10 things you must have to help it feel like autumn!

 

"Sing to me, Autumn, with the rustle of your leaves.
Breathe on me your spicy scents that flow within your breeze.
Dance with me, Autumn, your waltz that bends the boughs of trees.
Now tell me all the secrets you've whispered to the seas.
Sleep with me, Autumn, beneath your starlit skies.
Let your yellow harvest moon shimmer in our eyes.
Kiss me, Autumn, with your enchanting spellbound ways
That changes all you touch into crimson golden days.
Love me, Autumn, and behold this love so true
That I'll be waiting faithfully each year to be with you."
Source:  Patricia L Cisco  https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/sing-to-me-autumn

I love the fall.  It is my favorite season of the year.  The amazing colors of the leaves on trees, the change of weather, the cool mornings and evenings, the smells or harvest, pulling out the sweaters and boots , apple and pumpkin flavored everything, scarecrows, and Halloween, corn mazes and hay bales. Here are 10 ideas and products to get YOU in the mood for fall!!

1.  Go for a drive and see the changing leaves on the trees!!  Not sure when the best viewing is? Check out this Fall Foliage map to find out your best days to see peak colors! 

2. Go visit a corn maze!!  Believe it or not, these things arent just for kids!  We have a GIANT corn maze near us here, and the other night I went with a group.  Guess who got lost for an HOUR trying to work our way through it??  It was an adventure and actually really a lot of fun.  I went back with my husband and our 17 year old son. This time we followed the map, we stopped at the checkpoints and really made it a great night.  The corn should be tall enough to make it challenging!! Go at Dusk for an unforgettable experience!

3. Crochet or knit Pumpkins!!  These trendy items make decorating your house a snap!  You can buy them premade, or find a pattern to knit or crochet online and knock a few out! 

4.  Build a firepit and roast hotdogs and smores!  Nothing better than a cool autumn night with a firepit!  It gets dark earlier, and a bonfire or firepit is a fun way to spend time. Add some smores and hotdogs and you are good to go!!

5. Apple Cider Donuts!! Whenever we go apple picking we always get some hot and fresh at the farm. To me nothing says Fall like apple cider donuts! Find a recipe online and make a batch today!!

6. Decorate your porch, yard or Front Door!!  I love decorating for fall. Scarecrows, pumpkins, wreaths...it's all good.   Want it classy? Use pumpkins and Gourds. Add some hay bales and scarecrows for a little whimsy.  Want to get ready for Halloween?? Add those spiderwebs and black cats and ghosts to the mix!

7. Pumpkin Spice Everything.  So basic white girl, but seriously I could put pumpkin spice flavors in my hot beverages year round!!  The spicy, warm and comforting flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg and clove are my favorites!  Get syrup and add it to your beverages. Make your own Pumpkin Spice Blend from dried herbs and spices. It is easy to do and you can enjoy it year round!!

8.  Candles.  Something about candles just screams autumn to me!!  try some specialty fall scented candles to really add the atmosphere and help get you into the joy of the season!  In a jar, in pillar form, grouped together, small votives. It doesnt matter, candles really add a beautiful touch to the fall decor.

9. Scarves!!  I LOVE scarves. I have several specialty hangers full of various scarves, in all colors, patterns, materials and sizes. Light cotton scarves in fun prints to a knit infinity scarf for big bulk layering!  Scarves are a must for me for autumn.  When I went to Italy, we would go to the little markets in the various cities, and I came home with no less than 8 new scarves to wear. That is how much I adore scarves. Crochet or knit yourself one in fun colors, or buy premade. Seriously, the scarf is one of the greatest accessories you can have!

10  Eat That Candy Corn.  Love it or hate it, Candy Corn is quintessential Fall.  Harvest Corn, Candy Corn, Marshmallow Pumpkins... Nothing says "It's autumn" like the sugar rush from stuffing your face with it!! ( I for one love candy corn, but then again I also like peeps, so there's that.  )

THERE YOU HAVE IT!! My Top 10 Must have and Do to help it feel like autumn.!

Fall Foliage

Autumn is my second favorite season (first is spring).
I love the changing of the leaves, the brilliant golds and flaming reds, the burnished oranges all contrasting against each other in a riotous mass of color.
Our neighborhood was particularly lovely this year. I dont know if it was the drought and then the rain, or why they were just so spectacular. Here are a few of my favorites:(these have not been retouched or photoshopped in any way)



This is a view down the street from our yard (ignore the recylce bin that Charles didnt put away) That yellow tree across the street looked like a giant golden sun. It is just so beautiful.




Here is that same tree, just a different angle.
Looking out the window at it makes me happy.





this tree was 2 streets over. I actually stopped the car to get out and take a picture of it. The picture doesnt do it justice. When it is sunny outside the tree literally glows.





Here is that same tree, just closer.








Here is our own humble Japanese Maple Tree. It turns a beautiful scarlet red every autumn, but this year was so much more intense.


Of course the leaves are all disappearing now, falling off the trees to be raked up and bagged. But for 2 perfect weeks my neighborhood is the idyllic autumnal collection of color.
At least I have my pictures to remind me.