“It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!” ~ Winnie the Pooh from Pooh’s Grand Adventure
Yellows, oranges, reds, and beautiful golden hues flush out what were perfectly green leafy trees. Crisp air, shorter days, and pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that flood every product possible to mankind. What am I talking about exactly here? That’s right: fall! I originally wrote this blog post, once again, on the previous Wordpress version of my website and as I was reading it I noticed this particular post needed a lot of updating! The previous version I was still living in LA, talking about a lot of things dealing with autumn there, and it was 2020, which was a weird year, and thankfully we shouldn't have to do things in 2023 for our fall festivities as we did in 2020. I definitely wanted to get around sharing a fall related blog post, so this is it for this year! Perhaps I'll do a separate one just for Halloween. I figured I would share some of my favorite things about fall and who knows? It may inspire you to get a little festive and think outside of the box for these ‘ber months that we’re in right now. The unofficial first favorite thing I love about fall (that won’t be applicable for everyone) is my birthday! My birthday is tomorrow as I'm publishing this on the 8th of October, so while I don’t like aging, I do enjoy being celebrated and being treated like a queen for a month. So that’s always something to look forward to when fall rolls around. Gotta represent my Libra love!
Fallin' For You!
While there are many, many awesome things to cover about autumn I can't not start this post without mentioning my brand new oracle deck, Fallin' For You! Just in time for the autumn equinox (released September 22nd, 2023) this fall themed oracle deck will give you guidance, clarity, and inspiration as we journey into the most colorful time of the year. This is my second oracle deck. My original oracle deck, Written In The Stars, was released two years ago! But I got distracted with other things and simply didn’t continue creating oracle decks despite wanting to. So I am so glad to have this one out and ready for you guys! In fact I’m already working on my third oracle deck to be released by November. Fallin' For You! has messages spanning from back to school season, to Halloween, to Thanksgiving, and more! Grab a pumpkin spice latte and sit down in a cozy place as you shuffle and see what comes through for you! While there are many things to do this fall, if you plan on doing any readings this season, you can't go without this deck. It will definitely make it more festive and fun! Whether you are doing readings for yourself, your friends, or if you have clients you do readings for, this deck is a wonderful option for anyone, seasoned reader or even someone new learning how to read oracle cards. It's a fantastic addition for anyone's oracle deck collection. Head on over the shop area to order your copy before fall flies right on by! Begin your awesome autumn adventures today!
Fall Fashion
I love fall fashion! It’s the epitome of cute and cozy! I actually prefer it over summer, which is funny because when I was younger, always preferred summer over fall and winter. But as I’ve grown older I have a strong appreciation for all things autumn. Call me a basic Betty, but I love a big oversized sweater or hoodie, with leggings, and some classic Ugg boots. I own two pairs. One is the chestnut color three Bailey Button style, and the other I believe is retired, but it’s a pink and gold mermaid sequin pair. I get lots of compliments on the latter one. I bought that one years ago when there was still an Ugg store at The Grove in Los Angeles. That’s pretty much my fall/winter go-to style. Other great ways to utilize fall fashion is using flannel, plaids for patterns in general. Boots, boots, boots, and did a forget to mention boots? Boots of all kinds whether it’s over the knee or bootie size. Me personally, I prefer a sturdy flat boot that goes up right under the knee, but not over, like a riding boot. This type of boot pairs really nice with leggings or skinny jeans. If you’re a Disneyland fan like me, this the perfect time of year to crank out those Disneyland jerseys! And my two favorite ways to accessorize is a scarf (could be infinity or otherwise) and a beanie. Scarves and beanies don’t happen every day in a fall look, but every once a while they help make the outfit pop, especially when the temperatures really drop. The best part about fall fashion is it’s effortless and comfortable. How do you like to stylize for the autumn season?
Fall Decor
This is the time of year when your inner interior designer can have a little party! Thanksgiving 2019 I decorated for a huge Thanksgiving feast that was hosted for all of my neighbors in my apartment building. I easily dropped well over $100 at Party City, but it was well worth it. I enjoy using little decorative signs with fall sayings on them, fall leaf garland, fall leaf wreaths, twinkle lights, and decorative pumpkins of all shapes, colors, and sizes! I have a knack for glitter, so personally I love a good glitter pumpkin. A few years ago I bought a miniature pink one that has a magnet on the bottom if. It’s from Bath & Body Works and meant to sit on top of a candle lid for one of their candles. In September I checked out my local Home Goods because you can always find ridiculously adorable decorative items there for a steal of a deal. Every year I seem to do a "Fall at HomeGoods" TikTok. You can check out this year's here and last year's here. Several years ago I bought a large glass pumpkin that’s silver/pink in tone. It looks like Cinderella’s carriage she took to the ball to dance with Prince Charming! I actually kinda like leaving that one out all year round. This year I bought a couple of Halloween items there. One I love in particular (that may be another year round leave it out) is a book with a purple crystal coming out of it that lights up! All it takes is a little creativity and thinking outside the box and there is so much you can do to bring the fall fun into your home! And that’s not even including Halloween decor. That’s taking fall to a whole other level when the pumpkins start becoming Jack-O-Lanterns, and ghosts and goblins start making appearances. I have my Halloween decor sitting in a couple TikTok drafts that I'll share later this week for all the spooky shenanigans.
A Very Bath & Body Works Autumn
So I briefly touched upon Bath & Body Works shouting out my pink glitter pumpkin, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Fall and the holidays is the perfect time of year to bananas on all their fall products from candles, to soap, to body wash, to lotion, to body spray, the options are endless. Two of the three-wick candles I've had in the past from B&BW is Pumpkin Pecan Waffles (A scent of: Maple Syrup, Golden Waffles, Pumpkin Spice, Brown Sugar with Essential Oils, according to their website) and Vampire Blood for Halloween (A scent of: Blood Red Strawberry, Midnight Blooming Jasmine, Dark Transylvanian Plum with Essential Oils according to their website). I personally love the fragrances that make you want to eat them, even though you can’t. Some of their other popular three-wick candles for fall are: Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Pumpkin Apple, Caramel Pumpkin Swirl, Leaves, Flannel, White Pumpkin Oakwood, Pumpkin Peanut Brittle, and Autumn Chai. One of the things I love most about B&BW is they traditionally host their three wick candle sale one week after Black Friday, meaning their regularly priced $24 candles are usually down to about $10! This is the time of year I always stock up on their three wick candles. The Krazy Coupon Lady predicts their 2023 sale will be on December 1st as it's not officially been announced as of yet. But wait, there’s more! You want to smell just as amazing as your home does right? Well, once again B&BW has you completely covered from head to toe with fall fragrant body care items so you can smell like you’re fresh off the pumpkin patch! They carry body wash, lotion, and sprays in fragrances such as Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte, Sweater Weather, and Pumpkin Cupcake. Smells have a way of bringing us back to certain places and times in our lives and fall is the perfect time to get a touch of nostalgia with some of these classic scents.
Get Cozy!
By now you’ve got the cute outfit, your place looks like the pumpkin palace, and it smells like a pumpkin spice factory. What now? Next, I’d say is time to kick back, relax, and get cozy. With the weather outside getting cooler, it’s best to cuddle up under a cozy blanket and cuff it up with your bae and do this fall thing by vegging out at home. This is the time of year where catching Hocus Pocus on TV (most likely on Freeform) will be unavoidable. And having Disney+ means Hocus Pocus 2 as well! But there are a couple of other honorable mentions out there. For those of you who love both Halloween and Christmas, A Nightmare Before Christmas might be right up your alley. After all, it’s kinda the perfect in-between holiday movie. The Adam Family’s movies as well as Beetlejuice are pretty popular as well around this time of year. And of course this is the time of year for watching horror movies. For myself personally I love the Scream franchise. If you’re looking for fall, but not as much of an emphasis on Halloween, try the Hallmark Channel. Until the end of October, they have lots of romantic, fall festive, family-friendly, feel-good movies playing all the time with new premieres every weekend. Either way, you’re bound to find some autumn-themed entertainment right at home in the coziest way possible.
Pumpkin Spice This And Pumpkin Spice That!
