It’s Fall! Florida Style.
Throw open the windows! Today we woke up to this: After months of heat and humidity, it feels like heaven. My favorite day of the whole year is the first time we get that fresh blast of cool, dry air. It reminds me of the first spring-like weather after a winter up north. Anything is possible! The world is my oyster! I am invincible! And running… it feels like we’ve been running with ankle weights that have suddenly been removed. I have a long run planned for tomorrow and I CANNOT WAIT. After all my grumbling about the weather, now I remember why we live in Florida. Just in time for our fall-ish weather, I’ve been listening to a podcast Stephany recommended, The Girl Next Door annual “Fall Extravaganza” episode. It’s not the style of podcast I normally listen to, but by the end I was feeling such strong fall vibes that I’m listening to last year’s Fall Extravaganza episode as well. The two hosts live in Arizona, and they talk about the differences between fall in the desert and fall in the midwest. I wonder if people who are transplanted out of traditional fall climates to places like Arizona and Florida have a special attachment to the idea of fall? I know the thought of colorful leaves, chilly weather and fires in the fireplace makes me nostalgic for my childhood. Whatever the reason, I go all out for fall, which you’ve probably noticed if you’ve been reading for a while. In addition to the pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin waffles, and pumpkin pasta I’ve been enjoying, here are some of my other fall favorites. Apples I know you can get apples year-round. But the variety now is incredible, and Sprouts has been having a sale on organic honeycrisp. YUM. My daughter always has fruit with her breakfast, and she’s been especially happy to have a honeycrisp apple (and I munch on a few pieces while I’m getting her breakfast together.) I also made this apple cake from Nora Cooks. You guys. I didn’t eat this myself, but it smelled amazing and my husband and daughter LOVED it. Highly recommend!!! Fall Candles This pumpkin clove candle from Anthropologie is my favorite candle ever. Mine is from last year, but I assume the new ones are the same (if they changed it, someone should be shot.) Even when I don’t have it lit, I catch a whiff of it every time I walk past and it makes me so happy. Fall deodorant Remember last year when I bought the Native Spiked Eggnog deodorant and bitterly regretted it? Well, I’m much more careful nowadays- no sweet scents in my deodorant! I figured I’d be safe with this one, and I was right: The funny thing is, they also mentioned this on The Girl Next Door Fall Extravaganza! I’m not the only one who likes it. You can tell I’m really into fall scents! Gretchen Rubin has an online quiz to discover your “most neglected” sense, and mine definitely is NOT smell. But taste isn’t far behind. Here’s another fall-ish meal I’ve made recently- Bean and Beer Chili. The recipe calls for one cup of beer, so I happily sipped the rest of the can while I cooked. Oh, those chips? Not exactly fall-related, but now that I’m (mostly) eliminating harmful oils from my diet, I’ve discovered these: They’re good! The bad news is they’re expensive, but I guess that’s also the good news. I don’t need to be eating chips all the time anyway, so I limit myself to a bag a week. And, in case you think all I care about are smells and tastes, let’s not forget about cozy socks! I have about… six pairs of Halloween and fall-themed cozy socks. These are my latest favorites: How about you- are you embracing all things fall? Do you like scented candles? How about cozy socks? And, very important question- apples or pumpkin?