Country Bumpkin

Fall is a-comin'! Being in Cleveland, the weather cannot seem to fully make up its mind. This is pretty typical of our city. One day, we get that lovely fall breeze, bringing in the chilliness that makes me want to bundle up in tights and scarves and adorable boots, and then the next day it's back up into summer temperatures and I'm in sandals and sundresses again. I'm not really complaining, though, because as much as I adore fall, we never really got a summer here. So we're all hanging on tightly to our last few warm days. There is abundance of people on the streets who you can just tell are denying the change in seasons. Even with the unexpected warmth, it's almost October, and no longer flip-flop season.





For some reason, fall seems to be synonymous with the ideas of country and farms. I suppose it has a lot to do with the images we see around this time of hay bales and scarecrows and, at least in the Midwest, plenty of fresh autumn produce like corn, apples, and squash. I know the apple season is ending soon, but I'm hoping to go apple-picking before it's totally gone. Enjoying the last of the sun's warmth before it hides away for the winter and running through the orchard is a wonderfully romantic idea to me. I haven't experienced the fun of apple picking since I was a little girl, and even then, I was with a school group so it would be entirely different if I were to go today!





Of course, the best part about fall, apart from the fashion, is the pumpkin!!! I cannot express to you all how much I adore pumpkin. Pumpkin flavor, pumpkin scent, the look of pumpkins on our porch, it's all perfect. I'm sure there will be a couple of posts within the next month or so about all the pumpkin goodness that I come across this season. Pretty soon, we will all be headed to our local farms to pick out our pumpkins for October and Halloween, and before we know it we will be carving jack-o-lanterns! You'll all have to stay tuned for that, too, because my family always seems to come up with the wackiest faces for ours!





Since we're still kind of teetering between the sunny heat of summer and the brisk chill of autumn, I'm taking advantage of these last chances to wear my lighter weight dresses without tights. This is one of my favorite dresses because it is so breezy and light. It was a thrift store find, and I'm pretty sure it's homemade. Every time I wear it, it reminds me of the dresses that Laura used to describe in the "Little House on the Prairie" books. I'm not really sure why, but it does make me feel kind of country bumpkin-ish (in the best way possible, of course). Today, I decided to add my orange gingham top, which just kind of added to that country feel. The boots just topped it off! Sometimes, I think it's ok to stray from high-fashion and be comfortable, especially as we get deeper into the season. Give in to the country callin' y'all!

What's your favorite part about fall? What images come to mind for you?

P.S. I have to wear a slip with this dress and sometimes I think it's fun to let your petticoat slip a little :P