Random Bits

I'm dropping in to say hello. Things have been busy lately - but in a good, happy, kind of way.

We've got a huge building project in full swing happening on our property. I managed to do what I do best and tack on an item that's been on my wish list to the project that is going on...so soon there will be a staircase that goes from the deck that is off of our master bedroom down to our patio below. I think this will lead to the deck being used more frequently. It's something I've thought about for a while now, so it's fun that it will soon be a reality. The husband is happy beyond measure to be back in his building groove again. His exhaustion after a long (and sometimes stressful) day is woven lots of joy...so his is a tiredness that comes with a contented smile. I think that's what it is like when a person is doing the job they were made to do.

Speaking of work that we love to do, my garden is full of growth, and my greenhouse is looking fuller and more green with each passing day. It is such a rewarding and happy place for me, I love spending time there. I'm sure in the coming weeks I will have lots to share - especially come June which is when I plan to transplant most of my seedlings from the greenhouse into the raised beds.

Job-wise, things have been busy in a good way also, but even with long hours, I feel like I have found balance in that realm lately. No, I'm not yet working my dream job, but somehow I have a sense of peace. It's hard to believe what a difference the last year has made. Looking back, the experience of losing my job was depressing and paralyzing in many ways. It was worse than a bad break-up, but like a bad break-up, time has made the difference in the healing process. I'm a better person today than I was when all of that happened. I still have moments where I feel angry, sad, or disappointed with myself, but those moments are usually overshadowed by feeling right with where I am now. Or, maybe content is the word.

The weather for the past several days has been gorgeous, mostly sunny and blue skies with the occasional marine layer drizzle. I stayed outside until 8:30 one evening last week doing yard chores...it was so nice outside that I just didn't want to go in. We've been using the grill for dinner lately, I actually planned 4 out of 5 dinners this week to be made (at least in part) on the grill.

I've been doing a bit more sewing lately, I hadn't sewn at all in recent months, so even a bit of time at my machine is something. I made another pair of lounge pants and decided to use elastic in the waist instead of a drawstring. It was a cool idea, but I think I cut the elastic too long, it didn't seem to be "tight enough" to keep the pants up. Or maybe it was that the elastic was old and so it didn't have the well...elasticity. I think picked it up at a thrift store a while back. I am guessing that could happen. I also just bought a book about making skirts, the title is: Sew What! Skirts. It was a recommendation from Lisa of Polka Dot Cottage, whose blog I read. The idea is to make patterns that are customized to your own measurements. Can't wait to get started on reading the book and then making myself some skirts for summer - woohooo!

My chickens are happy with the increase in sunny-afternoon-free-ranging they've had lately, and I feel a little bit better about allowing this now that the little ones aren't so little anymore. In fact, when I was at the farm supply store the other day, I had to take a peek at the chicks and ducklings they are still selling...they are so tiny when you first bring them home. It's been over two months since we brought home our 10 new Buff Orpingtons, their size now compared to my 4 older hens is impressive, they are definitely going to be large chickens when they are full grown. Also, I think we may have a lead on someone who is interested in adopting a rooster to be able to breed and hatch chicks. Our little rooster has not yet started to crow, I imagine it will be a couple more months until he does. But, after all of the fiascos with our (late) rooster, Berkeley, may he rest in peace, the husband and I had agreed that we were going to have a rooster-free flock. The chances of bringing home a rooster in our group of 10 chicks were unfortunately pretty good, even though they sex the chicks, there's no 100% guarantee. So, rather than giving the little guy, who hasn't done anything wrong and seems to have a great temperment, to someone who will turn him into a meal, I'd prefer that he has the chance to live a happy life. I think any rooster would rather have a harem of hens than end up in a stew pot!

That's about all I can think of right now...I'll be back around soon!

I Made Pants!!

