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?
34 Responses
Well, isn’t this a fun and cheerful post! The funny thing is, living in Calgary all my life, I’ve always kind of longed for fall. I’ve always wanted a true fall, and in Calgary, the leaves change, sure, but it lasts only a couple of weeks before they all blow off the trees and there is a snow storm. NOW I am really enjoying true fall! I can leave the house in a sweater and scarf and boots, JUST LIKE IN FALL PHOTOS.
The farm market near me has the best fresh apples right off the tree, and they are to die for. Also I made those Levain fall spiced cookies on the weekend. HELLO!
Oh yes, I made those cookies too!!!
Glad you’re getting a true fall experience! Funny how everyone has a different experience of fall, depending on location.
Yay for cooler temps! It definitely makes running more pleasant; I remember slogging through the humidity in the summer in Florida. I also played soccer when I was living there and it was gross. My cleats were so nasty I had to leave them outside, but then they would never dry.
I am not a huge fan of all of the pumpkin paraphernalia, but I do love apples! We grow a lot of them here and they are ripe now and I bought honeycrisp apples the other day for $0.39/lb! I was so excited! PS I don’t hate pumpkin; it has its place in breads and stuff, but I don’t really want it in my coffee. If you like apple cake, you should try this recipe too..it is my favorite! https://travelspot06.blogspot.com/2011/11/apple-day-monday-ii.html
That recipe looks similar- they both have a caramel-ish glaze. Honeycrisp apples for 39 cents a pound??? That’s WAY cheap!!!
I forgot you lived in Florida- yes, the humidity is what makes the summers extra horrible. i’ll bet you’re happy you got away!
I liked my time in Florida, and actually the humidity in the Bay Area is pretty high! Like right now in my house it is about 61% but it has been as high as 88% in the last month. We just aren’t as hot all the time and somehow not as oppressive. I don’t know if it is a pressure thing or what but the humidity in FL just sits on you.
I picture it being kind of cool and damp where you are? I guess it depends on the time of year. Yes, the humidity in Florida is extra special
Can I just say that I’m SO jealous of your weather? Ugh for some reason we are still having temps NEAR 100 DEGREES! This isn’t normal for October, even for here. Luckily the forecast looks more promising next week with temps in the 70s and 80s.
I’m gonna have to go listen to that podcast episode especially because the hosts are from Arizona! I feel a similar draw to all things fall and cozy since we don’t really get much of that here, and I grew up in Colorado where fall was a gorgeous season (before the first snow hit, usually around Halloween lol). I just wanna wear all the flannels and beanies and eat chili and cornbread and stay cozy with the fall scented candles!
Ashley, you’re not doing a very good job of convincing me to move to Arizona! I can’t believe there’s someplace still hotter than us, but apparently it’s true. I’ll be interested to compare our weather in the winter.
Yes, you would definitely be able to relate to this podcast! I hope you like it, and I sure hope you get that cool down next week.
I love all of the things in this post.
I love candles. (And love the smell of cloves; spicey ginger cookies are MY FAV). I love cozy socks. I love fall weather. I love fresh Honeycrisp (jealous of Kyria’s deal – I thought I was doing well with $2/lb – $.39/lb for honeycrisp is incredible!)
Love chips. Love apple cake (though I refuse to use my honeycrisp for cake right now because they’re so delicious I want to eat them raw/plain)…but apple cake will be making a comeback in the winter.
What a fun post to start my day off on the right foot 🙂
Elisabeth, your posts always brighten up my day so I’m glad I could return the favor!
I’m pretty sure I used fuji or gala for that cake- I wouldn’t want to waste my honeycrisp either.
We’re in peak fall season here, and I’m headed out to go leaf pepping this weekend. I can’t wait. I mostly remember fall being yellow and brown when I was growing up in Illinois, but here we’ve got the full range of red, orange, and yellow (before it all turns brown and winter sets in…grump).
Team Apple! I do try to get in a few pumpkin things in the fall, but since the rest of my family hates pumpkin I’m limited to what I can eat on my own.
I love “one for the pot and one for the chef” when cooking with alcohol;-)
Hmmm. I grew up in Illinois, and honestly I can’t remember what color the leaves were. My impression was just that everything died and it was depressing (I only love these things in retrospect- I didn’t love it when I lived there.) I’m going to have to ask my sister what color the leaves are!
This post made me so happy! So happy that fall has arrived for you and that you are making the most of it!
We had two good days of cooler temps, and I do feel like I made the most of it. Now we heat up again, which is to be expected- it’s always like that this time of year. Hopefully our really intense heat and humidity are over though.
