Tea Cups and Treats

As I write this, Madeleine is under my desk, snacking on peanuts from a little bowl and babbling about hiding peanuts in the pages of a magazine.  William is galavanting about the apartment in How To Train Your Dragon undies, talking about writing Santa Clause a letter--he wants a Transformer.  A blue one.  A huge one.  We had one of their friends over this morning--I love having playdates here at the apartment--my kiddos discover their toys all over again.  Such a lovely romance!  And, I have the thrill of someone being way more interesting than Mama.

I feel like I'm on high alert.  Fall, along with its rich beauty, cozy smells, and snuggly sweaters, brings out a keen melancholy in me.  It starts out slow and builds as the light wanes, temperatures drop, and the rain pounds.  Over the years, I've become more and more aware of this behavior--mostly due to the fact that it greatly affects my relationships--I pull inward, become prickly and cynical.  And, then the next thing I know I'm signing off Facebook, blogging, my shop, and letter writing forever.  FOREVER!  *sighs*  Yeah, it's SADs.  And, I'm on alert.  I battle it with vitamin D, my light lamp (thank you, Linds, I'm still "borrowing" yours), good food, lots of beach time, and trying to keep the lines of communication open.  In the summer, keeping in touch comes easily to me.  I loved writing my letters this summer, postcards to the cousins, and photographing everything!  It's more work now.  It's like fighting the natural urge to hibernate.  Some days are brutal and all I accomplish is staying afloat--still in my pjs, eating the leftover cheese sticks off the kids plates.  Other days, I pull the pens and cards out, and start opening myself up again.  It's always worthwhile.  Nourishment for the soul.  Maybe that will be my task for the week--start collecting more activities that nourish my soul.  Sounds a bit ominous.  But, so, so needed!

P.S. I discovered a tiny little cafe off East Main--a sweet French Bakery that have the most perfect, buttery croissants.  And crispy macarons.  And tarts, and cakes, and a million other things that would gladly tank my diet.  But, it's right around the corner from us--so I feel like there's a little piece of heaven right. over. there!

P.P.S. The last three pictures in this post are from the Military Spouses of Newport Tea Cup Exchange.  One of the first activities I tried out here on the island, just me!  A proper high tea, in a ritzy hotel, with other lovely ladies--it was nice.  Very nice!  Do you like the tea cup I picked?