Fall Faves (Plus a Giveaway)

Fall has finally arrived here in Kansas, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

I’ve been making it a habit to notice little things that bring me joy these days. I’m not keeping an actual list or anything—that feels a bit too structured right now. But to celebrate fall foliage and better sleeping weather and not wearing sandals anymore, I thought I’d share a few of my current favorites with you this week.

• This Old House

Back before Trading Spaces and Extreme Home Makeover, long before Chip and Joanna took the country by storm and HGTV made gray everyone’s go-to decorating color—years before all that—Tom Silva and his crew of decidedly non-flashy subcontractors were renovating New England houses on This Old House.

Randy and I used to watch this PBS show in our very first duplex, on our very first loveseat—the garage-sale treasure that had a wooden box under the seats to hold up the middle. We got out of the habit in recent years, but lately, we’ve started watching again. And strangely enough, those 30-minute shows—which include New England accents but are refreshingly void of Hollywood fashions and fake eyelashes—have become a highlight of my week.

• Cinnamon vanilla crème in my coffee

I hope this doesn’t make you want to stop reading my blog, but I am not on the pumpkin-spice bandwagon. In my humble opinion, pumpkins belong on porches and in bread, not in pie or coffee. Still, all the cozy sweaters and whatnot make me wish for a new fall flavor, and I found one I like in this Coffee Mate creamer.

The other people in my house turn their nose up and say it smells like potpourri. To me, it smells more like Red Hots, which reminds me of candy apples, which reminds me of fall. Different strokes, I guess.

• The Orphaned Adult: Understanding and Coping with Grief and Change After the Death of our Parents

Clearly, this is not a book for everyone. It might even seem odd that I would include it on my list of fall favorites. But in this season of adjusting to life without both of my parents, I have yet to find a more helpful read.

“In adulthood,” writes author Alexander Levy, “parents are like the rearview mirror of a car, making it safe to operate, as we head into the unknown, by providing a glimpse of where and who we have been so we can better understand where and who we are becoming.

“When parents die,” he continues, “the experience is not so much like no longer finding a mirror in its accustomed location as it is like looking into the mirror and seeing nothing. How is one to navigate with the unknown ahead and nothing behind?”

How indeed?

The Orphaned Adult put words to so many of the conflicting feelings I’ve had since my parents died. I read a copy from the library, then bought my own to read again—hopefully soon. If you’re a member of this sad sorority—one that everyone will eventually belong to but also one that you really can’t understand until you join—you might want to read it too.

• Two songs

It’s been a while since I shared a song with you, and this week I have two. First, “King of Kings” from Hillsong Worship’s new CD Awake. When I’m listening to this song in my car and they get to the part about the dead being raised and restored to the Father, I find it difficult to keep both hands on the steering wheel.

And then there’s MercyMe’s brand new song (released just last week, in fact) “Almost Home.” You guys, you don’t need me to tell you about this one. Just click on the link and listen. So good.

• You

I’m serious. I’ve put the readers of this blog through some pretty heavy stuff these last many months (not finished with that, by the way) and you keep showing up. I wish I could just have you all over to my house to say thanks—I’d cook up a big pot of my mom’s Italian sauce and we’d gather round the dining room table and dish up spaghetti family style.

Since I can’t do that, how about a giveaway? My very creative husband has a machine in the garage that carves words into wood, so of course I have all kinds of ideas about how he can use it to make signs for bloggers and other writers. Like this one.

Colors, clockwise from top right: Worn Navy, Weathered Gray, Mocha and Gunstock.

A version of this beauty hangs in my writing nook, and I love it. If you’d like to be entered in a drawing for one of your own, just leave a short comment below telling me which color you prefer: Worn Navy, Weathered Gray, Mocha or Gunstock (U.S. readers only, please). I’ll chose a winner on Nov. 5.

And if you feel like lingering in the comments section for a bit, I would love to know if this 7.5-inch by 7.5-inch sign is something you might purchase for yourself, put on your birthday list or give to one of your friends.

Finally, if autumn is bringing out the joy in your heart too, please feel free to share some fall faves of your own.

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #RechargeWednesday, Purposeful Faith, Let’s Have Coffee, Faith on Fire, Faith ‘n Friends and Grace & Truth.