Whew, fall has come, but it’s still warm here in the South. However, the warm weather hasn’t stopped me from pulling out the fall decorations and pumpkins and deliciously scented candles! We even adorned our front porch this year with some lights and our Happy Thanksgiving Minnie Mouse.
With fall being here, the new season beckons me to re-evaluate things that are working or not working within our home and/ or lifestyle, make some changes to the menu for the next few weeks, and begin to brainstorm about the holidays ahead.
Working on me
The seasons changing are exciting, but for someone who has trouble with the curve of change, I must evaluate some personal things before I begin to freshen up the rest of the home.
One of the first things I do to prepare my heart and my often anxious mind, is give my quiet time with the Lord Jesus a boost. A quiet time is when I sit down to with my coffee, open my Bible, read, think about what the passage is saying, maybe jot down some notes, and then close in prayer over my day.
To keep this time fresh, I choose a different topic to think on and learn about for the new season ahead. My quiet time with the Lord is precious, and I want it to stay alive and exciting.
After my quiet time, I do a workout most mornings. Stagnant workouts lose my interest, so I have to change it up every once in a while. Recently I have been working on upper body strength and endurance. For the next few weeks, I will continue to work on strength but I am putting an emphasis on core strength and overall flexibility. I feel so much better in my clothes and my heart and mind feel better too!
Lastly, to continue working on me, I try to find something new to learn. I believe we should always keep learning. I haven’t nailed down this one yet, but I’m leaning towards practicing sign language this upcoming fall. I’m also planning to add to my watercolor painting skills I’ve been working on over the summer. Watercolor painting with fall ambience music casted to the tv, a delightful candle lit, and a cup of coffee instantly brings a calm to my mind and body.
What are you doing to take care of yourself this fall?
Systems and Rhythms
Each season brings its own level of hustle and bustle. We have systems in our home designed to make things easier for the activities each season brings. As we go from summer to fall, a few things are a bit disheveled around here. My spice cabinet and pantry for one was in full disarray. Especially for the fall and winter, I take time to tidy up the pantry shelves and refill on the spices in the spice cabinet so we are full steam ahead for all the yummy baking the cooler months have in store.
I restock things like cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, pepper, brown sugar, white sugar, King Arthur bread flour and King Arthur all purpose flour. I make sure I have plenty of parchment paper, cupcake liners, plastic wrap and plastic bags to preserve all of the delicious baked goodies we plan to make.
The same need to tidy up goes for our clothes and shoes system. The children in my home play hard over the summer and their clothes and shoes have to work even harder. This means we go through some laundry in our house. I try to scale down the clothes to about 10 outfits per child. We of course keep some extra articles of clothing and pairs of shoes on reserve for later, but I have found the more clothes in the drawers, the more clothes (clean or dirty) on the floor, bed post, couch, etc.
Preparing for the holidays
After I get the systems and rhythms back in sync, my mind is free to brainstorm and dream about the upcoming holidays. I get to practice new yummy recipes to add to the meal plan using this season’s ingredients. It’s time for s’mores, taking hikes, and enjoying indoor pastimes like puzzles and snuggles!
I can also begin to plan ahead the gifts I need to buy for family and friends. I lean heavily on my Christmas Present Planner, which is here, free to you if you subscribe to my email list! Fall is beautiful in its own way, even if season change is hard sometimes for the creatures of habit and lovers of summer. I encourage you to take the time to make the necessary changes to your home to make the season ahead as vibrant and beautiful as the fall atmosphere outside!
Much love,
The Plowman Table Mom
For more adventures…come watch a mini fall scene tour here!
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