I know it’s a little late in the year to be talking about pumpkins. After all, Christmas is just one week from today, and who in the world has pumpkins left!?! Now is the time for Christmas trees, right? But a thought hit me on something we did back in October and so I thought now was a good a time as any to share it.

Every year there is a church not far from us that does what is called a Pumpkin Walk. Basically, it’s where you can walk through this little trail in the woods owned by this church, and all along the way there are pumpkins that have been carved. This was our third year going, and we have never been disappointed. There are tons and tons of pumpkins, with a variety of different carvings, all way better than anything I could ever do. To give you some examples, here are some pictures from that night:

 

 

 

 

Some neat stuff, right? And there was a lot more of that!

Anyway, this is the thought that hit me, and I guess it could go one of two ways. First is, we can be like a pumpkin. Life’s failures and triumphs can carve us. Sometimes it might make us stronger, our carving beautiful. Sometimes it takes a toll on us and the carving doesn’t come out so well. Either way, we are all carved into something. What is your something?

Or, secondly, yet somewhat the same, we can carve out our lives or paths into who we want to be, and what we want to do, or where we want to go. We can choose to be good, and kind, and loving. Or rude, controlling, selfish. We can work our hardest or measly get through. We can choose living life to the fullest or in a slump. How will you carve your ‘pumpkin’?

Hopefully some of that makes some kind of sense. It hit me sort of fast and I tried writing it the way I thought about it. That doesn’t always work, lol, but I tried. Even if you get nothing out of that, look at those pumpkins!! Aren’t they gorgeous!!

Have a great Christmas season!

 

 

 

It’s that time of year again where, in Michigan, we start feeling the effects of changing into a new season. The hot days of summer are slowly making their way to the cool (frigid, if I’m honest) days of winter. Whether you call it fall or autumn or whatever name there may be out there for this season, it’s hands down my favorite. Here’s why:

  1. As mentioned above, the temperatures are dropping! Typical weather in Michigan during the autumn months are mid-50s to 70 degrees. To me, that’s perfect! Add in the days where you have full sun and you’ve got a teeny weeny taste of heaven!
  2. The leaves are changing! I do like it in Spring where things comes to life and the leaves start appearing, but something I like even more so is when these leaves show us just how creative and brilliant and gorgeous our Creator is! I don’t even have a favorite color. I like them all! From dull browns, to sunny yellows, to fire oranges, to burnt reds, the trees display a vibrant work of art. Having said that, it brings me to another reason I like fall.
  3. Fall color tours! I absolutely love waking up on a crisp morning, getting some coffee or hot chocolate (whatever mood I’m in) and a donut, and then driving the day away on scenic roads, admiring our view. Michigan has so many routes to explore!
  4. Apple picking! Hands down a must do during the fall with the family. My kids love picking apples with us. We have an orchard just a tad south of us that offers unique varieties of apples, all of which are tasty.
  5. Fall-like desserts! With all of the apples that my family and I pick, we have to do something with them! My favorite has to be apple crisp! A couple of years ago I found this recipe that is just to die for. Anytime I make apple crisp, that’s the recipe I run to. It’s also a fan favorite of many family members. More than one person begs me to make it every year. It’s that tasty! But don’t stop there. I love pumpkin rolls, apple fritters and other apple/pumpkin donuts, and so many other things that it’s just not healthy, lol!
  6. While we are talking about food, let’s add in a drink. APPLE CIDER! Oh man, this stuff is delish! It’s sort of a staple at our house from September until about mid-November.
  7. The holidays are approaching! That’s right, I actually look forward to the holidays! I love Halloween, Thanksgiving, and most of all, Christmas. It’s just the time of year that gets exciting. Busy at times, but so worth it!

While for some it’s a reminder of busy-ness or snow or even the time when school is mandatory, autumn is by far the best time of the year for me. There’s just something about it that makes me come alive! What’s your favorite season? Why?