9 Reasons to Fall in Love with Fall
1. The Colors of Fall
Red, orange, yellow and a splash of deep burgundy purple, even when it is a cloudy day it is a beautiful day!
2. The Smell of Fall
Whether it is early morning or just after sunset, go outside and breathe in the cool crisp air and you will smell a hint of winter mixed with the warm smell of a crackling fire.
3. Coffee in the Fall
There is just something about a warm cup of coffee on a fall morning, or evening for that matter. I find is so cozy and comforting, even if you are enjoying at your desk which is surrounded by 4 walls and a door. There are so many flavors to choose from but some of my favorites are:
Cinnamon, for just a hint, store your beans or grounds with a couple of cinnamon sticks. If you crave more of a kick, you can mix powder cinnamon in with your cup of coffee.
Pumpkin Spice, the quick an easy way to satisfy this craving is to just go to your grocery store and buy a bag of pumpkin spice flavored beans, or go to your favorite coffee shop and order one. If you want to treat your guests with a homemade pumpkin spice coffee to go with their pumpkin pie, here’s a terrific recipe:
Just add 1 teaspoon (tsp.) of ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to your whole beans.
Caramel, I have saved THE BEST for last. I LOVE going for a caramel coffee, the true caramel flavor, that bittersweet taste of perfectly toasted sugar, mmmmmmm or you can totally try making it yourself by following these steps:
Just heat sugar and water until it turns into a nice golden brown. You can either add the warm syrup to your joe, or, if it hardens, break it up into pieces and let the candies melt in your cup.
4. Fall Food
This is why chunky sweaters and leggings are made! Again it is all about being cozy and warm, there are so many hearty soups to choose from, chilies, crock pot recipes and desserts, mmmmmm I LOVE dessert that is one thing I do not share! Caramel apple crisp is truly one of my favorites! Don’t forget the whipped cream!
5. Fall Fashion
Chunky sweaters or the layered look is so comfy! Scarves, leggings, jeans (the stretchy kind) and boots……………..fluffy boots, booties, heeled boots, over the knee boots, riding boots, the choices are really endless!
6. Thanksgiving
Besides Christmas, this is my favorite holiday. The food, spending time with family, especially if you haven’t seen them is a while and camping. Last year, my family and I were invited to go camping for the weekend and it was such a wonderful experience. We love camping, obviously, but we had never been in the fall. We camped nice and close to home so our other family members could come out and still join us for the day and have dinner with us. Instead of a turkey we bought 4 roasted chickens from Safeway, warmed them up in the bbq and made everything else with our crock pots and of course brought pie and wine! We pulled together 3 picnic tables and put festive table clothes on them and decorated the tables with candles and wine bottles. After dinner we sat by a roaring campfire and enjoyed great conversations, and of course, lots of pie and wine!
7. Halloween
Decorating outside, handing out the candy and seeing all the cute kids in their costumes is pretty fun, but I have to admit I love when the knocks on the door stop. This is when we sit down and open up (another box, because we have already eaten the first box we bought a week prior) of the “good candy” we keep for ourselves, make some hot chocolate and watch a scary movie.
8. Fireplaces, Candles & Slippers
As soon as that temperature drops just a bit I love switching on the fireplace, lighting my favorite Wood Wick candle and pulling on my cozy slippers. A fireplace always makes things better, whether it’s watching a movie, reading a book or playing an intense game of Uno with your kids. That’s the best!
9. Hockey Season
You know it’s fall when you are either sitting in an arena cheering on your favorite player skating hard for tryouts, or sitting on your couch cheering on your favorite pro hockey team and of course yelling at the refs.
Get out there and fall in love with fall!!