Now, do you really think I could get away with a fall-themed post without mentioning the mecca of all things fall, pumpkin spice?! But it’s true. I like to think Starbucks was the original creator of the pumpkin spice craze, who knows? Maybe they were! All starting with their infamous pumpkin spice latte. But since it can still be pretty hot early in the fall, I like to opt for the pumpkin cream cold brew, which debuted in 2019. This year though, I tried the brand new Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte and oh my God, it is my new chilled favorite. It tastes like egg nog with an extra kick of spice to it. On a sad note though, I'm very sad Starbucks discontinued the beloved pumpkin scone this year. I was really looking forward to it. It's a bummer it's no longer a part of a the fall lineup. But that’s not all. Of course, there’s all your pumpkin spice flavored coffee, whether it’s in the store or brewed at home, or a different brand, such as Dunkin. But there are pumpkin flavored donuts, cookies, muffins, Kit Kat bars, Hershey’s Kisses, ice cream, cereal, yogurt, Poptarts, protein drinks, bread, and now even White Claw has their own pumpkin-flavored drinks. Perhaps the weirdest pumpkin spice food combination I’ve heard of though is with Mac N Cheese. I love Mac N Cheese and I love pumpkin spice, but I love them separately, not together. It kinda reminds me of that episode of Full House where Michelle was trying to earn her cooking badge by combining her favorite foods together thinking it’d taste good, when in fact it was a disaster. Pumpkin spice is not the only flavor of the season though. There are a couple of others that dare I say, may even be tastier than their popular counterpart. First, there’s salted caramel. Starbucks used to offer a delicious salted caramel latte, which I actually prefer over the hype of pumpkin spice, but unfortunately they discontinued it years ago. However, there's still a way to get one, just using toffee nut syrup. There’s also apple inspired treats as well. After all, isn’t this supposed to be apple-picking season too? This is the time of year for caramel apples. Hershey’s used to carry little apple-shaped chocolates that were caramel apple flavored. They were always my favorite this time of year, but I haven’t seen them out for sale in a really long time. Regardless, whether you’re all about pumpkin spice or things with a more caramel flair, the autumn months are the perfect time to indulge in some delicious delectable treats. I mean, Thanksgiving is in the fall, so now is the time to step into the kitchen and test out those cooking skills! Aside from sweet treats we're now officially in soup season. Whether it's traditional chicken noodle soup or something a bit more spicy like chicken tortilla, there's something for everybody. One of my favorites is cream of chicken wild rice soup from Panera. This is also the time of year for good homemade chili. Whether you're having soup, chili, or any other warm dish, just don't toss the pumpkin spice into those. I personally prefer baking. The yummy aroma that fills a home after baking some cookies is one of the most comforting smells. Last Christmas my mom and I experimented baking astrology sugar cookies based on our Venus signs. I know, I know, you're probably thinking what? What on earth are astrology sugar cookies? They're delicious for one, but since that was actually for Christmas, not the fall, I may hold off on that until closer to December. Even if cooking or baking isn’t your thing there are still so many foods to enjoy you can just pick right up at the store and make you feel cozy as the air gets crisp and the nights get longer.
Autumn Activities
Even though the temperatures are cooling off that doesn't mean you can't get outdoors and enjoy some festive fall activities, in fact I recommend it! You can't go wrong with a day at the pumpkin patch. It's fun for the kids and the kid at heart, plus it's perfect for some pretty fall posin' with a fall photo shoot. Afterwards bring the pumpkins home and get decorating, whether you're carving them, painting them, or bedazzling them, there's no wrong way to do up a pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern. When I lived in LA, two of my favorite pumpkin patches were Mr. Bones and Underwood Family Farms. Oktoberfest is really big this time of year so if you're a fan of a brewski paired with some bratwurst that will likely be right up your alley. German or not, everyone can have a little fun with that one. Participate in an apple bobbing contester two or maybe a pie eating contest. You can still play like a kid and jump in some leaves! If you’re able to, maybe create a bonfire, roast some marshmallows, eat some smores, share stories with your family and friends around the fire. It could be an inspiring time. Just make sure safety first if you're doing something like a bonfire. Finally, become a fall foliage peeper this season. Seeing the leaves change is one of my favorites this time of year, I think because the peak colors are there for such a brief moment in time we really have to take a moment to appreciate all it's beauty and splendor while we've got it. Now when I lived in LA, realistically we didn't get much of that. It was minimal and what did change didn't even really change until around December. Back home in Chicago though, oh my goodness, did it ever get beautiful there! Mid to late October I would take Shadow to visit Potawatomi Woods to take in the beauty of the colors and of course take a lot of pics and videos. This year is my first fall in Colorado and last week Shadow, Tinkerbell, and I went up to Boreas Pass in Breckenridge to scope out the golden Aspens. It was not only a spectacularly stunning hike, but also extremely productive. I recorded 12 TikToks and one 40 minute YouTube video doing readings to utilize the gorgeous backdrop of nature for scenery. I've seen so many fall foliage maps of Colorado to track where the peak color changes happen and when, so I've been keeping an eye out. I've never experienced autumn in the northeast, but I hear it's absolutely stunning, and more so than anywhere else in the country. Maybe one day I will make a trip that way just to see it for myself. Regardless of where in the country you live, I came across this handy tool this year. It shows you the progress of foliage changes throughout the entire country, from east coast to west coast. It's an interactive map as there's a slider at the bottom you can move it anywhere from September 4th to November 20th to track the changes. So if you're curious about the changes in your area, or any other area for that matter, that's your guide!
Closing Thoughts
As you can see there is much to do this autumn! Whether you're test driving my brand new oracle deck, Fallin' For You! expanding your fall wardrobe, decorating for the season, lighting up some Bath & Body Works fall scented candles, cozying up to watch Hocus Pocus, trying out all the pumpkin spice foods, or peeping on the fall foliage, there is truly something for everyone. What are your plans this autumn? I would love to hear about them! Drop a comment down below and tell me all about it! Finally, to finish things off, here are a few fall foliage pics I've taken in the past from Potawatomi Woods. May it inspire the awesome autumn within!