Pretend you don't notice the exasperation in my voice when I say that Autumn is finally here. I will also pretend that I weathered this scorcher of a Summer with grace, with not a word of complaint. Okay? Okay.

To say that I'm pleased that it's finally raining, that the days are noticeably shorter, and that it dipped below 80 would be an understatement. Woohoo!!! I kind of feel like running around in the rain and climbing a tree.

Instead, I gathered my wits and decorated the table with some flowers from my earlier walk with Finn and poured glasses of sparkling apple cider to accompany dinner.

Finn proceded to call the cider "yuck," as he does with anything poured in a wine glass. Since he's a fearless eater and wants to try most anything that's on the table, Patrick started refering to his occasional glass of wine with a scrunched up nose and a grimace, telling Finn that he wouldn't want any of it because it was yucky. Finn now automatically dislikes anything in a wine glass. I'm thinking that is a good thing. I plan on drinking my hot chocolate in a wine glass this Winter. Yuck, indeed.

By the way, if you're on the lookout for a to-die-for bread recipe, this oatmeal walnut loaf is our new staple.