Hi, hello, lovely friends! 🍁

Can’t believe we’re turning the corner into another fall. Here, it’s been a wonderful summer — not without its sorrows and challenges, but God has been so faithful through the beautiful bits as well as the broken ones. I’m reminded of one of my favorite passages, Psalm 84:5-7:

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
 As they pass through the Valley of Baka [weeping],
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

(emphasis mine)

This encourages me to finish well, to persevere, and to believe that as we look to the LORD God Almighty for strength, the latter years can be more fruitful than the former. Amen.

If beauty is God’s divine signature, and I believe it is, then I anticipate seeing it on full display in the weeks ahead. As we step into autumn, I’m happy to share with you these (mostly) small points of beauty that fill my heart with disproportionate measures of happiness.

And btw, if you love the pretty featured image at the top of this post and would like a printable copy for yourself–it’s one of the freebies included in your goodie bag when you subscribed to this blog. Specifically, it is the “Fall Wallpaper.” In case you missed it! 😉

Celebrating Fall

While pumpkin-spice anything is the go-to for many folks’ this time of year, I’ve developed a taste for London Fog-style tea lattes. Traditionally made with Earl Grey, producing a lovely, light citrusy essence, I’ve discovered the style suits other kinds of tea beautifully as well. In fact, I think the very first London Fog I had was at Candor Coffee, my favorite local shop, where they brewed one up using, Peach Peony, one of their signature teas. Anyway, I do also love this with the classic Earl Grey (maybe best with Earl Grey Lavender). When I make it at home, I usually omit sweetener. If you prefer a bit of sweet, maybe try honey instead of sugar? You can learn much more about the beverage, and how to make your own London Fog tea latte, here.

Related, my dear friend Sarah recently gifted me with this little tea-lover’s gem, because we both are — tea lovers, that is — and I cannot even tell you how much I love it. I use it all. the. time. Easy to use, easy to clean, always handy, and simply attractive too. I also cannot do without this handy dandy milk frother, likewise from IKEA. You’re welcome.

And while we’re talking tea, I recently Googled how to properly hold a teacup — because I wanted to know, and also because I have always had a thing for proper etiquette (what can I say, I’m a rules-girl and refuse to be shamed for it) — and turned up this. I learned a thing or two!

Plus, last week I finally got around to making ratatouille, something I’ve long wanted to do. Jenn Segal of Once Upon a Chef touts it as a summer dish, but I don’t know, ratatouille speaks “fall” to me. Maybe because its best with some extra hours of stovetop simmering, maybe because raw salads seem more the summer thing to me. Anyway, summer or fall, Jenn’s ratatouille has made a delicious, healthful base for my lunches this week and was well-worth the effort (and the wait!).

Do you have seasonal movie traditions? Every year our family watches certain movies in certain seasons, and every fall, one of the first to come out is Dan in Real Life. After watching it again this year, I’ve decided it’s ones of my all-around Top-10 faves. Funny and sweet, with a poignant tang and gravitas that makes it worth my while every time.

Looking Ahead to the Holidays…

But it’s only September! Though it may seem I’m getting ahead of myself, I wanted to get these in front of you, so that you have ample opportunity to make good use of them before the holidays are actually upon us. And you know that’s going to happen quicker than we think.

Now’s the time to start thinking about How to Make Christmas More Festive around the home. Lots of good ideas here from The Inspired Room. I’m especially down for the extra twinkle lights, the puzzles, the conversation cards to prompt edifying convo around the table. (Try these, created by Once Upon a Chef ‘s Jenn Segal.)

In recent years I’ve leaned toward Simple Pieces for Christmas and Winter Decorating, items I can use not only for the holidays but well into winter. So much more bang for the buck, both budget-wise and time-wise. Like these DIY winter-scented pinecones. As The Inspired Room points out, simplicity is key. Love that.

And finally, last but definitely not least — friends, I’ve been waiting for the chance to tell you about this must-have for your Christmas book collection…

Awaiting the Manger: Whispers of Advent in the Old Testament* by my very own dear friend and looongtime critique partner, Ocieanna Fleiss. Ocieanna had been noodling on this book idea for many a moon, and when she finally sprang it loose, a publisher almost immediately snatched it up. This lovely little tome is the result. I’m honored to have played a small supporting role in its creation. You’ll want to get your hands on a copy well before Advent begins, because your own season of awaiting the manger will be richer for allowing Ocieanna to walk you through the many surprising ways Christ’s coming was foreshadowed in the ancient pages of Scripture. Stay tuned, btw, for some Quick Qs with Ocieanna later this fall.

What I’ve Been Reading

Honestly, it’s been a bit of a dry spell. I’ve had to fall back on my own 8 Tips for Overcoming Reader’s Rut, especially Tip #2, to bridge the gap. Thus I’ve been re-reading old faves:

• Kate Hewitt’s Rainy Day Sisters. As delightful the second time around as it was the first.
• L.M. Montgomery’s classic Emily Starr series. It’s probably two decades since I last read this classic, and it’s been like renewing a cherished kinship with a favorite friend. I’ve been astonished all over again at the gift that is the writing of Lucy Maud Montgomery.

But also–

When a Friendship Falls Apart: Finding God’s Path for Healing, Forgiveness, and (Maybe) Help Letting Go* by Elizabeth Laing Thompson. Among the flops of newish reads, I have been fortunate enough read one new book that’s been worth my while. In When a Friendship Falls Apart, Elizabeth tackles a difficult topic that, at some point, affects us all (doesn’t it?). Fresh, imaginative, relatable, its tone is just what I like a book to be: friendly, familiar, but not folksy. With admirable vulnerability, she addresses so much more about female friendship than when it falls apart. It abounds with rich camaraderie and practical insights. Notably, I love how Elizabeth is so faithful to return to God’s Word for guidance, especially when it comes to allowing truth to trump feelings. She writes,

“Lies keep us chained to shame and fear, but truth sets us free to love and trust.”

Amen, sister.

Read more about When a Friendship Falls Apart and pre-order here, and connect with Elizabeth at lizzylife.com.

A Writing Room of My Own

Over the summer I revamped my writing space a bit, primarily by adding this standing desk. Loving it!

Extra News

The kids are back in school, which means Scott and I are back to an empty nest. In lots of ways, it was actually harder this year than last when it was new (please, anyone, tell me why?). Since dropping our daughter off at college, our house has felt so sad without her.

So, to distract ourselves, we are going to Scotland. There’s a long story behind why we’re traveling to another foreign locale so soon after returning from the last — believe me, this isn’t our norm! We won’t be traveling alone but with three others from our extended family, and I’m super excited for that and because Scotland has for decades been on my short list of dream destinations. I’m especially excited to visit in the fall. In anticipation, I’ve been rewatching this fan-favorite BBC series and this, one of our family’s perennial faves. Anyway, I’ll be letting you know if Scotland is as dreamy as I expect it to be.

In other news, toward the end of summer, Scott and I knocked out what has become one of our most anticipated 5Ks — the Alki Beach Sunset Run. It draws only a smallish crowd and routes right along this famous beach at sunset, all of which makes it pretty fun. And you guys, I came in 3rd in my age group! 💪🏻 Haha.

So that’s it for me for now.  Please tell me, what’s been making your fall more beautiful? I’d love to know!

🍂 Katherine

*With special thanks to Tyndale for providing me a free copy of When a Friendship Falls Apart to review, and to Harvest House for Awaiting the Manger. All opinions are mine.