What 10 Things Will You Be Doing September to December? by Dana-Lyn Phillips

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Fall has always been my favourite season. Crisp nights and warm days. The beauty created by the changing of the leaves. The return of everything pumpkin-spiced. What’s not to love?

My children are older now, so the first day of school doesn't look the same as it did a few years ago, but I have fond memories of getting my kids settled into their new classrooms and then returning home to enjoy a hot cup of coffee. It was the best cup of coffee all year.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids dearly, but there is something magical about fresh starts and a return to routine. It was definitely worth celebrating.

Although I now find myself in a different season of life, the final four months of the year continue to feel familiar. This is how I will be spending them…

1. Shutterfly Photo Book Creation

Always a huge undertaking, this involves sorting, deleting, saving, downloading and uploading. It requires design decisions and page layouts. Once it’s ready for print, it requires emptying the bank account to pay for it. So why do I do it, year after year? Well, it guarantees the preservation of memories. Capturing adventures, celebrations, and candids, and compiling them in one place, ends up being one of my most treasured projects.

2. Purging the House

I’ve yet to figure out how the items in our home continue to multiply. I’m convinced that my parents missed telling me about the ‘birds and the bees’ of inanimate objects because every year, without fail, I need to clear out to create space.

3. Best Friend Get-Away

Treasured, and protected, is this 36-hour window when my best friend and I hightail it out of town to an undisclosed location. (Just kidding - our families always know where we are…although my husband never remembers what I’ve told him). Our adventure involves sit-down meals (that someone else prepares for us), shopping, facials, hikes, Scrabble and some sugar indulging. This activity breathes enough life into me to carry me to the end of the year.

4. Birthday Celebrations

Every member of our family, including the dog, celebrates a birthday between September 3rd and January 2nd so the end of the year is jam packed with balloons, presents and more cake than I could ever want.

5. Ladies Ministry Conference

Last year began an annual Ladies conference hosted at my church. It was a wonderful day of meeting new people, and drawing close to God, so I am looking forward to another day of spiritual refreshing this year.

6. House Maintenance

Not the fun part, by any means, but necessary. There are always things to be tightened, straightened, hammered down, cut up, planted, scrubbed, caulked and cleaned.

7. Christmas Shopping

I shop early. I blame it on my Type A personality, but it also ensures that presents are paid for before they are being unwrapped Christmas morning.

8. University Tours

New to the list this Fall is the scheduling, and attending, of numerous university tours. We’re a year ahead of schedule but we’re hoping it will help with decision making. We don’t have long before our youngest will be filling out university applications. Where does the time go?

9. Meal Planning

Is there a woman in the world who enjoys making meals? (If you exist, I would like to meet you as you’re somewhat of a unicorn). I used to love cooking, but now I hate it. Dinners seem to roll around faster than pigs in mud, and my recipe book has become downright boring.

I recently started something new in an effort to inject some fresh enthusiasm into meal time. I randomly choose a different country, around the globe, and then research and prepare a native dish. It’s helped to get me out of a slump with meal ideas, and it’s also been nice to try some dishes we would never normally eat. Plus, it’s likely the closest I’ll ever come to travelling so I’m trying to enjoy it.

10. Christmas Decorating

This is the final of my ten items, however, it likely shouldn’t be last on the list because I decorate very early. The rule in our house (imposed by my husband) is that the tree doesn’t go up until after Remembrance Day so, you guessed it…our tree goes up November 12th.

I love absolutely everything about Christmas so I am sure to savour it as long as I can. There’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa, under a blanket, and watching a Christmas movie by the light of the Christmas tree.

So, there it is friends, my Fall list of To Do’s. If I’m being honest, it’s overwhelming seeing it all in print. I’m not worried though, if I don’t have enough time for everything, I’ll cross the house maintenance off the list because there’s no fun in that anyway.

I better grab a cup of coffee, and get started.

 

Dana-Lyn is a wife, and mother to teenage boys as well as a 14-year-old cava-poo named Hockley. She is passionate about encouraging Christian women in their faith and is stepping into her mid-life "calling" as a writer. Her happy place consists of a comfy chair, a great book, a hot cup of coffee and a chocolate…or three! You can read more of her work at https://plansfargreater.substack.com