I Love Fall!!!

This is my absolute, no-question-about it, favorite time of the year. I just LOVE Autumn, even cold, rainy Fall days like today. I'm sure that part of it is the beauty of the falling leaves. It's also the end of the oppressive summer heat that we have here in North Carolina. When Fall finally sets in, I am one hamn dappy woman! The beginning of Fall for me is the first time that I have to grab a jacket when I set out in the morning. There are SO many things that I love about Fall. Here are just a few.

Of course, there are the holidays. There's Halloween, which is second to me only to Christmas. Halloween is just so festive and fun, and I just love dressing the kids (and myself) up in their costumes. My older son's birthday is next (today, in fact), and always a special occassion. In our house, when someone has a birthday, they don't just get a day...they get a whole weekend! So it's fun fun fun for 3 days! This is followed by another of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. Any holiday that is celebrated with food and family is AWESOME in my book. I DVR all of the sappy Thanksgiving tear-jerker movies on the Hallmark channel, and I even love the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I look forward to it all year long. A week after Thanksgiving, it's MY birthday! I'm not one of those women who dreads her birthday every year. I celebrate it for the whole weekend. Whatever I want, for 3 days? Who wouldn't celebrate?!

And then there are the colors of Autumn. You just can't ignore the gorgeous Fall colors that we get here on the East Coast. The array of red, orange and yellow that we enjoy here is just breathtaking, IF you take the time to truly look (that's the key...).

There's also the FOOD! This is the time of year when my Domestic Goddess gene kicks in, and I start BAKING! In the Fall, I am overtaken by a sudden urge to mix and bake and fill my house with pumpkin bread and cookies and cakes and pies.

Then there's coffee. I generally don't drink coffee in the spring and summer, unless I need a kickstart in the morning. But when the chill of Autumn kicks in, there's nothing like a hot cup of steaming coffee. Add some Pumpkin Spice creamer, and I'm in heaven! Not to mention the Hot Apple Cider and the Hot Chocolate with marshmallows!

I could go on and on, but I have a hot latte in front of me right now that just won't wait. Happy Fall, Ya'll!