I'm not sure if I will always do this....

So I do menu planning every week. I have this big dry erase board in my kitchen. It is divided into the days of the week. Our schedule for each day of the week goes on the board. So does things like "vitamins" and "vision exercises (for Pavlos)" and "School". I am one of those people that likes to make lists and then cross off what I have accomplished. And, then, DH knows whether or not the kids have had their vitamins for that day, too. I have begun to write in along the bottom of the dry erase board the meal for that day. And then add in things like "check yogurt" when I make yogurt. Or "make GF bread" on the day I need to make DH's bread. Or "soak beans" a few days before making chili. It has really helped to have it written right on the board for all to see!

So, inspired by Carrie, I will post my menu plan for the week. But I am not sure if I will do this every week (post it on my blog, I like to plan our meals!).

Sunday: Pizza for kids, Monastery dinner for adults.
Monday: Greek chicken and Potatoes in the crock pot.
Tuesday: GF Macaroni and Cheese with brats and green beans
Wed: lentil soup (double batch to put in freezer for lunches)
Thurs: leftover mac and cheese
Fri: vegetarian chili and GF coconut flour corn bread
Sat: salmon with red potatoes

And here is that fall meme (although my mom should really be the one posting about autumn because this is her absolute favorite season... I am a winter person)

When does fall begin for you?
When everyone goes back to school.

What is your favorite aspect of fall?
Days might still be warm, but the nights are cool. Crisp mornings, dew on the ground. Trying to decide whether I need to wear a coat, sweater, or neither in the early morning.

What is your favorite fall memory?
Alright... my parents have these two big apple trees in the back yard. So my favorite memory is when my brother's godparents would come over and all us kids would have our annual apple war. We would divide into teams on either side of the yard (under each of these apple trees), gather as many fallen apples as we could, build a "fort" out of discards wood just lying around (my dad always has discarded room piled in the yard), and then we would throw apples at each other. It was a smell, sticky operation!

What do you like to drink in the fall?
I drink coffee all year round but I feel like I want a cup in the middle to late afternoon not for the caffeine, but for the liquid warmth of a good cup of coffee. Maybe I will have to pull out the decaf?

What’s your favorite fall food?
Pumpkins! Anything with pumpkin in it. I love pumpkin.

What is fall weather like where you live?
It's been warm during the day and cool at night, although the past few nights have been warm, too. It will probably begin to rain in the next few weeks (which is our winter weather).

What color is fall?
Right now, because of the sunny weather we have been having, the leaves are starting to go from green to red and gold. Some years the leaves go from green to brown mush and skip the reds and golds. So it is nice to see some of those beautiful hues!

What does fall smell like?
Katie said fireplaces just being lit and that is a smell that I associate with the fall. My parents have a woodstove so growing up the smell of the woodstove fire is always associated with the fall.

Holiday shopping in fall?
I do try to buy almost everything before Thanksgiving. I am kind of a year round Christmas shopper meaning if I see something in March that I know my mom would love, I usually buy it. Although, there are a few gifts we can't buy until after Thanksgiving because we do a name drawing among my sister, brother in law, brother, sister in law, uncle and aunt. So we won't know our "names" until Thanksgiving.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go?
I like it here. Someday, maybe go to the east coast but not just for the fall. There are so many historic sites I would love to go to on the east coast that going in the fall would just be a bonus. Walla Walla is beautiful in the fall (I went to Whitman College).

What is your favorite fall sport?
I went to a lot of football games in high school and then I played flag football in college (just an intramural team). Football reminds me of the fall. DH watches the Packers so that is fall-ish.

Do you have a favorite fall chore?
Switching out clothes. Cleaning up the yard. But that can also be a least favorite chore in the fall because it is a little sad to know we won't have anymore home grown tomatoes. And raking leaves starts out as a nice chore, but in a month, when it is raining, I won't want to rake the leaves:)

What is your least favorite thing about fall?
Dark when I wake up in the morning. I don't mind it being dark in the evening (all summer Big P said at bedtime,"why am I going to bed? It's still daytime?"

What is your favorite fall holiday?
I used to love Halloween. Now I love Thanksgiving especially because of the pumpkin pie (I make a mean pumkin cheesecake which, last year, I was able to make Gluten Free!)

What’s your favorite kind of pie?
Just guess...

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair?
I like going to Mt. Angel for the Oktoberfest which I missed this year. The Greek Festival is always high up in my memories of fall because growing up we worked at the festival. It's coming up this weekend! Also, my mom's birthday was last Sunday and DH's birthday is this Friday! I know I have digressed... the question was about the farm or the fair and I went back to memories of fall:) I also love going to the pumpkin patch! None of these really answer the question, do they!

Do you have a favorite fall book?
No favorite fall book that I can think of...

How about a favorite fall poem or quote?
The first thing that popped into my head is the Simon and Garfunkel song "leaves that are green"