Loves of Autumn

Today is the first official day of Autumn. Not quite sure if we're feeling it yet as we had our air conditioning on today! But I know cooler weather is just around the corner and I wanted to start my favorite season off with a list.

A list of my Autumn "loves". So, here goes:

~Cup of steaming green tea with honey
~Rustling of leaves high up in the trees as they sway in the wind
~Soft, cozy sweaters that envelope you in their warmth
~Visting family farms for apple and pumpkin picking
~Apple cider donuts (yum)
~Cool, fresh air spilling in my windows and filling my home
~Homemade creamy tomato soup
~Decorated pumpkins
~Smell of apple cider and mulling spices
~Salty popcorn popped on the stove
~Deep, colorful sunsets
~Starry sky on a brisk night
~Leaves in bright vivid orange, red, and yellow
~Snuggling under the covers with a good book

Happy Autumn!

A Sunday Afternoon

Crisp, juicy apples. A free ride from Dad with the best view in the place.

Diamonds sparkling in the water.

All the makings of a great Sunday afternoon.

New Bag

I just posted a new Colorblocked bag in my Etsy shop. It's Deer Valley from Joel Dewberry - one of my favorite designers.

I have to be honest, I wasn't totally blown over by this fabric when it first came out last year. It wasn't until several weeks ago that I saw this pattern in a different light. It was as if I suddenly fell in love with it. Maybe it was the timing, the season among us, or maybe it was the colors. Who knows ~ but I adore it!

Hope you like it too~

Blog Feature

One of my bags was featured in a great blog here, along with some great handmade finds. I'm so excited to be included! Check it out when you get a minute.

~Beth

Reading

I've finally carved out some time to read the past couple of weeks - something I truly joy. I have to admit, I've been very slow in jumping on this bandwagon. But after hearing from several people that "Eat, Pray, Love" is a must-read, I snatched it up from my library.

I can't lie - I wasn't blown over by this book and disagreed with several ideas throughout it. However, I found some little nuggets spread throughout that made it very worthwhile. I had some "Ah ha" moments.

Such as her theories on pleasure and differentiating it from entertainment. I also gleamed useful insight from her approach to spirituality. While I didn't see eye-to-eye with some of her methods - I appreciated her simplicity and focus. Definitely something that I needed to hear and apply to my own life.

I realized the importance of recognizing when it's time to surrender and when it's time to take control. That's huge, for me.

I believe we can all relate in one form or another and we've all been through similar experiences in our lives so if I can tuck away some honest advice and words of wisdom for a rainy day, I'm all over that. And that's what this book gave me ~ a pocket full of insight.

I hope it doesn't take me as many years to see the movie as it did to read the book. I guess I'm a little behind the times and I'm alright with that. :)