now that it's november already (really...how did that happen)!? I think it's time to share some pictures of my gorgeous home fall decor + a few harvest photos + some personal stories.
I love fall for SO many nostalgic reasons....here are a few:
1. I FINALLY got around to making my much needed "farm sweet farm" sign. which just might be the start of a new business for me!
2. I grew up with a real life pumpkin patch. yea-none of those scarf wearing, coffee holding "fall day" type of things. (It wasn't even a THING back then)....
so, many of you know I grew up on a dairy farm. if you know my parents/family you know that being "busy bee's" should really be included in our last name! when our plate is full, we take a little bite and fill that thing up again! :) anyways, we had 5 ACRES of pumpkins while I was growing up...in addition to our hundreds of dairy cows and hundreds of crop acres. we started this little "business" after my mom left her corporate job as a way to bring in a little income. we would decorate people's homes with our pumpkins, straw bales and corn shocks and to this day we still do it! I think thats going on 15 years in the pumpkin biz!
3. I was notorious for picking pumpkins off the vines for hours until I found the perfect pumpkin.
except, perfect by definition was never really what I was searching through entangled vines taller than myself for. I was looking for that "odd" pumpkin, or one with bumps, one that wasn't the "right" color, something actually imperfect. let's be real- not everything is "perfect" so my definition of perfect was shaped at the ripe age of 7 (hehe)!
4. harvest time! there is NOTHING better than harvesting the fruits of some serious hard work.
I'd sit in the tractor with my dad in the spring, planting our corn, asking 900 million questions. he never once seemed bothered- I'm still not sure how he wasn't! (yak, yak, yak...sorry pops!) then after praying for rain, praying for no rain, praying for sun, praying for heat to grow our corn, in the fall we would harvest our corn to feed to our cows all year long. from spring to fall (the growing season) is literally thee most important time to all farmers. it's make it or break it, feed animals, feed the world or not. at my job-in ag sales- I still feel this same feeling of love and compassion as we take the crops in for the year. my boyfriend also farms and watching him work so hard is one of the many reasons I fell in love with him and fall in love everyday because having purpose in life is everything.
5. I'm an avid DIY'er. decorating is pretty much my jam!
I l.o.v.e making things pretty (probably why I love photography so much) and decorating is one of the many ways I get to express myself. christmas is by far my favorite holiday, because of jesus, family and gathering. thanksgiving is an important one, too and the fact that I get to use pumpkins-from my family farm- and decorate with the many fall colors just spells joy.
5. my mom just finished her THIRD (yes, third-remember when I said we're "busy bee's") children's book and it's a pretty special one!
my mom has been helping people since before I can remember. some pretty tragic things have happened to family, friends and her co-workers throughout the years and she was always the one with an idea to have a benefit to help support their expenses. now, she finds unique ways to help people. she started writing children's books because it was a passion of hers to teach kids and parents alike the joys of our family farm (all of her books are true stories). like how she encouraged me to begin my photography business, she pushed herself and I helped her to have the funds to write her first book "A Suitcase of Seven," and her second "Jose's Farm Adventures," and now her third "Little Pumpkin Pickers."
our cousin's wife just got diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. she's a wife, mom to 3 little ones, nurse and a truly compassionate person. my mom called me one morning to ask if I would take pictures of her 3 kids, and my other cousins at our pumpkin patch so she could write this book and give the proceeds to my cousin's family and breast cancer research. if you're interested in purchasing a book to help my cousin and their family, to help all those who've suffered from cancer and to have a gift to give to a loved one, please e-mail me at: stephanielynnphotog@gmail.com
(if you purchase the book online-amazon-very little of the proceeds will be sent to this important cause, because money is taken by the seller.)
-----
so, that sums up my LOVE of fall! what are your favorite seasons?! did you decorate this year?