Fall Happiness

I love the change from summer to fall. There is just something in the air that is so exciting and full of promise. I'm not looking forward to 9 months of rain, but you just can't get any better than a gorgeous fall day in the Pacific Northwest.
I am getting excited for casseroles and soups and stews and meatloaf and all the yummy comfort foods out there. I'm also getting the bug to start baking more (actually, a lot more) and, unfortunately, eating more. Thank goodness for our new treadmill.  :)
Lately I have been having to focus and pay attention really hard on the happiness around me.  We have been crazy busy, there has been stuff going on at work (not my favorite place anyway), packing Kellie up to move back to school (I love having her at home), I miss Katie, and just general melancholy seems to be following me, which is probably why I haven't written in my blog for awhile.
Recently we went to the lakeside cabin of Jim's childhood friend and his family for the weekend. I really like these people but I was thinking only of everything that "needed" to get done and everything on my list that "had" to get done and I just didn't want to go. But Jim needed some down time, I needed some down time and we both really needed to relax and just be. Thank you, Martinsons, for providing exactly what we needed. We visited, played games, ate way too much and simply relaxed.  It was nice coming home feeling better about everything in general. 

A foggy, chilly morning...

...turned into a gorgeous day at the lake.

I really don't have to look far to find happiness -
Kellie is leaving this week to fly to Texas to spend Labor Day weekend with Katie. This is the first time the girls are spending time together alone as adults. I love the relationship I have with my sister and I want that for them, too.
My Katie called me this morning with some good news about her job and the good news for me that she won't be deploying until October 2012.
My garden is in full production mode. I will write about it next time because just being in the middle of all the produce that I grew makes me giddy for some reason.
I am refinishing one of our old dressers for Kellie to take to school and the repetition of stripping the paint, sanding and varnishing is calming to me. Could the insanely strong chemicals have something to do with calmness? Perhaps. I do sleep extremely well after working on it.   :)
Fall, in general, makes me happy. I get that urge to go buy a new backpack and paper and crayons and markers and stuff.  I start looking longingly at my sweaters and boots. There is a little crispness in the air in the mornings that turn into warm and sunny afternoons and some over-achieving leaves are laying on the lawn.
Because I like tying things together, I think the perfect cookies for this time of year are Chewy Molasses Cookies. I got this recipe about 30 years ago from a lady I worked with in Seattle. Thanks, Nancy! These cookies scream Fall. They aren't my usual crispy cookies but make up for it with their moist goodness that are so full of flavor. These are dense and very chewy. My wish for today is for everyone to be able to take the time and sit back and enjoy the beginnings of Fall with a warm Chewy Molasses Cookie and a cold glass of milk or steaming cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

CHEWY MOLASSES COOKIES

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 egg - well beaten
1 cup molasses
4 cups flour (the recipe says to sift - but I never have)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
Mix all ingredients well. Chill. Roll into balls and roll balls in sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Store uncovered overnight then store as you would usually store cookies.
Note - take it easy with the lemon extract. Too much can make them taste like lemon Pledge. :(