I woke up this morning and went to sit on the balcony for a few minutes which I hadn’t been able to do with the rain that happened this week. I may be the only person who was Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed for that rain but I knee we would be wanting it this Summer and my flowers needed it.

While I was sitting there thinking about Fall with Bear I begin to think about how Fall has actually been here for a while, and if I’m being honest, our house should have been ready for it by now. But sometimes things don’t happen quite the way you plan them. I put up Fall a couple weeks ago because

While I was sitting there thinking about Fall with Bear I begin to think about how Fall has actually been here for a while, and if I’m being honest, our house should have been ready for it by now. But sometimes things don’t happen quite the way you plan them. I put up Fall a couple weeks ago because David was ready for Halloween which isn’t the way I celebrate the #Holidays which I do one at a time.

At the beginning of the month Charlie and I had decorated for fall, and then before long I started taking some of those decorations down because David was ready for Halloween. That’s just how this time of year goes around our house. One season starts, another one is right behind it, and before you know it, you’re looking at Christmas decorations.

But sometimes you just have to stop. And regroup. I think that’s what Charlie and I need to do this week. We’ve been looking at the house and realizing that we don’t really want to put all of our fall things away just yet. So we’re going to go through the decorations we’ve collected over the years and see what we can find.

We’re not going to decorate the whole house. We’re going to find one little section and make it our fall corner. We’ll pull out some of our little decorations. We’ll look at things we’ve made throughout the year. And maybe, if we’re in the mood, we’ll sit down and make something new to add to it.

I kind of like that idea because sometimes you don’t need to change everything. Sometimes you just need one little place that feels different. And that’s how this year’s Fall Gift Guide came about. When I say “gift guide,” I don’t necessarily mean that you need to go shopping.

For me, a gift can be something you buy. But it can also be something you make. It can be a book you read. A snack you prepare. A walk you take together. An afternoon spent looking at the leaves. Or an experience that becomes a family memory which I feel like my home is missing because Fall hasn’t been celebrated.

So this week, Charlie and I are going to slow down and enjoy a little more fall before Halloween completely takes over our house. We’re going to ask ourselves some simple questions: What could we make to decorate our home? What fall snack should we make?

What should we read? Where could we go? And most importantly: What can we do together? That’s what I want to share with you this year. Not just things to buy, but simple ways to enjoy the season. I think Charlie and I are going to make a Fall Memory Tree for our little corner.

We’ll use a small branch or something similar and make paper leaves to hang from it. On the leaves, we can write our favorite fall memories, things we’re thankful for, places we’d like to visit, books we’d like to read and things we’re looking forward to and our friends and family can add leaves to it and each year we can add more leaves.

The reason I like this craft is because when we’re finished, we won’t just have a fall decoration. We’ll have a tree full of our memories. And that’s something I think is worth keeping. One day I will be able to hand it down to Charlie to use in his own home to share with his children.

Of course, making a fall decoration means we’re going to need something to snack on. I’m thinking about making a little fall snack tray for Charlie and me. Maybe popcorn. Maybe caramel apples. Maybe pretzels and pecans. Maybe some chocolate. Maybe we’ll make a simple fall trail mix. And if we’re going to sit down with our books afterward, I’m thinking warm apple cider or hot chocolate sounds pretty good. Nothing fancy. Just something we can make together and enjoy.

Since Charlie is 19, I’m not looking for a little children’s fall book. I want something that we can both enjoy. This may be the year we finally pull out The Hobbit and spend a little time with Bilbo and his adventures. There’s something about the story’s sense of home, travel, food, friendship and adventure that feels right for a fall afternoon.

And we’re going to give ourselves permission to read just ten minutes. We don’t have to finish a chapter. We don’t have to read for an hour. Ten minutes is enough to begin. I also choose the Hobbit because it’s a classic and it isn’t something Charlie or I’ve read and before you ask what about David I’m not sure if he has read it or not.

That brings me to something we’re going to be doing this October. Charlie and I are bringing back our 10 Tickets + 10 Minutes of Reading Challenge. Here’s the simple idea: One ticket: Do a fall activity. One ticket: Read for 10 minutes. Two tickets: Do both.

A fall activity could be making our craft, taking a walk, visiting an event, decorating a little corner of the house or doing something else that gets the family enjoying the season. And parents get to decide what the tickets are worth and what the rewards will be. The goal isn’t to make one more thing the kids have to do. It’s to give families a reason to stop for a few minutes and do something together.

Once Charlie and I finish our little fall corner, we’re going to get outside. It’s such a beautiful day, and I want to see what fall looks like around us. We’re going to take a walk and see if we can find the changing leaves. Maybe we’ll take pictures. Maybe we’ll find a tree we’ve never really noticed before. Maybe we’ll see something that makes us stop and say, “Look at that!”

I think sometimes we spend so much time trying to plan a big family outing that we forget there are things to enjoy right outside our own door. So our challenge is going to be simple: Can we find five signs of fall? A colorful leaf. A changing tree. A fall decoration. A flower. Something in nature we haven’t noticed before. It doesn’t have to cost anything.

And this is another thing I’ve been thinking about. I love Christmas, but if you’ve ever been around Grapevine during the Christmas season, you know how busy it can get. So this fall, I want Charlie and me to get out and enjoy some of these places before Christmas gets crazy.

Grapevine is one of the places we’re going to be watching. There are fall events, activities and things to see throughout October, and I’d rather enjoy some of them now than wait until December when everybody else is trying to do the same thing. We’re going to be looking for farms, festivals, local attractions, food, crafts and experiences around DFW that Charlie and I can enjoy together. And when we find something we love, I’ll share it with you here.

What You’ll Find in Our Fall Gift Guide: As we go through October, I’ll be adding ideas for:

• Fall family activities
• Cozy things for the home
• Outdoor and nature fun
• Fall treats and food
• Books and reading
• Crafts we can make
• Fall products and gifts
• Local DFW events
• Family experiences
• Memories from our own family

Because that’s what I want this year’s guide to be. A collection of ways to enjoy fall. Not a list of things you have to buy. I think that’s the lesson I’m taking into this week. We don’t have to decorate the whole house. We don’t have to buy something new. We don’t have to fill every day with an activity.

We can make one little corner a fall corner or a porch or balcony which may be what Charlie and I do. Because Fall is to be celebrated everywhere inside and outside. We will make one craft. Or one snack. Then we will read for ten minutes and then we will take a walk. And spend some time together.

Sometimes when life feels a little overwhelming, you don’t need to fix everything all at once. Sometimes you just need to stop and regroup. That’s what Charlie and I are going to do. We’re going to find our fall decorations, make ourselves a little fall corner, maybe make a craft, fix something good to eat, read for a few minutes and then go outside to see what we can find.

And maybe along the way we’ll find a few places around North Texas that we want to visit before the Christmas crowds arrive. That’s our fall. And we’re inviting you to enjoy yours with us.

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Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates