Autumn's Around the Corner

As a wife of a professional sportfisherman, I am probably more tuned into the weather than most people.  Our days are shaped by fronts, winds, temperatures & of course the seasons.  The weather dictates just how good the fishing is going to be & if the day will be a total waste on the water. In our house, a strong north wind is like a sewing machine with a broken needle - you can turn on the machine, but your not going to get anywhere.

So of course, it was my husband who mentioned that the cold fronts of August were setting in.  Our relentless heat of the summer has been replaced by the cool breezes & comfortable nights that lead into autumn.  It's a welcome change, but I always hate to see summer end despite my love of fall.  I will miss the warm sunshine, line dried sheets, open windows, sundresses & flip flops. So this year, I have decided to jump on the autumn bandwagon early with some things I really love about fall.

On my visit to the local produce stand I found some early fall apples to try out.  I am used to Jersey Macs & other slightly tangy sweet varieties, but found an unusual green variety.  I am always one to try new things out so I bought a basket, thinking they looked like they may be real tart & juicy.   I forgot to ask what variety they were.  I was surprised to find that they were only slightly tangy & more juicy & refreshing.

I also made a trip to Bath & Body Works to sample some of their fall scents.  I have a love affair with candles, so when I found out they had a Hot Chocolate candle for fall - I was on a mission.  I looked high & low, but it seems that either A) this scent sold out real quick, or B) Hot Chocolate hadn't made it to the shelves yet, so I browsed their selection of other fall scents.  There were so many yummy choices & it was difficult to play favorites with them.  Though I did find a runner up to the Hot Chocolate - their S'Mores scent - a yummy concoction of vanilla & chocolate.

For those of us with scent ADD, Bath & Body Works sells a sample size candle of their seasonal scents.  This little 1.6oz candle is packaged the same & smells just like the bigger candle jars, though it's just a miniature version.  They are super cute & will burn for 15-20 hours.  The big bonus is that you can stock up on a variety of scents for a fraction of the price.  They offer 3 of these for $5 which is pretty frugal & smart if you aren't sure of a scent & want to try it out before investing in the larger size.

I ended up with the S'Mores & a spicier scent named Creamy Pumpkin.  Both are heavy on the vanilla, which is my favorite scent & flavor of all time.  Maybe as the weather gets colder I will venture into some of the heavier scents, but for right now these give me a hint of autumn - just like the weather outside.

I would love to hear about your autumn tradtitions - what gets you ready for the change of season?  Also, if you are a candle lover - what are your favorite scents for fall?  I will be back later in the week with an update on the stars quilt, so say tuned!