Fall is my absolute favourite time of year.

The sun shines on the beautiful, colourful trees.

The leaves fall.

The nights are chilly.

Leather jackets become a staple.

Warm socks, hot cocoa and the promise of a shift in atmosphere.

It’s just pure beauty.

This year, fall has brought some changes that I didn’t anticipate. So it’s causing me to really focus on enjoying the little things in life. It’s not always easy to find the silver lining in the clouds, but someone once told me that if you cry for losing the sun, you’ll never get to see the beauty of the stars.

It’s true.

So, besides the obvious things in life, here are some of the things I’ve been enjoying this fall.

Travel

I’m not sure if this really counts, but I’m really grateful for the deals that we were able to get with Spirit and Carnival. Sometimes getting away can really help refocus your priorities, but money doesn’t always allow for it. If it wasn’t for the amazing deals we got, we wouldn’t have been able to go. Setting aside the stress of everyday life and going on an adventure with Brian was exactly what I needed. I love travel. Soon we will be heading on another adventure with the kids.

Duvet

I have a love/hate relationship with my duvet. I love to be wrapped up in it, and I hate crawling out of its cocoon. I got this duvet at Costco a few years ago and it is one of the best ones I’ve ever had. I can wash it in my washing machine and there is no mess. It is so warm that sometimes I have to turn my fan on to keep my body temperature from soaring at night. Perfection for cozy fall Sundays.

Bible Studies

Every August, I tend to reevaluate our schedule. Within that, I try to find great resources to help cultivate an atmosphere of worship within our family. Last year I stumbled upon a devotional (geared to homeschoolers) that I absolutely fell in love with. They are age-appropriate booklets with specific Bible reading, questions, prayers, memorization, etc that work together at all ages. So, their Bible reading is the same, but their questions/devotions are geared to their respective ages. It’s also something we can do together or they can do on their own. I loved it so much that I bought them again for this school year!

Microfiber Hair Towel

I’ve seen these things advertised so much, but my initial thought was that it was such a waste of money. Then Violet chose to spend some of her cash on one. One day she asked me if I wanted to try it. I did. Now, I owe her some money because I’ve completely confiscated this towel. It is extremely light and stays put. It cuts down on drying time – and when you have long locks like me, you don’t want to spend a boat-load of time drying your hair. There’s nothing I don’t like about this. It’s 100% worth buying.

Podcasts

Lastly, I’ve been listening to sermon podcasts on double speed and journaling them. For some reason, I find it absolutely invigorating! We all have seasons in our lives where we aren’t quite sure what the next step is going to be, but I find that listening to teachings really encourages me when I’m feeling uncertain.

Things don’t buy happiness, but sometimes things can make it a whole lot easier to get through seasons in life. There is nothing wrong with enjoying things in life, as long as it isn’t your driving force for happiness.

So, as we are diving into the busyness of Christmas, travel, company start-ups, etc. I’m choosing to keep a daily reminder of all the things I’m grateful for.