Happy Fall

Fall is, by far, my absolute favourite season! It's mild, but not uncomfortably cold yet. You get to layer up with fun textures in warm earthy tones. Seasonal tastes start to come out to play on the tip of your tongue, and comfort foods really do start to call to you. Mostly, fall just seems to demand attention. You can't ignore the raw beauty of nature that the season unveils. I can't help but wade through piles of leaves strewn around the city, smiling. There's an extra pep in my step and a sweet smell in the chilled air that I can't ignore.

Here are my 10 Best Tips to Making the Fall Season Even Better!

1.) Make some preserves to last you through the winter. It's a dying tradition, but aren't all of the best things in life? Not only is it a lot of fun and extremely rewarding, but it's also great because you can get super creative with it and cater exactly to your own taste buds! Plus, they make great festive gifts (only for special somebodies though). Use produce from your summer garden if you can, but if not that's fine too! We aren't all blessed with garden space. Some of my favourites are orange marmalade, brown sugar caramelized onions, garlic pickles, pasta sauces, and wine when feeling extra adventurous!

2.) Buy a few good quality scented candles or a wall plug-in in a festive scent. I especially like the ones from Bath & Body Works this time of year. I almost prefer the wall plug-ins simply because it feels really good to come home after a long day to the smell of apples, cinnamon and spice. If you are feeling extra fancy you can simmer 2 cups of apple cider, a few sprigs of thyme, and a teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a pot. You can leave this simmering on the stove all day as long as you add a cup of water every few hours. It will definitely impress your guests!

3.) Get creative with pumpkins! Big, small, carved, painted, stenciled, anything! One of my favourite things to do is buy those teeny tiny baby pumpkins (2/3 for $1), cut off the tops, poke decorative light holes and then use them as tea light candle holders all over the apartment. So great!

4.) Make yourself reeeeally fancy hot fall drinks! Who needs Starbucks?! Think homemade mulled apple cider with whipped cream and sea salt, hot toddies, rare tea lattes like Marrakesh mint or rose teas, and of course the classic Bailey's hot chocolate.
p.s. If you ever have a hard time lulling yourself to sleep, try this brew: steam a mug of milk, steep a bag a peppermint tea (optional), stir in a teaspoon of honey, enjoy. But that's not all...when your mug has cooled a bit and is almost empty place it against your temples and eyelids. It is reminiscent of a loved one kissing your eyes before bed, and will give you that extra little push into la la land.

5.) Fireplace. All I want in life is a rocking chair and a fireplace! My want for the two of these things becomes unbearable as fall turns into winter. And my faux fireplace app just doesn't cut it! So if you have a fireplace or know someone/somewhere that has one, go use it! Put on your wool socks, swaddle yourself in a throw blanket and relax in front of a fireplace with one of those fancy drinks you've been making yourself. Read a book, draw, play a board game, or even better, enjoy some good conversation with a friend, family member or your special someone.

6.) Get crafty! Winter is coming and this means less daylight and more indoor time. Winter is the best time of year for crafting and with Christmas fast approaching why not get an early start to your handmade gifts?! Plus, handcrafted decor sprinkled around the home will make it that much cozier on those long cold nights.

7.) Make time to cuddle up on a quiet park bench and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Whatever you enjoy doing, do it outside this month. Watch the trees sway, the leaves fall. Feed a squirrel. Read a book. Enjoy a hot beverage and flavoured cigarillo. If you're an artist, and even if you are not, paint a small landscape. The landscape is such a part of our Canadian identity. I try to make it a goal to make one small landscape painting a year, even if it's only a tiny one in my sketchbook.

8.) Make a point to cook comfort foods like Sheppard's pie, hearty stews, chili, borscht, and oodles of pasta noodles. I suggest pureed carrot, squash, and roasted garlic instead of your regular tomatoe sauce! Make extra when you can so that you can freeze a few batches for an evening when you don't feel like cooking but still want a hearty home cooked meal.

9.) Bake a fresh loaf of bread, full of fresh herbs, nuts, cranberries and flax seed! I bake my own bread year round, but there's something extra special about the smell of hot rising bread wafting through a chilled house.

10.) Lastly, watch a scary movie every night until Halloween, just for the hell of it! It's a spooky time of year, get into it! (Follow it by a comedy if you are a big wuss like me and my bestie!)

Happy Fall to All!