We Love Leaf Piles and 12 Things I Wanted to Share

Tennessee has so many trees. It’s been such a treat to watch the leaves fall as the wind gusts or during the calm of the afternoon. I hope you have a chance to watch the leaves fall this autumn.

I love to share things that have improved my life, items that are beautiful, or experiences that have made me laugh. Here are some things that I have been wanting to share with you:

1. Since I now live in Nashville, on one Friday as part of our field trip, Dean and I went to Draper James. We got the cutest little glass of sweet tea at the door.
2. One evening the boys and I watched 100 Years of Brown Bag Lunches. They film kids being introduced to odd foods they have never tried before. There are lots of different episodes too, such as 100 years of Party Food and 100 Years of Candy. We all thought they were interesting and funny to watch.
3. I started using the Marco Polo app recently to connect with friends and family. It is a free video walkie-talkie app. SO. MUCH. FUN.
4. I met some gals here in Nashville that create a great podcast for moms. Check it out! I especially liked the episode about navigating your child’s dreams – episode 52.
5. I have been doing this thing where I save things to talk about at dinner rather than text Brent during the day. I found that sometimes the kids would be so excited to tell him something but he would already know because I texted him earlier that day. It has been a lot more fun telling him in person around the table.
6. A bird was in our house the other day! A real-life bird! I have no idea how it got in. Of course, it freaked me out. I’m not really fond of animals with beaks, they scare me. Thankfully with very little effort, I got it to fly out the front door.
7. We watched a classic episode of Double Dare the other day and our kids loved it. There can never be too much slime.
8. I found this book to be helpful in understanding children’s giftedness. It explains the different types of intelligence in a way kids can understand. It discusses a broad list of smarts. Such as logic smart, word smart, people smart, body smart, and picture smart. So interesting!
9. Brent told me about unrollme.com A site that makes it easy to unsubscribe from all those unwanted email lists.
10. Leaf people are always a winner this time of year. My kids love this craft.
11. This is my favorite pumpkin bread to make. Quick and easy plus you can use canned or fresh roasted pumpkin (just remember non-canned may contain more water).
12. Crazy Rich Asians was so good! Did you guys watch it?

I would love to hear about what you have been up to lately. Since we finished painting the walls of our new home we moved all our stuff from storage. This was a huge deal. I was ready to be done with air mattresses and card tables. I have enjoyed unpacking and finding a place for everything. It feels so good to sit on our couch again. The simple comforts of home.