Making a List

Somehow it seems impossible that the holidays are just around the corner.  One day Dagim was pointing out the red leaves, the yellow leaves, the orange leaves (and I couldn't help but feel nostagic for New Hampshire where the red leaves are, well, just better) and the next day all those leaves were on the ground.  The trees are mostly bare now and we're spending more time inside.  We still get bursts of nice weather and I try to remember to take advantage of it.

With the season change comes lots of lists: holiday dinner menus, gift lists, to-do lists, greeting card lists, shopping lists (to buy and to return).  Everyone, with the exception of my father-in-law, will be getting a handmade gift this year.  (If anyone has a good idea of something I can sew for him, please let me know!)  I'm a little worried about getting everything done in time and not burning myself out either. 

Making gifts is really much more satisfying than buying them.  Not only is it more personal because I'm doing the work but also the selection process is different.  Rather than thumbing through a catalog or taking a spin through a store, I'm really thinking about these gifts.  What fabric might that person like?  What colors do I usually see them wearing or carrying?  Do they have a use for this item?  The possibilities with handmade gifts are much greater than store-bought ones. 

One item on my running to-do list is to serve a hot breakfast every day of the week.  I'll admit that this doesn't always happen (especially on preschool mornings where we always seem a bit rushed to get out the door).  I love a bowl of oatmeal, especially on a crisp, fall morning. 

Dagim loves oatmeal too but he won't touch berries.  Instead, I stir in applesauce, bananas, honey or cinnamon.  Sometimes a combination of ingredients.  This morning, he wasn't too keen on finishing his post-oatmeal yogurt and tried to enlist the help of some friends.

My goal for the next few weeks is to stay on task by checking things off my list, but also stopping to enjoy the unexpected moments, too.