For Throwback Thursday….This is a sweet memory that Theresa wrote a few years back. Right now, she is suffering from morning sickness and not able to do much or enjoy the autumn in its loveliness. But before we know it, she will be up and making her soaps and sprinkling her enthusiasm for life to those around her…

“Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things.” ~Kurt Vonnegut

Autumn is on our doorstep! I hope you enjoy this season as much as we do! The following are some thoughts by our daughter, Theresa about this lovely time of the year!

Musings and a Poem

Theresa Byrne

Autumn and Her Five Senses.

Sight- Those gold, beautiful colors! In my mind’s eye, I can see the changing of the leaves already! When I walk down Memory Lane, I am in Maine strolling along a winding road, bejeweled with huge maple syrup trees, changing to colors of orange, burgundy and yellow.

Pictures from their trip to Maine

The crisp air and lovely colors make this time of year my favorite to take walks.

Early in the fall season, my children and I spend a day sprinkling these autumn colors through our home. Garlands of leaves, wreaths and mums that I have gathered throughout the years bring some of the outside in.

Pumpkins…such a splash of color! Every year I get each of the kids their own pumpkin and a few extras. We use them as part of our décor, until the All Saints Day Party rolls around, and then we spend a day carving for our annual ‘Pumpkin Carving Contest.’

Out come sweaters, scarves and boots. I love the first time I don my rust, wine and oranges! Indeed, autumn has come!

Smell – Mmmm….. Smell that pumpkin pie baking. Fall, the time of year I tie on my apron, gather my spices and fire up the stove. Fresh apples are plentiful, and the oven warms the house and takes the chill from the air.

Mulled cider candles are lit and in our home they hang a touch of nutmeg, cinnamon and joy!

I have a fond memory, from my childhood…. I was lying on our couch, half snoozing, it was fall time and I could smell fresh bread baking in the oven. I knew my mom was close by, and being a “quality time child”, at this moment I was completely happy. It’s funny, that something so simple and every dayish, holds such a good memory for me.

Simmering on my stove is a little pot of water, mixed with any spices I have… cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Throughout the day, the scent wafts through the house, and what a tease of smell this is to any visitor that comes along.

Devin loves walking in at the end of the day to the colors, peace and smells of ‘Our Friend, Autumn.’

Hearing – There she is, you hear her music on the breeze, the rustling of the leaves, the wind in the willows.

Lilting notes from Devin’s tin whistle can be heard, as we sit around the bonfire or a steaming mug of coffee. Melodies of Ireland come together, with the music of the breeze.

We experience the hum of excitement and laughter at the Shakespeare Festival, and the strain of live music, coming up from ‘The Hollow.’

The crunching leaves, when you are still and listen, or even the gentle floating of leaves, when they come off the trees, and make the ground their resting place is all part of this season!

Taste – Sitting here, with the breeze coming through the window, I am sipping on a steaming mug of coffee, loaded with fresh cream and a hint of stevia.

Coffee is one of our favorite things, but in the fall it tastes even better. Our basket of tea, which had been retired since the spring, comes out of hiding, on these crisp, cool days.

The kids love when I make a pot of tea, with milk and honey, for us to share.

I love to bake this time of year! My kids and I have already made plump blackberry pies, Swedish tea rings, juicy crisps and delicious blackberry, dark chocolate cheesecake.

When it comes to baking I am a perfectionist, so to let the kids take part I have had to learn to let go. The fun and memories are worth it and I still take time to bake by myself.

Touch – I think of my fuzzy blanket, warm sweaters, a scarf to add a dash of color, and a child’s hug.

Bonfires are a big part of our fall. We snuggle up, (or hug up, as Brendan says) around the cozy flame, to chat, play music or say the rosary.

Brendan wanted me to tell his favorite bonfire story. Just the other day the kids had been begging to have a bonfire. So after dinner we headed outside, with the tin whistle and kids in tow.

Devin was playing away, and the kids had just started roasting their first “mellow”, when the sky blackened and the heavens opened! This wasn’t just a  little shower, it was pouring!

Brendan still thinks this was the greatest bonfire ever!

It’s many little things that make this time of year special…..Like for me, the smell of bread baking when I was a child.

Thinking of all these things, makes me excited to stop, savor and enjoy this season…. every day that we have with our delightful friend, Autumn!!!

My Friend, Autumn

by Theresa Byrne

If Autumn was a person, who would she be?

           Dressed in gowns of orange and yellow roaming around free.

Her hair would hang loose, sparkling with the morning dew,

Her voice whispering through the trees, telling secrets to me and you.

The birds and the squirrels, the dearest of her chums,

Prance around this Beauty Queen, crowned with a wreath of mums.

When you smell her scent, it’s quite a tease,

Apples, cinnamon and spices swirl around her on the breeze…

Her colors on a pallet are everything that’s bold,

I think of her when I see leaves change, to orange,yellow, wine and gold.

When she comes to visit at the change of the season…

Candles are lit, pies are made and she is our only reason!

The dancing leaves make shadows on the wall,

Sweaters, festivals, mulled cider; her season is called Fall.

I would like to thank this Lady for coming every year,

The memories she has made, to me are very dear.

If Autumn was a person who would she be?

Bold colors, friendship, bonfires, is who she is to me.

Recent picture of Devin and Theresa’s family

Margy and Fall

Nothing like a hot cup of tea on a brisk autumn day!

A Chai Tea recipe we have used from Taste of Home…

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 tea bags
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 whole clove
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

“Boys need that self-assured belief that they can do anything to grow into men of action and achievement—but they’ll never build that confidence if Mom and Dad never give them real responsibility. We have to give important jobs to our kids, and then we have to trust them and not worry about them messing up. It would certainly be easier for us to just do the hard stuff ourselves and let our boys play, but our goal isn’t to do what’s easy. It’s to raise men.” – Chasity Akiki

Father compares the past during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 to today & our issues in the church…

Fall Coloring Pages for your children. Teach them to be thankful for lovely autumn days!

Lovely and graceful Christmas Necklace Sets…

Available here.

Drawn from Archbishop Sheen’s bestselling books, these 28 reflections will lead you day by day through the Advent season. Eloquent quotes are paired with beautiful Scriptures on the themes of the season―patience, waiting, gift, hope, humility, joy―and more. Spend a few quiet moments of each day with one of the 20th century’s greatest preachers, preparing your heart to receive the Savior of the world.

Prayers for use by the laity in waging spiritual warfare from the public domain and the Church’s treasury. The book has an imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Denver.

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