Fall Update & This Week's Fall Flowers with Pumpkin 🎃 Trees!

I'm so behind on blogging here it's not even funny. Work has been so incredibly intense along with finding our consistent groove in the new homeschool year, I've not even had time to productively procrastinate by blogging. I have some posts that I want to draft, but they will take a bit of time. I think they will be worth the wait though. I hope so anyway. 

In the interim, I ran across something really fun additions to my weekly arrangements that I wanted to share and just update our fall. I hope yours is going well. We've had just gorgeous weather. Rain has been minimal and cool air finally arrived! We've been able to hit all of the things that we wanted to this year as part of our family fall traditions which last year and even the year before we were not able to. Last year was a total washout - literally - and there were other reasons that we were just not able to take in fall as we'd normally have. 

We went to the Plano Balloon Festival, which survived a threat of rain from a tropical storm, but it was still too windy for any balloon lifts. We were sad about that. Toby posted about it. I have some pics I'd like to add when I have time.

We also hit the Little Elm Fall Fest which is very much an old-school carnival. Toby enjoyed some German food and music while I let the kids enjoy some of the rides. I'd still be throwing up if I had gone on any of them. The Ferris Wheel was about all I could handle. 

Toby and I were able to go to the Cottonwood Art Festival this fall. We went for the first time last May and it was great. I've intended to blog about that, too, but never have. This time was a little trip out for two and we didn't take any pics except for this one. (Many artists do not want you taking pics of their work. In this case, there was no sign saying not to and the artist was not there; so I took some liberties.) We took it all in this year and enjoyed both the art and the music tremendously. I have found the sculpture I very much want. I knew immediately who it was. Sigh. I've never been so tempted to make a spur of the moment $3,000 purchase in my life! My love for John Muir is well documented on this blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). 

We also were able to go to Little Elm's Pumpkin Hollow this year. It is a simple little festival that, as Toby mentioned, has retained a small town charm. Unlike so many other things we try to do - some of which are just too busy and crowded to truly enjoy, this one we can. Toby posted his pics from it this morning. (He also posted a link to his Halloween Special from years ago. Look at our Augie who is now graduated and an adult! Lucy is also well on her way to adulthood. Anthony was still a baby.  Frank was little and still with us. I'm so grateful for his photography and video skills. I found myself surprisingly emotional watching this today (the parts with our children, not the scary decorations). So many changes in our lives in these intervening years - mostly for the better. But I am nostalgic as most mothers are, I suppose.) 

Today, we are headed to Retropalooza. While I'll stay only a bit - just long enough to see Anthony meet his idol, Pixel Dan, again this year and shop for some retro toys with him - the rest are going to take in more of it. I have to come home and work, work, and work some more. 

I have a few minutes here while I'm waiting for everyone to get ready to post pics of my fall flowers this week with include this awesome Pumpkin Trees. The cashier at Whole Foods immediately asked if they were really pumpkins. The kids asked that as well. Yes! They are! They are neat little things. and could not be more appropriate for this time of year. Of course, you have to have mums in your fall arrangements. And, I do like to keep a few sunflowers in them, although they do not last very long. I also added a new little plant for my desk. I liked the colors a lot and did not realize how they played on my favorite geocoin that Toby bought for me as a New Year's gift. 

These are actually from two weeks ago and they are still going strong. A few of the sunflowers didn't make it that long, but these two hardy specimens did. I moved them to the center. Toby and I bought that glass pumpkin at Kroger, of all places. It reminded us of a pumpkin art exhibit we saw at the Dallas Museum of Art back in 2017, I think. The other pumpkin is a candy dish that we usually keep candy corn in. I bought it nearly 20 years ago back in my hometown when I was there on a visit. 

The arrangement on our kitchen island with the Pumpkin Trees. I just put it together this morning. 

Another shot of the arrangement with our "Pumpkin Patch" sign displayed. That's one of our newer fall decoration acquisitions. 

A close up.

More of them.

The arrangements at my desk.

So, we're having a great fall! I hope you are, too! We plan to get a walk or two in this weekend which I'll need with all the sedentary and intellectually challenging work I'll have.

I hope to catch up and share more with you very soon!

Thanks for reading!