Everywhere around us the signs of fall are starting to appear!  From the brisk, chilly mornings when we set off to daycare and work to the colors that are starting to pop up.  The leaves are slowly shifting to oranges and reds.  Pumpkins and apples are appearing in great variety. 

Fall is probably my second favorite season (my first being spring!).  I love the cooler weather, the gorgeous colors, the comfort foods that become prevalent, the emphasis on family that appears at this time of year, and the change in the fruits and veggies that we eat.  In the summer, we tend to eat foods that are quick, often cold (so we don't have to make the house hotter), and full of raw veggies and fruits (generally).  Once fall comes, we shift to stews and soups and other comfort foods that are slow to cook and fill you up with good flavors! 

Anyway, today's just a quick post about all the early signs of fall I keep seeing in my journeys.  I hope you enjoy!

Pumpkins and Gourds

Oh my!  The pumpkins are already out in full force.  I'm super excited to go to the Alpha Giant Pumpkin Festival with my daughter again this year!  She had such a blast last year.  It was her first year to actually see a pumpkin.  And she had to turn every single one.  She will also be old enough to do a variety of other activities at the Festival so I think it will be a fantastic day for the whole family.  But enough about that - PUMPKINS! 




Whether you enjoy the orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, foam pumpkins, painted pumpkins, ugly pumpkins, whatever kind of pumpkins you love - they are officially here!  Yes!  We will be doing some foam pumpkin activities this year, and I'm super excited and impatient to do them with Atty.  However, I'm trying to hold off until the Festival so that her interest in them is renewed and she actually wants to play around with them!
 

Mums

I love mums.  This is really strange concept for me, because I have always hated mums.  But when we got our first place (like 6 years ago?) together, Jamie and I got a couple of mums from my sister.  I loved the last bit of color in our yard before winter set in.  There is just something about the bright colors of mums that brings a smile back to my face, despite the chilly weather and the expectation of winter that fall seems to bring too.