Can we talk restraint? Restraint is experiencing the calendar flip from August to September and knowing you can’t decorate your fall front porch yet because Mother Nature didn’t get the “it’s fall y’all” memo and it is still 85 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
So what do you do instead? You console yourself with an apple cider donut (or two, I won’t judge) while you wait for the weather to catch up to the commercialized hype of our existence.
I waited 25 days. Twenty five!
There are no prizes for this sort of restraint. I know. I checked.
Some of you wise ones might say the prize is that the mums I bought to decorate my fall front porch will stay alive longer.
How generous of you to assume I’m any good at keeping mums alive in the first place. Friendships have been forged on much less, so I think we’re BFFs now.
In reality, if the mums make it to Halloween – no matter when I bought them – I consider it a small miracle. Although, this year I’m watering them from the bottom up so this spa-like experience might encourage them to try harder to hang in there until Thanksgiving.
I don’t go to a nursery or a local farm to get my annual flowers that will die quickly mums.
I’ve done that in the past, for sure.
But it always made me feel a little…guilty.
It would be like buying an expensive shirt directly from the person who painstakingly sewed it for you knowing FULL WELL that as soon as you’re out of their sight you’ll probably spill mustard on that shirt, not read the care label for laundering it, and then wonder why it doesn’t fit or look good the next time you go to wear it.
That’s too much pressure.
I need some anonymity when I buy my fall mums.
That’s why I go to the grocery store.
Not just any grocery store. Not my regular grocery store where I see Sarah, the cashier, every week and have a preference of where I park in the store’s parking lot close to the cart return but not so close that I risk a rogue cart scratching my car.
No, no, no.
To get mums I go to my backup grocery store.
The one that doesn’t have the consistently best produce, but, for whatever reason, has THE BEST outdoor flower department.
I’m guessing the difference is that they employ someone who actually knows how to take care of flowers. Imagine that.
Not only do they have magic plants that last longer than others but their mums are still $5.
FIVE DOLLARS.
In a world where inflation is the bogeyman, I will gladly and awkwardly shove a grocery cart that was never meant to hold that many non-edible items full of mums for the price of $5. And if the pumpkin I stashed under the cart rolls off and I have to make a mad dash to save it before it turns into a pumpkin pancake, it’s okay because I don’t know anyone’s name at this grocery store.
No matter the cost, the bang for your buck when you bring home a colorful mum is huge.
It is an instant feast for your eyeballs.
I love driving or walking down the road this time of year and seeing so many front porches of all shapes and sizes decorated with a potted mum or two. Sometimes more! We think we don’t have a lot in common as a society but fall flowers might be the great unifier.
Do you decorate your front porch for fall? Do you also have a favorite grocery store and parking spot at that grocery store? Tell me everything. Don’t hold back. Remember, we’re BFFs now. Please leave a comment on this blog post, email me here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.
Happy Fall, Y’all!
P.S. I recently added a nuLOOM 4×6 outdoor rug from Amazon under our welcome mat and it is bringing me almost as much joy as the mums. It was under $50 and comes in different colors and sizes. I have FOUR nuLOOM rugs and have always been pleased with their quality.
Our double rocking chairs are from Walmart. We’ve had them for a year and so far, so good on how they are holding up.
The mustard yellow pom pom throw is from Amazon and I have it in two colors. It’s super soft.
Thanks for hanging out with me today. I hope you had fun. Here are some other blog posts you might enjoy!
Horseshoe Pumpkins – How We Made Them
Minimalist Wheat Wreath – Easy DIY
*Affiliate links in this blog post. Affiliate links are a great way to support the blogs you read for free, including this one. I earn a small commission if you purchase something, anything using one of my affiliate links. You might come for the rug but end up buying eyeliner. It happens! I don’t know who buys what. You stay anonymous and I get to keep the lights on. Thank you!