My favorite Autumn children’s books

Every Autumn I take out a huge stack of children's Fall books that I absolutely love. I've collected and curated this list over the years, and here are some of my absolute favorites! I'm fairly picky with the books I choose...they must have beautiful illustrations and a rich story. Extra points if they take place in another time period haha (just kidding, but I do love sharing different time periods with my children!)  I've underlined and linked them all in the booklist below! Enjoy! 

Brambley Hedge Autumn Story

Cranberry Thanksgiving

Give Thanks to the Lord

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

How to make an Apple Pie and see the World

Johnny Appleseed

Little House on the Prairie Country Fair

Ox-Cart Man

Sharing the Bread

Sophie's Squash

The Pumpkin Patch Parable

Anne of Green Gables

What else would you add? Would love to hear your recommendations!! 

Happy Fall Ya'll!!! A fun little snippet of Fall ideas, recipes, books & decor

Last week, Avonlea looked at Kevin and passionately declared,,,

“Dad, it’s not fally enough. The leaves aren’t changing, they aren’t falling off the tree, nobody is decorating, we’re missing all the parties, we’re missing all the groups over. It’s just not fally!!!”

Happy Fall…some super savor ways to decorate!

Hooray for Fall! It's been so fun this year having a house to decorate. We're on a pretty tight budget right now, so i've had to get creative in how I brighten up my home for the season. But one thing my mom always taught me is that you can do a lot with a little:) 

I've been having a lot of fun finding crafts on Pinterest and trying my hand with them. 

I made this leaf garland for my fireplace, which you can see below. I had a few coupons to Joanne's Fabric store, and got all my supplies there for next to nothing! A friend and I spent an afternoon cutting out these adorable leaves and stringing them up:) I also put a few of the fabric leaves on my table as decoration! 

Last Friday, some friends and I made soy candles (tutorial here). It was actually super duper easy and we had a blast! I adore candles but am super sensitive to most store-bought candles which have toxic fragrances. So making my own, scented with essential oils (I bought this one here called Christmas Spirit) was the perfect alternative. 

The cute Fall prints on my mantle are ALL free printables I found online! I know, I was so excited that they cost me nothing. I had the frames already, so just printed out the black and white prints at my house, and then printed out the watercolor wreath at Kinkos (as my printer wasn't big enough for the size of the frame). You can find the printables here, here and here. 

The real pumpkins I picked up at Trader Joes for 69 cents each, and the fake pumpkins I found at Joanne's for 50% off, so they were $3 each which I thought was quite the steal! 

So…moral of the story is that decorating can be both fun and economical!! 

And thank you ALL for the sweet and kind words you spoke to us about our sweet baby girl. It was so fun reading all your comments and connecting with you:) Love this community!! 

Happy Weekend, hope you're doing something Fallish to commemorate the season!! xoxo 

ps- if you missed it last year, you can see the Fall round-up I did last year of all my favorite Fallish links on the internet!! I recently revisited it and there's some fun stuff:) 

It's October!! A Fall Round-Up….

Well golly, it's October! As I type this it's 90 degrees outside, i'm wearing a dress, drinking ice water, and wondering why it feels like mid-July! Oh Southern California! Ironically enough, the picture above was taken in Sweden in mid-July, but if felt more like October, haha! whatever weather!!

All that to say, friends, I am pumped we are transitioning into Autumn!! Changing leaves, sweaters/scarves/boots (if you don't live in SoCal), pumpkins galore, and all the goodies….swoon. Truly, Fall is magnificent! In order to honor the season, here are some fun Fallish things I found to usher us in, wherever you may be:)

Happy October loves…

3 Seasonal (Non-Dairy) Lattes

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Being allergic to dairy, Fall drinks have been a tad harder to come by! But never fear, one of my favorite blogs A Beautiful Mess whipped up 3 delicious non-dairy drinks that I can't wait to try (when it gets cold enough, haha) 

21 Spectacular Places All People 

Who Love Fall Colors Must Visit

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There are few things more breathtaking than Fall colors! Kev and I love to visit my family in Northern California in the Fall because the leaves are just BRILLIANT! We are actually headed up there in a few weeks, and I can't wait to crunch leaves! Is your city amazing in the Fall? One day my dream is to be in New England for Fall, I hear it's the best!! 

DIY Falling Leave Garland

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Decorating can be a fun way to get into the spirit of the season!! And this gorgeous garland is practically free (besides the glitter and glue!!). I can't wait to make it:) 

Slow Cooker Rosemary Garlic Beef Stew

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Nothing says "seasonal" like a good stew!! And this one is out-of-this-world!! I made it numerous times last year and can't wait to bust out my crock pot for this soon. The best part is, I can make it before I go to work, and when I get home, the whole house smells heavenly!! 

Read a Fall Book

So, curling up with a book and a hot beverage by the fire is a total hallmark of the days getting cooler! For some reason I always think of Ann of Green Gables when October rolls around because of her lovely quote "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” I'm so glad too! A book i've been dying to read (that my sweet Lovisa recommended) is by Rosamund Pilcher called September. It's set in Scotland is according to my friend, is just such a "cozy" book to read!! And of course, anything by Kate Morton (my current favorite author) would be perfect too!! 

What else are you doing this Fall to celebrate the season?? xoxo
ps- Congrats Julie on passing the bar!!!!!! You're awesome:)

A walk through the trees…some Fall reflections

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” - Jim Bishop

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” - Lauren DeStefano, Wither

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile." -William Cullen Bryant

There is something so incredibly magical about the Fall. Like the wind brings something new and the leave blossom so ripe and red and everything blazes with an intensity that makes a heart swell. Twelve years ago I was a brand new freshman in college. I was nervous and excited, bubbling with energy, a bag of fresh school supplies in tow, and eyes ready to drink my new life in.  My first day I bumped into a sunshine of a person in the hallway, her name was Holly. She was from San Diego, and it was her first time in Northern California. She came home with me a weekend that Fall, I raked up a leaf pile, and she jumped in the leaves for the first time in her life. It brings a smile wide on my face, remembering our laughter, as we delighted in the joys of Autumn. Truly, Autumn is a JOY. Now our roles are reversed. Holly and her husband live in Northern California, and Kevin and I live in Southern California. I am leaf and Fall deprived this time. But on Saturday, Kev and I drove up, into a world of dripping and painted with hues so rich and deep my heart felt so right and just alive. 

This was our walk. Through the trees. Happy Tuesday sweet ones…