because even in florida, i can smell fall

when i left michigan for florida five years ago, i bid adieu to digging around mid-february in the back of my car for a makeshift ice scraper (f.y.i.: cd cases work like a gem) and exchanged it for february weekends that include various combinations of burrowing my toes into warm sand/watching pink sunsets with fruity drinks in hand/sundays jetskiing alongside frolicking dolphins. although it seems like a no-brainer, it’s this time of year i crave the north. the crisp cool air laden with the scent of autumn. the faint glints of color in the trees with the promise of vivid golds and russets to come. the football games. the wooly scarves. the apple orchards. the hay rides. i miss it all so much, and to prevent myself from full-blown withdrawl symptoms (hello? a photoshoot with lainey at an orchard with her brown crocheted cap and barn coat?…somebody hold me back), …
…i fake it.
after all, i live by the credo of creating my own happiness…why can’t i create my own fall?

and it all begins with the cinnamon broom. it only comes out once a year at publix and when it arrives, you know fall is here. at least the florida version.
so, last night, i gots my broom. and, like magic, fall began today. in my mailbox arrived not only williams-sonoma’s fall harvest catalogue (complete with new pumpkin pie crust cutouts and the most beautiful thanksgiving table linens you’ve ever seen), but pottery barn’s autumn issue too chocked full of all sorts of autumn decorating inspirations. and now, i’m in the mood. i bought a slew of apples today and dug through my cookbooks for apple bread and muffin recipes…

i burned yankee’s autumn harvest tarts and i started plotting where my pumpkins were going to be placed. it’s 90 degrees outside, we’re four miles from the beach, but in our house…it’s autumn.

withdrawls aside, our weekend happenings so far:

*our laid-back, happy family dinner at stevie tomatoes last night where the boys played pool and lainey batted her eyelashes at them while they each took turns at the claw trying to win her a stuffed animal. we got nada.

*my absolutely delicious pedicure this morning. i think i actually fell asleep for a little bit.

…and no better way to show off fresh pedi-ed toes than a little airplane fun.

*sitting under the trees with cubby today while we both enjoyed my favorite…all american orange sherbet push-ups. it was sticky. it was drippy. it was sweet…and so much fun to watch her.

…followed by a bath, of course.

*playing with bruh-bruhs (both brett & i couldn’t get over how happy she was today…she comes so alive on weekends because there is nothing she loves more than to be surrounded by all of her family and to be loved up and doted on).

…and finally, a rarity. a picture with me in it that i didn’t take. ‘cuz the camera’s always in my hands, i’m never in the pics, and when brett takes any with lainey and i, consequently…they become my very favorites.

…enjoying the almost-autumn things. ~k