Turning into Autumn

September, transitions.

Warm summer days turning into cool autumn breezes.

First fires are lit.  Nighttime comes earlier.  Thick green begins to turn yellow, orange and red.

Apples are crisp from the tree, hearty meals seem perfect to fill the house with smells of harvest.

Logs are pulled from the woods, split into cord wood and stacked for the coming months.

Apple pies & quiche's are made.  Even more tomatoes are picked from the garden.  My late crop of spinach and greens are picked.

The first frost covered our land, glistening white as the sun rose and the fog lifted from the valley.

Mum's are placed on the porch, and thoughts of a winter CSA are on our minds.

A little baby is hiccuping inside, as he prepares to enter the world, our world.

Bags are packed.  Dresser is stocked.  Books & toys are in their place.  A cradle sits in our room, waiting for his arrival.

This September was my eight month of pregnancy, now turning the corner into my ninth.

We'll be parents in the next 3-5 weeks.

This September, the transition into my favorite season means so much more.

At the end of the day

The end of August was a scorcher.

We walked the fair, breathing in greasy food and manure, while giggling at the first snow cone running down her perfect little lips.

I maneuvered up and down our brook, relaxing and cooling off with Charlie, waiting for daddy to get home.  I picked tomatoes, cucumbers and more tomatoes.  We had squash stir fry for the tenth time in a month.  No complaining from us.  We love this home-grown food.

I felt him wiggle as he tries to stretch my belly that much more.

He's growing, beginning to pack on the fat he needs.

I sit back and feel him, 

Soon, oh so soon, he'll be in my arms, at my breast, making me a mama.

The weather turned into a beautiful autumn 67 degrees on Sunday.

I spent it in my kitchen processing a bushel of tomatoes.

Boiling down for 4+ hours into a delicious sauce.

Since I walked into our new home, into our beautiful kitchen, I imagined this time in our life.  

When i would be preparing nourishing food to feed our family.  

When i had a nice swollen belly dancing in front of me.

On Sunday i realized that dream is here.  This life is now.  I'll never be just Bethany again.  On my wedding day i became a wife.  And in a few short weeks I'll be mama.

I watch him gather fallen trees from our woods to heat our home this winter.  He's perfectly happy working our land.

The smell of fresh split wood fills the backyard.

I'm perfectly happy.

At the end of the day we gather in the nursery to look at our progress.  My back is sore and tired from a busy weekend.

He suggests ice cream.

I see a beautiful sunset coming.

We drive to the top of the ridge so i can snap a picture.

He downloads Dave Matthews live and we drive.

We eat.

At the end of the day, i realize how very rich we are.

Peachy

Our first season harvesting fruit from our trees.  Peaches were first!

Of course we ate most fresh from the tree, i did manage to make up a batch of muffins to last the week. 

Recipe from here

I tweaked it only a bit by adding brown sugar to the streusel topping and more cinnamon than mentioned.

They turned out quite delicious!

A Shower in Vermont

Here's the secret:  I grew up in a quaint little hamlet, nestled right in the green mountains of Vermont.  A place where neighbors stopped in and were offered a cup of tea.  A place where the holiday cookie exchange was as crucial as paying your taxes (as my dad says).  A place where cabbage night was as important as Halloween itself.  A place that had one little schoolhouse which over the years has housed everything from ladies home den, to 4-H meetings, Halloween parties, Sunday church and originally, school for the mountain kids.  A place where you felt safe and secure walking up and down that dirt road, breathing in the landscape surrounding you.

Jerusalem, VT is the hamlet, and it's one of my favorite places on earth.

So when my mama asked me what i wanted for my upcoming baby shower, i said:  The schoolhouse with pretty tablecloths and fresh flowers.

And my mama did just that and more.  Such a lovely afternoon spent in a place that hold so many dear memories, with the ladies that helped raise me.