fall

Tuesday October 28

“Collecting my Halloween attire for wearing to Fall Festival, new orange shirt with jack o lanterns & lime green fedora hat!”

Forget the first day of school, what you wear to the Fall Festival is what everyone notices. Gotta set out your outfit the night before. I get it, mom, you don’t want to look scary, but you want to look festive. We all remember the year I helped mom pick out her halloween costume.  

I guarantee you either the shirt or hat or both were purchased last year in that somber post-halloween section of Target. You know… that lost aisle behind the newly vamped christmas tchotchkes. Its where all the Halloween stuff used to be, but at 3pm on Halloween they start stocking wreaths. By November 2nd, that last Halloween aisle looks like a Ross Dress for less only full of spooky skeletons missing their light-up heads or pre-opened make-up kits. That’s when my mom SWOOOPS in and snags the only two good items left: a lime green fedora and a sweet jack o lantern T <—- srsly check out etsy steal. Only $14.95, ya’ll.

In addition to the recent church retreat, the Fall Festival is like my mom’s other Super Bowl sized event. She has like eight.

Monday October 13

“Finishing baking chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread for Alex’s visit home!”

Yep. Not one treat, but two. Is one whole batch of 40 chocolate chip cookies enough for your one child coming to visit? OF COURSE NOT. Pumpkin bread all around! 10 o’clock, mom. 10 o’clock.

But thanks for the pumpkin bread and cookies, mom.

Friday September 19

“Getting out fall decorations, putting away summer ones.”

Oh my god. This text is an iceberg of information, and it only gets me more excited for the eventual Holiday edition of this endeavor. This decoration process has only started now. Theres so many phases from here til December.

There are boxes. Nay, there are bins. Not just full of decorations, but options. The decor is not the same every year. There are so many decorations, its like sweaters on Mr. Rogers. Some get put on the back burner, but you KNOW that cream cable-knit turtle neck is coming back at some point.

Somehow, after all of the endless rustling of Rubbermaid containers and Sterilite bins, it looks great. I don’t get it. I am not referring to the sentimental Martha Stewart great, although I’m sure she could take a few cues. I’m talking about stuff that doesn’t overwhelm people and invites you into the home. It is touchable art—not some crazy-ass display of miniature menus and mason jars dipped in outdoor paint (kill me. humanity has failed) but, like, leaves. You know, FALL!? Get it? 

Think kindergarten bulletin board meets Southern Living magazine. You can’t visualize that? Whatever.