Is it really September?  Can it be true?  The crisp air and pretty mums on my porch tell me that summer has come to an end.  The summer came and went so fast, like it always does.

This weekend was full of joy and peace.

I indulged in a book.  A new book.  Nothing lofty, just the latest installment in the Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen.  The TV show is lacking, but the book series is addicting.

I made potato leak soup.  Have I shared my recipe?  I don’t think I have.  I will soon.  It is most definitely a comfort food that feels naughty, but is actually really healthy.  I also made salad and used tomatoes, a cucumber, a pepper, and herbs from our garden.  I can’t describe the pride I feel when I feed my family with food Chris and I grew together.

I bought the latest Vegetarian Times.  The October 2012 issue has a recipe for Dried Fruit Compote in Spiced Zinfandel Syrup.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I have to try this.  In fact, there is a whole section on reductions.  I use balsamic reduction in basically everything, so learning to make my own reductions is definitely on the bucket list for this fall.

I gave Anderson his first green veggie: peas!  It may not sound like a big deal, but to me it is.  I have hated peas for my whole life and I was hoping my child didn’t take after me.  I will post later this week about making baby food.

We went apple picking today!  I just pulled two apple crisp pies out of the oven.

I finally organized the “stuff” that has been piling up in our dining room over the last few months, ever since we decided to redo our living room and had nowhere to put some of the stuff displaced during the transition.  In fact, I’m sitting at that table right now and the only items, aside from my computer, that take space here would be a glass of wine and a gorgeous bouquet of zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons (must grow these in the future!), and black-eyed Susans.  The colorful flowers are yet another reason why I love September.  This is how bad my dining room had gotten.  I’m hanging my head in shame.

There was finally time to download and loosely organize all of my great pictures from the last few months.

Anderson’s baby book got some attention. I LOVED spending time on that while he napped nearby.  I still need to tell his birth story.

My mother-in-law and brother-in-law are battling over whether to watch CSI or the Patriot’s game.  Anderson is sleeping.  The house smells like apples and I keep going outside to feel the chilly air. It’s the little things, you know?  A hot bath with yummy lavender bath suds…a candle…a hot cup of tea…a book…some snuggling with someone you love (human or pet).  These little things are what make life happy, even if there are things about life you’d like to change.  Happy autumn, everyone!  I hope you take some time to stop and enjoy this precious time of year.