I finally did it, I made myself pants...something I've been thinking about for at least a year now. I used a vintage sheet that I received in a vintage themed swap from my Aussie partner, Carla of Favourite Vintage Finds. I used the lounge pants pattern from Amy Butler's In Stitches. It wasn't really too challenging, the directions are pretty easy - not that I followed them to a tee, I use more of the skim and check method. More than anything, the first run with this pattern is just time consuming because you have to actually draw your pattern from the pieces given in the book envelope. I drew the pattern onto butcher paper. The final result turned out great, but the next time I make these pants (and there will be a next time!) I am going to modify the pattern slightly to have a bit more fabric in the rear. I think Amy Butler must have a smaller butt than I do, because these pants sat a bit lower on my backside than I'd prefer. This particular pair of pants are still wearable, but probably only with a longer shirt or tanktop over them. I can't wait to make these lounge pants in other fabrics...I have quite the fabric stash going on right now, this could be fun! The possibilities are exciting, I'm thinking these pants could be cute in a shorter length. I'd also like to find some gauzy linen type white fabric to make a pair of loungy beach pants to wear on our next warm-weather/tropical trip.

I'm also a couple of clicks away from ordering this book from Amazon - because hey, if I can make pants, why not learn a bit more about making skirts too?!

A Morning Off

I have felt a bit quiet in this space for the last couple of days. This morning I was thinking about why that was and honestly it's because I have been busy with life's tasks, there hasn't been a ton of time for creativity or reflection. It hasn't felt like there's been much to share. The fact that I even came to this conclusion was probably because I took the morning off. No work, no substitute jobs, no Zumba. Instead, I spent more time than normal putzing around outside with the chickens, watching the sun come up, playing a bit with Bam in the yard, and then making a nice breakfast for myself and the husband - red potatoes with onion and green pepper, eggs (from our hens of course!), and thick sliced bacon from our town's meat shop - yum!

Then it was off for some fun errands. My first visit to a small but wonderfully stocked and priced antique mall (I left with a few small treasures), then to a Food Co-op to pick out this summer's vegetable seeds - I can't wait to share what I picked out and even more I can't wait to get started with planting, our mild temperatures lately are giving me spring fever. I also hit up Joanne fabrics with my 50% off coupon to finally get an OLFA self-healing rotary cutting mat as well as quilt batting for the master bedroom quilt I want to soon start. There was a quick stop for lunch - tacos and then over to Costco. We went in for ground cover fabric, it's needed to line the new raised beds that are going in. While in Costco, I also checked out their selection of office chairs - I've been dealing with some neck/back/shoulder/hip pain lately, I think it's been a combination of the constant Zumba-ing and other working out, and sitting at my desk in a horribly unsupportive chair, working for hours.

I think life gets that way sometimes, the things you feel like you *have* to do can make your neck/back/shoulder/hip/etc. hurt. Sometimes it's nice to stop doing the things you have to do and go get a new chair instead. It also didn't hurt that buying vegetable seeds made me excited for spring to come or that getting set up with the cutting mat is making me excited to start my dream quilt. The morning I just had left me quite re-energized!

I hope your day is filled with things that take the pressure off rather than adding to it! Happy Thursday!

It's a bit early but...

I just finished it and hung it, so it was time to share. I've worked on it a bit here and there ever since I took down my Christmas decorations...it was pretty fun to design this wreath with Valentine's Day in mind.
I guess this is my year for wreaths...I didn't think abou it, but I guess this is my second wreath since the New Year.

I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to get my shapes and my pinking shears to finish the edges.

I decided to hang this wreath inside because I think the felt wouldn't last too long being hung outside.

I am still planning another Valentine's Day-themed decoration, it is started and will hopefully be finished by the end of the month.

If anything though, it feels good to be a bit ahead of things!

W.I.P. Quilt

*A run down of my Work In Progress*

I mentioned the other day that I was currently working on a quilt...my first full sized quilt ever. The fabric I'm using is mostly thrifted and re-purposed, but there is a tiny bit of new fabric in the mix. Before sewing my squares together I sat down at my laptop and put together a plan for the layout. This step was actually pretty fun, and sped things up once I started sewing my pieces.

Bit of a tangent, but I had to take a moment to do a little show and tell for the new (to me) bulletin board I have hanging in my office/sewing room. It was purchased for only $30 from the Re-Store up in Bellingham, it had been salvaged from a school. It measures 8' by 4'. I've checked out similar boards online for about $240...so I got quite the deal! It has come in very handy with this quilt project, it's also been a great spot for me to start to put up some of my favorite cards and pictures.

Of course Fig has been hanging out as I've worked on this quilt, just like a cat to be curious about anything new!

Hopefully I'll be able to show the finished product soon.

