Those Christmas Lights
Light up the street
Down where the sea and city meet
May all your troubles soon be gone
Ohh Christmas Lights keep shining on

-Coldplay

"In Him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it...

...and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

-John 1: 4, 5 & 14b

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Yesterday was our annual cookie-baking marathon.

As you can see, we take it quite seriously. 

(I have found successful gluten free baking 

does not lack for ingredients.)

This was our audience about 2/3rds of the way through.

They waited very patiently

for Elli right outside our kitchen window.

Sugar cookies.

Coconut Cardamom Fig Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk cookies.

I kid you not...

Allergy-friendly Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles.

This year Elli was old enough to do ALL the 'fun' decorating herself. And by old enough I mean she didn't get bored after 10 cookies.

A little "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" this evening.

Getting our "pie" on. 

And maybe a few other things...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm not sure what happened to October. Or over half of November. 

I feel like we were busy...?

But I can't tell you with what, off the top of my head.

There was soccer. And a Columbus circle neighborhood picnic. And exterior trim painting on the house. And yard winterizing. And a nasty cold/flu virus.

We made a bunch of soup and chili and cider. Oh, and apple bars. 

Schoolwork did get done, of course. A few hikes and leaf-kicking walks also. And we got a new furnace.

But... um...yeah.

Now I find myself composing Christmas gift lists, buying canned pumpkin, taking down the Halloween window decals. 

How are we here already?

Cause I feel sure September was like just last week.

SAY BOO ...

... AND SCARY ON.

She, of the 4 missing front 
teeth status, 
has just about as gaping 
a smile as her jack-o-lantern.

She was a bride. 
With rain boots.

I'm not gonna lie. Halloween was a blur. 

A wet and wild blur. 

We had over 450 kids come to our house for candy, you guys. 450 kids. Just kids. Don't even get me started on how many people that actually amounts to, when you factor in the entourage of dogs, strollers, wagons and adults all those kids came with. 

It. Was. Insane.

Plus we had family over for the day. And a Halloween after party that we didn't know we were throwing. That was E's idea. And she invited everyone. Without waiting for a yay or nay from us. (Somedays that kid... She's going to make me an extrovert yet.)

At one point I didn't even know who was in my house.

But it was all good.

There was candy galore and Chicken Lime soup and Apple Oat bars and Cider and a freaked out cat and wet leaves plastered to my floor and an impromptu music jam session and a time change.

I don't think missed anything.

Except maybe sitting down...?

"My favorite color is October..."

My roses have been loving this warm fall.

And I have been loving my roses.

Our last full day at the Farmhouse.

It is always bittersweet.

Because we've had so much fun and yet

the time here always seems to go by just too quickly...

Compared to other years there wasn't a lot of color. But day by day, we could see more and more of it appearing.

Hunter wellies are pretty much a must at the farmhouse.

Sheep!

 The Purdy Valley behind me.

She LOVES the donkeys.

Tommy.

It was a cloudy day but the sun came out just in time to set and paint the clouds and hills heliotrope. 

Our last fire.