It has been a beautiful week. One of quiet October joys, shared with the closest loved ones--including dear Katie and baby Greta. The weather has set a fine autumnal backdrop for all the goings on, alternately bright and brooding. All blue and gold in the mornings, rounded out by clouds and wet leaves by tea time. The perfection of mood weather for me. Of course, we helped the atmosphere along with woolly clothes, twiggy decorations, and smooth jazz music. Delicious. How long has it been since you listened to the Great Pumpkin Waltz? That is coziness for the ears.

Besides the obvious baby kissing, we found plenty to do during the girls' visit. We sauced apples and souped tomatoes [it's my blog, and I think that means I can verb nouns, I'm not sure...]. There were expeditions into the grove by certain sweet children, which turned up vines, twigs and mosses for the inevitable beautification projects. Then in her usual creative foment fashion, Katie (a.k.a. Katya, Kat, Kiki...) set to work. There is now a lovely moss terrarium in my old trifle bowl, and a gorgeous, rustic mess of vines and twinkle lights over the sliding glass door. We worked and visited, sang old hymns in four parts, worked on the week's Bible memory verses, and started reading Wodehouse's Leave it to Psmith at the dinner table--laughing 'til we cried.

dream man on the deck for tea

sweet morning faces

the Squeezo King

The product of Olivia's own creative imagination--pretzel pizza crust!

May your leaves be crunchy,
And your pizza crust pretzely!

Love,
Melissa