Welcome to the first September edition of T&T Thursday. Can you believe it is Thursday already? How about that it is September? Try this one. It is only four more months til 2010. Scary, huh?

Speaking of the days flying by, Emma has been a first grader for an entire week already. She. Loves. It.  No, I mean…SHE.LOVES.IT. Her recount of school includes rapid-fire blow-by-blow detail of the day and usually starts the minute we greet her at the gate. It continues across the street, down the block, up our path, across our courtyard, through the door, around the dining room, into the kitchen, while I make her a snack…and then, and only then, there is silence. If we weren’t working so hard on manners, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t stop talking while she scarfs down her snack, either. There is just so much excitement in her new class, she can barely contain herself. Her only complaint is that she gets three recesses, but has not seen the smoke-filled light of day for any one of them. Fifteen recesses (they jumped right into some tough math problems, too!) that they have missed out on. And first-graders get to play on the BIG playground, too, no more little kindergarten playground for them. It is pure torture, I tell you.

Now, I know there are people that are worried about losing the homes and livelihoods, but trying to keep a nearly four-year old entertained INdoors? For a week straight? Especially when she is used to running, swinging, and visiting every park in a 5-mile radius – that there is my own little version of torture.

Yesterday I couldn’t take it any more and we finally biked up to the library. We were only out for about 25 minutes, but it is still very smokey and isn’t looking good up there as the fight against the fire continues.

Not to mention the air quality has seriously cut into Mama’s running. Which makes Mama very crabby. So that isn’t helping things around here.

I did however, wear a pair of “Pre-Emma” jeans this week. I remember now why I kept them as my “skinny jeans” for ‘lo these many years. They are so very comfortable and look good, too. (If I do say so myself!) I’m happy to have finally lost all my extra baby pounds. Hahahaha! I mean, my “baby” is only TURNING FOUR next week. Takes nine months to put on…forty-eight to take off. Seems about right, eh?

THEN, the very day I was becoming re-acquainted with my jeans, stupid (Oh yes, I DID say the “s” word!), STUPID Starbucks decides that it is fall, which means it is pumpkin scone time again. If you recall my love/hate relationship with the pumpkin scone, it can’t be good news for me and my jeans. I may have to just say goodbye to the jeans again, at least until January. The end of pumpkin scone season.

That January that is a mere four months away.

Must go do something productive now for fear that I will wake up tomorrow and it will be Christmas already.