Mum's The Word.

In honor of the first day of fall, I'd like to interrupt the recipe posts (admit it, you were getting tired of them anyway) to pay homage to my favorite fall flower...dum da da dum...the MUM!

I've starting seeing them pop their pretty little colorful heads out at our local farmers' markets, grocery stores, and neighbors' front porches (mine included) over the past week, and though this last stretch of scorching temps isn't the best growing climate, the weatherman promised us a cool down tonight that I hope will encourage them to go nutso and start sprouting STAT!

And because this blog is still titled "A Bride In Boots" (I'm still considered a bride if I've been married almost 10 months, right? Right?) I got to thinking about all the fall brides who get the most glorious of all blossoms to choose from for their bouquets. Even though I did adore my all-white bouquet with feather trim...in fact, let's see her pretty face again, shall we?

But this little stunner of dahlias, zinnias and kermit mums in reds, peaches and pinks is too pretty not to share (please ignore the pale, hairy arm that is holding it though -now why couldn't they just photoshop that bidness out?). If I were having a fall wedding I would be ALL OVAH something like this!

I love that mums make me think of my high school homecoming football games. I have to admit, I always loved donning those gigantic white football mums, the "TC" etched carefully in blue pipe cleaners, and the glorious ribbons streaming down, and picking out the perfect dress for the big homecoming dance. Ah, the glory days...and now I suddenly feel 82 years old. Ahem.

So since we're on the subject of flowers, I thought I'd share my recent success with a little foliage plant called Miss Coleus. Because I know you're dying to know how my garden grows and all...

Hel-lo, color! Coleus, you're my new fave.

So a few weeks ago, in a desperate attempt to try and and spruce up my front porch that had been barren since I'd managed to kill everything I'd planted over the summer, I stopped in at an end-of-summer sale at a nursery down the street and pleaded the sweet lady for some good old-fashioned, I-have-no-green-thumb help. She pointed me in the direction of an assortment of these crazy-awesome coleus plants and I promptly fell in love. So I went home and potted this...


Okay, that's a lie. That is so not my pot. But it looks a lot like the ones I purchased and because I keep forgetting to take a photo of my new little pet project, this will just have to do for now. I know, you're disappointed. Believe me, I would be bragging to the high heavens if I had put together a pot like this. Perhaps one day.

So now that it's official, I'm officially saying it for the second time...happy fall, y'all!