Fun Times ~~ Favorite Season!!!!!

So ya'll know by now that I have a heart for our young people!! They are the future!! I love being a part of the teens of this generation ~~ it is exciting, thrilling and challenging, and I am sooooooooo thankful that God let's me be a part of this movement in our world today. I'm telling you we are in a pivotal time in history and it is so important that we come along side our teens and help them!! I really feel this deep in the person God has made me to be. It is one of the most important things I do in life, being a part of God's work in our teens ~~ it is humbling.

Well, as I have also shared with you I LOVE being the house where the teens go.

Really for two reasons:

1. Dakota would never get to hang out with friends (lol), because he's not going to someone's house where I don't know their parents or the kind of life style they lead ~~ yes I am one of THOSE mama's :0)

and

2. I want to know who he's hanging out with and be involved ~~ yes again one of THOSE parents. I love being involved with the youth of today (see above :0) and I just LOVE my son so much, and watching him hang out with his friends ~~ really I am that nerdy ~ yep it's true :0)

Well, Dakota has missed 1 1/2 days of school (prior to yesterday) because of a nasty sinus infection (another story for another day ;) and today he has his first BIG debate scrimmage (is that even a real thing ~~ a debate scrimmage ?) Anyway that is what it sounds like to me.

So his partner Sammy (yes another girl ~~ why is it all his hangout buddies these days are girls? Am I in trouble ? :0) came over to "study" and work on their debate and speech.

So I came in from another room and this is what I found,

and S had only been here about 5 mins ~~~

Yes this is our living room completely run over with speech and debate and algebra ~~ hey where are the kids in this pic ~~ yep in the office "studying" I wish there was sound with this pic, because there is an awful lot of laughter coming from the office :0)

They are so cute ~~ seriously I should have gotten them in a pic ~~ sorry!!

And before I leave the subject of Dak and S, I just wanted to tell ya that they auditioned and both made Chamber Choir again this year. So last night they worked on their song for honor's choir try-outs. Honor's choir is an area wide audition and only a few from each school make it to the actual performance in November. Dakota was the only one from Clever who made it last year ~~ we were so proud!! (BTW Sammy didn't try out last year, we are soooooooo glad she is this year ~~ this girl can sing!!) The song for the audition is accapella. Sammy is a soprano and Dakota is a tenor and the two of them together sound BEAUTIFUL!! I was sitting in the living room and I heard them start to sing ~~ I tell ya it almost made me cry ~~ what a pure and sweet sound . . . teens singing ~~ whew does it get any better!!

They got the priviledge 2 years ago to sing at the Keeter Center in Branson, MO around Christmas time. They sang "Mary did you Know" I LOVE that Christmas song!! Yep they have history these two!! Love them!!

Okay now let's switch gears shall we?!?

YAY It is here!!!!

My favorite time of year ~~ FALL ~~ AUTUMN ~~ NOT SUMMER!! You get the idea :0)

So what do I love about fall?

Well, let me see:

EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sweatshirts & Shorts
Pumpkins
Sweatshirts & Jeans
Hay rides
Sweatshirts & Skirts
Fall Foods ~~ Be still my little heart :0)
Sweatshirts & Scarfs
Hot Spiced Apple Cider Juice Stuff
Sweatshirts & Earrings
The ever changing fall colors
Sweatshirts & FOOTBALL
And so much more . . .

Well, here is another thing I LOVE about fall . . .

Decorating!!!!!!!

And it is all about the centerpieces people!!!!!!!! I love to decorate my table for EVERY occasion and season ~~ just ask the fam ~~ they never know what might be on it when they get home!!!

The "center" of this center piece is a variation on this. Yes I do realize it really is hardly anything like it, but I looked at the ones she did for fall and fell in love ~~ so I was out in the garage and saw this multi-purpose fish bowl and click ~~ idea ~~ really if there was a light bulb on the top of my head, you'd have seen it go off :0) And I was off and running!!!!!!!!!

And then my dear friend and neighbor Kim came over yesterday with her incredibly adorable one and half year old and brought me this HUGE glass. It was her grandmother's and she wanted me have it, because she said I'd put it to good use. Thanks Kim, you touch me girl!! So put it to use I did ~~ they also brought me some potpourri to go in it as well ~~ so I sat it on our incredibly cute bench (another story for yes, another time :0) with a FALL runner and one or our wedding pics and a vase (yes it needs some fallness too ~~ I'm really slow in getting it all together, but it's getting there ~~) and VOILA!!

So there you have it. . . the beginning of fallness around here!!!! I love all things fall and I just love the feeling of the crisp air and the cool nights ~~ LOVE IT!!!!!

I'll be showing more pics as we continue to move in fall. I'd like to have everything up and looking beautiful before we travel to Mayo. Won't that be a nice homecoming ~~ to have such a cheery fall house!! So stay tuned for pics of my wreaths and other yummy things for home and heart ~~ and TUMMY!! (I will be updating my recipe blog too this weekend hopefully, so be sure and stop over there in the coming days as well)!!

Okay one more thing ~~ I want to wish my B-I-L a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Yep it is the BIG __ Okay it's the BIG 4-0, but don't tell him I told ya!!! We love ya Brian, from the 3 D's (Dick, Dawn and Dakota)

Have a Blessed weekend everyone, Dawn