Hassle or treat?

We were warned that when the leaves fall at our lovely little abode - they fall hard. The colors are so brilliant and the sizes of the leaves range from itty bitty to elephant ear type leaves. I love watching them fall from the sun room on our house. At first, we were just covered in pine straw and we concluded that the warning about the leaves was bogus. And then it happened and it hasn't stopped. Literally every 1/10 of a second a yellow leaf hits the ground and within an hour the front and back yard can be fully covered in a sea of bright colors.

So this weekend Brad and Brooks hit the local hardware store for a man-date. They looked at lawn mowers and Brad told B about boy things hoping that his new lessons would stick in his mind longer than his usual daily lessons about curling irons and laundry. They came home with a treat for me they said. Thank you, boys. Brooks brought me a rake of my very own. I've never had a rake. Nor have I ever experienced the joy behind using that rake. Call me crazy but I have a new favorite past time. Raking leaves makes me happy because:
1) I can see the progress of my work
2) I get to be outside
3) I love a task that requires a little physicality. This means raking the leaves everyday affords me the extra cookie I eat everyday about 10am
4) It just seems like an all American thing to do (do they rake leaves in Europe? I dunno...)
5) Brooks and William get to "help" in their own way
{Yes, he has Christmas pajamas on. Tis the season...}
Thank you boys for the sweet gift. I would call this little task a Treat rather than a Hassle. (Except for now, 45 minutes after my 2nd raking episode of the season the lawn is already an orange blur! This may turn into a hassle after a few days of this! Experienced rakers out there - are you supposed to rake everyday or just wait until the boogers have all fallen? Inquiring minds want to know.)

Next question - it's close to the end of the month and December looks to be a busy one already. Do I award myself with another little treat a few days early or hold off for the excitement? You got it...it's time to erase the calendar on the dry erase board and put in December's happenings. Again, this may be your least favorite thing to do. I can attest that my husband has probably never even glanced at this calendar that I work so hard to keep and it has lead us to many a miscommunication but I still love this little chore! Definitely another unexpected treat for me today!

Lastly, shouldn't I look at the fact that the toddler is awake after only a 40 minute nap as a treat? More time to enjoy the day and the outdoors together, right? WRONG. HASSLE! Oh Mr. B, I was soo good to you this morning....I took you to the park and then to pet the horses at the horse stables.We also played merrily n the front yard. I even bought you Chick-Fil-A and let you dip your nuggets in the car (disaster!) Why oh why do you repay me with your historically short nap? Dear nap angels in the sky, please show me your favor this week. I need your help. Do you hear me? I'll do good deeds all week long and I'll be extra sweet to mean people just please please throw me a bone!
{B before his historically short nap.}