It's Fall, Y'all!

Fall 2013

October is here, and what a delightful time of year it is!  I love everything about autumn - its foods, colors, decor and temperatures.

Do you have certain things you like to do when fall arrives?  I do, and since one of my joys in life is listing, I thought I'd share them with you.

1. The very first thing I do when fall comes is make a pot of chili.  We love chili around here and I serve it almost weekly during fall, winter and early spring.  Once the temps get above 75°, the chili pot gets put up until next year. (First pot of chili has been made ... okay, the second pot has been devoured, too.)

2.  Next, I like to get out my fall decor.  I have a favorite table runner with fall leaves and grapes on it in shades of orange, green, purple and brown.  I have a pumpkin shaped tea light candle holder I love to use.  I also have some scarecrows and some leaf shaped votive candle holders.  I change my kitchen linens to fall colored towels and pot holders.  I put up fall-themed signs on the doors. A few sunflowers here and there complete the look. (Have I done all this yet? No, I've about a third of it out. But soon!)

3.  It's always good to wash up all the afghans and put them in a basket in the living room to be ready for snuggling up on those cool evenings. (Not done.)

4.  I'm making a fall banner to drape over the large mirror in our dining area. (Not done.)

5.  Time to put up the capris and sandals and get out the sweaters, scarves and boots. (Not done.)

6.  This is the time of the year I love to stock up on my Irish Breakfast teabags, coffee, creamers, and all my soup, stew and chili ingredients so as to be ready for anything. (I've started but need more.)

7.  Check the candle inventory.  Candles are essential in fall and winter months. (I always have plenty of these!)

8.  Candy corn must be purchased. (None yet.)

9.  Most important of all, we like to take road trips and capture fall beauty with my trusty camera. One of my favorite things to do is to visit Giant City State Park and climb the water tower and take photos of the fall trees. We need to go as often as we can because by late November the trees will be bare and the landscape will be shades of gray and brown. *Sigh.  At least at Thanksgiving, we can be thankful for all the fall bounty we were able to experience.

After looking over this list, I realize I need to get on the ball and get these things accomplished.  I'm blessed in that I have a stay-cation coming up in a couple weeks where I can revel in the splendor of fall.

This post was written in response to Writer's Workshop prompt 5.) Create a fall inspired bucket list. I've got 9 things to do and a short time to do them.

What about you?  What do you like to do every fall? Leave a comment and share, or link up your own post at Kat's blog, "Mama's Losin' It."