Oh, Autumn!

Autumn has arrived! I am so happy to be able to open up the windows and breathe in crisp air again. This season rejuvenates me. You, too?

 As much as I try to avoid the word, "busy", we have definitely been so. Back to school for the oldest three, homeschooling preschool with the twins, softball for Madelyn and Lana with practice sessions twice a week and two games on both Saturday and Sunday for each.

I am still undecided on the scheduled time we have to commit to with two girls in softball. I am conflicted because they enjoy it and we enjoy watching them. Mike is a coach on Lana's team this season. We love seeing them develop their skills and their interest level for the game is high. They do very well!

Their practice sessions run about two hours twice a week. Each game on the weekend is two hours long. Some days the games are back to back which has us all at the field in excess of four hours. Entertaining their four sisters through these games is not always easy and the weekends leave me exhausted.

Mealtimes are slacking because of the rush to get out the door on time, the housework is slipping (I am in need of a major Fall Cleaning!), and I will try not to think about the pile of laundry that is inevitably not getting completed (due to lack of time...and then a broken hose in the washer which certainly  help.)
 

I have also started a new crochet project. A brightly colored granny square afghan. I am loving the combination of colors. It is cheerful and reminds me of summer! It has gotten a bit bigger since I took this photo. I am not great with finishing projects but I am determined to see this one through.

Speaking of unfinished projects, I have had this quilt for Lana's bed sitting in my laundry room for about six years. No joke. My most dreaded part of quilting is the basting and binding. I finally decided to just DO it and now it only needs a binding. I am closer to a finished quilt than I was before. For that I am glad.

We have also been working on a budget revamp. I switched our cable to a different provider. They gave us an offer we could not refuse saving us $65 monthly with no change to our service. We have a mortgage refinance almost settled. I switched our only credit card to a 0% interest for 12 months, and I am also looking into switching our trash to a different company to save about $10 monthly. Little things are adding up.

Here's hoping Autumn brings us new beginnings, 

winning games, lower bills, wider smiles, and lighter hearts!