On Dishes and Color.

My kitchen remodel has been done for a little over a year now. The only thing still missing is a dishwasher. Mostly, I don't notice that anything is missing at all. But about once a week we have friends over for dinner and at the end of the night the inevitable question is "Can I help you load the dishwasher?". I'm sure that most people think that I'm just being polite when I respond "No, I really don't mind doing the dishes." It's true though. I really, genuinely don't mind doing the dishes. It's soothing to me somehow. The repetition, the warm water, the solitude. It's a place I can get lost in my thoughts or I can get lost in the task. When Aaron is home we clean up together. Sometimes chatting enthusiastically about our day, other times lost in our own silent thoughts but still together.

Mowing the lawn is like that too. Quiet and meditative even when I'm in a hurry to beat the rain. This past weekend in the chaos of being both Mama and Dad I was beginning to feel a little battered. I'd been wondering when I'm ever going to have time to sew, or knit, or ride my horse, or blog again. I hired a babysitter to watch the kids for a few hours so I could mow and do other yard work. Of course when she arrived it looked like it was about to start pouring outside. So I quickly started the mower thinking "If I can just get the back yard done before it starts raining."  Then I thought "If I can just get the front yard done before it starts raining." Before I knew it the whole yard was almost done. As I went over the last little bit of the side yard around the garden and the rain drops started softly falling I thought "I can do this." I can etch out time every day for myself. I can let go of the things that aren't done at the end of the night. I can put Gus down sometimes. I can sew and knit and then blog about it. I can be strong.

So tonight to prove that I Can. I'm joining Rachel over at Stitched in Color to Celebrate Color and Fall. For me Fall is the time of year that embodies the way I feel doing mundane, solitary tasks. Peaceful, serene, meditative, crisp, fresh, keen, full of potential energy and new starts. There's just a certain something that fills the cool morning air that brings such promise for the day ahead. I can't wait until it's cool enough here to feel like that! The colors that come with Autumn always inspire me to create and reflect and I am so excited to join up with Rachel (Stitched in Color), Mollie (Wild Olive) and Shannon (LuvintheMommyhood) to celebrate the perfect season.