Our tree(s)

We have this gorgeous tree right in our front yard. A neighbor told me we have the tree of which people will stop to take pictures. I sure took some!

Of course, all those leaves are the leaves we have been raking. But we're definitely having fun with them, so I guess it works. 

Walking home from the bus stop. 

Looking up. 

Looking down. 

Every time I walked by I would look and marvel at the gorgeous colors. Really. Absolutely beautiful. 

If you're going to come visit, come in the fall. And we love having visitors!

I finally got around to making a leaf wreath this year. Ever since seeing one (two, maybe!) on my friend Elizabeth's blog I have wanted to make my own. I would think of it every time I walked past colorful leaves. 

I just used a cardboard oval cutout (from a diaper box), hot glue, and leaves. This is actually take two since I didn't do the first one thick enough to account for the drying. 

This is what it looks like now. The lighting is not great and the colors definitely aren't what they were, but I still think it's beautiful. 

Here is the first attempt. I love the bits of green in this one, but by the time I made the second it was way too late to find any green. 

Also walking home from the bus stop. This is one of the side trees with different beautiful color. 

I have loved seeing all of the gorgeous color around. On a family bike ride a month or so ago I saw the most beautiful orange leaves. I wish I had stopped for some of those, but it was on quite the uphill. Maybe next year. 

Game day (last Saturday) or First Leaf Raking

The weather was beautiful on Saturday. I am afraid it may be our last really beautiful day this year. Unfortunately, Spencer was on call. If he hadn't been I would definitely have been pulling for a bike ride.  

The kids went out to start making club houses in the leaves. The boys kept getting upset that the girls were trying to profit from their gathering. Once I had bread kneading (then again while bread was rising) I went out and started on a pile big enough for all. They loved it and ended up spending hours playing out there together. 

The first pile. 

Look who was hiding inside!

The second – and much bigger – pile. 

My view from the front door. You can see all four. Anne was wearing her Rapunzel dress.  

I was able to read in the living room for a while with the windows open. The only thing that could have made it even more perfect would have been having Spencer home to enjoy it with us. I really can't complain, though. He is gone on a Saturday so seldom and hasn't been on a Sunday (except for Garrett's wedding). It's wonderful to tell the kids Dad will be home because it's the weekend. For a long time we didn't get real weekends (four, maybe five days off a month). I'm not going to lie, that was hard.

Anyway, life is good. We are definitely enjoying it! 

Charlie Brown and my Snoopies

And maybe a Linus or two thrown in there. 

It's bigger than it looks. And we still have a whole lot more yard to go. 

Spencer keeps looking up leaf blowers and leaving them for me to find á la “A Christmas Story” (or maybe that's the snow/hiking boots he wants), but I keep thinking we need to invest in a few rakes first. It's time to get these little helpers doing a little more helping!