Project Beginnings

Last August I saw a project on one of the blogs I like to keep up with, Soule Mama. It was actually a project from a craft book written by the author of the blog, Amanda Soule. While I haven't actually purchased any of Amanda Soule's lovely books yet, the project that Amanda featured on one day in particular on her blog has been bouncing around the creative region of my brain ever since. It is a quilt made from vintage sheets. I've actually started a quilt made from some thrifted and repurposed material, I had not mentioned it on this blog yet, but I haven't taken any good pictures of it yet. When I get a bit further I will do a little show and tell.I think reading that Soule Mama post made me think back on the funky patterned sheets I slept on when I visited my Oma's house as a child. You know, the sheets people had in the 60's and 70's with the fabulous floral prints in fun funky colors. I actually am a little regretful that I didn't think to save the sheets and textiles she'd owned when she passed away several years ago. It would have been special to turn them into something I could use in my life now.Instead, I've been inspired lately to collect these types of sheets when I am out at thrift stores. I have brought home several sheets now, of course when I bring them home they go straight through the washer with the water set to hot.
Another reason that I have wanted to carry out this quilt idea that's been floating around in my head is because for almost the last year I have been slowly collecting bits of fabric here and there, in local fabric stores and in other parts of the world. The goal is to eventually turn my collection into a king sized quilt for our master bed. I love the duvet cover that we are currently using, it is very elegant, but I want to lengthen it's life a bit by having an alternate covering. Also, it is a bit heavy in the warmer months of the year and I'd like to have something a bit more bright and fun once spring and summer roll around. So my goal is to practice some quilting skills using the thrifteds sheets I've collected, so I can feel a bit more confident about the quilting process when I begin to cut into these fabrics that mean more to me. It would be nice to have one or two thrifted quilts finished by the beginning of March so I could then start working on our master bedroom quilt in the spring...we'll see if that can happen though, it may be too much of a push. Then again, I guess I could suprise myself and finish it all with ease. We'll see!

Resolution: Cloth Napkins

I've mentioned one of my New Year's resolutions a couple of times recently...so here it is. I'm going to make this the year that we stop using paper napkins and switch instead exclusively to cloth. My goal with this resolution is to try to consume just a little less, kind of a small gesture to the environment.Last week I specifically purchased a few different fabrics with this project in mind. The first one I cut into was this adorable navy print with white bicycles. I used a cloth napkin I bought a few years ago at Crate and Barrel as a pattern. It measured a little over 18 inches square. I cut my squares to have 20" side lengths, then folded the edges over twice and sewed them. Their size when finished was about 18.5" on each side.

Although I cut four napkins, I have only finished two so far. To keep from getting sick of my resolution too quickly I decided that I'm going to work on my new napkins a bit at a time. There will be time to make many more, in all different fabrics. My idea is to have different sets that I can switch out based on the month or season, I think that will make it more fun for me.

I also decided to make a couple of napkin rings...that way we can use our napkins for more than one meal and easily keep track of which one belongs to each of us.

So obviously because two napkins aren't going to last us an entire year, there will be more napkins being sewn up...and I will share as I progress.

We regularly have undersized loads of kitchen towels going through our washer and dryer, so washing these napkins will just mean making those loads a bit more full, really using hardly any more energy than we are already using. The best part about this project is knowing that we will be wasting just a little less.

The Day After

We had a cozy Christmas morning with the s-son before he went home, then a nice day to rest, and take it slow with an afternoon movie and dinner at a diner, perfect because I didn't feel like cooking because we'd had a big meal with my in-laws the day before. The husband and I also had a great day after Christmas today...we found our way to Target to pick up a couple of those lit spiral auxilary trees that are 50% off as soon as Christmas is over. I won't use them until next year, but I'm excited I was able to get them on sale. I've already made mental plans to use them to decorate outside around the front door. Target was kind of a crazy scene, I guess lots of people had the same idea to hit the Christmas clearance.

We also made our way up to Bellingham and visited my favorite quilt shop (I received a gift card from the husband!) They were having a fantastic sale, so I was able to pick up some fantastic material for cheap. I also bought my first rotary cutter ever, something I'm super excited about...now I just need to save up a bit for a cutting mat. We also went to a fantastic hardware store up there. I don't normally like hardware stores too much, but this one is fantastic...it is an old fashioned kind of store, full to the ceiling. I picked up something for a project I want to do next week, I'll hopefully get around to sharing that as I get going.

Can you believe the New Year is just around the corner?! I'm thinking about resolutions...are you?

Another Birthday Banner

A dear friend from college saw the custom birthday pennant banner I sold this past summer. Her little boy is coming up on his 2nd birthday in January, so she asked me to make a banner for his birthday party. Of course I agreed, I love it that she wants to have a reusable decoration.

It's a simple process, cutting all the pieces then starching and ironing.

She asked that the colors in the banner be primary colors. I had some fabric with patterns in primary colors in my stash, but I ended up picking up a few more small pieces.

The nice thing was that I already had the letters cut out, I'd cut them way back in the summertime when I had a booth at the fair. I used a stiff felt for the letters, red on top and the bottom layer is light blue and has pinking shear edges.

All of the pennants were then sewn to ribbon with orange toned stripes (her favorite color is orange). I like how it turned out...the colors look great together, very cheerful. I am going to have to eventually get around to making one to keep and use on birthdays around here. I truly love that it can be reused over and over.

Advent Calendar

I have mentioned that I had a suprise for the husband this Christmas, this advent calendar is it. The idea was inspired by a few sources, one of them was Maya of maya*made, I saw an advent calendar that used toilet paper rolls on her blog last year and I liked the idea of repurposing something that normally is thrown away. I have been saving the rolls for the last couple of months, sometimes forgetting to stash them. I only had 12 rolls saved when I started the project, so I supplemented by making paper "envelopes" of different shapes, trees, snowflakes, gift boxes, even a snowman, all from paper that was headed to the recycling bin. The insides of each day's container holds either a present or a clue to find the present. Some of the items cost money, others are more of the "thoughtful" type of gift. Some are practical items, others are a special treat or something that the husband has mentioned in passing over the past few months. It took quite a bit of work to plan and assemble the calendar, but I enjoyed it completely. It has actually been hanging in the arched entry to our rec room since the evening before Thanksgiving because I was so excited to have it ready to go. I can already see myself making an annual tradition out of this, though I might try to get an earlier start in the future. The husband has been reading the blog a bit lately, so I can't get into too much more detail about the calendar, but perhaps I'll get to share a bit as the 24 days before Christmas pass.

Cheerful Christmas Apron

This is the apron I made for a customer who came into Bungalow Bay recently. She was looking for a full bib style Christmas apron. I like how it turned out, the fabrics were fun to work with. that is a ruffle at the bottom. It was a pretty simple design, ties at the neck and waist and pockets on the top and bottom panels. I actually think it looks better on than laid out, it's boxy, but that gives it a clean look when it is on and it also highlights the bottom ruffle. I may just have to make a few more Christmas aprons, and perhaps even keep one...it would put me in a seasonal mood

14 Items

A summary of my random recent happenings:

