Trunk or Treat

My sister, Jessica, and I trunk-or-treated with the fam at their church, Powers Ferry UMC, in Marietta. Kids go around from car to car and trick or treat. Every car has a theme -- our's was "Hippies" and Jess rocked the psychedelic outfit!

Tis the Season

Last weekend, we soaked up all that autumn offers with a visit to Burt's Pumpkin Patch and a couple of apple orchards. It was FREEZING cold...but so fun! If you click on this pic to make it bigger you can see the look of pain on my face. Did I mention it was so COLD!? I have about 15 layers on, too. These pumpkins were HUGE and weighed a ton! Burt's is a seasonal must. And, totally worth the drive. Dan is such a cutie!
At the orchards...Rome Beauties were pretty much all that was left. We just baked warm apple crisp!

This is the entrance to Hillcrest. There were tons of activities like pig racing and petting zoos. We headed up the road to BJ's apple orchard...which was a little less crowded...but didn't have pig racing. Boo.
Giving my best wicked stepmother...or was it Wicked Witch...impression. Either way, where's Snow White?
Feeling pretty concerned about what's going to happen to all 'dem apples!
Beautiful views! I think it would be fun to live in the country if they started building malls out there! How lame am I?
It was a perfect weekend. If you haven't indulged in a fall activity, don't let the time pass you by. Seize the season!

Three of the Best Years of My Life

Happy anniversary to the love of my life. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. My best friend. You make me laugh and are there when I cry. You make me a better person and have opened my eyes to new experiences, opinions and ways of looking at the world. I know I am the luckiest girl in the world and I could not ask for more. You surpass every dream and expectation I prayed for in a husband. Thank you for making me excited to wake up next to you each day. I can't wait to savor the moments we have together for the next 60 + years.

I love you.

Today I Cleaned the Windows

How often do you clean your windows? Is it sad I had to "Google" "how to clean windows"? We've lived in our house for almost three years now and the urge to wash the windows came on full force over the past few months. That's strange, isn't it? Who has an urge to clean windows? I think I have a problem!

It was a gradual build-up. I mentioned to that cute guy I live with that we should clean the windows. I think he mumbled something to Munson about me being crazy and continued whatever he was doing, probably playing Mafia Wars on Facebook.

But, I was determined. I went to Target and spent forty-five minutes determining what supplies to buy. Should I go with brand name cleaners, hard-core bleach or home-spun, organic, so-safe-you-can eat-it cleaner? I researched "cleaning" recipes -- like mix ammonia with water and a drop of dish soap (but don't add bleach -- did you know that mixing ammonia and bleach makes toxic fumes??...good thing I did my research!). I settled on a Swiffer 360 to dust the blinds. And, in the end, I went home-spun for the cleaning solution. Ammonia and hot water. Spray on, wipe off. And, I used a newspaper to wipe the actual window panes. Because newspaper won't leave streaks like paper towels do. How crazy is that??

I learned, apparently, you should dust your blinds more than once every three years. You would not believe how gleaming the windows, sills and blinds are! Or, maybe you would because maybe you clean your blinds a little more often. The view out of the windows is so crystal clear. I think the dirt must have come a little at a time over the past few years and I didn't realize how it was obstructing the light.

I'm pacing myself to clean all 27 windows in our house. It's a monotonous chore. I wonder to myself if it would be any easier a task had I stayed on top of cleaning the windows.

And, I can see the parallels this chore has to my life right now. How often do we let the dust settle so subtly in our lives that we don't realize how it's obstructing our view of His plans for us? How wonderful would it be to Swiffer away all the unimportant in the everyday so His light could come shining through? What if I did something every day to "stay on top of it" -- so that I don't wake up one day feeling like I am in darkness?

So, I pray. I spend time in devotion. I have Bible verses e-mailed to me so that His word will be written on my heart. And, when I find myself feeling in the dark, I remember to keep searching for the light.

What little thing do you do to keep clean the window of your soul?

And...p.s. -- what other chores literally...not figuratively...beyond the basic...dust, vacuum, etc. should I be doing more than once every couple of years?! Yikes!

I am linking this post over at "Chatting at the Sky" where the always-inspiring Emily is hosting "Tuesdays Unwrapped".