I despise raw apples. I like apples cooked in pie and cobblers, but raw apples kind of gross me out. So I guess I’m Team Pumpkin, but I wouldn’t eat that raw, either, obviously. I think I just like the fall-spice mixture!
I am so excited you got some temps in the 50s. It must feel like absolute heaven!
Wait- maybe you just haven’t tried enough apples! I don’t like ones that are soft and mealy, but the really crisp ones are delicious. I think you should give them another chance.
Apples are one of my favorite Fall things too! There’a a market I like to go to in the Fall because they have so many different kinds of apples- when I was there last weekend, the guy at the register told me they have about 30 different varieties over the course of fall. I always try to keep track of the varieties so I can remember my favorite, but by the time I get home, they are all mixed up. They are all tasty anyway.
REALLY- 30 different varieties??? I want to go to your market! Okay, I’m going to challenge myself to get a few different kinds next time I go to the store- I keep buying honeycrisp because I love them.
You know I am a fan of all things fall over here too! Enjoy and embrace those cooler temps while you have them
Thanks Deborah- it never lasts long enough. But we had two really nice cool days.
That’s a tough question… both.
I prefer apple cake and apple pie. But I love pumpkin everything else.
Yes on scented candle… I used an electric coil to light them.
Glad you have cooler weather… it’s close to ours except ours stay cooler during the day.
…yes, and our weather has already heated up again. SIGH. Oh well- we’ll cool down again soon.
I’m definitely more apples than pumpkins, when it comes to fragrance. But I think I prefer pumpkin over apples when it comes to baked goods. They said, I’m not into the PSL craze that’s swept the nation in recent years…
Ha, I’m pretty sure most people agree PSL is overdone. I was listening to a podcast where they looked it up and there is actually PSL scented TOILET PAPER. Yes, that’s going a little too far.
I used to love burning candles when I lived alone but Phil is not a fan of scents so we do not own any candles! I kind of miss it but I can always get my fill of candle scents by walking through Anthro. Their candles are THE BEST. We’ve definitely been enjoying lots of apples, too. Paul, Taco and I share one every night after dinner while watching Wheel of Fortune. Aren’t we the dorkiest family? 😉 The leaves are changing here so I have tried to pay attention and soak it in because the season is so fleeting and we are always one windy day away from the pretty leaf season ending! Paul and I have our first Halloween-themed event of the season. We are going to the zoo on Saturday night for the Pumpkin Extravaganza. They have something like 5,000 carved pumpkins. We had the best time last year so I am excited to go again!
I am so glad that the weather is finally cooling off! It must feel like a dream to run in cooler temps after your hot, soggy summer!!!
Sadly, our local Anthropologie closed. I’m SO bummed. I can still order candles, or travel a little ways to get to the store, but we used to have one closeby and it was so fun to just go and browse around. Yes, their candles really are the best. Hmm. Maybe I need to make a little trip to the Anthropologie- the closest one now is in a mall about 40 minutes away.
I hope Paul is feeling better and you can get to the Pumpkin event! I want to see photos!
Yay, cooler weather! That must be a relief. We have had a couple of days of warmer weather here after a cold spell. I love all your Fall things, you really do get into the season. In Australia it’s Autumn and although we do have non-native trees planted that lose their leaves, the change of season isn’t quite as obvious here.
Wait- I thought it was opposite in Australia- shouldn’t it be spring? I remember reading a Liane Moriarty book and being so disoriented that it was autumn for Easter. But what do I know! I’ve never been to Australia.
Sorry, yes, it’s Spring at the moment, but we don’t call Autumn “Fall”
Oh I didn’t know that- so autumn is just autumn. I can see how it would be confusing.
Wasn’t this little cold front so nice?! I could even turn off my AC for a few days! I am looking forward to lower energy bills for the next few months. Summer is BRUTAL for my energy bill, haha.
I bought two fall-scented candles at Bath & Body Works in September but I am so bad at burning my candles. I don’t know why! I think I’m going to commit to burning them every evening because I feel like it just makes things feel extra cozy.
Yes, burn your candles! I don’t always remember either, but at least a couple times a week I’ll light a candle. We were able to turn off our AC and sleep with windows open for two nights, and now it’s back on. SIGH. But it always goes back and forth like this in October. We’re lucky we got that cool down- it doesn’t always happen this early.
Yes, I am here for all things fall…. apples, candles, cozy socks and the food. I already bookmarked a couple of things to make this fall (soups and baked goods). I also love the Native Deodorant – but I am loyal to the coconut-vanilla scent.
Yes, I love Native- but I definitely love switching up the scents! They have a bunch of great ones.