The last hot day...we think.we hope.

Last week was sooo Hot! High 90's...we broke records for temperatures in September.
98 and sunny on the first day of Fall?...who wants to put out pumpkins while sweating?

How do all of you in California? Florida? Texas? do it???
This hot is only fun in June and July..says the full blooded Northerner.

By the time Friday rolled around,
we decided to take one last trip to the beach.

We picked up cousins along the way and
met up with our neighbors who are basically family.

Well...this is it for summer.
From here on out you will only be seeing colored leaves, steaming coffee, pumpkins,
baked things from my kitchen and all things fall-ish.

Happy new season to you!
XxOo

Why are you back?!?

...she asked the super hot weather forecast on her phone screen as she wiped her brow
with a cool, wet towel and sipped her minty iced tea.
{Okay...maybe the last part was made up...but WHY????!!!!}

I don't know which I dislike more...cold days in May after we've been teased with warm...
...or hot days in September after we've had fall-ish, sweater wearing, apple cinnamon baking,
hot chocolate, blanket using, trees are starting to change color weather dangled before our eyes.

I was just thinking a few days ago...
...it's about time to pack away the summer shorts and swimsuits and
break out all the woolly sweaters.

Have you guys seen the weather forecast for the next week in northern Illinois?!
There are 90's in it.... and lots of sunshine! What?!

Oh well...why not enjoy and take advantage...because really,
we won't see this beautiful weather again until next year!

Early one September morn, since I hadn't all summer,
I decided if the kids finished all of their work, we were going to the lake.

All chores were completed in record time!
We packed food and picked up my sister who happens to live ten minutes from the lake.
Fun was had by all.

{I love this! A go-pro selfie with his little brother...Haha!
 HERE is one of the photos he took...
...I will never swim under the bridge.}

Happy Fall...I mean summer...or do I mean Fall??? Hmmm...
XxOo

Wrapping up the week....so much time has passed for a non-journaler.ridiculous love letters.beautiful Chicago and now I want a doughnut.

"Where did you and mama go?" the littlest guy asked Jeff when we came home.
"We were in Chicago."
"I want to go to the city with you...and see the bean!"

He loooves walking around down there {can you blame him?}...
...and he loves the bean.

Surprise, surprise to him... I had some things to do that week...so I took him along.
Everyone came along actually...and my sister and nephew came with us too!

It was cool, then warm, then sunny, then it rained, then sunny again...welcome to Chicago!
No matter...we had a great day.

{I keep seeing these "You are beautiful" stickers all over the city...
not sure who's leaving them for me, but Thank You! wink}

{...broken strings and an upside down guitar... #streetmusic}

I am horrible at keeping a journal. Horrible!

I have probably started 9,000 notebooks in my lifetime, pretty notebooks!
I start to fill one out, then read back and think...Did I really write that? I sound so stupid!
...then the lovely, flower printed journal gets tossed.

But! I have this blog! and I try to keep up here.
This is pretty much all my children will have of their mother's writings.

Except all the love letters I wrote to Jeff... {and his to me..} all from our pre-marriage years..
...all the mushiness. and corniness...they are so embarrassing to read...even to myself!

If I ever become terminally ill, I will burn each letter I wrote...
"You looked so cute in your gym uniform today, my little handsome love muffin..."
I didn't really write that, but it's about what they all sound like.
{and he was cute in his gym clothes btw!}

..and the letters from when he was away at college? Oh my goodness...
Hahahahahaha!!!!
You would have thought we were separated by a war..each in a different country...
..when really, we were only two hours apart and saw one another pretty much every weekend.

If I die suddenly...well then, have fun reading and laughing children.

All this to say..I like keeping up here.
Even if it's just photos of what's going on in life...
..and it's been a while since I posted...for a non-journal-er that wishes she was good, it's bad.

So here's to posting more often! Cheers with my coffee cup.

....and cheers to your weekend.
Hope you have a fabulous one.

XxOo