Brutal Weather

It's FREEZING here!!!! Most of you who read this are either enduring an extremely hot summer Down Under, or are blissfully cruising through a Southern Californian 'winter'. So please spare a thought for us. Today will be our coldest day yet. As I write, it is currently minus 24 degrees Celcius, and it is expected to drop a further 3 degrees. Tonight on the weather report, the 'windchill' factor was categorised as 'brutally cold'. Brutally! So what do you do? You don't go out unless you absolutely have to. So we all stayed home today. Even Clayton worked from home. They say that in these sorts of conditions, your skin burns and any moisture freezes, so don't go out particularly if you have a runny nose!

More fun with autumn leaves

We've had some pretty chilling weather already, with our first light snow fall in late October. The past few days have brought a welcome change, with blue skies, sunshine and pleasant temperatures. This morning, after we had dropped Judah to preschool, Nathan thought that it would be a fun idea to draw outside with chalk. We've been warned that we need to make the most of the outdoors while we can - so we did. Here was our morning. Just click on the picture below.

Fall Leaves

A few images of our Fall and a day at the 'farm'

Images of 'Fall' here at Wheaton. Just a few snaps I took on a walk we took last week.





The following pics were taken at a 'Pumpkin Farm'. Forgot to take pictures of all those stunning orange pumpkins.

Jordan's first pony ride. 

A few of my favourite 'Fall' things

Sure, each day holds its moments of stress and frustration, but I've been discovering how life's little simplicities can deliver great delight if you stop to let them.

Wheaton in the Fall is simply magnificent. Each time I drive my children to preschool, my heart is warmed by the gorgeous trees that line our streets. Striking red, orange and yellow leaves fall gently on well-kept lawns. The air is fresh and crisp, yet the skies are blue and the sun is shining. Today I went for a walk with my boys to collect sticks for kindling. Nathan picked up an autumn leaf from the ground and presented it to me, "A BEaUtiful flower for you mama." He knows how much I love the leaves, so in a way they are like flowers. It's just funny when he chooses the dirty brown ones.

There's something about the fall here that just makes me feel all sentimental. The autumn leaves are a big part of it, but it's truly fascinating to watch the little squirrels scampering here and there, gathering up stores of food for the winter.

Sharing a home baked pumpkin pie with my family certainly warms my heart, but it's the crackling fire, sharing a hot cuppa (and another slice of pie) with Clayton once the kids have finally gone to bed, and things like stopping to invite a lady bug to crawl on my sons hand. 


I feel like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music when she sang about her favourite things...

When the kids fight
When my sleep's broke
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don't feel, so bad.

In a chaotic and uncertain world, it's good to stop and reflect on the simple blessings that God has for us to enjoy.