1. I've been asked to do a couple of custom pieces for Bungalow Bay recently, some onesies and an apron, those opportunities make me feel good!
2. I recently upgraded my laptop from Windows Vista to Windows 7...in the process I lost all of my bookmarked pages - kind of a drag! But, I do like the new version much better, I'm having an easier time getting online with our Verizon mi-fi card now.
3. Two friends recently asked me (separately) to make nursing covers for them to give as presents to new mama's. Like #1, this makes me feel good!
4. I am already decorating our house for Christmas in my head...when I get the chance, I hope to sew up a couple of new decorations.
5. This Saturday the husband and I begin a two day (consecutive Saturdays) course to learn to be snowboard (me) and ski (him) instructors. I spent a little time the other night previewing some of the course materials with the husband before we went to sleep. It will be the first time we've done a class together like this, I'm excited about it. If we get jobs for the season together it will be even more exciting.
6. On the same note as #5, one of the mountains nearby, Mt. Baker, opens tomorrow (Thursday), it is an early opening, made possible by the recent storms that have passed through...our plan is to go up on Friday...the first day of riding for the season is always a big deal to me!
7. I have been kind of quiet on this blog lately, but it's not because I've felt quiet, I've just been busy. I've really thrown myself into the work routine in the last few weeks...the job has already proven to be a good fit, I have a fantastic mentor and I get along well with my boss. Working at home rocks!
8. One of the reasons working at home rocks has been my flexible schedule. For the last few weeks I've been heading to Zumba classes a couple of times a week in the mornings (and one evening class last Friday night). Zumba is a dance based exercise...it's great cardio. I leave each class completely sweaty and feeling amazing from the exercise endorphins. I like being in a room full of women who are having a good time burning calories. Sometimes I have trouble catching on to some of the routines, but generally I've been pretty pleased with how I've been able to catch on and learn the steps/moves quickly. My core region is tightening up which is an amazing feeling. I'm one of those people who kind of likes having sore muscels because it means I worked hard and am on my way to being in shape.
9. Oh and #8 is going to help a ton with the upcoming snowboarding season...Zumba involves a good amount of squats, an important part of a good snowboarding stance.
10. After finding an amazing deal on plane tickets to Oakland, the husband and I decided to head down to the Bay Area for a few days next month. Family stuff can be complex, hopefully the visit will be a good one.
11. Our friends/next door neighbors just got engaged...the wedding will be on their beautiful property late next spring - Memorial Day to be exact. I'm already starting to brainstorm a wedding gift I can make...
12. Lastly, the picture above was taken last night at Mallard Ice Cream in Bellingham...we went there after having a delicious and much anticipated meal at Fiamma Burger. I love the vibe in Mallard, it reminds me of places I went to when I lived in San Luis Obispo during college. Their flavors are unique and delicious. I had a scoop of Strawberry Rose in a waffle cone. It tasted like a summer garden, which when I write it sounds strange, but believe me, it was delicous!
13. Before heading home from Bellingham last night, we made a stop at Trader Joe's...always a treat! While we were there I was inspired to do an original "advent calendar" for the husband...we are trying to keep Christmas more simple this year, so I'm trying to go heavy on the creativity factor. I'll write more as my ideas progress.
14. That's it for now...hope you're having a great Wednesday! Happy Hump Day!

Christmas Swap Owls

I mentioned not too long ago that I am participating in an ornament swap that is being sponsored by Sarah of the blog Small Fox. The thing that drew me into this particular swap was Sarah's pictures of the ornaments she's made for swaps in the past. I loved her style. I also love the idea of receiving ornaments that other's have handmade. Even though this can be a busy time of year, I decided that making ornaments would put me in the mood for other present making. I am trying to have a more "handmade" type of Christmas this year...it turns out that is easier to say than to do. So my contributions to the swap are done now. Clearly from the 7 pictures in this post, I had fun doing a little owl photo shoot even though it was cold outside. So now my little ornaments are all ready to send in the mail. I did make a few extras, 8 extras to be precise. I kept 3 for myself and the other 5 are now at Bungalow Bay where hopefully they will find owners to love them and take them home so they can be a part of an annual Christmas tree just as mine will be. It will be fun to share with you the ornaments I receive in the swap...already there is a flickr group going for swap participants to share photos of their creations, I've just uploaded my pictures. I will be peaking at it every now and again in the next few weeks to see what other people are making, now you can too.

I have a very warm feeling when I think that a year ago I was in a place where I was aching to be a more actively creative person. I had lots of ideas, but I was not acting on them. In the past 11-12 months I have really allowed my creative side to come out. It was a bit intimidating to think of sharing what I was doing on this blog, but it has also been a great source of accountability and inspiration. I think the thing I'm probably the most proud of has been taking the time and effort to learn to sew. I have a long way to go, I'm no where near the seamstress that my Oma was, but I do feel "closer" to her when I sit down at my sewing machine. I wish I could have shared that with her when she was alive, but I think she knows that and is happy for me anyway.

Well, Happy Sunday to you, I hope your weekend was restful and that the week ahead has started well!

