(Image source: pinterest.com)
There is no better phrase with which to open this blog entry than the one in the picture above. "Hello, autumn!" is an enthusiastic and cheerful greeting that I'm longing to say. Part of that is caused by the heat and humidity of this summer--which is a trifle difficult to get along with some of the time, wouldn't you agree?--and part of it is caused by...well, that brings me to the point of this blog entry, actually. :) There are so many reasons for one to love the autumn time of year. Here are a few of the things that I'm looking forward to the most, at the change of the seasons...
- No. 1 -
(Image source: pinterest.com)
The myriad of changing colors of the scenery during autumn are vivid, fiery, and breathtaking. I cannot wait for our drive home on the weekends to be graced with the spectacular glory of the forests and fields set ablaze with the colors of autumn. In the area where we live, the autumn colors usually peak between mid-October to mid-to-late November, depending on the weather...and the show is always worth finding some sort of excuse to go out driving on a day that we have free!
- No. 2 -
(Image source: http://www.trekaroo.com/activities/colonial-williamsburg-williamsburg-virginia)
Traveling to Colonial Williamsburg is one such excuse to go out driving, whenever we have the time and the money to do so. Not only is the drive there absolutely splendid--the town itself boasts some truly grand and beautiful historical sites, along with an excellent array of places to shop and dine. During the autumn, the weather is sublime for walking up and down the cobblestone streets and drinking in the beauties of nature and the magnificently preserved historical locations. A must visit!
- No. 3 -
(Image source: pinterest.com)
On one of our shopping trips to the store Bed, Bath, and Beyond, my BFF Micah was the first to mention to me how wonderful the WoodWick candles are. I had never run across them before, but when she described them as making the noise of a crackling fire while burning, I was immediately sold. These candles feature--as per their name--a wick made of wood, and when they're lit, they really do make the sound of a pleasantly crackling fire. (I've found another similar brand at WalMart, called Wonderful Wick, and they're every bit as pleasant.) The scents that I've tried during the autumn are Fireside and a pumpkin scent of some sort; they were both lovely!
Another of my favorite brands of candles is, of course, Yankee Candle. There's a Yankee Candle Factory store in Williamsburg--so whenever we travel there, I make certain to drop by! Two of their candle fragrances that I like most for autumn are called Harvest, and Autumn Leaves. And yes, I'm restricting myself to only two favorites!
- No. 4 -
(Image source: pinterest.com)
In a post from last autumn, I told you about the annual pumpkin-carving contest that Mr. Darcy and I attend every year, with our church's college- and career-aged group--and as this is a post about autumn, it's only natural that one of the favorite things that I wanted to include is a pumpkin patch. Honestly, though, the pumpkin patch can really be said to represent all of the pumpkin-related things that I like about autumn. Pumpkin carving, roasted pumpkin seeds, trips to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin home decor...and, whoops, oh dear, now I'm getting ahead of myself. That's the next favorite thing! :)
- No. 5 -
(Image source: pinterest.com)
Like many other people, I absolutely love--and highly anticipate--the return of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte every year. Even with at least 3+ years of making those pumpkin-themed drinks, and all of their variations, while I worked at the company as a barista...I haven't tired of it in the slightest. I've tried duplicating the recipe at home, to no avail, but I suppose that makes it a special treat when I get to enjoy one while I'm out shopping with friends or when Mr. Darcy takes me there for a coffee date. :) Warm, cozy, happy, fuzzy memories are what a pumpkin spice latte stirs up for me.
And my other favorite autumn beverage of choice? Hot, mulled apple cider, of course! Last year, I went through several batches of the stuff--I will have to try and post my particular recipe for it this year. One new version of apple cider that I really learned to love last year was from a Martha Stewart Living recommendation: steep your favorite kind of tea in the hot cider. The tea diffuses its flavor into the hot cider and creates a whole new lovely beverage experience--it's really nice! Some teas wouldn't marry so well with the flavor of the cider, so I would recommend a black tea of some sort, such as Earl Grey, which is the kind of tea that Martha Stewart Living recommended. You'll love it, I promise!
- No. 6 -
(Image source: polyvore.com, one of my sets)
I cannot wait for the weather to become cool enough for me to return to wearing outfits such as this one! I've gained an increasing love for layering clothing and accessories--inspired by the many gorgeous outfits that I've viewed on Pinterest--and look forward to seeing what new outfits that I can come up with for this new autumn season. This isn't an exact copy of the outfit that I'll be wearing this autumn, but it's a fairly close approximation. I just need to find that long, slouchy grey cardigan and the burnt umber-orange scarf...which is from H&M, the Polyvore website informs me. Hm. Perhaps they'll have something similar to offer this autumn? We shall see. I'm also looking forward to investing in some comfy black leggings for the colder months this year. Hopefully I can find a pair that'll do!
- No. 7 -
(Image source: pinterest.com)
I'm also looking forward to decorating our new home for the autumn. The candles wrapped in cinnamon sticks would look so earthy-chic and charming around the house...and they would smell amazing too, I imagine! That is certainly one project that I would like to try out this year. And, of course, there's always my dream of building pretty layered pumpkin topiaries to sit outside the door... Oh, there's so many ways to dress up the home to welcome a beautiful new season; one simply has to settle on what exactly one wants to do. And inspiration for that never seems to be scarce. :)
I could go on for a while longer with my list of favorite things for the autumn, but I'm forcing myself to leave it at this point. I have to leave some things to write about later, don't I? I really cannot wait for autumn to be here--there's so many new things to do, so many changes and adventures to come. In the meantime, we're about to head out of town again, for the weekend...so I had probably better kick myself into high gear and get to packing before Mr. Darcy comes home from work! Here's wishing all y'all a lovely weekend, whatever you're doing and wherever you are.
À bientôt!
-- Cait
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