In the chaos of everyday that we call life, we sometimes forget to slow down for a moment and just enjoy the beauty of the world around us and the company of those we love.

Last night, I decided to leave behind the routine of a typical Monday night and head up to the mountains with my husband and a couple of the kids for a few hours of relaxation. Why?  Just because we could. I highly recommend it.

It was easy to convince the kids to leave the "real world" behind once I assured them that the favorite Monday night t.v. shows were set to record on the DVR...Oh, and the promise of, "We'll do the homework later" didn't hurt either.

We invited some friends to come along for the adventure.

Our “friends” didn’t stay long at the sight of these ferocious hunters.

No trip up the canyon would be complete without a fire to cozy up around.

...and some s'mores.

Here's a tip for fast and easy s'mores. Just use chocolate covered graham cookies and some campfire roasted marshmallows.

Here's my proof that I was there...my feet getting nice and toasty by the campfire, in my Sanuks.

Let's not forget to be safe and put out all campfires completely. Look closely here. This is my 10-year-old son's preferred method of fire safety. Yep, it's yellow, and nope, he doesn't know I ran this picture. Ten year old's can't sue their mothers, right?

This week’s giveaway…

2-pack of Harvest Treasures Autumn Hand Towels in beautiful fall colors

Set of 3 Harvest Treasures wooden Leaf Decor, sure to add a touch of fall to your Thanksgiving decorating

This giveaway ends at 9:00pm MST on Sunday, Nov. 15th.

Here’s how to enter…

There are several ways to enter.  You may choose to enter one way, or you may choose to do them all.  It’s up to you.  The more times you enter, the more you increase your chances  to win.

• Leave a comment on this post between now and Sun. Nov. 15 9:00pm MST. and you’ll automatically be entered.

• Leave a comment on any other Coffee Break with Liz and Kate post between now and Sun. Nov. 15th. (9:00pm MST) and you’ll automatically be entered again.  The more comments you leave, the more entries you’ll get.
  

• Link to this post on your own blog (include the url in your comment) and receive an extra entry.

• Please include email address with comment so we can contact you if you are the winner.

So good luck readers and Enjoy your Coffee Break.

Before any of you start with me, understand that I love Christmas. It’s by far my favorite time of the year – and indeed the most wonderful time of the year (thank you, Johnny Mathis).

Just not in September.

Seriously, I about dropped my teeth as I walked through a couple of  stores last week and spied the zombie and Freddie Kruger costumes right next to the over-sized inflatable Mickey’s Christmas Carol yard ornaments. At that point, we hadn’t even crossed into the first official day of the fall season, for crying out loud!

And now that is officially Fall, what’s wrong with celebrating this season? Why not watch the leaves change and pick a pumpkin or two, eat a caramel apple and make a Halloween costume?

Why must we be inundated with Christmas before the first frost? I’m just not ready – not yet.

And the worst part of this whole deal is that the Christmas seed has been planted – I’m already starting to think about Christmas. I wonder how I’ll do everything that needs to be done. How I’ll pay for the gifts, what I’ll get the people on my list who have everything already, when I’ll actually be ready to think about any of this.

We can argue this all you want, but I have to believe this extreme early-birding of the season was not the intention for the person who suggested keeping the spirit of Christmas in your heart all year.

So if you’ll excuse me, I have a few pumpkins to carve…

-Liz