{ Apple Butter, welcoming fall and a rainy day }

The day began with the pitter patter of rain outside.  It had been such a long time since we had a good downpour and I welcomed it with open arms.

Aside from providing a much needed relief to the hot temperatures we've been enduring for months, it also seemed to bring in September and give us a quick glimpse into the incoming Fall season.

The very first thing I did this morning, was get a batch of Apple Butter going.  There's nothing quite as delicious as some apple butter on toast, on a cool Fall morning.

I had a bag of apples that needed using up as they were starting to go bad, so I peeled them, got them in the crockpot and set about my day.

A couple of hours later, I had a gorgeous apple butter ready for the fridge.  Honestly can't wait to have breakfast in the morning, just to try some.

Dishes were washed, placemats were given a good scrubbing and rinse and then I finally sat down for breakfast, which this morning was coffee with Hazelnut creamer and some cinnamon bread toast.

All the while, the rain continued outside.  Slowly, deliberately, stopping only for a few moments at a time, then regaining it's steady downpour.

The usual homemaking was done, along with some moments of fall decorating.  I brought out my pine cones, my wreaths, a few candles here and there and went about my day.....much like the rain, slowly, deliberately achieving my tasks, then taking brief moments of rest to watch the rain, to play with Marley or to prepare lunch for the kids and I.

We did homeschooling, and I answered emails pertaining to some new book tours coming up.

I truly am blessed and thankful to the Lord, that I'm allowed the privilege of working with so many wonderful publishers and to be able to fill my mind and soul with some of the best books around.

These are next on my review list, and they're just a fraction of the amazing titles on my bookshelf at the moment.  I actually just agreed to a whole lot more for the Fall and Winter Season, fiction with one in particular that I'm really reallllyyyyy excited for, and quite a few non fiction that I know will be a hit not just with me, but with my husband and even my son for 10th Grade.

For dinner tonight we had Pasteis de Massa Tenra - Meat Pastries, using the leftover pork roast from last night.  By the way, I'm going to be doing a weekly meals in review at the end of the week, and will show you all.

For dessert, I had two oranges that had been sitting in the fruit bowl for a while, and didn't want them to go to waste, so I quickly whipped up an Orange Cake, it's so simple as you quite literally use the whole orange, peels and all, but what a delicious yummy cake it makes.

And with that, the day comes to an end, I'll be taking a warm bath soon, slipping into my comfy pajamas and watching The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, on Netflix.

I want to leave you with something to think about, something that I'm hoping will be just as thought provoking to you as it was to me.

Last night I watched Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts sermon called Everything Must Go.  It touched me and truly blessed me in ways I could never imagine.  Pastor Sarah talks about letting go of our past, of our struggles and demons in order to make room for the Lord's Grace to reside inside us.

Everything that has no value, that is no longer profitable or good in our lives, MUST GO.
When there is less of me, there is MORE of HIM.

I encourage you to watch her sermon, but make sure you have pen and paper ready because you will be wanting to take notes.  Such a powerful message and like I said above, I hope that it blesses you all as much as it has blessed me.

With that, I'm ending this post and wishing you all a wonderful, restful night :)