Welcome to Unconditionally Her and to November!  The air is crisp, colorful mums and foliage are everywhere, and pumpkins are aplenty, along with pumpkin spice which is everywhere you turn with ciders, muffins, and everything in between.  We are so glad that you joined us for this month of fall beauty and time for gratitude and thanks.

I always like to share a few fun facts whenever I get the opportunity, so decided pumpkins were a good topic given this time of the year! Did you know that 1.2 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the United States each year?  According to the USDA, in 2023, farmers in the top six pumpkin-producing states in the U.S. harvested more than 1.2 billion pounds of pumpkins combined. Illinois led the production with about 690 million pounds, which is more than the other top five states combined. And, according to Farmer’s Almanac, did you know that a pumpkin is technically a fruit and belongs to the gourd family which also includes cucumbers, melons, and squash? The largest pumpkin ever recorded weighed a whopping 2,624.6 pounds. In addition to being great for fall décor, pumpkins are versatile in cooking and are great for pies, soups, breads, and even our coffees and lattes.

Unconditionally Her is ready to “fall” into this month with seasonal content that we hope you will enjoy.   Karen and Sandy share recipes for favorite Thanksgiving sides including Sandy’s mom’s cornbread dressing and Sue Paist’s carrots and parsnips.  We have a fall Sangria for Cocktail Hour, and Karen and Sandy will take us to San Diego and Coronado Island – AND we are gonna see the beautiful leaves change with a trip to New England as part of Destination Diaries.  Book Club is coming up along with my A Time to Bloom health and wellness coaching column which focuses on cultivating gratitude this month.   What a fall line-up!  We cannot wait to share.

In this beautiful season of fall foliage, thanksgiving, and gratitude, we are grateful for you, our readers, and for the opportunity to share joy, inspiration, empowerment, and a bit of knowledge, too. Thank you for being part of our fall!

 Be Encouraged, Be Empowered, Be Inspired – Be Unconditionally YOU!

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitzgerald