's bank of windows that let me watch the rain falling.

Rainy Day

I had forgotten how much I love rainy days.

Perhaps it's because we had such a dry summer and autumn. Or perhaps it's because we've had so few days of any kind of precipitation this winter. Whatever the case, I totally enjoyed listening to the rain last night. And it was amazing to wake up to grey skies this morning! I hope it will continue to rain all day! Even the puddles are making me cheerful this morning!

Here is a series of books perfect for enjoying on a rainy day. Jane Smiley's Horse series: The Georges and the Jewels; A Good Horse; and True Blue.

I love the teen main character, and the fact that the author isn't shy about her faith. Great stories! I'm reading True Blue right now, and it seems to fit in well with my morning so far.

"Usually, when you wake up and the day is already sunny, especially after a big rainstorm, you can't help feeling fresh and happy..." Abby Lovitt from True Blue by Jane Smiley

Church Camp

Had a great weekend with the kiddos. Nine of them went to mid-winter this weekend. That's nine 1st-4th graders. 6 boys, 3 girls. 5 3rd grade, 2 2nd grade, 1 1st & 1 4th.

It wasn't that cold, but it rained most of the day Saturday. Despite the rain, we had a fabulous time! They learned a lot, especially seeing what camp was like (most of them had never been to camp, let alone church camp). The girls got to meet a lot of new faces, and the boys -- well, everyone was just glad to see boys! There were lots of girls at camp. :)

The food was awesome, and we ate and ate and ate!! The best was the last breakfast -- homemade cinnamin rolls plus all the leftovers! So I had cinnamin roll + banana + turkey sandwich + carrot sticks + cake. :) Lots of snacks all the time, had "tea-time", and even had REAL hot chocolate! Mmmmmm!!

We had a safe trip in the church van, and all the worried moms (and DADS) were glad to see the kids. The kids weren't ready to come home.

And mine, especially, were NOT ready to go to school today. My son said, "I thought it was Sunday. What happened to church day?" Cute.

Recommended Reading:
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien