Fall is knocking at the door...

The house is now quiet as I enjoy some moments to myself after a very full week. I have a lovely playlist going as I sip my tea, the dishwasher is humming, the rain is pattering outside and the wind, which howled through the night, is now settling down.
What a difference a day makes! All week we have had warm temperatures, earlier this week being hot and humid. It has been perfect weather for the final days of summer, but today....
Wow! I am not sure if it is the effects of Hurricane Earl or the cold front we received from the West, but it is cold and rainy outside, and inside I have actually had the furnace on just to get the damp chill out. (shhh...my hubby thinks it's too early:)
At the library this morning, I turned on the fireplace in the sitting area to set a cosy, cheerful ambience for the patrons. The flowers that I brought in hopefully contributed to the atmosphere.

I also put on a pot of coffee for my colleague and for myself so we could warm up.
It was a very busy day today with the doors steadily opening as patrons came in out of the cold and the rain to find good reading material for the weekend and to use the computers etc. I just love my work environment and feel blessed every day when I walk through the doors of the library.
Don't the patrons have a delightful sitting area?

There has been alot of action here over the past week, beginning with my youngest daughter having a pool party on Sunday, so there was a house full of young people. I am so thankful that our home can be a blessing to others.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with work, passing my exam which was a relief, pool-side visit with my sister and her four children, hair appointment and back to school shopping completed for highschool daughter:

Thursday was spent getting the laundry done and the house in order as my middle daughter had an afternoon/evening event planned for Friday.

Thursday evening we travelled to Tuscany where we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings while we dined on Italian cuisine with our guest. Well, ok fine, we weren't really there but the setting made me feel like we were as we dined al fresco, enjoying the food, the sunflowers, the music and the company until late in the evening,

long after the sun went down.

Friday morning I left for a church meeting, arriving at home to discover that all three of my girls had been busy bees, as they helped my middle daughter with her preparations for the company she was anticipating. The menu was going to be a tacos and fajitas, a veggie tray, and loads of snack foods. She had invited her college friends, a group of ten, over for an afternoon swim, followed by supper and activities.

Aren't these cup cakes so cute?

Oldest daughter made the banana muffins while youngest daughter made the peach cobbler. Their mother is so proud of them!

The highlight of our week was going to the airport with hubby to pick up our son, who spent the summer working in Alberta. He had so many stories to share with us over dinner at Kelsey's Restaurant, the best one being that the family he stayed with took him in like their own son. Our hearts are so grateful toward them for all of their kindness and love shown to our son...there is no greater gift!

Next week our routines will change as we gear up for back to school activities, including one attending high school, one in college and one at university.

Yes, Fall is knocking at the door, and although I love and embrace each season, I am reluctant to say good-bye to the leisurely days of summer....yet knowing that the times and seasons are also a part of the Master's plan.

"But I trust in you, O LORD;

I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands."

Psalm 31:14, 15