I know there are very few of us not thinking it, but I'm gonna say it anyway - Where did this year go? 

How can it already be October? My favorite time of year has officially begun, and I am so happy!

This past week, my windows have been open; the cool rain has made my heart light as a feather; I've worn comfy socks and long sleeve shirts and jeans; Oh, and last night, to the delight (ha!) of my husband, I slept in my trusty long-sleeve Southpoint Bank t-shirt. Sexy it is NOT, but comfy it is. I also pulled out quilts to top our beds at night; and I'm making beans and cornbread for dinner tonight. 

I love soup and soupy things and as my sweet Kyle knows, once it even hints at cooling down, I start digging through soup recipes. He resigns himself to liquidy grub for the majority of the next few months. 

I also started running again. I gave up running during the heat this summer and am now working myself back into it. 

I am watching my Singer grow into a real dog now...not just a puppy. And she is every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped she'd be all those weeks when I watched her breeder post pictures of the teeny weeny pups in her litter. She's starting to chew on things less (yeah!). Although you wouldn't know it by the way she fell asleep in the kitchen earlier. Mid-chew, it would seem.

I obviously need to groom her - those paws and ears are looking shaggy. 

The other thing that blows me away is how much she looks JUST LIKE BAILEY, our previous Golden. 

There are times when I've caught myself calling her Bug-Bug and then realized, this is Singer!

Brooklyn told me yesterday, "Mom, I really love having a Golden Retriever in the house again." 

I could not agree more.

As trying as it can be when Kyle fishes her out of our compost pile or lets her out to potty at 5am or we wrangle another piece of toy out of her sharp little teeth...there is something deeply comforting about having a dog brush my legs as I work in the kitchen. About seeing that Golden smile and those intelligent eyes twinkling at me. About the surrender as she flops on her back and gives me her smooth, soft belly to rub. I can see her sink into a state of puppy bliss as we both enjoy a quiet moment of cuddling and paw-rubbing. 

And we heard her bark for the first time this week. At a squirrel, I think.

Here are some jalapenos I picked from Michael's backyard yesterday. Tons of them. 

You like jalapenos? 

And the bell peppers are exploding off the plants. I'm gonna freeze lots of them. I love bell peppers. What I don't love are bugs. I don't know if you remember the war I waged against carpet beetles a few years ago? Well, it was an expensive, extremely frustrating battle involving lots of cleaning, dry-cleaning, plastic sweater bags, internet research and lectures to Terminix employees.

They are trying to make a come-back right now and there is nothing in this world that makes me lose my mind faster than these teensy weensy bugs that eat my clothes. I seriously go a little mad when I spot them. Drawers are spontaneously emptied, load after load of laundry frantically done, my eyes scan every article of clothing we own searching for signs of them. Two weekends ago, I went completely manic and deep-cleaned my entire upstairs in a period of 9 hours. This is something I'd intended to do slowly over a period of 9 months, taking one room at a time. Had I actually stuck to that plan, I wouldn't have had to do it all in one day...Washing walls, moving furniture, dusting, vacuuming floors, baseboards, blinds, closets, drawers, you name it, it was emptied and cleaned. Kyle wisely stayed far far away from me as I muttered under my breath and zoomed around the house in a fevered state. The mound of laundry on August's bed was taller than our children.

I know this is an "old house" issue as these little buggers hide behind baseboards and are present wherever there is dust and natural fibers. And well, no matter how much I clean, there will always be dust present in this place. At times, I really am one holey sweater away from planting a For Sale sign in my front yard. 

And now that I've gotten the worst of the cleaning mania out of my system, I move on to other things. Like making sure my family has meals to eat. And cluttering up my kitchen countertop. And believe it or not, planning Christmas gifts and things I might make and what I need to make them and et cetera. Do you realize Christmas is 2 1/2 months away??? Oh, and Kyle and I celebrate our 12th anniversary this month! 

I don't know if other people live with as much stuff in their heads as I do. As many projects, plans, ideas, thoughts, task lists...it can seriously be overwhelming. My mind stops only briefly when I sleep. And sometimes when I run. And sometimes that is why I run. To let the rhythm of my footsteps hitting the ground replace the never-ending chatter of "what needs to be done and hasn't been done and should be done and on and on." 

And on that note, I will return to my to do list. And later this evening, you better believe I'll be fighting back the chaos in my head with a hard run. Happy Tuesday to you, my friends.