Well, hey there, September. You came in from nowhere. How is this even possible? I feel like I write each week, and each month seems to fly by faster and faster and faster. I can say, though, that I am absolutely loving these temperature changes. It’s fantastic.
I’m not only ready for cooler temperatures, but also excited for the changing leaves, the smell of cinnamon, the taste of pumpkin, and cozy nights in.
I have heard the Starbucks commercial on the radio and saw it on TV, so you know the pumpkin era has definitely begun.
But the fall kick-off for me isn’t pumpkin coffee. It’s a special day I spend with Kenzy, and this year was a memorable one.
Last year, she saved up her money, and for the first time, we started something together. A Halloween/fall shopping trip. We did it right before school started, which is August, but it’s kind of fun doing it before fall actually kicks off. It gives Kenz something to be excited about towards the end of summer, instead of dwelling on school starting back up. Last year, we visited various places to check out the new fall/Halloween decorations. T.J. Maxx, Michael’s, Five Below, Bath & Body, Rust & Shine, Target, and many others. The joy she had walking into each store with excitement was so fun.
“Oh, Momma! Look at this!”
“This is so cute, Mommy!”
“Oh my gosh! I have to have it!”
This year, she made a list of stores and had like ten places. I wasn’t feeling really great and knew there was no way I could do ten of these stores, but I couldn’t let her down. She had been counting down the days for our shopping day for weeks! We visited places like Rust & Shine (the day before), then Kohl’s, Bath & Body, Target, and Five Below, and she really wanted the Wednesday’s Addams meal at Wendy’s. We stopped there after Kohl’s, and she asked if we could swing by Walmart. I didn’t mind being right by there.
Can I quickly mention what she bought at Kohl’s? A runner and a pillow. What eleven-year-old wants to buy a runner for her dresser? I thought it was adorable!! She is going to have a heck of a hope chest someday when she has her own house. You should see her room each holiday, haha, just like her mother.
At Walmart, she found two things she wanted, but the one thing she couldn’t find was the price. It was an oversized sleeper hoodie, gray with white ghosts all over it. As we approached the cashier, my biggie girl wanted to go to her own line beside me. She thinks it’s so cool to pay for her stuff with her own money by herself. I get it. I was young once, too. So, there she was next to me in line as I unloaded my cart.
I heard her ask the cashier the price of this ghost sweatshirt and then say, “OK, I’m not going to get it, but thank you.” I looked over, and this older gentleman was standing behind Kenzy waiting to check out. He started pushing his cart closer to her and asked Kenzy why she hadn’t gotten the sweatshirt. She replied with a smile as sweet as could be, “I’m not going to get it because my momma and I are going to more stores after this, and I want to save my money.”
This man looked at the cashier and asked her to add it to his bill. Kenzy was so quick to say, “Oh, sir, no, no, no. You don’t have to do that!” But he insisted. We all stood there watching in awe. My cashier asked me if I knew him, and I told her I did not. Everyone around us was smiling, watching this all unfold. One person even said, “See, there are still good people in this world!”
This man not only showed my daughter kindness that day, but also showed her that strangers truly do care and that not all people are bad. There still is so much kindness in this world.
Thank you, Ron, for the thoughtful gesture to my eleven-year-old. No lie, she wears her ghost sweatshirt to bed every night because it’s so cozy and still talks about the man who bought it for her. I pray God blesses you the way he did us that day. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!!
Cinnamon Streusel French Toast
(I’m making this this weekend to kick off the start of fall.)
Ingredients:
• 1 loaf of French Bread
• 9 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
Topping:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cold cut into pieces
Directions:
Cut loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9×13 pan.
In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread.
Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly.
Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.
