Bread.

This morning I woke up to rain. A gentle thunder storm and the drip-drip-drop of July showers coming down outside my window. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 8:00 am. I pulled Felix into bed with me around 4:45 am to make the last part of our night a bit less stressful. Side nurse. snuggle. Side nurse snuggle. "Yes, he slept in" I thought.

Big blue eyes sleepily opened and a grin that won't stop beamed up in my direction. The morning was lazy. Oatmeal with blueberries and walnuts, and coffee while Felix played and practiced crawling. A skype date with my good friend Liz and a bit of cleaning during Felix's first nap. Lunch with Josh. Felix tried pears, and loved them. All while the pitter patter of scattered storms kept me feeling cozy in my home. I decided today was a good day to make bread and to stay inside.

Kneading sticky dough. Adding a bit more flour. Knead some more. Let rest and rise. I lit a woodwick candle to pretended I have a fireplace. Vacuumed and swept. And then an afternoon walk with a friend morphed into an afternoon tea and chocolate with a friend on the living room floor. Felix wiggled about working out some of his little boy energy.

Two hours and some soul sharing later the dough was now twice its size. Ready to be formed and then rise again in bread pans. Baked till crunchy and golden brown on the outside. The gentle smell of yeast mixed with salt, water and flour. The most basic of ingredients. Timeless and warm. With the candle, the rain and bread all going at once, I almost felt like Autumn was in the air.

Sigh.

I love autumn. I'm so looking forward for this season to be over. This literal season of hot summer (even though as far as Tennessee summers go, this one has been mild) And the metaphorical season of life. This life season has pretty much beaten my entire family to a pulp and it's time for a fresh start. Fall always seems to bring a new beginning in my heart, so even though the temperature was in the high 80s today I mentally shifted into cooler weather.

With the aroma of bread filling my house, a sleeping baby, and the soft roll of thunder outside I took a deep breath in. Closed my eyes and breathed out July. Said goodbye to one of the most difficult months of my life and cut a slice of still warm home made bread. Bring on August.