Little Touches of Fall

I live in a place where the seasons don't noticeably change. . . where a 75 degree day means there's nip in the air. . . where people sweat and wear flip flops all year long.

The palm trees in front of my house don't change with the seasons. And the lone maple tree in my backyard gets the news really late, dropping scarlet leaves to the ground sometime around February.

But I come from a place where fall means bursts of color, falling leaves and sweater weather. Shorts and flip flops packed away til spring. First frost.

I miss a real Fall.

I've been following Nester's 31 day series, Home. Uncomplified. So when I saw these cute little white pumpkins at the grocery store, I knew I'd found a simple way to introduce a little Fall into our home.

I also pulled out my gorgeous brass candlesticks because their warm glow seems a bit Fallish to me

No sweaters or frost here. But we have pumpkins!

Besides Nester's series, I want to share a couple of posts I love from a new blog I've started following. Remember when I wrote about Wenxin referring to his birth mother as his real mom? If you missed that one, you should go back and read it -- especially the comments. I love it when this blog becomes a respectful conversation. A safe place to share different viewpoints. That particular post drew comments from adoptive moms at all stages of life, along with some adult adoptees, and even a birth mom.

One of the commenters introduced me to the blog, Five is a Lot of Kids, and Beth's post On Being Made Real. Best thing I've ever read on the subject.

And while I was visiting her blog, I couldn't help but notice how hilarious Beth is. Start your Monday off right by reading her post, So Your Bathroom Smells Like Pee.

Linking up today at Ni Hao Y'all, The Long Road to China, and Little by Little.