how i know when it is autumn in Texas ……

The cows cannot eat in peace and the grass starts turning brown.

It is so cute, these birds follow them everywhere!

The fields are yellow… and

the sky is blue!

Pumpkins are everywhere.

The nurseries are decorated ……

and mums are about to bloom!

The colors are magnificent.

and cameras are in hand…

Just in case someone is right there for you to capture!

And did I mention, pumpkins are everywhere. Pumpkins of all kinds!

But most of all, the sun has that special Golden Glow ……..

and the sunsets never disappoint.

Have a beautiful fall week ~ Cheryl

so much to say, so little time …& a healthy snack

My son and his girl went to Seattle and Portland on their first vacation together and for my son to meet her father. These are 4 of his 400 pictures!!!

This is the souvenir they brought home to me………

Since it is Monday, and my day off ~ I vowed to take the time to enjoy the morning sun and post in my blog. You know how I love the morning and evening sun coming in my house. My new mug is from the “first” Starbucks located in Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA. The perfect gift for me :) Thank you Brandon & Megan.

My snack.

Actually, this is my breakfast today….but normally it is my sweet-tooth snack.

Frozen banana slices and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter! YUM!

Now, this can’t be an everyday thing, because of the peanut butter.

270 calories, and 16 grams of fat.

If you cut the peanut butter to 1 tblsp, then you only have 8 grams of fat, which is about a third of the fat you should have for the day. And believe me,1 tblsp is PLENTY! But for photography purposes, I had to go with the 2 tablespoons :)

While deciding to photograph this treat, I was looking in my kitchen for a plate and I found these cute little plates that I bought on sale months ago for $5 ~ I forgot I had them.

CUTE!!!!

I could save the rest of what I have to say for another post, but I have been meaning to share these (below). I picked them up a couple of weeks ago with a Barnes and Noble gift card I had from the girls at work. Barnes and Noble is always my request if anyone insists on gift giving!

I know you all have seen Tara’s book on many of our fellow bloggers blogs, but I want to share as well. Tara is one of the first blogs I found that just blew me away. Her humor, her photography, her love of her family …. And to top it off, she wrote this book … I think she deserves all the recognition we can give her!

Lastly, for today, I want to share with you what I am doing for my heart. Oatmeal. I have been meaning for sometime now to eat oatmeal each day to counter-act all the bad things I do to my heart, caffeine, lack of cardio, stress etc. My mom swears that she lowered her cholesterol by these three things daily. Oatmeal, an orange and fish oil tablets. I have incorporated the oatmeal into a smoothie with orange juice, soy milk and a frozen banana. I semi-freeze it and drink it throughout the day at work. It is my mid-morning snack, my lunch and my afternoon pick me up.

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

1 frozen banana

3/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked)

1 cup orange juice

1 cup soy milk

Put in a blender until smooth. Freeze for one hour.

Health Benefits of Bananas ~ Click to Link to Statistics! Better than an apple a day!

Have a wonderful week ~ Cheryl

oh yea, Cowboys 31, Giants 33 – UGH!

who doesn’t love a cowboy …

I forgot to tell you girls (in my last post) the best thing I love about the fall. It is the start of football season :)

I’ll be spending my Sunday afternoons with Mr. Tony Romo and his boys for the next 4 months!!! He’s the MAN!!

1st game: Cowboys 34 Tampa Bay 21 Way to Go Boys!!!!! We are on our way to Super Bowl !!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxjock78/3040336220/

it’s all around the corner!!!!!

These are the things I love about this time of year:

Gorgeous Golden Sunflowers – other than pink roses, sunflowers might be my favorite flower~

Pumpkins and Gourds – It takes me forever to pick out our pumpkins…searching for just the right ones. The right ones are never the same from year to year…..just like the Christmas tree!

Sweet Caramel Apples – These were a childhood fave, along with salt water taffy. My silver fillings, root canals, and crowns are proof! I adore caramel. I was always happy to get the little wrapped caramel squares in my Halloween bag.

Scrumptious Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream – The BEST. I have to admit, Costco has one of the best pumpkin pies. It is the perfect firmness, spiciness and it is HUGE!!!

Change of Leaves - I always say, we can’t beat God’s colors.

State Fair - Texas holds their State Fair from September – October. They come out with a new deep fried food every year. This year it is “deep fried butter”. What the heck????? I don’t know what to think about that, other than they better have plenty of ambulances available. Heart attack on a stick!

Country Wagons & Red Barns – Actually, I love country wagons and red barns all year round!!!

Hot Apple Cider & Cinnamon Sticks - This is also a great beverage while putting up Christmas lights – with a shot of Brandy ~ of course :)

Cider Mills – I was such a lucky girl growing up in the North. Us kids would walk to the cider mill to get hot cider and fresh baked cinnamon doughnuts each fall. It was a 14 mile round trip walk. Imagine 5 or 6 kids (boys and girls) walking a country road to the cider mill and back. It would take us all day since we would goof around the whole way there and back. These were the good old days when our parents didn’t have to worry about us and we could be kids and experience the world around us – on our own. A blessing to be a pre-teen in the early 70’s!! I guess that is why I relate to the movie “Stand by Me” ~ except we weren't looking for a dead body. EEK!

Happy September!! Enjoy all that the season has to offer ~ Cheryl

1. Sunflower Close up, 2. Pumpkin Pile, 3. caramel apples, 4. Pumpkin pie, 5. Walk With Me...., 6. enjoyed the ride!, 7. The Old Buckboard Wagon, 8. fpx206004, 9. The Cider Mill