reluctantly ready

Oh hello September, where did you come from?
Usually I am all about Fall. The cool crisp weather. The sweaters. The warm drinks. Pumpkin spice candles and cinnamon mulling spices. I love all those things, but right now, I'm having a hard time of letting go of our summer.
This past summer was one for the books. It was about spontaneous day trips to the beach. Camping. Drives to get ice cream. Bonfires on the beach. Picnics. Museums. Collecting shells and stones. Visitors from away. Friends. Soccer and swimming lessons. Dinner on the back deck. These summer days have been such a treat, and we have really discovered, juts how lucky we are to live here in Nova Scotia.
Next week we return to our normal routines, and I know it's going to be an adjustemnt for all of us. Early bedtimes. Early wake ups. Morning rushes and evening rushes. I think I'm especially having a hard time in knowing that both Katia and Noah will be at school this year. I've had Katia home with me (except for 3 mornings a week last year), for the last 4.5 years, and now she is off to school. It's hard for this mama heart of mine to accept that those days of her being with me are no longer. I'm gonna stop before I get too upset.

Things that are making me happy....

~ a grey rainy day. Cool with the wind blowing ... permission to slow down
~ the desire to cook once again, after a summer of quick and easy foods
~ warming foods for when we need it. Soup, curries, cinnamon, tea
~ the desire to nest, organize, purge. Summer is coming to an end, school will start soon, and I want the house in order.
~ sunflowers
~ summer harvest
~ the last summer hurrahs! A trip to Upper Clements Park (a small family friendly amusement park)
~ hot baths, Netflix (currently watching Gilmour Girls, I never watched it before), and hot tea.

And so here we are. Less than a week left of summer. There may be one more trip to the beach, but there is also the reality of doing back to school shopping and big batch baking and cooking. The seasons are changing and we are bracing ourselves for it.