The Five Senses of Fall

 Earlier this month, I listened to Emily Freeman's podcast, The Next Right Thing, where she interviewed her sister and home design expert, Myquillyn Smith.  She put words to so many of my feelings I have when it comes to readying our home for fall.  Rather than going straight to the seasonal section of Hobby Lobby and filling my cart full of fake leaves and signs with seasonal greetings like "Happy Fall Y'all," why not instead take our cues from the one who created fall in the first place.  Myquillyn says, "the best and easiest way to welcome the seasons in our home is the same way we experience the seasons in our everyday lives - through our five senses."  I didn't even realize it but this is just how I approach fall in our home.  Over the years, I have slowly minimized the rubbermade totes that take up space and collect dust in our basement and brought fall into my home through the sounds, smells, tastes, and simple things we love about the season.  After a summer season that calls us outside for long days, there is nothing I crave more when September rolls around then adding a few special touches to calls us in and bring us home.  

"I consider what it is about each season that I love and look forward to, and I do my best to incorporate those things into our home."

The Sounds of Fall || I always start each season with a new playlist.  I play it in the car, while I'm baking something with pumpkin or a hearty fall stew, on road trips to the apple orchard, or Sunday hikes at Hartman.  These tunes become a soundtrack to our memories of each season and nothing transports us back in time faster than a song from a season's past.

The Smells of Fall || Okay, so there is one store I do visit as soon as those three-wick candles and wallflowers go on sale.  But while Bath and Body Works has some of my most favorite fall scents that truly fill our home, nothing is better than something simmering on the stove top at the end of the day.  But when that doesn't happen, put a "Leaves" wallflower by each entry you have in your home and I guarantee every guest will comment on how cozy your house smells.  

The Tastes of Fall || I love curling up on the couch with a blanket on one of the first chilly days of September and make a big list of comfort food classics and yummy baked goods to treat my family throughout the season.  Fresh baked cookies for after school, soups on Sunday afternoons, red wine and buttery pasta for a date night at home, and homemade pizza and movie nights on a Friday night.  I sometimes think about what our kids will recount most about our home during the seasons and I have a feeling it might revolve around the food!

The Touch of Fall || To me, fall is all about cozy, and my goal is to make people feel like they're getting wrapped up in one big bear hug as soon as they enter our home.  I throw cozy blankets on the backs of chairs, turn on the fire in the house or light one on the back patio, add flannel sheets to our beds, and replace the kids' summer wardrobe with soft sweatshirts and sweaters to take their sense of home to school every day.  I also store away a box of seasonal books to display by our reading chair - and add a couple new titles to the mix every year.  

The Look of Fall || Other than a few fall branches and a couple neutral pumpkins donning my built-in shelves, my fall decor has become pretty minimal.  Instead, I add things to our home that we can use, interact with, or take care of.  It wouldn't be a fall season without a trip to my favorite greenhouse for mums and funky pumpkins to decorate the porch.  I buy the mums early when they're all green and barely showing their blooms.  Like the leaves on the trees, it's so fun to watch them evolve throughout the season.  And these gems I scored this year may be the best yet.

 

And the rest of what we celebrate comes through what we experience together.  Drafting fantasy football teams together at the kitchen island, rainy afternoons tucked away at the book store, Sunday afternoon drives to pretty wineries to eat charcuterie and listen to live music with friends, Friday night golf with chicken quesadillas and bitty baby in the cart, and fun flag football games (with fried chicken and oatmeal cream pies to follow) with dear friends.  I love that as our family grows, each season brings new experiences and new ways to build some good stories as a family.   

A few more good things from our Septemer...

931. The first fall morning that calls for a sweatshirt and a fire on the back deck.  

932. Or a girl who loves a good pair of boots.

933. Farmer's Market mornings and those delicious acai bowls with homemade peanut butter.

934. Beau's acoustic version of Cruz's favorite song, Sunflower, and family jam sessions before bed.

935. The last of our September swims.  We loved it on early out Wednesdays when we had the pool to ourselves.

936. New independence - riding their bikes to school all on their own.

937. And most of all, the blessing of going back to school!  So thankful our school district gave parents the options to choose from two great options - an online academy with some top notch teachers, or full-time in-person school where our kids can experience mostly normal days.  We were so ready for normal!  They wear masks every day which makes me sad, but Cruz just told me this morning that he doesn't even notice it anymore.  Most of the time, they put them on in the morning before we're even out the door!  They have adjusted well, it feels so good to be the homework helper and not the full-time teacher, they love their teachers and are happy to be reunited with their friends, and they are so happy to return to each other at the end of every day.