an autumnal greeting . . .

A warm autumnal greeting to you, dear reader.

It's been a hot minute since my last post. We had a medical emergency with one of our fur babies. It was a rocky few weeks, but thankfully, our sweet boy is doing much better. And I hope to be back in this space more regularly.

Today marks the autumn equinox, one of my favorite days of the year. It means that "my" time of the year has arrived. The seasons of autumn and winter are officially upon us, and it fills me with as much giddiness as a little girl in a candy shop. Tonight we'll be having our annual Autumn Celebration Dinner, a tradition which I began our first year here at Shady Cottage. Each year on the first day of autumn, we have a special dinner and dessert to celebrate our favorite time of year...because, yes, we all agree in our home that autumn and winter are the best. {{smiles}} Every year the menu for this meal changes because there are so many delicious recipes that fit our criteria: cozy, comforting, seasonal. And this year's menu is: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Apple, Bacon, and Smoked Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and for dessert, my sister made our very favorite homemade pumpkin pie...it smelled absolutely divine in our home last night as it was baking away in the oven. I'll make some fresh vanilla whipped cream to go along with it, because what is pumpkin pie without whipped cream?!?!?

On Friday, I officially began my autumn movie watching with You've Got Mail. This is a dear favorite of mine, and somehow, it just gets better every time I watch it. I have a list of autumn films that I want to watch over the next few weeks, with some Halloween movies thrown in as October arrives. Then, it will lead to a few Thanksgiving movies (of which I declare there are not enough of! Do you have any recommendations or favorites to share?) and then Christmas movies from November through early January. The winter months allow for lots of watching of films that aren't quite holiday particular, but very cozy nonetheless. 

I've also pulled out a smallish pile of books I hope to read this autumn...I've started one, but I'm a bit leery about it as I'm not sure if it will stay my cup of tea. I'm a bit concerned about the content, but I shall see. I've also pulled out a few seasonal cookbooks that I want to flip through for some new recipes to try. Autumn and winter are also my favorite times of year to cook and eat. I love the warm, cozy, comforting meals that this time of year inspires me to cook. I'm of the firm belief that cozy, comfort food can also be nourishing and wholesome and healthy. Over the last handful of years, I've grown quite a repertoire of recipes that we love and there's something about it being chilly (or cold!) outside, lighting a candle in the kitchen, popping in a favorite CD, and making a delicious meal for my family. 

The earlier evenings that this time of year brings are one of the best things about autumn and winter. The sun sets earlier, we close the curtains, tuck ourselves into our living room with a heap of throw blankets on our favorite spots to curl up and settle in for an episode or two of a show we're working our way through (currently, it's Wolfblood -perfect for this time of year!, and Castle - a fun new-to-us crime drama with comedy thrown in, too). I also love working on a handicraft in the evenings, and yes, I'm still going to town on my afghan...I've got only about 20 or so more granny squares to crochet and then it's time to lay it all out and arrange the squares before I start attaching them. I'm so excited to see how it all turns out...it's my first crochet project, after all, so it's all a brand-new experience! {{smiles}}

I'm really, really hoping for some cooler, crisp temperatures soon. Our September has been excruciatingly hot. It's been barely below 100*F for a few weeks now, and it's getting to me. I'm beyond over it...for someone who experiences reverse seasonal depression, I'm really struggling with this lingering summer weather. I'm craving grey skies, steady rain, crisp air, cool breezes, temperatures cool enough to wear a sweater and warm socks, and for those autumn vibes to become reality. Come on, autumn, bring me some nice weather...pretty please, with a cherry on top.

I hope your September is lovely so far, and that your first day of autumn is as beautiful as you hope it to be. May you find yourself filled with delight at the new season upon us, may your dinner table be filled with delicious comforting foods, and may this autumn be a magical, enchanting, gentle, cozy one for us all...

Thank you so much for joining me here today, lovely readers.

I hope to be back here very soon...

♥