"Right now?" I asked as if he might be talking about next week or the weather in Canada for some odd reason.
New Jersey's weather has been so unpredictable it has put me in quite the moody state. Of course, I loved our summer days that felt like fall and wished that they would remain. But the current days where the mornings start cool and then turn into a muggy 75 by the afternoon make me want to cry.
Today's temperature seemed like the perfect true start to fall.
I've been ready for fall since the end of winter. Winter is bearable for me, except last winter--I'm not sure what happened there. I despise spring and while I enjoy some elements of summer, it gets old after a week or so.
I'll spare you the generic lists you've seen on social media for why girls like fall (hoodies, pumpkin spice lattes, boots, cooler weather, etc). Naturally, if you like fall you must be a fan of cooler weather. I don't necessarily have a fall favorites list, but here are a few things I'm looking forward to now that it is fall:
1. Hot Chocolate
The best hot chocolate I have ever experienced was from Eleven Madison Park in NYC. It was several years ago, so who knows if they even serve it anymore, but it was like drinking melted milk chocolate. The next best thing I've found is at The Bent Spoon in Princeton, NJ. Warning! It is extremely thick, but full of chocolate deliciousness.*
Then of course, there is always homemade which sometimes is just as good.
*It is so thick that leftovers in my fridge turned into a chocolate pudding-like state.
2. The Colors of Fall
I recently realized that I keep some items that really should be labeled as "fall decorations" up all year. The only reason I can assume that I do not take them down is that these items fall into the color scheme that I love. Bright summer colors are nice, but warm fall colors set my mind at ease.
3. Fires
We've used our fire pit once or twice this summer. While it's nice to have a fire in the summer, it's better in the fall. In the summer you have to battle mosquitoes while balancing not being too close to the fire. Because the fire is hot, and chances are the day is still hot--because it's summer.
In fall the mosquitoes are gone, the weather is cooler, and bundling up near a fire with a stick packed with sugar just seems like the right thing to do.
4. Pumpkin Carving
I was in my twenties before I carved my first pumpkin.
Shocking, I know.
I've done it a few times since then and discovered it to be too much of a hassle for me. (You'll note that I do not have a pumpkin in the above picture). However, I love to see what other people can do with them. In case you can't tell, and I'm sure you can't for some of them, the first pumpkin pictured above is Gizmo from Gremlins, the second is one that Jonathan taped pictures to (much safer than giving him a knife to hack at it with), the third pumpkin is Hubby's carving of the world (it looked much better from a different angle, I promise), the fourth pumpkin is Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas, and the last pumpkin is Edgar Allen Poe.
Carving pumpkins is so much more fun when done with family or friends.
If all else fails, I like to purchase plastic pumpkins that have had inspirational sayings "carved" into them for decoration. It saves the whole rotting step from happening.
5. Thanksgiving Breakfast
I have been thinking about Thanksgiving breakfast since summer. Now that it is fall I'm actually allowed to begin thinking about it.
In case this is your first time here, my Thanksgiving breakfast is a little---different. For well over ten years now, my family begins Thanksgiving morning by having dessert for breakfast. It's pretty much my favorite thing about Thanksgiving, aside from the turkey...and the parade. I usually get a little out of hand and make about ten desserts too many. I promise, this tradition didn't begin this way. It started with my mother and my aunt eating one piece of their pumpkin pie in the morning and it has turned into something that perhaps one day I will seek therapy for.
This year I'm thinking of making pie the theme. The only problem is I have never experimented with the perfect pie crust.
Looks like I'm going to be busy this October.
6. Hot Coffee and Holiday Coffee Cups
In the summer I usually give up my hot coffee for the cooling delight of iced coffee. When fall comes and I can begin ordering my hot coffee again, it warms my heart--literally and figuratively. Poor Hubby then has to endure the shrieks and childish giggles that I somehow produce at the sight of holiday coffee cups. It means, just as the start of fall means ultimately for me, that Christmas is almost here.
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