What’s Making My Fall: Good Books, Garden Mocktails, New Mahjong Mats & Byron at Six Months
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Fall on the Emerald Coast doesn’t arrive all at once. There’s no dramatic leaf change or first frost. Instead, it shows up in small ways: a new book on the nightstand, a favorite tea back in season, rosemary and sage thriving in the garden, and a six-month-old puppy keeping us on our toes. Here are a few of my fall favorites that are making home feel good right now.
What I’m Reading
My current read is Fruit Fly by Josh Silver, the satirical thriller that seems to be on everyone’s list this season. It follows a struggling novelist with writer’s block who befriends a young man going through a very hard time, and then starts to see his story as the comeback book she’s been waiting for. It raises big questions about who gets to tell whose story, and readers keep comparing it to Yellowface. A24 has already optioned it for TV, so now is a good time to read it before everyone is talking about the show.
If you’re looking for your next book, I keep everything I’m reading and recommending on my Books page.
What’s in My Cup
My seasonal favorite from Smith Teamaker, Autumn Leaves, is back, and I’m so glad to have it in the rotation again. It’s the one I reach for on slow mornings and quiet afternoons. You can find it and the rest of my favorite teas, kettles, and cups on my Tea Favorites page.
What’s in My Glass
Fall is when the woody herbs really shine in my garden, so I’ve been bringing rosemary and sage into my mocktails. A sprig of rosemary in a cranberry shrub or a few sage leaves muddled with apple cider turns an ordinary drink into something that feels like the season. If you want to try it at home, my fall shrub mocktails are a great place to start, and my guide to herb-infused simple syrups shows you how to turn a handful of garden herbs into a syrup you can use all season.
Growing your own? Here’s how I grow rosemary and sage in our Florida garden.
What’s Cooking
Pumpkin, butternut squash, and apples have found their way into just about everything I’m cooking lately. There’s something so comforting about a pan of roasted squash in the oven and the kitchen smelling like apples and cinnamon. My go-to sheet pans have been getting a real workout this month.
Fall Favorites on the Mahjong Table
My fall mahjong mats have arrived, and they make game night feel so festive. Both are from Noli June: Harriet Got Lost in the Corn Maze, with golden pumpkins and teal and burgundy leaves on a periwinkle background, and Sue Dabbled in Spellwork, the spider mat, which is a little witchy in the best way. If you want Sue on your table for Halloween, Noli June says to order by October 20. Use code CULTIVATEANDNAVIGATE for 10% off.
I also have a few winter and Christmas mats on order, and some gorgeous holiday and winter tiles are on the way from a few of my favorite makers. I’m rounding them all up in my Holiday & Winter Mahjong Edit, coming soon. Not sure which type of mat is right for you? My Mahjong Mats 101 guide breaks it all down.
Life With Byron
Byron just turned six months old, and he has officially entered his adolescent phase. He’s lost all his baby teeth, and he’s still a runner any time he gets loose. He is very smart and very stubborn (just like his dad – ha!). Life with him is sweet, lively, and never quite predictable.
His favorite job is neighborhood watch. He parks himself at our front window and keeps an eye on everything that goes on in our cul-de-sac. His Ruffwear frisbee is his favorite toy, with his gator a close second. He’s a true velcro dog, which is normal for Mini Aussies. Wherever I go, he goes too. He also adores his Grumpy (my dad).
Puppy kindergarten was an adventure. He barked through just about every class, so we spent a lot of time behind the partition walls. Once group play started, he did great, and I’m proud to say he graduated!
We’ve also been introducing him to the water. He’s been to the beach, and we’re still working on him enjoying it. He’s had a few swims in the pool too. He’s not quite a water dog yet, but we’re holding out hope.
He’s also my favorite errand buddy. He rides along to Lowe’s in the shopping cart like he owns the place, and back home he takes his job as garden supervisor very seriously. If you’re stocking up for fall planting, you can find the soil, tools, and planters I use in my Lowe’s garden shop.
And his very favorite outing? Golf cart rides around Sandestin. He has his own puppy car seat, and he rides with his ears up and his tongue out, taking in every sight along the way.
You can follow along with more of his adventures on Instagram at @ohheybyron.
These are the little things making home feel like home right now. What are you reading, sipping, or cooking this fall? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear.