Egyptian Cotton

I mentioned before I took my trip to Egypt that I wanted to of course get some of their famed cotton while I was there. Well, everyone I talked to informed me that it is really not a good deal there, any where you go to buy it will be overpriced unless you go out into the country and make your purchase at one of the cotton factories. Because it wasn't really an option for us to visit a factory, I decided to look for fabric stores to buy the cotton in, that way the prices would be what a local would pay. I went into fabric stores when we were in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and it was fascinating to me...it's not a normal tourist stop, so the experience of buying fabric gives a bit more of an authentic feel for the culture. The same was true when I found a fabric store in a neighborhood near the Pyramids of Gyza. Just as in Brazil, fabric stores and the garment industry in general are run by men, kind of different from what we are used to here in the states where you typically don't find men in fabric stores unless they are patiently waiting for their wives. (My husband finds himself in this situation pretty frequently, actually!) The two gentlemen who we met in the fabric store pictured below were very friendly, after our purchase, they even asked us to stay for tea...a significant gesture in the Middle East. We of course accepted. Our conversation with them centered on our travels, family - they shared pictures and the husband shared a picture he keeps in his wallet of the stepson, and we even talked a bit about politics (they love Obama, he seems to always get a thumbs up from Egyptians). It was a very neat experience...I went back and forth when deciding whether or not to share the pictures below as part of this post...I don't usuallyshow pictures of myself, or at least not of my face. This blog isn't really about appearances for me, what I look like isn't my focus, I like to talk more about what I do and the things that inspire my creativity. But, in this case, the pictures complete my story and tell about a neat experience I had, one that really shaped the trip for me and made me feel like I had stepped into Egyptian culture. Those two men were fun and even goofy, I was glad that our path crossed their little shop.

Shake Your Booties

First Attempt

Second Attempt

I made these little booties this last weekend from a pattern I found on Heather Bailey's website. They are for a friend's baby that is due this winter. The first pair was my learning curve, they turned out okay, but I was just trying to figure out how to put the pieces together. The second pair is my favorite of the two. They are pretty quick to put together, even with hand stitching. I have thought about sewing them together with my machine and then doing the embellishments by hand, it would make this project even quicker. I want to make more, but right now I am actually trying to make some headway on another project. I am participating in an ornament swap that is being sponsored by Sara at Small Fox. I should have at least a few completed products by the end of the week and I will share photos...until then, here's a little sneak peak at what I'm working on.

Autumn Trip to Leavenworth

dsIt was decided that Friday we would take a day to get out and enjoy the colors of autumn on a day trip to a Bavarian themed village in WA called Leavenworth.
So we set out in the Jeepster for a nice relaxing day.We stocked up on goodies, sweets for the husband and quick-e-mart coffee for me. We made a spur of the moment stop at this farm stand and bought 3 boxes of apples...they were a quite a deal.

It was cold out, a good day for thick tights and cozy Uggs.

When we got to the top of the pass it there was snow on the ground. The trees along the river have changed to rich reds, oranges, and yellows.

The gorgeous color of the trees made up for the grey glumness of the day.

The fog was sitting right on the lower part of the mountains.

We decided on this restaurant for lunch, it was the first time I've been there.German draft beer...don't remember what the name was, Amber something I think.

Beef Rouladin...my Oma used to make this dish when I was a little girl. It was good, but her's was of course better.

Every building in Leavenworth is very much themed out...it all has the look of an old fairy tale.

If you visit during a busy time like Oktoberfest or the Christmas Lightings, there are lots of fun loving Germans that like to wear lederhosen for those special occasions.

Even though the theme of the village is all things Bavarian, there is still a wonderful gelato shop we like to visit when we're there.

One of my favorite things in life is gelato.

After Leavenworth, we make a quick drive over to Cashmere to visit a huge antique and vintage mall there. I think the name of it is Apple Annie's. It is set up to display items from different vendors, so there are lots of interesting specialty "shops" within the mall. The display below was one of my favorites, there was so many great things to look at.

There is something for almost every kind of interest there, I was drawn to the displays of kitchen items, vintage quilts, linens and aprons.

I have a few of these jars in my sewing room for storing little items, I thought about getting a couple more, but in the end I picked out a few other items for the husband to give me for Christmas...obviously I will love my presents that way, even if it's not a big suprise...I picked out a couple of aprons, a delicate hankerchief, and three boards that were part of wooden grape boxes...I think they will look neat hung in my kitchen.

The display below was a set of pews/chairs taken from an old church. They would be neat in an entry way or even in an entertainment room.

I liked checking out the displays of vintage sewing notions and fabrics.

Many of the vendors put obvious effort into making their displays beautiful to look at.

I love the costume jewelry, I can picture my grandmother's wearing pieces like these.

Again, I was drawn in by the beautiful displays.

So some of the things there were a bit too kitschy for my taste, but it was still fun to look!

All in all, it was a very fun day...I made the husband stop the car so I could take a picture of this perfect scene...and to think that there was a time that I didn't find fall to be a beautiful season!