Hey gal!Y'all it is pumpkin time and fall and almost Thanksgiving.  Breathe.  I want to give you a little help to slow down and do your normal, good life. I have two things for you today.PUMPKIN BREAD- an amazing little fall treat.  Even though I claimed I am not a huge Pumpkin Spice fan, I do love me a piece of this toasted and slathered with butter.  I think you will, too.I have already made a batch and divided the batter up into little loaf pans.  I saved one for me and have been gifting the little Sursees to our kids and some special neighbors.  Two little mamas who need a little homemade goodie right now.My other Sursee for you today is my new Friday series.

HEY GAL!

I started this series  to connect you to  people I know or I would like to know.  The ones I know answer a few questions about what they are cooking and learning and how they are practicing mentoring and hospitality.  Today's guest is Terri Conlin.HERE ARE Terri's ANSWERS:What are you Cooking this week? A big pot of Tortilla soup over blue corn chipsWhat are you Learning? I am thinking about how I wish I had known earlier to think about my children being parented well, rather than being a good parent.How are you practicing Hospitality?   This week I’ve been taking my hospitality on the road:  took dinner to my daughter and her husband, stayed with their 3-year-old while my daughter had her baby, and visited my other daughter to see her nesting in her new home (she made me lunch and a cup of tea and we talked about the length and width of curtains to make windows bigger from @nesters new book Cozy Minimalist). How are you mentoring right now?  I had coffee at our favorite coffeeshop with my friend, Susie, to welcome her home from a residential eating disorder clinic in another state.SO this is Terri---way back in college.  A photo from the Sweatbox Sweethearts Luau. I met Ter in college.  I walked right up to her at our leaders meeting for Young Life and told her I wanted to get to know her and be her friend.  How is that for bold?  I think you know that I like gal pals and when I saw her, I thought, she is someone I wanted to know.We met on the fall, leaf strewn UT campus, sat on an outta the way bench by the ROTC building and told each other our life stories.  First me. Then her.  And we have been fast friends ever since.Now over the years and the moves and the babies- eight between us- we have not always been able to keep in bosom buddy contact.  But in these past few years we have made the effort to schedule talk times.  We text encouragement.  We listen to each other's stories still and cheer each other on in this writing world.  We are still sharing the joys and the little sorrows of life as we feather our Empty Nests and figure out what we want to be when we grow up.We both write and enjoy the whole world out there of blogging and IG and writing conferences.We make time to get together in person.  And we cheer each other on in all of this normal, everyday life.Terri is a writer who loves words and imagery.  An artist and a dreamer, her tagline is A PLACE TO REST A MINUTE AND FILL YOUR SOUL WITH WILD HOPE.  I love that idea.  And she fulfills the mission at Terri Conlin.She writes about Autism and the wonder of how it makes a family stronger.  Go over and read this five post series and be encouraged.  She has also recently been on the Don't Mom Alone podcast. Terri believes in mentoring as strongly as I do, and you will want to hear her in person.Another way Terri creates is writing awesome prayers.  Find them on her IG feed @terriconlinWho are you connecting with after many years or maybe who is a Sursee from the past that you need to connect with?  Let's do it this week.  Oh, and make that Pumpkin Bread.  It will do you good.xoxo