Autumn in the Desert

It's really challenging to get into the seasonal spirit here in the desert. The sun shines every day, the sky is usually cloudless and brilliant blue, and the weather, well, it's certainly not fall or winter-ish. Last year as I was lamenting the fact that it was already Thanksgiving and it just didn't feel right, a friend from the homeschool group told me she had realized that you have to decorate your house. Otherwise the days come and go and there is no real change to them. I understood, and this year I have tried to do better. I am not a "seasonal decorator," so putting fake flowers and leaves and things around has been hard. I don't really "get" it. Our house isn't exactly spotless to begin with (we do live here...with three children), so the idea of putting things out...on the counters and whatnot...it doesn't make sense to add more clutter! Here's my briliant idea to infuse a little bit of fall (and creativity via my children) into our house.

My love nailed some hemp from either side of the wall/ceiling that seperates the kithchen from the dining room, and I used regular ol' clothes pins to hang the kids' art. My oldest protested when I hung the littles cats up there saying, "Mama, those aren't fall pictures!" But I like them, and there isn't anywhere else to display their precious art just yet.
I love to see the littles sit in their chairs at the table and stare at all the pictures. I think this brings me one step further to adjusting to the desert. It is, after all, where God brought us. And I want to be where He wants me to be...